//------------------------------// // Days Passing, part 2 // Story: Fortresshy 1.5: For(t) Pony // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// In some cases, RED MOON's interactions proved to have great effect on events as time passed. In other cases, not so much. One thing was constant, however: the mercenaries did their best to follow the only order Luna had given them for outside immediate combat situations: have fun. ...that and they were all putty in Fluttershy's hooves, but there was nothing new about that. "What's happened to Big Macintosh?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "He strained his voice at a...turkey call competition," Rarity admitted. "He can't perform like this. We're going to have to cancel the Ponytones' performance for the benefit." "But the poor animals!" Fluttershy whimpered. "Surely there's something we can do?" "Not unless you can find some way of magically replacing Big Mac's bass voice for the acapella," Rarity points out. Fluttershy thinks for a moment, then smiles. She puts her hoof to her communicator. "Poof Daddy, Big Daddy...can you two do me a big favor?" ---------- "I cannot believe we let her talk us into this," Spy grumbled a few hours later. "You have nowhere to talk," Heavy complained. "At least you are front end!" The Ponytones stood before the audience gathered for the benefit concert, looking up eagerly for the performance to start. Rarity was on stage, along with two of the three other members. Big Macintosh, however, was at Fluttershy's cottage nearby, being carefully nursed back to health. Rarity denied all knowledge of where Fluttershy got the nurse outfit, no matter how many of her extended family members pressed her for information. In Big Mac's place on stage was a giant Big Mac costume, similar to the ones Pinkie Pie made to allow her friends to determine who were the real ponies and who were the Changelings in disguise by being disguised as themselves. The major difference was this one was all in proportion, although scaled Big Mac's massive frame to Celestial proportions. In the front half of the costume, Spy stood straight up, using his hands to manipulate the mouth. Heavy was bent over in the back half. Somehow, nopony in the audience noticed any difference. Spy wasn't sure whether to praise his disguise skills or despair the average pony's perception skills. Rarity blew her kazoo to signal the start of the song. "Bum! Bum! Bum bada bum bum!" Heavy sang enthusiastically as Spy manipulated the mouth to match his voice, playing the bass line of the song. Spy shook his head in disbelief as he watched the enthusiasm of the crowd. He didn't know if he was more humiliated for himself or the audience. Fluttershy's trip to observe the Breezies had culminated in being in charge of preparing their path through Ponyville, so they could make their way back to their home dimensional space without hazard. She had enlisted RED MOON's help in preparations, and they'd gone full out. Engineer had plotted the dimensional weave and cordoned off the path the Breezies would have to take for the entire trip, so it could be made completely secure. Soldier, Scout, Demoman, and Heavy patrolled the path to ensure nothing dangerous encroached. Medic had worked with Engineer and Fluttershy to create a new wavelength for the Medigun to restore the strength of Breezies without energizing them to the point of exploding them(1), and then set devices within the path along the entire length to help support the Breezies natural magic, creating a magical 'path of least resistance' between one portal and the next. Sniper took an upper region post to act as spotter, directing the team to anything that might get in the way. Spy stayed in the crowd, holding the camera to record the event so Fluttershy and others could watch it later when they weren't super stressed about making sure everything went without a hitch. Pyro stayed near the edge of the crowd and watched. As the Breezies made their appearance, everyone watched in awe. It seemed as though everything would go off without a hitch, until Spike climbed up a tree to get a better view. His bouncing on the branch jarred a leaf loose, which began to blow towards the Breezies in flight. "Leaf!" Sniper called out. "Leaf approaching quadrant Alpha-2-C!" "Seriously?" Soldier asked. "Even leaves are threats to these things?" Pyro snapped his fingers. Before the leaf could get close enough to disrupt the Breezies flight, it burst into flame and dissolved into ashes that fell to the ground. "Not with Mama on watch!" Fluttershy said happily. When Pinkie's sister came to visit, most of Pinkie's friends had trouble connecting with her. However, no such trouble occurred at Fort Pony, as the entire team was such a diverse group of crazed excitement that a bit of controlled calm like Maud's was quite welcome. Scout seemed to be doing the best job making her welcome, as he focused on showing her around and talking about everything that could be done in the place, as well as telling various stories from the past that she seemed to enjoy. Pinkie was happy Maud was making friends with her friends, although she was a bit confused as to why she requested Twilight, Engineer, Medic, and Spy to help her with something. -------- Scout was surprised towards the end of Maud's visit when she tracked him down near a large boulder. "Hey Maud. What can I do for you?" Maud looked up at him, her face bland, but Scout could have sworn he saw nervousness. "I have been able to understand nearly all of my sisters friends. Most are metamorphic, changing to meet new situations and adapting. Some are igneous, adamant and unchanging, no matter the situation. Spike is sedimentary, still growing, and easily broken if too much pressure is put on him. But you confuse me." "I do?" Scout asked, shocked. "I thought I was pretty straight forward." "I thought you were, too," Maud explained. "I thought you were sedimentary, easily broken under pressure, constantly trying to shore up your defenses with your experience. But as I listened to you talk, I sensed traces of metamorphic, letting yourself change to adapting circumstances. But deep inside, I see and igneous core, values deep inside you that you will never change no matter what." Maud tilted her head. "I have never encountered someone who was all rocks before." Scout chuckled. "Geeze, Maud, you're gonna make me blush talking like that. I don't fully get what you're saying, but I like it." Maud lowered her head. "I have long been igneous, and was content. Pinkie has always been metamorphic, constantly changing. I...begin to see the joy she has, being metamorphic. I would...like to try being a little metamorphic sometimes." Scout smiled easily. "Well, it's always interesting to try new things." "I cannot be metamorphic in most of my life," Maud explained. "When at work, or at the rock farm, I must be igneous. But when here in Ponyville, I would...like your help learning to be metamorphic." Scout smirked. "Well, I'd be happy to help however I can, but I'm not sure what you mean." "Twilight, Engineer, and Medic made this for me," Maud explained, revealing a watch like device just over her left fore hoof. "To help me be metamorphic." She pressed a button on the watch. Her body glowed with white light that slowly expanded. When it faded, Maud had taken on a human form. Scout could only stare helplessly. "Damn, girl. If this is how good you look as a pony, I'm surprised you're still single!" He paused. "Uh...are you single?" "Yes," Maud replied. "Most stallions find my cold demeanor and immense physical prowess intimidating." "Seems pretty damn interesting to me," Scout replied. "That kinda physical prowess ain't nothing scary around here. Just look at Chompy!" He chuckled. "As for your cold demeanor...that's just the tsun, and makes me wonder where your dere is." Scout had tried to keep it hidden, but after it had become revealed Fluttershy had discovered Hentai through him, he had been forced to admit his fascination with Anime. Maud smiled nervously. "I...was unsure how to explain my point to you, as you do not understand rocks as well as I do. Spy offered a suggestion." "Oh?" Scout asked curiously. Reaching into her bags, Maud pulled out a bucket from a Griffon restaurant chain. "I have fried chicken,(2)" she said dryly, her voice slightly nervous. Scout blinked for a bit, completely poleaxed. But then he smiled. "Care to share?" he asked jovially. Maud's subtle smile became slightly less nervous. Medic sauntered through Ponyville, having closed down his recently opened medical practice for the day. While he still itched to dissect a pony to learn what made them tick, he was unwilling to upset Fluttershy by actually attempting it, even on a dead body, unless it was donated to science. The closest he could come was to open a medical practice where he would take X-rays, samples, various other scans, and surveys, before ending with zapping the patient with the Medigun after attuning it to their unique magical frequency. As he walked through town, he spotted Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sitting before a stage, with Angel Bunny and a cat he didn't recognize wearing Celestia and Luna wigs and performing a play. "What's all this?" "I'm trying to help Rainbow study for an upcoming Wonderbolts history exam," Fluttershy replied. "I thought she might be a visual learner, so I made a play my animal friends are performing." Medic glanced from the stage to Rainbow. "I do not zink it is working," he pointed out. "It's not," Rainbow groaned. "Perhaps I could help," Medic offered. "I could probably build a device that could download the required information directly into your brain." "Really?" Rainbow asked excitedly. "No more boring studying, just plug myself in and zap! Instant download?" "Pretty much," Medic replied. "Aww yeah!" Rainbow shouted. "Let's-" "Daddiem," Fluttershy interrupted, "what are the chances this would overwrite some of Rainbow's memories or core aspects of her personality?" Medic frowned. "Maybe...27%?" he offered. "And what are the chances her head will explode?" Shy added as Rainbow quickly lost enthusiasm. "...72%," "Yeah...I think I'll pass," Rainbow replied. "I'm not liking those odds." "There's always musical learning!" Pinkie shouted out, dressed as a rapper. Rainbow glanced at Pinkie nervously, then leaned over to whisper in Medic's ear, "Work on improving those odds?" "Of course!" Medic replied back. Unfortunately for Medic, he was unable to test his device when he completed it, as Twilight discovered how to teach Rainbow what she needed to know via flight learning. (1) Using the Medigun a few months ago on Discord when he became ill revealed that, with tweaking, it could be used on ponies and other magical creatures without installing receiver devices in them, as the quasi-magical energy of the Medigun naturally homed in on the magical aura of the creatures in question. All that was needed was to tweak the energy so it was absorbed naturally, rather than being rejected or causing them to explode. (2) Spy: Seducing Scout is far easier than seducing me. Take notes, ladies.