Chapter 9: Savior
"I'm afraid I don't understand, Daniel." the old man said as he stood out on the balcony, watching his breath get carried away in the cold night air. Below him, the grand city of Columbia was vibrantly visible, a dazzling display of lights and structures, all of the districts swayed courtly like gentle giants. A Mosquito lazily floated by, its propeller creating a faint noise barely audible over the distant sounds of the city. The green spotlight shining down from the automaton signaled an all clear and the barrels of its Gatling gun spun longingly, searching for a target to remove from the world.
"Well, these concepts aren't easily understood, my Prophet." the Zealot calmly replied, not at all surprised by Comstock's unwillingness to accept his claims as fact. After all, he did just inform the Prophet of a conversation he had with two dead individuals.
"If what you say is true, then there is no way for us to prevent the coming end? Is there nothing we can do to stop my daughter?" Comstock asked, worriedly scratching underneath his large beard.
"I'm afraid not." Daniel gravely responded. "She and Booker are no longer in our world. Once they learned of the chinaman's death, they departed for an alternate reality." he looked down. "There is no way to locate them."
The Prophet exhaled slowly. Learning of one's impending doom was never an easy pill to swallow. "I take it you are not here solely to inform me of our coming annihilation?" he asked hopefully.
"Not quite." the Crow reassured. "I believe the 'twins' made a fatal error in judgement when they informed me of my brother's location." Comstock turned his gaze from the glimmering lights and looked into Daniel's hidden eyes as he said this. "I believe, there is a way to save us." The Prophet continued to stare into the dark slits, knowing full well that truth lied just beneath them.
"What will you need?" the old man asked, finally.
The Zealot sighed. "Tabula Rasa."
* * *
The middle Chimera lunged at Daniel with cat-like agility, its razor sharp claws heading straight for his torso. The Crow acted with equally impressive speed, turning into his flock of birds and dispersing just as the beast was about to connect. The creature passed right through the flock and landed on the other side, recovering and facing the Zealot once again. Daniel reformed and began thrusting his sword at the Chimera, nicking it in several places but unable to land a critical blow.
Jenkins was in his own battle with the second Chimera, which consisted of straight up head-to-head combat. The two behemoths charged at each other, slamming their massive bodies into a heavy deadlock, neither willing to give up any ground to the other. The snake head began striking at the Handyman, who proceeded to punch it hard in the face with a curled fist, breaking a fang and causing the animal to retreat. Jenkins was using his other arm to keep both the lion and goat heads in a disabling headlock while the creature's legs swung every which way, desperately trying to connect with something.
Jacob finished tearing another hole in reality while the Chimera facing him became tired of waiting. It shrieked menacingly and took a step forward as the Boy's tear became fully active. The beast didn't get a chance to attack before a plethora of young boys emerged from the portal and immediately engaged. The boys wore formal white attire, all wearing various masks. Some carried bats or clubs while others wielded blunted knives and shivs. Their eyes glowed blue as they ran at the Chimera head on, fearing not for their own safety. The creature looked surprised at first, but quickly recovered and readied itself for their assault. As the first few boys made contact with the beast, each head of the Chimera went for a different target. The snake head grabbed the leading boy and promptly tossed him away, not waiting to go for another one. The lion and goat heads were slower, each grabbing a boy and violently gnawing on them hungrily. The snake head swiftly expended with three more boys, but was soon overcome by the shear number of them exiting the portal. It wasn't long before they all jumped on the Chimera and barbarically beat and stabbed at it all over its body.
Meanwhile, Jenkin's Chimera managed to escape his headlock, so the Handyman grabbed the battered snake head and proceeded to rip the body off of the rest of the animal. He then grabbed both ends and crudely wrapped it around the lion head, effectively cutting off its air supply. While the lion head gasped for air, Jenkins pounded the creature's body into the dirt. He then put both hands on the beast and delivered a fatal shock attack using the conductors mounted on his back. The creature went limp and fell to the ground. The Handyman wiped his large hands and adjusted his monocle as he walked back over to the waiting Boys of Silence, making a point to step on the goat head as he did. With a loud crunch, the once intact skull cavity flattened like a pancake under the weight of Jenkin's enormous foot. He let out a low chuckle at the sound.
Daniel's crows continued their relentless assault on the Chimera, but were quickly being taken out by the snake head, which was surprisingly agile. The Zealot decided to remedy the situation by moving to the creature's rear and decapitating the reptile with a swing of his sword, kicking the head away. The ponies watched the slaughter taking place through covered hooves, appalled by the violence that seemed to follow these humans everywhere.
"Now's our chance to get on outta here, Twi." Applejack quietly suggested. Motioning to the trail that was completely open to them.
"I don't think that's such a good idea." the princess replied, aware that a simple escape was probably not in the cards.
"And why in the hay not? These Chimera are givin us the perfect opportunity to get outta dodge. Who knows? Maybe the dang things'll even beat Daniel and his goons." the earth pony suggested. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all nodded in agreement. Twilight was about to argue, when a snake head rolled right to her, gently tapping her front hoof. Disgusted, she kicked it away and then gave her friends a deadpan stare. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all averted their eyes while Applejack just looked at the alicorn sheepishly. "Point taken."
Daniel dodged a few swipes from the Chimera and then shouldered the creature hard in the chest. The massive beast hardly moved at this, and came back even harder. Quickly, the Zealot charged his hand up and shot a Possession at the lion head, imagining the two heads fighting each other on the same body. However, the vigor seemed ineffective on the beast, simply vanishing on impact.
"Well, that was disappointing." he commented, dodging another swipe.
The Crow dispersed into birds once more as the creature followed through with another attack, but this time, he reformed right in front of the charging beast, plunging his blade into the lion's open mouth. Without another thought, he withdrew the sword and effortlessly slashed it horizontally, right above the lion head. Daniel shook the excess blood from his blade and sheathed it as he walked away from the Chimera. The goat head slid off its body and fell to the ground, followed by the rest of the creature. The Zealot rejoined Jenkins and turned to see how young Jacob was faring. Out of the three of them, the Boy was having the easiest time, merely watching as his thralls swamped the weakening Chimera. Most of its eyes had been gouged out and it was now blindly swatting at the boys who were still beating and stabbing it. Only a few of the boys were actually on top of the creature, but as it began to walk forward, two of them got on their hands and knees, tripping the beast and causing it to fall. The remaining boys then jumped on the Chimera and it was all over. They continued to land their attacks, but it was a fruitless endevour as the beast was now dead.
"Alright Jacob, that's enough." Daniel ordered. They still had a schedule to keep after all. Jacob nodded his head and let off a wave of energy that passed by the boys, resulting in them vanishing into thin air. "Is that it with the distractions?" the Zealot asked out loud. This whole journey was taking longer than he would have liked. As if to show the universe was not without a sense of humor, Daniel's raven appeared over the trees and sloppily landed on Jenkin's broad shoulder. The Handyman was instantly annoyed by the bird's presence and promptly swatted it off.
"Where have you been?" the Crow demanded, addressing the now hovering raven and pointing to Apple Bloom. "And what is she doing here?"
It was then that the Crow noticed what the raven was holding in it's beak. "Drop it!" he ordered. The bird complied, albeit reluctantly, and dropped the eyeball that was hanging out of the beak, dangling by the optic nerve. "Unbelievable. A fresh piece of meat comes along and your weak will can't even follow a basic command." he scowled.
Applejack gasped. "So you did have somethin to do with my sister's disappearance!" she accused. Daniel looked at her menacingly.
"We are not starting that argument again! She's with you now isn't she, so who really cares? Now lets move out, for the last time. We have a castle to find." he commanded. The party that was now fourteen strong, began the last leg of their journey to the castle. The Elements of Harmony took the lead once again, followed by Jenkins and the Boys, and finally Daniel and Trixie. Once things got going, the remainder of the trip went off without a hitch. They made their way through the thick vegetation and various obstacles, keeping a brisk pace in spite of the Boy's less than desirable walking style. Once again, the Elements began their private conversation in hushed tones, while Daniel and Trixie had a talk of their own.
"This whole thing is probably becoming a bit much for you." the Zealot started.
Trixie sighed. "No, not really. This isn't the first adventure the Great and Powerful Trixie has found herself on." She looked at the Handyman and Boys of Silence. "Though I will admit this is the strangest."
The Zealot didn't respond, but Trixie decided to continue. "So can you tell Trixie why we're going to this castle now, since we're so close and all...."
Daniel chuckled. "Listen, I don't think you'll understand the purpose of our journey even after we get there. The concepts I would have to explain to you would just confuse you and cause your head to hurt."
"I hope you're not insinuating that Trixie is too simple minded to comprehend ideas that are new to her. Anything you can understand, I can understand just as easily if not more so!" she huffed.
The Crow raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well let's test that then. Did you know that there are an infinite number of universes in which every possible outcome to every possible scenario has occurred, is occurring, or will occur? Did you know that there are certain individuals who have the ability to traverse these different universes and even make new ones of their own? Or how about that something as insignificant as the death of a single person in the past can cause hundreds of thousands of those universes to implode upon themselves and cease to exist in a fraction of a second?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.
Trixie stared at him as if he were insane. She coughed uncomfortably, not knowing if there was an appropriate response to his wild accusations. "That's....."
"Insane." he finished. "Yes, I'm well aware."
At last, the Castle of the royal sisters became visible through the dense forest fog. Daniel's excitement grew as the structure appeared. Ever since Trixie informed him of this forest, he knew this would be the best location to meet their needs. The magician had told him all about their world and how things worked. The pegasi controlled the weather and the ponies looked after the wild animals. Hell, even the goddamn plants didn't grow in Equestria without pony intervention. What really got him though, was when she informed him of the two princesses, Celestia and Luna. Apparently the two controlled the movement of the sun and moon, a concept that was so terribly ridiculous it made him question her sanity.
But then he was informed of the Everfree Forest. A place where weather patterns, flora, and fauna all behaved on their own. A place where ponies were unneeded to keep the natural laws in check and where things were very much like the earth he was from, with the exception of the mythical creatures that resided within. She said the place wasn't natural, yet to him, it was the only natural location in all of Equestria, and the Zealot had a fairly good idea why.
"We need to cross this bridge to get to the Castle ruins." Twilight said, interrupting Daniel's thought and pointing to the rickety old death trap that connected the two sides of the forest. Below the bridge was a long drop, the bottom concealed by an eerie fog that floated just above. "I don't think Jenkins will be able to accompany us inside." Twilight pointed out. Clearly the Handyman was far to large to cross the bridge.
"Don't fret over it." Daniel replied, nodding to Jenkins. The Handyman got low to the ground and then jumped up into the air like a giant tree frog, easily clearing the canyon and landing hard on the other side, leaving marks in the thick dirt.
"Figures." Applejack muttered under her breath. Daniel examined the bridge that served as their final obstacle. He put his foot on the first wooden plank, slowly shifting more and more weight on it cautiously. The piece of wood creaked under the newly added weight, but didn't seem to give way. The Zealot stepped off the bridge altogether, convinced it would hold.
"Alright, we'll cross the bridge two at a time." the Crow decided.
"Don't you think it would be safer to go one at a time?" Twilight argued.
"You know what? you're right. It would be safer, but it would also take longer, so we're going to go two at a time." Daniel retorted. The princess merely sighed in response. "Come on, your highness. You and I will cross first." he ordered. Slowly, the two made their way across the worn bridge, Twilight in front and Daniel close behind. Spike hitched a ride on the alicorn's back while she levitated Rainbow Dash with her magic during their cross, so as not to add her weight on in addition to their own. After making it to solid ground on the other side, both let out a sigh of relief. "Alright two more, now." the Zealot shouted across.
The next two to go were Applejack and Apple Bloom, then Fluttershy and Rarity. Daniel wondered why a pegasus needed to cross using the bridge, but he didn't voice his curiosity aloud. Pinkie Pie and Jacob were up next, the Boy getting hammered with questions from the pink earth pony as they crossed.
"What kind of sack is that on your head? Is it a flour sack? Did you use the flour to make a cake? I love cake, you know. Its one of my most favoritist things to make in the bakery. What's that word mean on your head? Does it mean parties? I love parties, they're my favoritist thing to do at the bakery. Cake and parties go together like cupcakes and frosting! Like cookies and milk! I mean, who could ever eat a cookie or any chocolate based item without drinking milk with it? That just doesn't make any sense. You have to drink milk with that kind of stuff or else your life wont be complete and you'll grow up and regret not having milk and then you'll fall into a deep depression and get old without any friends or a very special somepony and you'll end up living in a nursing home with some unlikable nurse giving you powdered milk every day. That's called irony!" she laughed. Jacob whimpered in pain as the relentless talking continued even after they crossed the bridge. The happy mare followed the Boy of Silence away from her friends and over to where Jenkins was standing. Two more Boys crossed the bridge together, leaving Trixie and the other Boy the only two remaining that needed to cross.
Great, I would get stuck crossing with one of these creepy things. The show mare thought. The two made their way across the creaking bridge, carefully. Each plank moaned in pain with every step they took and Trixie was sure one of them was going to break. Unfortunately, her suspicions didn't turn out to be mere paranoid fears. With only two more steps to go, the rope reached its limits and suddenly snapped. Trixie yelled in surprise as she felt herself falling, reaching her hooves up in a desperate attempt to grab anything she could find, but nothing was there. Suddenly a hand grabbed her left hoof and she looked up to see Daniel, who had barely managed to dive over to the cliff and catch both her and the Boy of Silence with each hand before they plummeted to their deaths. Relief washed over the blue unicorn, but the Zealot felt anything but relief.
Daniel knew he had only seconds before he would lose his grip on both Trixie and the Boy. He tried pulling them both up, but quickly realized he didn't have the strength. Dread fell on the Crow's mind as it slowly dawned on him that he could only successfully save one of them, and had only another second or two to make a decision. The boy whimpered quietly while Trixie held back fearful tears. The Zealot thought it was always interesting how time seemed to move slower when these kinds of decisions had to be made. He literally had seconds now, but for some ungodly reason, it felt like years for him to argue back and forth with himself, each side of his brain, logic and emotion, giving their sales pitch and showing why they were right, why so and so should be saved.
Though he knew he had already reached a decision, it was these moments in time when he wished he could just take a vacation. There was always some life or death situation that needed to be overcome, some needless decision that would most likely haunt him for the rest of his life, but even so, it was time to act. The Crow hesitated another moment, before releasing the grip of one arm and fully committing it to the other. The screams that followed would forever echo through Daniel's mind like a mantra.
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He dropped the kid. Calling it
TRIXIE. STAHP. STAHP PLAYING WITH HIS FEELINGS. THWIXZE. SHTAHP DISH NOHNSHENCE.
he did not drop the kid he dropped TEH TRIXE
taking all bets, taking all bets! also, wow, its not like there are a smeg load of things behind him who can fly or levitate things. or, for that matter, a big crazy strong guy who could have pulled all three back with one hand if asked.
Poor Boy of Silence :(
2649161 Very true.
However, the scene takes place in the span of only a few seconds, not giving anyone enough time to react. This is a split second decision that Daniel alone has to make.
2649417 fair enough.
For some reason, I want there to be a scene where Jenkins is about to crush the ponies, when suddenly his heart burts and he falls only to show Booker standing there.
Infinite universes. Who says they stayed in Columbia?
2649858 It's probably unlikely. At this point I got a feeling Booker's not going to be in this story. It's still a cool idea though
Alright, first my thoughts on the ending of this chapter. More stuff later.
I hope he dropped Trixie and saved the Boy. I think it would be out of character if Dan chose to save Trixie and sacrifice the boy; someone so dedicated to his job and mission and so loyal to Comstock, even if he and Trixie were becoming friends one may notice. And again, "Heart of Raven Black".
Although one thing I don't get; why didn't Twilight or Rarity use their levitation to help? Or Fluttershy? She could have swooped down to grab someone. Or even Jenkins could have helped easily.
Although I do have a feeling that if he DID drop Trixie, she used her magic to save herself. But that is for future events in the story...
It's still pretty cool that you added this in. It made it exciting and suspenseful, and it reminded me of all the times in Infinite where you had Booker make those choices.
> Sees conversation between you and albertjester.
Oh...
Actually no. I still say Twilight, Rarity or Fluttershy could have saved whoever he dropped.
And now more stuff. I was stoked when you brought in more boys and a Handyman! I was hopping we'd see a Handyman in this story!
although I would have liked him to talk more...
That whole fight scene with the Chimeras (great idea for having mythical beasts in again) was pretty cool and well described. It was awesome seeing all the guys in action. I like how you included the girls debating whether or not they should run away, and ultimately deciding not to for fear of evoking Daniel's wrath.
I also liked that flashback with Daniel and Comstock talking.
Now I remember when Twilight tried to not lead Dan any further until he told her of his plans. But then after the Chimera fight, that part was forgotten. I would have liked it if Twilight still stood by that. And then maybe Dan could have appeared behind one of the other girls and threaten to slit their throats if they did not comply, reminding them that he only needs one of them to lead the way, and that especially after the fight, his patience was wearing thin. I would have liked that.
I am loving how this is all turning out still. And I eagerly await the next chapter! I love how quick you are to add new chapters. You're a great writer, ya know that? So yeah, keep 'em coming!
fire men are fire proof and near blast proof but if the fire started on the inside he would still would be protected by devils kiss and the blast would have broken bones and other things,
Some explain to me why she doesn't teleport away?
I know she can do it...
I am missing something big time here.
I cannot buy the flimsy reasoning given for Twilight not taking any action to help any of them escape. The fact that they have time to talk about it already indicates a window of opportunity. The series has shown the progression of Twilight's teleportation prowess. At this point in her life, I firmly believe that Twilight would attempt to teleport herself, five mares, a filly and a baby dragon (despite that being a bigger load than she’s use to) to save them from gruesome death from murderous aliens. Part of why the decision to do nothing seems so outrageous is how little Twilight seems to be conflicted or choked up about the safety of the ones she loves being within her grasp.
I can honestly believe that Twilight would want to stick around though. She has a personal connection (perhaps even a curiosity) with David and her apocalyptic visions. It’s also arguable be a smart idea to keep some eyes on the humans, and lead them away from civilization. But that would be a high risk task, one that Twilight would want to burden herself with. At the very least, wouldn’t she try to teleport the small child who has already been kidnapped and put in mortal danger to somewhere safe? Or maybe the best friend whose been mind controlled and experiencing suicidal tendencies? Those courses of action would suit Twilight’s habits of 1) investigating matters to sate curiosity and suspicion, 2) putting the wellbeing of others before herself, and 3) volunteering herself for the sake of others, regardless of what those others might think. Prime examples of Twilight following those instincts would be in the season 1 and 3 premieres.
I’m also confused as to why Trixie sounds so non-chalant here:
In previous chapters, Trixie was disgusted with David’s disregard for the lives of others. After seeing a bloodbath of two monsters being torn apart by two monsters, and another monster being torn apart by an insane human mob, she ought to be screaming (in fear or anger) or in shock (come to think of it, so should some of the other ponies, like AB and Fluttershy).
But what I take greatest offense to is the moral conflict invented at the end of this chapter. My introduction to the Zealot in Infinite was seeing him sending a flock of crows to tear apart a Chinese man strapped to a board, in a building with the words “Protect Our Race” plastered on the walls. Like all tonic using enemies in Columbia, the Zealots have a loose grip on reality. But theirs is clearly fueled by malice and zealotry. I was already a bit confused when he bothered saving Rainbow Dash. But presenting David in any way, shape or form as having a kind of moral conflict about choosing between one of his assets from Columbia and a heathenistic alien flies in the face of our most basic ideas about Columbia and the Zealots.
2651377 I appreciate the feedback, and you bring up very valid points. The main reason why teleporting away isn't a preferable option is because it would only cause more trouble. Daniel (the character's name is Daniel by the way) has warned the ponies on several occasions not to try anything, like escape. Were they to teleport out, even one of them, the only thing that would accomplish is angering Daniel, who would then bring that wrath straight to Ponyville.
Trixie isn't as phased after the Chimera fight because Daniel and the others were more or less defending themselves (and the ponies) from hostile aggressors. The method of defense may have been brutal, but overall it was still self defense. You bring up a good point with Fluttershy. I have a bad habit of not adding enough detail into my stories to show exactly where every character is at emotionally, especially when a lot of characters are together at once. I definitely should have gone deeper with everypony's emotional level, and it's something I'm working on improving.
As for Daniel himself, I didn't want to have a main character that is completely void of emotion. Having a typical cookie cutter Zealot appear in Equestria and murder the group would not make for a very interesting story and I feel it's more realistic if there is internal moral conflict in Daniel. Character development is a big thing in story telling, so having a character who is completely on one side of the spectrum would hinder their ability to grow throughout the story. Daniel is no saint, by any means, as will be shown soon, but that doesn't mean he can't feel emotion as well. He is completely loyal to Comstock, but he is also still human and subject to experiencing human trials, such as moral conflict. Even so, he would never let that inner battle compromise his loyalty.
I’ll bet the Boy let himself fall because he didn’t want to deal with Pinkie.