165 - Reckoning
Extended Holiday
Chapter 165: Reckoning
Hammer Strike stood inside Andre’s workshop once more. It felt like a different experience entirely. Everything looked clear to him for a change as he took in the tools and equipment that formed a large part of his surroundings. “It’s … strange, to say the least. I know I was here before, but it doesn’t feel the same to me.”
“You’re more here than you were last time,” Andre noted.
“That’s fair.” Hammer Strike hummed. “Would it be possible to see Ulkrusher once more? Since I know you can stop me if something happens again. I … just want to be assured I’m finally starting to get better.”
The Alicorn nodded as he moved deeper into his workshop and came back moments later with the weapon.
Taking hold of the hammer was like welcoming an old friend. Hammer Strike studied it over a few times, noting that it was being maintained in some manner. He smiled softly. “Yeah, … this is how I remember it feeling.”
“It’s very rare for a magical weapon to be so … intricately tied to its user, even with a soul binding.”
“It’s soulbound?”
“You didn’t know?” Andre asked, surprised. “There is a tether of power between the two of you. I doubt most could go so far as to lift it without your say so.”
Hammer Strike looked it over once again. “I suppose that would explain a few things. Though, it doesn’t explain how they managed it….” He looked up to Andre. “To be honest, this was made as a gift to me over the course of some thousand or more years.”
“Its makers admired you?”
“I … suppose you could say that.” He chuckled. “I gave them tools long ago according to my timeline, in their time of struggle. Apparently, I also Led them to materials and such, though I don’t remember that part. After I left them, some time much later, I found them again. They had an entire city built underground, decently advanced, and certainly didn’t forget the guidance I gave them. Honestly, it was quite strange to visit them after all that.”
“Faith can be strange sometimes.” Andre laughed. “You might say such things led to the heights of our power, and the arrogance so many have today.”
“The challenge of managing your hold on the world is difficult to most. Once you reach a level of power above anything else, you grow arrogant. Many suffer from that illusion, but even then, few ignore being shown otherwise. Most of the time, it breaks them.”
Andre nodded. “That is what I fear.”
Hammer Strike frowned. “Keep yourself prepared, Andre. I don’t know when things will go wrong, but they will. Your family and you have been so kind to me.”
“Then perhaps in return, you can do me a favor.” For once, Andre looked as old as he was said to be as he fixed his tired gaze on the Earth Pony. “Keep Celestia safe. The others, too, if you can. But above all else, keep her safe for me.”
Hammer Strike gave a knowing smirk. “I can promise you that.”
Andre smiled and nodded. “Thank you. Now, unfortunately, you can’t be seen walking around with a war hammer. I doubt any of us can pull that off,” Andre noted as he shuffled through a rack of items.
Hammer Strike nodded as he handed Ulkrusher back to the smith. “Keep it safe for me. It’s the only thing I have from home at this point.” He gave a soft smile. “Not even my favorite coat.”
“Maybe, but I don't feel comfortable with you walking around with nothing,” Andre said as his magic replaced Ulkrusher. “Can you use a knife?”
“I can use practically anything.”
Andre floated a small black cylinder to the Earth Pony. “Here. Much harder to detect than a war hammer, but just as deadly.”
Hammer Strike studied the cylinder for a moment before he pressed a segment of it down and flicked his hoof out. A blade of decent length emerged from it, along with a minor hoof guard to protect against blows and grapple with enemies. “Oh, now. I don’t think I’ve used or made a folding sword.”
“Not many consider it a valid weapon,” Andre noted.
“Anything can be a valid weapon if used correctly,” Hammer Strike retorted as he folded the blade back into its casing, then frowned. “I’ll need a method to hold it on me, a sheath or strap of some kind.”
“Well then, get to work,” the old Alicorn said with a smile. “Let’s see what you can do.”
Hammer Strike returned the gesture, then turned to the work bench. “Let’s see. Based off your materials, I should be able to make a simple jacket with decent plating hidden within.” He sorted through the tools mentally. “Free rein?”
“Everything but the blue crates,” Andre said, gesturing to several crates in the corner.
Hammer Strike gave a wide smile as he began sorting what he’d need. Once he was settled, he began his work using specific materials that he had scanned beforehand. He wanted some additional semblance of home, something that he left behind and felt naked for not having.
It took a few hours, but Hammer Strike smiled as he looked over his creation. The garment was a similar style to the long coat he had left behind in the present, though slightly shorter. The inside held a series of flexible metal plates positioned over particular sections of his body. A series of subtle pockets blended with the material to the point of being almost unnoticeable. He wasn’t able to fully recreate the original, but it proved a nice more modern variant. Instead of the traditional blue, he went with black and a gold trim. He also made a gray shirt on the side to work along with it. He smiled to himself as he put both on and fastened the clasps to ensure a proper fit. “That’s … much better.”
“Nice work. You clearly have some skill in your craft,” Andre nodded approvingly.
“I appreciate it.” He smiled. “Most of my life has been dedicated to most fields of creation, mostly between architecture, smithing, leatherworking, and weaving.”
“Is there anything else you’ll need?”
“You’ve given me more than I could ever ask for. I haven’t been able to practice my work anywhere or anyhow for the last seven years. I feel perfectly content. Really. I appreciate it, more than I could ever show.”
“If you need to make anything, my workshop is open to you. We craftsponies need to stick together.” He let out another booming laugh.
Hammer Strike smiled in return. “I’ll put it to good use.”
Hammer Strike hummed gently to himself as he sat comfortably in the living room marking notes in a notebook his hosts had been generous enough to procure for him. Occasionally, he would stop to draw another sketch of a street or thruway that he had encountered in his escorted trips through the city, mostly to commit the paths to memory as a just-in-case.
Before, it was difficult to remember locations and such, due to the augments flooding out his normal thoughts, but now he could focus on tasks properly. Compared to his previous notes, his penmanship had gone from jittery and somewhat poorly written to clear and meticulous. If he focused, he could write with perfect accuracy.
“Impressive,” Terra noted as she glanced over his shoulder. “You really are of a scholarly mind, aren’t you?”
Hammer Strike gave a brief turn to acknowledge her presence. “To be honest, I … was actually a Lord Protector before this. I even ran the reconstruction of a city.”
“That would explain your adaptable nature, though not necessarily your skills as a warrior. Did you have to go into battle often?”
“I … fought in a few wars.” Hammer Strike frowned as he thought to himself. “Gryphons, Minotaurs, Changelings, and the occasional bout between it all.”
“You’ve fought and defeated Gryphons? Then again, I don’t see why I’m so surprised at that. You killed Alicorns, so why not Gryphons, too?”
“It’s quite different, later in time. They developed a cruel nature, but instead of viewing Ponies as projects, they… looked at us as food.” He frowned. “They found towns near the border and would kidnap individuals to steadily feed themselves. They developed a list of toxins and such for torture as well. That one, I can confirm from experience.”
“They fall that far? I would have thought their honor would prevent them.”
“I don’t know what fully caused it, but we certainly ended that one as quickly as we could.” He frowned. “Even before coming here, I was heavily scarred, honestly. So, all these new additions just … started to blend in.”
“Just how much war have you seen, Hammer Strike? Is it always so violent where you come from?”
“It’s not that violent anymore. Our current rulers ensured that other nations were … content where they are. I’m a lot older than you would think for one of my race. A part of me has slowed my aging down quite a bit. Not forever, but I've honestly looked the same for the last … hundred years or so.”
“That’s quite the accomplishment for one of your kind. Is it a natural evolution or something unique to you specifically?”
“Do you remember how in my profile, it was remarked that I could control fire, despite everything they checked saying it was impossible?”
“Yes.”
Hammer Strike held his hoof up away from anything and a small orb of blue fire appeared at the end of it. “I possess something that none of your kind have figured out, but can replicate to a point.” The fire suddenly extinguished, leaving a red crystal in his hoof that he offered for Terra to look over.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Fire,” he replied simply. “Pure fire.”
“In a crystallized form?”
“Exactly.” The crystal dissipated. “Trust me when I say this. I’ve held back plenty. It’s a dangerous art, and it can go so far as to even destroy your soul, if tampered with incorrectly.”
“Metaphorically or literally?”
“Literally. And you can never recover from that.”
“Then why didn’t you use this to escape from the beginning? Even if you don’t want to destroy someone’s soul, it sounds like you are exceptionally knowledgeable about this art. Why stay, if you have the power to leave at any time?”
“It’s … not something you want to do so freely.” Hammer Strike looked to his hoof. “To destroy a soul is to do something absolute. Not even the gods can fully recreate what was lost. Not easily, at least. It’s horrific to be able to do something so easily. If I gave in and used it, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. Anything, everything that stood against me would be gone in an instant, with no ability to fight it.”
Terra was silent for a time. “Then you really are strong, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes more than I like to be,” Hammer Strike replied after a moment. “But I used every ounce of it to try and protect those close to me. But here? Before meeting all of you, I had nobody, and the temptation had been there from the beginning. All your reports mention how I killed with Ulkrusher, my warhammer, but they don’t remark how I did it with my bare hooves in the beginning.”
“No, they don’t. So, you used this power to kill them and their souls both?”
“I didn’t use my power then.” Hammer Strike shook his head. “I have only used it once to destroy a soul, and I don’t want to do it again. What happened here? I used my strength, every bit of it that I could use, to break out of containment and anyone in my way.”
Terra nodded. “I’ll do my best to prevent anyone from discovering your secret, then. The council doesn't have that kind of restraint.”
“I appreciate it.” Hammer Strike gave a small smile.
“Any time. You continue to surprise me with every passing day. I can’t help but wonder where your kind will eventually go. If you’re any indicator, then they certainly do have an exceptionally bright evolution ahead of them.”
“I’m not the best example, to be honest.”
“Surely, there must be others who are, then.”
“Definitely, but it’s quite a drastic difference between them and me.”
“For better, worse, or something else?”
“When I say that I am an anomaly compared to most of my kind, I mean it.”
“Given what you’ve said of this power, I can assume nothing less. I hope you aren’t lonely, at least.”
“No, no. I had some close friends.” He gave a soft smile. “A wife as well.”
“And children?”
“No.”
Terra frowned. “You must miss them terribly.”
“Very much so.” He sighed. “But I’ll figure something out.”
“I wish I could access the spell formulae they used to bring you here in the first place, but I’m afraid I don’t have the clearance.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a small smile. “It’ll be fine in the end.”
“I’d ask you how you know, but I’ve seen that look enough on my father to know you wouldn’t answer.” She sighed. “Then I suppose I should ask the next question that comes to mind. What would you like for dinner?”
Celestia smiled as she and Hammer Strike passed through the rows of plants and trees within the greenhouse. The interior of the structure was far larger on the inside, thanks to a spatial compression charm, while various environmental controls maintained the humidity and heat required for the plants to flourish.
“And that’s the Angel’s Trumpet section,” the filly said proudly. “I can name every one of them, and they even play music, if you ask them right.”
“Do they now?”
Celestia grinned. “Wanna see?”
“I think we have time for it.” Hammer Strike gave a small smile.
The filly squealed in delight as she pranced excitedly on her hooves, then zipped through the air to hover over a particularly vibrant pink blossom “All right, Gabriella, are you ready for a concert?”
The blossom stirred and gradually raised itself until its opening faced the filly. It turned toward Hammer Strike and its stamen waved like an insect’s feelers. Immediately, it reared back and sounded a clarion call. A group of bright yellow blossoms to the right answered in chorus, followed immediately by the beat of several drums that emanated from the broad shimmering green leaves of the potted plants circled by the trumpets. Oranges, reds, blues, and purple all sounded their calls to join in a symphony that seemed to wake the whole greenhouse as flowers burst from buds and sprouts swiftly developed into proper seedlings.
Celestia’s laughter rang bell-like to the accompaniment of actual chimes that carried daintily through the air, though it was hard to tell exactly from which plant. “Wow, she must really like you.”
“So it seems?” Hammer Strike looked around at all the flowers surrounding him.
As the music came to a close, a vine snaked down to the pair from above, followed shortly by a pair of passion fruit pods that rolled along the track in a playful spiral, much to the filly’s delight as the vine flicked up at the last moment for the two to catch the fruit.
Celestia took a bite out of the fruit and swallowed. “Do you work with plants like Mommy does, Hammer Strike?”
“To be honest, not at all.” Hammer Strike looked to the fruit.
“Well, I bet you’d be really good at it. The plants sure seem to think so.” She giggled again. “Wanna help me gather some tea leaves?”
“Sure.”
Inside the house, Celestia found both her parents home surprisingly early. Tempus had his wings around his wife and hugged her. Both alicorns looked perturbed.
The filly approached slowly with her collection bag dangling from her neck. “Mommy, Daddy, is everything all right?”
Tempus put on a forced smile as he looked to his daughter. “Everything’s fine, Celestia. Mommy and Daddy just got some news today.”
Celestia cocked her head curiously. “What kind of news?”
Tempus looked inquiringly to Terra, unsure how to proceed.
“Well, honey, Mommy just got back from the doctor and, … you’re going to have a sister.”
Hammer Strike raised a brow questioningly at the way they were acting. He knew it was bound to happen, but they seemed so … worried.
“Really?” Celestia gasped as her eyes widened and sparkled.
“Uhuh.” Terra smiled as tears welled in her eyes and she embraced the filly with her wings.
“What are we gonna name her? When’s she gonna come? Are we going to share a room?”
“Slow down, honey,” Tempus said.
“But it’s so exciting! How can I slow down when I’m going to have my own baby sister?”
Tempus smiled as he put a hoof on her back. “I know it’s exciting, but Daddy and Mommy have a lot to talk about, okay?”
“Do you think you could give us some time to talk, Celestia? We need to discuss some things with Hammer Strike.”
“You do have some plants to sort through.” Hammer Strike gave a smile as he reasoned.
“Do I have to?” Celestia whined.
“Please, Celestia,” Terra requested.
Celestia sighed. “Okay.”
As soon as Celestia left the room, Hammer Strike turned his attention back to Terra and Tempus. “What’s the problem?”
The tears flowed freely down Terra’s cheeks, though she managed to keep herself from sobbing. “The problem is the same as the news.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand the situation.” Hammer Strike frowned. “You’ll have to explain. Sorry.”
“I’m sure you realize that with a city on an island like this, we have to be very careful about population growth,” Tempus started.
“From what I can gather, due to the lifespan of you Alicorns, I’ll assume that you are limited in terms of how many kids you can have.”
“One, Hammer Strike. Only one,” Terra said.
“That’s problematic.” Hammer Strike frowned. “What’s the current outlook?”
“It was an accident, and the council’s taken that fact under advisement, but in exchange for allowing the baby to live, they—oh, it’s too difficult to say.” Terra broke eye contact and began an intense study of the floor.
“They want her altered to be prepared for military service when she reaches full growth at seven years old,” Tempus said.
“Altered? Seven years old?”
“Children are assigned their occupation. Before they’re born, their genetics are altered to best fit the requirements of the task. At seven years old, it’s expected a foal no longer requires their parental influence. In some cases, they’re left with their family. In others ....” Tempus trailed off.
“Taken to fill their role.” Hammer Strike hummed. “I see the issue at hoof here.”
“They want to start the treatment as soon as possible, and I can’t do a thing to stop them.”
Hammer Strike rubbed his head as he thought to himself. “Problematic. Not enough variables in play for me to make any suggestions, current outlook leans towards alteration in background, based off Tempus’ position, but it comes with heavy risks. Results would be known after the seven year period without fail.”
“I’m going to be allowed a little more time to set my affairs in order at the cells. Once I start to show, I’m effectively under house arrest to prevent others from knowing,” Terra said.
“Based on numbers of individuals known to the both of you, you have options, but as noted, these come with risks. Trusted individuals with high ranking may be difficult to find as well.” Hammer Strike continued to list off as the light coming from his eyes dimmed.
“Even with someone like that, they’ll still take her.” Terra sobbed. “I don’t want my baby to die in a war.”
“… Is there a need to stay here?”
“They’ll be watching the house day and night. I doubt we’ll be able to mount an escape easily.”
“Is there a need to stay?” Hammer Strike questioned once more.
“Where would we go?”
“Anywhere. The mainland has plenty to explore. I know of a number of locations that would prove useful.”
“How would we survive? We know nothing of what's outside this city,” Tempus said.
“I do,” Hammer Strike stated bluntly. “I’ve dealt with construction, and know how to build shelter. I’ve studied most forms of plantlife local to the mainland.”
“And what about Celestia? She won’t be able to defend herself. And then there’s the delivery itself to consider,” Terra said.
“Given the time needed to plan things out, it would be at least a few years before anything could be done, leaving your second child to be born and you to care for her. I was Lord Protector before I was brought here. Defending the four of you would be no issue.”
Terra frowned. “It … might work,” she conceded. “But we’ll have to be very careful. Father may be able to get ahold of some friends to help as well.”
“We’ll need to start putting resources aside immediately,” Tempus noted.
“If we do, it will have to be under a proper guise, possibly testing Hammer Strike’s limits in some way, or maybe social interaction in town?” She frowned. “This will definitely take some careful planning.”
“I’ll plan some things out mentally for alternatives.”
“I’ll work with you, if you like. I’ll need something to take up my time while I’m stuck here, after all.”
Hammer Strike nodded in return.
So began a desperate plan to save an innocent life.
A few weeks later, Tempus approached his wife. A data pad hovered in his magical grasp.
“I’ve come up with something, but it’s risky,” he noted.
“And what we’re planning already isn’t?” Terra countered.
“How much do you know about the work with Hammer Strike?” Tempus asked.
“Just about everything the files had to tell. The torture methods, the operations, details on the implants and how they were to effect his body. Why do you ask?”
“So, you didn’t know about the DNA grafting experiments.”
“They tried grafting DNA into him?”
“No, they tried grafting his DNA onto other specimens.” Tempus levitated out several honest-to-Faust sheets of paper from a satchel and slid them to his wife.
“You wrote down copies of the data?” she asked as she pursued them, then frowned. “This can’t be right. There are over forty different specimens listed here.”
Tempus nodded. “They wanted something they could control with his level of power. Out of all these specimens, most died. The few that survived showed to be resistant to all forms of would-be control. Not even treatments to induce docility proved successful. His genetics make such manipulations nigh-impossible.”
Terra’s face was grim as she looked up from the sheets. “Have you told him yet?”
“Not yet.” Tempus shook his head. “I thought it best we talk about the possibility before us first.”
“And what were you considering?”
“Think about it. We could graft his DNA into our child,” Temepus said. “Denying them control.”
“And what guarantee do we have that she wouldn’t be aborted in the attempt? You saw in these files. The ones who couldn’t take it died, and the ones who did became highly unstable.”
“Look at the reports. The data isn’t random. There is a common sequence in the survivors. It’s a miracle no one’s realized this.”
“And what guarantee do we have that our daughter will have the same strain?”
“I … I don't. I just have faith. I prayed about it, and I'm sure Bonnie’s wing is on my back with this.”
“It’s too risky.” Terra shuddered. “I know she was an accident, but I don’t want to lose her.” She rubbed her stomach gently with a hoof. “If you really want to approach this as a possibility, we should bring it up with Hammer Strike first, anyway. It’s his DNA, after all.”
“If that's what you want.”
“It is. I don’t want to take any chances with this until we’ve set up every safety net we can think of.”
“Very well, then how do we approach this with him?”
“The same way we have everything else. We ask.”
Hammer Strike stood in Andre’s workshop, scanning at the mess that laid before him. Tools were disorganized and scattered, and new cracks formed along the metal surfaces, having been struck by something with an intense amount of force. Something had clearly happened, but he was unsure if he wanted to ask or not.
“… Today a bad day?” Hammer Strike questioned.
“This generation. No respect for nature, no respect for the gods, and now this!” Andre bellowed as he brought his enormous smithing hammer down on a metal work table, shattering it with the impact.
“I take it something treading on the territory of the divine has occurred?” Hammer Strike questioned as he wiped his coat free of any stray shrapnel.
Andre let out a drawn out sigh, then stood still for a good three minutes before he finally calmed down. “Come with me.”
Hammer Strike simply shrugged and followed. Andre led him through the workshop and into a small alcove that he guessed was Andre’s living space. There was a simple bed, an area to prepare food, and a table with a few chairs. Andre gestured to the table as he retrieved a bottle and a couple glasses. He set a glass before each of them and filled them with an amber liquid.
“You know about the gods, but what you probably aren't aware of are those just below the gods, the ones who keep the balance of the fundamental forces.”
“The embodiments?”
Andre stared at him blankly for a moment. “So, you know about the embodiments?” Then he took a pull of his drink.
Hammer Strike gave a light shrug before grabbing his glass. “Not all of them, but some like to stop by from time to time. Mostly Death. Not the current one, mind you. There appears to be an Alicorn mare currently in the loop, rather than the one I know.”
“Well, then, you know how important their roles in the balance are. These idiots pulled embodiments from their plane, forced them into physical forms.”
“Wait, literally forced them into the physical world?”
Andre nodded. “And bound them to forms.”
Hammer Strike furrowed his brow. “Which ones?”
“As far as I can tell, Harmony and Discord.”
Hammer Strike opened his mouth for a moment before closing it. “That explains a few things,” he muttered before simply downing his drink.
“They have no idea what this could do to the world.” Andre sighed.
“Yeah … Discord certainly leaves his mark on things,” he commented with a frown.
“You’re aware of him?”
“I’ve interacted with him from my time.”
“Well, I suppose at least the world won’t be destroyed for this.” Andre sighed. “Still, it’s almost blasphemous.”
“Yeah…” Hammer Strike frowned. “But thankfully, everything finds a way.” He looked to his glass. “What even was that, by the way?”
“Thrice distilled liquor made from some of the greenhouse fruits.”
“That explains it.” Hammer Strike hummed. “Strange taste.”
“Damned weak,” Andre said. “Like everything else about this place.”
“I think you’d get along with the dwarves. They know how to brew.”
“Dwarves?” Andre asked as his eyebrow raised.
“Yep.” Hammer Strike nodded. “I can only partially recreate their stuff. It’s surprising the amount of work they put into it, and what rare resources they use for it.”
“That's certainly a species I’ve never heard of.” Andre chuckled. “You lead an interesting life, my friend.”
“They’re very interesting.” He chuckled. “They made Ulkrusher.”
“That … would explain a lot. I’ve seen many styles of crafting things, but nothing quite like that.”
“Helps that they literally never see the sun. Underground their whole life.”
“I suppose that would do it.” Andre chuckled. “Sounds like they know how to live.”
Hammer Strike hummed aloud as he took the bottle of alcohol in his hoof. After studying it for a moment, he focused his attention on it thaumically. His other hoof ignited briefly as a crystal formed and disappeared in a moment. After a second, he shrugged and placed it back on the table. “See how you like that.”
Andre lifted an eyebrow but poured a small bit into his glass and drank it. He let out a whistle. “Now that has some bite to it!” he exclaimed.
Hammer Strike gave a shrug. “Best I can do for now. How’s work been?”
“Slow, thankfully. I haven’t had to put up with anyone.”
“Some strange parts sitting across your tables in the main section.” Hammer Strike hummed. “Looked like artificial limbs.”
“Ah, yes, … those.” Andre chuckled. “I suppose I should introduce you.”
Hammer Strike raised a brow as Andre stood from his chair and led them back into the main workshop.
“You can come out now,” Andre called.
“Haven’t seen you freak out like that in a while.” The air seemed to be shrugged away before it wavered into black fabric, revealing a small purely metallic figure with bright glowing blue eyes. Most of his body was hidden by a black cloak covered in card suits, save for his smooth faceplate, which held a smear of blue paint in a V-like design across his face. The top of his head held a single horn jutting from the forehead. It was triangular in nature with a surprisingly flat tip.
“Hi. Name’s Cayde. You must be the guy who’s freaking the Alicorns out.” He stuck a metallic hoof out to Hammer Strike.
Hammer Strike raised a brow for a moment before returning the hoofshake. “What was your first clue?”
As hammerstrike shook it, said hoof slipped off the leg and clattered to the floor. “The fact they sent a bunch of people after Terra when she started looking into you.” He chuckled.
Hammer Strike looked to the hoof for a second before lifting it back up and slotting it back in place, albeit temporarily. “Were you the one following us from time to time?”
“Someone had to, and the old man might be powerful, but kinda hard not to notice him,” he said, gesturing to Andre.
“Stealth unit works well. I can tell you that much,” Hammer Strike commented.
“Unfortunately, not well enough.” Cayde chuckled. “A few of the goons ended up hearing me. Still not sure why the old man gave me pain receptors.” Cayde looked to andre.
Andre shrugged. “It helps you react better.”
“Yeah, yeah. We all know the truth,” Cayde grumbled.
“At least it lets you know when you need repairs?” Hammer Strike offered.
Cayde opened his mouth and held up a hoof, only to close it again, unsure how to answer.
“Not wrong, am I?” Hammer Strike replied as he watched the hoof slowly droop once again. “I remember seeing other types. How many classes of robots or androids are there?”
“Oh, well, there’s me, the perfect one, obviously. Then there’s Zavala. He’s the big guy. Strong, but not nearly as handsome as I am. And then there’s Ikora. She does all the weird magic stuff. Kinda cool. Never ceases to freak ’em out.”
“Separation of classes based on the three tribes.” Hammer Strike frowned. “Interesting for them to do.”
“Most aren't quite this … unique,” Andre noted. “Naturally, I've done some tinkering.”
“Quite obvious. He’s too lifelike.”
“Better that than a lifeless husk,” Andre noted.
“Definitely.”
“Hey, uh, guys? Still here, you know. Kinda in need of repairs,” Cayde cut in just before his leg detached once again, clanging to the floor.
“Yeah, I’ll get on that.” Andre laughed as he levitated tools over. “You ever wanted to learn how to repair an equidroid?”
“You know, can’t say I have, but you’ve got my attention now,” Hammer Strike replied as a smile pulled across his face.
Hammer Strike sighed to himself as he looked to the clock once more. Terra and Tempus were both late from work, meaning that they were most likely held behind for some reason, potentially some alterations to their schedule outside of their control.
Terra had plenty of tests and procedures to go through, due to the pregnancy, leading to plenty of time away from the house. But with that came more opportunity for her and Tempus to work on their side of planning.
He wasn’t entirely within the loop on everything they were doing, but he knew that whatever it was, it was for the better.
However, it left him with Celestia more often than he was used to in the last couple years. And the young Alicorn was very curious.
“Hammer Strike, I’ve been wondering. How did you learn to talk so fast?”
“What do you mean?” Hammer Strike raised a brow.
“Well, I learned in class about how there are Ponies like you somewhere out there, beyond the island. But my teachers say you don’t speak like us. So, I wanted to know how you knew when we met.” She scuffed her hoof nervously on the floor. “If … that’s okay to ask.”
“It’s perfectly fine.” He gave a gentle smile. “I’m very different from most of my kind, as I know many languages. I studied for years to understand and translate most languages you can find.”
“So where’d you find ours?”
“A book, found some time ago, in a land far, far away from here.”
“Oh.” She furrowed her brow in thought. “Were there other books, too, in this other land, other things to learn?”
“Plenty,” he commented in Draconic. The smile widened.
Celestia cocked her head. “Was that supposed to be another language, too?”
Hammer Strike nodded. After a moment, he looked to the clock and hummed. “If it takes them any longer, it’ll be quite a late dinner.”
“Maybe we should make something for them?”
Hammer Strike hummed as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to look over ingredients. “I could probably make something, if it takes them more than twenty minutes.”
“Maybe we should try something from your country!” Celestia beamed eagerly at the idea.
Hammer Strike hummed before shrugging. “I could. I’m certain they wouldn’t be upset to coming home to a cooked meal almost complete or actually complete.” He looked to the clock one more time before shaking his head. “Yeah, I’ll give it a try. Hopefully, they won’t mind.”
Terra and Tempus both looked exceedingly tired as they clopped into the house. However, both were pleasantly surprised when they discovered a fully prepared meal waiting for them at the table. They smiled gratefully at Hammer Strike for his efforts, though their smiles couldn’t quite reach their eyes. He knew that look well, and what it likely meant.
He wasn’t disappointed. When dinner was finished and cleared, and Celestia was put to bed, the two parents gathered with their guest for a council.
“There is one more thing we need to talk about.” Tempus sighed.
“I take it that it involves me in some capacity?” Hammer Strike questioned.
“Hammer Strike, are you aware they’ve been experimenting on your genetic code?” Tempus asked.
Hammer Strike reared his head back. “Wait, they were?”
Tempus slowly presented the Earth Pony with several sheets of paper.
Hammer Strike scanned over the documents briefly before pushing them back, not wanting to read more.
“I didn’t know about this until recently,” Tempus explained. “You had a right to know.”
Hammer Strike rubbed the side of his head. “I have too many gaps in my memories from my time as a test subject. I couldn’t tell when it happened.”
“However, there’s a reason I’m showing this to you, not just out of moral obligation. There’s something I'd like your permission for.” Tempus proceeded to explain his idea and the possible benefits of it.
Hammer Strike frowned at the idea as he thought through it himself. “Would there be any notable alterations physically?”
“I can't be totally sure, but it’s unlikely,” Tempus said.
After a moment of mental debate, Hammer Strike nodded. “All right, whatever you need.”
“You … you mean that?” Terra asked.
“You both gave me, in a way, a new life. Whatever you need from me, I’ll supply what I can.”
Terra’s hoof went to her mouth, and shortly after, she burst into a sobbing mess.
“Thank you Hammer Strike,” Tempus said as he comforted his wife.
Hammer Strike gave a nod and a smile in return.
Edna was a bit of a puzzle to Hammer Strike. Her nature reminded him of Rarity, but not to the point where he could actually see the mare in her. The two walked together as the squat Alicorn directed him through a series of passages that reverberated with the clopping of their hooves.
“What I am about to show you is a location that few have ever laid eyes on in the empire. I expect you to maintain the same secrecy to which they are held. Can you do this?” E asked.
“I can manage that.” Hammer Strike nodded.
A green light passed in a thin sheet over the pair, followed by a distinctive whistling chirp. “And it would appear that my security system agrees.” She approached a portion of wall and tapped it with her hoof. The metal rippled and reformed to reveal a keypad, hoof scanner, retinal scanner, and a microphone. She jabbed the keys in swift order using the stick he had seen her holding earlier. The imperceptible pulse of energy along the circuits of the object confirmed an extra layer of security in the form of a unique and exceptionally fashionable key. She then placed her hoof over the scanner and waited for the verification to go through and repeated the process with the retinal scanner by raising her glasses with a hoof. Finally, she spoke into the microphone. “Edna Mode.” She rolled her eyes when a legion of turrets emerged from every corner of the hallway. Fortunately, Hammer Strike remained unperturbed. “And guest.” The turrets quickly retracted themselves as a larger wall segment retracted and hissed open on either side. “I would love to get rid of that feature, but it is perhaps one of the only things that would prevent my genius from being harvested by a certain group of vultures.” She sighed. “Well, come in. Come, come, come, come, come.” She waved imperiously with her hoof. “I do not have all day, and neither do you.”
The lights flickered on with a familiar hum as Edna strode swiftly onto the smooth reflective flooring. A section of flooring was lit by a series of pale white panels that lay beneath a veritable sheath of mechanical arms and scanners. However, the only sign of surgical implements in this particular device was what appeared to be a needle. The rest were either designed to guide a subject through or scan over the subject’s biology to generate a precise 3D model with exact measurements and a biological readout.
A large portion of the room had been segmented off by a clear barrier that allowed one the perfect view of what Hammer Strike assumed to be a showroom or test chamber of some kind, judging by the tracks that ran through it. Circuitry, components, swashes of fabric, magical foci, engraving tools, and other items each lay either strewn across work tables or placed in their respective storage compartments and readily organized with an efficiency that bordered on mania. A series of Alicorn mannequins were easily shoved back into storage with the negligent wave of Edna’s head, followed by the smooth swoosh of a closing barrier. Giant looms and other devices quickly retracted or folded out of the way to allow easy access for the pair as they advanced on a small table where a tea tray and two chairs awaited them before the chamber.
“Come, sit,” Edna said as she took her own seat. It wasn’t exactly a request, but neither was it an order, merely a statement of fact that carried the weight of inevitability.
Hammer Strike raised a brow but simply followed suit and took a seat.
“Cream and sugar?” she asked as she levitated the teapot and vessels in question toward his cup.
Hammer Strike shook his head. “Neither. I’m fine.”
“Very well,” she said primly and lowered the two vessels. “Now, I believe it is time you and I had a proper chat, and I can think of no safer place than this.” She peered pointedly at Hammer Strike. “You have traveled through time. That much is already known. However, I also sense about you the quality that few of your species possess. You carry time with you.” She took a casual sip of her cup. “How many years?” she asked bluntly.
“Hundred and something.” Hammer Strike shrugged.
“I see.” She passed a hoof imperiously to the stallion. “Cup,” she ordered.
Hammer Strike did as requested.
Edna peered deeply into the dregs. “Hmm. Yes, it is as I expected it to be.” She lowered the cup to the tray and stared intently at the stallion. “You are hounded by death and destiny, yet you have torn right through them. There is love and pain and loss when I look into the past of that cup. But, as for the future, it is clear you will work with a single-mindedness toward a particular goal. One is inclined to ask what that goal might be.” She took a surreptitious sip of her tea, then looked almost conspiratorially at the Earth Pony as a hint of a smile curled her lips. “What are you striving to do, Hammer Strike?”
“Simply what I can,” Hammer Strike replied. “It’s all I can do.”
“And the goal you seek?”
“I suppose to eventually return to where I’m from, one way or another. How long that will take, I don’t know.”
Edna hummed to herself, then leaned back in her chair. “Very well, darling. You’ve answered my questions. It seems only fitting that I should answer some of yours. Tell me, what would you like to know?”
Hammer Strike shrugged. “There isn’t much I feel the need to ask. I suppose if I had to ask, I’m curious as to the way you work.”
“In what way? Are you referring to my methods of crafting or more to my personal functions?”
“I suppose methods of crafting for now.”
She smiled. “You have seen my machine over there, yes?” She gestured toward the many-armed monstrosity. “That is where my real work begins. Military uniforms are so boring. Mass produced. There is no effort, no passion, no soul.” She shook her head, then smirked. “Now, when I work for a client, on the other hoof, a personal project, that is where this comes in. That machine is an intricate scanner on a scale far beyond what you will find in the rest of the empire. It is designed to take an intimate scan of the body, giving me a genetic as well as dimensional template for a person. It also gives me the statistics on movement capabilities and other facts that you will doubtless find very boring for me to list off here.” She motioned with a sweeping wing. “I use this information and transfer the data into the rest of my lab, where I then decide upon a proper design. In case you did not notice, I have a certain flare for style and functionality. As young Andre would put it, the best knife is one that cuts well and wears better.”
Hammer Strike hummed. “That’s … quite useful, actually. To determine everything about the individual would let you create a mostly perfect outfit or set of equipment.”
“Naturally, the technology does have its limits. Machines are only that, after all. Much like your smithing tools, it requires the proper touch to mold the materials into their optimal form.” She bore her teeth in a grin. “I am infamous for my efficiency, a trait that I see you also share.” She motioned toward his coat with a wing. “A bit crude, but the foresight is there. You are self-taught?”
Hammer Strike gave a faint frown as he looked to his coat. “Yeah.”
“And this is your first attempt at a design?”
“No. I used to have a long coat that I made before as well.”
“The seams are stitched well. No simple feat for a Pony without the deftness of a horn to guide the needle and thread,” she noted idly. “And hidden armor plating serves as an excellent means to protect against unseen attack. A most effective design, given your civilization’s current rate of development.”
“As I mentioned to Terra, I am not a good example of my kind, even in the present.”
“Well, naturally, darling. You are an exception. It takes a very special Pony indeed to defy fate. Few, if any are ever born with that power, and those that are usually are killed before they have the chance to realize their potential.”
“They’ve certainly tried.” Hammer Strike sighed. “Destiny quite a bit, actually.”
“Destiny for you and Death for me. I like to invite her to tea every few weeks. She has grown very tired lately. That is … concerning. But it is an inevitable consequence of war, or so she tells me. Still, I wonder.”
“She won’t be around for much longer.” Hammer Strike shook his head.
“Ah, a pity. Though I wondered when she would pass on the mantle. Do you know?”
Hammer Strike shook his head. “Sometime in the future, but before an issue that springs on the mainland.”
“I see. Tell me, have you found any other divine artifacts in your travels?”
“Not really.” Hammer Strike paused. “Well, there’s something that was somewhat out there in nature. It was a sort of die, twenty-sided. Roll it and something comes from it.”
“How curious. Can you tell me more about this item?”
“Their color varies, and I admittedly haven’t seen enough of them to figure out if the color means anything, but I found one while a companion of mine had received two. He ended up rolling one out of curiosity, and from his description, it burst with light and a pain welled over him before it settled and a blade lay in place of the die. It was bound to his very soul. While the one I found appeared out of nowhere, and when rolled presented me with a small amber-colored gemstone in the shape of the sun that limitlessly supplied mana, albeit at a slow constant rate. I didn’t feel any form of pain, so I’m unsure on the entirety of how it works.”
“Very interesting.” Edna narrowed her gaze shrewdly. “Such magic would be very potent. You are fortunate to have found any, let alone three. But, given how you are and what I have learned about you, I suppose I should not be surprised.” She levitated a plate toward the stallion. “Cookie?”
He shook his head. “No, thanks.”
Hammer Strike blinked suddenly from where he was seated. Everything had shifted in some manner. It felt slightly colder, and the air felt heavier. He was seated inside the living room, having been waiting for the return of Terra, Tempus, and Celestia. After a moment, he stood up and examined the room around him. The lights had grown dimmer at an offset of color. He moved toward the window and gently pulled open the curtains to reveal a darkened baren mess of land before a vast empty sky. Chunks floated lazily in the distance.
“Doing better, Hammer Strike?” a familiar voice asked.
Hammer Strike snapped his attention behind him to find an old friend once more. “Dis—sorry, Outsider, as you prefer now. I’m much better, honestly. The stabilizer they put in me calmed my mind.”
“I see you have found people you can talk to.” He smiled. “I imagine that helps your sanity immensely as well.”
“It does.” Hammer Strike nodded. “How have things been for you?”
“Not sure how I'd describe it. Standing outside and looking in, I see so much. I know so many things. I can be here talking with you and witnessing the making of the universe at the same instant. It’s … strange.”
“I’d expect as much.” Hammer Strike frowned. “It’s just as strange to hear of a mortal who becomes an embodiment.”
“You know they won’t last,” Outsider noted neutrally. “Everything here is doomed.”
“I know that much.” Hammer Strike nodded his agreement. “How, though, is the question.”
“I thought you’d have guessed by now.”
“They had an abnormal amount of thaumic energy in the time I came from, but the damage there wasn’t thaumic in nature.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to consider it more.” The Outsider nodded.
“Hopefully, my plans can take into effect before whatever it is.” Hammer Strike sighed. “It’ll be at least six to seven years before it will take off.”
“One more piece is about to be put on the board,” the Outsider told him.
“Luna is coming soon,” Hammer Strike agreed. “They went to the hospital some time ago before our talk.”
“Keep an eye on her. And keep your ears open. There are objects you will need when you leave, things you need to be aware of.”
“It’ll be difficult, but I’ll try.” Hammer Strike shrugged.
“A gift.” The outsider raised a hoof and, for a moment, Hammer Strike’s eyes flickered. “When the time comes, you will see what must come with you. This is the last gift I can give right now. Make good use of it.”
Hammer Strike blinked a few times, his vision having cut out for a split second caused him some discomfort. “What do you—?”
He looked up and noted that he was seated on the couch once more. Whatever Outsider did, he couldn’t be sure about it, but it left him feeling strange. He tried to focus on the feeling in his eyes, only for the world to suddenly lose color around him, with figures appearing in the distance.
Alicorn figures.
He could see the family next door preparing dinner, at least from what he gathered by the motions. As he looked around, he noted this new vision seemed to have a decent range to it, though it was quite a distance enough as is.
He eventually settled onto the main road outside the house, only to note three, no, four figures moving toward the house. Two adults, one child, and one infant.
He unlocked the door for them before returning to his seated position on the couch near the door. He attempted to focus on the feeling once more and finally watched it fade as color returned to the world.
Tempus was the first one through the door, carefully making sure there was nothing to stumble his wife. Terra cradled a tiny bundle in her wings while Celestia looked up at the mare, then to Hammer Strike with a big smile.
“Hammer Strike, say hello to our newest member of the family,” Terra said in a soft voice. She gently pulled the folds of cloth aside to reveal a tiny muzzle covered in blue fur and the barest nub of a horn. Her mane was a midnight blue that bordered on black.
“What’s her name?” Hammer Strike asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
“Her mane and fur are dark, but her eyes shine like stars in the night.” She smiled sweetly. “Her name is Luna.”
He gave a faint chuckle. “Quite fitting, if I may say so. Celestia and her sister Luna.”
“Daughters of the sky.” She raised Celestia in her magic and pulled her into an embrace with the baby. “Both my precious treasures.”
“You’ll certainly have your hooves full.” He smirked.
“It helps having such a wonderful houseguest. You’re practically an uncle to Celestia already.”
“Yeah, I’m not too sure how good I’d be with an infant, however.” He chuckled in return.
“You think you’re worried now, wait till she starts having her magic spikes.” Terra giggled.
“Yeah, I know, and I dread that. Thankfully, I can also manage it.”
“So why dread, if you can manage?”
“I won’t be the only one effected by it,” he finished with a smirk.
“Yes, but I’ve been through it once before,” Terra shot back. Her smile faltered slightly. “I think it might be best for me to lie down now. The birthing took a lot out of me.”
“That’s fair. I’ll be up for some time, or the entire night, like usual, if anything happens.”
Terra smiled gratefully. “I appreciate that.” Then, with her husband’s support, the two made their way to the stairs and their waiting bedroom with Celestia close on their hooves.
“Seven year timer, starting now.” Hammer Strike hummed as he grabbed his notebook off the table. “These will definitely be some interesting times ahead of us….”
Luna giggled from her point of victory on Hammer Strike’s stomach after having tracked down her pray in an intense game of hide and seek. Now she faced the devastating attack that was the tickling cuddle … of death!
“Hammer Strike, did you let her find you again?” Celestia asked in a scolding tone.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Luna blew her sister a raspberry, which prompted a frustrated pout. “How’s she supposed to learn if you keep letting her find you?”
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Hammer Strike offered in response. “Did the same with you, albeit at an older age, lest you forget.”
Celestia gasped. “You promised not to go easy on me!”
“After I had gone easy on you.” Hammer Strike smirked. “I’m sure you noticed it suddenly getting a lot harder.”
“I still did it, didn’t I?”
“Eventually, but you also had an eight-year lead on your sister.” Hammer Strike chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you both a great challenge in the future when you’re both old enough.”
Celestia’s eyes lit up at the promise, even as Hammer Strike tossed Luna into the air and caught her again repeatedly. “What kind of challenge?”
“I’ll look into invisibility. How about that?” He chuckled. “I can’t spoil it just yet.”
Celestia grinned. “Challenge accepted.”
Luna burbled and clapped her hooves in glee.
“And what’s got everybody so excited all of a sudden? I could hear Luna’s laughter all the way from the door.” Terra smiled as Luna was wrapped in her magic and pulled over for an embrace, followed swiftly by her opening her wings to welcome Celestia.
“Hammer Strike said he was going to give us a big challenge!” Celestia smiled. “I can’t wait.”
“Celestia seems to believe my current games of hide and seek are too simple.” Hammer Strike chuckled.
“She does learn quickly, doesn’t she?” Terra smiled and patted Celestia on the head. “And speaking of learning, how are your studies coming along, young lady?”
“They’re … coming,” Celestia said evasively.
Terra chuckled. “And why do I get the feeling those studies involved watching your little sister?”
Celestia blushed.
“Well, now I’m home to watch her, and you need to get to your homework.” She brushed the filly with a wing. “Go on, now. Scoot.”
Celestia sighed. “Yes, Mommy.” The tread of her hooves was audible as she clopped slowly up the stairs.
Hammer Strike gave a brief chuckle before stretching. A few cracks snapped from him before he righted himself. “So, how was your day?”
“Oh, not bad. Superiors breathing down my neck, people trying to find fault with my work and blow it out of proportion, the usual.” She shrugged. “And yours?”
“A rough match of wits against two opponents.” Hammer Strike chuckled. “Usual.”
“And have you spoken with Aunt E lately?”
“Negative, since she doesn’t stop by often, nor do you leave your tablet here, since you kind of need it for work.” Hammer Strike shrugged.
“Fair enough. And Cayde?”
Hammer Strike shrugged again. “I think he mostly sticks to following and keeping you secure.”
“Really?”
“Definitely.”
“You know, I did wonder why we’ve been experiencing a drop in security presence lately. He is scarily good at what he does.”
“That, I can agree on. The cloaking module is remarkable.”
“Since when did he have a cloaking module?”
“A while now,” Hammer Strike replied simply. “Helps him with his task.”
Terra sighed. “How long?”
“He’s been around apparently since you started looking into my profile.”
“It figures Father would do something like that.” She sighed. “But I supposed I should be grateful. Because of him, we’re both still alive, and you’re here with us. That wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”
Hammer Strike nodded in return. “Progress on the ‘external testing,’ as I believe you called it?”
“Small, of necessity, but bearing fruit. It helps being self-sufficient with our garden here. Tempus is tinkering with his project as well. He seems very excited about it.”
“Five years remaining. We’ve got some time to work with.”
“I still prefer to get as much done as possible as soon as possible.”
“Completely understandable. I’ve marked things down to give us roughly six months of extra time, as they are likely to have it to the date at an eighty-percent accuracy.”
“Always good to err on the side of caution,” Terra agreed. She smiled then and produced a pink cupcake with extra frosting and a single blue-and-gold-striped candle. “Before I forget, I wanted to give you this.”
Hammer Strike blinked in confusion as he took hold of the cupcake and candle. “… I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t think of it last year, but it seems only fair that we celebrate.” Her smile widened. “It’s been exactly three years to the day since you joined our household.”
“I…” Hammer Strike looked to the cupcake. “Has it been three years already?”
“Shocking, isn’t it?” Terra chuckled. “You should probably expect a few more visitors throughout the day.”
“I dread it,” Hammer Strike replied with a weak smile.
“Good. We’ll relish the torture as we partake in sugury confections and revelry. Care to help with the cake?”
Hammer Strike looked down the blade of his folding sword. He had done some work to it, but only minor bits here and there to ensure that nobody would notice anything too outlandish. At the moment, he gave it an abnormal level of sharpness, having perfectly worked at it for the past few months.
“It looks like you’ve been taking care of it,” Andre commented.
“Of course.” Hammer Strike flipped the blade over again to study it. “I prefer my equipment to always be in top shape.”
“Always a good policy.” Andre nodded. “You can never be sure when it might save your life.”
“Definitely.” Hammer Strike nodded. “I’ll need to look into some alternative for ranged in the future. Perhaps throwing knives, if need be, though it was never really my shtick.”
“I might have an idea for that.” Andre chuckled. “So, tell me, how is everyone doing? I haven’t been able to check on them recently.”
“They’ve been fine. Celestia is getting along with Luna quite well.”
“That is good. Those two will need each other in the coming years, I believe.”
“Certainly. We’ve got less than two years to finish up everything before—” Hammer Strike was cut off as a sudden rush of energy pulsed through the building. His vision distorted to static for a moment before it attempted to resettle. He felt sick. Everything in his body felt off as the wave left him. Embers licked off his coat at the invading energy in an attempt to keep him safe.
The wave of energy was thaumic in nature.
The color of his eyes drifted to red as he felt fear well up in him once more. Whatever they did grabbed the attention of outside forces. He could feel them taking note of the island. His breathing was shaky as he tried to calm himself.
“What was that?” Andre practically shouted.
“Wave of energy, nature is known, uncertainty, major problems,” Hammer Strike automatically replied as he tried to stabilize himself.
“Deep breaths, Hammer Strike,” Andre instructed. “Center yourself.”
“I’m fine,” Hammer Strike replied. “I’m fine. I’m fine,” he repeated. After a moment, the color of his eyes shifted once more back to blue. “We … we need to move the timescale up.”
“What was that?” Andre repeated.
“I…” Hammer Strike didn’t know how much he wanted to say. “It’s thaumic energy,” he commented softly.
“Go on.”
“The mysterious field of energy I use is thaumic. They shouldn’t have the knowledge to tamper with the same forces unless they’ve begun to figure it out.” Hammer Strike finally stood upright. “We’re in severe danger, Andre. There are forces out there as dangerous as the gods, if not more so, and they feed on thaumic energy.”
Andre’s face became grim. “What can we do?”
“Accelerate the plans as quickly as possible. If they’re tampering with this, there’s a sixty-three percent chance that the upper echelons will be focusing more on their breakthrough to give us all more leeway.”
“I was planning on saving this, but I think this may be the time.” Andre sighed as he retrieved something from one of the many containers and slid it across the table to Hammer Strike.
Hammer Strike stopped the object in his hooves, only to realize he was holding the grip of a pistol. It was drastically different, though. He looked down the sights before shifting to a side view, ensuring he kept the barrel pointed toward the ground. The handle was inlaid with a polished wood that had been varnished and sealed, then reinforced with spells of preservation to keep the component from wearing. The remainder of the gun was a smooth polished dark metal with a series of small bumps that diffused the light to reduce reflection. The thrum of magic flowed through them like a river, indicating a micro-precision of rune work that should have been impossible.
Five holes pulsed with blue light on either side of the weapon’s barrel to draw in the ambient magical energies that lingered in the air and store it within. The gun had no need for a magazine, yet had a reloadable cartridge that, when removed, revealed a series of high quality focal gems for storing spare magic and channeling it into the weapon directly, should the ambient gathering be depleted. An accessories rail sat beneath the muzzle, awaiting any future modifiers that Andre might produce for it.
“Remarkable,” Hammer Strike commented.
“It should handle your ranged weapon needs,” Andre stated. “But you’ll probably need some prac—”
Hammer Strike had taken aim toward the Alicorn practice dummy. He ensured he kept the pistol pointed away from Andre before he snapped upright and took two quick shots. One to the head, and one to the center of the chest.
“You’ve encountered a weapon like this before?”
Hammer Strike paused as he realized his mistake. “Technology Comprehension Augment is working overtime on this right now,” he explained as his cover.
“Of course,” Andre said, though his voice sounded anything but convinced. “Anyway, this weapon should handle your needs for a ranged weapon. It’s also more reliable than throwing blades.”
“I can see that,” Hammer Strike replied as he moved back to the table. “I’ll need to adjust my coat and add a sheath for it.”
“Shouldn’t be too difficult for you.”
Hammer Strike nodded as he got to work, trying to keep his mind off of the major issue at hand. He figured out a potential case for what destroys the island, but he didn’t want to be around for it, nowhere near it, not even within several hundred miles.
The way into E’s home was, as usual, heavily guarded. Fortunately, E had already allowed him access whenever he needed, and this was no different. The laser gate dropped to reveal the familiar shape of a large Alicorn in power armor.
“Teller, how goes things?” Hammer Strike asked as he approached.
“About as usual as one would expect, given all the higher-ups having been focusing on new fields of magic,” he replied simply with a shrug. “Are you heading in?”
“Yeah.”
“You should be clear. I’ve got a few errands to run.”
Hammer Strike nodded as he passed the warrior.
E was already enjoying her usual cup of tea when Hammer Strike entered the living room. “Hammer Strike,” she acknowledged. “What brings you by, darling?”
“We need to talk, E. We’ve got major issues on the horizon.”
Edna sighed. “There always are when a civilization gets too large. Power grabbing, gambling, shadow politics.” She sighed. “So predictable. But that is the nature of things. So, tell me, what have the children done this time?”
“That blast of energy that went through the whole island? That was a power that no one should use as freely as they will. I’ve heard talk of a new field of magic being discovered, but they have no idea what they are about to tamper with.”
Edna lowered her glasses down the bridge of her nose to peer at Hammer Strike as the lenses reflected the light. “And you do.” She sat back in her chair and returned the lenses to a proper position. “You’d best tell me what you know, then, darling. Your tone and body language lean toward fear. And we both know that you do not fear easily.” She levitated a cup for him. “Tea?”
Hammer Strike accepted the cup and took a seat. “To put it simply, there are forces that are noted to be equivalent to the gods, but do not match the concept of a devil or a demon. They are instead beyond the material plane, ever watching as they look over things.” And so he began to explain. Over the course of an hour, he revealed how dire the situation was, and how as of now, they were all in the sight of these creatures that exist between the worlds.
Edna’s eyes narrowed as she pondered over Hammer Strike’s words and folded her hind legs as she leaned back in her chair. “Yes, I see what you mean. The likelihood of convincing the council of this danger, however, is zero. We will have to plan around this, and the inevitability of what that means.”
“I do not care about the council,” Hammer Strike replied flatly. “Our objective is to move our time scale up as much as possible. We need to leave as soon as we can.”
“I see. That will be a challenge for Terra and Tempus to accomplish quickly enough, but one that they should be able to overcome with relative ease. As for myself, I will have my own arrangements for departing the island. I have already begun preparations for a tour of the facilities we have in the far north of a distant continent. According to the files, it is meant to be one of the largest magical foci to ever exist, capable of harnessing the latent magic that your tribes produce but cannot fully harness. An intriguing apparatus, I must admit,” she said as she drew up a holographic projection of a familiar snowflake embedded in the frozen tundra. “The spell circuitry alone took nearly a year to construct, and our weather mages were hard pressed to keep back the storm. It is a simple design, but it does bear a certain charm, I suppose.”
“Far north, using crystal-like structures?”
“With a central control tower fit to house a small army, and housing for … testing the experimental power source. Or at least, it will by the time construction is complete.” She threw a projection of the blueprints into the air over the table between them.
As Hammer Strike scanned over the blueprint, he noted that it looked very familiar. In front of him was the designs for the Crystal Empire, albeit a finished variant. He frowned as he looked it over, keeping note of certain elements for the future.
“Your tribespeople will receive a minimal amount of freedom and an increase in the quality of their lives, given the necessity of the bond that is intended, so you need not fear the level of abuse you endured. And their development will not be inhibited as your other tribes are.”
“Inhibited?”
E shrugged. “Curbed, reduced, retarded, whatever you wish to call it. You are aware of how you were treated when you arrived. The empire wishes to keep its test subjects docile and compliant. I do not support the practice, but what is a mare to do when she is one of the few?”
“This explains a few things.” Hammer Strike frowned. “Technology level stalled for some time.”
“It is a regrettable effect of a desire to maintain power.” She sighed. “Time will set things right eventually.”
Hammer Strike frowned as he thought things over. “It won’t be that simple. I can say that with certainty.”
“And why is that, darling? If you are going to destroy the machine responsible, then you destroy it. If you are going to deactivate it, the same applies.”
“If I were to do that, it would cause a potential influx of invention, which would most certainly lead to conflict.” His frown deepened. “I’ll figure something out when the time comes.”
“Whatever you say, darling. Did you want the instruction manual for it?”
“Not at this moment, but perhaps, yes.”
“I’ll keep a copy on hoof, then. In the meantime, how about I show you some of my more recent designs? There are so few Ponies who appreciate my work these days.”
“Sweet Celestia, how can a filly that adorable grow into one of Equestria’s strongest protectors?” Rarity asked as she gushed over the playful scene between the fillies and Hammer Strike.
“Well, given the one who’s helping to raise them right now….” Vital noted.
“Anyone else starting to feel a vague sense of foreboding?” Grif asked.
“You mean over the fact that the island was ravaged by something and Hammer Strike is still there?” Pensword asked. “Because if so, then yes.”
“Well, they were all kind of jerks. But if anything bad does happen to them, I’ll feel sorry for their foals,” Vital noted.
“Only three escaped Sodom,” Grif noted.
“Is that prophecy or suspicion?” Vital asked.
“Suspicion,” Grif admitted. “I certainly haven’t heard of any additional Alicorns, and I have ears larger than most.”
“Pardon my ignorance, but what is this Sodom you mentioned?” Rarity inquired.
“An ancient city destroyed by a calamity back on Earth. It’s said that it was destroyed by the God of that world, due to intense wickedness, along with its sister city, Gomorrah,” Vital said.
“And you suspect a similar destruction is coming?” she asked Grif.
“I do.” Grif nodded. “Celestia and Luna have very vague memories about their parents from the little they’ve mentioned about them, whereas Hammer Strike was supposedly with them for most of their formative years. The only other person I recognized so far was Teller.”
“And just when he was happy again.” She sighed. “Must it always be this way?”
“I thought you knew him better,” Grif said. “He’s not happy.”
“He looked that way when he was playing with the girls,” Vital noted.
“He’s content,” The Doctor spoke up. “He’s spent years being tortured by the people just outside his door, and he can do nothing about it. Currently, he is safe amongst those who do not wish him harm, but he has no vent for the rage and vengeance he feels. He’s not happy.”
“Then I’ll have to make him happy again,” Rarity said as she peered intently at the screen again. “I’ll do whatever is in my power to make it possible.”
“We still have a way to go, Rarity. Let’s see what happens before you decide what you need to do,” Grif said.
“I’ll still make plans, if that’s all right by you,” Rarity said cooly. In an instant, that coldness melted into vulnerability as she said, “He always did.”
“He also kept an eye on the facts. This will be thousands of years away, likely, by the time we see him again. The now, not the then, Rarity,” Grif said.
“All the more reason for me to plan something in the meanwhile. I’m not saying I won’t take your advice, Grif, but I’m tired of sitting here and doing nothing. I need to sew or spar or something.”
“Then come with me and let’s spar,” Grif said, getting up. “Lets work off some energy.”
“I’ll referee!” both Pensword and Vital Spark called simultaneously.
“Jynx! You owe me a soda,” Vital called.
“Really? You’re pulling that again, after all this time?”
Vital shrugged. “I felt nostalgic.”
The Doctor groaned and shook his head as the group left. “I’m surrounded by children.” A knife whizzed just under his chin, clipping a few strands of fur. He gulped. “I wasn’t referring to you, Grif.”
“By the way, where’s Twilight?” Vital asked.
“Derpy said they needed to have some girl talk. I’m not sure what about, but I know better than to question Derpy when she puts her mind to something.”
“Fair enough. You sure you don’t want to come watch, Doctor? It’s quite the show, and I hear you’re quite the swordsman, yourself.”
“No, thanks. I still have work to do here.” He gestured to the controls.
“Need some alone time with her?”
“I think so, yes.”
Vital nodded. “Good enough for me. And Doctor, thank you.” With that said, he passed through the passage to follow his friends and left The Doctor to his devices.
Hammer Strike frowned as he read over his plans once more. Some five months ago, Luna had her sixth birthday, and while it was a time for celebration, it left Hammer Strike uncertain, knowing they had only a year at most to finalize things.
What also left him uncomfortable was the constant thaumic presence surrounding the city. It was now reaching a familiar territory. He sat within the living room next to Terra and Tempus. Celestia and Luna played a game on their tablets nearby.
“How close are we to being ready?” he asked.
“We have a boat hidden and the food and goods stored away, but we can’t leave without one last thing,” Tempus noted.
“What are we missing?”
“E was working on getting us a medical cube.”
Hammer Strike hummed. “Probably for the best, though I don’t fully see how effective it’ll be.”
“It‘s able to handle most wounds and conditions, save for the most alien to us. It also can help with rejuvenating the body, because…” Tempus looked at Hammer Strike. “You won’t live as long as we will.”
“My lifespan is drastically less, yeah.” Hammer Strike frowned. “I suppose I could stick around longer than anticipated. Growing old never really suited me.”
“That, and you’re part of our family now. We’d rather not lose you so soon,” Terra said.
“I need to get ahold of Bright and let him know what’s happening,” Tempus said. “Hammer Strike, can you get to E?”
“When would you like me to go?”
“Sooner the better.”
Hammer Strike moved the curtains out of the way to look at the darkening sky. “Tonight won’t work. They’re likely to ‘deal’ with me if they find me at this hour.”
“What if you took Cayde with you?” Terra asked.
“I’m sorry, but stealth isn’t my strong suit. It’d be a difficult night.” He frowned. “It’s best to do it in the morning. I’m sorry.”
“If we have time, then it’s nothing to be sorry about. How much do we have left?”
Terra was cut off as a powerful wave of energy swept over all of them, interrupting their conversation as Hammer Strike’s eyes shut off momentarily and he collapsed onto the ground. His breathing suddenly became shaky.
Tempus caught the Earth Pony in his magic. “Are you all right?”
After a few seconds, Hammer Strike’s eyes suddenly activated once more, and he quickly dropped out of Tempus’ kinetic field. His eyes were pinpricks as he scanned over everything in the house. “They’re watching,” he muttered quickly. “No, no, that isn’t watching.” He quickly moved to the window once more, only to watch as a blackened figure descended from the clouds above. He couldn’t get a scale on the thing before it suddenly landed near the opposite side of the island. The top of the creature stood just barely below the layer of clouds. “No. No, no, no, no.” Hammer Strike backed away from the window and bumped into the coffee table. The outsider’s mark burned ever so slightly as he tried to gather his wits.
“Hammer Strike, what is it?” Terra asked. A shadow passed over the house briefly, then was gone as screams began to filter over the air.
“We need to go, now!” Hammer Strike shouted. “We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Less than that, even!”
Tempus opened his tablet and sent a simple message to their friends. RUN! before scooping up Celestia and Luna in his magic while Terra grabbed their emergency supplies.
“Where’s that medical cube located?” Hammer Strike questioned.
“Just follow the location, darling,” E’s voice suddenly cut in as a marker appeared in his vision. “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought it would be prudent to … make use of your augments in this fashion.”
“Don’t care, whatever works.” Hammer Strike’s brows furrowed. “It’s in the research wing of the city… Both the cube and that thing.” He frowned. “Terra, Tempus, get Celestia and Luna to the boat. I’ll go get the cube and deal with any opposition. Andre’s shop is on the way, and I’ll probably meet him part way there.”
“We’ll meet you at the boat,” Tempus agreed. The girls were still wrapped in his magic as they ran.
“By the Divine, what did they do?” Hammer Strike shuddered as he looked to the creature once more. This time, he perceived a warping tentacle that coiled and shifted before coating itself in blades. He shook his head and pulled his gaze away. This was not the time to stare. He set off immediately for Andre’s workshop. He needed Ulkrusher at least.
As Hammer Strike ran, he noted several Alicorns clearly rushing to the creature, most likely in an attempt to combat it. Others, however, were running past him, giving him no attention as he jostled through the flood of hooves, only to spot a familiar figure standing tall above the rest of the crowd heading his way.
“Andre!”
“Hammer Strike! It’s chaos out here!” the old Alicorn shouted as he levitated a variety of weapons in his grip.
“You need to head to the meeting point. Terra, Tempus, Celestia, and Luna are already there. Did you happen to grab Ulkrusher on your way out, or should I work on that at this moment?”
“Here.” The hammer floated toward him. “I’ll work to stall for now. You do what you need to get done.”
“I’ve got to get some medical cube from the research district.” Hammer Strike looked toward the creature. “Keep things as stable as you can on this end.”
“I’ll buy you the time,” Andre said firmly.
Hammer Strike nodded as he took hold of Ulkrusher once more and placed it onto his back where it suddenly took hold. He took a quick breath, then turned in the direction of the research district and headed off, doing his best to keep out of sight.
He was heading right for the abomination.
Hammer Strike stood around the corner from the lab marked by E. Looking around, he noted that the creature was somewhere north-west of him, though the sight of it was mostly blocked by a large cathedral-like building. He frowned as he looked to the entrance of the building, noting a lack of guards, but there was still some activity within.
If there were guard units still within, he’d have to avoid them, rather than drain his energy, or worse, be noticed by said abomination. He quickly moved up to the doors, then entered the facility’s entrance hall. The reception desk had been cleared some time ago. Using the map provided by his eyes, he began his descent into the lab.
What the map didn’t account for, however, was that many of the tunnels had collapsed, most likely due to the creature’s stomping about above wearing down structural integrity. Looking over his map once again, he noted that there was another way, though it was through a more restricted sector of the facility.
“Great,” he muttered.
Back on the TARDIS, Rarity bit down on her hooves at the sight of the panic. The thing continued to remain impossible to define as it passed through the empire. It seemed whenever the camera passed over it, the screen was overcome with static. A few seconds later, it would return to normal as it zoomed on Hammer Strike again.
“So, that’s what happens when thaumaturgy goes too far.” Vital shuddered.
“I always figured he had a reason for the paranoia, but seeing it in action, it all makes a lot more sense now,” Grif said.
“Cthulu is real,” Pensword muttered in disbelief. “Cthulu is real.”
“More like the old ones are real,” Vital corrected. He sighed. “I hate to think what might happen to Terra, Tempus, and Andre, though. If that thing was involved….”
“All we can do is wait and see,” The Doctor said. “Either that or leave the room till the moment’s past.”
“Nopony’s leaving,” Derpy said seriously as she fixed The Doctor with a lopsided glare. “If we can’t help him in person, then we can still cheer him on.”
“I just hope they get out safely.” Rarity brushed a free hoof over the screen. “Be careful,” she whispered.
“We know he survives.” Grif shrugged, pointing a talon at the Doctor as he opened his mouth to say spoilers. The timelord stopped himself. “Let's just wait and see.”
Hammer Strike frowned as he stopped in his tracks, using the gift from the Outsider, his vision darkened and he watched as a few guards patrolled the halls nearby, one of which was heading his way. Looking to his side, he noted one of the labs nearby was open, giving him a spot to hide while the guard passed.
After the moment of reprieve had passed, he continued on his path, wondering what was so important down here that the guards weren’t allowed to leave the facility, despite the creature being just above their heads.
It wasn’t until he hit a cross section that he sighed. He now had a new issue, that issue being two guards stationed in the hallway he needed to traverse. They weren’t standard guards, from what he could see through the walls. Combat wouldn’t be a good idea, since if they set off the alarm, he’d have a whole building after him. At the moment, he also had a guard behind him on patrol that would probably pass through his area soon.
“Come on,” he muttered. “What would Grif do?”
“Look for the outs. If you don’t need to make a kill, try and find an alternate path,” Grif said. “If that doesn’t work, kill the patroller. He’s alone, and it’ll take longer to find him. Then you can figure out the next step,” Grif said.
“Patroller is behind me. Taking him out doesn’t help the stationary guards,” Hammer Strike muttered.
“Kill the stationaries and he’ll find the bodies before you can hide them. He’s moving. They aren't going to wonder where he is,” Grif noted. “It buys time.”
Hammer Strike frowned as he pulled out his magitech pistol and turned his attention behind himself. “Patroller, then stationaries should work fine,” he finished with a nod.
“All right, how are you doing that?” the Doctor demanded. “This is just getting ridiculous.”
“I don’t know.” Grif shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him when we see him.”
The Doctor grit his teeth as Derpy came forward and offered a consolation muffin.
Back on the island, Hammer Strike nodded as he shoved the corpse of the patrol Pony into one of the side rooms, underneath a desk. Then he entered the hall and waited for an opening. He got it when a rumble shook through the facility, causing the guard on his left to look behind. As soon as his head turned, Hammer Strike moved around the corner and fired on the one on the right before following with the left to ensure there wouldn’t be so much as a second of time given for them to register his presence.
He frowned as he followed his previous method, ensuring that he thaumically collected any blood that may or may not have escaped. As soon as the corpses were dealt with, he continued on his path toward the medical cube.
As he moved through the halls, he ran into a strange room. Screens covered the walls, showing countless faces and notes on genetic testing. One of the more prominent faces, however, was his own. Across the room were a series of tubes, untouched by the chaos happening above. He didn’t have time to figure any of this out, and he knew it.
He growled to himself before an idea sprung to his mind. His hoof glowed with thaumic energy as he quickly wrote down a message. In the future, Grif passed through this district, meaning he potentially came across this room.
He’d have to leave a trail for Grif to follow to ensure things played out correctly.
He grabbed what he could and shoved it aside, ensuring he marked it for Grif before heading out once more. He frowned as he passed by several sectors, until he started to register a familiar series of rooms. Though he went through a different entrance, this facility was connected to the containment facility that had held him for so many years. Opening one room revealed a familiar surgical machine. He scowled, marked a note for Grif, and carried on.
It wasn’t until he felt a sudden pull on his mind that he realized something was wrong. He felt a pair of consciousness become alert by his presence, despite the fact that he didn’t see anyone. He frowned as he followed the pull to a small chamber, where two chambers sat side by side. A familiar black substance churned within them. It was the stuff that nearly killed him before he snapped their hive mind link.
The two ‘creatures’ approached the observation barrier as he drew clower. They weren’t going to hurt him anymore; he was positive of that. But they could prove useful to him.
After a moment of debate, he opened the capsule chutes attached to the rooms, and the two creatures proceeded to exit and stand next to him. The question was how to transport them without being noticed. He couldn’t have them follow behind. It would be too visible. As he pondered the possibilities, the two creatures leaped into action and attached themselves to Hammer Strike’s coat. There was no ill intent from the link, so he watched, instead as they seemingly disappeared, leaving just his coat behind. However, as he observed his coat once again he noted new additions to it, including his insignia on his shoulders.
“Okay, you can shapeshift with items?” he muttered in confusion before shaking his head. He didn’t have time to figure this all out right now.
He picked up the quest again and eventually passed through containment. He tried his best to remain out of sight. Most of the beings in the cells were unconscious, probably knocked out, from what he gathered. Eventually, he came across his old cell. He frowned before leaving a note behind once again and continuing on his way.
Eventually, he found the sector he was looking for. The familiar scent, or lack thereof, of the medical wing was welcome, and it didn’t take long for him to find the special containment section. In one such container, a small black cube hovered with a series of thin blue crystals next to it. A quick scan revealed them to be a power source of some kind. He shrugged to himself before collecting the cube and crystals, then placing them within his coat.
No sooner had he done so then the ground shook beneath him, resulting in him losing his footing. He groaned as he picked himself up. The lights above flickered before they settled once more.
Hammer Strike didn’t have much time, and he knew it. He backtracked as quickly as he could, only to note more collapsed tunnels. He frowned as he looked at his map again, noting a few potential hallways he could take.
It was at this point that he realized there was a significant lack of guards compared to earlier, which meant even they were pulled from the building. He growled to himself as he galloped toward the entrance, only to encounter more rubble. There weren’t any additional ways to go, leading him to try and figure out how he was going to get out. As he debated, a loud crash sounded from behind him. A section of the wall had blown inward. The fresh corpse of an Alicorn laid underneath some of the rubble. It was clear they were dead. As for the how…
A loud thump echoed throughout the hallway from the new hole, leading Hammer Strike to peek around the corner. It wasn’t far off at this point. Give or take a mile. Across from him was the cathedral he had seen earlier with a similar hole in the wall across the way.
He frowned to himself as he looked between the hole and the abomination. He needed to get out of there, but not when the creature was looking, which meant he’d need to at least get to the cathedral and use it to block line of sight. But he needed an opening. While he was strong, speed was definitely not his strong suit. Using the vision Outsider had gifted him again, he looked to the creature and crouched to prepare for the mad dash.
The Outsider’s mark glowed beneath his coat and his awareness seemed to separate from his body as he watched his form turn to ash that blew away in an unseen wind. He watched the ashes dance silently and undetected before sliding through the hole in the cathedral wall, only to clump together and reform the shape of his body. A moment later, he found himself back in his own head staring back at the hole that had been broken through the research facility’s walls.
“The hell was that?” he questioned quietly as he looked to his hooves, then the Outsider’s mark. Ever the warrior, he scanned his surroundings for danger, even as he steadied his breath to calm himself. The room was dark, thanks to the mass of the creature that hovered outside, but a few lights and fires provided enough illumination to see by. Great stained glass windows decorated the walls of the structure, each portraying various events in the history of the Alicorn Empire. The ceiling was a vaulted structure, and shadows danced like ravenous beasts in a frenzy as the torches and candles flickered wildly. Twelve plinths lined the walls, six on either side, each holding an identically sized stone. The ones on the left bore all shimmering gold gems that refracted the light and glowed from within as they stood on their carved bases. The stones on the right were nigh-identical, but they were a deep mournful blue. These plinths inevitably drew the eye to the three altars and the imposing statues that lay behind them, but there was no time to take it in.
However, what did merit his attention was a small object sitting on Faust’s altar. A single twenty-sided die of purple and green coloration pulsed and glowed in place. He frowned as he walked up to it. The Alicorns had found one of the most valuable and powerful magical items to exist in the world and left it within the cathedral. That was less than wise.
Hammer Strike was roused from his disapproval by an earth-shaking roar that shattered the windows and left the walls less stable than before. That made up his mind. He quickly took hold of the die and rolled it. He’d need whatever edge he could get in the times to come.
The hall clattered with the sound of the die’s bounding. Finally, it settled on the number nineteen. After a brief flash of light he blinked and looked to the object that now sat in the die’s place. A solid gold apple waited for its summoner.
Hammer Strike sighed as he looked over it. The item didn’t seem to generate any significant power, but perhaps it was something else? He frowned, then took an experimental bite. As his teeth sunk into the fruit, he felt a surge of energy wash over his body, and his vision flickered out.
After some time, he suddenly came to on the floor. All his augments were sending reports to his head at once. Something was wrong with them. Their readings were suddenly incorrect. After a brief time taken to test his body, they finalized their new report, dictating that a change had arisen in his physiology.
He felt sore as he stood upright and read through the report. His muscle density had increased, but it felt like it was more than that. He groaned as he tried stretching to relieve his body in some way. It was at this point that he realized the gemstones within the pedestals were now, in fact, surrounding him, hovering off the ground in a circular pattern around him.
He reached out a hoof to poke one, only to feel a substantial amount of energy come from it before he even made contact. He frowned and determined that he would figure them out later. A loud crash sent reverberations through the whole cathedral. The abomination was near.
He raced out the main entrance. Once he was certain of his position, he set off in the direction of their meeting point. Everyone was bound to be there already, so he needed to get to the boat as quickly as he could. It was only a matter of time before that thing would move to a different district.
He rounded several corners and streets, trying his best to stay out of sight, only to nearly run into an Alicorn soldier of some kind. They were wearing some sort of armor that covered most of their body in gray plating with a black combat suit underneath. He realized that the soldier in front of him was also decently big compared to most Alicorns that he’d run into by this point.
The soldier turned its attention to Hammer Strike only to let out a low growl. “Of course, prey like you are always so prone to looting.” His horn flared with crimson light. A sword levitated off his back and lit with the same aura. As he moved forward to swing, Hammer Strike attempted to match the blow, only to find himself overswinging. Ulkrusher felt off in his hooves, lighter, and … disconnected? He managed to avoid the blade, but took a hard blow to his side as another soldier joined his fellow.
Hammer Strike swung again and again. He overswung, causing the hammer to crash into a nearby wall and turn it to powder. There was some contentious laughter from the guard as he felt a kick from behind. On his next attempt, the hammer went flying as the flat of the blade impacted his hooves. Ulkrusher didn’t return to his hoof, and Hammer Strike found himself attempting to ward off his attackers with his bare hooves. Fortunately, Sleipnir’s horeshoes acted to protect their master, and assisted in deflecting the more lethal blows. However, one Alicorn caught the Earth Pony off guard with a blast of pure force to the side, and hammerstrike was sent through a nearby wall.
Hammer Strike groaned as he shifted rubble off himself. A warm substance ran slowly down his head until it reached his nose. He was bleeding, most likely from the impact and the partial building collapse. He growled and reached out a hoof to call Ulkrusher again. Again, it didn’t come.
“Damn it!” he roared. “Why won’t you listen, and come to me?” He reached out a hoof once more, only to graze one of the floating gemstones as they rotated around him.
His vision suddenly shifted to white. The augments hadn’t shut down. Instead, they appeared to be adjusting to a large amount of light. His body felt strangely numb as the light consumed him. And then everything suddenly came back as he gasped and tried to get oxygen to his body. His breathing was heavy. Something was different. He groaned as he planted his hooves on the ground and tried pushing himself upright.
Rubble shifted off him as he moved, and once he reached full height, he kept going. As he stood upright, he stumbled and righted himself. His coat didn’t fit him fully anymore. The sleeves looked as though they had pulled closer, and as the rubble shifted off his back, he felt a part of his back twitch. He looked to his hooves once again before carefully reaching up to his forehead.
He met resistance long before he touched the skin.
Resistance meant one thing, one absolutely absurdly impossible thing. And yet it was.
He had a horn.
The stones were gone now, but Hammer Strike could still feel their power with him. A constant stream of energy filled his body as he registered everything that happened. Whatever those stones were, they had somehow ascended him. He recognized the Alicorn form he’d taken in that brief moment on Wukong’s island, giving him some stability in his control.
He growled as he looked to the hole in the wall that he came from. Those Alicorns were just outside, waiting for him. He could see them.
Heat ran down his neck. Not the watery kind, like blood, but more thick and sludgy. His mane, tail, and eyes glowed a bright orange as he walked back through the hole at an almost sedate pace. The ground beneath him heated and scorched with every step. Buildings began to warp as their materials began to burn or melt. A large bubble of molten metal splattered out near him. He didn’t feel it.
The Alicorn with the sword growled and charged Hammer Strike again. Hammer Strike raised his hoof and caught the blade with little effort. Almost immediately, the metal turned a cherry red and melted to slag, much to the shock of its user. Hammer Strike didn’t even stop as he stepped through the slag. He lifted a single hoof and placed it on the Alicorn’s back.
There was a piercing scream as the scent of cooked meat filled the air. The Alicorn’s armor melted. Cloth disintegrated. Fur singed, and flesh cooked until it slid off the body, originating from the spot of contact and moving outwards. The others watched in horror as their comrade fell apart screaming from invisible flames.
One of the others attempted to run, only to find the stone beneath softening. With each step, the ground gave way, deeper, deeper, swallowing his hooves as Hammer Strike grabbed the sword of one of the others in his own bright orange magic. The great sword immediately matched the arcane glow as it took on the heat as well as the power. With little more than a flick of his head, the great sword swung. It met no resistance as the heated blade cut armor, cloth, fur, flesh, muscle, sinew, and bone without stopping. It bisected the Alicorn who’d owned it from breast to tail.
Turning to the next victim, he impaled the arrogant warrior with the sword before he could react. Then his horn pulsed as an orange glow could be seen from inside the Alicorn, who began to scream. The screams got louder as Hammer Strike’s horn pulsed again, and again, and again. It pulsed almost like a strobe until both sword and alicorn exploded in a flash of light with a sickening pop. Cooked flesh and molten metal rained around Hammer Strike as he turned to the immobilized Alicorn struggling to get away.
He stopped and simply stared at him.
The guard sighed for a moment, thinking he may be left alive to tell the tale. Then he felt it, the heat around his hooves. He looked down just in time to see the stone beginning to redden as pain exploded in his hooves. The stone quickly turned molten as the Alicorn began to sink again, this time faster than before. This wasn’t mud. This was a puddle of fire. His world became nothing but pain and searing heat that spread higher, higher, and higher still. It would be a slow and painful death filled with the cries of the damned. And the whole while, Hammer Strike just stood watching.
Watching, and grinning.
“‘And so I have become death, the destroyer of worlds,’” Grif quoted as the scene returned to static.
“And so the oppressed is given room to vent at last. He really is scary when he gets that mad, isn’t he?” Vital asked.
“You try being tortured for seven years and see how you feel about it,” Pensword said.
Vital shrugged. “Fair enough.”
“It’s a few hundred times what he went through at the red fort,” Grif noted. “It’s to be expected.”
Rarity was quiet as she watched the events unfold. Her husband had just ascended into an Alicorn and destroyed every opponent in a cruel and brutal manner. Processing that was going to take time.
“I know it’s not something you’re used to, but this is what war and a warrior’s life means,” Grif said. “Kind to your allies, good to your family, but you only give an enemy as much respect as he would give you.”
“It’s no wonder Celestia abhors war,” Rarity said softly. “It really is such an ugly thing, isn’t it?”
“And it’s necessary,” Grif said.
“Just don’t ask me to dress it,” Rarity retorted as she returned her gaze to the monitor again.
Twilight’s pupils had shrunk to tiny pinpricks as her teeth grated and her ear twitched. She had just witnessed the full destructive might of magic combined with thaumaturgy, along with the consequential beings that were drawn to that power. To summarize, Twilight.exe officially stopped working, and the task manager was not available for access. It would take time for that system to reboot, time that she had plenty of.
Hammer Strike frowned as he shifted Ulkrusher on his back. He was deep within the residential district, nearing their meeting point at the coast. His movement was significantly faster, now that he had longer legs. And occasionally, he would try to give a small flap of his wings to keep himself moving.
Eventually, he crossed the threshold of buildings and moved to the coast, where he found a small alcove with familiar figures within. What he expected did come to light, however, as most of them didn’t seem to recognize him at first. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to realize the truth.
“Hammer Strike?” Terra balked at the sight of the newly ascended Alicorn.
“Affirmative,” Hammer Strike replied with a nod. “To put it simply, some artifacts in the Cathedral seemed to have … bound to me in a way. They visually looked like gemstones.”
“Artifacts in the…? You’re telling me you bound yourself to the most powerful godly relics on the island? How are you still even alive?”
Hammer Strike shrugged in return. “I didn’t mean to, but they just … did it.”
“As interesting as this is, we are still in a city under attack,” Tempus noted.
“The creature is in the research district. Judging by its movement pattern, it’ll be heading over to the military structures on the opposite side of the island first.” Hammer Strike shook his head. “Personally, I’d suggest we wait a moment, let it get a little more distance before determining who sets off from here, followed by the others.”
“Regardless, we’ll have to move quickly,” Terra said. “Is everyone ready?”
“Mother, where’s your boat?” Celestia asked.
“Your father and I are going a different way. Hammer Strike will be better equipped to take care of you and your sister where you’re going.”
“Are all the supplies set in each of the boats?” Hammer Strike asked.
“Yes. Does everyone have his or her tablet?”
Hammer Strike reached into his coat and pulled out his as everyone revealed theirs. “We’re clear on that. All right. If there are no issues, I will set off with Celestia and Luna. Terra and Andre, you’ll be heading off in the last ship while Tempus, Teller, and E will take the next one. We got everything covered?”
Andre levitated a small vial to Hammer Strike. Inside of it lay a small crystalline acorn. “You should take this for safe keeping.”
“What is it?” Hammer Strike questioned as he took hold of the vial.
“Harmony.”
Hammer Strike raised a brow before looking to the crystal acorn once again. After a moment, he nodded and placed it in his coat pocket. “That should be everything. Keep your tablets active.”
They all nodded to him. Tempus gave his daughters one last hug, and Terra kissed them both goodbye.
“We’ll see you both again soon. Be brave for me, okay?” Terra asked.
Luna sniffled and nodded while Celestia held her close.
Hammer Strike nodded as he started to get the boat to the water. The sea appeared to be calm at the moment, but they had a long journey ahead of them. He frowned as he ensured everything was secure one last time before getting Celestia and Luna aboard. After one last confirmation from everyone, he started the motor and set off.
Terra and Tempus allowed themselves one final wave to send them off, then turned quickly to join the others and prepare their own crafts for escape. The hour of destruction was at hand.
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A few references I recognized. Another that seemed familiar. Got to the end of the chapter and got a case of the sadz because this chapter had me so wound up.
The alicorns decided to enforce their control of power by abusing the square root of NOT?
Im eagerly waiting to see how they get rid of Mr Stompy there without loosing the island, never mind the planet.
Two lots of Elements? Or is there only the one lot, but the two parts had to be blended and merged for them to actually become coherent, stable and useable?
I recognized Destiny and the incredibles, pity its only updated once a month it's officialy THE Best story on this website.... and i mean it. Actualy its kinda weird that this story doesn't have more likes and views considering it's sheer quality now that i think about it
Well we know where the Crystal Empire came from. I wonder where the other two groups go?
I have this bad feeling that Terra and Tempus don't have a boat, I do hope that I'm wrong.
No wonder Time is in such a state on this Equus. It's a mess of predestination paradoxes involving four beings not even born on it.
Harmony... the seed that grows into the tree, one assumes?
I swear, I hear the dwarves' theme song every time I read about them.
"Born underground! Suckled from a teat of stone!" Gives me chills too.
Wow, holy cow! That was a wild ride. We found the Black Box under unity/the hive now, I'm getting strong pandorica vibes. I wonder what will happen to E and everyone else.
I'm excited to see this next chapter!
I am now scared of the length of this adventure and I don’t even want to see the longest book in recorded history just yet. (btw this will be my summer)
Wow! Honestly i suspected hammer strike was an Alicorn waiting to ascend from when he was retraining celestia. I hope shawn gets to vivsit his human parents with Celestia and luna. So is hammer strike gonna raise discord too, is he child aged?
To quote a certain man in regards to those soldiers,
He ded
Please tell me that you all haven't given up on this story. It's one of the best on this site.
10177145
We haven't, we're all just dealing with our own situations that resulted in the story being delayed. Once the latest chapter is edited, it'll be released, as per usual.
10180385
Oh, thank goodness. Thank you very much for letting me know.
10118877
Agreed.
Metal Gear reflex mode reference?