10: Menville
Alexia Tune yawned deeply as she exited an elevator on the top floor of an office building. Coffee was hard to come by when you get a summons at six in the morning, and a certain pegasus was too wrapped up in broken limbs to start a pot. Not that she blamed Conrad for that. How could she when she still felt some of the blame rested on her? However, the horrid lack of coffee, and ever present guilty conscious, was not the only thing on her mind.
Wrapped in an azure hue, her security badge floated out of her small saddlebags, and presented itself for the four marines manning a security checkpoint.
“Morning, Agent Tune,” the first soldier greeted as scanned it.
“…Morning,” she yawned. Even though the men kept a stern vigil, dark bags under their eyes betrayed their fatigue. “Long night?”
“Something like that,” was all he would say. Her badge cleared, and he gave it back to her. “Step through the dampener field, and you’ll be good to go.”
Nodding, she walked through the checkpoint, and when no illusion magic was stripped off of her, Alexia continued down the hall without issue. I wonder if there’s a Summon Coffee spell. Maybe tweak it for a French Roast, or a simple straight black for those really bad mornings. The end of the hall saw two more guards at a set of double doors. Aside from a polite nod, neither guard reacted to her entry.
Alexia found herself in the observation side of an interrogation room overlooking a prone, and unconscious pink pony covered in a white sheet. Mercer was caught rubbing his face to try and wake up, while a few physicians monitored the pony. “Agent, good you’re here, we were just about to rouse Menville.”
Alexia cantered over to the large one way mirror to spy on the former presidential bodyguard, and heaved a heavy sigh at his coat color. “This is just great. I know he asked to become a pony, but dealing with a gender swap and pink fur is not going to be easy.”
Mercer pulled himself away from a conversation with one of the doctors to stand beside Alexia. A rare teasing grin crossed his face. “He’s still male, actually.”
Alexia arched a bemused eyebrow at the horn pointed out of Menville’s navy blue and ruby red mane. I think that just makes it worse. “Well… that’s what hair dye is for, I guess.”
“So, that crystal you used to turn him…”
“Has already been destroyed and, as ordered, I didn’t study it.” Alexia returned his cautious expression.
Mercer studied her face for a few seconds before turned back to Menville. “Glad to hear it. If anyone asks, we found him in prison. You can jazz it up with a torture story if you want.”
“Wouldn't be far from the truth.”
“Agents,” one of the physicians called out. “The patient’s vitals are rising, he’ll be conscious soon.”
“Finally,” Mercer replied impatiently. “Maybe now we can get some much needed answers.”
Alexia flicked her tail impatiently. “When do you want me to speak with him?”
“I want the docs to check him out first, make sure he hasn’t gone mad on us. After that, he’s all yours.”
Alexia frowned at Menville, while he rolled onto his back while trying to blink the spots out of his eyes. Poor guy’s been through hell. She yawned again. “Blaugh, I need some java, and a doughnut couldn’t hurt.”
Mercer jabbed a thumb at a pastry box laden table near the exit. “Have at it, that is, of course, if Valery here left you any.”
The obese physician in question grumbled profanities while flicking him off.
With lukewarm coffee and a half eaten bear claw in hoof, Alexia watched Menville be poked and prodded for mental stability and temperament by the physicians, leaving the two CIA agents to themselves. Mercer remained beside her the whole time. “Do you think he’ll actually be worth all this effort?”
Alexia washed down a pastry bite. “That depends entirely on whether or not he’s loyal to the Herald, although I doubt he is. Those imps would rather die than be human again, or pony, in this case. Plus, it would be quite a stretch to think he was planted there just for me to ponify him so he could be a spy.”
Mercer observed the pink stallion grumble at his coat color. “We are not in the business to be so trusting, Agent Tune. Nevertheless, he was deep in the enemy camp, and has firsthand experience in how the Mions think, what their plans are, everything. We need as much information out of him as possible before it’s out of date.” He shot her a knowing glance. “In any case, your particular brand of magic should insure his cooperation.”
“So you know about that huh?” Alexia replied casually between sips.
Give credit where it’s due. “A whole camp’s morale soars soon after you arrive, a whole town of transformees forms around you, and now you’re worshipped as a goddess. If the director didn’t vouch for your character personally, I’d say you were plotting a coup.”
“A little fanfare hardly qualifies as worship.” She replied in hopes that the issue would correct itself in time. “Besides, global conquest is overrated, too much paperwork.”
“Then you wouldn’t know anything about the Congregation of Life, would you?”
Alexia halted in taking another sip. “Congregation of what?”
“Life,” Mercer replied flatly as he walked over to his briefcase and withdrew a manila envelope. “Apparently, you have quite the following.”
Alexia discarded her snack, and took the offered envelope. Mercer watched carefully as her neutral expression sank into a grimace, then a frown, until it reached a scowl so deep it threatened to fall off her face. The photographs revealed a farm house, its interior with Alexia’s portrait with Reed holding a golden scepter crowned with a black ankh as he preached to a group of ponies. There were several other photos depicting the same event at different angles, some of the worshipers posed for the camera, and that was all she could stand before furiously throwing the envelope on the ground.
“I can’t believe this! After everything I tell them, they still worship me!?”
Mercer inwardly sighed in relief, but his exterior was the best poker face in the business. To think there are millions of people who would want this kind of fame. “I’m surprised they thought they could hide it in the CIA’s backyard.”
Alexia took eight long deep breaths, and she was still seeing red encroaching on the edge of her vision. “I take it Thompson’s going to close this little group?”
He knelt down to gather the photos. “I’m afraid not.”
“What!? Why not?!”
“The Mion cult aside, we still practice religious freedom in America, and the CoL has done nothing illegal.”
It was taking her every ounce of self-control to keep her temper in check, and she was losing. “So your hands are tied?” He nodded. Alexia sewed her eyes shut and spoke with a clenched jaw. “Permission to take five.”
“…Granted.”
Alexia downed the last of her coffee in one go, and weaved an enchantment on it before teleporting out of the building, and flying into the thunder storm. “Why, won’t. They listen TO MEEEEE!”
Mercer glanced at his phone’s clock right as it rang. “Yes?”
“Sir, something weird’s going on with the storm, lightning activity just jumped by two hundred percent. Was there a pegasi team assigned to keep the skies clear, because they’re doing a crap job?”
“I’ll handle it Swanson, just tell the boys its under control.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mercer ended the call right as the discarded coffee cup pulsed with azure light. A moment later, a drenched Alexia reappeared before drying herself off with a spell. Mercer gauged her mood carefully. “You know, most people subjected to worship either start a cult or a reality TV show.”
Alexia took care that her identification cards were unharmed. “I’ll pass.”
Mercer paused, weighing what he should say before the intercom crackled to life. “The subject’s lucid, and in good health, as far as we can tell.”
The Case Officer rested his finger on the intercom button, but didn’t press it just yet. “Agent, are you sound enough to talk with him?”
Alexia could tell his flat tone was anything but, and sighed at herself. “I’m fine,” she replied as she grabbed two cups of coffee from the pot. “It’s the crazies back home you have to worry about.”
He studied her briefly before activating the comm. “She’s coming in, doc.”
The door hissed open, allowing Alexia entry into the rather cramped room. Menville sat impatiently on a padded table with the trio of doctors finishing their write-ups before taking their leave. He spotted Alexia instantly, but held his tongue for until they were alone.
“Thank you, for freeing me of that hell.” Menville studied his pink fur. “At least the new one isn’t as bad.”
“You can think of yourself as a panther, if you wish,” Alexia joked as she pulled a tall chair over with her magic.
Menville tried to cross his forelegs, but ended up falling on his side. “Cute.”
“It’ll take some getting used to having four legs.”
He shook off Alexia’s attempt to help him sit up. “I’ll manage.”
Alexia gave him a moment to steady himself. “At any rate, I’m sure you’ve already guessed that you’ll need a new identity before we’re done with you. As far as we know, the last case of ponification was over a year ago. Coffee?”
Menville found a steaming cup of java floating in front of his face. “I hope it actually tastes good now. Mion taste buds are completely jacked up.” He struggled on just how he was going to hold the cup with hooves, let alone drink from it. “So I get to go free at some point? Assuming, of course, that I convince you I’m not a spy or sleeper agent. Am I right?”
Alexia gently flapped her wings to take her seat. “Glad you know your position.”
“Well I’ll state this for the record: I hold loyalty to neither the cult nor the Herald.” He finally managed to stabilize the cup in his hooves, allowing Alexia to release it from her magic.
“So noted.” Alexia pulled a personnel file from her satchel. “Special Agent Gregory Jake Menville, former, you were actually on duty during the Siege of D.C. a couple of years ago.”
Grinning now that he almost had the cup near his mouth; Menville drooled as the aroma of French Roast teased his senses. Only then, did he realize he was ignoring her. “I stood in during your dinner with Fitzgerald the night before.” His tone grew playful. “You’ve upgraded since that day.”
Alexia’s wings fidgeted at their mention. Everyone’s always on about the wings. I bet no one would care if I had been a pegasus that grew a horn.
Menville cheered up immensely at his first taste of mouthwatering java. “Hot damn! I never thought coffee would taste the same again. Would you believe this tasted like greased sludge a week ago?”
The thought brought memories of The Ranch’s horrid coffee maker. “Sounds normal to me… Why don’t you tell me about the cultists’ leadership? Starting with the top.”
“Right, sure, that’d be the Herald.” He squeezed his eyes shut as the mere mention of the entity sent terror down his spine, and a pulsing migraine as an added bonus. Menville fell on the side of the table clutching his head, leaving Alexia clueless on how to help him. The pressure on his mind felt like the Herald’s overbearing eye was upon him.
Alexia shouted something, but she sounded like the Herald’s oppressive voice, driving a serrated spike through his brain. “NOOOO! I’M FREE OF YOU!”
Wild mana started spitting out of his horn, scorching the walls and setting fire to the blanket. Alexia wrapped herself in an incandescent barrier while squelching the fires. “Guys, I hope you brought an AM device!”
“Agent, cut your magic, now!”
Barely a second after Alexia drop her shield before several antimagic arrays activated, cutting Menville’s uncontrolled magic in an instant. The AM fields doubled Menville’s mind boiling agony, driving him over the edge into unconsciousness.
Alexia bounded over to check on him as the physicians ran inside to lend a professional touch. “Great,” she spat while giving the doctors room to work, “he must have still had a connection to the Herald, and it gave him an aneurism or something.”
Valery started grabbing her instruments. “Agent, leave the room,” she commanded tersely.
“Take care of him doc.” Alexia’s horn lit up, and she teleported back to her original coffee cup, only to find herself directly above the trash can, and promptly fell on top of it, spilling its contents all over the side of the room. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Mercer side stepped a rolling wad of paper, and did an admirable job not laughing at the banana peel hanging on Alexia’s horn. “I didn’t think you would be using that again.”
Grumbling to herself, Alexia peeled whatever bits of garbage she could see off her coat. “Nor did I. I forgot to dispel the relocator.”
The physicians had Menville on a stretcher with one of them running over to Mercer. “The patient’s suffered a severe panic attack. He should recover, but I recommend moving him to a more…hospitable location.”
Mercer gave it a few moments of thought. “Fine, but make sure he remains isolated, and keep an active AM device around him at all times.”
The doctor nodded and signaled his associates to take the stricken unicorn away. Mercer watched them go, allowing Alexia time to clean up after herself. “You think that’s all it was? Just a conditioned response?”
“It’d better. Menville’s useless to us otherwise.” He scrutinized her more closely. “Speaking of crazy, what the hell is up with your little display in the sky? It’s not like you to go off the deep end like this.”
Alexia almost let a grimace break through. I’m suddenly very glad my field reports downplayed my little emotional slips. “I don’t like being worshiped… it’s an alicorn matter.”
What in the world does that mean? “Is there something else about your alicorn magic you haven’t told us about?”
“I’m the only one on Earth, and once I return to Trinity, I’ll handle this personally.”
Mercer’s scowl only deepened. That’s not an answer. “…Fine, I have orders transferring him into your care. As soon as he and your team are fit enough to travel, you’ll be on the next flight out back to Trinity.”
Alexia hid a sigh of relief at the news. I get to see my girls again. “Then I’ll go ahead and check on them, even Conrad’s injuries shouldn’t keep us grounded. Call me when Menville’s status changes.” Without further preamble, Alexia teleported away, leaving Mercer alone.
“I hope she remembered to let the checkpoints know she left.”
A gold furred unicorn mare stepped off the Grey Hound bus in front of Trinity’s city hall. A worn duffle bag with a dozen old blood stains was strapped over her back as she surveyed the bustling streets. So many lively individuals, all smiles and rainbows. Makes me sick.
Her amber eyes tracked a muscle bound earth stallion pass by her, lingering extra-long on his flanks. Then again… It’s been awhile since I’ve had any action.
Before her lust could drive her onward to a night of debauchery, a musclebound man stepped between her and the stallion. “Ms. Star, I presume?”
“What of it?” she growled while pushing past him to chase after the stallion.
“I’m your business partner for the next week or so,” he called out while grabbing her duffel bag.
Tina was inches from drawing her scalpel on him when his words finally registered, causing a malkavian grin to cross her face. “Is that right?” She pushed off. “Well, let’s find place to discuss business.”
A short saunter over to a motel room later, Tina was unpacking her less than hygienic surgical tools while the man pulled a chair over to sit next to her while offering a handshake. “Name’s Frank Gill.”
Tina paused in her work to look at him. She was about to brush him off when she noticed his skin was completely normal, and his eyes showed none of the tell-tale signs of infection. “You're human… aren’t you?” she narrowed her eyes while shaking his hand.
“Born and raised. You didn’t really think the cult could sneak a Mion in town with those detection arrays around did you?”
Must be after money or a higher position within the cult later. “I suppose not, so, what has my goddess got for possible leverage?”
“Quite a number of things actually.” Frank opened the top drawer and pulled out a collection of photos. Tina momentarily forgot her tools to look at them on the table with him. “Alex has a sister, Elizabeth Tune.” He pushed a picture of a skinny red haired woman in a lab coat. “Spends her time at the ground side weather manipulation HQ. She’s written a bunch of papers, and research reports, but all the attention goes to her superiors.”
“I’ve always had a passing interest in pegasi magic, should let me get in close.”
He moved on to a photo of a middle aged couple. “Joe and Bella Anderson. She’s a house wife, and he’s a botanist. Used to be retired, but has recently gotten back into the field to study the long term effects of earth pony grown food. They live in the princess’s little palace on a hill with the Tune girl.”
“I couldn’t care less about dirt ponies, let alone any research on them.” Tina took a close look at the photo. “Why do they live with the goddess though?”
“Because of these little fur balls.” he pulled out a picture of a pair of giggling foals. “Alexia’s children, Aurora Sky and Violet Spark.”
Tina’s feral grin vanished in an instant. “Demigods or not, I don’t touch children. I’ll find something else.”
Frank eyed the off kilter unicorn with trepidation. “You can’t be serious. I’ve watched the princess for months. She’d fall over herself trying to protect them.”
“You’re such a barbarian,” Tina sighed while returning to her unpacking. “There’s no sport in killing kids, no thrill, no excitement in the hunt!”
“Even if they’re used as bait?”
“Frankie, Frankie, Frankie,” Tina teased, “you simply have no imagination, or class, apparently. No, I’ll try the sister angle, she looks trusting enough.”
Frank scowled as the mare found her music player. Whatever, she wants to waste time on the college student, I’ll nab the little runts myself.
Crimson shivered from the cold as she observed the Caribbean Sea pass beneath the C-130. Are we really in such bad shape that we can’t safely fly over the Midwest anymore?
Conrad eased over to stand next to her, favoring his left hind leg in the process. “I always wanted to go fishing down there. Wadda say we get a yacht out there one day?”
Crimson leaned her head against him, her frown barely moving. “Assuming there will be any yachts for much longer.” Thinking silence was best, Conrad simply wrapped a foreleg around her, careful to avoid her stitches. Crimson spoke as the clouds obscured the view of the water below. They sat there for well over an hour with Crimson shivering from the cold. Conrad draped his good wing carefully across her shaved back. “I’d offer you a blanket if we had any.”
Giggles erupted from the pale yellow mare as she basked in Conrad’s warmth. “You’re the only blanket I need studly.”
I’m glad to see Alex doesn’t seem to be beating herself up over us getting injured… speaking of which. “When’s Alexia going to be done talking with the pink pony? She’s been talking to him ever since he woke up.”
Crimson desperately wanted to forget the outside world for a bit longer and stayed in his embrace. “No idea, probably until she gets some usable information outta him.”
“Or correct info,” Conrad countered, “there’s no telling if he’s a spy or not.”
Her ears drooped as he didn’t catch the hint. “You really think he’s brainwashed?”
“Come on, he was one of the suits at the White House. That was like what…two, three years ago at least. There’s no way the guy’s not one of them. If Loki wasn’t in there, I wouldn’t trust him alone with Alex.”
Crimson begrudgingly glanced at the trio of ponies towards the front of the cargo bay. “Maybe.”
Menville fervently sucked a mouthful of water, and popped several pills. Alexia cast him a worried look, one that Loki shared before whispering in her ear. “Um, are you sure those anti-anxiety pills even work on us?”
“I don’t know, just let him think it helps.” She cleared her throat. “Feeling up to it now?”
A pounding headache hammered Menville’s brain like a piston, making him see spots every time his thoughts leaned towards the Herald. “No, but I’ll try anyway.”
The mares shared a worried glance before facing the stallion cradling his head in a fetal position. “Can you tell us how the Herald controls the cultists?”
Menville started to hyperventilate, but remained somewhat lucid. “Not entirely sure. He…or it, hell it might have been a she, what with being an alien intelligence and all. Everyone called it a him, but what do those brainless idiots know?”
“Menville, can you answer my question?”
He cracked an eye open to look up on the worried alicorn. “Oh uh, yeah, sure, I think. See, the Herald never broke my mind, and forced me to work with him. See, that bastard Tzadavek didn’t want me broken, he wanted me to be a willing traitor. But I showed him didn’t I?! I’m a pony, he can’t do shit to me now!”
Loki bounced over to get in his face. “Are you sure you’re okay to talk? You’re acting like you’re hearing a different question.”
“The Herald, you want to know about that thing r-right? Yeah, sure, answers… got it. It’s all telepathy, ya know, mind talk stuff. Weird though, it always sounded like he was trying to talk directly into my mind, but everyone always chatted aloud when talking to him. What’s up with that?”
Alexia pulled Loki out of his face. “I don’t think we should bother asking those kinds of questions right now.”
Loki rubbed her chin. “Okay, can you at least tell us where the Herald is?”
Menville’s stabbing migraine redoubled itself at the question, making him scream in pain. “AAHHHH DAMN IT, DAMN IT! FUUU—AHHHH!”
Loki shook Alexia out of her stupor. “Do something!”
“I don’t know what to do! The doctor’s said he was well enough to travel. Its all in his head, that’s what the pills were for!”
“Don’t you know any healing magic or something?”
“The ocean,” Menville’s screaming stopped, giving him a moment to croak out words between whimpers, catching both mares’ attention. “That bastard Tzadavek… *huff* kept saying the Herald’s phy—*eerrr* —sical body’s a giant ssssssss—ball in the Pacific.”
Loki tilted her head. “A giant ball? Are you cereal?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” he replied quickly, and he raised a shaky hoof towards a bottle of painkillers. “That rat bastard kept going on, and on, about how superior his master is.”
The pill bottle was encased in an azure aura and pulled out of his reach. “You keep popping pills, and you’re going to OD!” Menville’s raving eyes followed the medication, but that didn’t last long as a warm blanket fell over the pained pony, drowning out the world around him, and most thankfully of all, the agony abated.
Alexia’s sleep spell was quick. Menville slumped on the bed, blissfully pain free. Loki approached him, feeling for a pulse. “He’s alive, but I’d feel better if Crimmy watched over him. A toxicologist couldn’t hurt either.”
“Agreed,” Alexia commented. “The director will want to know about this ‘ball’.”
Loki frowned at Menville’s calm face, an unfortunately rare sight. Poor Pinkie… She brushed some of his mane out of his eyes. “He’s in a bad way Mage, do you really think we can believe anything he says though? He’s delusional.”
Alexia strapped Menville in his seat so he wouldn’t get jostled around. “Maybe so, but he was pretty adamant about the last bit. I want to run it by Thompson just in case. You know what they say, the truth is often stranger than fiction.”
Director Thompson tapped a troubled pen on his desk as he read Mercer’s latest report. She’s cracking faster than I thought she would. I knew Tune wouldn’t be happy with that little congregation of hers, but to be so unhinged that she would vent like that.
He stopped tapping his pen and opened a drawer. There, sitting in a mostly white carton, was the one thing he had quit five times over his career with the agency, and something brought him right back every time. I don’t know what’s going to kill me first; the job or the stress.
In one smooth motion, he grabbed a cigarette and placed it on his lips, with the lighter resting in his left hand. He stared at it with a mixture of irritation and self-defeatism. “Blowing up like that means she’s been keeping that temper of hers under control so far, but she’s slipping. I knew field duty was a bad idea. Conrad better think of something to placate her soon, or I might have to take action.”
He lit the cigarette, took a long deep satisfying drag, and held it for a few seconds before letting it out. “Of course,” he brought up Alexia’s psychological profile on the computer. “If I removed certain triggers out of her life…”
He barely got a few minutes in when his phone buzzed. “Thompson here.”
“Director, this is Tune, got a possible lead from our defector.”
Speak of the devil. He leaned back in his chair as he took another puff. “I’m listening.”
“He said the Herald lives in a big ball or sphere in the Pacific Ocean.”
Thompson’s third drag halted mid-breath. *Cough* “He said a sphere under the ocean?” *Cough* “Are you sure that’s what he meant?!”
“Positive. I take it you’ve heard about this?” Alexia asked hopefully.
“I have, did you get anything else out of him?”
“Not yet, I’m inclined to believe the ponification freed him from any direct influence, but he’s been conditioned to secrecy. Everything he tells us is either random and or causes him severe pain.”
A rare genuine smile crept over his face. “I’ll have the best therapist on the payroll tomorrow. In the meantime, the Navy will have a field day with this. I want you to find some alternative to get at this sphere, deep sea spell, teleportation, whatever it takes. This is your only priority!”
“Will do, sir.”
Thompson ended the call while his other hand brought up the war games report he received earlier. YES! We’ve got them! He tapped the speed dial for the head of the CIA. There was no more time to second guess evidence. Every day, the world grew closer to the biological weapons being used. Every day more and more people died, or were converted by the cult. God help us if I’m wrong.
“This is Brennan.”
“Director, what would you say if I could confirm the Floor Theory?”
Brennan hummed. “I’d be intrigued. Talk to me.”
Elizabeth Tune was tired, sore, cold, and in desperate need of some hot chocolate. Luckily for her, the earth mare behind the register could solve at least one of those problems. “I need a large hot coco, heavy on the cream.”
“You really should get a hiking partner Beth,” the mare cautioned as she rung her up, “what if you fall and get hurt out there?”
“Are you volunteering, Vicky?” Elizabeth replied.
She scoffed playfully. “Please, I’m perfectly happy spending my free time in front of the TV than crawling around the woods in the middle of winter. Your drink will be ready soon.”
“Thanks, have a good one.” Elizabeth waited a bit for the other worker to prepare her drink before taking a seat at the sparsely populated dining area. She sat there, sipping her drink. This is the life. Warm room, lots of people, and some delicious hot chocolate. I should bring the girls some, they’d love it.
“Elizabeth Tune, I presume?” She looked behind her to find a gold furred unicorn mare with a friendly smile. “Name’s Tina Star, I read your thesis on mana supplements on corn mutations. Fascinating work.”
Elizabeth did a double take at the praise. “Bah—, you really thought it was good?”
“Of course, not many people would risk raising warning flags on one of our last few agricultural areas.”
“I wouldn’t really call it a red flag just yet, I still don’t know what these magic induced mutations will do over multiple generations.” She flushed while pulling the other chair out of Tina. “Please, sit down.”
“Thank you.”
Elizabeth sat on the edge of her seat while sipping her coco. “So you read my work?”
“A bit,” Tina replied while taking a drink from her coffee. “Most studies only talk about the here and now when it comes to magic. Few people have the foresight and integrity to see what sort of long term effects it will have on our world. People like you,” she tilted her cup in Elizabeth’s direction.
She couldn’t help but blush and titter from the praise. “Oh I don’t think so. It was Doctor Ferras who requested the study.”
“Even so, given your relation with the goddess, it takes integrity to remain unbiased in that regard.”
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair with a wiry grin. “As surprising as it might sound, Alex wanted me to be completely honest with my findings. Not that I wouldn’t have been anyway,” she added quickly. “You must be new here,” She said with a drooping expression. “My sister doesn’t like the whole idea of people thinking she’s a god.”
Tina’s coffee fell to the floor along with her jaw. “Y-you can’t be serious!”
“Totally am,” she glanced over at a group of ponies the next table over. “Hey guys, Alex doesn’t care for the whole goddess thing does she?”
“She lectured me for twenty minutes about that when I first got here.”
“Goddess? Hell, she couldn’t stand being a princess at first.”
“I saw a guy try kissing her hooves every time he saw her for a week, I think he still has a pair of hoofprints on his flank.”
“She actually gave me a broacher about at.” The pony fished his pockets for the item before presenting it. “Here, take it, it’ll save you a lecture, and maybe a dented skull.”
Tina recoiled at the offered literature as if it was the plague. N-no, this can’t be right! How can they say that!
Elizabeth nervously rubbed her cup as Tina slipped closer and closer into a meltdown. She waved the pamphlet away after seeing Tina starting to quiver, thinking it was out of stunned astonishment. “It’s a shock to the system isn’t it?”
Tina’s temper leveled off as her scalpel returned to its sheath. It was one thing for Elizabeth, a human, to not see Alexia as a goddess, that was to be expected after all; but the audacity of the fellow ponies saying the same thing made her stomach churn. However, Tina was able to pass her rage off as simple surprise. “Yes, I-I suppose it is.”
Elizabeth was worried Tina was about to cause a scene. Wouldn’t be the first one to land themselves in jail. “Look, Miss Star, you seem to be out of sorts. Why don’t I give you my number so we can talk later?”
Tina nodded dumbly and took the offered paper into her saddlebag. “Thank you for the concern, I…” *huff* “I need some time to think.”
Without another word, she left for the motel. Fortunately for Frank, he wasn’t present to bear the brunt of her cold murderous fury. Tina jumped onto the bed and started meditating. Slowly, over the course of an hour, Tina locked her hate away in a tight little box.
She opened her eyes to find Frank watching her while sipping a beer, and giving her a lewd eye. She could feel the box unraveling. “What the hell are you looking at?”
He tilted his beer can at her. “A mare spitting enough profanity for ten episodes of Law & Order. What were you doing anyway?”
“Never mind that, why didn’t you tell me Alexia tells everyone she isn’t a goddess!?”
Frank paused mid-slurp. “Wait, you actually think she is? Ha! And here I thought you’d be different. Tune is as much of a god as my ass.”
Tina’s anger box broke. Frank suddenly found himself wrapped in her magic, and flung at the wall. “Don’t you ever insult her again, or I’ll snap your neck like a twig!”
He shot her a spiteful look while trying to reach inside his jacket. “Da fuck do you care?! You’re under orders to turn or kill her aren’t you?”
Tina marched over while sliding Frank down the wall so she could be eye level with him. “Because you are human, Frank, I will forgive your insult once. But do not ever insult the Holy One again!” She tightened her magical grip around his neck, enough to cause pain, but not enough to kill. “I bet it was people like you who poisoned her mind into thinking she isn’t a deity.”
“Hardly, she was like this before she was released from the internment camp.”
“LIES!”
Before Tina could strangle him, Frank activated his cellphone’s AM field, shorting out Tina’s magic, and sending an electric needle of pain down her horn. She cried out in agony, giving Frank time to catch his breath, and wrap her in a choke-hold. He waited for Tina to stop trying to cast so the pain would subside enough for her to be coherent. “How about you save this shit for the mark, eh?”
Tina struggled against his vice grip choke-hold, but the man proved more than strong enough to lock her down. “Let go of me, or I will rip your heart out, and eat it in front you!”
“Ah, ah, ah,” he warned. “Save your insanity for the target.”
She struggled against him for a few more seconds before going still. “Fine, you win.” Tina shook him off as he loosened up.
Frank dusted himself off. “Look, if you’re that hard up for some fellow zealots I can point you at a little secret church that’s formed up around her. You know, for some RnR.”
Tina froze in her act of combing her mane. “Wait—what?! There’s an Alexia church? But I thought everyone says she hates being worshiped! And can you turn that infernal device off so I can comb my mane properly?”
He leaned against the wall with phone in hand. “Not a chance psycho, you wanna use magic, you go over there,” Frank pointed at the bathroom. “As for the church, Alex doesn’t know about it. The little secret society formed up in spite of her saying no, hell if I know why though.”
With her anger towards her cohort forgotten, Tina tapped her chin while holding Elizabeth’s phone number. “The sister can wait. First, I want to join this church, and you’re going to point me where.”
Frank arched a confused eyebrow. “You still didn’t tell me why you want to kiss her feet, and kill your own god. Crazy as you are, you ain’t got a chance in convincing her to join us. Tzadavek has to know that.”
“Humph, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. As for the boss, he’s not exactly all there either. It’s why we mesh so well,” she mused with a titter. “Now, are you going to show me where to find this church to Alexia or not?”
“So you can do what, join the faithful?” Frank sneered.
“Hardly, I’m going to prove my faith by doing her will… then I'll kill her.”
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YEAH! You DID start this one back up! Thanks! I would much prefer this story being finished before anything new.... but anything the author says goes. If you don't want to update this story and decide to create another story, that's perfectly fine. An artist makes his/her masterpiece by going where their heart leads them.
This coming from an artist.
Edit: Star freaks me out....
Woo! I love this story, its good to see a new chapter. And a good one at that.
... Tina really is nutters, isn't she? The "I love you, and that's why I'm gonna kill you." brand of insane.
WOOOOOOOOOOO finally some new CToH! Great chapter, Tina's fanaticism really threw me for a loop. It's good to see you haven't abandoned this fic, I haven't squeed like that since I heard season four started on the same day as the new season of doctor who. Needles to say this is my favorite fic since fallout equestria.
more please
Im so envy. This ponys can create their own God. And it can hear them. Moreover, they can brush aside their previous differences and create new united society. This is idealistic and beautiful.
Also im burning when this hellish organization uses Alexia. For me its just like try to force Budda to kill people.
Hah! In the time since the last update, I'd forgotten that Menville was somebody's name... so when I saw the title of this chapter I thought,
"Oooh, they're going to visit some kind of human analogue for Ponyville?"
And here I thought there was going to be a month or three at least between finishing 'of the hive' and a chapter update for this.
Glad its not
And we're back! Right in the swing, here we go!
Mion programming will likely be very difficult to break, poor guy. Still, even the forced insane can be helpful.
And we have Tina! Goodness that mare is passionate! She certainly needs a little redirecting... Her future influence on the Congregation of Life will be very bad...
Kinda wish changeling twilight was here, another Alicorn that knows about this kind of stuff would be extremely helpful...
Keep going!;)
And as it turns out, Tina have a soul. I'm so happy for her. Now all we need is someone to pick off Frank and they're all set.
Three cheers for Menville not swapping genders, even if I said the opposite.
On an unrelated note, all the errors I found.
3620509
Didn't think you'd still be up for edits. thanks, and fixed.
also, yes that is Loki's super cereal talk.
3620518
I've actually just been sitting around and waited, I figured you'd be busy until Hive was done.
Or, in your words: are you cereal?
Man I barely made it through this whole series with the INCREDIBLY MINOR BUT PREVALENT ERRORS...I dunno I think when it's 4 or 5 little things it's almost worse than 10 or 20 big ones sometimes because it's high quality for 5 or 6 paragraphs and then ONE error just..arghh...
Love the story, but your editor needs an editor...
IIIIT UPDAAAAAAATED!!!!!
Even murderous psychopaths have standards
Er mah gerd
3620581
I can only catch so much before I stare myself blind to the words. Added that I only came in after about 240k words of backlog I've only managed to go through all of once. I won't lie though, I miss things and I know that. And the unavoidable fact I am not an English major so there are things I don't know that could be wrong.
I am pretty sure Law Abiding wouldn't mind you PM'ing him the errors, or alternatively me so I can look it over again (when I even find the time).
You're BACK! *Squee*
the rambling fool
the crazed worshiper
the reluctant ruler
and the undersea king
all the pieces are in place
the roles chosen
oh how the dice will fly and blood spill
its time for some excitement and battle cries...
Love the fact that Menville is pink! Great chapter BTW.
3620509
The first thing that crossed my mind when I read the misleading descriptions was, "I hate you guys(the readers)" since his fate was up to vote.
I'm glad to find out that Tina has standards when it comes to children, but I think Frank is going to steal the show after she's defeated. But seriously, I really like the fact that she's been thrown for a loop over Alex's insistence that she's not a goddess. it certainly changed the serious, foreboding doom to something hilarious. I just hope the next chapter has everyone getting out of this alive despite the injuries they'll receive and the lecture.
Also, I wish everyone will take Menville's ranting more seriously.
If that bastard touches the foals, I will personally rip his nonexistent throat out fourth wall or not. NOBODY messes with children!
4092859 Glad I'm not the only one. Mind if I bring a Panzer?
That WOULD be pretty handy!
Well, at least Tina has some standards. For all the wrong reasons, but still. Frank however... I hope he gets a face full of Mana Surge.
Here's hoping they put together the Herald's roll soon, find him, and send a submarine with a torpedo fitted with a nuke, and that nuke is painted with a giant FUCK YOU on its chasis. Then they can get ready for the Koridot themselves...
How do you defeat something like this? Not by throwing soldiers at it; it is stronger than you are, in fact, there's a decent chance that will just make it worse. You take your heaviest hitters straight to the source, and pray that it's enough...
Aaaand Tina's perceptions about Alexia the Goddess get shaky. Or not. Hard to tell with her.
You know what? I like Tina.
She may be a psycho but she still have some standards and she follows one rule just like me:
“Why do it the easy way when you can do it the hard way!"
I think it would be worse actually
“Get a new horn or just happy to see me?”
”
“So that’s where it went!”
“You’re a dickhead