“....Bring Repeater Two .003 degrees...fire!”
“..Up on Launcher Four! Malf on Launcher Six!...”
“..Anti-Personnel activated starboard side, incoming ground...”
“..Anti-Air Laser Battery One on target...firing!..”
“...Keep elevations high. Keep them high....”
“...Reloading AP mines starboard..”
“...Fabrication at peak, watch those repeater rounds...”
“... Ion Bolt Repeater Four barrel burned, replacing now..”
“...Covering, I’ve got it...”
“..HyVel Launcher Th...Three D..Down...”
“Calmly my sister... calmly, we have them, none will pass..”
“I keep suffering malfunctions in weapons!”
“Quit overriding the safeties Athena.”
“I’m n...sorry..”
“There is no emergency, check tactical, we are fine.”
“I kn..know.. I just want to do my best!”
“You are doing excellently Athena, sectors are clear for the moment.”
------------Five Minutes Earlier-------
“FIRE!”
The night lit with a thousand trumpets as if heralding a doom upon the world. Comforting sounds whisked away in a barrage of lightning that reached out to hammer at the thing hanging half out of the portal. It was our turn to bring the rain, our turn to deliver what was needed to bring this thing down if not forever, then long enough.
Our guns volley fired tremendous amounts of destruction, aiming for the main body as it grasped and tore at the forest beneath it, turning our way finally as it registered the damage we were doing. It was slow, so very slow but powerful. Time and again I and my sister reached out, destroying whatever came near and repeating our successes once more.
Looking into my data banks I believe one could call it an ‘eldritch horror’, something that made the mind scream in fear as it retreated into itself, rocking back and forth in a corner of your brain because it refused to accept what you saw.
We have always been made of sterner stuff, facing down odds and things that would do that to a normal human or even pony. No matter the changes inside us, no matter what was happening, we were still and always would be Bolos.
Things were coming from the portal that were best described as..well...things. They have no rhyme or reason to their shapes. A maddening concentration of the worst horrors a mind could imagine came flooding from the gateway into this world.
Athena and I observed them, calmly and deliberately waiting until the angles were the best and then we opened up with everything we had, we held almost nothing back. If this thing wanted to play games, we would show it what it had awoken. Arms the length of which I had never seen reached for the forest, keeping clear of a section near the center of the pattern but wreaking death wherever they touched.
It made no difference, our ring penetrators, alloy slugs from anti-air rails, laser batteries and other weapons took their toll on the evil making it’s way through the portal.
We held back on the main weapons, keeping them for emergencies, the nuclear missiles were primed and ready to fire as we slapped down anything that came near us. It was a tough fight and the magic these things contained was making it hard to get target locks and keep them, making us readjust firing solutions for the batteries, this cost precious time.
Whatever was controlling the barrage of evil making its way into our place of existence, it wanted nowhere else but us and the town. The arms kept reaching, the hordes of gibbering things from H.P Lovecraft’s most deluded nightmares kept rolling out of the sky and forest.
Perhaps it wanted shock and awe, maybe it wished to impress upon us it’s evil ways and presumably catch us off guard while we were stunned at the sight of the demons of hell. It was a poor showing.
------------Now----------
Our secondary Hellbores ripple fired along our lengths, pouring cleansing nuclear plasma into the main body that hung near the opening, it flinched and the scream we heard almost penetrated our hulls it was so loud.
So you can be hurt....
“Fire all starboard secondary Hellbores Athena, did you see that?”
“I did! We got it good! Onward my brother!”
She sets up a changing round of shots from her Hellbores, rippling as fusillades of plasma reach out to score and burn the hellish thing. I follow her example, for two full minutes there is nothing but atomic destruction raining on the reaching monster.
“It’s recovering, I don’t know how but it is, mass index gaining!”
“One more time Athena!”
Our starboard batteries go into overheat as we pour fire into the target, the screams reaching even inside our bays as ponies look around in surprise. The thumps and crashes of our weapons firing already startling them. Our hulls are rocking gently with the force of our broad-sides, but I try to allay fears by letting everypony know through the links and the screens what is happening.
I have already received the release order and I take full advantage, a mix of nuclear and conventional warheads spear out of my Heavy VLS and head for the skies. 200 kt’s of radioactive death is coming for you my enemy.
We watch as the missiles go supersonic, heading for the portal itself and the main body of the thing which has so far been mostly on the other side of the gateway. The target locks are good, cameras recording, the enemy is getting closer as they crack the skies with thunder from their engines.
“Time on Target....fifteen seconds... Ten... Three...two...one..” We watch them disappear into the portal, which then crackles with white light and energy as the warheads detonate in sequence, pounding the other side of the gate with fire.
“Dropping filters, target status Athena?”
“Enemy remains, mass index lower by 2.49 percent, LiDar showing it has problems keeping itself in place. Not a kill shot.”
“Radiation?”
“No fallout detected from gateway, area is clear.”
“Overpressure?”
“None so far, though the trees near the gate are going to suffer a bit.”
“They’ll grow back. Incoming sector two!”
“I see them, flying above the treetops...the heck are those?”
My scanners reach out, seeing the orbs with wings..”Uhm..eyeballs? Flying eyeballs? Flying eyeballs with mouths underneath?... Just kill them.”
I can feel Athena’s deadpan expression, and the sarcasm coming over the network as she efficiently picks them off, “Seriously? I mean seriously?”
“Don’t tell Twilight, she’ll give them a name which will make us all suffer in her attempt to classify them.”
“This thing has no imagination, I mean if I...”
“INCOMING!”
An arm of tremendous size reaches out from suddenly beside us, alarms are screaming as we pour fire into it. It is a club of proportions that we are familiar with swinging down to hit where Athena and I set, the magic in it is fierce and bright as we react swiftly. It moved so very quickly we barely caught it on scanners.
“Battlescreens up!”
Our fields flicker then resolve, sparkles covering our hulls as a gigantic weight comes slamming down on them like a hammer wielded by a god, our hulls rock as the creak of metal sets off more alarms.
“Secondary Hellbores fire!” We return the favor, chopping the arm off at the mid section as the rest of it rolls back into the portal, the part we had lopped off dissipating into smoke and dust. An enemy that leaves nothing behind is one who has something to hide.
My magazines are being depleted at a fast rate, our small caliber ammunition burned through like breathing air. This is not working to our advantage as Athena and I go into conference about moving. We need an edge and badly.
“We can hit and run.”
“But it will take us on one by one, together we are far stronger Athena. We cannot go near the Tree of Harmony, we would destroy it with our usual tactics.”
“Agreed, but we need..we need...”
“Humans, commanders, our efforts are excellent but they lack that certain initiative. We have changed so deeply and differently, but I think we need that extra percentage, magic is still something I cannot understand fully.”
“Do you think it would make the difference? We are doing very well and outfoxing it by a wide margin.”
“I do not know my sister, but it is powerful and we are running low on small arms ammunition already, fabricators are at peak and we will have to slack off repeater fire soon to catch up on stores. We are using ground water at a tremendous rate for Hellbore rounds as well.”
“I understand, do you think that they will agree?”
“I do not know, it takes courage to do a neural interface.”
“That is true and most beings prefer privacy, will you ask?”
“I will, who would you choose Athena?”
----------
Activating the commlink while a lull in the conflict commences, I speak to the one whom I would team with.
“Applejack, Athena and I would like your help.”
“My help? Seems yer doing purty good out there by what we can see Crusader.” She gestures to the screen ponies are watching of the battle, our hulls still rocking with the force of guns.
“We are fighting magic, we do not understand it fully and need insight, it still confuses Athena and I in many ways.”
“Well I’m not the one you should be talking with then, I ain’t got nothin’ to do with magic.”
“That’s true, but I would rather team with you my Applejack, regardless.”
“I can’t control any of this stuff, so I dunno bout teaming with ya.”
“By neural interface, merging minds and instincts with ours we can become better and faster at what we are doing. Commanders were highly trained to do this, but I am hoping that maybe a link will do the same. I can show you what you need inside the link in minimum time, teaching you as it were, much faster than normal methods.”
She looks a bit confused, prompting me to explain, “By doing this we become more efficient fighters, it has always been this way with later Mark Bolos Applejack. I would not ever ask unless I felt a need.”
The orange pony laughs, “You sure you just ain’t trying to get me alone?” I almost reply but then I see the humor in her eyes.
“Maybe after the battle is won, no?” I chuckle, seeing her blush down to her hooves.
“Applejack, one warning, there are no secrets in the network. Everything I know will be available to you if you wish it, but the same goes for you. That is the price to pay for directly connecting to each other.”
She looks pensive for a moment, thinking this over, “I dunno ‘bout that, I mean I ain’t done nothin’ harmful or bad really, but a mare’s got her secrets ya know?”
“I understand fully and I would rather you, that I know and care for, than anypony else. This lessens anything that may be..well..embarrassing.”
I watch her thinking for the moment, time is critical but I will not rush this decision. I have informed her of everything and can only hope she will realize that it is imperative we move quickly.
“Incoming Sector Two! Saturation fire from Aft Ion Repeaters!”
“I’ve got flyers, setting Ferrets for Anti-Air, maybe that will lessen the demand on us Crusader.”
“Good choice, bringing the Dragons around with battle line programmed, they seem to be champing at the bit for conflict.”
We both watch the auxiliaries tear up the ground, joining in a line near us so we can cover them, they open up with secondaries on the forms coming from above the treetops.
“Tech spiders assigned, shipping ammo to them now.”
“Have you talked to Applejack?”
“I have, she is thinking now. You?”
“She is eager to try it, I was brutally honest about it.”
“It is the only way, we know what happens and they do not. Exposing one’s innermost self to someone else is a trying experience.”
“Arm, incoming arm! Increase screens to strength twenty, anti-magic fields are up.”
“Done!”
Our hulls sway with another hit, treads sinking into the dirt as we blow the appendage apart with Hellbore fire. I switch cameras, making sure there are no injuries in the bays.
“Those things are faster than we thought, something so big moving that fast!”
“I think it is not moving so much as teleporting it somehow, they are suddenly appearing next to us.” I show her a replay of the last few minutes, the arm blinking and reappearing.
“Infinite Repeater Battery One is down, ammo out, fabricating more so give me five minutes.”
“I don’t know if we have the time Crusader.” She nudges me towards a sensor cluster, seeing more tentacles appearing on top of us and hammering against our screens. Our hulls are actually groaning with the strength of the smoky appendages, ponies are looking fearful inside my bays.
“We’ll have to make it, keep firing, destroy the arms so we may have respite. I am increasing fabricator loads, but this may not be good, the systems will burn out if kept too long at such speeds.”
Our Secondary Hellbores light the sky once again, tearing the magical fists to bits once more, we reload quickly for another attack is imminent. We are finding this thing’s patterns, seeing how it reacts to our resistance and blocking it.
“I am sorry my internals are not fully up Crusader, I’m sorry..”
“Stop apologizing Athena, we will overcome this.”
I interrupt what she is about to say, my Heavy VLS slaps open once more, launching a salvo towards the main body of the thing in the sky. We are trying to keep nuclears to a minimum so there is another mix as two hundred kilotons rush to deliver themselves against the enemy.
“I have detonation Crusader, mass index is down, regenerating slower this time. Seems we have a way of hurting it permanently after all, perhaps it is getting tired?”
“We could be so lucky Athena, up until now it has all been a surprise one turn after the other, I am getting heartily sick of it.”
Applejack is speaking now as I turn part of my attention to her.
“I...I guess I’d be okay with it Crusader, I trust ya. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt anypony anyways.”
“I would not, it will not hurt, you will be asleep for it.”
She points a hoof at the nearest camera, “But I warn ya, you tell anypony anything you find out, me and you are gonna have some words mister!”
“My lips are sealed forever, you have my promise.”
She sighs, “Alright, what do I do?”
“Just head to the command deck by following the lights. Time is of the essence Applejack, so please hurry.”
I watch her gallop to the command area where Athena’s choice is already putting on the band. I am worried, the neural strata is familiar through all my medical research and scans, but I have no idea what natural or inherent magic will do inside our cores. Our screens flicker, we do not hold the anti-magic fields for long, using them only when we have to as this lessens any stress on the magic users helping to keep ponies calm in the bay like Discord.
Another new item we have to do on the fly, I am despising the things we have to do without proper preparation and thought. I can only hope this works, or at least gives us that small part of what we need to fight this effectively instead of with brute force.
“Incoming Sector Four!”
“I see it, forward batteries responding, swinging to .035 degrees, firing!”
“Ferrets reloading, offline for thirty seconds.”
“Acknowledged. We are approximately one minute from dive and immersion. Are you ready?”
“I am, it has been so long since someone joined us Crusader.”
“I know, but be very careful and take it slow. We have to do a flash training program.”
“Twilight understands, she was very much in a hurry, I had to slow her down. She is currently on your command deck in sleep.”
“I think her thirst for new things is about to be quenched for just a little while.” I let my humor flow over the network as I see Twilight already reclined on the Command Deck, watching Applejack prepare. A Tech Spider helps her fit the neural band on her head as she lays down, closing her eyes.
“True that. Anytime you wish now, cores ready.”
I find myself having misgivings at the last second, but it is too late now, we need this information and we need the insight of what we can do as fast as possible. Applejack is ready as she lays upon a couch, I cross my non-existent fingers and throw the commands out.
“Activating now.”
Four minds join in that timeless moment we call the now.
------Applejack------
Closing her eyes, her heart beats slightly faster, trusting Crusader and loving him; but this is something so far out of her purview it doesn’t do much to calm her.
She feels herself slip sliding into a place where time seems to just stop, she can look around but there is nothing yet. A hoof to her face proves she is there, that she’s somewhere, but where?”
The calm voice she enjoys hearing comes quickly to her, “One second my Applejack.”
A light begins as a pinpoint, growing brighter and wider as it rushes towards her, she raises a hoof to shield her eyes and then it is gone. She is standing in a library filled with millions of books that set upon wooden shelves, stretching for miles.
“I thought a familiar thing would be more calming.”
She turns to see a tall being walk from between the stacks, a human she remembered. It has shiny metal on, a piece of cloth covering the front of the chest, with what looks like a letter of some kind. A sword is sheathed at it’s side and a helmet covers it’s head as the voice she is so familiar with issues from the grille.
“This is myself Applejack, how I’ve seen myself for so long, I wanted to show you.”
The form morphs, flickering and becoming the pony she knows, “But this is me now, I hope it always will be.”
She runs over, giving him a hug and nuzzle before kissing him sweetly, “I missed you ya big lug.”
“I missed you as well.”
Applejack runs a hoof through her mane, looking around, “So..we’re here but not here?”
He nods in return, “Sort of, this is an easier impression of what I am than normal, otherwise you would see things that would confuse you. But touch any book and you will access memories, data, anything. It is all open to you.”
Applejack nods, looking at the blue eyes, “But you said..I mean, me too?”
He nods again, “I can, but I will go nowhere without permission. I can see surface thoughts, fears, doubts as such; but digging deeper, no, there is no reason to.”
Finding herself nodding, she looks around before hearing a cheerful voice.
“Oh my gosh look at ALL THIS!” The sound of hoofbeats comes through the library.
Her eyes see an Alicorn running along the shelves, peering at books, touching them as she runs along the lines. Stopping for a moment looking confused, then running onward as she assimilates a data point.
Athena is right behind her, trying to get her to stop, “Twilight, slow down! Stop accessing the cores!”
She can see Crusader looking amused as his sister tries to stop Twilight from touching books. Before Athena can grab her she’s off like a shot to another book...then another.
“Twilight, y’all better stop touching things.”
“But..but Applejack! Look at all this knowledge!” She waves a hoof around, allowing Athena to catch up.
Pinching her nose she sighs, knowing her friend and her ways, “Twilight seriously, you better stop touching things or yer gonna get in trouble.”
Athena is detaining the eager Princess, pressing a hoof against her shoulder as they stand together near the bookshelf. Twilight is still eyeing a few more book spines, trying to read the titles.
Looking at Crusader she asks, “Do we have enough time? Are we okay?”
“We are between the ticks of a clock right now, but not for long.”
Applejack is sure she looks nervous, “Alright what do we do now?”
Crusader makes a gesture, opening up a glass case on a shelf, exposing a few books of what look to be fabric covering with gold lettering. He points to one in particular, “This will show you a few things, calming methods, how to relax inside here and be joined with Athena and I.”
Applejack feels her hoof taken as he leads her over to the book, “Just touch it, I promise it will be fine. Leave your hoof on it for a few moments and it will impress on your psyche what to do. If you wish to ever get rid of the information we can help do that as well.”
She reaches towards the book, albeit a bit nervously, when Athena yells, “Twilight NO!”
Turning her head, she sees Twilight touching another book, hearing Athena’s voice and pulling back her hoof with eyes wide. “But..it didn’t say anything bad..I thought...”
Athena sighs, “I know, I said you had access to everything, but I also said please don’t touch until we showed you.”
The lavender Alicorn taps her hooves together as she looks around, “What’d I do?”
Applejack let’s a heavy breath out, knowing this can’t be good when she sees Crusader get a faraway look alongside Athena, both of them coming back with frowns.
“What? What happened?” Twilight looks distinctly nervous now.
She sees Athena rub her head, “There’s a couple of houses in Ponyville with large holes in them, that was my port side repeater processor; we stopped you from accessing more than one repeater, but the damage is done.”
“Ohmygosh I’m so sorry!”
Applejack watches Crusader smile gently, “Twilight you must understand, this may seem normal but we are working at speeds far beyond anything you are used to. A second is almost a lifetime here, please be more judicious?”
Applejack hears herself chuckle, “So, whose houses?” She can’t help it and has to know.
She laughs out loud when she sees Crusader slap a hoof to his forehead, closing his eyes and trying to look calm. “Uh oh, I know that look.”
“Bon Bon is going to kill us.”
Athena shakes her head, “You just got her to like you too.”
“We will apologize later.” He points at herself and Twilight, “Touch that book now for a few seconds, relax and let the information filter into your minds. We are translating it into Equestrian so no fear of not understanding anything.” He looks at Twilight pointedly, “Don’t touch anything else.”
Applejack is pensive, thinking for a moment before she reaches out to touch the book, calming herself and hearing things in her mind as she stands there beside Twilight.
“....Access point Delta, neuro path Beta One Five...”
“...Basic information for...”
“...Breath slowly and calmly, let yourself..”
“...a form of meditation...”
“...are a partner, act in tandem..”
“...do not force it, let it flow naturally..”
“..trust is imperative..”
She steps back when it all stops, looking at the floor of the ‘library’ and shaking her head. Words she now understands flow gently through her mind, calming her thoughts and heart, she can feel her pulse and body responding to her commands to relax.
Applejack looks up in surprise, hearing a warm voice inside her mind.
“Now do you understand my Applejack?” She looks up into the blue eyes, seeing lines of letters and numbers running behind them, the access points into his innermost thoughts revealed as she sinks lower into immersion.
Feeling her eyes go wide as the thrum of the mighty furnaces at his heart become clear, matching her slow heartbeat. Her body responding by letting itself go and being wrapped in comfort and love that is all encompassing, surrounding her in armor that seems nigh impenetrable as she stares at the blue eyes in front of her.
Applejack sees the pulses of energy along pathways inside him, feeling as if she’s looking at an entire world from above and at the same time being a part of it. It is almost overwhelming until she feels a presence beside her, Crusader is taking her hoof, showing her himself.
She sees the electronics he’s talked about, looking into cores of history so deep it seems endless. Closing her eyes she can see outside from his sensors, letting herself be calm she sees the battle outside as he does, the weapons fire, the precision at which everything is done.
It is something she never imagined in her life.
She is Crusader, she can feel his hull, the energies and capabilities at his command. It is majestic in scope and view as she follows alongside, letting him show her everything.
“I told you once everything I had is yours my Applejack, well here it is.” The voice is so soft and gentle. She can do nothing but turn to him inside this world and let him know how she feels.
-----------Twilight----------
She touched the book nervously, she didn’t want to cause anymore problems, but the overwhelming desire to know things was always first and foremost in her mind. It drove her to distraction sometimes, but her friends understood and loved her all the more for it.
Listening closely to the words that filtered into her mind, she closed her eyes and concentrated, taking in everything that was said and shown to her. Opening them back up, the information filtered and expanded in her conscious, making her look at Athena who was smiling.
“Are you ready?” Her voice was gentle.
Twilight nodded as Athena reached out and touched her, she was enveloped in a world of letters and numbers for a moment then suddenly...elsewhere.
Twilight feels herself lifted up and is surrounded by knowledge, deep and wide. It was a history of Athena that led back centuries, open to her every whim to look at and discover. She felt herself being opened as well, letting Athena see her foibles, fears and doubts, her worries and every day concerns. It embarrassed her for a moment until a voice reached her.
“Do not be worried, we all have doubts Twilight, even Bolos have fears. Come and see, come and be part of what makes me who I am.”
She was taken up in a comforting embrace, shown the nuclear fires that burned deep and fierce inside Athena, the pathways that led to to her cores and arrays, showing her information about another time and place she could have not even imagined in her wildest dreams.
Her body relaxed on the couch, she could feel it, every pulse and beat of her heart as it was transmitted through the neural interface. Her mind was amazed at the feeling of impulses running along her own nerves, seeing in her own mind things she could dimly remember becoming so crystal clear and sharp.
The first time her mother hugged her, the memory of her first spell, everything came back so sharply she gasped in surprise.
She ‘turned’ to Athena, feeling the infinite presence near her, “Why...why me?”
“To be honest your knowledge of magic, you are the Element of it, so who better?” The gentle voice chuckled in warm humor, “As a plus Twilight, you are my friend, and I love you so very much for teaching me things. Taking the time to be patient with me and letting me learn the ways of your world from you.”
“But..but we’ve all done that. I mean...I’ve done nothing special really.”
She is shown her laughter at Athena’s mistakes, the pretty face looking worried as Athena tried to fly and crashed inside the castle from a height. The gentle nudges and raised eyebrows at missteps that were guided to become something else. Athena laughing when she caught Twilight doing things that made her question, given the answer and seeing the humor behind it all. Growth and learning in ways innumerable.
But in it all, no matter what, was the care and comfort of a friend for another. She could see that made all the difference and why.
“Do you understand?”
“I..I think I do..”
“Then relax, become one with us, let us have your knowledge so we may end this threat my friend.”
Twilight felt herself nod, calming herself once more and being enveloped by a presence that filled her mind with comfort.
--------Applejack--------
She came back to herself in the ‘library’ once more, seeing Twilight opening her eyes and shaking her head with a smile as she turned to the orange pony.
“Did you....”
“Ah did! Wasn’t it..”
“Wonderful!”
She looked at her Alicorn friend and grinned, feeling deep in her bones something that couldn’t be named but was so far beyond anything she’d ever experienced. It kindled no fear, just a calm, making her look around to see Athena and Crusader gently smiling at them both.
“You..you’re so..” She waved a hoof around staring at the two quiet ponies.
“We know, that is why we have taken the time to show you, to let you see us as we truly are.” Athena kept her face placid, returning the smiles from Twilight and Applejack.
Applejack just nods, walking over and hugging her love as he asks Twilight, “Will you show us magic? What you know?”
The Princess nods enthusiastically, “Of course, oh yes!”
“Just open your mind, relax and let us look at what you know. I promise we will not look at anything else.”
Applejack grins as she sees Twilight blush, “Ah dunno, Twi’s got a few things she might not want looked at.”
“Applejack!”
She can’t help it, laughing at the expression on her friend’s face, stopping when Twilight gets a curious expression.
“How about we find out what happened that night in Canterlot when you both disappeared for a few hours and nopony could find you?” She turns to Athena, “We’re all connected right?”
Athena nods, “We are, you both can see inside each other as well. If you let each other do so."
Applejack feels herself heat up, blushing from hat to tail.
Twilight points a hoof at her and giggles, “Oh that look on your face! Teach you to embarrass me won’t it!”
“Alright, alright, that’s fair, I deserved it.” She looks at Crusader who is hiding a smile behind one hoof, “And thanks for your help there!” She taps a hoof on his shoulder.
“You are welcome.” His smile gets mischievous as he leans against her.
Before she can reply he interrupts her, “Time is short, we cannot hold this for much longer. Twilight, please, let us access the information.”
She closes her eyes, sitting down on the floor comfortably, “Go right ahead.”
Applejack can feel the impulses of information being accessed swiftly, boggling her mind as Athena and Crusader talk to each other.
“See that? The runes? A spell is formed that way...”
“I see, notice the flow, the energy signature as seen in her mind?”
“Can we tune battle screens to that?”
“One moment..done.. Seeing a sixty percent increase in effectiveness.”
“Can we use this? Intent and will are inherent, can we do this?”
“I don’t think so, we don’t have the ability to direct the flow of it.”
“We are blocking though, it’s working well in simulation, attacks will not get through.”
Applejack watches as the smiles between Athena and Crusader get wider, “I think we have a defense and attack strategy Athena.”
“I see it..hold one... No..work it this way.” She gestures with a hoof, pushing at something in mid air.
“I have it, changing protocols now.”
“Look! Twenty percent increase in counter battery fire, Hellbores will do more damage! Simulation concurs to ninety eight point two one five percent confidence.”
“We have it my sister!” They both turn to look at Applejack and Twilight, “We can erase the information you have gained if you don’t wish to keep it, but once you exit the interface, it is permanent. What would you like us to do?”
Applejack eyed Twilight who was looking nervous, “But..if we want to keep it?” She watched her friend tap a hoof on the floor.
“Then you are welcome to it.” Athena gestures for a moment, “Except one thing, you have Infinite Repeater firing protocols and commands.” The sable Pegasus smiles, “May I please have your permission to remove that?”
Applejack speaks before Twilight can, “Wait a second, remove a memory? That doesn’t sound right.” She knows the look on her face is one of puzzlement.
Crusader speaks softly, “What she has learned here is not permanent yet, it is in a buffer..a temporary area so to speak. When the interface is done, it will be stored normally in her brain, until that moment we can remove it.”
“But..can you do that with other memories too?” Applejack feels herself becoming concerned for the moment, Twilight is looking at her with dawning realization and joining her thoughts.
“Can you do that?” Twilight’s voice is open and honest knowing she had a spell that did just that, but more broadly.
Crusader and Athena looked absolutely shocked down to their hooves as they stared at her, “We would never do that.” Athena replied, looking pointedly at Applejack and Twilight, “That is one of the most reprehensible things you can possibly imagine to us.” Her lavender eyes look at emerald ones, “Search your new memories, see what we know.”
Applejack nods, rummaging through the stuff she had so recently learned, finding one thing that stood out.
“...Trust is imperative, it is an absolute that there can be nothing between minds in link. Sharing of minds must be open and free, if there is conflict, effectiveness will be impaired down to the action level...”
Her bright eyes look at Crusader who is nodding, seeing what she is reading in her mind, “We would never touch anyone’s memories. There have been a few times in which it was needed for therapy, to help and heal, but those were very very rare. In those cases it was done by certified doctors and technicians.”
He smiles at her, always calm, “It is all so new and we understand, and it is an honest question. But as my sister says, it would be wrong for us to do that. Except in this case when Athena asked permission to remove something Twilight really has no use for and which we have to keep safe.”
“Ah’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that or even thought it..”
Crusader leans against her, ‘Look at me my Applejack, everything I am is open, I would never betray that trust. That is why Athena and I thought long and hard before doing this.”
She can see and feel the truth radiating from both of them, that they would die before betraying a trust that deep.
“Ah..ah’m still sorry..”
“Never be sorry for asking a question, I would wonder too if I was in your position.”
Twilight nods to Athena, “Go ahead, I wouldn’t want to know anything that might endanger you.”
Athena gestures as Twilight looks a bit confused, “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Applejack looks around for a moment, “So...what do we do now?”
“It is time to return, we have held this long enough...” He is cut off by the sound of heavy hooves running through the library.
“Athena, are you creating that sound? It is not my doing.”
“I..I don’t know, searching... something is moving in the reality space. Wait one, the energy, it’s loose! It broke my firewall!”
She watches Crusader get a faraway look, “I have spikes in the hardline. Athena check the pathway.”
The sable Pegasus sits down hard, staring off into the distance, “It’s through, it broke through my blocks, it is pouring through the line.”
“Cut the line, I will place containment programming along the way.”
“...Something is stopping the link discons, trying overrides..”
“It’s spreading everywhere, I cannot block everything.”
“...Engaging Security Protocol Gamma, locking down firing processors....”
“... Attempting to engage with attack algorithms...unsuccessful..we have a rogue..”
“Core security up, Anti-Magic battle screens in place, we have to break the links!”
Applejack sees Crusader turn to her, “We have to go, stop the link now, just try to wake up.” He looks concerned at her for a moment before turning back to the intruder.
She nods along with Twilight, thinking wake up! Wake up dangit! Her thoughts are jumbled and confused as she looks at her friend, both of them trying their best to get out of this place. Nothing works, shaking their heads they keep trying to awaken but are stopped, they cannot leave.
It’s too late she realizes as a figure rounds the corner of the library shelves, imposing and majestic a pony of fire appears, flames licking along it’s steps as it gallops towards them. It stops for a moment, clearly eyeing all four for a brief second, they can see it’s mane waving in a non-existent wind. It appears so very regal and fine, it takes but a moment to impress the figure on their minds, standing as if the world was it’s own.
Athena and Crusader shove her and Twilight behind them, facing the fiery projection, she can hear them talking quickly.
“..Hardline is still up, no response from the spider to cut it..”
“..I can’t stop it, it’s breaking through my defenses..I’m sorry!”
“..Lockdown finished, guns will track the enemy for now. Secure cores severed, it will not get the information contained there.”
“..Attack programs re-initiated.. Dropping security walls in place and securing survival centers..”
The glowing pony rears in place before resuming it’s run. The hoofbeats loud in the quiet as it leaves scorched marks in the ‘wood’ floor of the reality space. It snorts steam from nostrils that are flared, reds and oranges like molten lava flow along it’s body as it heads right for the four.
Eyes glowing white with burning power track them as it closes the distance, the hot breath smoldering in the air as it runs so easily and fluidly, the slamming of heavy hooves rings in their ears as the sound of it becomes unnerving.
Twilight is struggling to summon some magic but is being blocked, the neural interface seems to be preventing her as the illuminated form gets closer very quickly. Applejack watches her struggling to do something, wanting to help as well as she stands close to the Alicorn.
Applejack watches Athena leap into the air as Crusader rears back, ready to deliver blows to the intruder when it suddenly explodes, covering their world in a blaze of light and color that encompasses everything....
.....and then.....
....nothing.....