Chapter 17
“Over here,” came a weak voice in English, and Riley homed in on the sound, spotting the twitch of movement underneath a fallen section of wall. Between them he and Andrews shifted the heavy piece to find Captain Falkirk underneath, battered and bloody. His right arm was completely mangled, and he was bleeding badly.
“Jesus,” Andrews said, kneeling and looking to inspect the wound. Falkirk groaned in pain and weakly batted the man away as he poked at it.
“They rushed us,” he managed between breaths, blinking rapidly and staring straight up. “Hundreds of the buggers, came barrelling through. Couldn’t do a goddamned thing.”
He winced again, squeezing his eyes closed. Riley rummaged in his pack, looking for anything that might help, but his meagre first-aid training and supplies could do nothing for the man.
“Where’re the others, sir?” he asked, leaning over him to try and hold his wavering gaze whilst trying hard to control his own voice. “Where’s Twilight?”
“Alive, but gone – taken,” he gasped. “’M sorry. My men, the same. Heard a few pods launch. Maybe a few made it.”
Riley punched his fist against the floor and tried to withhold the urge to howl in frustration. It sounded as though they had got the emergency vehicles back online, if only she had still been here they could have left.
“I’m done for, lads,” Falkirk wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Get out of here, go after her. There’s still time.”
Another trembling groan rocked the floor and something fell down behind them, peppering them with shards of metal. The blue glow from the corridors vanished leaving only the white lights of the human camp. The thought of Twilight alone, in the claws of the Thala, made him sick and he gave the captain a grim smile.
“It’s been an honour to have met you, sir,” he said, saluting as he stood. The captain closed his eyes for the last time. “Come on, we have to go rescue her,” he said, turning to the marine.
“Fuck that,” Andrews spat. “Captain’s dead, I’m getting out of here while I can. You should do the same, mate.”
Riley resisted the urge to leap on him, he was only looking out for himself after all, he had no promise to keep. He grabbed his rifle and bit back his reply. “Fine. Good luck.”
Andrews nodded awkwardly, and Riley suspected he had expected more resistance. The soldier took one last baleful look at his fallen captain then sprinted off in the direction of the wreckage of Alpha Ten, in search of any emergency pods that would still carry him.
Riley searched the designs of the ship stored in his head, working out where they would have taken Twilight. They still had at least one leader left, it would have instructed them to either fix the ship, if it was possible, or to evacuate. He only hoped that if they were to evacuate they didn’t consider her deadweight and dispose of her. There was a good chance they would have intended to take her for study, and with the inevitable breakdown in the communication with any luck that order would remain current forever.
His run through the twisting tunnels was a blur, his fear of the Thala had been completely replaced with his fear of what they might be doing to his friend at that very moment. He acted on instinct and a keen single-minded focus that almost allowed him to anticipate what was coming before it took place. He fired his rifle with pinpoint accuracy, clearing a path through the hordes and nimbly dodging badly aimed plasma bolts and whirling machete-like limbs, despite the ache in his leg.
The general direction of traffic seemed to be outwards, suggesting they were indeed attempting to evacuate, and he updated his plan on the run, heading off at a tangent on the gamble that she would still be in a storage cell awaiting transport. If the leader had identified her as a member of the new species then it would be keen to keep her safe and alive until they could return to the main hives. She would form the basis of their offensive strategy for when they were able to return.
The thought of her under experiment, tortured in horrific ways, spurred him on with an urgency that felt like he was being chased with a cattleprod, a tingling sensation rippling through his entire body from the electrodes in his spine. Even being pursued by the imps in the forest hadn’t felt so desperate.
The ship was quickly disintegrating, he knew. The shockwaves were rocking the craft every minute now, barely dying away before the next shudder brought bits of the tunnel down around him. He stumbled frequently, struggling hard to keep his footing on the uneven surface. The corridors were getting uncomfortably hot, the oxygen levels dropping even further as the mysterious devices that kept the air sealed in the imperfect hull gradually lost their grip. The pressure was dropping and he gasped for much needed breath.
He called her name over and over as he drew closer to his first target. There was no response, only a couple of disorientated drones dropping down from a hole above him. He smacked them to one side, breaking one in mid air and catching the second with a whirling kick from a heavy boot.
The storage cell was empty of ponies, just storage pods and bulbous urns arranged in hexagonal patterns across the walls, like some frightful, huge bees nest. He ran on, trying for the next most likely place, and then the next. With each empty room the panic in his chest grew and grew into a physical thing, tangible and hard, crushing against his heart and lungs and making every breath agony. In one he found a dead man, one of Falkirk’s unit, dragged away for food or hosts, but then suddenly abandoned.
Hope was running dangerously thin by the time he finally stumbled upon Twilight, trapped in a cage of some latticework secretion. He was in one of the larger chambers, and many Thala were milling around with some urgency, including some warrior caste. There was a general movement of goods, workers were picking up pods in their crab-like claws and scuttling away with them, ignoring him almost completely. Riley was reminded of ants carrying eggs when part of their nest was opened.
The scene around him rocked and shook violently, accompanied by the distraught squeals and clicks of the alien race. The space was plunged into darkness and he slipped from the opening he was crouched in, landing hard on his injured leg. He stifled a cry and tried to crawl backwards, feeling horribly exposed in their midst. He switched into infrared vision, trying to make things out amongst the grainy false colour images. Everything was warm and the colours all merged together, but Twilight was hottest of them all, a glowing white fire in the middle of the blues and greens all around.
A drawn out, splintering crack caused him to look up just in time as a large piece of the ceiling caved in, the mass of broken metal and gushing fluids raining down painfully hard upon him. With a cry he leapt back, barely avoiding being crushed to a pulp. The floor beneath him flexed and cracked, threatening to give way to the cells further underneath.
In places the walls were starting to glow again, a sickly dark blue that made it hard to focus on anything. He gingerly climbed over the pile of debris in front of him, praying to any god that was listening that Twilight was not underneath. To his intense relief he could see her cage mostly intact, there was a large piece of scrap on top, but it hadn’t broken through completely, merely broken the latticework slightly.
Another crash signalled imminent collapse and he realised the storage cell was folding in on itself. He leapt over the rubble, dodging falling pieces and skidded to a stop in front of her. The lights dimmed again, fading away to nothing, and he switched back into thermal mode. At least if it was dark they wouldn’t be able to see him, not that it mattered much, most of the Thala were scattering, fleeing the crumbling cell with all the things they could grab.
“Twilight,” he hissed urgently, pulling at the lattice cage. It was crumbling apart, its integrity compromised by the weight on top. Twilight was not responding, and he reached through the gaps to feel her, anxiously searching for a pulse or some sign of life. He could feel her breath on the back of his hand and released a deep sigh, the relief draining through his veins. He kicked angrily at the remaining lattice with his boot, finally breaking a big enough piece away that he was able to reach inside and pull at her.
She was limp and had some new cuts and scratches but as far as he could tell she was unhurt. Either they had drugged her with something or she had simply passed out from terror and exhaustion. He cradled her in his lap, begging her to wake up and stroking her fur desperately as the sickly blue light slowly returned.
He nearly cried in elation as she stirred, fidgeting and mumbling something hazily. He spoke her name over and over, hugging her to him. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you.”
“Ugh,” she moaned, cracking her eyelids open. He released her slightly, letting her breathe. Her eyes opened further and her pupils contracted. She convulsed in his arms, scrabbling and trying to look around frantically.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, holding her tighter to calm her. Her eyes finally met his and she calmed immediately, sagging against him again. “Can you stand? We have to get out…”
A powerful tremor raced through the ground, knocking them both to the side in a tangle of limbs. Twilight squeaked in terror and Riley looked up to see the ceiling rushing down towards them, huge pieces of the superstructure bearing down with lethal intent. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and the past week replayed before his mind’s eye, all the choices and accidents that had led up to this final moment passing in a millisecond.
The end never came, however, and he found the subtle blue light tempered by the purple haze of Twilight’s magic. He grinned at her stupidly, blood hammering in his ears. Pieces of alien ship bounced off the shimmering shield she had projected around them and his head buzzed with the sensation, like someone had struck a battery against his brain.
“This is hard to maintain,” Twilight said from between clenched teeth. “Which way?”
He pointed, and the debris above them shifted as she moved it out of the way, a little bubble of safety in the middle of the destruction of the Thala ship. Once they reached the edge he pulled her into a smaller tunnel, leaving the immediate danger behind as more pieces crumbled and cracked.
“We haven’t got much time,” he told her breathlessly as they hobbled along, Riley half dragging the groggy unicorn behind him. They were going much too slowly. “The ship’s disintegrating.”
Turn after turn they took, and at one point they were forced to double back on themselves when a tunnel collapsed almost in front of them, missing their heads by centimetres.
“I can’t do it, Riley,” Twilight panted at last, sagging to her knees against the ribbed arches of a larger corridor.
“Don’t give up! We’re so close,” he urged, falling beside her. His leg ached badly but he ignored it, pushing the discomfort to the back of his mind. He scooped his arms under her, trying to pick her up, but he was too weak himself and they fell together as the ship rumbled in distress.
“Riley,” she said desperately, pushing herself up on her forelegs so she could face him. “I… I didn’t come with you because I didn’t trust you, not truly, I just wanted to be by your side. I want to be with you.”
He hugged her tightly to him, biting back the tears. “You’re a fool, Twilight,” he said. “Come on, get up. We’re not dying here. We’ve come too far, and we’re so close now.”
She stumbled upright, only for another violent quake to send her to her knees again only a few paces on. Riley tried to support her weight but the lack of oxygen in his blood was starting to take its toll and he barely managed to hold onto her as they slumped down together again. He cradled her head in his lap and she looked up at him with sad, glittering eyes.
“I’m glad you’re here, Riley,” she murmured, a weak smile on her lips. “I was afraid I was going to die alone.”
Tears pricked at his eyes once more and he tried to smile for her, tried to find some reassuring words, but there was nothing left, no hope, no light, just despair and regret. The end was coming, so close now, mere moments away, yet he realised that he was no longer afraid of death, only of having failed her. “I’m sorry, Twilight, I’m so, so sorry.”
“Hush,” she said, reaching a hoof up to caress the side of his head with a soft smile. “I forgive you everything. I …”
“Come on, mate,” said a familiar voice from the dusty gloom, and a strong set of arms was suddenly lifting him up, putting him back on his feet. He leaned against the wall for support, confused and bewildered. In a daze he watched the marine, Andrews, pick Twilight up like she was made of paper. She slumped in his arms like a giant cat and watched the mountain of a man begin lumbering off up the corridor, Twilight’s brightly coloured tail swinging to one side. Riley rushed to follow.
“Thankyou,” he managed as he drew close. Andrews grunted and soldiered on. Riley could hear his laboured breathing, the huge man was struggling as well. They hadn’t long left, the ship was shaking continuously by now and the lights had gone out completely. Only the torch on Andrews’ shoulder illuminated the way, piercing the acrid, smoky air with its pencil-thin beam. Small things scuttled by in the darkness, brushing against their legs, alien vermin trying to run from the sinking ship.
Riley skipped ahead, rifle at the ready, although he wasn’t sure he really had the strength to use it. He kept turning back anxiously, checking that Andrews and Twilight were still with him and never straying more than a couple of metres ahead. In the darkness and the haze he could see occasional larger shapes scuttling about, Thala trying to get out before the structure completely gave way.
Over the barricade they climbed, Andrews stumbling with Twilight’s weight adding to his own. Riley panted hard, dropping his rifle and moving to catch her. She slipped out of his feeble grasp, finally standing unsteadily on her own hooves. In front of them the welcome lights of the human camp were shining warmly and it gave them all cause to feel a tenuous sliver of hope once again. They stumbled toward it like the undead, heading for the wreck of the Alpha Ten in the hopes of any sanctuary.
“In here,” Riley said, helping her up into the hatchway.
Twilight called out in warning and something smashed into him from behind with an alien screech, knocking him forwards. He landed hard on the top of his spine, rolling head over heels as a Thala warrior bared its fangs and hissed, a myriad beady eyes glittering red in the harsh arclights. Andrews barrelled into it like a tank before it had chance to leap, however, the huge man’s bulk knocking it sideways with a crunch of chitin.
It howled in anger and turned its attentions to the marine, slashing and biting as Andrews punched and kicked and wrestled with it.
“Run,” he yelled at them, his word cut off with a strangled sound as the creature impaled him on one of its razor sharp claws, the tip of it protruding from his side. Riley watched in horror as Andrews kicked it away with a howl, sending it several paces backwards, the limb in his chest snapping off with a sickening crunch. He leapt back to his feet and charged at the creature, leaping onto it with a primal howl, heedless of the jagged blade sticking through his gut.
Riley tried to climb back off the floor, but Twilight was already ahead of him and he found himself enveloped in the warmth of her magic once more as she lifted him up after her. He staggered through the bowels of the stricken frigate, heading for the emergency bay, Twilight following half a step behind. He was dimly aware that there might be other Thala around, but there wasn’t the time or the energy to worry about it anymore. Whatever happened next was down to luck alone, he knew.
The ejection capsules were in bad shape, he could see. The doors to many of them were broken and warped where the spaceframe of the mighty ship had deformed, crushing much of the machinery in the process. At least four had been launched, although how successfully he couldn’t know.
None of the remaining pods would fire, not without an engineer’s overrides, there were too many safety locks damaged. That was the reason Andrews had returned, he realised. The man was unable to operate them. There was enough residual power to run the diagnostics and he tried to focus as the words and symbols scrolled before him on the monitors.
“We’re good,” he announced, finding just one that reported its status as green once the interlocks were overridden. Its door was accessible and the port outside was clear, apart from a few bits of debris. The guidance systems claimed to be online, and it had air. He pulled Twilight after him, barely able to focus. The door to the pod slid up with a hiss of compressed air and to his great relief he could see that the small capsule was still aligned in its tracks. He smacked his palm against the release stud and the lid hinged upwards, revealing the simple padded interior.
“Come on,” he said to Twilight, wheezing. She was swaying on her hooves, her breathing fast and laboured. With some amount of effort he managed to get her in, pushing her legs down into the footwell and wrapping the straps tightly around her midsection. She watched him dreamily and he smiled tenderly down at her, pausing a moment to reflect. He placed the precious bag of crystals on her chest and made to close the lid.
“Riley,” she said, stopping him. “What’re you doing…?”
“It won’t support two,” he told her. She reached out to him and he took her hoof in both hands, squeezing it tightly. It was strange, he realised hazily, but he felt oddly calm. Maybe it was just the onset of the drunken euphoria that came with asphyxiation, he couldn’t tell, but so many times in the past few days had he found himself walking a narrow ledge over the abyss that faced with the certainty of The End he realised he wasn’t afraid. Things felt right. He had undone his mistake, made the world right again. “It’s alright, Twilight. I’m ready for this.”
“I’m not,” she murmured, blinking hard to try and keep her focus on him, barely conscious. She swayed in his vision and he held let go of her hoof and grabbed onto the edge of the pod, falling to his knees again.
“I promised to get you home, and I will,” he continued, drawling his words terribly. “You have to save your own people now, I’ve done all I can. It’s been a pleasure, Twilight Sparkle. I’m proud to call you my friend.”
She strained against the straps, trying to reach him, and his heart ached more now than ever before. “Don’t do this to me,” she said desperately, wriggling fiercely. “I can’t go without you. I need you, Riley, more than anything. I love you.”
He blinked away the hazy tears in his eyes, leaning over her and smiling. Despite the calamity and destruction all around he suddenly found his moment of calm, all his worries and fears melted away in one idyllic moment, Twilight’s beautiful, deep purple eyes filled his world. He leant down and kissed her quickly, a brief touch of his lips to hers, then stood up and slammed the lid of the capsule closed. He could still hear her muffled shouts from inside.
Like a robot he closed the door and thumbed the release button. With a bang and a flash of light the little pod was gone, propelled out like a champagne cork. The tiny window in the door showed an empty tube and beyond that a small circular view into the vastness of the cosmos beyond. A weary sigh escaped his lips, and he slumped down against the wall, finally able to rest at long last.
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4103780
Thanks for the review!
I'm glad you find the pacing okay, i'm always a little concerned about letting a scene or situation stagnate, but it's difficult to tell how well one manages to avoid it sometimes.
As i've been going through this to post it i've come to realise that i think i make a little too much use of the "redshirts" - those random background characters whose only purpose seems to be to get killed off in gruesome ways :)
Derpy is best pony.
I wish i could have written more of her, but i feel it would have seemed like trying to force too many main characters in. From the very outset i was determined that this was meant to feature Twilight and a human.
In all honesty i didn't enjoy writing Discord at all, and i found it very challenging, so i'm glad he came across convincingly. When i got to his scenes i seriously began to regret choosing him as the antagonist!
Regarding the aliens, they actually came from a piece of original fiction i wrote a long, long time ago and never finished. Figured i wouldn't let them go to waste :) I think this indicates that i haven't given them enough backstory, but they were meant to be a lot sneakier than just swarming. In this particular story they've been cut off from the rest of their command structure, and they're also quite damaged, hence they're not posing too much of a problem. The only real threat at the present comes from the human fleet being in an even worse state and in no condition to mount an effective attack.
Williams was also somewhat tricky to portray, he hasn't turned out at all as i imagined him when i started this, he was meant to be a lot deeper, less of a dick and more an unwitting figurehead who ended up getting forced into making horrible choices. Can't win them all, though :)
Aha, you're getting ahead of me here, i have already started planning the sequel, and without giving too much away there are certainly other humans on Equestria, right this very moment ;) It's going to be a long time coming, though, i need a break after this!
I've had a quick read of your finished piece, Luna's Fall, and you write very well. My read-list is enormous at the moment, but i've stuck Secrets on the end of it too. (Your works are certainly better received than mine at any rate if the ratio of Up to Down votes means anything ;) )
Don't give up!
Stik
Well, damn if that's a way to end a story, I'm okay with it. A final good hour of badassness for Riley, Twilight and him functioning as if they were two parts of one soul, going through the shattered remains of hell to reach the last dying portal. When all seems lost, another red-shirt pops up to give them their last needed burst of strength. While I doubt the escape loss will be survivable on their own, given that their torn to help and crushed, maybe they can survive with a little assistantance from below. I wonder if Celestia and Discord will have any say on what happens... Their actions could well determine weather Twilight, Andrews, and even Riley live or die. Twilight must live, but what about her humans?
Glad you liked one of my stories. Love to wax on and on about myself and my writing, but that isn't something for the comments of your story. Which I'm hoping will be featured in Equestria Daily at some point. We can take that to Private Messages if you're really interested. This story feels as if its almost complete, now it's time to get more views on it. :) I'm not that only half-competent reviewed out there.