//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: “Check Your Corners!” // Story: PonySide // by Puzzle Piece //------------------------------// Even though he didn’t have any real basis for it, Gadrik puzzled over Twilight’s unexpected unease near the end of their conversation. The conversation had been short; much shorter than he would have expected for a first meeting to establish foreign relations. But her concise questions indicated that she knew what information she wanted and she seemed to have gotten what she expected. Until the end that is. Something he’d said had thrown her off. If only he could put his finger on it. Anthony walked beside him as they made their way south through town, returning to Fluttershy’s cottage. Their weapons hung loosely at their sides and they didn’t bother trying to hide. The ponies around them didn’t seem too perturbed by their presence and sneaking back out of town wasn’t something the Major was up for just now. “You think it will take her long to figure out how to get us home?” Anthony asked. “Hmm,” the Major replied, barely paying attention. “Can’t be sure. Can’t be sure about a lot of things.” “But she sounded like she knew what she was talking about,” Anthony pressed. “She sounded like she had a plan.” “Maybe,” Gadrik conceded. “But I’m not the one who could make that kind of an estimate. It’s not my world after all. I’ve never seen anything like her, let alone heard about anything she’s likely to be using to send us back.” Something about his own words caught his attention. It was the same peculiar feeling he’d gotten about the Princess’ hesitance. He fell silent, mulling it over with an intense frown. Anthony didn’t seem to notice. He talked on and the Major let him. The Corporal even waved to the ponies they met on their way. The ponies let them pass without question, and even returned the greetings on occasion. Gadrik wondered if there was any reason they would need to stay in seclusion as the Princess had suggested. Their presence wasn’t causing nearly as much trouble as she had seemed to imply. He figured seeing them escorted into that tree library by the Princess could have set them at ease, but then she should have figured as much. In fact, these ponies were acting as if they were already over whatever shock seeing strange creatures would cause. Could they just be that accepting around here? The reactions of both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy indicated that was a possibility. But Gadrik could feel that he was close to the cause of his suspicions. He looked around him carefully, watching the ponies’ reactions. He was missing something, he knew it. It was so obvious and yet he couldn’t for the life of him figure it out. “Seems a shame to just stay cooped up at Fluttershy’s until we leave,” Anthony was saying. “She has a nice place, don’t get me wrong. But these ponies all seem so welcoming and friendly. I kind of wish I could stay around and talk to them.” “The Princess doesn’t want us causing trouble. I’m sure she’d rather not take the chance we upset things with our presence.” “Upset them how?” Anthony asked with a chuckle. “They’ve warmed up to us quick enough and we’re not about to do anything. I mean, we’ve been here for maybe an hour and they’re already totally okay with having us around.” Gadrik stopped walking. He was staring straight ahead, wide-eyed. Anthony looked around but couldn’t tell what had stopped him. “They’re already used to having us around,” Gadrik said softly. “Yeah,” Anthony said slowly, eyeing the Major with concern. “They seem pretty accepting.” “No, Corporal.” He looked at him, his eyes still wide. “Rainbow asked us what we were when she met us in that field. The Princess asked if we were human.” Realization slowly crept across the Corporal’s face. “She knows about humans. There are others here!” “Exactly!” the Major said. “We need to go back there right now. To hell with her instructions! I want to know who else she’s seen.” “Whoa, wait,” Anthony said, holding up his hands. “Just because she knows about humans doesn’t mean we should go kick down the door. She did offer to help us after all.” “Maybe, but she’s withholding information from us. Essential information.” Gadrik unslung his carbine and turned around, headed back toward the library. “And I intend to get it from her.” ~*~*~ Mathew was in the middle of cracking wise about the looks a few mares had given Trevor when a crack of a different kind interrupted him. The sudden, sharp impact to his head nearly knocked him off his feet. The chirp of his shield indicator caused instinct to kick in before he even knew what had happened. He threw himself to the ground and rolled behind the nearest building. “Taking fire! Contact right!” The words left his mouth automatically and he had to think for a second before he understood them. “Hostile Engineer spotted!” Trevor yelled, taking cover at the corner across from him. Ponies were scattering and doors slammed shut up and down the street. The smiling faces were replaced with wide eyes and cowering forms in the alleys. His mind was still struggling to accept what had just happened and Mat wondered at his slowness. Was I really that unprepared for this? Mat thought. His shields chirped for another second before their power was restored. Mat chanced a quick look down the street but couldn’t see anyone. He checked his HUD for motion indicators but it had been too long since Trevor’s callout for him to get a reading. “I think those were TR,” Trevor called. “Red plates on the Engi. There might have been a second guy with him but I didn’t get a good enough look.” No sooner did Trevor finish speaking than a barrage of fire ripped up the wall behind him. Trevor’s over-shields engaged and were knocked out just as quickly, forcing him to duck around the corner. Mat saw the MANA turret at the far end of the street turn toward him and he dashed to follow Trevor. They ran blindly for a block before throwing themselves into the alcove of a doorway. “What the fuck?!” Trevor gasped. “How’d they get around on us?” “We sat still, that’s how,” Mat said, checking back the way they’d come. “First rule they teach you when you put on this jetpack: Mobility is life.” “So I’m fucked?” Trevor asked. “Not unless you think they’re going to keep coming at us from the last place you saw them.” The look on Trevor’s face told him that was exactly what he’d thought. “Listen,” Mat said, pulling Trevor close. “We need to get somewhere high up and get a feel for the area. Then we’ll map out some moves and get around on them next time. But the planning has to come before the fighting.” “Right.” Trevor nodded, gaining confidence again. “Need to get my head in this fight. Kind of threw me off getting shot at after all of this.” He gestured around them, indicating the world they were in. “You and me both,” Mat agreed. “Now let’s head toward that building there in the town square. It’ll give us a good view of the town. We’ll see if we can spot those TR and find a way to flank them.” “I’ll take point,” Trevor volunteered. “You watch my back and I’ll handle the corners.” “Right.” They headed out, nearly back to back and right on top of each other. They kept their weapons up and their bodies pressed against the walls of the buildings they passed. The ponies who hid in the shadows watched them with a mixture of fear and fascination. The soldiers made their way through town to the city hall and met no further signs of the TR. When they arrived, they entered and started up the stairs to the second floor. They were met by a mare wearing an official looking suit collar and glasses. “You can’t go up here,” she said, blocking their way boldly. “These offices are open to prescheduled appointments and authorized officials only.” Trevor stuck his Brawler under her chin and leaned in close. “I don’t need to tell you what this does for you to understand that you need to move.” To her credit, the mare didn’t flinch. She did however step aside after a moment of agonized hesitation. “It’s an emergency,” Mat said as a sort of consolation as he passed. She just sighed and watched them as they reached the landing, continued up to the top floor and exited onto the balcony. “This is a good spot alright,” Trevor said, kneeling down and scanning the streets. Mat used the 2X scope on his Mercenary to take a better look. “No sign of them,” he reported. “But these streets are going to be hell to move around in. In fact, we would probably do better just holding out up here. We’ve got a perfect view of the whole approach.” “And with this baby,” Trevor said, setting up his Phoenix and testing the sights. “We’ll have them dead to rights before they even hear about it.” ~*~*~ It was a long but enjoyable process by which Katie and Nathan helped Rarity develop the material to replicate their suits. They spent the first half hour or so trying different combinations of materials to find the properties that they needed. Rarity’s magic captivated them as she fused prospective materials into new ones. In the end, they finally had a material that satisfied them. Once Rarity had the first samples produced, she and Katie turned to aesthetics. The prospect of customizing her outfit was making Katie feel childishly giddy and she could tell by the looks Nathan kept giving her that she was acting just like he had when hearing about magic. She didn’t care though. This was her moment and she was going to enjoy every second. She sketched out patterns and showed them to Rarity and they exchanged variations until they had one they both liked. A small pile of accepted sketches developed beside them and a heap of crumpled paper accumulated behind it. Rarity demonstrated her capacity to speak French, much to Katie’s surprise, and they began carrying their conversation in that beautiful language most fitting for the discussion of fashion. It was at this point that Nathan tuned them out. He didn’t speak French for starters. He was also losing interest in the designs they discussed. He wondered if it would be rude of him to excuse himself and return to the library. As Katie had said, they didn’t have time to pursue magic fully. He didn’t feel keen to let this time slip away on such triviality as the designs on their replacement uniforms. He was watching out the window now, seeing if he could learn anything about these ponies just from observations. They were easily as complex a society as humans, though their lifestyles seemed much simpler. Their technology level for example was ages behind humanity. Yet with magic, he mused, they would have little need to progress rapidly. He wondered if he might be able to do something about that. He’d begun to entertain the notion of developing a few modern innovations for them when he could have sworn he heard a gunshot. He sat up, fully alert. Nothing followed immediately and he quickly dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. He’d been deep in his thoughts of machines and electronics at the time and Katie didn’t seem to have noticed anything. He’d nearly put it out of his mind when more gunfire echoed through the streets. This time, he knew he was not mistaken. It was sustained and rapid and he saw many ponies in the streets looking west apprehensively. He got up quickly. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to step outside.” Katie hardly looked up as she nodded her confirmation. Nathan walked from the room and as soon as he was out of sight, he leapt down the stairs and out the door. The streets were silent when he got outside. Ponies were starting to go back about their business but one or two cautious glances were cast in the direction of town hall. He scanned the area for a long time but nothing further presented itself. He was about to go back inside when Katie came out. “Get enough fresh air?” she asked beaming. “No, uh, I mean yes.” He gave the surroundings one last look. “I was just coming in again.” “No need. We’ve finished up. Rarity said she’ll have enough of the material to begin work tomorrow and she expects to finish before the end of the week.” “I guess we head back to the library now?” he asked, trying not to sound anxious. “So you can bury your nose in another book, yes.” Katie bopped him gently on the nose with her finger teasingly. Nathan let her have her fun as they walked back, choosing not to tell her about what he’d heard. He couldn’t stand to ruin her mood with something like that. Not just yet anyway.