Chapter 13 - The Calm Before...
DropShip Red Skye
Desperadoes Main Camp
Occupied Zone, Manehattan, Equestria
September 20th AD 3070/1023 RC
“And how long were you going to wait to tell me this?” O'Connell asked, his voice harsh with suspicion as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I just wanted to make sure it was confirmed,” Zachary Carver, the commander of the Desperadoes fighter contingent, replied. “Seabreeze came in last night and told me all about it. I know how much you don't really trust the ponies, so I wanted to observe Garadan's behavior today and see how he acted.”
“To see if she was telling the truth,” O'Connell added, and then nodded. “Alright, fair enough,” he allowed, and then glanced over to where Kilroy was standing by the briefing room's closed door. “Ideas, Greg?”
Kilroy shrugged at that. “Nothing we can do about it right now,” he began, even as he leaned back against the bulkhead. “He's making plans long-term, and we still need to worry about the near-term before we can consider working against him. On the other hand, with us knowing what he's got planned, we can start politically maneuvering to counter him when the time comes.”
O'Connell nodded again. “What about his plans to let the other griffon tribes take the brunt of our offensive?” He asked, his tone curious, yet vaguely disgruntled.
“I say let him get away with it,” Kilroy said, and then grinned. “Then later, we can use that against him. I'm sure we can dig up or fabricate enough evidence that, along with the rather nice position his tribe will be in by then, will be more than enough for the others to turn on them.” The executive officer of the Desperadoes paused at that, and then spread his hands out. “An elegant solution to both problems, I think.”
“Good,” O'Connell said, and then grinned himself. “Wraps up both ends,” he added, and then frowned as a new thought entered his head. “But we're going to need something more than a pony's word for those griffons to listen to us,” he said, and then turned to give Carver his attention. “Your little friend is going to have to find a way to back up what she says,” he warned.
Carver frowned at that, but when he spoke his tone was controlled and respectful. “I'm not sure how, she was only there accidentally. However,” he added, when O'Connell's face darkened. “I'm sure we can work something out. Especially if they take more walks like that, then I'm sure I can get Seabreeze to use a tri-vid camera and get us some juicy footage.”
“See that she does,” O'Connell said. His visage did soften a bit then, and he uncrossed his arms. “I do appreciate you bringing this up, Zach. Just make sure you get me in the loop sooner next time.”
“Yes sir,” Caver said, and then waited a moment for the major to dismiss him. The small wave he got was more than enough, and the fighter pilot turned and made his way to the exit. Once outside the briefing room, he waited until the door was closed behind him before he inhaled a deep, relaxing breath, and then turned to make his way out of the ship.
* * * *
The walk to the makeshift airfield gave Carver time to calm his nerves from the usual fraying they took whenever he had to deal with Garth O'Connell. At least he was in a good mood this time, the pilot thought, as he negotiated the small sub-camp and headed for his private tent. Having a crapload of reinforcements coming will make any war leader happy, I guess.
A few moments later he reached the front of his tent, and without delay pulled open the flap and then stepped through. He paused once he was inside, however, when he saw a figure lying on his cot. “I hope no one saw you,” he said, once he recognized who was waiting for him.
“I do know how to get into places without anyone seeing me,” Seabreeze said, with a crooked smile, as she shifted to the side to let Carver sit down next to her. “Otherwise I wouldn't have overheard the griffons last night, and my visits would have already had your associates saying unkind things about you.”
Carver just grunted at that, as he loosened up his uniform shirt a bit for comfort. “Some of them say unkind things about me now,” he grumbled. “Just because I'm from the Magistracy of Canopus.”
Seabreeze finished settling down in a typical pony fashion, with her legs tucked underneath her, before she spoke. “Oh? How does that change anything?” She asked, and then tossed her mane a bit.
“Well, that would take some explaining,” Carver said, as he bent forward to drag his personal footlocker out from underneath the cot, and then opened it. “See, there's a big division between nations back home,” he added, as he rifled through his locker. Soon enough, he located the desired object, and then pulled it out. “On one hand, you have the big boys in the Inner Sphere; all the old, powerful nations closest to our homeworld.
“Then you have the Periphery,” Carver continued, as he shifted about on the cot to face himself towards the green pegasus and sat cross-legged. “Those are the nations on the frontier of known space, which tend to be poorer and less developed. A lot of people from the Inner Sphere tend to look down on us,” he added, and then brought up the hair brush he'd acquired and started to run it through the pony's mane.
“Why would they?” Seabreeze asked, while she closed her eyes and leaned her head closer to the human to give him an easier time. “Aren't people from the frontier respected for their willingness to open up unexplored lands?”
Carver scoffed at that. “Maybe in a perfect universe,” he grumbled, though his tone was lighter now as he relaxed and gave more of his attention towards grooming the green pony. “But a lot of them see us as uncivilized and uncouth. To be fair, there are a lot of worlds in the Periphery that barely have more than a few dirt farms and some corrupt leaders.” Zachary paused, and then snorted. “Hell, I've heard of planets where the locals lost everything and went back to the stone age, hunting with spears and using uncured animal hides for clothing.
“The Magistracy is a bit different, though,” Carver added, as he continued running the hair brush through Seabreeze's mane, occasionally having to pause in his movements to untangle a knot. “It's an older Periphery nation, and pretty advanced. It's also got some very open views on human rights, which is where a lot of the mockery comes from.”
“How so?” Seabreeze asked, and then hummed slightly as Carver switched to brushing her tail.
“Eh, it's not important,” Carver said, with a shrug. “Just they tend to think of us as a bunch of hedonists.”
“Frankly, I could see that at the moment,” Seabreeze added, as she shifted a bit on the cot. “Or maybe not. If a hedonist is someone who revels in pleasure, then what do you call someone who showers others with pleasure?”
Zachary pulled back at that, and then crossed his arms and shook his head at the pony, while Seabreeze opened her eyes to look at him. “Now, you're going to make me feel uncomfortable if you keep talking like that.”
Seabreeze grinned sheepishly at that. “Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it,” she said, and then fluttered her eyes at him. “Please finish?”
Carver sighed in frustration, but allowed a small smile across his face nonetheless. “I swear, I don't think even the tabiranths back home liked being brushed as much as you do,” he said, as he resumed his grooming.
“Those giant riding cats you talked about?” Seabreeze asked, as she closed her eyes again and then set her head down on the cot's edge.
“Yeah,” Carver replied. “They loved getting their coats brushed. Though to be fair they had fur, not hair, so it was more of a full body massage for them.”
“Lucky felines,” Seabreeze muttered, and then waited patiently as Carver continued to work on her tail. He was done far too soon for her tastes, but she opened her eyes and smiled at the human anyway as he finished. “I really appreciate you doing this,” she said. Then her smile faded, and she glanced to the side. “Most of the ponies around here, even the converts, don't really like to be around me. So it's hard to get properly groomed sometimes.”
“I suppose it must be hard to brush yourself without hands,” Carver allowed, as he sat back and started to pick out long blue hairs from the brush. “It makes me wonder why some of your people don't ask for help from us more often.”
Seabreeze sighed at that, and laid her head down on the cot again. “The major's actions haven't exactly been friendly,” she said, her tone making sound as if she had spoken the most obvious fact in the universe. “And a lot of the others are pretty nasty, too.”
“Yeah,” Carver agreed, his voice soft, and then let the conversation idle as both persons fell into silence. Eventually, though, he finished cleaning out the brush, and then started to climb off of the cot. “If I knew how bad they were going to be, I wouldn't have signed on back on Galatea,” the human said, as he knelt to return the brush to its storage. “I mean, sure, I knew they weren't the best unit since they were looking for people there rather than on Outreach.” He paused at that, and then gave the pony a look, which she returned with a curious expression. “Well, you don't know about that, but basically, Galatea is where the crap mercs go, the ones with the shady pasts and bad records. Hooligans, basically.”
Seabreeze frowned at that, a questioning look on her face. “Then why were you there, Zach?” She asked. “You don't seem the type.”
Carver sighed at that, and then stood up and started to pace a bit in the tent. “Frankly, I was desperate,” he grumbled out, in a low tone. “I needed a job, but the high-grade merc units didn't like the fact that the Magistracy gave me a bad-conduct discharge. Nevermind I only got it because I refused to sleep with my CO, the ugly bitch,” Carver sniped, his tone conveying utter contempt. “I didn't have a good enough record for the B-grade units, and third-tier units wouldn't hire me unless I brought my own hardware; a fighter, that is,” the human added, when he saw Seabreeze become confused for a moment.
“So why that Galatea place and the Desperadoes?” The green pony asked. “Or why be a mercenary at all, for that matter? Why not just find a nice place to settle down?”
Carver snorted at that, and then stopped in his pacing to give the pegasus a sad shake of his head. “I was trained to be a fighter pilot, 'Breeze,” he began, his voice tired. “It took years to hone those skills, and it's what I know. If I tried to start over again, it would be from the bottom, and I'm getting a bit old for that.”
“But isn't that better than going out and killing others?” Seabreeze pressed. “I could see serving your own country, but why go and seek out war and killing?”
Another moment of silence fell across the pair, and the pegasus pony saw Carver's face harden. “'Breeze,” he said, his voice low but filled with steel. “We haven't known each other that long, right?”
“Er, no,” Seabreeze answered, even as she shifted on the cot a bit. “It's been, what? A few days?”
“Yeah,” Carver agreed. “Not really long. But long enough for me to see you're not quite as crazy as you let on,” he added, even as he slowly shifted his arms to his sides. Seabreeze noted with growing alarm that his right hand drifted dangerously close to the sidearm holstered on his hip. “At first I was willing to pass that off as simply you trying to protect yourself, to make you look crazier than the other nutjobs in the unit.
“Now, though, I wonder,” the human continued. “You miss an awful lot of the targets we set up for you, and now you're starting to ask some... interesting questions.”
Seabreeze fought to keep from shuddering as she watched Carver's hand drift to rest on the handle of his pistol. Like most of the humans she'd met, he preferred using a “needler”; a terrible weapon that sprayed a cloud of plastic flechettes. She had seen two ponies, members of the Manehattan resistance, who had received wounds from such weapons, and only one was still alive. Though he'll never be able to use that leg again, the pegasus pony morbidly mused, as her thoughts sped up. “So, what if I am?” She finally asked, as she tore her gaze from the frightening weapon to make eye contact with Carver. “Is it a crime to be curious?”
“It might be, when O'Connell's running things,” Carver countered.
Seabreeze's ears twitched a bit, as she caught an undercurrent in the human's voice. “You don't sound like you want that,” she observed, picking her words carefully as she spoke. “Do you?”
Carver was silent for a moment before he replied. “Maybe not,” he reluctantly admitted. “But that's how things are going to be.”
“Maybe not,” Seabreeze echoed, and then took a moment to swallow past the nervous lump in her throat. “After all, the future is shaped by the choices we make. Choices all of us make,” she pointedly added.
The human's eyes narrowed at that, and used his fingers to flick open the strap keeping his pistol secure in its holster. Carver restrained himself from taking the weapon out, however, when he saw the pony flinch, though he kept his hand resting on its grip. “So, what choice did you make, 'Breeze?” He asked, in a quiet, menacing tone. “What made you come here, then, if that's the way you feel about things?”
Seabreeze was silent for a moment as she contemplated her answer. “I think you already know that,” she said, quietly. Her face shifted, and took on a sad expression. “What would you do, if your home was invaded?”
“Stand up and fight,” Carver replied, without any hesitation. “Strap into a fighter, and ride out to engage them in orbit. Or take up a rifle and fight them on the ground. Either way, I wouldn't skulk about.”
“Even if it meant your certain death?” Seabreeze asked, her wings twitching unconsciously. “A death that would accomplish nothing but be another corpse for the invaders to step on before they got what they wanted, anyway?”
Carver didn't reply to that. Not verbally, anyway, but Seabreeze felt a small wave of relief when she saw his weapon hand relax. “Maybe not,” the human begrudgingly admitted, after taking several moments to think. “So, you're a spy, if not an outright saboteur. Care to give me a reason why I shouldn't shoot you dead right now? Or at the very least march you straight to the DropShop and have you put in the brig?”
Seabreeze slowly stood up on the cot, and then proceeded to climb off of it with patient, careful movements to avoid startling the armed human, who for his part backed up to keep the pony out of leg's reach. “The same reason we started talking about more than work the day after we met,” the mare said, her voice calm and smooth. “The same reason you took to brushing my mane and tail, your excuses about it being relaxing to the contrary.” Seabreeze smirked at that, though it was only for a second. “Because you're my friend, Zack.”
“A friend to a liar,” Carver retorted. “You think I'm just going to believe you don't have any interest in my position at all?”
The pegasus winced at this. “You're right,” she admitted, even as she lowered her head to look at the ground. “I did have reasons to pick you out above the others. You were the commander of the air group, Kilroy said, and I wanted to keep an eye on you, at least.” She paused then, and looked back up at the human. “But I could have done that just by helping out as I was told to do. Like Trixie has done with the technicians and advising the major and captain Kilroy. I didn't have to approach you like I did, and I certainly don't have to be here, now, having this conversation.”
A brief silence passed between the two. “So,” Carver began, his voice low. “Why are you here, now?”
“Because I know you're different,” Seabreeze replied. “Unlike most of the Desperadoes, you're not cruel or indifferent. I've seen you wince when some guard kicks one of the ponies working on preparing the airfield, and I saw the sympathy in your eyes the first time I asked you to help groom my hair.” The mare paused at that, and then took another, tentative step forward. When the human didn't step back, Seabreeze took that as a good sign and continued. “I'm here because I know you're a good person, and you don't like what's happened here any more than I do.
“And finally,” she added, as she took another step forward. “I'm here because you really are my friend, and I care about you.” A pause, and then another step. “I know you're not happy, and we both know the reason. But you don't want to think about doing anything to change that, because you're worried about being labeled a traitor to your own kind.
“But you're not, and you won't be if you do what you know is right,” Seabreeze added, as she took another step to finally end up just a foot away from the human. “I'm here because sometimes we all need a reminder that we can change things, and who better to do that than a friend?”
Carver watched the pony move in silence, but made no attempt to change his position. Indeed, he seemed as still as a statue, and remained motionless for several long minutes as he contemplated her words. For her part, Seabreeze remained still as well, and just looked up at the pilot with wide eyes.
Finally, though, Carver sighed, and then slowly closed the clasp on his holster. “You fight dirty, using those eyes of yours,” he said, with a slight, strained smirk.
Seabreeze grinned up at him. “What's that phrase you said describes Inner Sphere warfare? “Combat pragmatists”, I think?” She asked, in an innocent tone that did not fool Carver for a moment. “Using everything available to win?”
The human could only shake his head at that. But soon enough the smirk left his face, and he sighed as he slowly sat down on the ground. “So,” he began. “What now?”
“Now?” Seabreeze echoed, and then slowly walked over to sit down next to the human on her haunches. “Right now... I just want to be with my friend,” she said, and then leaned against Carver's side.
Zachery couldn't help but smile again, and he carefully reached an arm around the pegasus and held her in a quiet hug as they sat on the floor of the tent.
Camp Osceola
Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, Equestria
September 24th
Melissa McKenna moved in a slow but deliberate walk as she inspected the Ferret helicopter for her pre-flight check. Although she didn't doubt the technicians who worked for the mercenary company did a fine job in preparing and servicing all of the combat vehicles, the pilot nevertheless followed the long-established tradition. Besides, no matter how far we've come over the centuries, some ideas are just plain common sense, Melissa thought, as she patted a gloved hand over the 5-ton helicopter's tail boom, careful to pay attention for any odd noise or shift. Better to be safe than sorry, after all. And one never knows when a tech could be on the take.
She knew it to be unlikely, given the Desperadoes and the Dark Horse had no reason to even cross paths in the past, save for their common garrison duty. Even that had only been a minor connection; the Desperadoes had been assigned to protect a rare titanium processing facility on Bluford, a continent away from the “Brigade”'s position as a training OpFor to the planetary militia and protector of a weapons factory. So it's highly unlikely that O'Connell would have even thought of sabotaging us before we ended up here, Melissa mused, as she finally came around to the front of the Ferret and finally finished her inspection. But again, it never hurts to be extra careful when you plan to go flying.
The human's viewpoint was not ubiquitous, however. “You guys take too long to do everything,” Rainbow Dash complained, as she followed along in Melissa's wake. “I thought you said the guys on the ship take care of this thing?” She asked, and though her tone was irritated and irritating, one could hear a genuine note of curiosity underneath.
Melissa sighed. “I know I've explained this to you before,” she said, tiredly, as she turned to face the cyan pony with arms crossed over her chest. “It's a tradition that goes back over a thousand years to the dawn of powered flight. And it's practical as well, since sometimes even the best tech might miss something,” she added, and then turned to walk towards the tent where others were waiting. Dash followed, and the human continued to speak. “Remember, it's a machine, it doesn't have the feedback that muscles and nerves gives to a natural flier like yourself. So if a problem crops up and you don't find it during the pre-flight check, it could cause a crash.”
“Hmm,” Dash hummed, as the two came upon the tent. “Okay, I guess that makes sense,” she allowed, as Melissa pulled back the flap. “But it's still boring.”
A masculine voice answered the pony from inside the tent. “Trust me, miss Dash, when I say that in the mercenary business, boring is always better than exciting,” James McKenna said, from where he stood next to a table. With him were Twilight Sparkle, captain Starbuck, Johannes Schneider, master tech McCoy, and the irrepressible Ivan.
“Yeah, exciting usually means your life is a hair's breadth from being snuffed out,” Schneider chimed in, as he stood up from where he had been bent over the table and the paper maps upon it. “We get that enough in combat. So there's no need to tempt fate.”
Dash rolled her eyes at that. “Yeah yeah, I get it,” she added, in a huff. “So are we going already?”
“Just about,” James replied, and then tugged at the dress shirt he wore. “We were just going over the trails through Whitetail Woods again.”
“Do you really think you can sneak close to Manehattan?” Twilight Sparkle asked, as she lit up her horn and then used her telekinesis to gather up the maps she had copied from ones in the Ponyville library.
“That depends on how well O'Connell uses those griffon reinforcements he's been getting,” Schneider answered. He then looked over to Starbuck. “That is, if the intelligence we got was accurate.”
“You keep questioning that,” Starbuck said, tiredly. “I don't know any more than you, just that it came from our units in Manehattan.”
“Don't worry about Hermes,” James interjected, with a smile. “He's a trained spook: if they're not paranoid about something, then they're paranoid about everything.”
Schneider snorted at that, even as the other humans shared a brief chuckle. “You know the old joke,” he countered. “Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.”
“That is a disturbing thought,” Twilight observed, as she rolled the maps and stashed them into her saddlebags. “How do you sleep at night with an attitude like that?”
“With a gun under the pillow and a knife in my boot,” Schneider quickly replied.
Though he smiled as he spoke, a look into his eyes showed that he wasn't quite exaggerating, and Twilight had to suppress a shudder. They're so nice most of the time, I forget how terrible they can be, the purple unicorn thought, as she watched Melissa give a brief statement attesting to the readiness of the helicopter they were to ride. No, stop that, Twilight. These people are different from O'Connell and his soldiers.
You hope, said the voice of doubt inside her head. They're nice now, but what happens if things go badly? Will they retreat into orbit and just wait everything out, like they said O'Connell could have done, and leave us all at the mercy of the enemy? Or just switch sides, like you've read of others in their history doing?
A round of laughter interrupted Twilight's thoughts, and the purple pony realized that she had been left behind in the conversation. There's no choice, anyway, she thought, as she forced a fake smile onto her muzzle. We have to trust them, because without them we have little chance of winning this war with a minimum of bloodshed. If at all. At that, she forced such thoughts down and refocused on the conversation.
“...Never bothered with it,” James was saying. “We've always been a small unit, so uniforms were never really needed when everyone knows everyone else,” he explained.
“Still, it seems rather unseemly for you to be meeting the princess in just civilian clothes,” captain Starbuck said, and then shifted a bit to get his helmet to sit better upon his head. “It won't create the best impression for her majesty to see you in anything less than military attire.”
“A problem I've been trying to get corrected for years,” a new voice said, and everyone in the tent turned to see Rebecca McKenna move into the tent. “James has the typical male resistance to buying any form of clothing that isn't a canvas sack secured with a length of rope.”
James sighed heavily at that, which only prompted grins from the other humans in the tent, save McCoy who just continued to frown and look impatient. “My darling wife, you know that uniforms are an expense we don't need,” the commander said.
“Define “need”,” Rebecca countered. “Starbuck has it right, Jim. We'd make a better impression on a any employer, prospective or current, with some proper clothing.”
Her husband slowly shook his head. “Alright, fine,” he said, in a huff as he cross his arms over his chest. “Just let me know where we can get some fancy uniforms in a world populated by quadrupeds and we'll buy some,” James added, and then smirked a bit.
The smirk died, however, when Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat. “Actually, I'm sure Rarity could make some for you,” she said, even as a small grin spread along her muzzle. “She's actually quite skillful, so I think she could create clothes even for bipeds.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Rebecca interjected, just as James had opened his mouth to protest. The female of the pair grinned widely as she saw the flummoxed look upon her mate's face. “We'll have to speak to miss Rarity sometime.”
James glared at his wife for a moment, and then sighed again. “Sometimes I wonder who's really in charge of this unit,” he grumbled.
“Why, you are, dear,” Rebecca replied, in an innocent tone, as she walked over and gave the male a kiss. “But we're married, so that means I'm in charge of you.”
A round of chuckles sounded through the tent, and James rolled his eyes. “Are we ready to go?” He gruffly asked, as he turned to give the others in the tent a hard look.
The mood dropped a bit, as the humans in the party knew their commander well enough that they could recognize when his patience was wearing thin, while the ponies simply picked up on the subtle body language. Nevertheless, Melissa sounded chipper as she spoke up. “Ready as we'll ever be, sir,” she said, reverting into a more respectful form of address.
“Good to go,” Schneider added, from off to the side, while Ivan just nodded.
“Let's get th' bloody thing on already,” McCoy grated.
“Alright, alright,” James said, and then sighed again, his countenance returning to normal before he turned to face his wife. “We'll be off, then,” he said, and then leaned in to share a second, quick peck with Rebecca. “Mind the store while we're gone.”
“Always,” Rebecca replied, and then turned and led the assembly to the flap of the tent, which she held open for the others. At least she did until James took over and moved her aside with a gentle touch.
Twilight caught the subtle interplay between the two humans, and felt a bout of fascination wash over her. It's amazing just how much humans can communicate with such simple gestures, she thought as she turned to follow the others as they headed to the Ferret. Sure, we ponies have many such gestures as well, but the depths of them seem so shallow compared to what look like whole conversations that these people carry on. Their hands alone seem able to convey the subtlest meanings.
She was distracting herself, and she knew it. Although she had flown before in hot air balloons, airships, and pegasi chariots, there was something vaguely disturbing to her about riding in the helicopter. I mean, sure, airships and balloons don't use magic, but they hang from lighter-than-air gas envelopes that suspend them at all times. Pegasi-pulled chariots are held up by the pulling ponies' powers. But this thing? It could fail and then we just plummet like a rock. The mere thought chilled her blood, but the unicorn remained resolute as the group reached the side of the aircraft. Come on, even airships can have accidents with ruptured envelopes, and pegasi are only mortal and can make mistakes. All flight has risks, this kind just has ones you aren't used to, is all.
Twilight felt some comfort as she identified the source of unease, and then promptly focused her attention on watching how the humans climbed aboard the flying machine. Like with many of their activities, they readily and almost constantly used their hands, gripping the sides of the large, open bay door that led into the cramped quarters within. For a moment the unicorn wondered how the ponies in the group were going to get up, until she remembered that she was the only one boarding the helicopter who lacked both hands and wings. Oh, that's just peachy, the purple pony sarcastically mused.
“Need a hand?” A voice asked, startling Twilight out of her rumination. She looked up and took on a sheepish grin when she saw that James had paused after climbing in himself. His hand was extended towards the unicorn, and Twilight felt her grin widen a bit as the gesture warmed her heart.
“Thank you, commander,” the purple pony replied, as she reached up with a hoof and laid it in the human's hand. After he had her in a good grip, she reared back on her hind legs and brought up the other foreleg to wrap its hoof around the single hand-hold that was welded to the 'copter's frame, and then pulled herself up and into the Ferret's infantry compartment. Once there, James released her hoof as she gained her bearings, though the unicorn could still tell that the touch lingered a moment longer than necessary.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to how they see us, Twilight mused, as she headed over to one of the bucket seats and then proceeded to sit in it human-style. Although it would be uncomfortable, the ride was only supposed to last ten to fifteen minutes, so she and the other ponies would endure it, as sitting upright on their haunches was the only way they would be able to wear the safety restraints properly.
Twilight's thoughts were briefly interrupted as Melissa McKenna stepped into the Ferret, and then looked around to make sure that everyone was either settled in or getting there. The humans were already in, but both Dash and Starbuck were still struggling with the finer aspects of the seatbelts, and so the pilot moved over to kneel in front of the mare pegasus. “Here, lemme give you a hand,” the human said, as she reached out to work the buckles.
“I'm not a foal, you know,” Rainbow Dash complaind. Though the grumpy words were the limit of her protests, as she simply sat and let the human work.
“I know, but it's better to be safe than sorry,” Melissa said, as she manipulated the buckles. “Besides, as the pilot it's my responsibility to make sure all of my passengers arrive safely. And I take that responsibility very seriously, Rainbow,” the young woman added.
All the more so because of us, Twilight thought, as she used her telekinetic magic to connect and secure her own restraints. It's been... interesting to observe how the humans act towards us, the purple pony pondered, as she watched Melissa finish with Dash and then move to assist Starbuck. I know James and Hermes have both explained that we appear, well, adorable to them, she thought, a light blush briefly crossing her features. But it still surprises me to see the depths of their reactions at times. Especially after how O'Connell was so callous and cruel.
Twilight paused in her ruminations as Melissa moved over from Starbuck and then knelt to check on the purple unicorn's setup. “Looks like you've got this down pat,” the human pilot observed, a polite smile on her face.
“I do try to pay attention, sometimes,” Twilight replied, with a smile of her own.
Melissa chuckled at that. “Glad someone does,” she said, and then stood up and reached for a small storage cabinet built into the wall. “Alright, everyone get your ear protection on,” she said, as she opened the cabinet and then started to take out headsets intended to ward against the loud noise of the Ferret's engines. Melissa then handed them out to the passengers, her reach more than enough to stretch across the cramped compartment. The humans took the proffered sets and affixed them in place easily, as did Twilight Sparkle with her magic, and once again Melissa worked with the two pegasi in the vehicle and made sure to set the headsets properly over their ears.
“Alright, we're good to go,” the human pilot said, once she had finished in her work. Her voice was severely muffled by the ear protection Twilight wore, but Melissa had raised her volume enough to be slightly heard. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” With that, she turned and moved through the hatch that led into the cockpit.
Twilight watched Melissa disappear, and then turned her head to look around the compartment. The four humans were all arranged in the seats that lined the back wall, while she and the other two ponies sat in the three that had their backs to the cockpit, which let the unicorn mare observe the other passengers easily enough. All of the humans, she noted, were calm, collected, and alert. Save McCoy, however, who had leaned back and closed his eyes in an apparent attempt to grab some sleep.
Opposite of this incredulous display sat Rainbow Dash and Starbuck, who both looked around nervously. It's strange how pegasi can't seem to stand having to rely on someone else to fly them, Twilight Sparkle mused, as she remembered the discussions between the two ponies and the McKennas the day before, concerning this flight. They just don't like leaving their fate in someone else's hooves. Or hands, in this case, the purple unicorn amended. So much so that Melissa had to agree to leave the doors on the Ferret open as we fly so they can look out and see that we're not crashing.
A high-pitched whine filled the compartment then, and Twilight put her thoughts aside as she glanced out of the aforementioned open doors and watched as the shadows of the helicopter's rotary wings revealed their increasing movement. Beyond that, the unicorn saw Rebecca McKenna and other humans from the mercenary unit standing at a safe distance, along with Applejack and Big Macintosh, who had both found time in their early morning schedule to see off their friends. All had said their goodbyes earlier, and now as a group they waved as the Ferret lurched into the sky and then pivoted to fly towards the north, towards Canterlot.
Royal Palace
Canterlot, Equestria
September 24th
Princess Luna watched her sister's bandages changed, as she always did whenever the nurses conducted the grim but necessary procedure. She noted that as time passed, the damage on Celestia's body seemed less and less dire, and the midnight blue alicorn had found some small measure of comfort in watching the twice daily task. You will get better, 'Tia, Luna promised, both to her sister as well as herself, as the final layers of cotton were placed upon the injured princess.
“Your majesty?” A voice asked quietly, from a short distance away. Luna felt mildly startled, but didn't show it as she turned her head to regard the captain of the Guards' unicorn section. “I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's almost time to greet the party coming from Ponyville.”
Luna nodded at that, and then stood up on all fours and faced the white unicorn. “Thank you, Shining Armor,” the night princess said, and then started walking down the hall. “Please attend me,” she added.
“Of course, your majesty,” the blue-maned pony replied, even as he trotted to catch up and take his position on Luna's left, though he trailed slightly behind the dark mare's position. The two then fell into silence as they made their way towards the pegasus landing fields, where the so-called “helicopter” was supposed to land.
The quiet suited Luna, who felt the need to organize her thoughts about the situation. The day when the second group of aliens arrived had been a chaotic one even in Canterlot, as multiple, often conflicting messages poured in. At first it had seemed like O'Connell had opened up a second front, then the reconnaissance unit had departed Manehattan and prompted the military staffers to suggest sending out the new assault wing. Then suddenly, the two alien forces were fighting each other, with a resounding defeat dealt to the first group of invaders. Then had come in reports from Twilight Sparkle and captain Starbuck, both of whom had reserved, yet unambiguous praise for the new group of humans.
Luna shook her head as she mulled over these memories. The reports since then became clearer, both in facts and opinion, while the tones of both Sparkle and Starbuck hath warmed. Whomever these “Dark Horsemen” are, they hath at least earned some measure of trust from ponies that both mine sister and I ourselves trust, the night princess reminded herself. Yet, she could not help but feel a vein of concern running through her thoughts. We know so little of these people, save what they tell us. Twilight hath made it clear that she has access to their libraries, and I doubt that one such as she wouldst be unable to note deception. Nevertheless, such beings, with their talk of massive wars and brutal, deceptive tactics, are dangerous to trust without some way to verify their intentions. This could yet be a trick.
Such were the alicorn's ruminations as she led the way through the corridors. They were interrupted, however, when the unicorn at her side cleared his throat, which prompted Luna to look over. “Dost thou have something on thy mind, Armor?” She asked, curiously.
“I am just concerned, your majesty,” Shining Armor replied. “You're going to meet these aliens personally when they land, instead of receiving them in the throne room. If they decide to attack...” His voice trailed off at that.
Luna gave a nod to Shining Armor, and then turned her head to face forward again. “I appreciate thy concern, captain,” she said, evenly. “But it took three dozen of those walkers to defeat mine sister, and by all accounts this flying machine arriving today is far weaker and more fragile than those,” the alicorn added, her voice only divulging the slightest hitch when referring to Celestia. “Both Starbuck and our agent within the invaders hath confirmed this independently.”
“Yes, I understand,” Armor replied, and then sighed. “But, if I may be so bold, your highness, your sister had extensive defensive spells and enchantments built into her armor. You are only wearing your standard regalia.”
Something in his voice niggled at Luna, and the alicorn stopped her movement so she could turn and fully face the unicorn. “Captain, I think thou art worrying too much,” she said, softly. “I am alicorn, and though we are neither impervious nor omnipotent, I can defend myself well enough.” She paused then, and managed to add a small smile. “Besides, you and the Guard will be there, as well. I shan't fear while the best ponies in the principality are with me.”
Shining Armor blushed a bit under the praise, but his countenance remained troubled. “Thank you, your majesty,” he said, and then paused to bite his lip. The silence stretched for a heartbeat before he lowered his head slightly and then looked off to the side. “But it wasn't enough to prevent Celestia's injuries,” he added, quietly and with an undercurrent of shame. Then abruptly he turned his head back and looked straight into Luna's eyes. “I don't want to risk anything like that happening to you as well, princess. Not now, not ever.”
Luna blinked at the forceful concern in the unicorn's voice, and a small warmth made itself felt in her chest as she recognized the sincerity in Shining Armor's statement. “I- I thank thee, captain,” she said, faintly. “I had no idea thou cared so much.”
The stallion's face looked pained at that, and he shook his head. “Of course I do, majesty,” he said, as he returned his gaze to match Luna's. “We all do; the Guard, the staff, and all of your subjects,” he added, earnestly. “You're our princess, just as much as your sister is.”
The warmth in her chest spread, and Luna had to turn her head away as she felt her eyes starting to tear up. “I... I thank thee again,” she said, quietly. “I didst not- I dared not think that, after everything...” Her voice trailed off as the pain of certain memories made itself felt.
“That wasn't you,” Shining Armor said, his forceful tone causing Luna to turn her head back around to face him. “Everypony knows this. We all make mistakes, your highness, and sometimes once we start down the wrong road it can be hard to find our way back again. It's those times we need a helping hoof to get us back on the right track,” he added, as a distant look crossed his face. It passed quickly, however, and the white unicorn gave the princess a wan smile. “That's what friends are for, after all.”
“Indeed,” Luna agreed, with a smile of her own. “Thou certainly lives up to thy name, Shining Armor,” she added, and then turned to resume their walk, albeit at a bit of a slower pace now. “As well as thy family's reputation. Many say Equestria could not survive without either Celestia or myself, but I daresay all hope wouldst be lost without thee and thy kin.”
Shining Armor blushed deeply from his respectful trailing position. “We just do what's right, your majesty,” he responded. “No matter what.”
Luna nodded to him at that. “An apt description of a hero if I hath ever heard one,” she said, as she shot another smile back at the stallion. Her expression darkened soon enough, however, as the pair took a turn and saw the doorway leading to the landing field just ahead. “Sadly, we have need for many in these dark days.”
Armor had nothing to say to that, so he remained silent as the pair reached the double doors to the outside. There the stallion lit up his horn and pulled them open for the princess, who gave him a look of gratitude before she led the way outside.
* * * *
James McKenna couldn't help but grin a bit as he observed the ponies sitting across from him. Poor Dash, she looks about ready to explode, he thought, noting the irritated expression on the pegasus' face. I know the feeling; can't stand it when anyone else is driving a ground car I'm riding in. Oh well, it shouldn't be too much longer.
Almost as if choreographed to his thoughts, the Ferret started to tilt back from its headlong rush, for which James was grateful. I know the doors being open helped Starbuck and Dash, but the bloody wind was ridiculous, the commander mentally griped. Such thoughts left his mind, however, as his daughter turned the Ferret to the left, which revealed Canterlot through one of the aforementioned doors. Every passenger turned his or her head to look upon their destination, and for the first time in a very long time, James felt his jaded cynicism stopped cold.
The city clung to the side of the mountain and sat on a wide, natural shelf, though this had been expanded upon with a massive platform of stone that defied gravity as it leaned out hundreds of meters into the open air without any apparent support. Upon this wide expanse a vast array of graceful, artfully decorated buildings had been constructed, creating a dense warren that nevertheless remained orderly and clean, or so it seemed to James. The streets, he noticed, held a wild riot of colors that his mind was slow to register, but soon enough he recognized the dots of thousands of ponies milling about in their daily business. Their tiny appearance gave the human a sense of scale for the city, and he found himself boggling at the sheer size. Sure, I've seen bigger, he thought. Hell, this place is smaller than the city I grew up in. But the fact they did this with nothing but their low tech, magic, and determination, and on the side of a mountain no less... He couldn't help but shake his head a bit as he marveled at the sight. It's just amazing.
The Ferret continued to orbit the city as Melissa waited for the prearranged escort to their landing zone, and soon enough a grand compound came into view. It was built entirely upon the artificial platform that widened Canterlot's footprint, and it was surrounded by a secondary set of walls that merged into the outer, city walls that protected the pony capitol. Although James cast a practiced eye over the walls as a matter of instinct, he couldn't help but concentrate his full attention upon what was unmistakably the Royal Palace. It's every bit as beautiful as anything the Davions built on New Avalon, that's for sure, the mercenary thought, as he compared the pony Palace to the closest example that existed in the Inner Sphere. A bit schizophrenic in some of the architecture styles, but if it's really been here for two thousand years as Twilight said, then that's to be expected.
He had to admit, he felt a bit intimidated by the age of the pony city. Nothing in the Inner Sphere is older than eight hundred years or so, save the stuff on Terra. And even then, a lot of those cities came after the birth of Christ. Even the oldest city in North America is only fifteen hundred years old; younger than this by half a millennium.
Two pegasus guards flew up from the palace grounds as he watched, and James felt the Ferret slow to a stop and hover. The two ponies approached the helicopter warily, before they came to hover themselves a few dozen feet beyond the downwash from the rotor.
Starbuck noticed this, and he leaned forward and waved to the guards with a foreleg. A brief exchange of nonverbal signals followed, and soon enough the guards nodded and then turned to glide back down towards the palace. For his part Starbuck looked to James, and then nodded as well.
The human nodded back, and then reached up to trigger the small intercom unit built into his headset. “Okay Melissa, follow those two in,” he said, into the microphone affixed the the set.
“Understood, commander,” his daughter replied, in full professional mode. The Ferret tilted and turned under her guidance, and soon began its descent.
* * * *
The growling whine had been audible for some time now, announcing the incoming machine before it could even be seen. Princess Luna folded her ears back in annoyance at the irritating sound. How could anypony stand that noise long enough to fly in such a conveyance? She wondered. A thought crossed her mind at that, and the dark-colored alicorn calmly glanced around the large, rectangular field to make sure none of the other ponies were overly affected by the noise. The troubles I had on Nightmare Night hath only reminded me of the lower tolerance our subjects hath for such loudness, Luna remembered. She was pleased to note, however, that the guardsponies arrayed around the field and by her side were not showing any sort of discomfort. Even their legendary stoic expressions are not so unreadable to mine sister and I, the night princess mused, with a slight grin that slipped over her muzzle. I am glad to see none hath taken pain from this infernal noise.
Her train of thought was stopped just then, as the flying machine entered her field of vision after emerging from behind one of the large mansions the Canterlot nobility built close as they could to the Palace. Luna took a moment to cast a critical eye over the machine, and she felt a grudging respect at what she saw. It is as described in Twilight's letters and Starbuck's dispatches: a machine that relies naught on magic but the very properties of matter itself, she thought, as two pegasus guards leaped into the air and then flew up to meet the craft.
Luna continued to closely observe the helicopter as it came to a hover, just before the guards did as well. The latter made a series of gestures towards the open door on the side of the craft, but the angle kept those on the ground from seeing any occupants. Nevertheless, Luna knew that the guards would have recognized captain Starbuck, and so the princess relaxed when they turned and started to glide back in a leisurely manner. Everything must be as arranged, then, Luna thought. Good. Very good. So why am I so nervous?
It wasn't a feeling she liked having, but sadly had come to experience often since her cleansing. Am I... nervous about meeting these creatures? She wondered, even as the helicopter turned and followed behind the escorting pegasi. I suppose it is to be expected. Some of their kind did... defeat Celestia, after all. She felt a surge of anger at that, but Luna quickly suppressed it. I must not judge others by the behavior of a third party. Each must be represented by his or her own actions and decisions, and by none other. And so far, the reports from Ponyville have painted this group of humans in a better light, and I must keep that in mind.
The night princess emerged from her thoughts at that, as the descending flying machine drew close. Its noise increased dramatically as it approached, and Luna that saw it put out a powerful downdraft from the way several guards on the periphery of the landing field had to suddenly reach up and clutch their helmets when the machine moved over them. She felt the wind of this draft personally only seconds later as the so-called “Ferret” lowered itself to the ground a few meters in front of the waiting princess, and then settled on strange protrusions that emerged from its underside just before it landed.
The alicorn princess felt some admiration at the deftness with which the craft had alighted. Learning how to fly with your own wings is hard enough, Luna thought, as the noise of the helicopter's engine and rotors started to die down. But flying via machine? Even airship and balloon pilots need extensive training to do that, and this machine looks more complicated by far.
Again, Luna had to put her thoughts aside as events moved forward. The machine had landed with its side facing towards the palace, which let the waiting ponies easily look into the open doors. Inside the belly of the machine Luna clearly made out the presence of not only three ponies, but also several large figures that could only be the humans she had been told of, but hadn't seen until now.
Ugly things, the princess thought, and then promptly chastised herself for such a shallow idea. Donkeys aren't exactly mine idea of beauty, either, but I still consider them my loyal and cared for subjects, Luna reminded herself, as she watched the passengers start to disentangle themselves from their seating. The alicorn briefly puzzled over this, as well as the odd instruments all of them wore over their ears. Then suddenly, it hit her: They art safety devices, to keep one from being thrown or tossed about. And I wouldst wager the orange headsets are to preserve one's hearing.
Her opinion of the humans went up a small notch upon realizing this, and then again when she saw the human passengers turn to help their pony compatriots out of the complicated restraints with a care that Luna had seldom seen, even amongst her subjects. Perhaps these ones are different, Luna allowed, as the group of passengers, now free and joined by the machine's pilot, descended to the ground, and then started to approach.
Seldom had a second passed, however, when a certain purple unicorn froze upon alighting her gaze on one of the ponies waiting for them, and then disappeared in a purple flash. A matching flash appeared next to Luna the instant the first disappeared, and Twilight Sparkle bounded forward from that spot and slammed into the white unicorn standing next to the princess. “Shining Armor!” The purple pony joyfully yelped, as she wrapped her brother in a hug.
“Twily,” Armor said, as he brought up his left foreleg and partially returned the hug. “It's great to see you again,” he added, his tone warm. Yet he glanced nervously over to the princess as he continued. “But now's not a good time for this.”
Luna smiled at the guard captain. “Methinks, captain, that a breech of decorum may be overlooked in this case,” she said, affecting a falsely imperious tone. Then she leaned over and brought her muzzle close to his ear. “That's what friends are for, after all,” she whispered, low enough so that no one but Shining Armor heard.
The white unicorn blushed at that, but nevertheless nodded his thanks and grinned at the princess before he turned his attention to his little sister. For her part, Luna turned and studiously ignored the pair and instead focused her attention on the other visitors as they approached. She felt mild surprise wash over her, though, as she saw that the humans were smiling at the scene playing out to the alicorn's left. Well, except for the older one, Luna amended her thoughts, as she noticed the obviously aged human still frowning as if the world itself was giving offense. Yet as she looked over his face, she saw that his eyes had softened, and was struck with an odd feeling of kinship. When you have seen so much, you reveal little, the princess thought. Mayhaps this be their leader?
The group finished their approach and then stopped a short, respectful distance away, though captain Starbuck took a few steps forward to interpose himself between his monarch and the aliens. “Your majesty,” the steel blue pegasus said, as he bowed before the alicorn.
“Captain Starbuck,” Luna replied, and then gestured with a hoof for the pegasus to rise. “I see thy wing hath healed well,” she observed, with barely concealed surprise.
“Aye, princess, thanks to some help from our new friends,” Starbuck responded, as he rose back to his usual stance. “They are most generous, and have even helped to heal miss Dash's wounds, as well.”
“Indeed?” Luna asked, her interest piqued as she saw the humans look uncomfortable at the praise. She turned her attention from them, though, and instead singled out the lone pegasus still standing with the aliens. “Rainbow Dash, please approach and let me see thy wounds.”
The cyan pegasus started a bit at being addressed, but she recovered quickly and trotted over to give a brief bow before the princess. “Well, they're not wounds so much anymore,” she said, with a sheepish grin. That grin, however, soon grew into an eager smile. “I've got some wicked scars, though. Wanna see?” She asked, and then without waiting for an answer, turned around, reared on her hind legs, and spread her wings out so that Luna could get a clear look at her back. “Are they cool, or what, your majesty?” The pegasus asked, with a glance over her shoulder.
Luna was taken aback for a moment, surprised at Dash's swift recovery and sudden display. She quickly recovered, however, and then grinned at the pegasus. “Thou hast scars worthy of a song,” the alicorn said, as Rainbow dropped back to all fours and then turned around to properly face her monarch again. “But I am confused; did not the doctors say thy healing would take weeks more?” Luna asked, curiously.
“Oh, yeah, but these guys know their stuff,” Rainbow Dash replied, and then waved a wing back at the patiently waiting humans. “Fixed me right up.”
“Well, to be fair,” the soft voice of Twilight Sparkle interjected, and every pony in the immediate area turned to look at the purple unicorn. “Even Doctor Farrell said he was surprised at how fast Rainbow and captain Starbuck healed. He, Hermes and I have theorized that there may be a synergetic effect occurring between human medicines and the natural healing capacity of ponies, which Doctor Ferrell has noted is already faster than humans achieve.”
Everyone in the area fell silent and looked oddly at Twilight for a moment, until Shining Armor spoke up. “You're doing it again, Twily,” he said, in a teasing tone as he rubbed a hoof in his sister's mane.
“Arrrrmoorrr,” Twilight whined, as she pushed the offending limb away with one of her own forelegs. “Stop it.”
“Ahem,” came the masculine voice of Starbuck, who immediately garnered the other ponies' attention. “Your majesty, as happy as I am to see family enjoying one another, might I begin introductions?” He asked, while keeping all but the slightest hints of a grin off of his face.
“Methinks that wouldst be appropriate,” Luna said, and once again chose to ignore the two siblings at her side. “Please do so.”
Starbuck nodded, and then turned his body perpendicular to Luna so that he could look at both parties. “In the center is James McKenna, the commander of the mercenary company that calls itself the Dark Horse Brigade,” he said, while gesturing with a foreleg.
“Your majesty,” the human said, and then bowed, tucking one arm in front of his bent waist while holding the other behind his back. “May I present the rest of my party?” He asked, upon straightening back up.
“Please do, commander McKenna,” Luna said, already feeling some relief at the human's respectful, yet comfortable tone.
James nodded at this, and then turned to his left and gestured with a hand. “At my side is Johannes Schneider, my third in command and strategist,” he began, and then went on after Hermes conducted his own bow. “To his left is our unit's master technician and chief armorer, Andrew McCoy.
“To my right is our infantry commander, Ivan Rogov, and to his right is my daughter, Melissa, who is also commander of our air support,” James concluded, having only to pause in his delivery to let each indicated mercenary respectfully bow to the royal pony.
“I am pleased to meet thee and thine,” Luna said, once the human had finished speaking. “I am princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and stewardess of the night. I bid thee welcome in the name of mine father, the king eternal, mine mother, the queen absent, and in the name of mine subjects, over whom I watch.”
“Thank you, your highness,” James said, and then bowed again, though it was shallow and quick this time. “And thank you for this meeting. I know these must be trying times for you and your people, and I appreciate that you are willing to take the time to speak with us.”
Luna smiled politely at that, and then bowed her head slightly. “Then let us be off,” she said, and then turned and began to walk off, prompting the various persons and ponies behind her to follow. “We hath much to discuss.”
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WHY *Headdesk* DIDN'T *Thump* I *Thump* SEE *Thump* THE *Thump* INDENT *Thump* PARAGRAPH *Thump* BUTTON *Thump* BEFORE? *Thumpthumpthump*
Pink fuzzy peach the banana patch fizzbin...
*Shakes head*
Anyway. I wanted to bring you guys action, but I also wanted to establish a few character interactions before I get into the malestrom, and as I saw the word count creep up, I realized I'd have one monster of a chapter.
So, in the interests of keeping each chapter readable in a reasonable amount of time, and also to make sure you guys got a more regular update, I split off this stuff. Next chapter: Click click boom.
Hope this one isn't too boring. Next one's gonna take a week or so.
ALSO, I put some musical tracks in there to give y'all a feeling of the scene. Hope you enjoy it, 'cuz I'll be doing that more often.
I really like the interaction between Seabreeze and Carter. It was tense, heartwarming and, dare I say it, a tad bit romantic.
(Eh, I'm a romantic at heart.)
And this is a good story, Nice to see Shining Armor as well. (I wonder if Cadance is going to show up?)
I personally like it when the authors put music tracks. And now I know an awesome soundtrack, so thanks!
Actually I generally enjoy interaction scenes in HiE fics. So feel free to add some more.
Yeah you can put the action off if I can keep getting interactions like Seabreeze and Carter.
Hugging a pegasus pony, that's gotta be in the top 10 things for stress relief. Though Seabreeze is in it for the brushing.
i.imgur.com/iJBr8.jpg
See? Everypony loves brushing. Hands give us such an unfair advantage.
Hmm... advanced human medical technology + Celestia's neigh immortal nature...
We can rebuild her, make her faster, stronger, more... Shiny!
Oh please god no... she took an entire battalion of mechs to drop the first time. Nevermind what some of her armor doo-dads could do on an Atlas or such. Imagine a cooling spell integrated into the heat-sinks of a laser-heavy mech.
529158
I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say watching hundreds or thousands of tons of metal murder machines duke it out is a lot of fun! For me at least though, what really makes this story is the characterization, and the interaction between everyone. I'd rather have more stories like this one, with lots of descriptive, great dialogue and the wonderful mix of adorableness and thoughtfulness that this type of writing provokes, than what passes for a lot of fiction out there. Don't get me wrong, love having 'mechs blasting each other to pieces but, especially in the HiE genre we don't usually get this quality of writing often
I never thought I would d'awwww every paragraph in a war/dark fic. I was wrong. Keep up the brushie/adorable sibling stuff!
Why has no one thought to offer prototype magi-tech mecha? Imagine a unicorn mecha that actually functions as a mana-catalist! Leviation spell working to counter gravity? try hurling something into space!
cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/524904249274121803/4C3CF0C00C76A83B94F84DEF48141E73EEE8AB3C/116x65.resizedimage
But seriously... that would be scary. Inner sphere rudely trying to surpress you? throw the magi-mechs at them, and watch the awesome.
528938 Boring? No way! This is my favorite part of any HiE fic. The meeting of the Princesses and humans.
No way in hell this could be boring man, I loved the interaction between Seabreeze and Carter (glad to find out she ain't as Axe Crazy as we thought she was), and the selection of music was brilliant too! Very nice pacing there - hope to see the more action-packed chapter coming up soon!
529152
Did you have to post that picture? Every time I see that drawing of Luna with the hairbrush and that tousled mane I feel my chest ache because OH GOD I WANT TO GIVE HER BRUSHINGS BUT I CAN'T.
531148
The title of this chapter should give ya a hint. ;)
531299 Legen... wait for it... DARY!!!
528938
oh. oh dear. ohhhhhhhhhh.
poop.
oh, i'm sorry! please, i didn't mean to make a scene. i, uhm, i didn't realize there was an indent paragraph button either. i've been using tab-spacing. as to the chapter itself, it's very nice. i've always liked this story, even back when the 'Celestia is Perfection' brigade on EqD was being meanies. i'm very happy to see it continued and on such a lovely site as well.
thank you very much for writing it. i can't wait to see more Luna-human interaction. i hope when Celestia wakes up she'll be as ready to trust these humans as her sister and subjects are.
edit: oh, and i liked the music tracks. i usually don't listen to them when i read but they're a nice touch for those who like them. i prefer the sounds of the womb on repeat ... uhm, it's comforting. please don't judge.
532590
Actually he's named for the character on the right in This picture
This fic is simply FANTASTIC! I saw somepony compare it to the Great Granddaddy of all breathtakingly superb HiE - the Thessalonica Legacy and this was more than enough to spark my interest (not to mention putting the expectations in the "impossibly hard to even dream to achieve" levels). So far, I must say, this gem has lived up to it! Is it better than the Dashukta's work? No, I still think the Thessalonica Legacy (TL) is better. But Falling Stars looks like a very close second, which is a feat most Authors can't even imagine to achieve...
First, the praise:
- fantastic characterization. Everypony and everybody is always in-character, even if situation is vastly different from what ponies are used to
- phenomenal battles. I must say, I agree that those are better than the TL.
- attention to details. The scenes are very believable and sensible. It is clear that each one took a very long time to plan and write.
Then the blame :):
- some minor grammar problems (like "to to" in one of the chapters). Those are minor and far apart so this is a non-issue
- sometimes it is difficult to read, requiring a bit of concentration to differentiate one person from another. (being a non-native speaker doesn't help too :) but this is irrelevant and you should not "dumb down" your work)
As you can see, it's super difficult for me to offer any really constructive criticism, because at this level of awesomeness it's much closer to biased opinions than objective facts (e.g. a grammar problems are objective but "difficult to read" is highly biased). Yes, I've read the comments on Equestria Daily and maybe some of them are justified but my personal, biased and highly subjective opinion still holds: THIS IS ONE GOOD, SOLID, EXPERTLY WRITTEN STORY!
I usually end my reviews with a "moar" but at this level of quality I will not. This one deserves "may we have MORE of this please?!".
Lol on the fact how Shining Armor now appears all over the place.
532694 TL certianly is the greatest MECH based HiE, this is an extremely close second.
533579 (OT) - Jiropracter, could you consider adding (1 or more) "top 5 stories" widgets to your user page? I am interested in your selection since we seem to share the same view on the TL
.
533647
PPCs are Best Weapons for 'Mechs.
ER PPCs more so.
Clan-tech ER PPCs more-er so.
533622 Will do, I had no idea such a widget existed. New fangled FiMfiction
This is by the best "Human in Equestria" story that I have ever read. Yes, I prefer it to "The Thessalonica Legacy." (TL)
I feel like it has a much greater sense of scale. TL involved a grand total of one Mech in Equestria, and it was just a Valkyrie, and all it does is run around for a minute. In my opinion, there just was not enough crossover in that crossover. Don't get me wrong, TL is still one of my all-time favorites, and I often look back at it for ideas on my own story (not trying to advertise here, but please check my story out). But the ponies and humans never really meet on the scale that they do in "Falling Stars" (FS). Maybe I just love walking death machines blowing the countryside into scrap (okay not maybe. BEYOND ANY DOUBT). Thanks to this story, I want to start playing Battletech.
Furthermore, I have been watching this story since it appeared, and I definitely think that its quality has ben steadily improving. Dialogue makes more sense, characters are well fleshed out, and I cannot wait for the huge 50-or-so Mech battle that I predict will be coming up.
I would like to say that FS is part of what inspired me to write my own story. Thank you, Rokas, for writing this great story.
Colour me impressed...
And dear lord you do not want to get Celestia angry... 
I almost skipped reading this due to the mechs in the description of the story. I thought that there would be no way that this could work in a story about equestria. But the ratings where so high that it persuaded me to open the first chapter for a sampling. And I never stopped reading...
Best story so far where the mane 6 stay in character in all situations. And we even have a believable Pinkie Pie, not over the top or utterly random, just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
Also excellent and believable interactions between al characters, Equestrian or not. I can't wait to see how this all unfolds. I suspect the ensuing clash will be epic.
Sir, I tip my hat to you. This is an outstanding read.
533657
Needs more Gauss weaponry!
Someone really needs to take BT to a more technologically advanced level and give them some real weapons again or at least give them some of the stupid basic stuff they lost back (seriously guys, guidance systems aren't that freaking hard).
543681
Meh. It was conceived of in the 80s, and as a post-apocalyptic kind of scavenger universe where everything is falling apart. Even after the story reversed that it's still based on that idea so the tech is a bit schizo. But it's all for the excuse of giant rampaging robot tanks blowing the crap out of each other, so it's okay in my book.
545423
I can appreciate where it came from. I'm just hoping for an update. The RPG world, and even the tabletop gaming world have come a long way since then. No reason they can't 'advance the plot' so to speak because if they really want to do a fallen empire style game there are way better ways to pull it off. /total gaming nerd
546812
Well, yeah. That's kind of why I'm so ticked off at the "Jihad", since they had an option to just skip ahead a few years (preferably a hundred or so to clear out the cast of characters from the novels and whatnot) and reorganize the technology levels, make new weapons up, etc. But no, they just went on the same direction they've always gone... *Sigh*
547206
Just confirms that I"m glad I moved on. That being said you can still have fun with the setting as our good author Rokas proves. I thought ponies and powered armor was the height of both awesome and juxtaposition but for sure now it's definitely giant walking battlemechs and ponies
Also I think I'm now in the "Ivan is best pony" camp
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You have a great story here, well done. When I check for updates it's this story I hope to see with a new chapter.
With regards to The Thessalonica Legacy I wouldn't really compare them.
(SPOILER ALERT)
The The Thessalonica Legacy is all about explaining the odd technological advances ponies have made, so you can replace battlemechs with Harry Potter and still get roughly the same result. Good story but not centered on the battletech universe.
Falling Stars on the other had is alllll about the battlemechs. In this story two worlds collide.
549369
Oh god the pun.
I really enjoy this fic. I'm not familiar with Battlemech, but at no point in the story did I feel lost or like I was missing something by not having the proper background. That's a very big plus for any crossover, so I applaud you! I also really enjoy the interaction between the humans and the ponies. There are really many HiE fics and crossovers, but very few do the interaction between the two in a way that feel natural. You most certainly did. And I think the key component of your succes is that you manage to keep a balance. Despite the humans having the obvious technological advantage, you don't make it feel as if the ponies are useless. The ponies have their own worth and are useful and important, despite their lack of technology, and your humans aknowledge that and even rely on it. That's very refreshing, actually, I haven't seen it often.
And that's why I like it. You feel like both parties are exchanging knowledge and both learn something from the other, and that when they work together, they become a very powerful force. It's small things like James and co praising Bic Mac for his amazing job at making the runway so quickly, or his praise for the pegasi for managing to land a hit on those Spider mechs. Your humans don't look down on the ponies, don't go all "oh, those silly stupid cavemen, here, let us show you how it's done". Instead, Commander James and his men see that the ponies have skills and abilities of their own that are worth praise and admiration. Very important for fics like these. You even managed to have Celestia defeated and NOT make it feel cheap or wrong! I can't tell you how much I dislike it when authors give the Princesses the nerf-stick beating. Instead, you showed Celestia was a genuine and powerful threat, establishing her individual might and preserving our respect for her even though she was in the end defeated. In fact, her defeat feels almost like a mere result of circumstances. It appears that, had she had proper information on her enemy before engaging them, she might very well have won.
I'm definately on my seat for the next update. But personally, there are two things that I would actually love to see, even if they probably won't happen. Still, a brony can dream, no? I was thinking that since the baddies teamed up with the gryphons, maybe the ponies should try and get some Dragons on their side. Dragons are huge, strong, and have the advantage that they can fly and deliver devastating attacks while doing so (breathing fire and all). And as we saw in "Dragon Quest", there are thousands of dragons in this world. I'm sure if the ponies promised them a lot of shinies, they'd be willing to heat things up a bit for the invaders. ;) It's just because I'd like to see O'Connell deal with a pack of dragons. *evil grin* And you know who else I'd just die to see O'Connell deal with? Discord. Nah, of course it won't happen, he's sealed in stone, he's insane and he's evil. But you got to admit, the image of the look on the humans' faces when dealing with Discord is just too much. If O'Connell felt bad about cute little ponies, how's he gonna feel about chocolate rain, dancing buffalos, houses floating upside down, drinking glass and exploding chocolate milk?
Anyway, keep up the very good work, good sir.
You do realize this means the Dark Horse Brigade is working with/for a dark horse, right?
584672 12 meters is about 39 feet. Roughly the height of a 4-story building. Also BT canon indicates that 12 meters is about the top end for 'Mechs. So meh, I'll leave it at that. Let's just call it "it's a nasty mo fo who will RAPE YOUR FACE" and leave it at that.
585164 Was that in response to me? I can't tell because this site is messing with me. As for height of mechs I've seen 10 for the average height of most mechs with mechs like the Atlas and the Daishi getting up to 15 meters.
Anyway, it's very nice to see one of my favorite stories on this site. So an overall and belated Welcome to the sites! Both this one and the ELPMC
600579
Yes, it was in response to you. And I admit, I was wrong, I did some reading in MechWarrior 3rd Edition and 10-14 meters was the quoted height range, and I could see the Atlas being 15 easy. So I'll probably change that in future chapters and then dig through the old ones to fix 'em.
600602 Eh it happens. Must say I found Carver's horrid crime of illicit pony petting aka 4.bp.blogspot.com/-CTq9c27mYqQ/Thz6995NEdI/AAAAAAAAHx0/ZrFiLFu4Fls/s1600/brushie_brushie_by_enma_darei-d3lbrul.png
too be immensely funny. Can't recall anything about Seabreeze other than she's green and supposed to be crazy though here we see she's not.
601469
Illicit? My dear sir, when I'm president I'll make it a crime NOT to brush pony manes. Yanno, if I'm elected. And if sapient cartoon ponies become real.
Because I want to give them brushings so much it hurts. Especially after working on chapter 14 so much my brain is melting... Or is that because I've been reading Bob and George again? Oh God, the time travel convolution, it hurts! But it's a good hurt!
601607 Brain melting is fun......what I truly hate is losing motivation to get a chapter up even for a short time....Totally not happening to me now!
529155
A Nova Cat with magicaly buffed-up cooling?!
SWEET MOTHER OF FAUST!!! THE END IS NEIGH!!!
I d'awed all over my room.
The scene with Carver is beautifully written--and it's wonderfully in keeping both with Battletech AND with MLP: FiM.
Friendship is magic. But sometimes it's also redemption.
2514048
That was a very eeeenteeereesting scene to read. Perhaps there is hope for some of them.
If this ever gets finished, I hope that the griffins are forgiven and not wiped out. It sounds like a case of miscommunication, and at least some of them are pragmatic and perhaps not evil. Gilda's group struck me as decent, but scheming. Aside from wanting the others to have an "accident" (and given that they are militaristic and the others are being highly ... speciesist, I guess would be the term ... and indirectly responsible for some of their troubles) I don't really blame them. Though they could just SAY they need more food.