Chapter 22: Bigger than Us
Area 51 labs, May 8
The two doctors looked at the monitors in front of them. A beeping sound accompanied by green text showed up. “It zeems as zough ze internal changes have been completed. Ztart phaze two, Steve!”
“Yes doctor,” he answered while punching in a few keys. “It is done.”
“And now ve wait,” he said touching his fingers together anxiously.
***
Crystal Empire tundra wilderness
The arctic winds whipped about, flinging snow and bitter cold air around the party of eight that trudged through the cold wasteland north of the Crystal Empire. One figure looked at a map in her hands and compared it to the device she held with it.
“Twalaght?” Applejack asked while shivering. “Are we thar yet?”
She looked at the device again, “Almost, it should be over that hill.”
“But that’s what you said three hills ago,” a certain cyan winged angel complained. Even her passive magic concerning personal climate control was having issues being out in this cold for this long with winterized clothing on as well.
“This time it’s for sure, the dots are close enough together that it looks like we’re less than one hundred yards away.” Twilight could hardly believe she was leading this expedition. It took quite a few attempts on her end to convince Celestia and Luna to approve the journey. Even though she swayed her much elder princess counterparts, there was one person that she couldn’t quite convince.
“Twi? The storm’s picking up,” the male voice said. “We need to finish this quickly.”
“Don’t worry Shiny, you’ll be back with Cadance soon enough,” Twilight countered with a smirk, unfortunately it was hidden under her scarf. “You know, you didn’t have to come along. We would have been fine.”
“I know, but mom and dad would never let me hear it if you got lost out here in the deep freeze,” he replied. “Also I’m pretty sure Celestia would banish me to the moon if I lost you out here, not to mention your element bearer friends.”
“Well I’m sure they wouldn’t be THAT bad. Well Celestia that is, but mom and dad would never let you live it down. Just like when you-.”
Shining cut her off. “I get it,” he said when he knew what part of his life his parents weren’t too proud of, but usually looked over unless they wanted to tease him.
They went over the hill of ice and snow, yet when they reached the bottom when Twilight stopped, there was nothing. “Well, now what?” Rainbow Dash asked rubbing her hands together, trying to keep warm.
“But… I don’t get it, it should be here,” Twilight stammered confused as could be.
“Twilight darling, we should head back,” Rarity said.
Twilight stood in the spot that the ‘destination’ was at. There was no way that this could be all just an elaborate prank. But that left so many questions like how did the device get in the tree in the first place, and why did it lead her here?
She slouched over, depressed that she had failed in this trip to find something. As she walked away she heard the glass screen chirp at her. She lifted it up and on the screen was, ‘Are you ready to proceed?’ And on the screen were two “buttons,” ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ She shrugged and tapped the ‘yes’ button, after all what’s the worst that could happen?
A rumbling started to move the ground. “Earthquake!” Shining yelled over the roar of the earth beneath them. They struggled to keep their footing as the ground moved. Then came the screeching of metal on metal that sounded like it had not been oiled in a long time. As Twilight looked to her right she saw an opening in the ice and snow, and the metal grinding sound was coming from it. Railings shot up around the sides of the opening and what looked like a pedestal rose from one side.
“Twilight, what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, the fear in her voice was apparent.
“I don’t know,” she replied. Twilight looked at the screen and all it said was, ‘All ashore that’s going ashore.’ She just stood there looking at it like it was possessed, maybe it was. ‘Just get on the platform.’ It said after the last line of text disappeared.
“What is that?” Applejack asked.
“It seems to be a metal pedestal of some kind,” the last female companion said.
The entire group crowded around it. “Well what do you think it does Ms. Yearling?” Shining asked.
“It does have ‘ascend’ and ‘descend’ buttons,” Fluttershy said just loud enough over the howling winds.
Twilight and A.K. Yearling, more commonly known in the literature world as Daring Doo, looked at the buttons. “So they do,” Daring said. She reached one hand, her index finger extended, out towards the button. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” she said before pressing ‘descend.’
There was the sound of groaning metal as the platform slowly started to descend below the ice. When they got no more than
twenty feet under the surface the entrance above started to close. As soon as it did they were left with the darkness around them and the only light that was given off was by yellow flashing warning lights as they kept going down. Metal groaned again as they stopped at the bottom, lights flashed on which forced the group to cover their eyes for a moment.
When their eyes readjusted they saw before them what looked like a ship’s sealed bulkhead with a screen not unlike the one that Twilight held in her hands.
“Well THIS was a wasted trip,” Rainbow said in frustration that she had to miss napping back home for this.
“Not entirely,” Daring said as she approached the panel. “It’s waiting for identification credentials.”
The device in Twilight’s hand started beeping furiously. When she raised it up to look at it numbers were rapidly cycling before locking at a number. A minute passed before a ten digit number was left on the screen colored green. She slowly walked up to the screen on the wall and stopped in front of it. She slowly typed the number in on the keypad and the numbers showed up on screen.
“Twiley, what are you doing?” Shining asked as she put in the final number.
“Initializing retinal scan, please stand still,” a mechanical female voice said from the panel. Twilight saw a small blue flash that blinded her for a moment. She blinked as she tried to regain her vision, which came back a few seconds later. “Access granted. Welcome, Twilight Sparkle. You have been expected.”
“‘You have been expected?’” Shining parroted.
“You’ve got a good a guess as me right now,” Twilight replied just as confused.
The group gathered together before venturing down the hallway, as they walked down the lights lining the walls snapped on two panels before them. “That’s just eerie,” Applejack commented and the other girls nodded in agreement. As they reached the end of the lighted hallway there was another sealed door, on it was a floating transparent hologram like you would find in a science fiction novel or movie. As Twilight reached for it the green image turned blue before disappearing and the door opened with a hiss.
Lights in the room beyond started snapping on, illuminating it showing the group a larger version of the device in Twilight’s hands as well as a bunch of buttons below it on some sort of console. On the big screen text appeared, ‘>>Running “welcome.exe”.’
On it appeared a face that Twilight and her friends didn’t think they’d ever see. Her jaw dropped as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. “But, how is that possible?” Twilight asked for the group.
“Hey guys,” the male voice said. “I’m guessing you weren’t expecting me now were you? But there’s something more important right now than that. Now listen carefully-.”
***
Briggs residence, late night
I was running, running from something. I don’t know from what, but I had to run I just can’t stop. Every time I turned around I saw the darkness coming, it overtook everything, absorbed all light that it came in contact with. Eventually it backed me into a corner and I pulled out my pistol, firing into the darkness in a futile attempt to hold it at bay. The darkness lunged at me and as I raised my arms to protect my face I bolted up from my bed drenched in sweat breathing like I had just run a marathon. My arm was extended holding the revolver Spits had given me for Christmas, I was aiming at the bedroom door.
As my breathing slowed down Spits sat up and looked at me with concern, “Andrew is everything all right?”
I started breathing slower again. “Yeah everything’s fine,” I replied as I placed the pistol back on my nightstand. “I just had a nightmare, that’s all.” I laid back down trying to get as comfortable as I could considering that my spot was still drenched with sweat.
“It must’ve been one hell of a nightmare for you to be thrashing about and pulling out your gun like that. Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. As my eyes met hers I could tell she was concerned. This was the third dream I’ve had like this since the beginning of the month.
“We’ll talk about it in the morning, I just want to get back to sleep.” We both said our ‘goodnights’ and settled back into bed. Spits pressed into me, holding onto me. I guess that was just her way of saying without saying anything that she was here for me.
I woke up the next morning still a little freaked out by that nightmare, but a lot more relaxed than I was at three in the morning. As I rolled over I felt that Spits wasn’t there, however I could smell the sweet smell of bacon lazily listing in the air. I got up and groggily walked into the kitchen. Spits was at the stove in her short-shorts that showed off her legs and long sleep shirt which made it look like she was wearing nothing if you viewed it at certain angles. I came up from behind her and wrapped my arms around her stomach while setting my chin on her shoulder.
“Morning,” she said to me. “Did you sleep well?”
“Fine enough,” I replied. I still sounded something like a zombie after all, I think I need some caffeine right now. “However the sweet, succulent, irresistible smell of bacon woke me up,” I said before planting a kiss on her cheek.
“Men,” Spits commented while rolling her eyes. I let go of Spits and started up the coffee maker. I recently restocked on Dunkin Doughnuts coffee so the choice was quite clear. It’s one of the few coffee house blends that I actually like even just black. I mean yeah I usually didn’t get the good stuff back when I was overseas, but you work with what you’re given. Did you know that you can eat coffee and then drink hot water and get the fastest buzz you’ve ever had in your life? Well you can.
Unfortunately for my head that’s not going to happen any time soon so I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way, in other words brewing it. The Keurig brewer is amazing, especially the latest models where it’ll inject cream or sugar, and in the case of the higher end ones: chocolate and caramel favoring. I put my favorite coffee mug under the spout, pressed a few buttons, and a minute later liquid fuel for people was flowing into the mug. As the hot black liquid ran into my mouth Spits placed two plates of eggs and bacon on the table. Breakfast was finished mostly without anything said.
“So how’d I do?” she asked.
“It was wonderful,” I replied before giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Just like always.”
“Well aren’t you sweet,” she said with a smile.
She came close with a small giggle to plant a kiss on my lips when my phone went off. “I should probably get that,” I said before pulling away.
“And you say I’m the tease,” Spits trailed as she took our dishes back into the kitchen. One of her red locks of hair trailing as she rounded the corner. She had grown out her hair and let it down, to be honest it’s a good look on her.
I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Emily. Now why the hell would she be calling me this early in the morning? Shouldn’t she be at work? “Hello?” I said as I pressed ‘answer.’
“Andrew!” Emily shouted into the phone, making me have to hold it away for a split second. “Oh thank God you picked up,” she sounded real panicky.
“Em, is everything all right? You don’t sound so good,” my own concern was starting to bleed into my voice as well.
“It’s Jenny, she just collapsed.”
I froze in place. I would have dropped my phone if it wasn’t lined with silicon around the edges of the case. “Em, tell me what’s going on.”
She sniffled and waited a few moments before speaking. “I don’t know. We are in the Vegas area since Jenny wanted to visit you guys and I had some frequent flier miles I had yet to redeem. One moment she was fine while we were driving the next moment she complained of a burning sensation on her arms and her back being on fire. Then she collapsed.”
I stood up and grabbed my keys, shoes, and jacket. Well I haven’t showered yet so a jacket would have to do. “Are you on the way to the hospital now?”
“Yes we’re almost there now.”
“I’ll be there shortly, you just keep your head on straight. Ok, sis? I’ll see you soon.” I hung up and turned around. Spits was standing there in the doorway.
“What’s wrong,” she looked just as concerned as I did.
“Something’s wrong with Jenny. Grab you stuff, I’ll tell you along the way,” I said heading out to the garage.
***
“Doc, this isn’t good,” Steve said looking at the monitors.
“Vat is it, Steve?” the doctor asked.
“The subjects, they aren’t in LA.”
“Vell vere are they?”
“Vegas.”
“Scheiße!” he exclaimed. “Call a backup team in, ve’ll handle it ourselves.”
***
Meanwhile in Canterlot
The eleven black cloaked beings walked down the hallway to the ruling sisters’ day court queue line. The tallest one amongst them left their hood up, obscuring their face. Several guards tried to speak to them, but with a subtle wave of the tall figure’s hand the guards would just turn around and forgot why they approached them in the first place.
The group spent several hours listening to snooty nobles complain about the smallest thing, or well one was complaining for the longest time on how he didn’t get enough money as an allowance from his aunt, who just happened to be Celestia. The figure wanted nothing more than to shoot him in the kneecaps, frankly the entire city might have thanked them for it. The figure had heard about some of the things that the one named Blueblood had done in the past. They were all despicable, even by her standards. From rumors around the city he has several illegitimate children that he doesn’t even pay child support for, or at least to public knowledge that is.
At last she and her group were called into the throne room. “Miss Prismatic Veil and her group,” the herald called as she stepped forward.
“Your excellency,” she said as she bowed slightly. She might as well be cordial about it.
“Ms. Veil, would you kindly remove your hood?” the princess of the sun asked politely.
“I mean no disrespect, your highness, but I have a defect that makes me… not look appealing to others, save for my company of course. I hope I’m not offending you in any way.”
She waved her hand. “Of course not, you are my guests here and I wish for my guests, regardless of social status, to be comfortable when approaching me. So tell me, what is it that you would like to request of me?”
“Political asylum,” the mysterious women replied.
“Now why would you need political asylum?” the princess asked with concern and a raised eyebrow.
“My government has become… hostile towards me and my people behind me.”
“Of course, but in order to do so I’ll need to know what you look like.”
“You may not like-,” she said raising her hands to lower the hood. Her voice switched to one that Celestia had no problem recognizing. “-who is underneath,” she finished.
Celestia’s eyes widened as her suspicions were confirmed. Underneath the hood was a human female that had splotches of hardened dark chitin scattered around her face. It would be safe to say that the rest of her body was like this. The telltale sign of a changeling in their natural form. “Chrysalis,” she borderline spat. “Guards!”
Three squads of royal guards stormed into the room, weapons drawn. In response the ten with Chrysalis swarmed to their queen drawing their own weapons from underneath their own cloaks pointing them at the approaching guards creating a three hundred and forty degree barrier of protection. The other changelings pulled the bolts on their weapons, loading rounds into the firing chambers, they all took aim, but never fired. The guards held their hands up, noticing that the changelings already had a bead on them and would be able to take them down faster before the royal guards could even target them.
“Chrysalis! How dare you try to take this city from me! You will not succeed,” Celestia shouted in her royal voice.
“Come now, would I ‘invade’ with only ten members of my hive? I meant what I said, I want political asylum.”
Celestia stood there dumbfounded. But it did make sense in a logical sort of way. Chrysalis’s drones were not aiming at her, but only at the guards that entered and Chrysalis herself did not draw any weapon to take her on with.
“But why?” she stammered out.
“Were you not listening earlier? My own hive has turned against me, the only ones still loyal to me are these ten,” Chrysalis said gesturing to her little group. “These are my elite guard, they swear loyalty to their queen from birth and will not renounce that oath until the day they die.”
“But how can an entire hive turn against its queen? The queen should have total authority-.”
“Over the hive unless another queen comes into the picture with a greater mental aptitude than the current queen,” she interrupted. “And it is commonplace for the new queen to exterminate the former queen, her guard, and any allies she can’t convert to her side to prevent incursions later on. And I would know since I did it to my own mother, as is the way of our people. To be frank, these ten are all I have left.”
“So the one that overthrew you was-?”
“My own daughter,” Chrysalis replied with a bit of pride but a pang of guilt and fear.
Celestia sat down on her throne, her head spinning. ‘Her own daughter tried to kill her? That would be like Blueblood usurping me and my sister to rule the land,’ she thought to herself. “Lieutenant Shielded Defense,” she called out to the group. At once a younger looking mage, perhaps around thirty, approached the princess.
“Ma’am?” he asked.
“Please prepare state rooms for our… guests.” He raised an eyebrow to question her actions, “That was a direct order.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said saluting. He waved his squad over and they left the throne room.
“Chrysalis, until we figure out if what you’re saying is true you are allowed to stay in the state rooms reserved for visiting dignitaries. You may visit your group whenever you wish, but outside of that you will be accompanied by one of my guards,” Celestia said to the former queen of the changelings.
“Understandable.”
“You are also to relinquish your weapons to-.”
“That is unacceptable,” Chrysalis interrupted calmly. “What if someone attacks us? How are we to protect ourselves?”
“That is why a guard will be stationed at your doors-.”
“But what if that guard had family or they themselves were harmed in the attack almost three years ago and want revenge? Or in the streets a mob tries to lynch me or my guards? In that case your guards would do nothing or will be able to do nothing. I suggest a compromise that we be allowed to keep pistols for self-defense reasons and in return I’ll tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about changelings.” She walked up to Celestia. “Anything. Our origins. Where our sleeper agents are posted. What we know of your defenses. Locations of other hives and queens. Anything.”
Celestia was shocked, “You would be willing to betray your entire race so that you may live?”
Chrysalis started to walk back towards her posse. “Have you never heard of the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ or ‘knowledge is power?’” Celestia nodded. “Well in order to ensure my survival I am offering you power in the form of knowledge. Plus they betrayed their queen, so they have it coming. So what do you say, do we have a deal?”
Celestia pondered the implications of taking the deal. She would have all the positions of any changelings still in Equestria, but on the downside she may be condemning an entire race on the behalf of a member of their own species.
“I’ll have to think about it. Lieutenant, please escort them to their rooms,” she said to the guard. “Please let them know if you need anything,” she then said to Chrysalis.
“Of course,” she said with a smirk before leaving.
“And no prostitutes!” Celestia shouted after her.
“Killjoy!”
***
The ambulance arrived at the hospital and little Jenny was rushed through the front doors and into a room. “What happened?” a nurse asked.
“She just passed out after complaining about her arms burning and her back hurting,” Emily replied.
“Alright let’s take a look at the arms.” She rolled up Jenny’s sleeves and saw that the skin was starting to yellow in an intricate pattern. “What the-?”
“Oh good we’re not too late,” a man said pushing his way into the room with an older looking man following him in. “I am Dr. Jackson and this is my partner Dr. Heisenberg of the CDC, we’re taking that girl to a more secure location.”
“Why?” Emily asked with genuine concern.
“She may have contracted a very severe and contagious disease. We’re taking her to a quarantined location.” He looked her over as well, “You’ll also have to come along since you may have also contracted it as well without your knowledge.”
***
I raced down the streets towards the hospital, well as fast as I could considering that I had to still obey traffic lights and signals. As soon as we arrived at the front entrance I left the car under the carport. I would take care of parking it later as soon as I saw my niece. Parking tickets and points on my license be damned, family comes first.
I sprinted up to the front desk where the receptionist was taking a call. When she hung up she asked, “How can I help you?”
“Yes my niece should have been admitted not too long ago, I need to know what room she’s in,” I replied. She then asked her full name, which I provided. She typed it into her computer.
“I’m sorry, she was transferred to a CDC facility.”
“What?”
“Yeah two guys came in and just took her and her mother away because they had some sort of infectious disease.”
“Fuck!” I yelled in frustration.
“I’m sorry, I really am. If it helps the names of the two gentlemen were Dr. Jackson and Dr. Heisenberg.”
I paused for a moment. Then it dawned on me. “Oh you’ve got to be shitting me.”
“What is it?” Spits asked.
“Heisenberg is the alias used by Walter White on Breaking Bad.”
“So in other words-?”
“A fake name,” I finished for her. I turned to the nurse, “Excuse me was there anything interesting about Dr. Heisenberg?”
“Now that you mention it, yeah. He spoke in a really heavy German accent and occasionally saying a word or two in German instead of English,” the nurse said.
“You mean something like ‘zis?’” I said in my best impression of a very certain German scientist I knew of.
“With a heavier accent, but yeah that sounds exactly like Heisenberg.”
“Thank you for your time,” I said as a turned around for the car with a maddened step. I stepped back inside my Lancer and started up the engine. As soon as Spits got inside I immediately stepped on the gas.
“Andrew?” she asked with concern. She was gripping the door handle and the console as if her life depended on it. On a side-note she wasn’t buckled up so that’s probably why. “What the hell is going on?” she said as I ran through a red light.
“It’s that fucking German scientist,” I said angrily as I honked at some person going ten under the speed limit. “The one back at fifty-one.”
“How do you know it’s him?”
“Think about it. How many Germans with that heavy of an accent do we know of in the South-West that is also a doctor that knows enough about biology to fake a contagious disease?” I pulled the E-brake and drifted to straighten out to get onto the onramp of the expressway and gunned it. Soon I was going over the speed limit, rocketing down the freeway.
“Uhh, Andrew?” Spits said looking in the rear-view mirror.
“What?”
“You might want to pull over.”
“Why?”
“Well it might be better if you just look in the mirror.” I looked and sure enough there was a highway patrol car chasing us.
“Aww shit,” I said before throwing the Lancer into the next gear, shooting well over one fifty.
“Aren’t you going to stop?”
“Fuck the police. They can have me once I deal with that little piece of shit scientist.”
A few minutes passed and soon enough there was a small squad of cars following us along with a helicopter. Great. The cars tried to get close, but they could only get only three or four car lengths to us before falling behind. I then took the off-ramp that would take us to the base. I only slowed down for a moment but a squad car shot past us after I gunned the engine again. I saw the hill in the distance that marked the outer defense perimeter, you know where they determine what kind of a threat you are as you get close. Usually they do it with drones this far out.
***
The drone operator looked at his monitor for any threats coming towards the base. “Uhh, sir? We might have a possible situation,” he said as his supervisor came over. “We have a blue Mitsubishi Lancer quickly approaching the front gates, the plates belong to Captain Briggs.”
“And that’s a problem how?” the super asked.
“There’s a small contingent of highway patrol cars chasing it. Along with a few police helicopters.”
“I’ll get on the horn and have the colonel deal with it, keep watching for anything else.”
***
Well that was surprising. The helicopters peeled off turning around, they must’ve entered the base’s airspace. We shot past the base’s first line of defense and as soon as we did two Humvees sporting nasty looking M134’s that cut off the pursuing squad cars, causing them all the screech to a halt. I bet they’re getting the whole ‘You’re entering a restricted area, turn around’ speech right about now.
When I pulled up to the gate I was asked of course why I was there, I just said that I had a matter to discuss with the colonel. What I didn’t say was that might come later after some ass kicking first. I marched inside the biology labs and made my way to ‘Heisenberg’s’ lab. Before I opened the door I pulled my REX from my waistband. When I did finally open the door I saw my sister and niece in hospital beds with IV’s in their arms, it would be safe to say they were sedated.
I raised my pistol and aimed it at the back of the scientist’s head and pulled the hammer back. “Give me one fucking good reason I shouldn’t just blow your head off right here and now,” I said in the most intimidating low voice I could.
“Ah, Herr Briggs, vould you care to lower your vepion?” he asked with his hands raised.
“Not until you tell me why you thought it was a good idea to experiment on civilians who have nothing to do with this project.”
“Oh but zey have everything to do vith zis project.”
“Oh really? Enlighten me before I decide that this room’s white walls need a splash of red.”
“Security to the biolabs, security to the biola-,” the scientist’s assistant, I think his name was Steve, was able to get off before I shot the phone he was using. It was one of those ones you see in offices so I didn’t even hit him. He dropped the receiver once he realized that it was now useless.
“Come on, doc. I’m waiting.” I had maybe one minute before a heavily armed security team burst through the doors behind me. I shifted myself so that the doors were to my right instead.
“It’s all about genetics. Yours vere ze only set zat accepted ze retrovirus originally. All of our genetics based research ist based on YOUR DNA. Hence ve’re trying it on immediate family, if we can branch out ve can apply it to more people. You don’t get it do you?”
“Get what?” I asked.
The doors burst open, two riflemen had rifles of the M16 family. And yes they were both pointed towards me. “That this is the next step in human evolution,” a familiar voice said. Out stepped the colonel himself. “Now would you be so nice as to lower your weapon before we have to do something drastic?”
Spits placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me that, ‘it’s not worth it’ look. Pleading with me that I don’t do something stupid. Ok, more stupid that I already have done considering that I just lead the police on a high speed chase. I lowered it, but it was still pointed in the general direction of the German. “What FUCKING right do you have to experiment on someone who didn’t consent to it!?!” I looked at Hernandez and at the German, I really have to get his name assuming I don’t blow him away first. The colonel looked sort of regretful while the German, despite his current situation was beaming with pride.
“My God. He suggested it to you and YOU approved it. What the fuck is wrong with you? Testing genetic cocktails on civvies. Didn’t you stop to think and say to potential testers, ‘Oh hey I’m involved in this medical trial, if you opt in some cool shit may happen to you.’ Well of course you wouldn’t phrase it like that, but you get my point.”
“Captain, no matter what your vocation is now, the process has already been in motion for months now. It can’t be stopped,” Steve the assistant stated.
“Oh really, now how am I supposed to explain this to my niece and sister, huh? ‘Oh hey welcome to secret government facility fifty-one. Please enjoy your complimentary lunch and drinks, and oh yes you may have wings, psychokinesis, or enhanced strength. Please enjoy your stay and we look forward to you being our lab rats until the project goes public’,” I said in my best mocking tone.
“Captain, please understand that we won’t do anything-,” the colonel said.
“Get out,” I growled. “Get the fuck out before I do something I’ll regret.”
The two scientists walked out, they probably pissed themselves by now. They were followed by the two riflemen, leaving only Hernandez in the doorway. “This is bigger than us, bigger than all of us Briggs. Just remember that.”
“Just leave,” I said in a lower tone as I sat down next to Jenny, setting my revolver on the bedside table. She looked so peaceful, completely unaware what was happening to her right now. The door closed with an almost inaudible click as the colonel left.
Spits came up from behind me and massaged my shoulders, hitting that one pressure point on each one that helped relieve stress. “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright,” she tried to reassure me.
“It’s not me we’ll have to convince, it’s them. Yeah Jenny will jump up and down at the prospect of having wings, or ‘magic.’ But Emily, not so much. All it’s going to mean for her is another secret in the Briggs’ family history book.”
***
The northern wastes
The ancient metal doors groaned shut as Twilight and her group ventured back towards their dogsleds which would take them back to the Crystal City. The recording’s last words before it turned off left her with something on her mind that would not just go away.
‘Don’t worry, Twilight you’ll figure it out. It’s only a matter of TIME.’
The way he emphasized ‘time’ really irked her to no extent. Was there a double meaning in that statement? What was the device in her hands going to show her once combined with the ‘chip’ he spoke of?
“Oh I know!” Pinkie shouted above the howling winds. “It’s plans for a space faring space station that shoots giant lasers that blows up planets!” Her friends, Shining and Daring included just stared at her like she killed a puppy. “Just kidding!”
Twilight rolled her eyes at Pinkie’s antics. The only thing that was on her mind was how could-.
“Stop that thought right there, Twilight. If you think any more on that then the audience will have a major plot point spoiled for them.”
“Pinkie, how much sugar have you had today?” Applejack asked.
“About three pounds worth, why?”
“No reason.”
All Twilight knew was that whatever happened next with this discovery would be big, very big.