Lily - 4th of Solarus ‘15 EoH - AfternoonLily - 4th of Solarus ‘15 EoH - Afternoon
I had the single most wonderful evening of my life. It was amazing. I have no words to explain how much joy and love I felt meeting the ponies who were the closest thing I had to a family that wanted me.
They honestly had wanted me. It’s not a feeling I can describe or process.
The whole evening blurred together into a singular happy memory, which probably hadn’t been helped by sharing a few drinks with Hair Trigger (Sky’s dad), and a reluctant and grumbling Sky. From the moment Kev had introduced me to Hair and Air, they just accepted me. Family was blood to them, not behavior.
A thing they took seriously enough to browbeat their actual son into accepting me as a family member. Though he refused to call me anything closer to him than a nephew because, “We do not share a history! Brother sounds wrong.”
Maybe that meant I could earn a brother over time? That would be nice! Maybe he would be more open to a sister, I could try that if I survived this.
Faust I wished I could remember the evening as more than a meal and sharing stories about my past. Air hugged me a full ten minutes after I’d told her about the time my dad set me on fire. I couldn’t convince her that he actually existed after that. The mare chose to delete him from her personal reality.
If I stumbled across a magic lamp right now, and got a single wish from the djinn inside, it would be to spend more time with those wonderful ponies. Because right now my two best friends were walking into a warzone, and there was no way in tartarus I would let them do that alone.
Yes, I was being an idiot. I had found half of what I wanted most in life, a loving family. One that seemed to want me. A sane pony would hide in the safe hole with their new family and let the war pass.
It was very safe hole too. Chrysalis had attacked twice before, and failed both times. Mostly because the entire hive was one big death trap and the swarm can’t... well… Swarm indoors. If she was going to take the Hive it would have to be through subterfuge.
While that seemed insane to me, seeing as how she ‘killed’ Dusk, I wasn’t going to argue with history.
That was the thing though, I’d watched a friend die. Dusk. My first real friend. The first pony who didn’t want me just because I could fix their problems. I’d seen her explode. Chrysalis had done that too her.
I couldn’t accept that anypony could truly kill a god, but they clearly could feel pain. Dusk’s face had been in agony. I knew that kind of agony, It’s the kind you feel when you’re on fire and someone's screaming insults at you that stick daggers into your very soul.
I’d see Dusk again. An immortal can’t die, that makes no sense. She had to just be off at her home, unable to come see me for some cosmic reason. Right?
If Jade or David died… I’d never see them again.
I couldn’t live without them. Sure, I’d only met them because of my former job, but with Faust as my witness, they were my friends. The weeks of camping out and listening to David’s campfire stories. The fact he forgave me for fucking up with that dress before even I knew I’d been hypnotized. Jade’s supportiveness of my… weird sense of my own gender. The way she’d forced me to understand that I didn’t have to worry about others opinions so much by forcing me to present exclusively female for our stay on the Night Jewel…
It’s not how you meet someone that makes them your friend, it’s what you do together. They were my friends, and I apparently valued them more than my own wish to have a nice family so my own eventual family could have grandparents and family outings and the wonderful close knit life I never had.
The small airship Kev had flown us over to the Equestrian war camp with hummed and shook lightly as it touched back down to the ground. The rear ramp hissed as it opened out to show a sea of half-cylinder shaped tan tents and a whole sea of soldiers going about their duties.
“Alright, everyone okay?” Kev asked.
“That was a bit… ugh… weird feeling.” Jade mumbled.
“Heh, yeah I got airsick the first time I flew in something too.” Light commented.
It was good to see her in her pegasus shape again. Though she seemed a little down. I hoped she was just afraid of the battle, and not still having problems.
David stood up and gave her an odd salute, pressing one hoof to his temple for a moment, “Happy flying today. Hope you don’t take too much fire up there.” He said in what I assumed was a standard farewell in his culture for a pilot.
“Oh, no! I’m not actually a combat unit. I’m a tech unit, I’ll be helping Sky try to finish getting an airstrike or two ready. In fact, I’m heading back to the Hive now,” Kev answered before turning to me, “speaking of which… You don’t have to go out there. Nopony would blame you for coming back with me.”
I gave her a slim smile, “Ja maybe… But my friends need me.”
David - 4th of Solarus ‘15 EoH - Afternoon
I felt my cheeks burn from that too-big-of-a-grin as Lily stood up and began to trot down the ramp. “Atta girl! Squadmates stick together.” I praised.
“You’re a brave pony.” Kev noted, “If you make it, and are ever in Ponyville, look up Lyra Heartstrings and tell her Kev said you can use her room till you’re on your own hooves.”
“Who?” Lily asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Lyra Heartstrings. Minty green. Lyre cutiemark. You’ll probably find her here, she’s my adoptive mom. Tell her hi for me.” Kev answered flipping a few switches from the pilot’s seat.
“You’re not afraid she’ll die?” Light asked suspiciously.
“She’s got a knack for escaping stuff like this unscathed.” Kev sighed. “Her wife though… Truth be told I’d rather not think about that. I mean it though, you’re a brave person Lily. That goes for all of you.”
Lily nodded and left the small boxy, gray craft. I gave Kev a nod as well. I understood that mindset, and I wasn’t about to blame anyone for having it. No one wants to imagine life without their loved ones.
“Come on hon, we turn over that book to the Princess and this is all over.” I said giving Jade an affectionate smile as we left the craft as well.
I was looking forward to seeing what sort of trap Dusk had managed to set up. Hell, now that I knew it included a goddamn-science fiction crazed group of changelings, this whole thing was going to be cake! Just like the opening to Tremors two, but with far more visceral glee from-
“Huh?” I asked to myself as I looked around the arrangement of tan-canvas Quonset hut like tents at the soldiers who marched, drilled, and sat among them.
There were plenty of ponies dressed in a padded black body-glove which resembled a silver rune covered modern military uniform, but they all were armed with spears, swords, axes, and bows. Still others more marched through the rows of tents in full plate armor. It was as if someone had taken modern soldiers, turned them into ponies, and then just handed out some medieval weapons.
It’s not like that was just one group ether, that was everyone! I’d spent the whole night looking over the small forearm mounted shield generator the Emeralds had given me and expected everyone here to be packing a laser rifle. Hell, the few Emeralds I did see here were clearly medical personnel, unarmored, with just a pair of red cross emblazoned saddlebags.
“Something wrong?” Lily asked giving me a concerned look.
I noticed a large white stallion in burnished gold-trimmed purple Roman-esc plate armor approaching us. He looked like an officer, which mean he would be our escort to meet whoever this Princess was. Or Princesses rather. Though why any nation would put its military under the command of it’s princess(es) instead of it’s king or queen or a trusted general is beyond me.
Assuming he would be offended by my concern, I decided to answer Lily as quickly as I could. “I was expecting more advanced weapons.”
She gave me a smile, “You had a ‘crude’ gun that made evil people explode. Do you think those swords are just pointy sticks?”
“Oh.” I frowned, realizing in that moment the possibilities of magic made all of this potentially far more than it seemed.
Hell, with how Lily had told me magic worked the two systems were basically equivalent… My god! Magic is just a trick to do the impossible without the appropriate tool! Technology is just the way to do the impossible without knowledge! That green stallion’s long sword might be able to cleave through things like a lightsaber!
Why the hell didn’t I realise-
“Uh, are you okay?” Jade asked giving me that adorable concerned-for-you frown.
“Fine. I just realized these troops are not as poorly equipped as I thought.” I replied.
“Not bad!” A stallion’s voice exclaimed.
I turned to find the white stallion had reached us, and probably overheard most of that.
“No disrespect meant to you and your troops intended there, sir.” I apologies.
“None taken. Equestrian weapons are left plane in appearance to get the enemy to underestimate us. It takes a keen eye to see that telltale shine. They are just as enchanted as any other military weaponry, if not more.” He replied, “I’m Captain Shining Armor, I don’t recognize the uniform, but I’m glad to meet another soldier. What's your name sir?”
“Lieutenant David Pierce, Combat Medic,” I introduced, “This young colt- Long story short he’s a colt, presents female for personal reasons- his name is Lily… Uh… What is your last name? I literally don’t think you ever told me.”
Lily blushed and shyly kicked a hoof against the sand. “I did… My full name is Azur Lily, so I guess my mare name would be Lily Azur.”
“Wait, really?” Jade asked with an amused grin.
Lily nodded. “Ja.”
“Oh.” I gave shining a shrug, “Identity issues.”
He sighed and nodded, “I have had dozens of transgender soldiers of both genders in various stages of ‘out’ over the years. Keeping names straight can be a nightmare... I get it. Lily, could you clear this up for me? It’s my job to introduce you to their majesties.”
“Just call me Lily, please. I’m a Wizard, specializing in Biomancy, mostly genetic disease correction.” Lily answered.
We all gave her a look for a few seconds. “And preferred pronouns are?” Shining asked making a ‘go on’ gesture with one hoof.
“Oh!” Lily blushed deeply, “I… I don't think it matters too much.”
“Female it is.” Shining grunted, “Mostly because if I tell Twilie you’re male she might do blood-work to test that claim… Now for the big question, who and what are you miss?”
Jade looked at the hoof Shining pointed her way for a moment with a look of bewilderment on her face, followed by a look of sudden realization. “I’m going to have to tell everypony I’m a changeling every time, aren't I?”
“You guys come in fuzzy?” Shining asked in mild surprise. “Or are you shapechanged?”
Lily grinned, trotted over to Jade and gave her a pat on the shoulder, “Welcome to das club, Jade!”
“We seem to come in fuzzy, yes.” Jade answered with a straight face, trying to ignore Lily’s schadenfreude fueled grin.
A grin I shared in a little bit. Hey, it was funny!
Jade cleared her throat, “I’m Jade of… Er well I’m a Queen now… So I guess my name’s Jade Queen of Diamonds now.” She mused, bringing a hoof up to her chin, a sad thoughtful look crossing her face for a few seconds.
Shining nodded, “I was informed one of you was a refugee from Chrysalis's Crusade. I’m sorry… If it’s any condolences, the last time she and I crossed paths, Chrysalis's brainwashed me into almost marrying her while she was disguised as my wife. This battle is personal for me as well, same goes for many of my soldiers. Fates willing, we will give her all due justice by the end of the day.”
“Uh, end of the day?” Light asked in a mildly panicked tone.
Ah hell! She was going to break. I couldn’t blame her, a day ago the god damn bitch had reduced her to jelly...
I gently pulled the Captain close to me, “She’s insane, thinks she’s a pegasus. She used to serve-”
“I know,” Shining interrupted, “Our agent told me about her. Er- We sent somepony to pick you up. But you were nowhere to be found. Light would have been safe in Ponyville right now… As it is, my sister wants to see if we can’t get anything useful out of her. We… need any edge we can get.”
I felt my eyes narrow, “I can’t condone the torture of an innocent person, even for critical intelligence.”
“It’s not like that!” Shining protested, holding up his hooves defensively. “She can be safely questioned and transported away from here. Princess Celestia is more than capable of preventing ‘discomfort’.”
“I don’t like being talked about behind my back.” Light said taking a half step back.
“Don’t worry, miss. You are not in any danger. Her Highness simply has a few questions for you, after which we will evacuate you from the battlefield via teleportation.” Shining said in an honest but soothing sounding tone.
“Uh, why me?” Light asked, still nervous.
“Just in case you know anything which could help the war effort.” Shining said diplomatically. “Also to answer your question, our scouts report the Swarm began moving as soon as we heard you were flying in. It’s likely Chrysalis's can track your arcane signatures now that’s he’s seen you and knows where you are. She should be here within six hours, just before normally scheduled nightfall.”
I raised an eyebrow. The hell did ‘normally scheduled’ mean? I suddenly remembered Kev saying that their princess moved the sun. Right. They were sun worshipers, with a view of their leaders as god-kings. They believed their leaders could move the sun if they so chose. That explained it.
There was a more important question at hand though… I leaned back in and lowered my voice. “Just between us soldiers, how much of an edge do we need?”
Shining’s face took on a grim look as he quietly replied, “If I’ve got the numbers right, and the Element’s fail, we are looking at six to one odds, their favor. We stand a chance, but everypony will need to give their all… Do you have anything that can help?”
Damn… I didn’t have a choice. Jade needed to be safe. I had to protect her.
“Just myself, sir.” I answered quietly, “If you are short an officer, I have wartime command experience. In my military a Lieutenant generally leads thirty five to fifty men.”
Shining nodded, a grateful look in his eyes. “We are stretched a bit thin in terms of command structure thanks to the auxiliaries Neighpone and Prance sent… I’m sure I can find a few squads who need an officer. If their highnesses do not have anything specifically planned for you, I’ll find you a command post.”
“Thank you.” I said at a normal volume.
He nodded, “Alright, if you’ll just follow me. The Princess’s tent is nearby.”
He turned and began to walk off, the rest of us following shortly behind him.
“What was that whispering about?” Jade asked me in a concerned tone.
“Nothing important.” I grunted, “Just making sure you will be safe.”
“I’ll be fine as long as you’re nearby.” Jade answered sincerely. “It’s when you go away that things get bad. Remember the siren?”
“That was one time.” I said smiling as I shook my head.
“Capsan, when I went to scout for us.” Jade reminded.
“Okay, that's two times. That happens.” I replied.
“Also, that time I got shot in the heart…” Jade pointed out.
“Oi! That was before I met you.” I grunted.
“I’m just saying, I’m not going out of your sight.” Jade said firmly.
I gave her a reassuring smile. There was no way in hell she was getting hurt. If They could teleport Light out, they could teleport Jade out. I’d say behind and make sure that evil bitch was vulture food, then come join her for a nice peaceful life.
Easy as pie.
Jade - 4th of Solarus ‘15 EoH - Afternoon
The leader of a whole nation wanted to see me! This was exciting! Well, actually, most things since I’d boarded the Night Jewel were exciting. Which meant this must be extra exciting!
I knew that danger was on the way, I knew full well how much danger too. While the pain had dulled over the last month, I still remembered my home’s fate at the Swarm’s hooves. At her hooves.
I knew that the rows of neatly arranged tents and legions of marching warriors were here to fight and die. The old Jade, the one who still lived with her mother and father in a mountain in Stalliongrad, she would have been afraid. I was not. Well, not much.
This was different. I’d survived my whole home being destroyed. I’d survived being shot in the heart. I’d taken down a siren and saved over three hundred people by myself. I knew I wasn’t a big deal, but I knew I could handle myself. This time I wasn’t alone, I had David, Lily, and more soldiers than there had been lings in my old Hive ready and prepared to do battle with an enemy we knew was coming.
We had this! This time it was the bad people who were in the most danger!
I couldn’t help but look around excitedly as we walked through the camp. There were all kinds of ponies, changelings, and zebras moving about the camp as they went about their business. I could see some of the Neighponese soldiers as they walked towards their airship which was hovering over a large flat house-sized rock to the south. There were ponies I recognized as Prench knights helping one another inspect their bulky ‘platemail-for-your-other-platemail’ armor.
I saw a few groups of Emerald changelings as they set up a small hospital tent. There was a whole open pit fire set up around with a dozen zebras were busily brewing potions. I even saw a few dragons!
Small dragons, not much bigger than me, but still dragons. We had bucking dragons! How awesome was that?
I was wondering how much you had to pay a dragon before they would agree to help you when Captain Shining stopped in front of one large tent and announced, “Here we are. Miss Jade, I do not think you are the sort to prefer royal titles and protocols, but as this is the first meeting between your hive and Equestria, I have to introduce you formally. Will you please enter first after I announce you to their Highnesses?”
“Oh, uh, okay.” I agreed shyly walking towards the front of our group. “Do I have to call them anything in particular or do anything special?”
“Just do not agree to anything without thinking it over.” Shining warned, “Princess Twilight is on edge due to the upcoming battle and might take any agreement you make as a oral treaty… it wouldn’t be the first time. Princesses Celestia and Luna are much more… calm and will understand any mistakes as being well, rookie mistakes, no offense.”
“None taken.” I giggled nervously.
“As for Princess Cadence… Well, after dealing with the griffons for the last five years, I doubt you could do anything to make her even blink. Just do not under any circumstance agree to duel her! She’s been wanting a practice match for Chrysalis… As a changeling Queen she may decide you are a fair substitute, and I do not trust her to stay within the limits of a sparring match and not injure you due to personal issues.” Shining warned with a sad sigh.
“Uh… Do I-” I started
“Yeah, you do!” David interrupted. “Can you explain why? This is pretty important, because it sounds like one of your rulers is racially biased against her.”
Shining quickly shook his head, “Oh no! Not at all. Far from it! Cadence holds no ill will towards any group at all, she’s the Princess of Love. She does however have a vendetta against Chrysalis after being kidnapped, tortured, and imprisoned for two months of wedding plans.”
That was a lot of information for a random guard to know… Narrowing my eyes I asked, “How can you be so sure?”
“She’s my wife.” He answered flatly.
“Uh, wait, if your wife is a princess, shouldn’t you be a prince and not a Captain?” I asked in confusion.
“No, I’m actually an Archduke by marriage. Our feudal system isn’t arranged like any other… Suffice to say that the Princesses are above the entire system. Only Alicorns my hold the titles of Prince or Princess.” He said in a surprisingly non-bitter tone. “I prefer my title of Captain as it is a rank I earned by merit in the academy. That title is worth more. Now then, are you ready to enter?”
I nodded, “Yes!”
The excitement was back!
Shining nodded and opened the large tent’s flap just enough to walk inside. I caught a brief glimpse of a surprisingly spartan interior before the flap fell closed and Shining’s muted voice announced, “Your Highnesses, announcing the arrival of Her Grace, Queen Jade of Diamonds.”
“Shining…” A kind motherly voice said in a irritated tone, “Are you making the poor mare go through formal protocols, while she is a refugee, in the middle of a war zone?”
“Um…” Shining trailed off.
A golden aura enveloped the tent flap and pulled it open, “Come in Miss Jade, we can abide by formal rules after you have learned them.”
The little bit of nervousness I had felt washed away as whomever was speaking removed the formal barrier. I stepped into the tent, took a breath to say hello, and kept inhaling in awe!
Equestria’s four princesses sat at a small round table on the far side of the tent. If there was any thing in that tent other than the princesses and that tactical map on a mahogany table, my eyes didn’t care too look at it.
They were beauty itself.
The tallest was a pale pink, almost white, with a mane made of an ethereal flowing energy with bands of two different blues, turquoise, and pink that blew as if in an invisible wind. She had perfect, statue-like features, the absolute pony ideal. Her magenta eyes held a kindness, a sadness, and a grace to them which I instinctively wanted to copy for myself out of pure jealousy. A cutiemark of the sun itself peaked out from under her perfectly preened wings and shined the same gold as her metal boots.
The second tallest was the same shade of lavender as my nymphhood blanket. Unlike the whitish-pink mare to her left her own mane and tail were ordinary, but very well groomed. The deep blue of her mane and tail seemed to sparkle slightly in the light, a feature the twin stripes of violet and purple accentuated in a way which I swore nature couldn’t have produced on it’s own. She had a pair of violet eyes which looked hungry for knowledge, but also patient, understanding, and had just a hint of crazy gleaming in their corners. Her wings tipped up a little, enough to show all of her pink starburst cutiemark.
To the tallest left was a deep night-blue mare, with a mane and tail of ethereal energy which could only be called the night sky as envisioned by the greatest painter to ever live. Stars twinkled, shone, and gleamed in her blue-black mane, as if it were where the stars themselves were stored for the day. This was her only magnificent feature, not that she looked ugly, far from it. Rather than the other three this mare looked like a pony you might meet on the street, weathered, lived in, experienced. Her cutiemark was ether a crescent moon, or a crescent moon in front of clouds, I couldn’t tell as a splotchy bit of dark fur decorated her hindquarters.
The last mare sat on the dark blue’s left. She was the shortest, but the most beautiful. In fact, she was too beautiful. The sort of pretty where you instinctively wonder if what you're looking at is poisonous. Her pink fur had a shine and luster to it that electrum couldn’t match. Her tri-color mane and tail were a brilliant purple, violet, and creamy yellow, and- Ah! There it was. Her eyes. They were hard, the eyes of a warrior, of someone who would crush anyone in their way, but also the eyes of someone who would fight for you.
A closer look showed her body was covered in many small scars, marked only by tiny gaps in her fur that her looks distracted you from. The most notable ones were on her cheeks, two mirrored marks midway between her mouth and eyes. Again, hidden from first glance by her beauty, much like the elegant looking rapier buckled on her right side that I only noticed after seeing her for the first time.
The finely tuned sense of danger I had built on my traveled with David said I shouldn't even think about bucking with her.
I had only an instant to take all of this in before the two alicorns in the middle, the pale-pink and the deep blue, gasped in shock!
“Clover!?” They gasped in unison, vanishing in a flash of white light and appearing inches from me literally smashing my barrel into hers with a hug so tight my chitin creaked!
An alien thought passed through my mind, Faust’s mane, Tia! You always hugged me way too tightly. Let go!
Before I could question what, where, and how of absolutely anything the deep blue mare was suddenly also giving me a crushing hug! But this one with the strength of a warrior behind it!
“David! Help! Crushing!” I wheezed.