//------------------------------// // Can the world oppose, Deadliest of Foes? // Story: Real Equestrian Heroes // by skyace //------------------------------// The malfunction of the MASS-MD (Molecular Assembler Scrambler Sender, Multi-Dimensional) had predictably cast the crew of the Cobra Helicarrier into an uproar. Officers of various units shouted contradictory orders while Vipers and Troopers rushed from point to point in an attempt to fulfil them. The notable exception to this pandemonium was the bridge of the Helicarrier itself, thanks in large part to the discipline of the troops stationed there and the professionalism of the operating crew itself. This was thanks to the efforts of one man, Laird James McCullen Destro the XXIV. Prior to the construction of the massive ship (built by none other than Destro’s M.A.R.S. Industries) he had insisted on staffing the bridge with troops and support personnel handpicked from amongst his own personal security force, the Iron Grenadiers. Rigorously trained, and fiercely loyal to the point of fanaticism, the Grenadiers were widely regarded as the most deadly private security force known to man, rivaling some countries special forces with regards to training and effectiveness. This training and discipline stood them in good stead, as the Helicarrier re-materialized in a nose down attitude pointed towards an unforgiving landscape of boulders and canyons. Orders passed from Destro to his seconds in a clipped, expedient fashion that brooked no room for argument. Slowly, the immense craft began to level out, the nose coming up inch by tortures inch. It was enough to save the troops inside the Helicarrier, but not the ship itself. The Helicarrier managed to achieve a nose up configuration, but clipped a low hilltop, slamming the ship belly-first into the rocky landscape. Metal shrieked and tore with a sound like a demented banshee as the Helicarrier slid several hundred feet before settling at the rim of an immense crevice. Then, silence began to fall once more upon the dried up wasteland the Helicarrier had come to rest upon. Relaxing his grip upon his safety belt, Destro released the catch and began striding around the bridge, checking readouts and demanding damage reports in a deep voice that held only a trace of his Scottish brogue. As he busied himself coordinating those under his command who were still conscious, a low moan and clatter of overturned terminals revealed the presence of the only other high-ranking Cobra officer on the bridge aside from Destro himself. Examining a cracked monitor that was still somehow displaying data, Destro spoke without looking up. “Are ye alright my dear? I did warn ye to strap yourself in before Mindbender switched his infernal device on”. The raven haired beauty that stumbled over to where Destro stood was in no mood to be trifled with. “Don’t speak to me about that idiot Mindbender! That mustachioed moron assured us he had worked the bugs out of that MASS device of his.” The Baroness gingerly prodded the back of her head, wincing as her fingers contacted the rapidly swelling bump that was the result of her sudden introduction to the laws of physics. Destro smiled tightly still not taking his eyes off of the terminal he was examining. “Aye, Mindbender promised us much this time. The Commander is nae going to be pleased with this latest development. By the by, have ye seen our illustrious leader since our departure?” The Baroness left off examining herself for injuries in favor of responding to her on-again-off-again paramour. “Not since we began preparations for dimensional jump. You know the Commander, he is likely hidden away within that bunker you built for him.” “Dinnae mock the man overmuch my dear, by the state of yourself and my carrier he was the smarter man, I’m thinking.” “YOUR carrier, Destro?” Activity on the bridge ground to a sudden halt at the sound of an oily, rasping voice. Standing framed within the doorway, bracketed by his personal bodyguard of Red Ninja and Crimson Guardsmen, stood the worlds most wanted man. Barely standing at six foot in his boots, Cobra Commander still seemed to project an aura of malevolence that would leave larger men shaking before him. Ruthless, cold, and calculating, Cobra Commander seemed a human embodiment of the serpent he had named himself and his organization for. Striding onto the bridge, The Commander slowly panned the expressionless gaze of his mirrored steel battle-helmet across the large space, missing no detail of the wrecked super-weapon. “Well Destro? I await your report on the status of my carrier.” Finally straightening up from the now smoking terminal, Destro turned to answer his master. “It’s early to tell yet Commander. All I can tell ye is that we have successfully bridged the divide between worlds despite a slight equipment malfunction, and as of last report ninety-eight percent of personnel have survived.” Cobra Commander stood regarding his weapons supplier for a few short seconds before replying, barely controlled rage causing his voice to rattle, as though forced from between his teeth. “Successfully bridged the divide Destro? Successfully?! I apparently am seeing something far different from yourself. You must not see my carrier smashed into the dust of an uncharted world, with NO WAY TO RETURN!!!” The Commander’s voice had steadily risen as he spoke, until the last few words were nearly screamed. Showing no outward signs of concern, Destro calmly glanced at an intact computer screen then turned his gaze back to The Commander. “Really Commander, there’s nae need to get yourself into such a bother. The carrier is crashed, yes, but with my own expertise and the strong backs of your own bonnie Vipers, we’ll soon get her flying again. And look! Ninety-nine point one percent survival rate now! We’ll have plenty of strong backs to get this crate airworthy again.” Cobra Commander continued to direct his glare at Destro for a moment more, before turning his back and striding out of the room. “Very well Destro. You will begin repairs at once, and then join me and the other officers within my quarters. We must establish where we have ended up, and formulate a plan for the future.” The group that assembled less than an hour later was a veritable who’s-who of terrorism and evil. Seated behind his mahogany desk, with a map of the globe behind him and the banners of Cobra to either side, Cobra Commander sat broodingly in his command chair. Partially within the shadows behind his master, the legendary ninja assassin Storm Shadow stood with arms folded, narrowed eyes scrutinizing the assembly for any potential threats against The Commander’s person. Standing slightly closer together than was perhaps necessary, Destro seemed to radiate a cool confidence, while The Baroness made no attempt to hide her scorn for those around her that she considered beneath her. Chief amongst those to be receiving her disdain, and cheerfully ignoring her, was Major Sebastian Bludd. Formerly of Australia’s Special Air Service, now wanted for war crimes on three continents, the rough and ready soldier of fortune was one of Cobra’s longest serving officers, and its most cruelly lethal. Standing beside the one-eyed Australian, Dr. Mindbender was absorbed with the readout of a small tablet computer, analyzing data from the Helicarrier’s surviving sensor array. Once a beloved dentist, the mad scientist had undergone a sinister personality change through his self-experimentation with pain relief through mind control. He was now Cobra’s expert on all things related to manipulation of the mind, with a side specialty in genetic tampering. Flipping a small knife from hand to hand, Cobra’s master of disguise and infiltration made sure to keep a wary eye on the ninja hovering over Cobra Commander’s shoulder. Zartan had good reason to fear The Commander’s bodyguard, and those standing near him could see the nano-bots within his skin rippling as the shape shifter tried to resist the urge to activate his cloak and slip away. Seeming to regard the entire assembly with disdainful amusement, the Crimson Twins Xamot and Tomax were engaged in a whispered conversation as they waited for The Commander to begin the meeting. Virtually identical aside from the scar marring one of the brother’s otherwise handsome faces, The Twins were both Cobra’s financial advisors, and the field commanders of the notorious infiltration and shock troopers, the Crimson Guard. Possessing of an eerie sense for each-other’s thoughts and feelings, they were known for starting and finishing each-other’s sentences, and were also distinctive in their shared sense for when one was in pain. Cobra Commander leaned forward across his desk, clasping his hands before him across the paper strewn surface. Glancing from one to the other of his subordinates, he waited until he was sure he had their undivided attention before speaking. “Well Destro? What is the status of my Helicarrier?” Clearing his throat, the Scottish arms dealer stepped forward a pace before answering. “Honestly, the damage is almost purely cosmetic. Sure the engines will require an overhaul, and the lower hanger bay doors are smashed almost completely in, but I am pleasantly surprised by just how well we were able to weather the crash landing. If all goes well, we should have the carrier airborne within two weeks at most, and battle worthy within three.” “Very well, begin work at once. Major Bludd, your casualty report?” “Right’o Commander, good news from me-self as well. We only lost fifteen men dead or missing, while the rest are sporting bumps and shiners of various severity. I’d estimate we have nearly three hundred able-bodied men able to carry a rifle, and that’s not counting the pilots and chaps in support.” “Excellent, begin sending out patrols for a radius of ten miles. Make sure they are equipped with scanning gear and radio packs; I don’t want any uninvited guests. Speaking of, just where did we land Dr. Mindbender?” Finally tearing himself away from his tablet, Cobra’s mad scientist took a moment to clean his monocle, before speaking in his guttural accented English. “Based upon data recovered from such equipment that survived the emergency landing, I can hypothesize that we have come to land upon C-006.” “Most enlightening Doctor, if I were a member of your research team. Care to elaborate upon just which alternate world that is?” “Of course Commander. As you know, there were six alternate dimensions that I was able to detect in close enough proximity to our own to enable probes. Of the six, two were deemed uninhabitable due to the harshness of climate or geography, while three more were rejected for consideration for Cobra-La after it was ascertained that they supported intelligent life. Dimension C-001 was chosen for our off-world base due to its stability of climate, while remaining barren of all but the most primitive of life. From what initial scans I was able to compile immediately following the crash, I have determined that this is the planet Equis, so designated due to the fact that the dominant species is equine in form.” Zartan spoke for the first time. “So, what, like horses?” Dr. Mindbender nodded. “Yes, though smaller in stature than the common domestic Earth horse. These creatures seem closer in size to the Shetland pony. There are, however some key differences beyond apparent sentience though.” Baroness raised an eyebrow. “Care to elaborate, Doctor?” Mindbender hesitated, and then plunged on with his explanation. “Beyond the fact that these ponies seem to have developed a civilization of their own that rivals humanity’s, there seem to be three sub-species of pony. First is the type that bears the most resemblance to Earth equines. Next there are the other two, which for lack of a better term I have dubbed Unicorns and Pegasi.” This last statement caused a shockwave of surprise and disbelief among the assembled Cobra officers, with Major Bludd being the most vocal. “Hold on, bloody unicorns? And the mythological Pegasus no less. Next you’ll be telling us they use bleed’n magic and shoot rainbows out of their arse.” The doctor ignored the mocking tone used, and simply confirmed what the increasingly incredulous gathering had inferred. “Indeed, though I hesitate to use the term ‘magic’, the unicorn species seems to manipulate objects through the use of some form of telekinesis, while my probes sent back video footage of one pegasus leaving what appeared to be a rainbow colored contrail as it flew.” While the assembly continued to devolve into a disbelieving argument over Dr. Mindbender’s report, Cobra Commander had remained eerily silent. After a short period of time, wherein Dr. Mindbender continued to defend his findings against an increasingly sarcastic Major Bludd and Zartan, he finally slammed his fist against his desk in an attempt to bring his lieutenants attention back on himself. “This is all quite fascinating Doctor, but one question still stands. After the meddling of those accursed Joes, can the MASS-MD device get us back to either Earth or Cobra-La?” Mindbender seemed to shrivel slightly as he prepared to give his unpredictable leader the bad news. “I am afraid not at this time Commander. The jump drained the machines power supply, and the damage caused by the jump itself and subsequent crash means that I will require at least a week to repair it. And even if I do, we still face the problem of no power supply. Until we can develop a substitute, we have no way to power the device.” Cobra Commander was not known for his ability to take bad news gracefully. Smashing his fist against his desk, he stood up with such force that his command chair was smashed back against the wall. For a long moment, Dr. Mindbender stood quivering beneath his Commander’s shaking gaze, before as abruptly as it had come; the Commander’s anger seemed to dissolve. Straightening up and clasping his hands behind his back, Cobra Commander slowly turned and began walking towards a small door leading to his personal quarters. “I expect, Dr. Mindbender, that you will devote your full efforts to acquiring said power source. The rest of you will assist him as you see fit. I will be in my quarters, and I do not wish to be disturbed unless someone has developed a solution to our problem. Send out the patrols as I ordered, and order them to kill anything that comes within fifty miles of our position.” Closing the door behind him, The Commander finally gave into his earlier rage. Drawing the ceremonial saber he wore at his side, he began to hack and cut at a wooden pillar placed there for that very purpose. Finally, spent from his anger and physical assault upon the scarred post, Cobra Commander stumbled wearily towards the small, yet lavish bathroom. He attempted to run a sink of water, but found that apparently one of the casualties of the crash had been the plumbing. Letting out a snarl of impotent rage, The Commander smashed his fist through the ornate mirror above the sink. Then, as he was turning to leave the bathroom, a soft, unfamiliar voice seemed to materialize from the air around him. “My, my, aren’t you the passionate one.” Cobra Commander wasted no time drawing his pistol. Swinging the firearm from corner to corner, he began searching the small room for owner of the voice. “Who’s there? Show yourself!!!” “Come now my lord, there is no reason to fear.” “I fear nothing! Now come out before I call the guards.” “That… could prove difficult, as I have no corporeal form to show you.” Continuing to scan for the origin of the voice, Cobra Commander failed to notice that one of the shadows in the corner of the room seemed… darker. “Explain yourself.” “I was once the most powerful being this pitiful world has ever known. Before I could take my rightful place as ruler, a wretched band of traitors cast me down, nearly destroying me. But, I managed to survive, though greatly diminished. I now live, if you can call it that, as nothing more than a shadow of my former glory.” “A pitiful story, but I fail to see what that has to do with your presence within my personal toilet.” “I have been observing you since your arrival, Cobra Commander. You are a being of great rage, and greater ambition. You desire to rule over your world, and will allow nothing to stand in your way. I know this, for we are much alike, you and I. All I ask, is your permission to serve you. In exchange for helping me to conquer this land and place me in my rightful place as Queen, I will guide and advise you in acquiring power beyond your wildest imaginings, enough to conquer both this world and your own!” Cobra Commander finally lowered his weapon. “You can promise me this?” “I swear it, upon my very existence, that I will faithfully serve you as your vassal until such time as you have conquered this world and that of your origin.” Cobra Commander nodded once. “Then I agree to your proposal, and accept your oath of allegiance. But know this creature. Betray me in any way, and I will make you wish you had never drawn breath. Are we clear?” “Crystal clear, My Lord.” As the Cobra Commander turned to leave the wrecked bathroom, he failed to notice the appearance of a pair of turquoise eyes in the shattered remains of his mirror, eyes with slit pupils like those of a cat. “Fool.”