Chapter 12: Future Expanse
It could be seen from everywhere. The object in the sky; in actuality a cluster of objects, but from a distance seen only as one singular entity. Dark and barely recognizable, it dwarfed the city of Cloudsdale like an Ursa Major standing next to a filly. After the bright flash of light, every creature in Equestria looked to the sky, examining the strange anomaly for the few seconds that it was visible. A rancher in the San Palomino Desert put a hoof up to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sunlight in order to get a view of the city that now looked to be hovering right over Ghastly Gorge, suspended in the sky at an altitude that made him queasy just looking at it.
A changeling was startled from the nap it was taking in a tree, looking up in time to see the dark city. Quickly, the creature buzzed its wings and flew as fast as it could back to its hive. Ponies sitting in office buildings in Manehattan were interrupted from their work as the ground shook and a loud boom was heard. All looked out their windows to see the dark clouds on the horizon.
A Diamond Dog scratched at the dirt near the Appaloosan mountains, looking for jewels to bring home to the others, when out of nowhere, a flash temporarily blinded him. He quickly looked up at its source, jaw falling slack, as he now saw the largest city he'd ever laid eyes on. Gryphons looked on as an alien presence made itself known, suddenly encompassing much of their view of the western sky and causing mass confusion. That confusion was shared by all who now saw the event take place as it forever changed Equestria.
A princess was sleeping in her Canterlot Castle, when the flash of light caused her to wake, suddenly. The dark sapphire blue alicorn walked over to her window, but only to see a large patch of clouds floating by the Everfree that seemed both natural and at the same time very bizarre.
"What dark magic is this?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Back in Ponyville, Twilight only managed to get a quick glance at the newly arrived city before it was swallowed up by the surrounding clouds. Gasps from nearby ponies summed up the general attitude toward this new development, which consisted of shock and concern.
"Twilight, this could be a problem." Spike said, looking up to where Columbia had just been floating. Twilight nodded her head mechanically, her fear reaching a crescendo as thoughts of her dream danced around in her head.
"You have no idea." she said under her breath, using her magic to lift the dragon and place him on her back. She turned to the guards, who were still examining the sky, curiously. "You two, come with me." she ordered. The guards followed their princess without question and they quickly headed to town hall.
* * *
After the loud roar of energy had dissipated, the castle now seemed eerily silent. A few loose pieces of the structure occasionally fell from place, crashing to the floor, but the ruins were now otherwise quiet. Daniel lowered his arms now that the winds had died and the castle was no longer in the immediate danger of collapse. The Zealot looked over to Jenkins, who looked back to him.
"Did it work?" he asked, not knowing why he thought the Handyman would know anymore than he did. As expected, Jenkins merely shrugged and shook his head. "Right, stupid question." Daniel admitted, looking over to the Boys. All three were now lying motionless on the floor. The Crow ran over and knelt beside Jacob. His nose had started bleeding at some point during the "tearing", causing even more blood to drench the already caked sack. Daniel immediately reached for the Boy's neck and felt for a pulse. Relief found its way back to him when he felt the echo of a heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. After confirming that the other two Boys were indeed alive, the Zealot turned back to Jenkins.
"Keep an eye on them. I'm going to go make sure we succeeded, and if we did, I'll send a ship down to pick you up." he instructed. The Handyman nodded and walked over to the comatose Boys. Without hesitation, Daniel turned into his flock and flew out of a hole in the castle's roof. Quickly, he ascended into the sky, his anxiety increasing with his altitude, hitting an apex when he started passing through the clouds. What would he find when he broke through the layer of water particles? Would he be met with victorious cheers, or crushing disappointment? He knew that something had happened, the energy he felt right before the large boom was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, but the subtle familiarity of it indicated that a tear had most likely been made. Now, as the clouds began to break, he could hear the sounds of the city, and instantly knew that it had worked.
Breaking through the cloud barrier, Daniel almost crashed right into a Zeppelin as it patrolled the perimeter of the large city. The murder of crows flew above the large dirigible and Columbia itself became visible. The large buildings and floating districts were as magnificent as ever, sporting flags, kites, statues, and other decor, all covered in red, white, and blue. The citizens of Columbia were just as lively, walking about the various shops and markets and enjoying the Fair that was still going on strong in spite of the horrors that befell the Raffle not too long ago. Daniel flew over the beach area, his many eyes observing the various sun bathers, swimmers, and children enjoying general horseplay. The dancing and music, the laughter and squeals of joy that could be heard from all directions.
It made the Crow wonder what they had experienced during the transition into this world, but this was definitely the city that the Zealot had left behind. It was a city built on the foundation of American spirit, that the country of freedom and liberty would not die with the world that had birthed it. Daniel wasn't the "fun in the sun" type, but it left him slightly relieved seeing how well the civilians were taking everything. Otherwise, what would have been the point of going through all this? Saving the Prophet was obvious, but a city is only as good as the people who inhabit it. Columbia's life blood rested in its citizens, and they're survival meant its survival.
Many citizens were spared the terrifying experience that was Booker's rampage, not having to witness it directly, but that didn't stop every Columbian from turning their radios on and listening to the news reports as they came in. Mothers, fathers, and children sat around the household radio, gripping each other tightly as word of Booker's atrocities passed through their ears. Even so, this didn't turn them into fearful shut-ins. In fact, the citizens of the fare city were more determined than ever to show that some Vox terrorist would not stop them from living the American dream. Daniel looked over to Monument Island, the tower that once imprisoned Elizabeth. While smoke had stopped billowing out of the top, there was still notable damage to the structure from when the Songbird went on its violent tantrum. The Crow wondered if Comstock would ever get around to ordering it fixed. Speaking of which....
Daniel looked forward, watching Comstock House come into view through some passing clouds as he flew over Emporia. The building was massive, one of the largest single structures in all of Columbia, and sat at one of the highest points in the city. It didn't take long for the Zealot to reach the top of the house, landing on the roof of the building and turning back into human form, receiving nothing short of a hero's welcome upon doing this. After noticing the arriving Crow with the red stripe running down his hood, several soldiers ran over with cheers and congratulations all around. Most of Columbia wasn't informed of the full extent of the situation, but those who were stationed at Comstock House were well aware of the stakes.
"Hey, this is the fuckin guy right here!"
"Your a goddamn legend, man."
"Definitely saved our asses, that's for damn sure!"
The group of armed militants continued their praise, patting the Zealot on the shoulders as well as they could manage with the coffin in the way, and making room for him to reach the small office that rested on top of Comstock House.
"The Prophet is right through that door with some champagne." one of them laughed. After a few more witty comments, the Crow entered into the office, leaving the soldiers outside. After he closed the door, Daniel looked around the room. Comstock was sitting at his desk with several figures standing around him. The first person that the Zealot identified was Jeremiah Fink. Daniel grimaced under his hood. Fink was the last person he wanted to see when he came back into the city. The industrial tyrant had been a pain in Daniel's ass ever since he made it big in Columbia. For the life of him, the Crow couldn't understand how Comstock tolerated the man. It was clear he didn't believe in the ideals of the Founders. He didn't see Comstock as a Prophet, he saw him as an opportunity. The greedy businessman saw Columbia as a place to promote his manufacturing empire without fear of government intervention.
Standing next to Fink was his uptight, gentlemanly assistant, Mr. Flambeau. Daniel had much more respect for Flambeau than he did for the man he worked for, mainly because he didn't talk nearly as much. The other individual in the room was a Beast, both in name and nature. The brute wore golden armor with a ridiculous looking lion helmet, and stood uncomfortably close to Fink himself. Volley Gun at the ready, the man seemed far too tightly wound for his own good, but the Zealot supposed that's what Fink was looking for in a personal guard. Cowards did always tend to overcompensate with protection, after all.
"Ah my boy, Its good to see you! I trust everything went smoothly down below?" Comstock asked, getting up and walking over to the Crow.
"Smoothly enough." Daniel replied coolly as Comstock clasped one of the Zealot's hands in both of his.
"Excellent. I'm glad to see the tear was opened successfully. I'll admit, there were many in Comstock House who didn't think such a feat could be achieved, but I'm glad you were able to prove them wrong."
"Yes, I hear we have you to thank for stopping the apocalypse." Fink commented behind the bearded man. "It's good to see at least one of the Zealots is still operating up to par, especially after the embarrassment you were dealt by DeWitt at your little clubhouse." he laughed. Daniel stared at the Founder coldly.
"Funny, I hear Booker gave you a run for your money right at your front door. Allowing a terrorist to roam the factory?" the Zealot shook his head. "I guess that speaks volumes about your security." he said, looking at the bodyguard, who growled and lifted his Volley Gun threateningly. Fink quickly put a hand on his guard dog's padded shoulder.
"Now now, Arthur. That's no way to treat Columbia's new hero." he said, settling the soldier down a bit. "Clearly the past is not a significant predictor for the future. Anyway, I was just talking with our Prophet about sightings of Daisy Fitzroy around the factory."
Daniel felt a new anger rekindle inside of him at the mention of Fitzroy's name. "Well, it seems multiple terrorists are setting up shop in Finkton." he said with venom in his voice. "Very bad form to allow that to happen."
Fink laughed. "Running an empire is much harder than running a little cult in some broken down shanty." he retorted. "That said, I'm currently working on hiring a new head of security, so if our 'savior' is ever in need of a job, let me know and I'll pencil you in for an interview." He looked at Flambeau, who nodded and made for the door. "Right then, we'll just let you two conduct your business. Can't let a little doomsday stop the factory now can we? Gotta keep those gears turning and those worker bees on schedule!"
Jeremiah Fink shook Comstock's hand and followed his assistant out of the office, escorted closely by the Beast, who continued to stare down the Crow on his way out. When the door was closed and the two were alone, the silence was quickly broken by Comstock. "So what was it like down there?" he asked, rummaging through his desk and pulling out a bottle of scotch and two glasses.
"The population is.....interesting, to say the least." Daniel replied, sitting down in one of the large chairs that faced Comstock's desk. The Prophet poured some of the beverage into each glass, offering the Zealot one. "No, thank you." Daniel said, putting a hand up.
"Right, I often forget you're not one for the bottle, a good quality that I like about you." he put one glass down and tipped back the other. "What kind of a population is it, are they that different looking?"
Daniel laughed a bit. "They aren't even human."
Comstock eyed him curiously. "Oh? Well what are they, martians?" he laughed.
"They're......" the Crow paused. How could he put it without sounding like a fool?
"Well? Don't leave me in suspense, Daniel." the Prophet encouraged.
"They're......talking.....ponies." he finally managed to say, each word getting closer to a mumble.
A long, awkward pause followed the statement, but eventually the Prophet spoke up. "The only reason I'm not laughing in your face is because I know you well enough to know when you're not joking around, but really? Ponies? As in actual ponies.....and they talk?"
The Zealot nodded. "I realize how it sounds, but its something you have to see to believe." Comstock knocked back the glass of scotch he had offered to Daniel.
"Tell me everything." he finally said.
Daniel exhaled slowly. "Of course, my Prophet."
* * *
"What do ya think that was?" Pinkie asked. Rarity lifted her head from the bed she was resting on, removing a slice of cucumber from one of her eyes. The day spa they were in had just shaken and a loud boom could easily be heard.
"Hmm, not sure." she replied. Aloe entered the room, the pink coated, blue maned earth pony scratching her head with a hoof.
"I couldn't see anything unusual outside, a few dark clouds, but nothing out of the ordinary." she informed.
"Well, it was probably nothing." Rarity dismissed. Reapplying the cucumber and resting her head. Aloe walked back over to the unicorn and resumed filing her hooves.
"But but but, with all that's happening, don't ya think we should at least check it out?" Pinkie asked, removing the towel from her lower body and throwing it behind her without even looking. It somehow landed perfectly on a nearby hanger.
After checking on Sweetie Belle, Rarity suggested the two mares unwind a bit at the spa. "After all, we've been through a traumatic experience." she had pointed out. Pinkie agreed, not wanting to leave her friend alone. Of course that meant leaving her other friends alone, but there was only one of her, and she was already with Rarity.
"Oh don't worry, darling. We'll go back to the library with all haste, just as soon as I'm finished with my mud bath." the fashionista promised. Pinkie Pie sighed. She knew Rarity used the spa to deal with the sort of problems that she herself didn't have the ability to solve. During the weeks following Thomas' death, the unicorn spent more time at the spa than she did at her own home. Everypony had their own way of dealing with things things, and this was Rarity's.
"I'm worried about Fluttershy." the pink mare admitted. "She seemed really bummed out when we got back."
"Well of course she was, dear. Seeing that kind of senseless violence would be a hindrance to anypony's good day." Rarity shook her head. "It seems as though humans are simply prone to that sort of barbarism. We've only met a few, and they all have that 'buck first and ask questions later' kind of attitude."
"Yeah, but that kind of attitude saved us when Thomas was here." Pinkie defended.
"Indeed it did, but clearly Daniel wasn't cut from the same cloth as his brother. The way he controlled Rainbow Dash like that was frightening."
Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. "But he did save Trixie from falling."
Rarity thought about that. "Very true, but you know what they say about birds of a feather. The two aren't very different if you boil it down." Aloe removed the unicorn's eye decor and motioned her to the mud bath. "Maybe he saw a bit of himself in her or something. Honestly, I couldn't even begin to guess, nor would I care to. All that matters is that the beast leaves Equestria and never comes back." she said, walking over to the tub.
"Right, well I'm gonna go check on Fluttershy." Pinkie said, starting for the door. Rarity thought about all that'd happened. Fluttershy hadn't been exposed to the kind of carnage that she and the others had witnessed during the bandit assault on Ponyville. The pegasus was frail and delicate. She had to endure so much in such a small period of time. Rarity heard her say she wanted to be left alone, but what she really needed was the company of friends to help her through these trying times.
"Hold it." Rarity called out. Pinkie stopped walking and looked over to her. The unicorn had stopped just before stepping into the tub of mud. "I'll come as well. All this talk is making me a bit on edge, and I can't simply pamper myself while my friends are in distress."
Pinkie Pie smiled, happy that the unicorn was back on board. The two ponies galloped out into the street, leaving a very confused Aloe standing in the day spa.
* * *
Trixie walked beside her cart once again, Ponyville slowly getting smaller each time she looked back at it. After her failed attempt at assisting Twilight and the subsequent appearance of a giant city in the sky, the magician had decided enough was enough. This wasn't her scene, and no matter how many lies she told of saving towns from giant creatures, deep down the show mare knew she'd never saved anything. She wasn't the hero type, not like Twilight and her friends. The princess had been right. There was nothing she could bring to the table that would sort things out with Daniel and her presence their was unnecessary if not undesired. The blue unicorn sighed in defeat, slumping her head and closing her eyes.
"Ah yes, this is the equine right here."
Trixie's eyes shot back open as a voice spoke from her left. She turned to see two humans standing side by side. They were similarly dressed, yet physically different. The one on the left looked male, but the one on the right didn't look male at all. Trixie quickly came to the conclusion that she was a girl.
"W-who are you two?" she asked in surprise.
"Oh I hardly think that's the main concern at the present moment." the woman stated flatly.
"What you should be more concerned about..." the man started.
"....is that." the woman finished, pointing to the large formation of clouds in the sky that were still clearly visible. Trixie looked at the sky and then shook her head.
"I can't do anything about that. If you want to help, go talk to Twilight. She's the one that could use it." the unicorn sadly suggested. The two humans looked at each other.
"You are the one who spoke with Daniel, aren't you? The one who aided him on his task?" the man asked.
"I am, but....."
"Then you are the one who can do quite a bit about that." the woman interrupted, motioning once again to the clouds.
"Listen, I can't stop Daniel. He won't listen to me and I doubt I'll even see him again."
"Ah, but Daniel is no longer the problem." the woman said.
"His is a ship that has already sailed." the man added.
"However, if you would like to stop this world from falling into complete madness, then there is a way to turn our young Zealot into a solution." the woman finished. Trixie raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" she inquired. The humans exchanged looks once again.
"Floating just above that patch of clouds is a city, a city that does not belong in this world, as I'm sure you're already aware." the man explained.
"In this city is a man. A man who should not be alive, or even in existence for that matter."
"Two people went on a very long and strenuous journey to ensure that this man would no longer exist."
"Unfortunately, our little Crow threw a wrench in those plans when he brought the city here. This man in this city is indeed still alive, even though he should not be."
"As long as this man remains alive, this world will be doomed."
"Who is this man?" Trixie asked.
"He goes by Prophet." the man said.
"Or Father Comstock." the woman pointed out.
"Or simply Comstock." the man added. "His presence here causes a problem."
"A problem that we are here to fix." the woman said.
"A problem that you are here to fix." the man added. The unicorn stared at them as if they had both gone mad.
"And just how can I fix this?" she asked, unsure of where all this was going.
"With this." The man reached a hand behind his back and pulled out a strange device. It looked like a small record player with two knobs on its front. Trixie eyed it curiously.
"What is it?" she asked.
"This is a message." the man replied.
"And you are its courier." the woman continued.
"And Daniel is its destination." the man said. "All you need to do is give this to the Zealot. The rest will take care of itself."
Trixie looked from them to the strange device, then back to them. "And where is he, still in the Everfree?"
They both shook their heads, then began staring at something. Trixie followed their gaze, gulping loudly. All three were now looking up.
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So one can escape a Retgone by simply skipping the dimension one should be in? Interesting. I'll have to remember that one.
Great chapter. Extremely glad to see the Twins and that they're still up to their shenanigans.
Bout time the Luteces showed up
Damn, so no Equestria-pocalypse? Awww man, I wanted to see them live the dream and raze Canterlot...
*grumble grumble* Stupid Luteces, ruining all the fun.
Can you at least have them start a little mayhem? Just raze a village or two, show them who's boss and all that!
2701186 Oh don't worry. Just because they're in Equestria now, doesn't mean everything is gonna run smoothly. There's still plenty of story left to tell.
*looks around suspiciously* did anyone else hear accordions?
I hope to see Motorized Patriot pods falling from the sky, do no miss this opportunity.
Also, the Luteces are here! Now things are getting really interesting.
2702124 eeyep. whenever they show up. now that's good character making.
.....
Death shall reign supreme !!!! muhahahaha
2701264
You mean to tell me that they ARE gonna invade!? SWEET!
DESTRUCTION! CHAOS! LONG LIVE COLUMBIA! WOOHOO!
SUCK IT LUTECES!
And yes, I know I'm enjoying this too much, but what can I say? I like it when the bad guys win. I'm weird, sue me.
I hate to be the one to ruin the experience so don't read if you don't like spoilers I'm but I'm placing my money that the recording is either Thomas or Daniel saying that there is a better world thanks to Colombia not existing. And if im wrong...... Meh.
LET EQUESTRIA BURN
MWAHAHAHGAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH
Oh man this is getting good! It was nice seeing Columbia in this chapter, and it was cool how you had Comstock and Fink appear, and how everyone greeted him upon returning. Comstock's reaction to finding out about the inhabitants of Equestria was very in-character I think. I'm so excited to see the next chapter and what Comstock decides to do now that they're in the new world!
I gotta say I also like how you described how all throughout Equestria everyone stared up in shock and awe at Columbia, with all the different locations and creatures.
I was thinking. I'm a bit confused as to how bringing Columbia to another world would cancel out Comstock being erased from history. I don't know, I guess for the sake of this story it doesn't quite have to make sense...
It's awesome that the Twins came in too! Haha, you nailed their dialogue, and I loved their talk with Trixie!
And this use of a voxaphone is cool! I was actually wondering earlier if maybe Thomas and Daniel had voxophones and if they used them. I can't wait to see who the message is from or what it says 
...
I just don't get a couple of things: First, they clearly knew about Daniel's mission this whole time, as mentioned earlier. Why are they just now deciding to intervene? I guess maybe because they were waiting to see if he would succeed in his mission. It would also be funny if maybe Robert argued he would succeed and Rosalind argued he would fail (since more than likely there are alternate realities where both outcomes occur). Second thing, why do they need Trixie to deliver the message? Why can't they do it themselves?
I'm still excited to see how Trixie is going to find Daniel again. I bet she's going to try and get Twilight to help her!
So that being said, this story is still going strong, especially now that the plot is thickening! My hands are shaking in anticipation of the next chapter! Please bring it on soon!
2702124 I sure did!
I know this is kind of a nitpick here, and it might sound obnoxious but I was thinking about these couple of things that stand out to me. In this chapter, one might have expected Daniel to refer to Booker as the False Shepherd while he's flying towards the office and thinking. Unless Daniel isn't into that religious stuff like Fink.
Also, at this part:
I was thinking that the twins should have maybe used his first name at some point, calling him Zachary Comstock.
I'm sorry I just feel like I had to get that out there
.
2715280 Daniel will sometimes refer to Booker as the False Shepherd, but other times he'll just call him Booker DeWitt.
This was me when I noticed they were the Lettuce Twins
garglfluz.wikispaces.com/file/view/endless_shock.gif/263670826/73x60/endless_shock.gif
did anyone else look up the lutece theme when they appeared?