//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: MLA: Perihelion // by Starscribe //------------------------------// “What happened?” Leonidas could not feel the rustling of his white robe through the armor plates that covered every inch of his body. Even his head was covered now, as it always was when he was in combat. Like the body, his armor was more primitive than that he had worn to Equestria, plates of high-density alloy instead of nanosteel. Exotic matter could not yet be produced here, as Bree was constantly reminding him. The rockets on his back made him feel a little like a hunchback, and they stretched his robe strangely. “We don’t know, sir.” The speaker was Yuna, her voice a little muffled by the armor now on her mouth. At least the radio seemed to be working for all of them. His squires had rarely trained with all their armor at once, given the years they had thought they would have before they were activated. I hope to God it was enough. Leo did not recognize this settlement, for it had not existed the last time he had been here. It had been just farmland during his brief time serving Equestria. For all the years, the architecture had changed less than he would’ve expected. The little town was apparently called Ponyville, and it looked like a warzone. Some buildings were burned, their thatched roofs turned to crisp black strands. The ponies were not dead, though they looked like they might as well be. They barely seemed conscious as he passed through town with his squires. He had come to make contact with the army stationed here—but whatever had done this couldn’t have been kind to them either. Ponies lay on their backs, or huddled against walls, or whimpering in corners. It didn’t matter the tribe—unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony alike all looked the same. They were wrung out, writhing in pained stupors or merely laying there. Not a single one had a cutie mark. “The ancestors took revenge at last.” That was Simon, the oldest by far of his squires. The old dog had been given many implants, returning him his sight and his mobility and his strength. That did not remove the wisdom from his voice, though. “For all the ponies’ broken promises.” “I don’t think so.” Leonidas could not feel the force the natives called magic, didn’t have a drop of it in his mechanical veins. He couldn’t help but imagine this place feeling scared all the same. Clouds spun randomly in the sky, no sign of ponies there to groom it. Birds perched on structures and screeched in animal terror. “I have seen desolation like this before. There is nothing we can do for them.” Not even cyberization would save these ponies, if they suffered anything like the humans had back on Earth. They were doomed to die cold and loveless deaths. “Sir.” The third of his squires, Bane, sounded disturbed. “I think I… found the army. Just to the north, outside of town.” “Aye.” Leo sprinted through town, trying not to see the agony and death. Would these ponies have died if Brigid had listened to reason sooner? Or… would our dogs have shared their fate? Leo himself was immune to weapons like this, as he was beyond the weaknesses of flesh. That did not mean he would stand by and let his dogs suffer it, though. One did not need a cutie mark to suffer this way. The army was assembled just outside of town, as though they were preparing to march. Ponies had fallen in their formations, and there they lay writhing just as the ponies of the town proper. A few had weapons beside them, or near them, as though they had fallen in battle. It didn’t seem as though the weapons had done them any good. A few wandered through the masses of their fallen, barely able to walk under the weight of their armor. They stumbled blindly, bumping into each other and generally getting nothing done. “God in heaven,” Leo muttered, before turning away sadly. “I don’t think we’re going to have their help in war.” His squires were spread throughout the town now—he could see their location markers on the HUD near the corner of his vision. “Search the town,” he ordered. “It’s possible someone escaped. We need to learn exactly what caused this so our own troops don’t suffer the same fate.” The search commenced. His squires might only be a fifth of the way through their training, but they were strong and brave and fast workers. They kicked down doors and searched each building in seconds. “Got something!” the forth of his squires, Bailey, called over the radio. “Three ponies. Two of them are… damaged, but they’re still conscious. Third looks unhurt.” “Did they look like they were part of what caused this?” Leo turned immediately towards Bailey’s location marker, hand tightening around his rifle. He couldn’t help his voice from sounding cold. If he found the ones responsible for this… they wouldn’t survive the hour. “I don’t think so.” Bailey sounded confident. “Their train just stopped. Looks like it’s been driving a long way.” Leo broke into a superhuman sprint. “Everyone, get there! We’re not letting them get away.” Leo ignored the shouted calls of assent, and the location markers all turning to converge on the train station. “The train didn’t have an engineer? I didn’t think Equestria had autopilot yet.” “No sir.” Bailey wasn’t far ahead now, maybe a hundred meters. Leo could see the train station, and the steam rising from something parked on the tracks near it. “They were driving it.” Leo frowned. “Well, they might not actually be what we’re looking for. But if two of them are suffering similar symptoms… they might know something useful. Do they see you Bailey?” “Yes.” She wasn’t far ahead of him now, standing at the top of the platform with her rifle in both paws. She was aiming it at someone… or maybe somepony. He couldn’t see whoever they were yet, but they would come into view in a few more strides. “Almost there. Don’t hurt them.” “Wasn’t planning on it, sir.” Leo took the stairs onto the platform in a single jump, his weight enough to crack the wood. He was still barely half Bailey’s size now that she was armored, even counting his white robe. He strode up beside her, lowering his gun so he wouldn’t seem threatening. There were three of them—two in different shades of green, with that same drained look as the ponies of the village. Both were covered in soot and sweat, and looked like they could barely stay on their hooves. One was an adult, the other a filly with saddlebags and a suspicious expression on her face. The third was white and pink and purple, with a health and vitality to her the others lacked. She levitated something in front of her, which she was aiming at Baily. The something was a standard issue Federation stun pistol. His armor beeped quietly then, and he had to look down in the display to see what it was saying. “Enemy mesh network detected, attempting intrusion.” Leonidas almost dropped his gun. “I want everyone except Baily under active camouflage right now! This is a code 3!” Code 3 meant a hostile technological enemy. His armor flashed red, the notification growing larger. “Intrusion failed! OMICRON core detected!” Leo glared past the ponies, and shouted in English as loud as his armor’s speakers would go. “Have you sunk so low, ‘Free People’s Army?’ Massacring women and children wasn’t enough for you—you’ve come to rape and murder among aliens?” Leonidas could not guess how the Federation with their weak flesh could have crossed the gulf into Equestria. Yet it didn’t matter—they were here, using their abominable nanoweapons against civilians. Again. There was no movement from the train. The little green unicorn did move, though. First she pushed her friend’s gun down—a pointless gesture, since of course a stun pistol had no chance of penetrating their armor. She walked out in front of her friends, meeting Leo’s eyes. Then she spoke, in English almost as plain as his. “No Federation soldier did this, machine.” She put as much bitterness into the slur as any Federation politician. Leo pushed Baily’s weapon gently aside, much as the unicorn had done. Leo didn’t aim his weapon at her, not when he knew the real enemy was so close. It was just typical of the Federation to put a defenseless child into the line of fire. Apparently they had as little qualms about using an alien child as a human one. “The one who looks like this—with two arms and no fur—where are they?” The filly glared at him with anger well beyond her years. She might be naked, might be unarmed and apparently missing her soul, yet still she shouted. “There aren’t humans here! You’re in our way—if we don’t act right now, other ponies are going to suffer!” She started walking towards him again… well, not towards him. Towards the empty space between him and Baily. “Either kill me right now or let me pass.” Baily's voice came from within her helmet. “It’s coming towards us, sir. What do we—” Baily, of course, could not speak English. “Out of the way.” Leo gestured, then spoke over the radio again. His squires would not be able to reply anymore, as they had isolated themselves to protect against cyber warfare attacks. Still, they would hear. “Nobody shoot. Stay out of sight, but nobody shoot.” Leo lowered his gun, all the way to the ground. “Very well, pony. I will permit you to act if you answer my questions.” “Fine.” She glanced over her shoulder, switching to the Equestrian tongue as she looked at her friends. “He’s not going to hurt us. Come on. We have to get to the library.” “I have to find my sister!” The other filly, the one with the gun and apparently all her magic, hurried up to her friend. “From the train, it looked like—” “I know.” The green one embraced her, in a way Leo guessed was meant to be comforting. He didn’t interfere, watching silently. “We’ll find her.” She looked up, and as one the three ponies started walking towards him. They kept close, a miniature herd that never moved far enough that they weren’t touching. The adult whispered to the others, her voice quiet enough that an organic wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Is the thin one a—” “He is.” The green one answered, her voice just as quiet. “The most dangerous, evil kind there is. Say as little to him as possible.” Leo let the ponies pass him. “Follow them closely, but don’t let them see you or interfere.” The little Technocrat would be wondering how his mission had gone. He didn’t look forward to giving her the answer. Leo reached up, pressing the button on his helmet that would retract it into the rest of his armor. He shook his head once, looking down at the ponies and speaking with his true voice, not the exterior speakers. “It is unjust to speak such of those you don’t know, pony. You do not even know my name—is it right for you to call me evil?” He didn’t wait for her reply, striding along exactly at a pace with them. He did speak over the radio, mentally now despite how little he liked using that part of his body’s functions. Bailey, search the train. There may be others on board with armor like mine. If there are, break radio silence, tell me, and get out. He heard no reply, but Leo didn’t doubt for a moment he would be obeyed. “We don’t have time for this.” The green pony glared at him from the head of her herd. “Tower machine, Equestria is under attack. I don’t know… I don’t know how you got here… but we don’t have time to fight right now. That war ended—you fucking won, alright! We’re all starving to death in our bunkers, just how you wanted.” She stopped walking, stepping suddenly out from her friends and right in front of him. “I will not let you bring the Great War to Equestria. It has enough problems without us ruining things.” Leo’s hand tightened on his rifle. She says we and us when she talks about humans… Was it possible that the Federation hadn’t solved the mystery of how to send humans through the Rift? He dismissed the absurd thought. Obviously this child had been brainwashed. “Protecting Equestria is my only concern. I fell defending it a thousand years before you were born.” He lowered his head, speaking quietly. “I am Leo. The Dreamweaver named me Bold, and put her greatsword Achelois in my fingers. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been born a dragon slave.” The pony in front of him faltered, her ears slumping flat to her head. “Chance, is something wrong?” The green one, Chance apparently, ignored her friend. She looked up, and met his eyes without anger this time. “She told me you died in the first invasion. She said… She said you were a good stallion.” “I did.” Leo dropped to one knee, setting his rifle down. He wasn’t quite eye-level with the child, though this was as close as he could get. “Please, daughter of Equestria… we must know what happened here. We must know what danger she is in. I swear to you by the Steel of the Tower and the Gold of Celestia’s throne I want nothing more than to protect her.” The green filly shivered, then nodded. She looked over her shoulder, at the other two. “Lyra, go with Sweetie Belle. Look for… whatever ponies you have to, then meet me back at the library. I’m going to have a word with Leo here.” “Hold on.” The adult mare didn't look at him, but she did approach from the side, walking right up until she was in front of him. She stuck out her hoof towards him, though not quickly. “Can I shake your hand?” She walked slowly as they made their way to the library, and sometimes Leo saw shadows of what he had seen in the numerous fallen ponies all around them. She seemed as though she were about to fall over, or that she was going to cry out with agony. She would stop walking, take a few deep breaths, then start up again. He followed behind her, calling on all his discipline and grace not to hurry her. She’s a child, she’s been tortured and violated and she’s still on her feet. I can let her take her time. She spun around as she reached the library, looking back at him. “I’m not sure if you’ll be able to cross the wards. There’s a line on the ground right there… walk slowly. It might throw you back.” He nodded gratefully, then crossed. Nothing happened. She shrugged. “Guess there’s no soul for the spell to work on. Tell your cloaked goons to stay back, though. Twilight’s wards will pick them up, all right.” Leo did not retort at the insult. He had been dealing with Brigid for nearly a year now, he could tolerate a little green pony. If she wasn’t in a barely-alive stupor, he might’ve found her insults morbidly adorable. “What ‘goons’ do you mean?” He did not deny them—even in battle a knight did not lie. This was far from a battle. “There are six Agamemnon-class Tower battlesuits within a mile of here. I could hack you to pieces if I wanted.” She tapped the side of her head with one hoof. “That robot brain of yours, you think autistic mode would save you this close? Don’t try anything.” Leo nodded, then spoke over the radio. Don’t come in, do as she says. He had to stoop as he walked into the entryway, and his head scraped the ceiling once he got inside. “Did you learn my language from a talking cube made of metal?” The pony named Chance shook her head vigorously. “I learned from my parents, just like you did. Well… maybe not like you.” She turned to a side door, pushing it open. Artificial light glowed from somewhere below. “My parents taught never to give up being alive.” “I need to know what enemy assaults Equestria.” Leo ignored the insult, as much as they were continuing to wear on him. “We know the changelings are involved.” I might’ve thought you were one of them if I thought changelings could imitate being sucked dry of magic. Of course, that would kill one of the monsters. Changelings depended on magic more than any other beings he knew of. Taking it away would bring certain death. “Why are you leading me here?” “Because Truth can show you what happened,” the pony answered, already halfway down the stairs. He hurried to follow, having to drop almost to his hands and knees to fit inside. “And because he has something that might help you.” Even before they reached the bottom of the stairs Leo could see the unmistakable shape of an OMICRON core. Two meters cubed of nanosteel. There were many in the Tower who believed these devices were the only reason there were any organic humans left. They were the only match for the intellect of the Tower’s enhanced hackers. OMICRON cores were far more than talented hackers. Leo heard the voice in his own head, speaking as though it were over the radio. Yet the voice was very clearly not his own, nor did it belong to any of his dogs. “Lay one hand on my partner and I unravel your sanity like an old sweater.” I swore to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. Leo responded to the voice, though he did not invoke his radio to do it. I will not attack this child nor any other. Killing children was the tactic your creations employed, not us. “If I thought any different I would’ve killed you already, ‘Sir Leonidas’.” The little green pony stopped by the edge of the core, tapping one hoof impatiently. For once, it was he who went a little slow. He didn’t feel guilty, considering. You know my name? “I know you would die to protect Equestria if you had to.” I would. The ground floor had a high enough ceiling that Leo could stand up straight again. “Truth, can you show us what happened here? You still have the exterior cameras, right?” “Do you want me to start at the changeling invasion, or after?” For all the fury he had spoken with in his mind, the OMICRON named Truth had none of it now. “After,” he interrupted. “I already knew of that. The changelings were why my squires and I came here in the first place. We intended to aid the pony army in retaking Canterlot.” Chance held up a little hoof. “Re-taking canterlot?” She raised an eyebrow. “Truth, what does he mean?” “I do not know.” So the core’s information is that limited? It must not have a satellite network yet. The pony was staring at him, and she no longer looked angry. She looked terrified. “It seems the attack on this village was a ruse. The larger part of the guard's strength was drawn here. While they were engaged here, a larger enemy force struck Canterlot. My information is limited, however… enemy flags fly even from the castle.” “Dammit.” The pony stamped in frustration in the manner of her kind, little hoof clopping ineffectually on the wood floor. “This is exactly what we don’t fucking need right now.” The core sounded peremptory. “Watch your language, Chance. You’re too young to talk like that.” “Truth!” She glared up at him, tears watering from her eyes. Leo looked away, giving the poor child what respect he could. Terrible pain seemed to wrack her as she forced the words out. “First a monster sucking the… m-magic out of ponies, now an army.” She dropped onto her haunches, glaring down at nothing. “They’re probably connected. Changelings were running the place… like an honest-to-God deathcamp.” She took a deep, steadying breath, but she was still crying. “I can’t fight both. Sweetie’s gonna try to find the girls, but—” “Wait.” Truth no longer sounded amused. “Weren’t you together with Twilight Sparkle and your other friends? How could you know where Sweetie Belle is located but not the other two?” The little pony just melted into terrified sobs. “I c-can’t. Truth, I… I can’t. Not… not that too! There can’t… how is one pony—” I will strengthen the weak. Sir Leonidas didn’t think. As he had done for many before, he reached out and embraced someone in pain. I will comfort the fearful. He dropped the gun, holding the shocked pony against his chest. She clung to him, her little body shaking with wracked, agonized sobs. She was barely the size of a dog, yet she shook far more fiercely than any dog he had ever known. “With courage,” he whispered. “Men are not measured by the way they thrive in ease, but by the way they bear adversity.” The pony pushed away from him a little, her little hooves not even tearing the robe, let alone scratching the armor. “You… You’re a machine,” she sobbed. “You can’t understand.” He moved to set the pony down, but as he sat up the poor thing clung to him again, quivering more than ever. He removed one of his gloves, stroking her back with bare skin. “Did your core teach you that?” He shook his head, though there was no anger there. “Child, why would it matter if my body was made of metal instead of flesh? Do you think we hate any less fiercely? Do you think we love any less purely? No.” He smiled wistfully. “Ask your night princess, she’ll tell you. She called me friend. Maybe you can too… Chance? That’s your name, isn’t it?” “Second Chance.” The pony blinked, wiping her tears against his cloak. Only then did she struggle free, no longer shaking. “Sorry. I know… no time to waste. We have to save them.” Leo smiled as he realized he smelled like pony. It had been a long time since he smelled like that. He wondered what Luna would think. “Yes, we do.” He stood back up. “Why don’t you tell me what we have to save them from, okay?” The pony nodded, then turned her attention back to the cube. Without apparent prompting, the cube started explaining. “Your description of a monster attacking was accurate.” Its surface flickered and became a screen, a screen apparently depicting camera footage from just outside the library. As they watched, a red and black monstrosity on four legs walked past, then stood with its back to the library. It didn’t cross the wards, instead gesturing to a crowd of ponies that had been fleeing in fear. They lifted into the air, then hovered in front of him. The monster opened its mouth, and… Leo wasn’t sure how to describe it. Somehow, the monster drained the ponies right before his eyes. Had Luna ever told him of a monster like that? No, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. This planet was very old, and its ancient life was far more dangerous than anything ancient humans had dealt with. The filly shivered all over, covering her face as the ponies were drained. She nodded, shaking all over again. “I get it I get it I get it!” She whimpered. “Do you know where he went? The image vanished. “On towards Appleloosa. If he changed course along the way, I do not know.” “Why… Why wouldn’t it have gone to attack Canterlot?” The pony didn’t reply, but the OMICRON core did. “I calculate the answer is related to the present changeling occlusion. That would also fit with the relationship between the monster and the changelings who imprisoned Chance. Which… I suppose are impersonating her right now.” Its tone got a little brighter. “I’m grateful to learn you were impersonated over the last few days, Chance. The degradation in your performance would’ve been positively dreadful otherwise.” “Focus, Truth.” The green pony’s expression regained a little of its confidence. “We need to kill the monster and retake Canterlot. What can you make to do that?” Leo spoke first, glancing once up the stairs. “As we speak, my army is marching on Ponyville. It will be here in under an hour. We intended to continue on for Canterlot and liberate it.” “D-do you…” Second Chance turned, looking up at him with feeble gray eyes. “Do you promise that’s really what you’re gonna do? Not… Not attack ponies? Not take over?” It would’ve been hard to lie to those great big eyes. Fortunately, Leo never lied. “I promise. The loss of the Equestrian guard…” Well, not quite loss. But there was no way those ponies would be fighting anytime soon. Assuming they were even alive. Come to think of it, why was this pony able to stay rational when the others couldn’t? Leo didn’t ask. There were far too many questions on his mind just now to focus on anything that wasn’t critical information. Leo was not a doctor, he would leave treating the injured (if it was even possible) for those who were. “Let’s pretend that works.” Second Chance turned back to the OMICRON core. “That still leaves the monster. Any ideas Truth?” “I have been considering that possibility since the attack. I have come to a single conclusion.” Its shape began to ripple, locks unspringing along one side. With a rush of pressurized gas, the side of the cube slid open, revealing something strange resting along a track. It looked like an Equestrian artifact, perhaps a foot across and roughly round. It was wrapped with intricate metal leaves, and seemed to glow with its own internal light. “The Starlight Flower?” The pony advanced toward the object, looking intently at it. “I guess you finished your analysis. Why… Why does it help us, though?” “The native name for this object fails to communicate its significance. What you see before you is a generation one microfusion reactor.” “Uh…” The pony’s eyes went wide, and she retreated several steps. Leo did too, holding one arm between the object and himself. Not that it would do him much good if the thing decided to overload right next to him. “Weren’t the first generation…” “Prone to spectacular failure? Absolutely.” “I thought they banned these things after they took out the Avalon colony…” Leo ignored the pony’s strange remarks, ignored the growing evidence of her connection with humanity and the strange breadth of knowledge she carried of human history. “OMICRON core, why aren’t we dead?” “Now that is the interesting question.” It sounded amused. “According to the information I’ve been given on Equestrian magic… which I grant is not as extensive as I would like… the runes on each of those leaves are acting like an advanced field stabilizer. They’re dispersing the excess energy, gathering new fuel from the air, dismissing waste. It’s like someone took the worst reactor we ever designed and wrapped it up in magic until it was useful again. While analyzing it, I took the opportunity to fully charge my internal storage along with every power deposit we have.” “I don’t see how this helps us. We don’t have any plasma cannons that need powering… and we still can’t make them.” “I understand.” Leo removed his robe, flinging it onto a nearby table. Even in this, he would not disrespect the robe of his office. Even a false imitation made by a rebellious young Technocrat was still the robe of a knight. Leo removed a cargo pouch from his armor, sliding the object inside. “Hey!” Chance squeaked from the floor. “You can’t just take that!” “Yes, he can.” Truth sounded peremptory again. “Don’t you argue with him, Chance. The knight knows what he’s doing.” The pony’s ears drooped. “O-oh.” She looked away. “Guess there’s nothing for us to do to help.” Leo lowered his head to the core once, then turned and headed back up the stairs. He would not be fighting his nation’s war here today. Everything in Tower doctrine told him it was his duty to destroy the OMICRON core, before everything else. The value of each core was incalculable—so far as they knew, the technology to reproduce them no longer existed. There were perhaps a dozen of them in all the world. Not today. Leo called behind him as he walked, “Not quite nothing, Miss Chance.” “What good are we?” She climbed after him, dragging her hooves as she went. “I don’t even have my magic anymore.” “Because we will no longer have your pony army alongside ours when we retake Canterlot. If we bring ponies along who can speak for us, your kind will know we have come as liberators and aren’t more invaders.” “Oh.” Chance brightened a little as they made it into the library’s ground floor. “I guess we could do that! Sweetie and Lyra and I aren’t much for fighting, but… we could do that!” Squires, assemble on my position. I must have words with you. Even as he said it, Leo nodded to the pony. “Indeed.” He gestured towards one of the streets, leading out of Ponyville. In the distance, he could just make out the marching formation of their dog army, flying its modified Tower banner of silver and brown. “See?” Leo could barely feel the object now attached tightly to the back of his armor, glowing with faint warmth. “Yeah.” The pony nodded, relaxing a little. “That sounds like a good plan.” Her fellow ponies emerged from down a street, looking haggard but none the worse for wear. Leo fell back from the group, walking out into an empty street and switching his radio back on. High Technocrat Brigid—I have your report. It’s about time, came her response over the radio, sounding terse and angry. We’d almost marched into town! Did the natives throw you a party or something? You better have a good reason for taking so long. Leo sighed. She wasn’t going to like this news at all.