Chapter 17 (Part 1): Your Flank, My Size-24 Boot
“Ugh! C-Cortana? You okay?!” Twilight managed to yell between coughs. She blinked furiously, trying to clear her eyes of the painful pinpricks of dust. She held her breath, her ears perked up, struggling to hear anything above the last pieces of the ceiling thudding against the ground.
“Cortana! Where are you?” the unicorn continued, spinning in a circle. Her squinted eyes scanned the immediate area, finding nothing but more dust clouds. Stumbling forward over a large chunk of plaster, Twilight instinctively summoned a gentle breeze to clear the dust, just as she had done before in the smoky clearing a few days ago.
The dust swirled upwards, leaving through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Cortana’s “firewall” seeped through, fingers of ice already grasping the edges of the makeshift entrance. Twilight shouted upon seeing a pair of cold, blue eyes staring at her from a few meters away. The owner of the eyes fell under her scrutiny.
It was an older colt, his messy, snow-white mane accented by his brilliant glacial-blue coat. An ornate purple robe decorated his chest and flanks, including a hood that draped partially over his wild mane. A sharp horn poked out from between his long bangs, glinting dimly in the whiteness. He gave her a little smile greeting her with a delicate, feminine voice.
“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise? It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss Sparkle.”
Twilight was surprised at how well he enunciated his words. A magic user powerful enough to break through Cortana’s barrier, and apparently a skilled orator to boot. She gritted her teeth, a feeling of unease settling into her gut. “W-Who’re you?” she asked, although she already knew what he was going to say.
“I thought you’d never ask, my dear.” The unicorn lowered his hood, tossing his head so his bangs parted. “My name is Ephemeral Snowflake. I am the ex-Arch Mage of Celestia’s Court. And your name is Twilight Sparkle, judging from your memories that I’ve acquired along with your body.”
The purple unicorn’s expression turned into one of disgust. “So you’re behind that whole masquerade back at my library. Why are you doing all of this? Just so you can have your name put in Equestria’s history books?!”
To her surprise, Snowflake laughed. It was a musical, but simultaneously harsh and terrifying, echoing in the large chamber. “Ohoho, it is much more complicated than that, my dear.”
He stood taller, grinning confidently. “You see, my wife was killed by your mentor and teacher, Miss Sparkle. As indirect as it was, that fact is irrelevant. She refused to teach me the magic to renew my beloved, leaving her to wither away with the infernal rot that plagued ponykind during my time.” He raised a foreleg at her. “And you, as well as that other construct that I’ve captured, will be assisting me in bringing her back from the void.”
Twilight scowled. “How’s that supposed to work? Starswirl the Bearded himself claimed that there is no magic that can restore life! Life is precious and fragile; built upon memories and experience! It’s not something that can be simply conjured out of thin air!”
Snowflake chuckled. “Oh, my, my. Starswirl the Bearded? Is that what he called himself? The young pipsqueak could scarcely grow a single speck of facial hair when he served as my understudy…” His expression darkened. “Well, my dear, it’s quite simple. All I need to do is exchange your lives for hers. And with the assistance of the ley-lines that are in abundance here, I’ll be able to conduct the channeling ritual with your body, which you’ve so kindly donated to the cause.”
“You’re insane!” was all Twilight could think to say.
“Hm. I’m disappointed that you think so, my dear.” The purple unicorn’s scowl deepened. She was getting tired of that. “For you see, things have already been set in motion, and I can’t have you getting in my way. I’ve waited thousands of years for this opportunity, and I’m not going to let it slip through my hooves.” His horn began to glow. “So if you’re not willing to cooperate, I’ll have to make you understand.”
A massive purple orb of energy materialized out of thin air, thrumming loudly. Snowflake tossed his head, and the ball accelerated forward, rocketing towards a hapless Twilight Sparkle. Shouting in panic, Twilight focused on a spot several feet to her right, her horn flashing brightly. She disappeared just as the energy smashed into the floor, vaporizing the fragile plaster.
Reappearing a couple meters away from the smoking crater, Twilight immediately cast a barrier around herself, gritting her teeth as she directed her energy into sustaining and strengthening the shield. The Archmage now wore a crazed grin, his cold eyes now wild with power. “Aha! Another student in magic! Now this should be fun!”
“You’re crazy!” Twilight cried from within her shield. The Archmage responded with a barrage of purple projectiles, which smashed into the shield’s surface, washing it with a lavender glow. The purple unicorn winced, her horn brightening as she struggled to keep the flow of magic constant in repairing the barrier. Each impact generated a small burst of smoke, eventually encasing the shield entirely in an opaque violet fog. Whirling around wildly, Twilight’s eyes scanned the mist, biting on her lip.
“I prefer the term ‘unorthodox.’”
The purple unicorn started to turn to the source before a splash of something practically molten impacted her right side. The shield shuddered as Twilight’s concentration wavered momentarily, eventually vanishing. Rolling to her hooves, the mare glanced at the source of the pain.
Her coat was singed badly from a magical projectile that the Archmage had fired from within her shield, revealing a patch of charred skin underneath. Biting her lip to keep herself from crying out, she turned back to the purple haze that was still dissipating. An unimpressed Snowflake emerged. “You’re way out of your league, my dear. It’d be easier to quit while you’re ahead.”
Twilight shook her head violently. “My mind is my own! And I intend to keep it that way!”
“Wrong answer.”
Snowflake reappeared in front of Twilight, his horn already aglow. Before Twilight could yell out, a shockwave passed through her, sending her flying backwards. She tumbled end-over-end, eventually skidding to a stop.
“I’ll ask you again,” the colt sighed. “Will you aid my cause? This can all end if you just say—”
“No! That’s my only answer!”
“That’s rather unfortunate.” The colt’s horn flashed with magical energy. “I can’t let anything get in my way, even if that means having to find another mind to subdue.” His expression softened. “She didn’t deserve to die. It was unlucky, and nopony deserved a fate as cruel as hers. The cure was there… and yet the Princess didn’t give it to me!” He stomped the ground, his eyes alight with anger. “She reserves the right to her kind! To Alicorns! Leaving us normal ponies in the dust! To rot, while she is allowed to exist for all eternity! It’s unfair that she keep it to herself, and I’m going to resolve this injustice at any cost!” He cantered forward. “I’ll just use one of your friends’ minds instead!”
Twilight began to backpedal away from the Archmage, fear running rampant in her mind. “S-stay back!” was all she could muster. “My m-mind is… My mind is—!”
“Ah’m comin’, Twi!”
An orange blur crashed into the Archmage, bowling him over. As the blue colt tumbled over, the creature lashed out with its hind legs, bucking him square in the jaw. He flew another four feet before colliding with the ground, raising a cloud of dust as he landed.
“Somepony call for artillery?”
Snowflake looked up—straight into a massive cannon. An explosion of confetti and streamers later, he was airborne again, tumbling end-over-end in midair.
“C’mere, flankface!”
Twilight blinked, and Snowflake was gone. Glancing around, she could faintly hear a whistling noise from above. As soon as she looked up, the ground in the distance exploded, spraying bits of stone and plaster everywhere. A very angry-looking Rainbow Dash landed next to her, giving the impact crater a raspberry.
Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie sidled up to her, seemingly out of nowhere. “Twilight! You’re hurt!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Girls… How…?”
“Here. Let me help.” Fluttershy dropped a small picnic basket, opening it to reveal a host of medical supplies. She selected a salve, holding it down and unscrewing the cap with her mouth.
“No. It’s not possible…” Twilight blinked several times. Her friends were definitely standing in front of her. They looked real enough. The cool touch of the salve was real. Their voices certainly weren’t imagined.
“No worries, Twi. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters!” Rainbow flashed a grin.
“Sorry that it took us so long to find you…” Fluttershy kicked at the ground bashfully.
“Stop!” In surprise, everypony shut up momentarily. “As much as I appreciate the help, it’s not possible for you to be here,” Twilight began. “This is in my head. And I don’t think any kind of magic could—”
“Ah, the power of memories.”
The six mares whirled on the impact crater, which now sported a frazzled-looking colt atop it. His robe was tattered, but his mane and complexion were still pristine, save for a small cut on his left cheek, which dribbled blood down his chin. “It is not magic that brought them here, Miss Sparkle. You did.”
Twilight cocked her head, as did her friends. “Remember, this is all within your head. You have the ability to bring in whatever—or whomever—you wish. However,” the colt pawed the ground. “It will still do you no good.”
“Oh, yeah? Bring it then!” Rainbow started forward before a purple hoof stomped on her tail.
“Hold up!” Twilight cried.
The Pegasus obeyed, turning to face the unicorn. “What for?”
“Listen! Just because you managed to land a few decent blows on him, that was only because you all had the element of surprise. And even when you were all working together, all you managed to get was a scratch.” The unicorn hung her head. “Guys, he’s too strong. I… I’m not sure that we can even win.”
“Oh, come on, we’ve got this!” The Pegasus flapped her wings, taking off to hover in place. “We’ve beaten Nightmare Moon, a powerful Alicorn! Prob’ly as powerful as Princess Celestia herself! We wiped the floor with Discord, probably the most dangerous Draconnequus in all of Equestria! And this time, we’ve got it easy! We’re going up against a unicorn! Not a god or a celestial being!”
“You can’t just give up so quickly, Twi,” Applejack advised. “Rainbow’s right; we’ve faced tougher things in the past; this’ll be a snap as long as we use our numbers to our advantage.”
“B-but… You’re just memories. You’re not real.” Twilight’s voice broke.
They all exchanged nervous glances before fixing their gazes on the unicorn. “We don’t know if what you’re saying is really true or not, figuring how we simply appeared here in the first place,” Rarity began. “But we’re not going to let you submit to that stuck-up unicorn!”
Everypony’s eyes drifted to Rarity. Upon her realization of the meaning of her words, she stomped a hoof angrily. “That stuck-up unicorn! Not me!”
“She’s right; we can’t let you just lay down and give up.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “Even though you think we’re not real… We still want to help you.”
“Yeah! Even if we’re just in your head, we’re still your friends!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Twilight bit her lip, her gaze sweeping through the doppelgangers. “I…” She gulped audibly. “I… Y-you’re right. I can’t give up. Now that you’re here,” she rubbed at her eyes. “I’ve got a chance. We’ve got a chance.”
“That’s the Twilight I know!” Rainbow cheered.
“Are you all done, yet?”
The six mares turned, each one wearing a grim expression, their jaws set in determination. Snowflake returned their glares with an emotionless mask. “I’d very much like to end this little farce now.”
“Call it what you will,” Twilight ventured, “But over the months of adventuring with my friends, I’ve learned that there is nothing more powerful than the embodiment of companionship; of comradery; of friendship!”
“Then show me, my dear.”
Twilight gave her friends a quick nod, and they all charged forward, their individual tasks already in mind.
--
Grabbing the golem’s head, John smashed it into his left kneecap, the brittle sandstone fragmenting against the Titanium-A metal. He dropkicked the crystallic remains into a large group crowding his front, bowling through the smaller golems like a row of ninepins. A large red blip appeared on his motion-tracker behind him. Whirling on the ball of his foot, John lashed out with his right arm in a vicious back-knuckle, his fist smashing clean through the larger golem’s head. He glanced at the armor-plated glove, wincing upon seeing the deep scratches the crystal had left in his armor. This stuff is harder than Titanium-A plating?
He glanced around at the numerous golems surrounding him. If this keeps up, I’ll be down to my underarmor in a matter of minutes. He eyed a hole in the ship’s hull. Maybe I can find the armory. It wouldn’t be too hard navigating; as long as the interior’s still intact and unblocked.
“Chief, watch out!”
Something heavy yanked on John’s back. Thrown off-balance, the Spartan tumbled backwards, landing on the golem responsible. The remaining ones swarmed him, rushing forward in a maddened charge, eager to tear the soldier’s armor to shreds.
“Don’t worry! Pinkie’s bringing the party!”
Pink filled John’s vision, blotting out most of the light. A weight could be felt on his chest, along with a sudden increase in pressure accompanied by a loud bang and whistling noise. “Woohoo! Didn’t think confetti could hurt so much, didja?!”
“I’d say thank you, but you’re sitting on my face.”
The party pony rolled off of the Spartan, bringing her party cannon with her. “Whups! Didn’t see you there!”
Wiping his visor off, John scrambled to his feet. Glancing around, he quickly surveyed the battlefield, his eyes subconsciously drifting to the equines still duking it out with whatever remained of the exterior “guards.” However, something curious caught his attention. The Princess wasn’t using her magic, and neither was Rarity.
Whirling, kicking and punching, the Chief made his way over to them. “Why aren’t you flinging them away with that telekinesis?”
“I can’t use magic! All I receive is a shower of sparks from my horn!” Rarity cried.
“I have fared no better,” the Princess added, rearing up to stomp on a smaller golem daring to take her on alone.
That must’ve been why Twilight didn’t teleport back at the library. This crystal must neutralize magic. “Well, see if you can hold your own for awhile longer. There’s a breach in the hull, and I’m going to keep going; see if I can find myself something to even the odds a little bit.”
“I’m going with you, then,” the Princess replied. “I think I might be able to talk some sense into the Archmage if we see him.”
“With all due respect, Princess, you did bind him to a totem in the middle of a desert for over a millennium. I’m sure wanting to talk it out is the last thing he’d think of.”
“But it is still my student that is in danger!” The Princess shook her hind leg, freeing it from a golem that had clung to it. “Regardless of whether or not the Archmage is willing to negotiate, I’ve got to get to Twilight.”
“Trust me, you’ll only get in the way,” John retorted.
“Then so be it! I will not stay here while my student is in danger inside that wreck!”
John glanced back at the golems rising out of the sand, good as new. No time to argue.
“Fine. Follow me. But if all of you are coming along, you’d better keep up. I’m not slowing down for anybody.”
“Oh, yeah? I should be saying the same thing to you!” A sky-blue Pegasus shot off towards the ship, landing near the hull breach. “C’mon!”
The remaining party members sprinted towards the entrance, encircling it in a rough semicircle as they tried to slow their attackers’ advance.
“Keep moving. Once we get to the hole, I’ll need two to stay behind and keep the rest from coming in. The hull will act as a choke point and keep it down to only a few engagements at a time,” John advised.
“Rainbow and I can stay; y'all git a move on!” Applejack cried, planting her hooves firmly on the charred metal near the breach.
“We’re counting on you guys!” Rainbow went into a low crouch, her wings outspread.
“Same with you two! Good luck!” Rarity added before following the Princess and the others down the hallway.
John’s eyes were automatically glued to the ground, scanning for any arrows for direction. He let out a breath he had been holding upon seeing a red arrow marked “Armory.” He quickened his pace, ignoring the shouts of protest from behind him. Skidding around a corner, he instinctively let himself fall backwards when a vicious punch from a taller golem nearly decapitated him. Bringing his knees to his chest, he kicked outwards, his heavy metal boots smashing through its center. John grinned. They’re not invincible like the library encounter; must’ve only been the Archmage keeping his previous body that way.
Hopping upright, John continued down the hall, following the arrows deeper into the ship. He slowed as he approached a heavy door blocked by a large crystal jutting out into the doorway. Gripping the crystal tightly, John heaved himself backwards, easily ripping the mineral off of the metal. He repeated the process several times before finally clearing the doorway. He planted his hands in the door’s seam, groaning as he exerted his full strength on forcing it open.
As soon as there was enough room, he jammed himself in between the door panels, sandwiching his hands between himself and the door. Spreading his legs a little, he struggled to straighten out his arms, lowering them when the familiar “click” of the door locking in place echoed through the silent hallway.
“Everybody in.”
The six mares moved inside, giving the doorframe a nervous glance, as if it was going to snap back into place. John followed, giving the door a deft cuff on the side. The door lock released, the panels slamming closed. He swiveled around, turning away from the door.
As usual, the shelves were brimming with weapons, although not all of them were in their proper places. Many had found their new homes on the floor. Some had even been partially crystallized inside more of the crystal growths that jutted out through the metal depressions which held the weapons.
In addition, the ordinance locker was shut tight, its surface sealed shut by a layer of crystal which had glazed it over. Opening it was out of the question; trying to forcefully open a locker of explosives just didn’t seem like a good idea.
As he moved to the shelves, the Princess cleared her throat, obviously distressed. “You had this kind of firepower the whole time?”
“It’s a military frigate. It’s standard regulation to have an armory aboard.” John selected an MA5D, retrieving a full magazine from the floor and slapping it into the stock. He placed the weapon in the magnetic holster on his back, moving to a partially open munitions locker.
Rarity nosed an empty M90 that had managed to wind up on the floor. “Just what are these things? I know that they’re probably weapons, since this place is an armory, but what do they do?”
“Think of a normal bow and arrow. Then imagine the arrow traveling fifteen times faster than it normally would, and change the projectile,” John plucked a 7.62mm round from a magazine he was packing into his ammo pouch, tossing it at the feet of the alabaster unicorn. “Into that,” he finished.
“How awful…” Fluttershy murmured.
The Spartan turned away from the munitions locker, hefting a fragmentation grenade and a pair of MA5D magazines. Setting the two magazines back inside the munitions locker, he slipped the grenade into his last ammunition pouch. He removed the MA5D from his back, clicking the safety off. “Okay. I’ll need all of you behind me. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to shoot around you if you suddenly stumble in front of me.”
“We’re not helpless, you know,” the Princess chided, moving to block John’s passage to the door.
Unfazed, the Spartan pushed past her. “Shut up and get behind me… Ma’am.”
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Oh shit, here comes the chief.
Nice callback at the end.
How heavy is the pull on the ones you're thinking? The 45lb at 28" bow i use only fires like 40m/s. The average bullet flies 850fps i think
I'm so sorry for this, but its appropriate.
"I'm here to kick ass and make friends, and I'm all out of friends."
Enemies beware the chief is on the hunt…and he's ready to kick alien ass (not like he does already)
Chief is ready to kick but and chew bubblegum. But he's all out of gum!
>Chief got access to an armory.
>UNSC Armory fully stocked.
>Cue wicked grin
>Shit Just Got Real
"Shut up, and get behind me.... ma'am." Darn right ma'am to you.
Because fuck sleep
AWWWWWWW SHIT SON!
We need more golems! Stronger, tougher golems! These things are toys to the chief.
1780258
The AK is a slow moving round. A .22 ruger flies at 300m/s
Magnitude of Speed Wikipedia
awesomes...
He's holding a MA5D, not a MA5B.
Tracking, Read all the chapters in one sitting and i'm loving it. Liked.
1780165 I just googled the fastest an arrow (fired from an English Longbow) can travel, and then compared it to the speed of a 7.62mm bullet. After dividing the bullet's speed by the arrow's speed, it was about 14.7-something, so I rounded up to fifteen.
I've simply heard it more commonly referred to as a miniature, high-velocity, rapid-fire cannon
I see that Halo: Combat Evolved Reference.
Oh Chief. You and your killing
1780854 Are you...*facehoof*
Yes, a halo reference in a halo fic. What a coincidence.
1781008
Hey! Just thought I'd point it out.
Shit has most definitely gotten real.
no
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1780474 personally I don't know what's so great about the AK, the gun is a piece of shit.
CHIEF IS SO BADASS!!!!
I havent played Halo in so long I forgot how much bad-assery he had.
1780167 I'm here to kick ass and kick ass. And I'm all out of kick ass.
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Master Chief kills aliens and doesn't afraid of anything.
Also "I’ve learned that there is nothing more powerful than the embodiment of companionship; of comradery; of friendship!"
Well, Twilight, surely you remember going into Chief's memories? Silly filly, just throw in some Spartans and Marines! You'll kick 80x more ass!
1782427
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What .... no Gravity Hammer?
Hull
Past that, not too many errors popped out at me.
Oh dang. It gon get real now.
Shit's getting REAL!
This makes me happy
C'mon, he HAS to have the Sp'laser, 'cause you know, LASER
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Chief has a fully automated weapon against a swarm of sandstone constructs? He could handle that in his sleep... blindfolded. With his feet and one hand tied.
Golems, I almost feel sorry for you. Almost.
The Chief is here to kick ass and chew bubble gum...but he's all outta gum.
1780716
Makes sense though i doubt they even have bows yet. All they've ever shown are spears...
Loving this chapter.
Everypony, and Spartan, are kicking all kinds of ass. And even showing Twilight not going down without a fight!
But now things change as The Chief finally gets his proper instrument of war back. Guns, ammo, allies and enemies. Can you guess what's in short supply?
Anyway, keep up the good work and have a good Christmas or any holiday people celebrate during this time of year.
From, SomeRandomPony
P.S. Dat Halo:CE reference
1783385 lasers and crystals just don't mix. Reflections and whatnot...
And now we watch it unfold... Let it begin
Last line = LOL!!!!
Yay update!!!
May I say that the chief is going to kick some ass!!!
Well, this is going to be an eye opening experience for the ponies.
1784156 Use it on the crazy pony. Get him to talk for three seconds and BLAM! No more crazy ex-student.
Finally UPDATE
1788156 alicorn pony, laser wont do anything but maybe singe a few hairs on his hide
P.S. gotta love the chapter name, Your flank, my size-24 boot
Let's see how Snowflake hold up against guns n' stuff.
Please tell me Chief gets at least one power weapon like the Rocket Launcher or Spartan Laser sometime in the future (sooner the better) and show the Princess (whom I dislike very much in this fic due to her snoodiness and refusal to cooperate with the Chief) how badass he is by making stuff vaporize/disintegrate/FUCKING ASPLODE. Thank you.
Just realised his name is SNOWFLAKE. This dude is screwed.