Psycho
Chapter Thirty One
The darkness of night had long settled on the city of Canterlot, yet even in it's peaceful shadow the Princess of the Night nervously trotted down the long hall towards her sister's chambers. A drop of sweat slid down her brow as she raced down the hall. Mixed feelings running through her mind; first confusion, then realization, anger, second thoughts and finally more confusion. Finally her tired legs slowed as the large white doors adorned with bright suns faced the dark princess. The sweat drop hung at the base of her jaw, as Princess Luna opened the large doors the drop fell softly to the ground.
"Sister, my apologies for disturbing you but I have disturbing news" Luna spoke with a combination of drowsiness and urgency.
The dark alicorn trotted into the room with a dizzy stagger, eyes glossed in exhaustion. On the opposing side of the chamber stood her opposite sibling, who now stood in her own state of confusion.
"Luna? You are several hours late in lowering the moon, and you look... well tired, what ails you sister?" The regal white alicorn asked with the utmost sincerity.
"My sister, I have tried to lower the moon. From the hour planned to only ten minutes before now, yet it refuses to leave it's spot in the sky. My reserves of magic are low, and I do not believe I have the stamina to continue" Luna half mumbled, half ranted in her sorry state. Celestia took notice of the magical strain her sister's body was in.
"It deny's you dominion over it? How would that be possible? Unless Discord was involved..." Celestia raised a hoof to her own brow in thought.
"That is precisely what I thought myself sister, hence my hurried rush to find you. Where is Discord?" Luna asked, but before her sister even had the time to react a cold shiver raced up Luna's spine.
"Hmm yes, I can definitely see the fun in such a prank my pretty princesses. I am swelling with a mix of pride and confidence that you would attribute the stationary disposition of the moon to one such as I" The loud, almost sincere voice echoed down the halls. Both sisters peered at the door as the tall, gangly being stepped into the room. "Yet, much to my displeasure... This act of chaos is not of my own."
Both sisters looked toward each other with doubting faces, but it was Celestia who spoke next.
"If not you Discord, then who? To my own knowledge, we are the only three beings with the magical potency to lift the sun and the moon." Celestia turned towards the window to face the still moon.
"Discord, would thou mind telling your princesses just where you were these last few weeks? Neither I nor my sister have heard word from you since the discovery of the human Krieg" Luna peered through sagging eyes towards the draconequus.
"Oh yes! You see, After the riveting experience with that Krieg fellow I decided to do some studying of my own. In my own style of course. Even found another human here, although he never even knew I was there, and learned a great deal just by poking around in that neat little head of his" Discord seemed to swallow a disgusted gulp, both sisters noted. "And before you go scolding me for abusing these powers of mine, humor for me a moment and watch your precious moon!"
Both sisters and the draconequus peered out the window. Two frowns and a twisted grin watched as the air distorted itself in front of the moon. Luna opened her mouth to protest but was silenced by the following eruption of sound bursting through the air. Sheltering their eyes from the flying glass, both sisters recovered enough to see the shadowed heavens ripple like a pebble had been thrown into it. Only the pebble was no pebble, yet a large creation of metal and lights. The sisters could only watch as the new celestial object seemed to stick to the air before the moon.
"Discord... Explain."
"Wha- What is that thing!" Twilight shouted as the streets screamed around her. Screaming in the streets at night hours was not a favored hobby of hers, then again neither was having night time hours at breakfast.
The siren unicorn watched the night sky ripple as the large structure floated before the moon. From her balcony in the crystal castle, she could see the ripples in the dark sky as the structure seemed to teleport in. Her five friends also watched, some in fear and others in confusion. The seven vault hunters however where already in action as they bolted through the door towards the princes chambers. Twilight took notice and quickly followed, her friends tailing behind.
"No, seriously! What is that thing!?" Rainbow demanded more than asked, speeding at pace with Mordecai.
"That's the Hyperion moon base kid, Aka big trouble. Twi! You sure your bro can handle this!? Once the bombardments start, Jack ain't quitin!" The hunter turned his head back as he flew through the air.
"I'm certain he can manage! You didn't see him when the changelings attacked!" Twilight tried to remain serious but a slight bit of pride escaped her mouth as she ran. The doors to her brother's chambers were already open and she could see inside. Her brother was already with Cadence, looking out the window towards the moon base.
"Shining!" Twilight shouted as she ran into the room.
"Twily! Do you know what that thing is?" Shining asked with a smile, but Twilight felt his protective gaze observing her new tattoos. A slight cringe briefly appeared on his face.
Before the unicorn siren could answer, a strange metal ball came hovering into the room. The ball flew through the same window both Shining and Cadence were watching out of. Everypony watched the ball as it seemed to dance around in the air. The vault ponies watched, scowls growing on their faces. They alone gave enough tension to turn the Princess of Love's gaze towards them. Before she could speak her calming words, the source of their ire spoke from behind.
"Hey everybody! Jack here!" The cheerfully dread voice echoed through the halls.
Seven ponies stood in shock as the holographic screen unfolded out of the floating orb. Seven other ponies pulled out gun, blade, powers and hoof at the screen as if to attack. Princess Cadence merely kept a strong and warm face as she turned to the image before her.
"Greetings Jack, I am Princess Cadence. To what do I owe this visit?"
"Ah so there are decent civilized ponies on your rainbow pisshole of a planet. Good to know there will at least be a friendly face on the ground" The man in the hologram seemed to grin. Most ponies in the room offended at the 'pisshole' comment, Cadence remained unphased.
"On the ground? And what do you mean by that?" Shining finally stepped forward to ask, using a protective tone.
"Oh! Yes... that, well you see. I have reason to believe that this little 'Empire' of yours is housing nine dangerous fugitives, all with very high prices on their heads. Granted I did recall those bounties but still. I want them, and you will give them to me" The man demanded, Twilight turned her head towards her friends but snapped back as she caught Lilith's shaking towards her.
"And if we decide not to give them up?" Cadence asked maintaining her calm countenance.
"Well, then it goes like this. If you decide you would rather protect these child murdering bandits, then I will have to do something like this" The man smiled, every pony watched as his arm raised to a terminal, beeps a clicks echoed through the room.
"DAMMIT JACK DON'T DO THIS!" Mordecai shouted, but it was too late. Screaming shells pierced the sky, the resulting explosions caused the other ponies to shoot towards the balcony.
"Oh Celestia..." Cadence gasped as an entire block of the empire was engulfed in flames. The night itself glowed in the flames.
"So, do you understand just how important they are to me? Hand them over and I promise, their deaths will be quick."
Cadence ignored the screen behind her, a feeling churning in her stomach very difficult to keep within herself. She remained silent as she watched her city burn. The vault ponies gathered behind her, one soft hoof rested on her shoulder. She turned to face her husband, but instead met with the pearl white coat of Lilith. Her gaze hard on the moon base ahead, but her hoof resting on the grief filled princess beside her.
"It won't stop. Even if he get's us... He wants this planet. Us, you, your friends, we are all just in his way and he will kill us all... If we give him the chance" Lilith spoke sympathetically, but at the same time with a determined look towards the base.
Cadence remained silent, as if sucking in all the information. She could hardly make a decision before another shell pierced the sky. Her eyes widened as the ball of fire hurled towards another block of the empire. She opened her mouth to scream but the shriek went unheard as the ball of fire erupted the block in smoke and flame.
"Every minute you waste is another hundred lives I get to waste, better give me your answer... The clock is..." Several flicks of switches and beeps followed the gap in his speech. "Ticking."
"Shining! Help me get a shield up!" Cadence shouted in mournful agony.
Shining armor quickly nodded and rushed to his wives side. Touching his horn to hers, the room was filled with bright pink energy as the shield expanded over the castle. More shrieking shells launched from the moon base, all making contact with the pink shield that was quickly enveloping over the Crystal Empire.
"Heh... Just like old times, I'll get past this shield vault hunters... Just like Sanct-" Static filled the room and the orb dropped to the ground, it's signal blocked by the magical barrier.
Everypony stood in silence outside the chamber doors. Cadence and Shining Armor had taken the vault ponies into their room to question, Twilight and her friends were now waiting out in the hall. Their minds filled with all kinds of thoughts.
"So much... destruction... Ah've never seen..." Applejack muttered as she slumped down the wall onto her rear.
"How can somepony be so... so evil!" Rarity exclaimed, her face wet from tears as she thought of the injured... or worse.
"That chicken can't even come down here to fight us himself! He has to use some weird magic to threaten us!" Rainbow fumed in anger, kicking her rear legs in the air.
At the display, the door slowly opened. The light tan coated stallion with the utility belt and jacket came trotting out followed by the midnight blue unicorn mare. Shining Armor stepped out behind them and the door shut behind him. They all three shared a grim look in their eyes.
"Shining, whats going on?" Twilight asked, knowing perfectly well what was happening. "Maya? Axton?"
"Just goin after survivors little lady, we'll be back mid day tomorrow" Axton stood in the hall, allowing Maya and Shining to pass in front of him.
"Sur-survivors?" Fluttershy crept up behind Twilight.
"Yes Fluttershy, your princess still senses living ponies in the several blocks hit. She suggested Shining take a squad of guards to round up survivors, Axton suggested he go in the squads place. Act of good faith" The siren giggled to herself. "I'm going along to keep these boys alive. Someone has to keep them in line."
"It's just the three of you? How are you going to cover all the places hit!?" Rainbow shot into the air.
"Mordecai and Lilith are taking an elite squad of the crystal guard to the eastern districts. We are going towards the south eastern parts" Axton replied with a slight grin at Rainbow. "Of course, they have a flier and we don't... But I guess we can ju-"
"I'm coming!" Rainbow shouted as she flew over by Axton. "I'll pick out the survivors and you guys get em to safety!"
Just before the attack
"So... You and you are... changelings?" Krieg asked as he sat with the dark skinned ponies, with their big bug eyes and bug wings. The psycho immediately thought of the varkid, only a little different.
"Yes, and you... are a psycho? By the swarm..." Chrysalis hissed. She was still worn out from the fight the day before, also the lack of feeding. "Your strength surpasses the strongest of stallions I've had to... deal with. And that mare... What magic was that?"
Chrysalis was eyeballing the small red pegasus with the machine arm. She had witnessed the monstrosity she had summoned and the power it was capable of releasing was... incredible to say the least. For such a small mare... She was talking with the white unicorn and they both seemed excited about something. Such a small mare... Yet so...
"Oh that's Gaige, and it's not magic" Krieg interrupted the Queen's thoughts. "It's all home made tech. Her dad helped her with some of it, but it's mostly her work. That girl is something of a genius."
The changeling queen was about to respond when a deafening sound screamed through the sky. Everypony shot their heads to the sky, the sight shot a jolt of anger in the Psycho's heart. The same anger grew in the Queens heart as well. The flaming shell hurled downward from the moon base and wrecked into the ground only a couple blocks away. The explosion was almost as deafening as the shot itself, then the screaming of ponies fleeing the scene. While the queen, Krieg, and Gaige all stared at the moon base, Carapace and Vinyl each stared into the streets. Wide eyes filled with terror.
"OCTAVIA!"
"CRISS!"
Both unicorn and changeling shot down the ally, Carapace reforming his pony shape as Vinyl was sprinting down the ally way. Chrysalis, Gaige and Krieg watched for a short second before running after them. A dark rage was building behind Krieg's mask as he watched the city burn.
They didn't deserve this...