//------------------------------// // Part 04: Overdrive // Story: The Transporter // by Unit_ZER0 //------------------------------// As the Elantra leapt into empty space, Cole found himself strangely calm. This was without a doubt the strangest job he had ever undertaken. Moving a mysterious package that might turn out to be an ancient artifact of great value. Being pursued by some of that artifact’s rightful owners. Racing down a set of railroad tracks. And now, flying through empty space, to a probably painful landing. And all of this in a world populated by pastel equines… ponies! And sort-of-equine bugs. If it wasn’t so very unprofessional, Cole might have begun laughing hysterically right then and there. But there was the (rapidly) upcoming landing to consider... And if he screwed up, there would be no time to laugh, only time to die. Work now, psychotic break later. As they soared towards their destination, Sergeant Stormcloud looked at the human in the driver’s seat of the contraption he found himself in. Clearly, this creature was not a cowardly sort. If all humans were like Cole, humanity was one very strange species indeed. Here was an individual who had trusted a mad scheme by himself and the bug without question, and was clearly determined to accomplish his assignment. That took guts, as well as a very low degree of sanity. Not to mention doing so in their world, not his own! This human would bear watching. Who knew? If he drank as well as he drove, this could be a person worth getting to know. As the three of them and the Ark underwent the most dangerous thing Earth Mover could think of ever having attempted in her life, she took a quick look at her two companions. Clearly, the thestral was unconcerned. He must have suspected she would help them land safely, if only out of a sense of self-preservation. The human… that was a different story. She could practically taste the emotions rolling off him. There was a note of confidence, a whole lot of courage, and a healthy dose of fear in the mix, but oddly, the emotions she was picking up were muted, as if held below a simmering pot’s lid. As they drew closer to the ground, she could sense them beginning to surge, almost bursting out. The Elantra, supremely unconcerned about the mental state of its passengers, dropped out of the sky like a flying brick. As it approached the ground on the opposite side of the gorge, there was a brief golden flare of magical energy, and the wheels thudded down. With a roar, the car skidded sideways, and came to a stop in a swirling cloud of dust. Without a sputter, the engine cut, and the lights died. Suddenly, the driver’s side door slammed open, and Cole stumbled out. Staggering away from his vehicle, he stopped, put his hands on his knees, and breathed deeply, like a swimmer who’s just come up from a deep dive. The door behind the driver, and the passenger side door opened as well, spilling the bright interior light across the area where the vehicle had landed, as dust swirled and eddied away from the scene. Both Earth Mover, and the sergeant trotted over, concern on their features. “Cole? Are you all right?” The changeling inquired. “No,” was the curt response. “Want to talk about it?” the sergeant added. “No. Going to have to though, got to finish the job.” “We can take a couple minutes,” the sergeant added. “I’ll keep my ears open.” Even Cole had to chuckle at that one, as the sergeant swiveled his tufted ears back and forth. Earth Mover moved a little closer. “I understand you do this kind of thing for a living-” She began. “-Just not in a world filled with talking ponies.” Cole finished. “You’ve got to understand, I’ve seen things. Bad things. Things you have no basis for understanding. I kept it together. No matter what. But this… This is a whole new level.” “I Understa-“ “-No, you don’t. It’s not your fault, but you don’t. We just jumped a car over a canyon! Does that even sound remotely normal to you?!” The look the insectoid pony gave Cole at that point quickly defused the human’s rising agitation. It spoke volumes, chiefly among them being the phrase: “Really? You’ve been conversing with creatures you weren’t even sure existed a week ago, and a canyon jump is what pushed you over the edge?” In the back of his badly misfiring brain, Cole noted that the look she was giving him would have looked just as much at home on a human face as it did on hers. And that fact alone was enough to get the human to begin to pull himself together. “Ok,” Cole began after sucking in a deep lungful of air, and letting it out again. “That’s enough of that. We’ve still got a package to deliver, and whoever dropped the bridge will probably be along in a couple minutes to check on us. There’s no way they didn’t notice the fact that we aren’t in the bottom of the gorge.” Earth Mover was beginning to figure out the human’s mercurial attitudes, and recognized that the fact he had a purpose was pulling him back from the brink. “I agree. I can sense a few changelings nearby. They haven’t begun to approach, but that’ll change quickly.” “Then let’s get going.” Sergeant Stormcloud stated flatly, as he re-entered the Elantra, and slammed his door. Turning, he looked out of the brightly lit interior to gaze expectantly at the others. With another glance at Cole, Earth mover also trotted back to the Elantra, and re-entered. As the passenger door slammed shut, Cole took a good look at his ride. The dark blue paint was dusty, but unmarred, and the four tires were intact. As he stood, gazing at the wide open driver’s door, with the door’s courtesy light pulsing a reddish orange, in counterpoint to the bright bluish white light from the dome and footwell lights, he felt a place inside himself that had come loose slowly move back into place with an almost audible ‘click’. Squaring his shoulders, the human strode back to his vehicle, and its valuable cargo. Climbing back inside, Cole slammed his door, and turned the key. The engine started without a single chug, and the Elantra came to life around him. As he secured himself, and double checked the sensors, Cole turned to Earth Mover. “Thanks,” he said gruffly. The changeling ducked her head, then looked out the side window. “Same to you,” he said over his shoulder to the thestral. “Don’t mention it.” Was the calm reply. With that, Cole put the car into gear, and set off for the tracks. Without being asked, a shimmering pair of ramps appeared, and the Elantra mounted the rails once more. As they sped onward, Cole turned to address the thestral: “Sergeant, is there a rail station along our route?” “Just up the track a ways, there’s Ponyville. Why?” “We ought to leave a warning about the bridge.” “Consider it done.” The unusual trio drove on in silence, as the human vehicle flashed along at a steady 200KPH. In next to no time, they were slowing down at the Ponyville rail station. As the car drew to a halt, sergeant Stormcloud opened his door, and exited. Flapping his leathery wings, the thestral soared up to the platform, and trotted up to the station master’s shack. Per standing orders from the Royal Guard, the shack was to be kept occupied by one guardspony at all times, and the current guard was reading by lamplight when the sergeant knocked. With a sigh, the guardspony, a thestral himself, put his book down, and opened the door. “Can I help you?” he asked. “Private,” the sergeant began, “I’m sergeant Stormcloud 14th scouting division. I’ve been on assignment for classified transport, and we were nearly intercepted up the line. The Ghastly Gorge Bridge is out, and I need notification passed both up and down the line.” “Understood, Sir.” The Private replied crisply. “Many thanks,” the sergeant replied, and turned to leave. Looking past him, the private saw the strange, low shape of the Elantra, as well as noticed the faint rumble of its engine for the first time. “Sergeant! He called out. “What manner of train is that?” “Sorry private, but that’s above your pay grade. If anyone other than the princesses themselves asks, you saw nothing here tonight.” Mentally groaning at the lost chance to study the unusual machine more closely, the private nodded. “Understood, Sir.” With an acknowledging nod, the sergeant turned, and dropped off the edge of the platform. The private saw a brief flare of light, as the sound of a door opening was heard, and then the light faded as the door closed. With an increasing rumble, the strange train moved off, accelerating rapidly, the only indication of its presence being two baleful red lights, spaced almost like eyes, which faded into the distance with great rapidity. As they pulled out of Ponyville, Cole brought the Elantra’s speed up to a blistering 220KPH, and set the cruise control. He was taking no chances this time, and the car flashed through the night like a phantom, its deep blue coloration rendering the body nearly invisible, the only indicators something was even there being the actinic glare of the headlights, and the baleful glow of the taillights. After blasting through a tunnel carved straight through a mountain range, the lights of Canterlot could be seen in the distance. Turning, Cole addressed his passengers. “Looks like we’re coming up on our destination. What’s the plan?” “I’ll get out when we pass the guardpost, and head to the Secure Archives entrance.” The Sergeant began. “I can ask Princess Luna to meet us at the archive, and then we can get this situation with Earth Mover and the Ark sorted.” The changeling in question looked back at the thestral in surprise. This was the first time he had addressed her by her actual name, and not as “the bug” or worse… Although the sergeant’s next words proved he hadn’t begun to completely trust her yet... “Still, keep an eye on her, ok Sir?” Well, it was a start. “Sure thing,” the human replied. “Speaking of eyes, shouldn’t you be in disguise at this point?” he continued, directing his last comment towards the changeling. “What? Oh, right.” In a golden blaze, Earth Mover resumed her unicorn disguise. After a few more minutes of gradually slowing down, the Elantra drew up to the guardpost that controlled entry to the city, and Sergeant Stormcloud dismounted. With a brief wave of one wing, he trotted over to the guardpost, and spoke to the thestral on duty. After a brief converstion, the on-duty thestral gave a wave towards the car, and the sergeant took to the air. Taking the signal for the permission-to-proceed that it was, Cole put the Elantra back in gear, and rolled through at a sedate pace. After traveling a few hundred yards, Earth Mover tapped the human on the arm. “We can get off here, and take the streets to the Archive.” With a brief flare of power, another set of golden ramps appeared, and Cole guided his vehicle onto the cobblestone streets. As they rolled along, Cole shut off the high beams, and the main lights, allowing the softer glow of the rings surrounding all four lights, and the banks of LEDs below them to light their way, as that was all that was needed in the city proper, what with streetlamps lighting the main thoroughfares. Cole took the time they had left to address his last passenger. “You know, I wouldn’t blame you if you made a break for it right now,” he began, “But I have to say I’m impressed with how you’ve handled things so far.” “The thought has crossed my mind several times since we entered the city,” Earth Mover admitted, “But then what will that mean for the Ark? At least if I stay with it, I can guarantee that the voice of its rightful owners will be heard.” “Even though you’re putting yourself at risk?” “Especially since I’m putting myself at risk." she replied, shedding her disguise once more. "If I can convince the princess not to use the contents of the Ark to hunt us down, maybe we can finally start to normalize changeling/pony relations.” Hearing that phrase, and the words that followed, served to convince Cole that he was definitely in the presence of a ruler-in-training… Princess Luna waited outside the entrance to the Secure Archives building, sergeant Stormcloud at her side. It had been a fairly uneventful night, until the sergeant had come in with his report… The fact that a changeling -and royalty at that- had infiltrated the expedition to the badlands had been distressing enough, but from the sergeant’s report, it was clear that the circumstances surrounding the infiltration, and the events that had followed, were far more complicated than first glance would make them out to be. The human vehicle entered the courtyard in front of the Archive at a slow trot, and pulled up before the duo, before shutting down. Cole exited, and came around the hood to stand before the princess. “Morris Cole, Ma’am,” he stated. “Here with the package you contracted for delivery.” ‘I am Princess Luna, Mister Cole. We are pleased thou hast carried out your assignment as contracted.” The human bowed in respect, and then opened the passenger door. “May I also present to you Miss Earth Mover, of the changeling hive.” Here Earth Mover exited the human vehicle in her natural state, and legged a bow as well. “Your Highness.” The princess gestured simply, “Rise,” she commanded. “You are known to Us from the sergeant’s report. We would discuss matters regarding the status of our two races. Please bring the Ark of which the sergeant spoke as well. This situation may yet be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties concerned.” As the Princess had been speaking to the changeling, Cole had taken the opportunity to open the rear passenger-side door, and remove the Ark, as well as place it on the ground beside her. As the Princess finished her speech, and the two began to walk away, Earth Mover shot Cole a grateful look, picked up the Ark, and joined the princess in their walk inside the archives. Sergeant Stormcloud came over to stand beside the human. “So, all that, and she barely has time to say goodbye.” “Things seem to be moving pretty quick for a job that finished in the middle of the night,” the human commented nonchalantly. “In any case, my part in this is over and done with. Between you and me, I’ll be glad to get home. This was one of the more… colorful jobs I’ve had” “But not the most?” “Close, but not quite.” “Sounds like a story best told over a couple beers.” “You’ve got that right. You should come and visit Jakes. It’s a place where I do business, and grab a beer, if you want to hear about it.” The human stated, looking down at the thestral. “I’ll keep it on my shortlist,” the thestral responded, “But right now, I’ve got to file my report, and it looks like they’re ready for you.” Stormcloud finished, gesturing to a stone arch off on one side of the courtyard, where a blue-coated unicorn was just finishing a spell. As the pair watched, the air within the arch rippled, and then the view through it changed to one Cole had seen a few hours before. “Guess this is goodbye for now,” the human stated, holding out a hand. “Take care of yourself, Sergeant.” The thestral placed a hoof in the human's grip, and the two shook. “You too, Cole.” With that, the thestral and the human went their separate ways. As the sergeant took to the air, he heard the by now familiar rumble and growl of the human’s vehicle starting up. As Cole closed his door, and started up, he thought back on the events of the day, and then shook his head. Nope, best wait until I have a cold one in hand before I go down that road… Putting the Elantra into gear, he drove up to the arch, and rolled his window down. “Thanks.” He said to the unicorn. “You’re most welcome,” the nonplussed equine responded. With a short nod, the human rolled up his window, and drove through the arch.