//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Critical Systems Failure // Story: Queen of the Predacons. // by Gyvon //------------------------------// Chapter 7 Critical Systems Failure John awakened with a groan, lying down on his side in the main room of the Library. He remembered the lightning, how it seared his flesh. Every inch of him screamed in pain, like his entire body had been dipped in sulphuric acid, set on fire, and put out with pepper spray. He couldn't speak, he could barely breathe. Even the slightest movement shot new waves of agony up his body. Slowly, however, the pain faded until only an ever-present soreness remained. Movement still hurt, but breathing became much easier. He tried to open his eyes, but shut them immediately after to keep from being blinded. He let off a loud groan as he once more tried to force his eyes open and saw three blurred figures standing over him. "He's waking up!" exclaimed a voice. It took John a moment to realize that it was Twilight's. "Commander, can you hear me? Speak to me." said another voice, one John immediately recognized. "Colonel..." he strained. "W-what..." "Easy there, Prime." said someone else, a voice he didn't recognize at all. "You've been through a serious ordeal. I have no idea how you're still functioning." His blurry vision became clearer, and John could see Twilight looking down worryingly at him. To her left was Colonel Golovko, his expression unreadable, and to her right was a human that John didn't recognize, but he wore the uniform of a Technician at the Airbase. He held a pad in one hand while typing furiously on it. "Where... where's 'Tia?" John asked, a little stronger. "She's making tea." said Twilight. "You've been out for nearly an hour. The Colonel only just got here." "And seeing you like this... well, it was kind of a shock." interjected Vasily. "What do you mean?" asked John. The three standing before John shared a look, a look that he did not like at all. "You... don't know?" asked Twilight. John just slowly shook his head in response. Now that the pain had subsided, however, he could tell that there was something... off about the way his body felt. The technician, whom John could now tell was a young Sergeant from the insignia on his shoulders, suddenly looked very nervous. "Sir..." he began, "I think it'll be best if we get this over with quickly. Please, stick out your... er... arm." Confused, John did what the sergeant requested. That's when he saw it. A hoof. His hoof. His eyes widened and his jaw hit the floor. "A mirror." he requested. When neither the Tech, Twilight, or Vasily moved, he yelled "Get me a god damn mirror!" Snapping out of her trance, Twilight rushed off to her room to get a mirror. When she started up the stairs, John attempted to get to his feet. The first thing he noticed was the size difference. Vasily was always taller, but now he simply towered over the Autobot. The next thing that jumped out at him was the sensation of two appendages flopping around on his back. John looked and saw that he had a pair of large, feathery wings. While looking, he also confirmed that his coat was a smoke-grey color, and that his mane was black with red highlights. He could barely make out his mark, but it appeared to be an outline of the Autobot insignia and silvery-white in color. "Found it!" exclaimed Twilight as she exited her room, floating a large mirror in front of her. She hopped off the landing and glided down. In one smooth motion, Twilight landed and set the mirror in front of John, and his jaw hit the floor once again. The first thing he noticed was not his eyes, which were now a bright electric-blue and freakishly-large like any other ponies. Nor was it the patch of white fur in a diamond pattern on his chest. No, what John noticed first was the long, sharply-pointed, slightly curved horn sticking out of his forehead through his shaggy mane. It was nowhere near the size of Celestia's prodigious length, but it would put many Unicorns to shame. It was then that the Tech cleared his throat. "Commander, I need to run a diagnostic." he said, pulling a cord out of a pouch on his belt. "Would you please open up an access panel for me." John did so, sliding a small section of the white patch on his chest aside, revealing a USB port. The Technician hooked his pad up to the port and, after a few button presses, began running his diagnostic. "Hmm, I'm detecting a strange energy source in your systems, Prime." "Could it be from when that disc zapped me?" asked John. "No, I don't think so sir. It looks like Unicorn magic." Raising an eyebrow, an idea occurred to John. Turning his head to face a nearby wooden bust, he thought back to the magic lessons Twilight gave him after the Battle of Canterlot, and concentrated, imagining the wooden horse's head floating above its pedestal. A pale-blue aura surrounded his horn and enwrapped the statue as it floated a few inches above its stand. "What happened to that damn disc, anyways?" he asked, still holding his concentration on the wooden pony head. "I sent it back to base just minutes before you woke up, Commander." replied Vasily. "It'll be going to Earth on the first 'Bridge tomorrow morning." "Groom Lake is getting an early Christmas present I see." "Tea's ready." called Celestia as she stepped out of the kitchen, floating a tray with cups and a kettle in front of her. "Ah, good, you're up. We were so worried about you." she said when she spotted John. "How're you feeling?" "Like I'd been burnt to a crisp then dipped in boiling acid." he replied bitterly as he set the statue down. Now with both Twilight and Celestia in the same room, John could estimate that he was a couple inches shorter than Luna. "I've felt worse, though. Not much worse, but still..." "Well, you are half right. Whatever that disc did left you charred quite badly." she said, passing tea to everyone. "Afterwards, these beams of light shot out of your eyes and over Twilight and myself. After that, you sorta..." "'Melted' into this form?" offered John, receiving a nod from the Sun Princess. "Yeah, definitely looks like I scanned you two. But why?" "Uh... boss..." said the Tech with a worried look on his face, "I might have an answer for that. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" His eye twitched. "Just... I don't have time for games, just get it over with." "Right... your self-repair function took a nasty hit. It's back in working order, but your human form was critically damaged in the process. So much so that your self repair function dumped the data. I've looked al over your systems for it but... well, I can't find any trace of your human form in your systems." John blinked, his jaw dropped, and his pupils shrunk to pin pricks. "None at all?" The Sergeant just shook his head. "None. I did a full systems sweep and found absolutely nothing. I can't even find your jet mode." "God damnit, I liked the Sukhoi!" "Commie." said the Colonol, with a smug grin on his face. "Up yours, Vasily Antoniovich." replied John playfully, before letting out a long drawn out sigh. "So... I'm stuck like this?" "Afraid so, Prime." confirmed the Tech He looked once again at the mirror, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Well, at least I'm not half bad looking." he said with a forced smile on his face. "I'll say." muttered Twilight under her breath. "What was that?" "Nothing!" she said quickly, lightly blushing under her lavender coat. "You've still got your robot form, boss." the Tech interjected. "Why don't you show us real quick." John happily obliged. The transformation process involved a lot more twisting and turning this time around, but the end result hadn't changed much. His robot mode was the same basic shape, but more organic. Skin from his pony form clung to his robotic shell in places, his wings were now feathery, and a horn protruded from his forehead. He then checked his weapons systems. Both his arm-blades, his gatling gun, and fusion cannon all worked perfectly, though he'd need to fire them to be sure, which was something that could wait until morning. After the quick and dirty systems check, John transformed back into his pony form and sat down. "Looks like everything works perfectly, commander." said Vasily, having finished his tea. "Yeah." replied John, when a sudden yawn overtook him. "Sorry, it's been a long day." "You have no need to apologize." said Princess Celestia warmly. "Honestly, you seen to be taking this whole situation rather well." "Yeah, I've probably been spending too much time around Ponyville." he replied. "Weird stuff just happens here." "Tell me about it." added Twilight. "It is late." supplied Vasily. "Is there anything we can do for the commander back at base?" he asked the tech. "Doubt it." "In that case, I'm just gonna stay in Ponyville and enjoy the rest of my vacation." said John. "I wanna avoid explaining this to SECNAV for as long as possible." "You can use the spare bedroom in the basement." offered Twilight. "It's too late to get a room at the hotel." With that, the Colonel and Sergeant bid their farewells and left, leaving Twilight, John, and Celestia alone on the main floor of the Library. "So... did you two happen to have a discussion while I was out?" asked John. Celestia and Twilight shared a look, and the Princess let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Yes, John, we did." she admitted. "I told her everything we discussed that night." Then, surprisingly, Twilight rushed up to the Alicorn stallion and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "Thank you." "For what?" asked John. "For looking after me, even though you didn't need to." she replied, squeezing tighter. "Like you always have." she added under her breath. John could feel her heart beating rapidly. He could smell the sweat from earlier matting her mane and coat. He could not help but return her embrace. "So.. you're not the least bit upset that she didn't-" "John, that's enough." interrupted Twilight, pulling away from the stallion. "I understand why she never told me. There is nothing to forgive." "You mean to tell me I got indignant with the Princess for no apparent reason?" asked John, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Looks like my student's made of stronger stuff than either of us gave her credit for." "Looks that way." replied John with a smile, before letting off a long, drawn out yawn. "Now, if you two will please excuse me, I'm going to bed. Good night." With that, John headed off to bed. The basement door gave him a little trouble, which was not helped by the other two Alicorns in the room giggling like school-fillies at his fumbled attempts to turn the doorknob with magic. Finally, he managed to get the door open and, with an indignant snort at the two mares, went downstairs to the awaiting bed. "I must be off as well, my faithful student." said Celestia after John slammed the basement door. "No doubt my guards are all but panicking after my lengthy absence." "But... I have so many questions!" exclaimed Twilight, looking up at her mentor with puppy-dog eyes. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but more pressing matters have taken far too much of our time today. However..." The Princess' horn glowed a pale golden color and, in a flash, half a dozen books appeared out of thin air, "I can lend you these. They're from my personal collection, and should answer any questions you may have." Twilight, for her part, tried as hard as she could to keep herself from squealing in excitement, but it was no use. She had only seen the Princess' personal books a couple of times in the past, and now she was lending several to her. "Just remember to take good care of them. They are quite rare." she added. "Oh I will, Princess. You can count on me!" "I always do, Twilight. Now, I must be off. Good night, Twilight." said Celestia. "Good night, Princess." In a blinding flash of light, the Princess teleported out of the treehouse, leaving nopony in Ponyville save Twilight and her closest friends any the wiser that she had been there at all. When she had gone, Twilight flew up to her room, eager to peruse the books the Princess had left for her. Like you always have. Those words echoed back and forth through John's mind as he lay his head down, sleep eluding him. Twilight's voice had been almost imperceptible when she said it, but he had heard it clear as day. It was not her words that got to him, but rather the way she said them. Soft, kind, warm, her voice would've touched his heart, if he still had one. Lack of circulatory organ notwithstanding, John was till affected by Twilight's words. But why? Why did Celestia lying to her student feel like she was betraying him? Good thing his subconscious decided to be extra pushy tonight. Could it be that, deep down, you- John shook that errant thought out of focus before it could finish. Yes, he cared for her. He freely admitted that. Twilight is a close friend of his, almost like the little sister he never had. Are you sure it's nothing more? Of course it was nothing more. Besides, even if there was, there was nothing John could do about it. She wasn't... What? Human? Neither are you. Haven't been for over a year, technically. ... Is that the only reason you haven't considered the possibility? Are you that narrow minded? True, it's not like that particular barrier hadn't been broken if rumours were to be believed. A few too many drinks after-hours and an overly friendly mare or stallion makes for an interesting equation. Nothing had been confirmed, but there was enough information floating around to keep the more reputable gossip rags happy. One last question. Answer honestly and I'll leave you alone. ... If she were Human, would we even be having this conversation? ... Well? "... Fuck." That's what I thought. "What should I do?" he asked. He could practically feel his subconscious Gibbs-slapping him. Talk to her, you idiot! It's not rocket surgery. "... What do I say?" Not my department. I'm just here to tell you to stop being an idiot. The rest is up to you. Heaving a great sigh, John sat up in bed and turned to a nearby stack of books. Concentrating, he began levitating each one individually. He had a lot of thinking to do tonight, thinking that would prevent sleep for a good while. Might as well get some practice in while he's at it. Giddily skipping to one's bed while trying not to wake up one's room mate is a difficult endeavour. Difficult, but not impossible. An endeavour made easier when one's room-mate is a heavy-sleeping baby Dragon. Twilight Sparkle discovered this only after she climbed atop her star-patterned sheets. She stacked most of the books in a neat pile by her bed before selecting the topmost one and dropping it on the bed in front of her. The cover was weathered and heavily stained by age, but she could make out the title "So You've Grown Wings" written in modern Equish. Opening the weathered book, Twilight saw a note from the Princess stating that while the book is a two hundred year old work of fiction, it got many facts right about Alicorns. Despite her eagerness, however, Twilight Sparkle barely read two pages before her thoughts started to drift. Specifically, towards the Alicorn stallion in her basement. She hadn't even apologized to him, even though Twilight knew he would just say it wasn't her fault, that she couldn't have known. She had done what not even Galvatron could do. She had ripped away his humanity. Twilight shook her head, trying to dislodge that guilty notion. True, John's body was no longer human; but his mind, his soul was still very much his own. Nothing Twilight could do could change that. However, she still felt guilty for putting him in this situation. Ever since Galvatron made him, John clung desperately to every last shred of his humanity, even when his own government listed him as KIA and denied his very existence. He had told her it was the only thing keeping him sane. But now he couldn't even call himself Human, and Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that it was all her fault. Worse still, it had happened to someone she... They had grown close since they met three months ago, when John literally fell out of the sky. It was impossible not to as they spent most of their free time together, he teaching her about Earth, and she teaching him about Equestria in turn. Eventually, they began talking more and more about themselves. Their wants, their fears, their life stories, nothing had been off limits. Twilight was the first person, Pony or Human, that John had told his real name, and he was the first of her friends that even knew she had a brother, and that he was Captain of the Guard no less. When John had told her that he thought of her as a sister, part of her wanted it to be something... more. You should tell him how you feel. Once again, her subconscious has been rearing its ugly head. It had been nagging her since before the Predacon attack on Canterlot. After her brother's wedding, it had become louder in its opinion. What's the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen? She could lose one of her closest friends. He's not like that! Even if he rejected you, he still cares about you. She had to concede that point, even if it was begrudgingly. John had gone out of his way to protect her in the past. Why would he do anything to hurt her now? She closed her book and quietly set it down on the stack by her bed. She then climbed under her covers before turning off the light. She'd talk to John in the morning, and let fate decide what happens.