25 -- Ready Room
She has been lost in space, but she and others search for her rightful place.
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09:30, 12/05/2015, STRIKE READY ROOM, CANTERLOT
The brief lull in alien activity in the wake of Princess Cadance’s fall had given everyone a much needed chance to catch their breath. Armor was repaired and replaced. Ammunition and fresh faces were brought in from Earth. All three MECs were also stripped down and repaired in preparation for whatever big push that Murphy’s Law stated would be coming very shortly.
True to the old axiom, the morning of the fifth saw two deployments before the sun rose, and a third nearly an hour after. Just as quickly as the Strike Ready Room emptied of soldiers moving to interdict the aliens, off-duty operators, volunteers, and support staff rushed in to fill the void.
I suppose its interesting to see how all of these different people cope with the pre-battle jitters, Matt thought as he surveyed the gathered soldiers. The minotaurs can’t spend more than ten minutes waiting before they break out dice or some other game. I also can’t help but notice that they’ve become incredibly wary of Finch since the first night of gambling he spent with them. A small smile crept onto his face as he recalled Fujikawa’s very terse reprimand to the British soldier for apparently taking the minotaurs for everything they were worth. His fearsome gambling reputation had even spread to the other races, much to Finch’s dismay.
Matt’s smile slowly faded as he caught sight of the launch and receiving areas. About half of the area was dedicated to pegasi and their chariots, which could manage an impressive clip of speed to reach almost anywhere in the lands that the ponies lived in under an hour in an emergency. These were often reserved for clean-up operations, since the capacity for teleportation provided a much faster means for reaching the battlefields when the aliens attacked.
The teleportation areas were run by rotating shifts of unicorns from the Arcanum. From what Matt had learned, the Arcanum was an organization primarily dedicated to the advancement of magic through careful study and experimentation. A significant number of the unicorns that Matt had witnessed working the launch area were older but no less enthusiastic in the practical applications of their studies. That enthusiasm was usually subdued when the Strike teams returned with fewer members than when they left.
“Strike Three is returning!” a familiar voice shouted, and a collection of medical and support staff gathered around the receiving area in anticipation. A flash of light and BAM of displaced air heralded the return of the first strike team that had been deployed that morning, and the relative calm of the ready area was shattered.
It was hard to see past the crowd of support staff, but Beowulf was easily identified by its height and vivid red armor. The armor itself had seen better days, as it was pockmarked with dimples and holes from the inline weapons of a Cyberdisk in addition to burn marks and scores from plasma fire. The MEC waited patiently for a path to open up before it separated itself from the mayhem and disappeared into the castle beyond.
In the brief moment when the gap appeared, Matt spotted an earth pony and unicorn in medical uniforms pulling off the armor of a pegasus that was sprawled on the ground. The rest of the Strike team walked or limped through the gap under their own power, save one. Durand pulled her helmet off as she watched the medics attempt to stabilize the pegasus. Wide eyes looked on with a combination of shock and horror, and she didn’t even notice the blood on her armor as she brought up her other hand to cover her mouth.
For all her gifted potential and desire to fight the aliens, Annette is still just a civilian, Matt thought with a small grimace as he watched his subordinate. If the medics aren’t looking at her, then the blood isn’t hers. Did she carry that pegasus? One of the last of the Strike operators tapped her on the shoulder, which snapped the French woman out of the daze she had been in, and Matt’s gaze followed the pair as they shuffled into the castle. I’ll have to check on her, maybe give her a couple of days off of the rotation to recover if I can.
A stretcher was brought out, and the pegasus was lifted gently onto it before she was rushed off to the medical wings. The remaining support personnel policed the bits of armor that had been removed from the pegasus before following to the armories. The last of the ponies that remained near the return areas was the one that Matt had heard earlier, and she was the one he was looking for.
Twilight Sparkle sat on the bench nearest to the return area, her eyes glued to the bloody patch where the pegasus had just been. Either out of respect for her position or her recent loss, none of the support personnel or Strike operators approached. It was a situation Matt intended to correct.
“Hey there, Twilight,” Matt said gently as he sat next to the alicorn’s left. He set his weapon and helmet against the bench before turning back. She looks worn out, but she isn’t as much of a wreck after some of the other things that happened. Maybe she’s coping better… or she’s getting used to this. He didn’t let that darker thought dissuade him from trying to make conversation. “How are you feeling?”
Twilight’s slightly bleary-eyed gaze turned upwards to look at Matt, though it took a moment and several blinks for them to focus on him. “Tired. My original shift as a teleporter ended last night at around midnight, but Professor Heart slipped and broke a foreleg when the the attacks were reported. I volunteered to fill in until the next shift.”
Matt nodded, before asking again, “And how are you feeling?”
Twilight’s head and shoulders drooped as she looked away. “I’ve been staying with my family for the past few days. Mom and Dad have been doing everything that they can for Shiny and me. Shiny acts the part of the Guard Captain, but I can tell he’s still hurting from what happened.” She drooped even more and her tone became sheepish, “I may have had to yell at him a little, but at least he isn’t so angry anymore.”
“You yelled at your brother, and he took it?” Matt asked incredulously. I suppose if the thought of Twilight yelling at someone surprised me, then it might have surprised Shiny too. Hell, if Lily screamed at me about something, it would give me a moment of pause. “Well, I suppose it was for the best, though that must have been really hard for you.”
“It was…” Twilight agreed as she drooped a little bit more before snapping upright and blinking several times. “I’m sorry, did you say something?” Her eyes turned up to Matt, but had a distinctly glazed-over appearance.
“You know, Twilight, I’m sure someone could come take over if you’re that tired,” Matt offered as Twilight began to droop again.
The alicorn shook her head and forced a smile. “No, I can finish this shift. And working keeps me from dwelling on… what happened.” She hesitated for just a moment before asking, “Can we maybe keep talking, but about something else? Please?”
Silence filled the gap in conversation before Matt finally settled on a topic. “Well, remember way back when on Earth when we were talking about our families? I had mentioned my sister, Lily, was being a lump about deciding what she wanted to go to school for, remember?” Twilight nodded, so Matt continued. “She’s only in her first year in college, but she’s going to try to become a doctor.”
“You don’t sound very confident in that decision.”
“If Lily were one of your people, her special talent would be riding the fence. It’s a little out of character for her to make a choice like this when she still has time to wait.” Matt caught the look Twilight was shooting him, and he sighed. “Just because I’m shocked doesn’t mean I won’t support the choice she made. I’m just worried she’s not thought this through. It takes a lot of time and effort to become a doctor.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” Twilight said as she looked back to the spot where the medics had worked furiously to stabilize the pegasus that was a part of the strike team. “Healers here usually have a natural talent for that sort of thing once their marks come in. They still have to practice and study, but they can usually start an internship at a local doctor’s office after they finish their primary education. From there they get practical experience. Isn’t that how things work on Earth?”
“Well, I’m not an expert on the subject, but—”
“You know, you say that a lot,” Twilight interrupted, and a small smile formed on her face. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you weren’t an expert at anything.”
The response caught Matt by surprise, and a glance towards the alicorn confirmed the small smirk he suspected was waiting for him. “Well excuse me, Princess Snarkle,” he quipped, expecting a small laugh in response.
“Where did you hear that name?” Twilight demanded, and the light of comprehension dawned on her. “Dad told you about it, didn’t he!? What did you two talk about? Tell me everything!” The exhausted expression had all but vanished from her face as she bracketed the human with a pleading stare.
I think she’s trying to be threatening… but it’s just too adorable. Matt tried and mostly succeeded in hiding the grin that the thought had brought him before he spoke. “Well, we talked a bit about our respective work environments prior to all of… this going on.” He waved his hands to indicate all of the preparations to fight the aliens before surrendering to the focused glare. “He also wanted to ask about how bad things were back home.” When Twilight’s glare didn’t relent, Matt let out a dramatic sigh. “We also talked about all of your most embarrassing moments growing up, as well as your deepest, darkest secrets. Baby and school pictures may have been shared at some point.”
Twilight held Matt under her gaze for a handful of seconds longer before looking down. “I swear, I’m going to get both Mom and Dad back, one of these days... “ she muttered under her breath.
“Don’t be too hard on your dad. I imagine it’s a rare opportunity for him as a parent to gush about one of his kids to someone new,” Matt offered with a smile before he arched an eyebrow. “Wait, what did your mom do?”
“NOTHING!” Twilight snapped, and Matt could have sworn the alicorn was looking away to hide a blush.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve probably got more embarrassing dirt on your brother than you at the moment,” Matt offered, before he cringed. “From what I hear, he wasn’t the most popular person at school.”
“Well, I was a bit young at the time and we ended up going to different schools…” Twilight said as she brought up a hoof to her chin in thought. “The ponies that he tended to hang out with weren’t what would be considered the ‘In’ herd, I guess. Plus he was absolutely terrible with mares, and he was really self-conscious about it. He’d probably be alone still if I had a different foalsitter. Cadance wanted...” Twilight’s voice dwindled into silence, and she looked back down to her hooves.
Crap, she needs something to distract her. She’s always been an easy mark for some gentle teasing. That sounds— Matt’s train of thought derailed and it took a monumental effort not to facepalm. Dear God, I’m turning into Lana. I’m so sorry, Twilight, but I can’t think of anything else to say. “What about you, Twilight? I know all about your friends now, but what about when you were in school? I think you might have mentioned it while we were on Earth, but your English was kinda bad way back then.”
“I was accepted to Princess Celestia’s school for magic, and almost immediately after I was her personal student. I didn’t really have much exposure to the other students, and I tended to stay by myself when opportunities came up.” Again the hoof came up to tap her chin. “I suppose I might have been a little intimidating considering my position with the princess. That’s probably no excuse, since I saw the opportunities but chose books instead.”
“If you say you sat and read an encyclopedia instead of having fun with friends, I’m going to be very sad for you, Twilight.”
“I didn’t read encyclopedias back then!” she denied quickly, before explaining. ”My tastes were a bit less… refined. I liked historical fiction, or stories that had some sort of historical inspiration. Made up stories of ponies who were there to witness the greatest moments in history, or ‘fish out of water’ stories where an ancient figure somehow appears in the present. My personal favorite was a story written by a griffon about mythological figures summoned from the past to battle for the legendary ‘Idol of Boreas’. The depictions of the mythological figures weren’t entirely accurate, but since the story hid their identities it made for an interesting investigation! I was able to identify all of them before the end of the story using all the little anecdotes and cultural cues that the author wove into the story, before the reveals.”
“Well, that’s impressive. I don’t get to read all that much anymore, but I do remember having fun losing myself in a story like that when I was still in school,” Matt said as he tried to recall the last thing he actually read that didn’t involve technical manuals or mission reports. Was it Harry Potter… or something with the greek gods? Man, I feel old.
Twilight’s eyes clouded over as she lost herself in some sort of happy place. “Well, if you’d like, I can dig up my old copies of that book I mentioned. It’s not in English yet, though, so I’d have to read it to you.”
“That sounds good, Twily,” Matt agreed. A moment passed before another question struck him. “I know that reading is serious business for you, but have you ever just picked up a book just to pass the time? Like a light novel or something? My mom has a wall of trashy romance novels that my sister has been poaching f—”
“NO, absolutely not! Weren’t we talking about something else? Earth doctors! Tell me about Earth doctors.”
The sudden change in topics caused Matt to glance at the alicorn. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of hers, he thought as he cleared his throat. “Well, the last I had heard, it takes something like seven years worth of higher education before someone can practice medicine. There might be more if they have a specific focus, but I really don’t know anything about that.”
“I suppose that sounds a lot like Zecora. She’s a Zebra alchemist that lived in Everfree before… all this,” Twilight contributed before bringing up one hoof to her chin. “She can do some really miraculous things with her mixes, but it was something she had to learn how to do.”
“Exactly,” Matt agreed. “I don’t mean to speak ill of Lily, but medical school is extremely expensive. I’m more than willing to help cover it…” Especially since XCOM’s paying me extremely well because of what I can do, “...but I’d rather not waste thousands of dollars if she suddenly decides to become an artist that throws paint at a canvas for money.”
“Uh… Matt?” Twilight asked, a small amount of concern in her voice.
“I’ve got nothing against artists!” Matt backpedaled from his previous statement hastily. “I also want nothing but the best for Lily… within reason. She was so indecisive before, and making a choice for such a difficult profession now seems to have all the hallmarks of one of her hasty decisions. Maybe I should just let her take out student loans until she’s committed to a career, then offer my help with the bills?”
“Matt?” Twilight asked while looking deliberately away from him. Her tone caused the human to pause mid ramble. “Your, uh… your hand is…”
During the conversation, Matt’s right hand had moved up to rub Twilight’s shoulders seemingly of its own accord. “Ah, sorry about that,” he said as he pulled his hand away quickly. The once comfortable atmosphere between them disappeared just as abruptly. Way to make it weird, bub.
“You know…” Twilight started, her voice so quiet that Matt almost missed it. “I-if you took the gauntlet off, I wouldn’t mind if you kept doing that.”
Matt glanced down at his armored hand, then gave Twilight another look. There’s only so much that words can do to help, right? If it’ll help Twilight... His left hand undid the straps and pulled the glove off of his right.. The armor piece was placed at his left side along with his helmet, and his hand once again found itself resting on her back between her shoulder blades. He nearly pulled away in surprise when she leaned back against his hand.
I thought that this would be really awkward without a conversation to distract us, but this isn’t so bad, Matt thought as he continued to rub the tight spots in Twilight’s lower neck and shoulders. She continued to lean back into his hand much like the farm cats that he had encountered growing up. Twilight’s eyes had long closed, and she was finally beginning to relax if Matt was any judge.
A handful of minutes passed before Matt attempted to restart their conversation. Those attempts were halted before they started when Twilight leaned heavily against him. Before he could speak up, she had stretched herself out across his lap while mumbling about lumpy pillows. Another moment passed and she was fast asleep.
With no easy way of escaping, the only things that Matt could do was smile and gently pat her head as she got her well-deserved rest.
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10:01, 12/05/2015, STRIKE READY ROOM, CANTERLOT
Despite the terrible loss that Canterlot had suffered less than a week earlier, the crippling despair and fear that Firecracker had been expecting had failed to manifest. The disguised changeling (and, if she was honest, Chrysalis) had thought that the loss of one of the immortal alicorns would have been a blow to morale that the ponies could never recover from. Instead, there was an undercurrent of resolve growing in everyone in the capital.
When Princess Celestia had fallen into her coma after the first attack on Canterlot, it had been a shock unlike anything the ponies had ever known. Princess Celestia was a fixture in their society, as permanent and immovable as the world beneath their hooves. To see her wounded so was a blow to the belief that Celestia would always watch over and protect her little ponies. Princess Cadance’s death nailed home the truth that, while they proved immune to the ravages of time, the alicorns were still very vulnerable to those with ill intent.
That realization was quickly followed by another indisputable fact: Both Princess Cadance and Princess Celestia had deliberately placed themselves in harm’s way to protect their subjects. There had been no hesitation, nor insistence that others fight alongside them. Princess Celestia had teleported all of her Solar Guard from the fight as she unleashed her wrath during the first attack, and Princess Cadance had ordered her personal guard to cover the retreat of the defenseless while she attacked the enemy directly.
Such behavior wasn’t exactly surprising for most ponies, who had relied on the Princesses to deal with the cosmic threats of the distant past. The behavior took on entirely new meaning when the mortality of the alicorns was brutally reinforced by the aliens. More than one strategist had also noted the extremes that the aliens had resorted to against them.
‘If the alicorns fall, we will be helpless,’ many ponies had thought in despair.
Far more had answered, ‘The alicorns have protected us until now. It’s time that we protect them.”
Despite not technically belonging to the race in question, Firecracker couldn’t help but share the sentiment. The alicorns feel the weight of responsibility that their powers give them, and I have a terrible suspicion that the aliens are using that against us. I suppose we should be thankful Princess Luna’s wise enough not to stick her neck out where she might get caught without backup, she thought before her eyes settled on the newest of the princesses.
Twilight Sparkle wasn’t excluded from this protectiveness, despite her relative inexperience with her position. More than one guard had witnessed her attempt at defense in the first battle of Canterlot, and only a precious few were made aware of how she had coped after that. Princess Twilight’s heart is in the right place, but she’s still very much a child when compared to the other princesses, and not just in age. Everypony relates to her because she was just like everypony less than a year ago, Firecracker concluded as she looked over the gathered soldiers of the many races in the capital. I really should go say hello to Twilight. I heard she pulled a double shift for one of the older unicorns who went and got himself hurt getting out of bed. The disguised changeling rose from her bench seat with every intention of helping the young alicorn, but two things stopped her.
The first was when she spotted the pony in question with Captain Harris. Twilight was half sprawled out on the bench with her forelegs and head resting on one of Matt’s legs. The soldier was absently running his hands through her mane and scratching her ears with a content smile on his face. The pair positively radiated warm feelings, and it took no small amount of willpower for Firecracker not to move closer to bask in that energy.
The second thing that held her at bay was Lana Jenkins, who sat on her own bench a short distance away. The hallmark emotion of the human, the meddling need to fix, was gone as she watched Matt and Twilight. In its place was a calm sense of satisfaction and happiness… laced with the the smallest taste of bitter envy.
That mix of contradictory emotions convinced Firecracker to change her destination. She trotted up to stand beside Lana and cast her a sideways glance. When she failed to react, the changeling spared another look towards Twilight and Matt. “See someth—”
“Jesus!” Lana swore as she nearly jumped out of her seat. She tensed and half rose from her sitting position before throwing an annoyed glare at Firecracker. “Sneaking up on me isn’t the best way to make me like you, you know.”
“I didn’t sneak up on you. I was as stealthy as a gutshot minotaur,” Firecracker replied, before smiling widely. “Since we’re on the subject, though, what is the best way to make you like me? Inquiring minds want to know!”
Lana’s initial response was a flat stare. “Was there something you wanted?” she asked as she finally looked away.
“Nothing in particular, just that I think I’ve figured it out,” Firecracker explained as she sat on the marble next to Lana’s bench. When the human looked back at her, the changeling answered the unasked question. “Why you act the way you do around me, and around those two.” She waved a hoof at Twilight and Matt.
“Oh, is that so?” Lana’s tone was anything but curious.
Firecracker smiled and nodded as confidently as she could fake. I need to be very careful here… if I use the wrong words, then the least of my problems will be never seeing her again. “I suppose I should preface my explanation with a question. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of something called ‘the changeling’s dilemma’? It’s a story that bounced around the mid ranks of my family. Those that were higher rank wouldn’t entertain such a story for fear of mother dearest, and those of lower rank… couldn’t care less, I suppose.”
Firecracker didn’t have to look at her intended audience to know that she had Lana’s attention. Despite her earlier tone, the spark of curiosity had taken root. “The changeling’s dilemma is about a changeling that had worked its way into a position that was ideal: a matchmaker. Lonely ponies would go to her for help, and she would arrange for them to meet somepony else. She was so good at her job that her reputation became somewhat widespread, so that ponies from near and far would visit her to find love… and in exchange she covertly soaked up all the excess love that the couples had for each other.
“This matchmaker was proving to be one of the most productive members of the hive with her harvests, until something unanticipated happened: a pony approached her and expressed interest in her specifically. It was the… oh, what’s that human phrase? Holy Grail? It was the Holy Grail of any changeling, to be offered love directly instead of living off of the excess emotions from others. This was not something the changeling had anticipated, as the identity she was wearing was a complete fabrication rather than a stolen one, and was designed to be as unremarkable as possible in every way. This changeling was a master at mimicking established identities flawlessly, but she wasn’t trying to be anypony besides herself in her current position. That meant that the pony interested in her… was interested in her, not the face she was wearing. To a creature that lives by being anypony but herself, the realization was terrifying.”
Lana had looked away halfway through the story. “That’s a lot of work you’ve put into that bullshit story, Firecracker.”
This is it. All or nothing. Firecracker pulled her gaze from the human as she took a breath. “I think you’re the changeling in this story, Lana. You laugh and make jokes, and you tease both Captain Harris and Princess Twilight mercilessly. I’ve also spoken with some of your other comrades and some of the volunteers from Earth, and they all describe you as a good-natured pest. You also go out of your way to help in your own way. That’s a mask, though. It’s an identity you’ve created for yourself so you can interact with the world around you and achieve your goals while keeping everyone at arm’s length. No one takes you seriously, so they never try to get closer, right?
“The notable exception would be me, but I don’t understand why—” The faux unicorn looked to Lana, and slowly took a step back.
Lana’s expression was devoid of her usual good cheer, or the forced good cheer that was more common when Firecracker was nearby. What was perhaps more shocking for the changeling was the complete lack of… any emotion from the human.
“Perhaps I was mistaken. Forgive me for my assumptions,” Firecracker apologized as she continued to backpedal. A passing minotaur walked between the pair and broke their line of sight, and the changeling used the opportunity to practically gallop away from the scene. I suppose that’s another way that humans are like my people, she thought as she caught her breath. A changeling wouldn’t appreciate someone confronting them about who they really are, either.
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12:00, 12/05/2015, STRIKE READY ROOM, CANTERLOT
When Victor Spiegel had first reported for his duty shift, he had initially chosen his usual spot near where the pegasi all gathered. After the ‘eventful walk through the woods’, as Headwind had so helpfully described it, the human had found a small amount of celebrity among the flying ponies. After dragging some conversation out of him, it was only a matter of time before they learned of his background as a fellow flier (albeit with some help) back on Earth. From then on, they had practically insisted that Victor join their little group while waiting for deployment.
Today was not one of those days, however. The moment Victor had entered the ready room and spotted Twilight Sparkle, he ducked down and headed to the far side of the room. The idea had initially seemed sound, as the area he had chosen to hide was relatively low traffic. When Headwind had stopped by, Victor found out why.
The entire wall opposite of Victor’s bench had been covered from end to end with with loose papers, parchments and pictures. He couldn’t read a word of it, as the translation talisman given to him only affected what he could hear. That hadn’t stopped him from speculating as to what was the purpose of it all, as a significant number of the pictures were of smiling families or of individuals posing or making funny faces.
“All of this was sent for the guardsponies and other volunteers who are fighting,” Headwind had explained. “Some are to give thanks for their work or for saving somepony they knew. Some others are for family and friends who have gone missing. Some of the posts are for remembering the ones that won’t ever be coming back.” The pegasus had opened his mouth to say more, but stopped and went up to a specific place on the wall before nodding to Victor and taking his leave.
It’s the story of my life for the last six months, Victor thought ruefully as he looked up at the wall of well wishes, missing persons, and fond farewells. He pointedly did not look in the direction that Twilight had been sitting three hours ago. I’m stuck with two choices, and both of them suck.
“Um… Mister Spiegel?” an unexpected (but not unwelcome) voice asked from Victor’s left. Fluttershy gave the human a smile before waving a hoof at the white unicorn (Rarity, if I remember right, Victor thought) standing behind her. “I hope you’re doing well. If it isn’t too much of a bother, I thought you could use a snack while you were waiting.”
“I actually would really like that. Thanks,” Victor replied, eager for anything to distract him from his current predicament. He tapped the bench beside him, and the pegasus hopped up and began to dig into the saddlebags. I should probably feel guilty for all the little treats she brings for me, he thought as he recalled his visits to the medical wards and the little gifts that had always been waiting for him. Come to think of it, I hope they didn’t assume I was visiting her because of all the snacks. It would feel too much like bribery.
Any feelings of guilt he had were suddenly fighting an uphill battle with hunger, as Fluttershy produced a small wrapped package filled with something that the XCOM operators had seen very little of in the past month. A small portion of breaded meat was wrapped in some kind of flimsy paper, which elicited a look of both dread and temptation in the human. “Is this…?”
“Yes, it is, and it’s okay to eat,” Fluttershy said, answering both of Victor’s questions without him having to stumble over how to phrase them. “Most ponies aren’t comfortable around it, or around those that eat it during meal time. I took care of many different animals back home, and for some it was a staple of their diet. I suppose Rainbow Dash would be comfortable as well, since she was close friends with a griffon while we were growing up.”
Victor listened absently to the explanation as he shoveled half of the snack into his mouth in one bite. True to his luck, a horrible thought struck him as he swallowed. “This… this didn’t come from anything that talks, right?”
“No, it didn’t,” Fluttershy confirmed, though she pointedly did not watch as Victor devoured the last of the food. “I had spoken with one of the griffon chefs in their enclave, and he was the one who prepared it for me. He had a messenger falcon with an infection that I helped treat, so he considered it a fair trade.”
“I appreciate the thought, thanks,” Victor added as he continued to eat. He cast a concerned eye towards his companion. “How are you feeling? I would have thought you would still be resting. You took a really bad hit back in the forest, after all.”
Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “The doctors did a really good job with me after I got hurt, but they wanted to be certain there wouldn’t be any complications. My back sometimes feels stiff, but as long as I check in with the doctors regularly, they say there will be a full recovery!”
Victor’s returning smile was genuine, though it fell a bit as he continued to eat. “I’m glad to hear that. Are you sleeping any better?” When the pegasus looked down and shook her head, he reached out to pat her on the back before hesitating and aborting the gesture. Seeing bodies torn up like that, and Chryssalids ‘hatching’ would give anyone nightmares. “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the outsider here… but if Princess Luna has the ability to see your dreams, could she help out?”
“She has been helping me every night. The nightmares make everything worse, but her voice keeps me calm. It’s still horrible every time it happens, but it’s slowly getting better. Princess Luna says that talking about it with my friends is helping out, so I should thank you for listening.” The praise was offered with a warm smile from Fluttershy.
“Well, I’m glad I could help,” Victor said as he swallowed the rest of the impromptu meal. “I hope I don’t offend by asking, but was this snack a way of saying ‘thanks’ also?”
“No. It was really more of an apology,” the pegasus said before looking down. “I’m sorry. I swore that I would keep your secret, and the rest of the girls did too… but I’m afraid she knows. Twilight knows who you are, and I’m afraid she knows that you’re here.”
The look of horror on Victor’s face inspired a matching look of alarm on Fluttershy’s. “No, no! It’s okay! The girls and I had a chance to talk with her a few days ago. She’s just needed time to process it, I think. It also didn’t help that she was the one that got the message from Princess Cadance…”
She knows now. Jesus Christ… is there anyone who doesn’t know? Victor thought as he kept his eyes locked on the far wall. So what does this mean now?
“If you want, we can go talk to her. I know it isn’t going to be easy for you, though. I’m sure the rest of the girls wouldn’t mind coming with, or even just me if you want,” Fluttershy offered quickly before pointing with a hoof in the direction he had been avoiding all night. “She’s right over— oh. Oh my.”
Despite himself, Victor couldn’t resist the impulse to look in the direction that Fluttershy had indicated. It was hard to make out between the number of people in the way, but for a single moment, he spotted Twilight… and Captain Harris. The princess was sprawled out on the human’s armored lap, apparently fast asleep despite her chosen resting area. The captain had a hand resting on her neck, with his thumb rubbing the base of her ear lazily. By all appearances they both were enjoying their time together. Why would Flutters react like that— he started to ask himself, but a quick glance in the pegasus’s direction caused him to stop.
Fluttershy’s eyes were locked on the pair, and both of her forehooves covered the lower portion of her face. The hooves were not able to completely cover the flush that was coloring her, though.
“Fluttershy?” Victor asked, and the pegasus snapped out of whatever trance she had been in. He cast another look from Captain Harris then back to Fluttershy, then slowly lifted his right hand. “You know, if you want--”
“ThankyoubutIreallyshouldbegoinggoodbye!” she blurted out as she practically galloped out of the ready room.
Was it something I said? Victor asked himself as he gave one last look to Twilight and Harris before turning back to the memorial wall.
------
Twilight drifted in and out of consciousness as her fatigue fought a winning battle against the forces of responsibility and other things she couldn’t be bothered to remember at the moment. Ugh… I know that the beds at the spa aren’t exactly comfortable, but this is ridiculous, she thought, but she couldn’t muster the willpower to grumble about it. I had always thought Rarity went to Aloe and Lotus just for all those little beauty touches like for her hooves and mane. If she gets a massage like this every time she visits, I might have to go more often. I never knew those two ponies were so skilled with their hands— The moment the thought hit her, the forces of responsibility rallied and demanded that she wake up. There was something very important that she was forgetting, apparently.
This time, Twilight did manage to grumble as she slowly righted herself. She absently brushed one hoof across her face to mop up the line of drool that had appeared during her sleep before standing and stretching. Wow, the spa sure seems busy, she thought numbly as her sleepy eyes struggled to focus on everypony moving around her.
“Feeling better? You were out like a light for nearly six hours,” a familiar voice said from somewhere close by.
Twilight turned and it took a second for her to recognize Matt sitting rather closely to her. Matt? What’s Matt doing at the— Halfway through the thought, her mind finally shook off the rest of the sleepy cobwebs and revved up to full speed. This isn’t the spa. Aloe and Lotus don’t have hands. Matt has hands. And oh Celestia I was sleeping on Matt’s legs.
A creeping sense of horror began to take hold as she looked down at the area in question. I was drooling in my sleep. I drooled on Matt in my sleep while he was giving me a massage!
Some of that horror must have bled into her expression, which caused Matt to hold up his hands and offer a smile. “Don’t get bent all out of shape, Twily. I could tell how much you needed to relax and get some sleep. I was happy that I could make that happen.” It might have been Twilight’s imagination, but something in that smile took on a distinctly ‘Lana-like’ quality. “Besides, your dad might have said you were adorable when you sleep, so seeing it for myself was worth the price.”
“O-oh really, is that so? Well my shift is up so I should probably be going! Itwasnicetalkinggoodbye!” Twilight blurted out as she trotted away from the bench, and it took a large amount of restraint to not gallop or teleport to safety. The walkways were mostly clear of idle personnel, so she had an easy time of retreating to the restroom. Her hasty trot slowed as she approached the sinks. Once the water was flowing, she soaked a towel in the steaming water and then buried her face in it.
What just happened? she asked herself once she had calmed down enough to think rationally. Matt stopped by to talk, then he called me Princess Snarkle, Twilight stopped and made a mental note to exact some sort of horribly embarrassing revenge on her father before continuing. Then we talked about Shiny, then books, then human doctor schools… then… The memories of Matt’s hand on her back and shoulders, and waking up with him scratching her ears threatened to derail her concentration, so Twilight scrubbed her face furiously before hanging the towel up to dry. She took two steps toward the exit, but a glance at the mirror halted her in her tracks.
The water combined with the towel had done nothing good for Twilight’s appearance. Those, combined with the scrubbing, had caused the coat on her face and neck to puff out, and the bangs of her mane now looked like the CMC’s attempt to replicate Rarity’s styling. Ugh, I can’t go out there like this! she wailed internally before grabbing a second towel to try and smooth everything down. If only Rarity were here…
“Well, darling, you seem quite flustered after your nap.”
“Rarity!” Twilight yelped, nearly jumping out of her coat as she whirled around. She grabbed the mare in question and gave her a stare. “Are you reading my mind?!”
“Um… not that I’m aware of, Twilight,” the unicorn said with a nervous laugh. She backed a body length away before clearing her throat. “Truth be told, it wouldn’t take a mindreader for anypony to know what’s going through your mind, dear.”
“Nothing’s going through my mind right now!” Twilight denied, though she was far from convincing even to her own ears. She let out a frustrated sigh and glanced back to the mirror. “I don’t know what to do, and it's really frustrating.”
Rather than the expected light teasing, the first sounds that came from Rarity was the sound of her saddlebags opening up. A glance at the mirror showed a pair of brushes slowly levitating towards her, with a smiling Rarity behind them. “Well, lets get that coat and mane settled down, then we can talk a bit. You can tell me anything you want, and if you want my advice then I’ll offer it. I’m not here to micromanage or judge you, darling. I’m your friend, and I’ll do my best to help you in any way you think you need.”
“Well, it’s about--” Twilight started, before remembering that their current location wasn’t entirely private. “I have this friend. She… well, she went on a trip and met some really nice people. While she was on this trip she met a stallion who was really nice to her, but they agreed to just be friends while she was visiting. Now he’s visiting her, and he’s being really nice every time they’re together. Her problem is that she doesn’t know if she missed her chance when she set the ‘friends’ barrier during her first trip, or if the stallion being nice is just part of his culture and he isn’t interested, or if he is interested but waiting for her to make the first move…” Twilight’s run-on explanation petered out and she stopped to take a breath.
“Well, your friend is in quite a predicament,” Rarity observed, and her tone was far less teasing than Twilight had anticipated. “It sounds like there’s a few problems that she’ll need to overcome if she wants this friendship to become something more or, if nothing else, settle it for all parties involved. As far as you can tell, does your friend and this stallion have fun while they’re together?”
“I— She thinks so. With everything that’s been happening, a lot of their conversations tend to be ‘work-related.’ Ever since the attack on Canterlot last month, they’ve had a few conversations that were more personal than professional, I guess,” Twilight explained, though she stumbled with her words. “Does that make sense to you?”
“I think I understand, dear. Dramatic events can change relationships, and it sounds like something might have changed for this stallion during the attack. Perhaps he wishes to pursue the relationship more aggressively, what with the threat of an alien menace hanging over our heads?” Rarity asked as she ran the brush through Twilight’s mane. The smallest of grins appeared on the unicorn’s face as she continued, “Perhaps he discovered one of the many books that has been floating around the cap—”
“Absolutely not!” Twilight snapped almost reflexively.
Rarity’s chuckle was followed by a sigh. “I apologize for making a joke at your friend’s expense. There’s precious little to make light of lately. It sounds like your friend and this stallion need to sit down and have a serious talk about their intentions. As much as any mare wants to be swept off her hooves in the heat of the moment, I’m afraid this particular mare and her stallion will need to reach some sort of understanding. She wants to pursue a relationship with him, but lacks the confidence to make the first step. He might be holding back so as not to embarrass himself and the mare by being too forward. Or, the cultural concern you mentioned earlier could be a hindering factor. He could even just be a friendly type of stallion and doesn’t intend for it to go further. There’s just too many unknowns. They need to understand the other’s intent, and that isn’t going to happen without a serious conversation.”
“It’s that simple?” Twilight asked as she cast a pleading look at Rarity.
“I doubt anything is going to be simple between these two, Twilight,” Rarity answered with a smile. “Why don’t you look at this like one of your horrendously complicated homework assignments that Princess Celestia used to give you? Prune away all the unnecessary complexities and get to the heart of the problem.”
“Thanks, Rarity,” Twilight said, and a somewhat giddy sense of purpose entered her. I should have asked for help ages ago! I’m sure Princess Cad— Just like that, the feeling died in her chest only to be replaced with guilt. “Rarity? A-am I a horrible pony for worrying about these things so soon after Princess Cadance d...” The last word stuck in her throat.
The brushes going through Twilight’s mane halted, and the alicorn immediately found herself wrapped in a fierce hug. “Twilight, you are among the best ponies I have ever known, and one of the most selfless in all of Equestria,” Rarity said as she pulled away, and the stare she adopted was the one usually reserved for when Sweetie Belle did something very dumb. “If Princess Cadance were here to tell you, I’m sure she would tell you and your friend to not dwell on what was lost. In fact, she would probably order both of you to!”
Rarity’s expression softened. “Fluttershy and I have had a lot of time to chat with another of the humans. Some of them believe that when they die, they go to a better place where they can watch over those that were left behind. You and I both know that she’s probably cheering you both on, wherever she is now.”
Twilight sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Thanks, Rarity. I think I really needed to talk this over with somepony.”
“I’m always willing to help my friends, Twilight. Always,” the unicorn said as she offered her handkerchief. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as Twilight blew her nose. “For your friend, however, I must demand compensation.”
“Wait, what?” Twilight blurted out, taken aback by the oddity of Rarity’s statement.
“Compensation, my dear! Payment for services rendered, of course. The only form of payment I will accept is juicy gossip,” Rarity explained, which earned her a flat look from the alicorn. Not to be deterred, Rarity let out a dramatic sigh. “Try as I might, it’s so hard for a unicorn such as I to find a companion, even among all of the exotic specimens that are around. Even dear Sweetie Belle has a crush on the dashing High Talon, and I can only push her so far for details before she gets suspicious and clams up! Plus, somepony went and took my newest romance novel and didn’t have the courtesy to return it!”
THIS is the Rarity I was expecting, Twilight thought with a small grin. “I’ll see what I can manage for you, Rarity. Would you like it if I replaced your book with a copy signed by the author?”
Any further teasing was derailed as Twilight’s words struck Rarity. “You… you can get me a signed copy of Helping Hands? Do you know the author, Twilight?” The fashionista’s eyes widened as she apparently came to a shocking conclusion. “Twilight, are you the author?”
“Am I th— No! I didn’t write any of that garbage!” Twilight denied, then cast a look at her reflection in the mirror. The coat around her face had settled down, and her mane was once again in control. This will have to do… “I should get going. My friend will likely want to hear about your advice.”
“Don’t forget my price, Twilight! Juicy gossip! I want to hear all the details!” Rarity replied as she replaced the brushes in her saddle bags.
That giddy feeling slowly wormed its way back into Twilight’s chest as she walked back towards the bench she had left Matt at. Here probably isn’t the best place to talk about this. Wait, he did say he wanted to hear about the books I read when I was younger! I could bring it up then! Just as Matt’s back came into view, another thought struck her. Wait, does that make our little appointment a… date?
Any further internal debate on the subject was lost when Matt said “I beg your pardon?” to the stallion that was sitting next to him. The question itself wasn’t odd, but the tone was that of somepony who heard what was said perfectly well but wanted the speaker to repeat themselves so that they could be certain.
The pony sitting beside Matt was a Solar Guard pegasus stallion with a blue mane and tan coat that looked familiar, even if she couldn’t place him from behind. The voice sounded more familiar, though the tone was anything but conversational. “I thank you for your service in protecting Princess Twilight up until now, but she is a princess in her homeland. It doesn’t do her reputation any good to be seen… socializing with those beneath their station, or having those people making inappropriate gestures toward her. It would be best for everyone involved that you keep your distance from now on.”
The small amount of confusion about the conversation was quickly overridden by a spike of outrage as Twilight was able to place the guard with a face. That’s the guard that Shining assigned to me, and he’s telling Matt to go away. Shiny, you pretentious ass. I’m going to clobber you the next time I see you! I’ll clobber you with your own guard! Twilight thought as made to stomp her way into the conversation. I’m not some little foal you have to hide from the world!
“Let me repeat back what you said, just so I can understand you, Corporal,” Matt said, his voice so low that Twilight had to strain to hear it. “You’re coming to me directly to issue this advice, specifically when Twilight isn’t around. You haven’t forwarded these… concerns up the chain, otherwise I would be hearing this from Captain Armor or Major Fujikawa. I’m also going to take a stab in the dark and assume you haven’t told Twilight either.”
“Princess Twilight,” the guard snapped.
“If you aren’t going through official channels, then you’re either short-sighted, foolhardy, or you know you can’t go through the chain. I also imagine Twilight would tell you exactly where you can stick your suggestions, albeit in a more polite manner.” Matt’s voice was still too low to carry far, but there were times where the volume threatened the discretion of the conversation.
“Princess Twilight is just becoming familiar to her position, and she has to realize that her position comes with obligations. One of those obligations is in who she associates with. It would not do for one of our royalty to be linked to someone who rightfully earned the title Butcher, among other things.” Even to Twilight’s ears, the stallion’s tone was clearly intended to incite.
A long moment passed before Matt responded. “You want to make things personal, then? Fine. I think you tried and struck out with her… no, she hasn’t even noticed you, has she? Did you think being assigned as a personal guard to the new princess would make you the new Shining Armor?”
The guard winced at the accusation, but didn’t offer any defense besides a pointed glare.
“Let me explain something that you’ve apparently not grasped yet. Twilight Sparkle is an adult. She isn’t some piece of meat for you or me to fight over or to tell her what to do. If or when she makes a choice and you have a problem with it, you should carefully think about what your position is relative to hers. Then you should decide if you have any right to tell a princess who she can be with.” A ringing bell and a shout from the departure area cut through the general din of the ready room, and Matt slipped his helmet over his head as he rose. “I’m glad we had this chat, Corporal. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind the next time Twilight and I spend time together.”
Matt and several other soldiers assembled at one of the teleportation areas for deployment without another word, leaving an agitated guard stallion and a stunned alicorn princess behind.
------
13:25, 12/05/2015, STRIKE READY ROOM, CANTERLOT
That operation could have gone more smoothly, Shining Armor thought to himself as the afterglow of teleportation faded. There were eight other soldiers with him: two humans, three griffon pikemen, a Zebra pathfinder, and two pegasi. They had all survived the mission, but two of the three griffons would never fly again, and one of the humans had nearly lost an arm due to a lucky shot. The unicorn captain was nearly overrun by medical personnel that swarmed toward the wounded. Still, a successful mission is nothing to complain about.
Once Shining was able to extricate himself from the mob around the receiving area, he trotted along the perimeter of the room and towards the exit. As he neared the exit, he stopped and cast a glance toward the memorial wall beside him. He couldn’t bring himself to read anything there, but he did bring up one hoof to rest against it. It puts things into perspective, I suppose. As much as losing her hurts, there are thousands of other Shining Armors who lost their Cadances.
That thought led to another, which startled the stallion. You felt the heartache of everypony, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have tried to help. The too-familiar anger he had once wallowed in began to surface, but quelled as Shining took a deep breath and let his hoof drop. He didn’t spare another look toward the wall as he exited the ready room.
“Captain Armor?”
Shining was pulled from his self-reflection when someone called his name, and a glance down the hallway revealed Major Fujikawa. The woman’s face was neutral, but her gait was rushed as she came alongside him. “I’m afraid I just came back from deployment, Major. I’m on my way to the lockers now. Is there something I can help you with on the way?”
“I’m afraid there’s a change in destination,” she said with an apologetic look. “Princess Luna’s gathering the other council members for a briefing, and she wants you there. I don’t know what the situation is, but it seems to be serious.”
Well, so much for a hot shower and some time to relax, Shining grumbled to himself, though he didn’t let his aggravation show. “Lead on, Major.”
The pair continued through the corridors in relative silence as they avoided the castle staff and various soldiers that were entering and leaving the ready room vicinity. Once they were clear, Fujikawa cleared her throat. “I know you have probably heard this so much that you’re sick of it, Shining, but I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what happened to Princess Cadance. If you ever need anyone to talk to, please come see me and I’ll listen. It did me a world of good to have someone who would just listen to me after my husband died.”
The aggravation that Fujikawa’s statement caused was forgotten the moment she finished her thought. I didn’t know that she was even married. “Thank you for the offer, Major. I might take you up on it… just, not now.”
“Fair enough,” she answered, and the pair continued in silence.
Their walk ended at a large set of double doors flanked by two Solar Guard. The pair saluted as the two officers entered before closing the door behind them. Asterion sat at his usual spot in his usual pose, with his thick arms crossed over his chest and a skeptical look on his face. Alvar sat in a seat far too large for him, while the Myrmidon lurked behind him like a heavily armed shadow. Princess Luna was currently out of her seat and speaking with the zebra representative, Ovan. And lastly, Queen Chrysalis was moving on the opposite side of the table. The changeling’s movements appeared to be less related to finding a seat so much as keeping the table (and several bodies) between herself and Captain Armor.
“It seems we are all here now. Guards, seal the room,” Luna said as she moved to resume her seat. Once the locking bar held the door fast, she spoke again. “I have brought you all together to discuss a threat that is operating in cooperation with the aliens. We had hoped that this would be localized and small in scale, but I am afraid we’ve received news that this is not the case.”
“I had heard rumors of Tirek’s involvement with the attacks on the Crystal Empire,” Ovan observed, and he glanced to the other council members to gauge their reactions. “Does this mean that the kingdom to which he hails has chosen to align itself with the invaders?”
Luna shook her head. “I’m afraid the threat that has made this meeting a necessity is unrelated to that matter. Before I share this with you, I must apologize for keeping the nature of this enemy secret until now. I had not been made aware of it until only recently, and those that are well-versed in fighting this foe quite understandably believed that they would never find their way to our world.” The smallest of glances was throw towards Major Fujikawa, and Shining Armor had very little doubt as to what enemy she was referring to.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense! Spit it out, already!” Asterion grumbled.
“I think that ‘show’ may be better than ‘tell’,” Chrysalis said when Luna turned toward her. The changeling’s horn began to glow and the room was slowly replaced with the scenic avenues of an Equestrian city at night. “Two of my agents reported unusual activity in Applewood last night. This is what they saw.”
The scene around the room began to move as the apparently disguised changeling walked down the street with the flow of ponies. Virtually every ear twitched in one direction as a rapid thump-thump-thump sound cut through the night. The crowds began to panic and take cover as something hovered over the city. A second later, an eight foot tower of black and orange metal crunched into the middle of the street. Shortly after, the vision dissolved.
“What was that? It certainly didn’t match the aesthetic styles of anything the aliens deploy as weaponry. And the sounds of the airship that dropped it were wildly different from anything that has been reported,” Alvar said, and the council members that didn’t know the truth all nodded in agreement. Those that did know the truth simply grimaced.
“I suspect my second agent will provide some insight into the nature of this enemy,” Chrysalis said, and the vision around them changed again. “This agent was on the outskirts of the city and was able to escape the effects of the black towers when they deployed.”
The scene now showed a far less developed town, with mostly single-story buildings and dirt roads, and the majority of the illumination coming from the windows of the residences rather than street lamps. The same thump-thump-thump sound filled the chamber, but rather than another black tower, nearly a dozen human figures dropped down from the dark airship in the sky. Their forms were obscured by black long coats, but the weapons in their hands and orange masks were easy to see.
“What!? What is the meaning of this!?” Asterion shouted above the rising volume in the chamber, and he levelled one accusatory finger at Fujikawa. “Why are your people there? Is this some sort of coup?”
“SILENCE!” Luna boomed, and when the minotaur opened his mouth to speak, the princess fixed him with a glare. “You will hold your questions until the end, as there is much more to see.”
The EXALT soldiers swept their surroundings before the squad commander gave a signal. The group dispersed into the surrounding area to make room for two massive figures to drop in. With the lack of light, the majority of their features couldn’t be determined, but the ones that could be seen were telling. Metal-hooved and reverse-jointed legs held a wide torso and thick arms in a bipedal configuration, and some kind of heavy weapon rested in their hands. One of the figures’ heads turned like a turret toward the changeling, which gave the agent an unhindered view of the horns that framed the figure’s head and the single glowing eye at its center.
The scene froze again and all eyes turned towards Asterion. The minotaur’s expression was one of horror before it morphed into outrage. “LIAR!” he screamed as he upended the table with one arm, before charging towards Queen Chrysalis. “There's no way that—”
Anything else that Asterion would have said was promptly cut off as Luna struck the minotaur with enough telekinetic pressure to force him to the ground. “Another outburst of that nature and I will be forced to eject you from this council,” the alicorn explained calmly as the rest of the people in the room recovered from the shock of the flying table and the vision. “I have verified the authenticity of Chrysalis’s information, though I profess some ignorance to the nature of this enemy. You, however, seem to be familiar with it. You will explain this to us. Now.”
The anger melted away as Asterion stared up at the image of the metal mimic that had taken a minotaur’s form. “They're… they're Toys from the Toybox.”
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Edit: Evening everyone! I know I had said I would get this up over the weekend, but I was delayed a wee bit. So, on to the chapter discussion!
If it wasn't pretty apparent, the centerpiece of this chapter was Twilight and Matt. I can't say much about my future plans but I can tell you that writing their parts for this chapter was some of the hardest stuff I've ever had to write. :S
Second, to anyone who is confused/concerned regarding the scene with Lana. The next chapter will provide insight. Be patient, I have plans. :)
And lastly, the big reveal at the end. It's something I've had planned for almost as long as I've been writing Mente Materia. The appearance of the Minotaur Toys was a little in flux until I started playing Destiny. The Vex Minotaurs are what I'm seeing in my mind's eye for how this new enemy appears.
Anywho, I hope everyone enjoys!
-...- toy box... is this a pixar movie just aliens made?
Just how dark will the night get before the breaking of dawn?
Discord needs to break his curse on Celestia. That should give them both the power to fight directly...
Still in doubt that Cadence is completely gone. It would make sense for her to be imprisoned somewhere, and Tirek to have taken her magic, but killing her after that would be a waste.
Or maybe ones in which a character from a work of fiction suddenly appears in the real world and develops an attraction to a member of the local dominant species.
Stung a little to write, didn't it? One of those unpleasant little truths about the human condition.
Just for clarity, have we actually seen cadances body 'on camera' or that of her remains? To be rather frank, I am going to follow comic book philosophy on this point. Unless you show the body, she isn't dead. A sumptuous by the major players of the story are just that. Asumptions.
Geez... so much this update!
Matt and Twi (and Matt verbally feeding the Corporal his teeth on Twi's behalf): Awwwwwwwwww and yay and cute (and adorkable with Rarity)
Victor and Fluttershy: Also awwwwwwww and I have a mental image of him giving her a ride on his shoulders.
Shiny: Yep, still want to hug, and it's nice to see him opening up to Fujikawa.
Lana and Firecracker: These two really need to do what Rarity suggested, and sit down to talk. Perhaps with AJ as mediator.
Toybox and EXALT: Welllllll... shit.
I believe that the word for this is 'rekt'.
6149732 No. From what I understand, the minotaurs had been engineering clockwork mechanics, when they went rogue. These came to be named "Toys" from the "Toy Box", which was where they were made. Since then, the minotaurs refused to create mechs again.
Think of it as a kind of steampunk Terminator.
Hmmm. A complicated and dark tale, without a doubt, but one that definitely has two major fundamental flaws.
Largely handling how the psionics and magic is related. Ultimately, there is too much disparity between how they function. Simple as that. Magic works this way, and in sense works better, psionics another. So its hard to see how aliens could find countermeasures when their method of power lacks the same utility. Seriously a pony like lyra hearstrings can defy physics and teleport her very being away, and she is not exactly a twilight sparkle. It take a powerful psionic to even attempt that.
However the second flaw is much larger and is, honestly, breaking the story for me. The reasoning behind why the elements cannot be used is not very applicable, if even a functional concept. The best similarity is that the hive mind is a monstrous extreme of one half of harmony's powre. Whatever their philosophy, the aliens reap destruction and seek to strip away the very aspect of sapience till only their hviemind exists.
The hivemind is simpleminded in a sense. It is the only form that is true, so it will make others 'true'. Harmony has aspects of free will and obedience, order and chaos, light and dark. Put simply it is immensely complex, even messy, compared to the sterility the aliens seek.
Honestly it seems that you simplified a complex subject solely for the purpose of making them not an option. That is not a very good thought to have. The philosophy used to explain it is equally faulty as harmony is far more than obedience and order, much much more than that.
6149956 Never count a character dead until the autopsy has been completed and the DNA tests verified. After all, Love never dies...
Welp. It had to happen eventually.
Everything in this chapter had to happen eventually.
I dunno. which is worse. XCOM aliens, or SCP 628?
Anyone want to twist the Rubricks Qube along is WX plane and see what happens?
I really hate being limited to stuff that aliens feed me for unknown reasons. I want to bypass all that and jump to the really nasty stuff. After all, any alien race whoi wants to attack somewhere where MAD is an opening gambit, really needs to be hit with X class flares, Sunbeams, Singularities, and Pinkie Pies.
Course, a battalion of BOLO wouldnt go amiss for the light stuff.
6149879
I think that would be perilously close to leaning on the fourth wall.
6149956
Not yet.
6149971
When I first saw this comment, I misread it as Fluttershy letting Victor ride on HER shoulders. >_>
6149994
Regarding your first point, I went into this -at length- in Stardust. Dr. Vahlen and Twilight discussed the nature of the alien abilities in relation to her own, and Vahlen had her own private suspicions as well.
Regarding your second point, you seem to be having the same problem as lordofmyth. Your head canon regarding the aliens and the elements might be enjoyable for you to explore and build on, but your head canon is not a factor in this story. Everything that has occurred up until this point has been in the service of a larger plan for the plot. I thank you for sharing your opinion and I invite you to stay until this is fully revealed.
6150020
When you said 'Autopsy", my first thought was an XCOM Project: Autopsy: Cadance. I'm a terrible person.
6149994
There's several flaws in your arguments.
You are assuming that just because magic is more versatile, it automatically trumps Psionics... when the story itself has basically introduced the concept that the aliens use the same understanding of the forces that create "magic" for their own devices. Furthermore, for them it's less a matter of finesse and much more a matter brute force and aggressiveness, something that the ponies are very much not ready to deal with.
Additionally, it's also clear through the series that teleporting is not a common skill either. We really only see Canon!OP Twilight do it frequently and its been established that she is capable of real feats of magic beyond some other magically-educated and experienced ponies, like Trixie or Starlight Glimmer.
This actually feels more like a head-canon issue on your side than anything of substantial value as an argument on why this would be wrong. It is actually pretty logical in a way that the elements would not work on the alien hordes if they are a hive of some sort with most of them being practically mindless. It's established by XCOM that most of the aliens, with the exception of a few species, are exactly that: just creatures fed of basic, instinctually aggressive emotions. The Elements so far a) are not a nuke, so they can't be used against the masses of enemies, and b) they don't posses either canonically or here, a power such as that of Medusa's Head, so just because they used it on someone, the rest wouldn't be stopped.
This is my personal opinion, but I'm hoping that Matt and Twilight don't end up as a couple. Not because I want to be the guy who wants the opposite of the majority to be a self-important ass but simply because I don't really like the whole spiel of how two people go through some stuff during a war/battle and end up as a couple because of it, especially when they don't have very much in common. First and foremost being species.
Somepony call the nurses! Corporal Flash Sentry ' skin presents some third grade BUUUUUURNS!
6150107
Which I suppose is your way of saying that you can neither confirm nor deny that statement.
6150112
Not to ruin anyone's fun preemptively by bringing logic into that debate, but the bigger flaw is that neither magic nor psionics actually exist and are therefore only as different as the author says they are. Which would be, in this story, not.
6150133 You did read what I wrote, right? Which is basically what you just said.
6150161
Maybe I misunderstood you there, but to me it looked like you were talking about in-story reasons why he shouldn't just make assumptions like that. I was talking about both of these things being fiction and therefore not worth arguing about as if they have any inherent qualities at all, because they are exactly what any given story says they are.
Aight, I gotta ask: What inspired the Toys? Is it just steampunk-Terminator or is there a G2 or G1 or some strange fiction universe where these are referenced somewhere? It's been bugging me.
Oh, I was waiting to see the contents of the Toybox.
They do not disappoint.
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
6150177 Fair enough.
After the airing of "Princess Spike," I can't help but picture Cadance skewering aliens with crystals.
He who fights trolls (well meaning or otherwise)...
Abort mission! Abort mission!
i.imgur.com/eej2jwm.gif
Perfect, Twilight! They won't suspect a thing!
???
And Sweetie Belle, too?!
Oh no you didn't.
6150227
TBH, the alpha concept of the Toys was actually inspired by the Machines from the movie '9'. Of course, it's evolved somewhat from there. :)
6150107
Victor riding Fluttershy... I would also accept this, because I'm getting a goofy-as-fuck 'Neverending Story' vibe off that, since Victor's a flyboy himself. That said, no, it'd be adorable to just have Fluttershy on one shoulder.
"Hey guys"
"hi Twilight!"
"... was that...?"
"Don't ask, just keep trottin'."
6150278
They do seem like they'd go well together.
First, Toys from the Toybox? I'm sure they're terrifying, but all I can think of is Toy Story. Second, when are MattLight and LanaCracker going to be a thing? They're two of my favorite ships at the moment. Third, when the fuck are MattLight and LanaCracker going to be a thing, you prick? You've been teasing us with these fucking adorable ships for months now, so when is this going to fucking happen? I feel like Tantalus here.
Also, on an unrelated note, when did Annette get here? Has she always been around, and I just haven't noticed?
i.imgur.com/baaqTZ6.gif
aww yisss
6150415
That would be spoilers. :)
6150445
That gif is brilliant... and I think I know the original source.
Ah, this chapter was fun. Gotta love the Matt/Twi feels being spread around (and watching Matt dress down that smart-alecy pegasus guard who you should all know the identity to by now :D). Lana with Firecracker was a shock to say the least, but definitely gave more into Lana's mindset (at least from how an outsider sees it). And of course, we get to see EXALT's answer to the MEC problem: Toys.
6149994 Judging by the way you've casually dismissed how psionics/magic works in this story, I have a distinct feeling you've probably not read the prequel Stardust. I would suggest reading it if you haven't.... if you have, then re-read it to help clarify some things for you on how it all works in this tale. Arad isn't just pulling stuff out of his rump, he takes time to seriously think about how things work and function to make sure it works with both canons in an awesome combined way.
6150227 6150271 And the basic concept for this is known as a "Von Neumann Device/Machine" aka Self Replicating Machine. Though in this case, the Toybox is a pseudo-Von Neumann as instead of making more of itself (Toybox directly), it makes plenty of other machines (Toys).
Edit: For those who are more visually inclined, picture this robot with bull horns and you basically have what Arad envisions Toys looking like (not a spoiler as he even stated in the first comment post that this enemy from Destiny was the inspiration)... maybe even a bit more 'clockwork-ish' instead of high tech.
Pretty good chapter overall. IMO, everyone else said everything that needed saying, so off to my specialty: errors! I've spotted a few that you might want to fix for clarity's sake:
Should be it's.
"Greek" should be capitalized.
Everything from "Rarity" to "right", inclusive, should be italicized.
It looks like you missed some tags in the middle.
You need to italicize that last sentence.
Those are Shining Armor's thoughts: they need to be italicized.
You know you're reading a good story when seeing an update in your feed fills you with a dreadful anticipation.
Yikes, that ending got pretty ominous. I think we need something to lighten the mood.
Hey, I know! How about a song? A song about toys!
Take it away, Randy Newman!
Other musings!
1.Mattlight Intensifies!
I normally hate it when established characters get shipped with O.C.'s, especially human ones. But, for the life of me, I can't hate on Matt and Twilight's budding romance. The way these two are written just makes it seem natural. Which will probably lead to heartbreak when one or both of them sacrifices their life to save the world. Come on, its XCOM. You know there can never be a happy ending.
Also, until that personal guard of Twilight's gets an official name, I'm calling him Flash, or Corpral Sentry. I'm looking forward to his death at the hands of a horny Muton Berserker jacked up on meld. Its gonna be great.
2. The Changeling's Dilemma
I know it was supposed to be an icebreaker between Firecracker and Lana (not to mention a glimpse into changeling society), but all I could think about was Evangelion. Now I want to fire up XCOM, get 2 male Japanese rookies and name them Shinji and Hideaki. They'll be Guardian-class MEC Troopers with insanely low will, panicking every time a lowly drone scratches the paint on their armor.
But that will all change when Simon, the Shogun-class commander of the MEC Corp, brings out their inner fighting spirit by belting them in their faces with a kinetic strike punch. Bonus points if he jumps from an alien battlecruiser with active jetboots to perform said maneuver.
And now, to complete this anime reference onslaught...
3. Fate/Stay Equis - Unlimited BOOKS! Works
I wouldn't be surprised if the griffon that wrote that story about the Idol of Boreas was named Gen "The Butcher" Urobuchi.
So, Twilight is obviously Saber with her immense power and drive to change things for the better, but where does that put Matt? He pulled off the "Gate of Babylon" with plasma fire, but he's got too much respect for others to be Gilgamesh. He might be Emiya with the way he's able to acquire new powers when unhindered. Hell, he might even be a really lucky Lancer class that's managed to avoid getting killed 5 minutes into the story.
4. Helping Hands : The Forbidden Tale of a Man and a Mare
Twilight Velvet has unleashed a monster far worse than any chryssalid upon Equestria. Soon, every mare will become just like Lyra Heartstrings, hunting for their own human to give them ear scratches and belly rubs. The stallions will be powerless before these talking apes and their hands. The pony population will die out before the Ethereals are able to harvest any useful specimens. The horror... the horror.
And lastly...
5. Minotaurs And Their Toys
Sounds like EXALT raided the minotaur's vault of doomsday weapons. Now they've got MECs that can probably demolish any of the mechanized units XCOM has at the moment. Shen better get started on upgrading their older models or they'll probably end up loosing one (or all of them).
Now, lets check our tally of dirty little secrets. We've got humanity with their Evil Council of Doom and hiding information from their allies, minotaurs and their magic-powered robot army, and ponies who have been living under an eldritch horror disguised as a sun princess. Let's see which holds out longer; the secrets behind griffon weapons and myrmidons or Discord's web of manipulation and hiding.
P.S. - I like Annette's characterization as a civvie cum soldier, but I wish we got more time to know her. I get that the cast of this story is fairly large already, but I don't think I'm alone in wondering what her story is. Even just a short chapter about her abduction or early days with XCOM would be neat. I mean, you've given Zhang a well-rounded personality. Seeing this war through the eyes of a human with budding psionic power might make for a good one-shot.
Well, I just finally got through this series and I am very glad I did. You have done an excellent job with every aspect of the story to the point where there is really nothing I can call out in particular because it is all so good.
I also do not really have anything to add to the comments at this point because others have already addressed the big things going on at the moment like Cadence, although I was a bit disappointed when Firecracker chickened out and ran away before Lana had time to sort through what he said and respond.
Oh well, great work once again, and I am adding Stardust to my recommendations list because this series has definitely earned a slot.
6150458
Quick question; were Twilight and Cadance 'immortal', that is, they live unless otherwise noted? I'm not sure it was ever mentioned in this fic.
Jesus. And I thought we were getting a break this episode. So much for that idea.
6150074 SCP. X-Rays may have a whole interstellar army, but many of the SCP monsters can alter reality and and borderline if not completely unkillable.
6150112 I did not say it was inherently better, just that it was so different that it seems a little implausible to just make a comparison when there must be some fundamental difference that sets them apart, and makes feats easier for a magic user.
We have seen other unicorns teleport before. Lyra in the background for example. If i am not mistaken Starlight would actually be on par to twilight's magical prowess, but that is unicorn twilight, not alicorn.
Intent does not negate evil. Even if we are to say that the elements would not be usable on the aliens normally, they are disrupting the harmony of equestria, if not decimating it. Thus even the narrow minded approach to the elements of harmony does not justify their inaction.
Also we have seen that the elements are more than capable of a more widespread effect. More so their reactions tend to match the force they are up against. The purged luna of possession, and with discord they turned him back to stone and nullified his chaos magic using a massive field of power.
Oh no. Where did Exalt get SUPER BATTLE DROIDS?
Oh Celestia. Twilight's mom and her xeno-porn
When exactly did Velvet writing porn become a thing in this fandom?
"Well, unless she's still alive and being turned into a shambling cybernetic monstrosity while her very identity is mindfucked out of her skull, but WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THAT?"
Aaaaand Flash is a douchenozzle.
6150271
Huh, I would've thought Sam & Max.
6150492
I know that feel, man. Arrow 18 updated AND FINISHED on Saturday.
6150519
Always love these in-depth analysis of yours.
RE: Mattlight -- I'll agree, it's something that's been a long time in coming. Don't you feel better for waiting? (at least those of you who like shipping?)
RE: Changeling Dilemma -- Super Robot Wars Alpha had some of the best hotblood!Shinji developments ever. Imagine Shinji serving along side the Shin Getter, Mazinger, and other crews? Then imagine him becoming such a badass that he Bright Slaps Kira Yamato for being a little priss and thinking he's all superior to the normal folks. He's also there to give Kira a breaking speech about the responsible use of power along side Kamille Bidan (from Gundam Z) and some other characters.
Crowning. Moment. Of. Awesome.
RE: Fate/Equis -- Glad someone caught on to this, but I actually had to sit and think about what kinds of books Twilight would like as a filly. Normal filly fiction is right out, but she still is a child. So why not some fiction that uses historical figures? I could see her taking notes on every little comment and ability the legendary heroes use and comparing it to historical accounts of various figures to determine their identities.
Of course, this isn't just an idle plot thread I dropped in for kicks. Twilight had a reason for reading that book, which I'll discuss later. :D
RE: Helping Hands -- And that was how Discord destroyed Equestria. Doesn't that seem like a convoluted Rube Goldberg plot he would come up with?
RE: Secrets -- Everyone has secrets. The fun begins when they come out.
6150615
It hasn't been discussed explicitly yet.
I'm just waiting for the Cadence Ex Machina later on, where she pulls an epic entrance out and shows she's actually got a sense of tactical awareness and realized that her disappearing would benefit the war more than leaving herself a target and dividing the defenses more widely...
6150107 A headcanon is hypothesis of how a concept works in the show with somewhat limited evidence.
What i am doing is analyzing. There are many nuances and themes in the show that point towards harmony being a lot more complex than merely it being white magic or something similar. Even the tree of harmony, basically what seems to be a physical manifestation of harmony itself, is a mixture of order and chaos. The perfection of crystal mixed with the imperfection of how twisted and bent a tree tends to grow.
The real issue is that the limit you created for the elements feels very artificial and arbitrary. Its a concept of A being limited so it does not stop B. You may have tried to give a philosophical reasoning for harmony's inaction, but it is utterly reliant upon accepting your vision of it and that the death and decimation the aliens inflict could confuse the elements into thinking they are harmonious.
6150719
Twily's mom being a writer came up in part of the merch I think... and when Twilight was having an episode in Stardust, I started to wonder just what her mom wrote. It all went downhill (or uphill!) from there.
Not aware of that reference, actually.
6150746
I have a feeling like you saw through my cunning plan, and that's why you're not sharing information.
Damn you.
Also, RIP Arrow 18. It will be missed. On one hand, great and very satisfying ending, on another hand, it was very clear that the author just wanted it over with.
6150763
You are entitled to your opinion, but I would point out one thing:
If you're reading fanfiction, you're accepting conclusions and ideas that the author used to inspire the piece. To criticize those ideas and conclusions before the piece is complete would be like calling the Mona Lisa garbage after the painter has had ten minutes with the brush. I have plans. Nobody knows the whole plan yet except for me. Criticizing foundation plot ideas like this before they are resolved is premature at best.
If you can understand what I am trying to say, then you will eventually learn the entire logic behind my decisions.
If you continue to disagree without the whole picture as you are now, then there's nothing I can do for you. I can lead a horse to water but I can't make him drink.
6150800 Maybe you have a larger plan here, or maybe its only surface value. So far i am only seeing surface value and a concept that relies on filtering out complexity to harmony. So i went by the presumption it is surface value.
would like to be proven wrong though.
6150662
And that's not counting those classified Thaumiel which are a whole nother level of power
The smallest of glances was throw towards Major Fujikawa
1. Thrown.
6150776
Season 3 of Telltale Sam & Max is a big arc around the Devil's Toybox. A scary eldritch beastie gave his spoiled son some...toys.