Chapter 49: Celebration
It had only been a couple of minutes since Twilight had passed out, but Spike was enjoying the peace, quiet, and general lack of insanity that normally filled his day to day routine. Tragically it wasn’t meant to last as Twilight once again awoke.
She groaned as she slowly got back on her hooves. “It’s so cold and painful. This isn’t how I imagined heaven.”
“Despite karma's best attempt, you’re somehow still alive,” informed Spike.
“Damn right. Twilight Sparkle even makes karma her bitch,” she said with pride as she looked for some aspirin. “What’s the situation outside?”
“The Diamond Dogs have reported they have captured your sister-in-law. All that’s left is for the Matriarch to be killed. Also from what’s left of the hospital's security footage, I don’t think Sovereign has boarded the shuttle yet,” said Spike.
“That’s some good news at least. I’ll have to find him myself though. What’s his mostly likely location?” asked Twilight.
“He was last seen in the parking garage. I’d check there,” suggested Spike.
“Alright. Keep me covered and kill anything that’s not a particularly lovely shade of lavender,” ordered Twilight.
“You realize you’re in full red and black armor right?” asked Spike.
“You know what I mean. Just shut up and watch my tail. I’ll be back with the prisoner,” said Twilight.
The Prophet watched excitedly as her new guest underwent the resocialization process. Soon she would have the greatest archeologist of all time in her collection of rare and exotic people. After all, every mare needed a hobby right? And collecting famous ponies was as good a hobby as any.
“Madam Prophet, I have excellent news,” announced Derpy. “Stripped Dynamite has just reported the Matriarch has been killed. Our forces are evacuating the surface of the planet as we speak. We’ll be ready to leave the system in the next few minutes.”
“Is Mr. Grey Horn secured?” asked the Prophet.
“We have him, or what’s left of him, stashed in the freezer. He should be nice and comfortable until we can bring him home,” informed Derpy.
“Good. I don’t want him spilling anywhere. Derpy, would you call this a victory?” asked the Prophet.
“Well yes. I’d say a complete victory. Why?” she asked.
“Because every victory calls for a victory party! Break out the music and snacks!” demanded the Prophet.
“Shouldn’t we wait until we clear the system?” asked Derpy.
“Oh fine. I guess it would be rude to start without the new guest of honor,” she said smiling at Stage’s resoc tank.
Twilight wasn’t particularly happy with the situation, but she'd have to make do with what was left of him. She sighed as she stuffed both halves of the deceased unicorn into two separate cryo pods. She couldn’t believe the Prophet's recklessness. Would it have been so hard to just use a syringe? She could only hope that whatever blood was still lingering in the corpse wasn’t too contaminated, though much of it would probably be rendered worthless in cryo.
“This is the last time I ever hire Diamond Dog!” complained Twilight as she began wiping herself of the blood stains. “What’s the situation with the Matriarch?”
“Dead and on a rather degrading display for all of Cadia to see,” answered Spike. “The Diamond Dogs are in full retreat, and will be leaving the system momentarily.”
“Excellent! But I think Pinkie still needs to learn her place. Spike, take a letter then bring the fleet garrison back online,” ordered Twilight.
“What about your sister? She’s probably onboard the Vengeance,” warned Spike.
“Fine, prevent any weapons from firing on her ship specifically. I’m sure they can still do plenty of damage on the rest of the fleet,” said Twilight.
“Madam Prophet, we’ve just received a secured message. It’s from Twilight Sparkle,” informed Derpy.
“Well she has some nerve calling me after she shot me… TWICE! What’s does she want now?” asked the Prophet.
“The message reads as follows.
Dear Pinkie Pie
Congratulations on your victory. Unfortunately despite my warnings, you still attacked and killed a very valuable asset to the Greater Good. You seem to have the idea that you’re on equal ground with me. Well you’re not, and I think it’s time you learned your lesson.
From Cadia with love, Vice Admiral Twilight Sparkle.
That’s all there is,” finished Ditzy.
“Ha! An angry letter? That’s the best she can do?” mocked the Prophet.
Alerts starting going off all over the ship. Penny Pincher’s voice came over the intercom. “Attention all hands. The fleet garrison is back on line. Prepare for ship to ship combat!”
“Oh that's right! I forgot she could do that,” admitted Pinkie. “Derpy, how long until we’re ready to depart?”
“The last of the dropships are boarding our ships. We’ll be far enough out of the gravity well for a jump in about two minutes,” informed Derpy.
Rainbow Dash had returned to Tom with her dead sister in tow behind her. “Rainbow you’re up!” cheered Rain Sight. “Where is Scootaloo?”
“She went to grab Sovereign,” informed Rainbow.
Rain Sight glanced at Jet Stream’s visor. Even through the tint she could make out the bloodstains. “I’m sorry about your sister. She seemed like a really nice mare.”
“Thanks… I’m sorry about your husband,” replied Rainbow. “I just want to get off this world and never look back again.”
“I know how you feel,” said Rain Sight. “Where will you go once we’re off?”
“Consortium space obviously. I know someone there who can help Scootaloo with her dilemma,” answered Rainbow.
“What dilemma?” asked Rain Sight.
“The Iron Feathers just murdered dozens, maybe hundreds of people today in a rather gruesome display. You think Scoots can show her face anymore once it’s plastered on wanted posters all over the sector?” asked Rainbow. “I can promise you people are going to be putting rewards on her head after this.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” asked Rain Sight.
“She’ll have to change her identity. Not just a new name, but a new appearance as well,” answered Rainbow. “I know a Umojan mage willing to do it. It won’t be cheap, but don’t think I didn’t notice all the money Sweetie had in her duffle bag.”
“I’m sure she’ll be willing to help,” said Rain Sight.
Scootaloo’s voice came through Tom’s comm. “Guys, Sovereign is gone.”
“What do you mean he’s gone?!” asked Rain Sight. “You said he was dead, where would he go?!”
“Well there is a trail of blood drops leading to a hole in the wall leading outside,” explained Scootaloo.
“What kind of sick bastard steals a body like this?” asked Rain Sight.
“I found some footsteps, and an imprint that looks like it might be landing gear. I could be wrong, but I think someone loaded him onto a ship and took him away. If that's the case, Sovereign is long gone by now. I’m sorry Rain, but we don’t have a body,” said Scootaloo.
Rain Sight sighed sadly. “First my dad’s body, now my husband’s. What the hell is wrong this planet? I don’t understand how we missed the ship. It should have landed fairly close to us if…” Rain Sight suddenly realized if the ship managed to get that close without being detected, it must have had stealth capabilities. “It was the same shuttle from earlier!”
“Twilight’s shuttle?” asked Rainbow Dash. “That mare just doesn’t know when to stop does she?”
“That was Twilight’s shuttle?” asked Rain Sight. The angry widow punched the wall in frustration. “I can’t believe I ever trusted her!”
Scootaloo exited the garage through the hole that was created earlier, and used her flight to quickly reach the rooftop. As she entered Tom, the ship’s cargo hatch sealed and Rain Sight prepped for takeoff. Before Tom could get off the ground, another shuttle appeared in front of her. A message on Tom’s com began shortly afterwards.
“Hello my favorite and loyal agent,” said Twilights voice. “I hope you weren’t planning on going anywhere. After all, there is no way you’ll outrun Spike on that flying brick you call a shuttle.”
“What the hell do you want now?!” asked Rain Sight. “You killed my dad, you killed my husband, you killed Jet Stream, and now you won’t let me leave?!”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t take off when you had the chance. The Diamond Dogs have left the planet, and the fleet garrison is back online. They won’t be allowing any ships to leave the system for a while,” informed Twilight. “You really should have escaped during the chaos of the attack. Instead you wasted time trying to gather bodies. I expected more from you Lieutenant Commander Grey Horn.”
“Go to hell!” shouted Rain Sight. “Wait… Lieutenant Commander?”
“You performed your duties splendidly. You captured Sovereign, brought him and Sweetie to this world, and kept them from leaving. Despite this dissidence, I can’t deny that you carried out your orders to the letter. Soon I’ll be the new Director of Dominion Intelligence, so I think a promotion is in order for you,” said Twilight.
“So after all of this, you think promotion will fix everything? My husband and father are dead!” shouted Rain Sight once again.
“And I’m certain you’ll enjoy the insurance coverage I’ll throw your way. You can either be a rich widow, or a dead widow. Your call,” informed Twilight.
Rainbow and Scootaloo were tempted to attack the shuttle with whatever they had. But if they any attempt to leave the ship, it would just end with Twilight blowing Tom to pieces.
Rain Sight was quiet for a moment, contemplating whether or not she really had a choice in the matter. At this point she wouldn’t mind just lifting off and trying to ram the shuttle to end both of their lives at once. It killed her knowing that she spent the lives of those she held dear just to help bring this monster to power. But that would be selfish. There were others on board as well right now. She wasn’t about to throw away more lives just for some petty revenge.
“What do you want me to do?” asked Rain Sight.
Rainbow and Scootaloo were in disbelief. “You’re just going to roll over like that?!” asked Scootaloo. “Damn it, she killed your dad and husband. She killed my sister!”
“I know!” shouted Rain Sight. “But what can we do about it? Apple Bloom and Sweetie are on board. You want me to just kill all of us right now?!”
Scootaloo knew she was right. This was a no win situation.
Rainbow however saw only opportunity. “Scoots, we’re about to have a still active DI agent on our side. Can you think of a better person to help get payback against the supposedly soon to be Director of Dominion Intelligence?”
Scootaloo realized her sister was right. This was a blessing in disguise.
“I’m glad you came to see reason," said Twilight. "For now all I ask is you keep an eye on Sweetie and Apple Bloom. Keep them on Cadia and in your sights. I promise I’ll arrange for some comfortable accommodations.”
“As I was saying, you can’t leave the system. At least not without a cloaking field. I have more pressing matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving you for now. But if I don’t get frequent reports on your whereabouts, I assure you I’ll have plenty of resources to hunt you down," warned Twilight. "I’m sure you’ve realized by now you don’t have much of anywhere to hide on Cadia. As I said, you can live in luxury, or you can hide in misery. The choice is yours.”
“Where am I supposed to stay?” asked Rain Sight.
“I’d get back to that hotel if I were you. I’ll arrange for more a more permanent dwelling later.” The com cut off, and again the shuttle vanished.
Dos días después del ataque
“Minion number 42A! Hit the music!” commanded the Prophet.
Streamers fell from seemingly nowhere, while music filled the air. Apparently the Prophet could summon parties out of nowhere at will. Snacks and drink were quickly dispensed, and it seemed her entire fleet was in celebration of the victory.
A few of the stallions, including Jeff, tried to hook up with some of the Iron Feathers, who were also on the bridge. Most however had already heard stories of how rough those mares could be, and preferred not to risk breaking a few bones for a night of fun. Mercy however had already grabbed a stallion and was taking him to a more secluded area, whether he liked it or not. A look of fear filled the poor young stallion's face. He knew from stories that he would be losing some blood before the night was over.
The Iron Feathers were particularly pleased with their first ever battle. While the attack on the hospital was a tragedy, the rest of the operation was a success. It was the Iron Feathers who captured the three starports with only five casualties, only two of which died. Their superior training, marksmanship and merciless love of cruelty had been made famous after their debut battle. They hopped that It would be the first of many to come.
Already the daring raid was on news stations all over the sector, particularly the brutality of the attacks on the starports. Their face was all over the news, and governments all factions denounced the horrible atrocities performed on the civilian victims. The Iron Feathers had become sector wide celebrities overnight.
Daring Do had finally entered the bridge, and was greeted by the Prophet.
“It’s so good to see you’re finally awake! You’re going to love working for the Greater Good. Mr. Penny Pincher is already getting the bits ready for your expedition,” said Prophet. “Until then, enjoy the party!”
“Thanks, I can’t wait to get this underway,” said Daring. “Still, nothing wrong with a bit of unwinding first.”
“You hear that Mr. Penny Pincher, you need to unwind!” shouted the Prophet.
Penny Pincher wasn’t in the spirit however. He was instead going over the cost of the attack. He had anticipated the losses on the planet's surface, but Twilight's last minute betrayal had caused them to lose a frigate, and a cruiser before they were able to retreat. Not to mention all the equipment that was on the downed cruiser.
“Twilight has secured the first third of the payment she promised. It falls just short of the cost of this attack,” informed Penny Pincher. “She says she’ll be able to secure the remainder of the fee once she’s been established as the new Director of Dominion Intelligence. She also left a rather… unfriendly letter.”
“Another one?! Oh cry me a river, what is it this time?” asked the Prophet.
“I think it’s best this one is read in private,” suggested Penny Pincher. The pair got away from everyone else while Penny Pincher began to read the letter out loud for her.
Dear Pinkie Pie,
Once again I would like to congratulate you on your victory. However, my sources have informed me that your idiot gunmen injured my brother. What the hell were you thinking?! Not only that, but other sources have now informed me that you have resocced my sister as well! I hope that this is merely some kind of miscommunication. I’m trusting you to keep her safe until I finish things on my end. If I find out you’ve done anything to harm her, that little lesson with the rail gun will seem like a massage compared to what I’ll do to you next. Just a friendly warning of what will happen if you harm a single hair on that mare’s mane, or any other member of my family.
From Korhal with Love, Vice Admiral Twilight Sparkle.
“Meh, I’ve survived worse,” said the Prophet.
“Madam Prophet, I think we should be concerned. Someone on our ship informed her of the resoc,” warned Penny Pincher.
“All this talk about spies is making me hungry,” said the Prophet disregarding his warnings. “Minion 42A! Bring me my tacos!”
The crewmen’s fake mustache almost fell off as he began to sweat when he heard that order. “Uh… the ones that were in the fridge? Because the bag didn’t have a name on it and-”
“Airlock!” shouted the Prophet
Abram stared into the face of his unconscious wife. He had waited almost a year for this day, but Vera had finally been brought out of cryo. She would awaken in a few days, but the results had already come in. She was infertile, like so many other females before her. While cryogenics had come a long way in his lifetime, there was only so long anyone can spend in one of those pods before health problems began to occur. Infertility in females was just one of many.
Unfortunately their time together would be short. Life spans for those coming out of cryo was only a few years without life support. Much of the station's staff had to live in their power armor just to continue day to day life. Abram had only been awake for a year, so he had yet to feel the effects. But even in their condition, seeing Vera again would be a blessing. Their life would be short, but at least it would be a life spent together.
“Captain DeGull, we’ve received a message from the Greater Good,” informed one of his marines.
“Let me guess, another progress report informing us they’ve made no progress right?” asked the annoyed captain. He didn’t want to leave Vera’s side at the moment only to be told what he already knew.
The marine didn’t answer before Abram snatched the report out of his hands. He could see through the visor that the man’s face was disfigured as if he had leprosy. The marine had been awake for over a decade now, and soon the suit wouldn’t be able to keep him alive any longer.
As Abram read the report, he realized his reunion with his wife would be delayed. “Prep a shuttle. Take me to the Fleet Admiral. He needs to see this!”
Alexei stood alone in his quarters of the Hyperion, flagship of the UED fleet. It was an ancient ship, one of the few that managed to escape the chaos that had engulfed the Koprulu sector long ago. The Hyperion was also the ship that warned his people of the coming disaster, which allowed them to scatter and hide their population to avoid the same fate that had befallen the Koprulu sector's population. That had been so long ago that by now he was the only living survivor of the crew that made the original journey. While there were newer and more powerful ships that he could use as his flagship, this one held a special place in his heart. A reminder of an age long gone.
The Fleet Admiral was going over a list of names of the newly awoken. He was mostly interested in the female names, virtually all of which had the word, “infertile” written by them. Finally he found the name he was looking for. “Vera Stukov DeGull - infertile.”
Deep down he knew he should have expected this; he just didn’t want to. As his anger built within him, his right hand mutated into a claw and tentacles. As the door behind him opened, Alexei turned around to see his son-in-law standing before him with tablet in his hand.
“You should really knock before you do that,” said Alexei, his eyes glowing orange. He took a deep breath to calm himself. After a few seconds, his eyes returned to normal, and his right hand reverted to its usual form. He’d had a long time to practice maintaining his human form, but it was still possible for him to occasionally lose his concentration. “What’s so important you had to leave my daughter's side to come here personally? You should be with her when she awakens.”
“It’s a message from the Greater Good. They wish to speak to you… in person,” said Abram.
“Tell the quadrupeds what we told them last time, and the time before that, and all the times before that. I’m not leaving Earth again until they have what they promised us!” declared Alexei.
“That’s just it sir, they have it,” said Abram.
“All of it?” asked Alexei sounding rather doubtful.
“That’s what they claim. If it’s true, all they need now is a few samples of your blood as payment. Of course they’ll need to take it from you in person to make certain that it’s the real thing. If we leave now, we can be there within the year,” said Arbam.
Alexei smiled at his son-in-law. “Looks like you may be a father yet. Send a transmission. We’ll be starting our journey soon.”
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Wowwhe! Now we have humans in here? And not any humans, but Stukov and familia! I know I have said this a lot through the story, but shit is getting real!!!
Stukov.........STUKOV?!?!?!?!?!?! I did not expect that! I actually wasn't expecting any humans at all in this story. Well, now I get to hear his awesome voice in my head as I read.
And Pinkie just doesn't know when to stop does she?
Before I even read the rest:
That needs to be quoted and put somewhere in the Twilight Badass Group.
Well hello there Stukov fancy seeing you here
I wonder where will you be taking the story next.
3243297 Hate works in mysterious ways. I have only that to say.
I miss Sovereign I liked him
I'm surprised to see humans, more so seeing that they are survivors from the Koprulu sector. Also, if I'm right, its been nearly 500 years since the extinction of the Koprulu sector population. Not only that, but the UED being the actual United earth directorate, instead of a group of ponies from Equestria.
Still, I'd like to see a fleet of ponies from Equestria, and perhaps princess Celestia herself, to make an appearance .