The Pony Lisa

by Hi World

Chapter 6: AI Constructs and Alicorn Princesses First

>Rainbow Dash 1349 hours

Curled up on the pilot’s seat, Rainbow Dash hugged the life out of her teddy, which was really an M6H Pistol. The safety was off, the Pelican’s troop bay was sealed up tight, as was the cock-pit. There had been way too much gunfire for her liking.

Vinyl Scratch, Octavia and the others had been attacked within the jungle of crates and boxes where everything was obscured. The feed from the Pelican’s cameras on the monitors was useless; nothing to see. She kept her eyes glued to them however, in case something came up close, praying that nothing threw itself up against the windscreen to startle her.

Before the assault, she’d reclined back in the ever-so-comfy seat, with her rear hooves crossed on the Pelican’s dashboard, nodding her head in time with Vinyl’s music, her untamed rainbow coloured mane bouncing in and out of her face. Everything went from calm and relaxed to cold and creepy fast.

There was a sudden crack of static that caused her to yelp.
“Rainbow Dash? Art thou still there?”
“Oh, Princess, it’s you. He-he, you totally didn’t startle me.”
“What do thou see, fair Rainbow Dash?”
She hadn’t taken her eyes off the monitors. “I don’t see anything Princess, it’s too dark, and their rifles are just lying on the floor.”
Her throat was dry, and the stench of whatever was outside the Pelican was beginning to ooze its way in. Hesitantly, she pressed a button on the monitor to view images from a different exterior camera.
“I can see the dead Griffins, and - woooaaah boy!”
“Rainbow Dash, what is it?!”
“Something just dragged one of the dead Griffins down the hall!” Ok, now she was getting really jumpy.
“Something? Like what?!” The Princess enquired urgently.
“Something big! Something really big! Do they eat their own, Princess? Cos that’s what it looks like!” She knew Griffins didn’t eat their dead any more than Ponies ate theirs.
“Focus, fair Rainbow Dash! Do not get jumpy!”
“Me? Jumpy? I’m not jumpy. Why would I be jumpy? I’m nice and safe in my Pelican. I’m not jumpy.”
The Princess didn’t buy it. “Dash, keep it together. Can thou patch us through to thy Red Horse?”
“Oh, er... certainly, Princess. Patching you through now.”
It’s always nice to get a call from home.

She fiddled with a few buttons, switches and dials on the dash, until… success! A good, strong signal from the Red Horse.

“Helooooo!”
Ugh, this guy.
“Discord,” the Princess greeted, not too happily.
“Ah, Princess Luna. A sound for sore ears. Did you miss me?”
“Like a needle in thy heart, Discord.”
“Doh I know all about that Luna, and I feel sooo sorry for you.”
Rainbow Dash eavesdropped on Luna’s conversation with the AI Discord, cursing him for replacing their perfectly good AI Cadence.

“And just how do thou know of that?” The Princess sounded a bit cross.
Know of what? Is Luna hiding something? She hoped to find out before… before… something happened, which hopefully it wouldn’t.
“Oh let’s just say that Celestia and I have been spending some quality time together. I suppose you could say she; pierced my heart! Tss-ss-ss-ss-ss-ss.”
Groaning, the Princess replied, “We do not have time for this, Discord.”
“Very well then Luna… what would you like to tell me?”

The Princess then began listing the little intel they had gathered on the Pony Lisa so far; “The Pony Lisa is compromised by Griffins. However, they are acting really strange.”
“Go on…”
“They have no weapons or equipment. And so far, we hath not encountered any Ponies, crew or prisoners.”
“That’s all you found?”
Darn it! What more do you want?!

Frustration entered the Princess’s voice, “You mean other than Griffins on a civilian ship, with no weapons, at thy coordinates of a highly classified, top secret location?”
“Luuunaaa… I heard you.”
“I request reinforcements to aid us in our mission.”
“Tee-hee… Nooo!”
“I wish to speaketh to my sister.”
“Celestia and I are of the same mind, Princess.”
The Princess’s voice increased with rancour. “Requesting…!”

“Negative, Luna.” That was Commander Celestia. How long had she been listening? “I am sorry, but we cannot send anymore reinforcements without alerting the Griffin capitol ship to our presence.”
Bad news, but at least now she was talking to somepony a little less annoying.
“The safety of our colonies locations is paramount, my sister. And the Pony Lisa does appear to be compromised. Ascertain if the Griffins have accessed the navigational data, and if not, destroy it.”
There was a pause. Rainbow Dash put an ear to the speaker, and heard Discord whispering something. Wondered if the Princess picked it up too.
“We shall let you know when it is safe to return.”

“Sister…” the orders came too quickly and too sudden. “Sister, we are down five already, as far as we know. We can journey on, dispose of thy nav systems, and rid this ship of Griffins. But begging your pardon, it’s a very big ship.”
Rainbow heard a clop as Princess Luna stomped her hoof.
“We need more Ponies.”
Celestia sighed with what sounded like deep regret. “Negative sister. You have your orders, and I trust that you will see them through in your usual, spectacular fashion.”
Are you for real, Commander?

“Permission to speak freely, sister?”
“Negative.” Emotionless.
Then Discord resurfaced, “You’re - tss - breaking up now Luna - tssss - You have your - tss - orders - tssssssssss!”
“Discord! Celestia!” Luna growled down the radio, like a Panther warning somepony to stay away. Then another loud clop.
“Darn, that sucks,” Rainbow responded emptily.

Flickering, the batteries powering the flash lights of the abandoned Assault Rifles began to die. She had caught no more action since the Griffin corpse was dragged into the darkness.

After a few seconds, the Princess spoke to her again. “Art thou cosy in there?”
Not anymore.
“Er… Yeah.”
"Alone?” Now it was Luna’s turn to rub it in.
“Um, I think so, Princess.”
"Hmm. Stay where you are. Let us know when thy Red Horse is talking again. When our quest is over, we shall return to stink out thy Pelican.”
Rainbow laughed nervously, “Yeah. And then comes ice cream, right Princess?”
“Hm-hm. Of course, fair Rainbow Dash. See you soon.”
Outside, the last flash light went dark.

>Luna 1402 hours

Twelve stars now. Luna had a burning rage inside of her that had nothing to do with the Griffins. She had her orders. Her lousy, lousy orders: Cleanse the Pony Lisa of Griffins and destroy the navigational data.
I’ll give thou spectacular.

Her subjects gathered around her. Around Bon Bon’s remains. Around the Swiss cheesed Griffin.
“You heard,” she began, looking into each of their sad, scared and angry faces. “Change of plan subjects, we have Griffins aboard, thus my fearless sister hath enacted thy Cole Protocol.”

A protocol established by a high ranking officer in the UPSC, designed to keep the outer colonies safe. A ship that is compromised must have its nav systems destroyed so the Griffins can’t obtain vital co-ordinates and locate more Pony worlds.

“Our primary objective is to destroy the navigational system on thy Bridge, and the backup navigational system in thy engine room.”

Private Fluttershy gulped upon eye contact with her. She paused to reassure her with her famous, intimidating smile, resulting in a tiny squeak from the meek Pegasus, just like a mouse.

Continuing, she announced, “Ascertaining what thy hay is going on here is now a secondary objective.”
Staring into Twilight Sparkle, she added, “Twilight, do thou hath thy rough schematic?”
“Yes, Princess,” she sighed in response.
“Good." Turning to face Rarity, she ordered, "Rarity, you take Big Mac, Twilight, Fluttershy and Fleur De Lis. You shall take care of the backup nav in thy engine room. Destroy it, then we shall regroup back here before returning to thy Pelican. You see any Griffins along thy way, you kill Griffins, understand? I do not care if they are delighted to see thou or not. You do not allow any of them to escape this ship.”
Rarity and Big Mac made a great team.
Opposites work well together, I suppose.

“Yes, Princess!” The curly maned medic bowed and started for the door, not wanting to spend any more time around the Bon Bon casserole.

Luna’s scar was still a little itchy beneath her harness.
“We mean it Rarity; do not let any of them close, is that clear?”
“Saaaarrge, I don’t let anypony close, remember?”
“Well don’t y’all let no Griffins close neither, y’ hear!” Applejack stole the words right out of Luna’s mouth.

Playfully, Rarity giggled, and her curly, purple tail whizzed away into the corridor beyond, the others following her. Scar still begging to be scratched, Luna had an awful, dreadful feeling, that that was the last time she’d ever see Corporal Rarity. The last time she’d ever hear her posh, elegant voice. She hoped, with all her heart, she would be proven wrong.

“Aaww, there’s no gear,” Pinkie Pie sounded disappointed. “Not one of these Griffins has any gear at all.”
“Wha’ d’ ya mean Pink?” Enquired Applejack, puzzlingly.
The fluffy pink Earth Pony went into rapid fire mode. “Well it’s hardly fair, I feel like we’re cheating! Also I love seeing those sparkle-errific plasma bolts whizzing around everywhere! Also I love picking up Griffin's weapons and using them for myself! You ever fired a Needler?! Aaah its sooooo pretty…” This wasn’t going to stop, was it?
“… I remember one time, I jumped up onto a Banshee, and I opened the door, and the Griffin that was flying was all like; “Oh no you got me!” so I threw him out, and then I was flying the Banshee! Those things are sooo fast! They’re all like; “Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whooooooooo!”” She zipped her head around in all directions when describing what Banshees were like. “Have any of you ever flown a Banshee before?!”
“Enough! We must proceed to thy Bridge,” Luna erupted, ears hurting.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Sang Pinkie Pie cheerfully, bouncing towards the doorway, splashing everypony with the water that wasn’t one hundred per cent water.

“Luna?”
“What is it Derpy?”
“How did Griffins get on this ship? And why don’t they have any toys with them?”
Those toys nearly killed me.
“Hmm, a good question. Say Derpy, how did Griffins get on this ship? And why don’t they have any toys with them?”
Derpy was beginning to stress her out.
We don’t know as much as you don’t know, so let’s see how you handle being asked that question.

“Well after a thorough analysis, a logical explanation would be that they are prisoners, here on the Derpy Lisa.”
Wow! She wasn’t expecting that! It left her derp struck. Clever Derpy, even if she did get the name of the ship wrong. Although, to her knowledge, Ponies didn’t take POWs as much as the Griffins did.

“Riiight… because we taketh so many Griffin prisoners. Oh and by the way Derpy, it’s “the Pony Lisa.””
Together, the two of them walked out of the doorway behind Lyra, who was still whimpering over the loss of her friend.
“The Pony Derpy?”
“Hm-hm. Never mind.”
The wonky eyed Pegasus gasped with inspiration, “The Derpy Derpy!”
Ok, she had to try hard to hide a laugh there, and then she inhaled with realisation:
“Where is Cheerlie?”

Author's Note:

Use Times New Roman and Medium Dark background.
So, where is Cheerlie? Find out next week, or not >:)
The next chapters a biggie lol. The second biggest at over 4,000 words. The first biggest is the finale of course, with over 5,000 words.

Comments

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

Man, I am getting flashbacks of The Library so hard right now. It was bad enough in normal mode… but I imagine the Sergeant Luna and her squad are running a Legendary campaign…

[Hi World]

3319072>>3319072
Well that's just dandy I wanted it to have that Halo feel so it's great that it reminds you of The Library lol. As much as I love The Flood; I hate that level! Hope you have just as much fun reading the rest as I have had making it. Next chapters a biggie and features a new character. Oh and of course they're in Legendary. Was there ever any doubt?

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

3322932 I hated the Library, too. I think when I played it on Easy mode, I got killed no less then ten times. Normal, more than twice that…! I like what I'm reading so far. Too bad about Bon Bon. I was actually starting to like her…

[Hi World]

3322935 Well once The Library was completed, there would be the three greatest levels in the whole Halo series, or at least I think so lol :3 Glad you like it lol, just wait til you see what happens to some of the other characters I take it you're reading this with Times New Roman font and Medium Dark background right?

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

3323016 Fuck yeah! Two Betrayals and Keyes are my favorite levels in the Campaign. The only I like better is The Silent Cartographer. I played the demo version of that so much I knew some of the best places to camp out and snipe Unggoy and Kig-Yar with a vengeance . Actually, Medium Dark and Helectiva.

[Hi World]

3323028 Well so long as that font works for you lol.
I loved going up the beach on Silent Cartographer, but not as much as the Warthog run at the end of The Maw. Both were just epic!

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

3324014 What about the tank crawl in Assault on the Control Room. There's something primal about hitting one of the Banshees with the main gun…

[Hi World]

3324020 That was great too lol. Rolling Thunder >:D

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

3327275 i183.photobucket.com/albums/x208/BitBucketXBL/Halo/Scorpion_Motivator.jpg

[Hi World]

3327559 Tanks rule!