Chapter 25: Fallen God
Silence fell over the briefing room, the faces of the council members being mix of solemn and outright fear as the video feed came to a halt. Pausing just in time to show a large equine structure crumbling upon being struck by a shell. Admiral Watson turned away from the screen and looked over Humanity’s remaining leaders. “With the emergency council declared and everyone briefed on our current situation, I would certainly appreciate a sitrep on every department’s status.” Watson turned his face towards Master Sergeant Thorne. “Security status?”
Thorne stood at attention, eyes forward. “I have everyone arranged into three eight hour shifts, Sir. Each with our most proficient fighters stationed closest to our front and back doors, and eight of our ranger teams out in the field prepping the motion sensors for any potential movement on our A.O.”
The admiral nodded. “Any signs of morale decline?” He asked out of curiosity.
Thorne smiled and shook his head. “Not from what I can see, matter of fact, Sir, the boys seem rather eager.” the man said as he glanced at Watson. “We’ve been waiting for over a millennia to take these boys back to the ring.”
The Admiral nodded slowly and looked out over the other council members. “That’s nice to hear, Master Sergeant, though make sure the boys don’t get too eager.” He took a deep breath and in a low voice, “As said, overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.”
“Yes, Sir.” Thorne nodded and saluted before shifting back into attention.
With that Watson began to move down the line of each and every department, listening to what the crew leaders and supervisors had to say. He took notes on their munitions stockpile, food shortages and potential rationing that will need to be done, and most of all: manpower. Already there had been a few reported injuries and fatalities from the recent skirmish with the Sleeper Agent at the Equine capitol and John’s daughter Amelia during her capture.
A mission that started off with Three hundred men and women, two hundred of them being made up of humanities most efficient fighters. Were now down to two hundred eighty eight. Not even a week has fully passed and already they were down twelve souls, two of which were dead and Watson couldn’t bring back.
“How are the preparations with retrieving Commander Keshiner and his team?” Watson asked to the logistics officers who sat up in his seat and fixed his glasses.
“We’ll have our two remaining Condor VTOLs and crew prepped and ready to go within the hour,” The man said looking up at Watson who in turn nodded.
As he relaxed back into his seat and looked towards the power division, Watson’s aid would enter the room just as Watson opened his mouth to speak, but would stop when she leant into his ear and and whispered. The older man blinked and frowned just as he then looked to everyone. “If you would excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen.” He sighed softly and placed his hands on his knees, stood up and left the room.
“What is it, Liana?” He asked the smaller woman, her face stricken with fear as the door closed behind them. Glancing around and seeing they were alone she looked up at Watson.
“The Sleepers are making a move, Sir,” She said before swallowing hard. Watson’s face went stone cold and the woman continued, “A few minutes ago, drone twenty seven caught live footage of multiple aircraft and amphibious vehicles moving inland before it was taken out.” The older man took a sharp breath and bit his tongue for a brief moment upon hearing the fate of the drone.
“So they know about us,” He said with a sigh and shook his head. Palm coming up to wipe the ever growing sweat on his brow. “I’m too fucking old for this Liana.” The younger woman stepped forward, her arms clutching her tablet she carried close to her chest. “Just what the Hell are they after,” Watson grumbled softly, though his question was rhetorical. He turned to Liana. “Don’t inform the council just yet, okay? I don’t want the suits throwing a fit yet or attempt anything stupid out of fear.”
Liana nodded and straightened up, her lips locked into a tight frown and she opened her mouth to speak, “Yes, Sir, but...” She closed it and sighed.
“But what?” Watson cocked a wrinkly brow. “Out with it, Liana, I would honestly do anything for anyone else’s idea, I can’t keep this ship afloat on my own.”
The woman lowered her gaze at that. “That’s just it, Sir,” she said softly. “What is our plan?” She looked at him again, eyes filled with worry. “I mean, in general...” Watson kept quiet. “We hadn’t expected any of this, at all, our assumption was that life on Earth was dead, and we would be the seeds to create a new home. Yet here we are, and well...a new species has taken root, the sleepers aren’t dead, and--”
“Our goal, Liana, is to survive,” Watson said in a low, rasp voice. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Humanity’s strongest ability is to adapt, and overcome every obstacle in its way. The Ice age, Bubonic Plague, Smallpox, the World Wars, and Archangels reign, are just a few obstacles we as Humans were faced with.” He looked at her sternly. “Yet in order for us to do so, we need to remain calm, and think.”
The Aid nodded and gulped as she kept eye contact. “R-right...s-so...what should we do?” She asked quietly.
With a hard, stoic look, Watson said, “We think.”
:[-]:
Discord dropped to his knees as his paw clutched the still leaking wound from his gut and coughed slightly as the taste of iron filled his mouth. How had he ended up here? How had Marcus Kane so easily defeated him? A powerful being that had toppled this man’s civilization, beaten in under fifteen seconds? Discord tried to recount what happened after he had come face to face with the lone human that he had come to hate so much since their last encounter.
“My, my, my~” The wheezing man giggled and laughed, the barrel of his gun smoking after he blasted a second hole in Discord’s right shoulder. “Have y’gone soft, Archangel?” The man and his two praetorian guards began to move around the wounded, once godlike being. “I coulda sworn y’were, much, much more stronger than this.” He cackled.
Discord snarled and spat the blackish gore from his mouth and said, “Well, as you can tell, I’ve been on Holiday these passed few millennia.” He stumbled to his feet and the armored golem like things hoisted their crackling rods, only to be stopped by the old man raising his metallic arm. “So forgive me for being a little rusty, ya old fart.” The draconequus narrowed his gaze at Marcus who was gazing out at the burning city with his back to him.
Marcus tsked and waved the large handgun in his hand aimlessly at the air, with a swift glance over his shoulder he smirked. A disgusting smirk which caused his whole face to crack up with wrinkles. “I see ya dry, thoughtless humor hasn’t changed.”
“Thoughtless?!” Discord spat blood from his mouth. “Well excuse me, but I feel attacked!”
“Well y’should!” The man waved the barrel of the gun at him. “I did just put two holes in ya!”
Discord let off a snort and spit a globule of blood on the deck of the ship, his eyes looking over the dark viscous gore which shimmered from the sun light. “Point taken,” He said as he shifted onto one hoof. His bloodied paw and clawed hand falling slack as inhaled and glared at the old Human who now faced him. His yellow-red eyes attempting to burn holes into his sneering face, so much so the man’s face began to let off a bit of steam and his smear grew wider.
With a wave of his metal hand and some blackish green magic that emitted from the seams along the man’s robotic arm, the steam coming from his face vanished and Discord suddenly felt the wind escaping from his body. “What the?!” The draconequus stumbled back as the muscles within him began growing weak as he dropped back to his knees.
Marcus glanced between the towering soldiers beside him, the knightly looking fiends with the crackling rods in their hands not moving an inch. “Thank you, Lads, but I do believe I have no need of your assistance.”
Discord began to pant as he placed his bloodied hands flat on the ship, his head hanging low as he began to dry heave. “Wh-what...wh-what’s happening t-to me?!” The hybrid suddenly slumped forward, he fell to his side and looked up at Marcus who was casually tugging at the collar of his shirt before suddenly reaching to the side with his right arm. Half of his arm would disappear into nothingness, before reappearing on his left with glass of water, to which he would bring to his lips and drink from.
He then coughed a little violently as his arm returned to his side, the cup vanishing as he would beat his chest a little and smile. “Sorry,” He said, voice raspe casting counterspell is quite strenuous on one’s thirst,” He chuckled softly before frowning as he noticed Discord’s glare. “Oh don’t give me that look, 137.” He gave the raging hybrid on the floor a wicked smile, one that would burn the souls of even the sanest minds. “Just because you see yourself a God, doesn’t mean there are those who have the power to uproot you!”
Discord scoffed and laughed, Marcus frowned briefly and cocked his head to the side. “As it shames me to say this, I already know all too well what it feels like to be beaten.” The Human smirked yet again and stepped forward and crouched down. “I take it,” Discord grumbled as he glanced at the guards and then back at Marcus. “You have learned how to harness the power of magic, and repel it.”
“I see you’re observant,” Marcus said with a sarcastic tone and reached down to tap Discord on his cheek, making him purr which kinda weirded out the older man. “And I now have you in my grasp, after all these years of searching and preparing. I can finally...hold up.” The man got up and turned his back on Discord. He soon walked away and looked to the tallest guard. “Karl can you please make sure our guest here doesn’t move.” The metal man slowly nodded his head. “Good.” Marcus stepped behind him, and vanished. Or so Discord thought, he couldn’t see the man between the behemoths legs.
“Teleportation...or dimension hopping,” Discord muttered out loud and rolled his eyes. “What else can’t he do now...?” He closed his eyes and opened them just in time to see a hatch he hadn’t notice before open and large...stereo get pushed out onto the deck. Out from under it came Marcus who clambered out, dusted himself off and beamed crazily at Discord.
“I-I can’t believe this is happening!” The man seemed ecstatic as he pushed the stereo to the metal man who called Karl. “Karl, be a darling and hold this.” Without a word the guard reached down with his large hand and grasped the stereo in his palm and lifted it up. “I’ve been waiting for over ten thousand years for this, I pictured it, acted it out, I even~Karl move your fingers-no not there you dimwit! Over a couple inches, yes-yes!” Discord blinked and shifted a bit. “I’ve been waiting so long,” Marcus repeated a couple more times. “So long that I composed my very, very own sound track for this moment.” He pressed the play button on the stereo and Discord was stunned when the faint, eerie, orchestral music began to play.
He could hear cello’s, violin’s and even a piano in the back. It was honestly rather depressing and with the background view of Manehattan being shot to pieces...horrifically fitting. Then the choir kicked in, Discord couldn’t understand what was being sung with the terrifying music, the menacing voices of people, or electronic sounds made to sound like people, added on to the Draconequus anxiety as the man approached him again.
“For over ten thousand years I’ve been searching for you while I researched, built, and formed civilization and army!” The music began to crescendo and Discord shifted nervously and harnessed all of his abilities and focused on his chest wounds in order to heal himself. Yet with every bit of magic he felt spark within him, he noticed the second, unnamed guard shift his staff with the electric ball. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain within his brain and all magic within him ceased.
“Gyaah!” The chimera clenched his eyes shut and bucked on the deck.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Marcus who stood right over him, face shrouded in darkness. “To think that in the end, you would come to me. With your back turned, it was easy to negate your abilities and put a couple rounds in you.” He laughed softly as Discord flexed his wings, fear settling in.
“H-Ha, yeah you got me!” Discord’s eyes began to frantically shift around before looking back up at the man, the barrel of the gun pointed at his face. There was no escape, his muscles were stiff and lifeless, he couldn’t move!
“I did. Didn’t I?” Marcus hummed and lifted the gun to the air. “Subject 137, my magnum opus. I’m afraid your time for termination has come. For your crimes against...” He fell silent just as the music faded briefly before rising again as the choir began to pick up the pace, the cello’s violins erupting into a cacophony of sound that seemed to echo with the distant explosions and screams. “Against ME and Humanity--”
“I only enacted punishment on you for what you did to me and my family!” Discord suddenly snapped at man just as the music fell silent into a violin solo. “I only remember pieces but you took everything from me--”
“And you took everything from me!” Marcus snarled, his gun lowering back on Discord’s face. “From us!” His robotic arm shot out towards the surroundings, as if he was gesturing to the planet as a whole. “You slaughtered my family, friends and destroyed my foundation! Along with everything I’ve stood for!”
“Y-You were trying to kill me!” Discord stammered. “E-everyone was trying to destroy me, I was defending myself!”
“You enacting death upon Humanity,” Marcus’s voice lowered to a growl as the music began to fade. “All you did was destroy and when all was said and done...you tortured us. The remaining survivors, driven mad by your chaotic nature to which you brought from the void.”
Discord broke eye contact. “You drove Isabelle mad and cast my son into the gate, took my arm and my ability to die.” Marcus’s hand shook.
“I-I’m...sorry--” Discord started but was suddenly met with the barrel of the gun smacking across his face.
“And now!” Marcus shouted. “I am mankind’s spear! Sent to enact justice and finish what the Council has ordered! For I am the one who will end your reign and destroy what you’ve created like you had done us!” Marcus jammed his metal finger towards the burning, crumbling city.
“You’ve gone mad,” Discord muttered to himself. “Oh...you poor thing...I'm so, so sorry.” He closed his eyes and toned out Marcus’s ramblings.
“And from the ashes of this world, will start a new age for mankind! One that will know the secrets of the void, magic and with that knowledge we’ll travel to the stars!” Once again the gun lowered to Dicord’s face, panting heavily, and sweating profusely, Marcus muttered, “Yet to start this age. Subject 137- Archangel, must be terminated.”
Opening his eyes, Discord looked to Marcus. “Killing me would be a mistake, Marcus.”
Just as he was squeezing the trigger, the man stopped and cocked his head. “Why would that be?”
Discord chuckled and smiled. “Because I am the...only one that can grant you peace. I was the one who cast the spell in which made it so you can’t die, not to mention, I’m the one holding the spell on you...’Sleepers’ as you call them. If I go, the spell drops.”
“Ah...” Marcus nodded his head. “Dumbass.” Discord’s eyes widened, yet before he could speak Marcus pulled the trigger and splattered his gore across the deck of the ship. The body of the draconequus suddenly erupted in black mist which sparked with green electricity.
A sudden shock wave would rock the whole ship, casting Marcus back against one of the deck guns. Karl, the armored guard, stumbled back, arm raised up, the other unnamed knight would be flung from the ship, falling a few dozen meters before sinking to the bottom of the bay like a rock. The sound of the god’s demise would deafen Marcus, along with the rest of the world for a few moments. His ears ringing and leaking blood, he would drop to his knees and forearms before weakly pushing himself up to his feet. Suddenly, his stomach would retch and he would vomit all over the deck, a thick, acidic bile would come forth across the deck and he would groan.
He dropped the handgun to the floor and weakly pushed himself to his feet. His metal arm wiping away the vomit from his lips and facial hair. Blue eyes glistening with tears that looked to the crumbling city. Karl would approach from the left, his strong arms helping the older man stand tall.
“Y’know...” Marcus mumbled, sound slowly returning to him. “I’ll be honest...that was...severely....anti climatic.” He glanced at Karl, or at least...that’s what he called him. The guards don’t really speak. “I was expecting some kind of big, Marvel like fight, energy beams, big flashy explosions but...Maybe I should’ve have shot him in the back. Or maybe we could of toned down the counter spells a tad.” Marcus looked to the body on the deck, now shriveled and mummified looking. “Take the corpse...that is, if it’s really a corpse. Lock in the lowest chamber and keep an eye on it, also Karl, try to gather up a recovery team to see if you can get Timmy out of the bay.” He was referring to the poor guard that was flung from the deck.
“Also...” Marcus turned and began heading to the hatch which led into the bowls of the ship. He stole a glance over his shoulder to look at the city. “Order the Hunters to gather as many horned ones as possibly, as for that pathetic excuse of a city...burn it and kill the rest. Now if you excuse me, I’m gonna go eat and take a shit. Avenging Humanity really takes a toll on one’s stomach.” He delved into the ship.
Standing straight, Karl turned to look to the city, dropped the stereo on the deck he kicked it into the water. His right hand tightening on the staff he had in his hand. With a deep, audible breath, he slammed the base of the staff into the deck of the ship and within seconds rockets would erupted from the silos along the vessels hull and go screaming towards the burning city...
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Ok bois… We got a new chapter.
Good to have you back. Please don't hibernate again.
This is one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading. Leaving aside the comment. I would feel sorry for discord but no, with all its history this is the most positive thing that could have happened. (Death is always counterproductive)
Alondro eye-narrows, "Ok, who stole a peek at my Master Plan?"
9503240 Eh, I'm all for killing everything in this story already. There is an appalling lack of intellect on both sides, indicating neither is fit to survive. I shall instead EXTERMINATE them all and use this planet as yet another staging ground for my army of Alondleks as we proceed to RULE THE UNIVERSE AS THE SUPREME BEINGS!!
(ALONDLEKS ARE SUPREME!! ALONDLEKS ARE THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE!! EXTERMINATE!! EXTERMINAAAAAAAATE!)
The ship on the cover picture looks like something out of BSG
Humans are assholes. Got it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be the SUPREME ASSHOLE and exterminate humanity. After all, power is all that matters, isn't it?
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/436/708/a69.jpg
I held of judgement in the last chapter but now I'll say that I really, really, really don’t like this turn of events. I really don't like Marcus but not in the way I think I'm supposed to dislike him. He seems to exist only as means of trying to retroactively justify Discords actions.
9504166
A shame to hear it didn't go how you hoped. Wasn't my intention to justify Discord's actions, but if that's what you took away what am I to say. Hope you enjoyed everything else before though! :3
9503742
The "Humans" attacking the city are beings infected by Discord's chaotic magic who are called "Sleepers". Hence why the Horizon crew and their elites are afraid of them.
That's why readers still sympathize with the remaining sane Humans.
Monarch must be put down. They are the cerberus of equestria(mass effect).
Also I can not wait for the princess to find out that their species only evolved because of discord.
9504359
Wait what? I am supposed to like those leftovers from space? But I like those insane one way more! They give me more of the real human mind...plus I imagine them speaking with a german accent.
Thank you for coming back and this nice chapter.
Have some beer, cake and a burger.
9503547
The man steps out of the blue box.
He points his sonic screwdriver, and the alondleks explode. Save one. The man fiddles with his bowtie. Then looks at the last alondlek and says "Hello! I'm the Doctor. Basically... Run."
He is smiling.
9506201
I'm glad you like the villain! Recently in my more original works/practice writings, I've been trying to make the bad guys have more character than just being your typical "muhaha" type fellows. Plus if its Discord magic, you'd think they'd be a little loopy.
I almost forgot what was happening. Still not clear on what the other factions are up to, but I do remember the baddies bombing the city.
*sigh* Bombing civilians is a tactic as old as time *pft*.
9503728
I think you missed the portion about immortality, that inhuman thing?
9506291 Alondro is unphased. With a single flip of a switch, the Doctor becomes a woman and ignites a media and Internet firestorm that tears reality apart.
Only Alondro and his pepperpots survive in the Medusa Cascade.
Anotha One.
Por favor
finally i liked this story and love to see the continuity
9535423
Not medieval armor... They be using power armor like in fallout.
9536440
It's power armor that resembles medieval Knights.
i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn459/Sleepinin_2008/8cf6681d-4d58-4d90-a7b7-9d91d0b78c95_zpsa8284e96.jpg
I just need to ask this, as I didn't see anyone else asking. Why did you use the word 'would' in this chapter so much? It didn't make sense, especially since it's a past- tense word.
This is simply curiosity, as I'm sure there is a reason.
9545085
Could be due to me constantly picking this chapter up and down a lot. I had an issue writing this one, so I would write for a bit. Take a break for a few days and come back, and sometimes proof reading my own work doesn't help me as much. It does, just not as good as a fresh pair of eyes would. I did have a couple really awesome proof readers back in my prime, but I do not know if they're still active on this site anymore :/
So in other words, it was possibly just lazy writing on my part. My bad.
9546068
I'm not hating, so it's no problem, I was just curious as to the 'why' rather than the 'how come instead do it this way'.
Back in our prime... heh. I updated a story on another site, its last update before that was Dec 1, 2016... I know the feeling of forgetting how we used to write.
9546285
I wouldn't say it's cause I forgot how I write, I'd actually say more so that I've improved a lot more. I never gave up writing as a whole, I just took a hiatus from writing horse words specifically to make more original content. So in other words, I never updated the older parts to keep them on par with the newer content I was producing. If that makes any sense, I'm not the best at explaining how I go about things lol.
This SH@T is awesome
This fic feels like it's on life support and the doctor wants to turn it off so the next fic can take it's place.
A year since the last update. A shame.
Discord didn't like being killed off so he deleted Joe.
10289831
You are so very right, My Friend
2021 yay...
noooooo, FUCK. Last updated 4 years ago, and the last 3 chapters were each written a year apart, damn I thought I was the king of procrastination
Dead story is "DEAD"!
I'll just quietly remove this story from `Favorites`, `Read it Later` and `Tracking` altogether.
So. Humanity at it's worst vs it at average