Unity

by Kieva Lynn

Chapter Twelve

Raincatcher Gulley, Planet Hydaelyn. Brayflox Alltalks was worried that she had made a mistake. Not a mistake of profession; like most Goblins she and her kin worked as merchants and traders and wouldn't have given up that life for anything. But her decision to settle down and build a trading post rather than traveling the world may not have been the best choice.

Gazing around the Longstop Trading Post, the Goblin Matriarch saw only her kin, no customers. Indeed, there had been no business in weeks now. Perhaps potential customers were afraid to come. After all, she mused, it had been long enough now for talk of the dragon incident to have spread to all corners of the land. Or maybe people were staying clear thanks to the whole Illuminati/Goblin Cheese affair. Or maybe it was just the lousy weather; Raincatcher Gully was well named this time of year.

In fact, speaking of rain, a new storm was sweeping in from the south, forming out of a clear sky before the frightened Goblin's very eyes. Never had she seen a storm blow up so quickly, and in her gut she felt that it was wrong somehow. As the clouds began to swirl and throw down lightning bolts too numerous to count, Brayflox ran for cover, shouting for her kin to join her. "Flee! Flee! Shelter-taking!"

"Yes, yes!" Kinsman Bluffnix agreed, "No profits-making in rain!"

"No life-keepings in rain." Brayflox countered. "Evil tidings ride this storm!"

"Yes, yes! Guttrix feel this too!" Another Goblin said.

"Enough of tongue-wagglings! Hide! Hide!" The Goblins rushed to and fro, seeking out shelter wherever it could be found. This was harder than it would have been for most sentient species; Goblin buildings were rarely structurally sound by most people's standards. But as the swirling clouds began to pass overhead, all were secure in one place or another. They expected, of course, for the storm to blow over. It didn't work out that way, though, at least Brayflox wouldn't have to worry about the Gully's weather anymore...

As morning dawned, Twilight Sparkle trotted out the door of her home and joined her friends who were gathered at the west end of the new town. “Big news Twilight.” Rainbow said, “We had some pegasai keep watch from as high up as they could safely fly all night. There were two more storms, further away.”

“How much further?”

“Like, a lot. Barely in sight even from up high.”

“Should we send groups off in those directions too?” Applejack asked.

Approaching with a heavy pack which he dropped to the ground, John Tucker said “I wouldn't. Too many different groups out at once, makes me nervous.”

“So, we just head out towards the two closest ones then?” Pinkie asked.

“Right. We'll figure things out soon as everyone else is here.”

The 'everyone else' arrived within minutes: Roger, Midnight Steel, Sword Breaker, Nigel Bakker, and three human deputies. “Okay:” Tucker said, “Let's figure out who's going, and the best groups for breaking up into.”

The chosen set up was a lot of discussion in the making. Tucker had planned to go along himself, but Midnight insisted otherwise. “You're the Sheriff. You need to stay safe.” He insisted.

Tucker then turned that logic around, insisting that as the second-in-command of the combined police/guard (and highest ranking pony) Midnight shouldn't leave either.

Wanting two unicorns on each team for magical flexibility, Twilight suggested that Rarity come with her team, and that Sword Breaker recruit another unicorn guard for his. Applejack and Fluttershy joined Twilight's team as well, and Pinkie and Rainbow went with Sword Breaker.

The human component on the groups split as well, with Twilight getting two of the deputies plus Roger, and Sword Breaker getting Nigel and the other deputy. “We need one more for our group.” Nigel said.

“Was gonna be me.” Tucker said, glaring at Midnight. “Guess we can wrangle Bert into this. Surprised he's not here already anyway...”

“Who says I'm not?” A familiar voice asked. Bert swung down out of a tree, heavily camouflaged.

“Of course.” Tucker chuckled. “Alright then, there's our teams. Let's get you geared up and on your ways...

New Mexico, Planet Earth. Anita Wallace sang along with her children as they sped along the interstate towards Arizona. This was a big trip for the kids, ages three, five, and eleven, who had never been beyond the borders of their county before. They were excited at the prospect of seeing Phoenix, of course, but even the high desert scenery was a wonder. In all directions, there was nothing but hard-baked rock, patches of sandy soil, and the occasional cactus. The road itself was the only sign of human habitation, and there were only two other vehicles in sight.

A sudden rumbling bought the song to an end. "What in the world was that?" Anita wondered.

The rumbling came again, and the three year old, Amanda, pointed out the back window. "Momma lookit!"

Glancing in the driver's side rear view mirror, Anita did a double take and braked to a halt on the side of the road, stepping out to get a better look at what was coming up behind them. A massive wall of swirling clouds and flickering lightning, rapidly approaching.

Having grown up in the desert, Anita was well aware that when it rained, it poured. But this seemed to be a storm of singular ferocity. Jumping back into the seat, she popped the engine into gear and pealed out as fast as possible, hoping to outrun the storm.

It took mere minutes for it to become clear that outrunning wasn't an option. Anita was pushing eighty miles an hour and still the clouds were closing in. The wall of lightning was worsening as well. Realizing their only chance was to ride it out, she pulled to the side of the road again, switching on the four ways as she did so. "Kids, hunker down in your seats as far as you can! Stay back from the windows, and don't touch anything metal!"

The children did as they were told, while Anita herself kept watch a few moments longer. Another vehicle, this one a huge R.V., pulled off behind them, and then the storm struck. The lightning flashed and boomed, and all three children screamed in fear as the world went away in a flash of white...

...And abruptly faded back in. "What the hell....?" Anita whispered, then exclaimed it again, louder, when she looked out the front windshield to see the desert, gone. In it's place was a stretch of highway, perhaps half a mile long, the R.V., and a dense forest.

"Mom, where are we?" Eleven year old Paul asked.

"I don't know baby... I just don't know..."

After seeing the two contact groups on their way, John Tucker and Midnight began their daily rounds through the town. This mostly consisted of a focus on the outer perimeter; troubles inside town itself were rare, the real danger was beyond the wall, in the deep forests of their new world.

As they walked side by side along the top of the wall, Midnight said “You're still worried.”

“Damn right I am.” Tucker replied. “I mean, what if Macintosh is right? What if what's out there right now is from somewhere else entirely? It's miraculous enough that humans and ponies have been able to get along as well as we have. What are the odds that still other beings will be friendly?”

“Think positive. Look at what we've accomplished already!” Midnight argued. “Tell me honestly: If you were back home on earth, reading a story about a town in these circumstances, would you find it believable that they could maintain this level of order?”

“Not for a second.” Tucker admitted. They continued in silence for awhile longer, before he added “I'm still nervous though... Like, inventory the weapons nervous.”

“Combat drills are always good.” Midnight said.

Leaving the wall, they headed back into town, towards the police station. As they went, they passed through the open-air markets that had sprung up in the parking lot of Fallow Meadow's old Wal-Mart. Sounds of commerce filled the air, as ponies and humans haggled over prices or discussed the previous night's events. Suddenly, the busy but happy atmosphere was shattered by the sounds of angry yelling.

Running to the scene, Tucker and Midnight found themselves in front of Bon-Bon's confectionary shop. A mess of fruit and boxed chocolates littered the ground. On one side of the heap stood BonBon, and on the other... ...On the other stood a human woman, whom Tucker didn't know by name but did recognize as one of the handful who had left with Carl Harner's group. He was pretty sure she was the 'They'll kill us all!' woman from the first day.

“What seems to be the problem here!?” the Sheriff shouted.

“The problem is highway robbery!” The woman exclaimed. “I come in with the others, looking to trade like every Thursday... Bring lots of fresh fruit to trade. I just wanted to buy my husband a chocolate bar, it's his birthday tomorrow! But this... This PONY... She says I've only got enough here to trade for that fake stuff she makes from the local plants!”

Tucker nodded, then looked to the pony. “Bonny? What's your side?”

“I'm sorry Sheriff, but it's got to be this way!” BobBon argued. “Real chocolate, what we've got is what we've got and when it's gone it's gone! That pushes the price up, it's just economics.”

“Economics in the middle of the jungle!?” The woman roared.

“It's a valid point miss.” Tucker said.

“The 'fake stuff' as she calls it tastes just the same.” BonBon insisted. “And I did try to offer a compromise, double of it what I'd normally give for this amount of fruit in trade.”

“That seems pretty fair.” Midnight interjected.

“Maybe normally! But... Here... Birthday... Never know, could be last one we live to see...”

“Is the fruit still good?” Tucker asked.

BonBon nodded. “Yeah, it's got a thick skin. It won't have been hurt from the fall.”

“Okay then, why don't we do this: Trade her the fruit for the chocolate, and I'll cover the rest of the cost.”

The woman looked up in surprise. “You'll do that?”

“We'll split it.” Midnight said. “If Miss BonBon agrees.”

“Yeah, why not.” BonBon said.

Through tears, the woman thanked everyone, and helped in picking up the mess. She then whispered to Tucker “Our leader is waiting for you at the station, wants to know about last night.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Tucker grimaced...

Fort Barsoom, Planet Malacandra. The world was dying. G'drik knew this, as did all of its people, the Mor-tax. The world was dying, and had been, ever so slowly, for nearly a million years. First the bulk of the plants died off, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels fell too low for c3 photosynthesis. They took most of the animals with them when they went, and the microbes as well. Then radiation levels increased, swamping the planet's geomagnetic field and causing yet another die off. By a hundred thousand years ago, the only life remaining were the handful of c4 capable plants, domestic food animals, and the Mor-tax themselves. And now the oceans were gone, evaporated off in the increasing heat which would soon finish them off as well.

The cause of all these troubles was, of course, their sun. A type G-3 yellow dwarf, it was over nine billion years old, nearing the end of it's stable hydrogen burning life, and getting bigger, brighter, and hotter with each passing day. Estimates were that all life on Malacandra would cease within three centuries.

All of which made what G'drik was now seeing an impossibility: A thunderstorm had formed to the west. There hadn't been storms since the last of the oceans ran dry. Yet here one was, regardless. It was moving towards the Fort, at speeds which seemed impossible. Curious, but not afraid, G'drix reached it's tentacles down to a keyboard and typed in a set of instructions, ordering it's machines to scan and analyze the storm.

The scans revealed data that would have terrified the Mor-taxian, had it's species still possessed the capacity for fear: This storm was not a storm at all, but the terminus of some manner of wormhole. It's tight focus and the rigid internal structure suggested that it was artificial, but beyond that were only mysteries. G'drix looked up as the clouds moved overhead. If it was going to die, at least it would be quick...

“...And here we go...” Midnight mumbled under his breath as he and John Tucker approached the police station, where Carl Harner was waiting with five others.

“Sheriff.” Harner said. “Interesting weather last night.”

“More than you know, I think.” The Sheriff answered. “Guessin' you saw two storms? We logged two more as well, further away.”

“Four... And maybe more even further away than that.” Carl mused. “You thinkin' what we're thinkin'?”

“New neighbors? Yep, almost certainly.”

“Who'd you kidnap this time freak!?” One of Carl's men shouted at Midnight.

“Travis shut it!” Carl swore. “Maybe it's you and maybe it's not.” He said to Midnight. “Either way, we gotta know who's out there.”

“Who or what.” Midnight said. To the confused expressions on the looks of the men, he said “No guarantee these storms grabbed folks from the same worlds as before.”

Carl blanched white at this: Clearly, he hadn't considered that possibility. “We've gotta get ready! What if the new things are aggressive?”

“Same thought on our minds.” Tucker assured his former deputy.

“Good... Good... Listen, like ponies or not, I know all about 'enemy of my enemy.' Worse come to worse, we'll stand together against whatever worse is out there, like we did before.” Carl said.

“Good to know.” Midnight said. “Though, I hope it doesn't come to that.”

Tucker explained “We've got contact teams on the way to meet with the two closest.”

“You did what!?” Carl exploded, “What if they get slaughtered?”

“Don't remind me of my worries.”

Carl nodded. “Right, right... This is your neck too. And I guess the sooner we know the better...” He turned to face his men. “Alright, let's finish up our business and get home.”

Meanwhile, in the upper floor of Carousel Boutique, a familiar trio of fillies were planning their day. “...But what can we do if we're not allowed to go more than a block from home?” Sweetie Belle wondered.

“Who knows?” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “You know adults, freaking out over everything. Though, not sure if I blame 'em on this one... Those storms ain't right.”

“Least it's just that, an' we didn't get in too much trouble over the D.J. Thing.” Apple Bloom said. “Say Scoot, where'd y'all find that awful record anyways?”

“Pinkie Pie of course.” Scootaloo answered. “She called it the 'Height of Gryphon Musical expression' or something.”

“Ah'd hate 't see the low end of it then.” Apple Bloom said, and her friends shuddered in agreement. “Now what'r we gonna do?”

Staring out her bedroom window, Sweetie Belle pointed across the road, to a human structure with a sign that read 'Arcade' and said “Why don't we go check that place out? There's supposed to be games or something.”

“Better than sitting around here.” Scootaloo agreed.

The first thing the Crusaders became aware of, as they pushed the door open, was the silence. The chamber walls were lined with a large number of decorated cabinets, each sporting a video screen, but the screens were dark. “Are they closed?” Apple Bloom wondered.

“Not quite.” A male voice answered. The fillies looked to see an aging human male standing behind a counter. “But, the machines take power to run, so they're all off even though I tried to convince the council that this was good for morale to have up.”

“Well, what the hay kinda games are these anyway?” Scootaloo asked.

“These, my dear filly, are video games from the classic era: Frogger, Centipede, Galaxar! I've got one of the best collections of classics in the world, all still fully functional...” He sighed. “And almost all going to waste.”

“That's too bad.” Sweetie Belle said. “But, you said you weren't totally closed?”

“We do card games and bingo in the back room. And, there is one machine that I got running off the power allotment I'm given... C'mon, I'll show you.” The man led them to a cabinet near the front door. “Hang on a sec, I leave it unplugged when it's not running...”

Sounds of fumbling came from behind the machine, and then the screen lit up in brilliant colors. “'Super Mario Bros?'” Scootaloo asked, reading the title.

“One of the greatest video games ever.” Their host said. “Gather 'round, I'll show you how it works...”

Shetland Crossing, Equestria/Gryphonica Border, Planet Eqqus. Gerolt the Gryphon stood perched atop the town clock tower watching the approaching storm with trepidation. Word was out of what had happened to Ponyville, and Gerolt was sufficiently in-the-know to have heard the reports that a Zebra living near the town had claimed that it was taken by a strange storm. And this storm was certainly strange. Uncontrolled, violent, eerie, not right by any means of looking at things.

Glancing down, Gerolt saw the various Gryphons, Minotaurs, Ponies, and even a few free-hive Changelings of the town scrambling for cover from the approaching catastrophe. Market stalls were moved indoors, windows were shuttered, doors were slammed and locked. Gerolt chuckled at this last one; closing the doors, sure, but locking them? What did they expect it to do, rain monsters? He frowned. Then again, stranger things had happened of late.

"Tempting the storm-gods again?" A deep voice asked from below. Looking down, Gerolt saw a massive minotaur leaning out a window, looking up at him.

"Come now Steel Forge, you know I don't buy those old storm god myths."

"Few Gryphons still do these days." The minotaur replied. "Doesn't make lightning any less dangerous. Get your foolish tail inside before it gets blasted off!"

Gerolt shook his head, convinced that his friend was over reacting, but joined him inside the tower anyway. "You do know what I'm thinking, don't you?"

"The same thing the rest of us are?" Steel Forge asked, "That we're about to vanish off the map like that pony town did? I assure you, I would have evacuated had there been time... Of course, the Diarches are leaving no stone unturned in their investigation, and as smart and strong as they are it's only a matter of time before they figure it out. Certainly, we'll be rescued then as well."

"Assuming we still exist to rescue." Gerolt said sourly. "I've heard nothing to confirm that Ponyville wasn't just vaporized."

"Always the pessimist." Steel Forge chuckled. "We'll be fine. I just hope you Gryphons don't decide pony is back on the menu if there's no food available wherever it is we're going."

"I think I'd prefer a cheeseburger." Gerolt snarked, looking at the Minotaur as if appraising him. Steel Forge needed a moment to get the joke, before breaking into laughter.

Outside, the rumbling grew louder, and in a flash of white Shetland Crossing vanished...

Gerald Motto shook his head in disbelief. In over thirty years he'd never seen anyone take to a first-time video game so quickly. Seated on a tall barstool, the little orange pegasus was already up to world 4-2, and it was her first quarter. Of course, she was on her last life, but it was still pretty impressive. The gathered crowd thought so too; At least twenty people had formed in a semi-circle around the machine, cheering her on.

At last, though, the inevitable happened. “Aw man!” Scootaloo complained. “Now I gotta start over!”

“Y'all mean I get 't start.” Apple Bloom said.

“Oh all right! That's awesome though! I wish we could try these others.”

“You and me both kid.” Someone in the crowd said, and everyone laughed.

“I'm still pushin' for a bigger power ration.” Gerald said. “We've got a great thing for keeping people happy here, we oughta be using it.”

Most of her attention focused on the game, Apple Bloom said “Mah brother's on the council, I could tell him how much fun this is.”

“I'd like that, thank you.”

On the screen, Mario fell into a pit. “Consarn it!” In spite of still enjoying the experience, Bloom had lost all of Mario's lives in the first level. “Who's next?”

“Me again!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“No hogging now, anyone else..?”

Night was falling as the trio headed for their homes. Even with the lack of any 'Princess Saving' cutie marks it had been a fun day; probably the best since arriving on this new world. As Sweetie Belle trotted up to the Boutique's front door, a flash of light caught her attention. It was far away, but brilliant, and in the direction of the further storm from last night. She wondered what it represented. Nothing bad, she hoped...