Short Side 3 - But I Have Promises To Keep..
Night fell once again. Tired ponies dragged themselves to bed that evening with wistful sighs. A few families were still up, worried about their little ones as the moon rose into the sky. Patrols had taken up turning down the dirt streets, peering into alleyways or darkened corners for any sign of trouble. Pairs of armored ponies walked around the town, carrying lanterns and pikes for protection.
Bastion leaned on his pike, his armor clad back twitching as it itched from the leather covering he wore, “Celestia’s name I hate this stuff.”
His brother laughed quietly, “It’s better than getting bit or have something you like chewed off.”
Bastion looked at his twin and almost squeaked, crossing his back legs, “Don’t say that!”
Granite laughed into the night, “Don’t worry brother, I’ll make sure ya don’t lose anything precious.”
Bastion rolled his eyes, “Thanks, least I know I’m well protected now, thank Celestia!” He waved a hoof into the air, “All my problems are now solved! My brother shall watch over me!”
Granite chuckled, “Well, that’s the proper deference to give me then, bout time ya learned it.”
He was immediately slapped with a clad hoof on the shoulder, “Hey! No way to treat yer protector now!”
“Granite, I swear..” Bastion’s voice stopped as he looked towards the forest line from their position by the bridge crossing the river. He could have sworn he saw something moving. “There’s something in the tree line.” He pointed a hoof into the encompassing darkness.
His brother took a look, his eyes narrowed as he watched shadows flicker along the greenery, just inside the line of trees. “The hay is that?”
They both stood silent as the shadows moved underneath the overgrowth, their keen eyes picking out distorted forms and shapes.
“Are..are those ponies?”
Bastion shook his head, “Can’t be, everypony’s in town or asleep. Somethin’s not right.” He touched his brother’s shoulder, “Go get the Sergeant, we need to sound the alarm.”
Granite gestured to the silent tanks, “But won’t these things take care of them? Like before?”
Bastion thought for a moment before gesturing, “They’re not doing anything right now and those things are closer, go get the Sergeant now.”
His brother nodded once and turned, kicking up dirt in his armor as he ran for the next patrol outpost where the Sergeant was.
Bastion stared harder at the flickering forms, trying to make them out, his eyes working hard to make sense as they danced along the tree line, getting just that much closer. He gripped his pike tight in his hooves as he kept watching, almost jumping out of his skin when a pony skidded to a halt beside him.
“Whatcha got Bast?” The Sergeant was a grizzled old veteran of the Royal Guard, retired in Ponyville.
“Sarge, there’s something out there, I swear it.”
“Ah believe ya Bast, no nevermind on that. What are they?”
“I don’t know. The tanks aren’t taking care of ‘em, could they fool ‘em somehow?”
“Ah hope not Bast, that’d be a bad thing.”
“I think so too boss,” Granite had joined them in a shower of dirt from his hooves slipping on the loose soil. “Let’s hope they just go away, maybe?” His voice sounded hopeful.
The old non-com stared into the darkness, beyond the lantern on the post beside the bridge. “Colts, I think we got ourselves a bit of trouble. Granite, go sound the bell, we need everypony on the line.”
Granite did not even hesitate, taking off in a burst of speed towards the schoolhouse where the bell would be rung to summon all the Guard to the river line.
“Sarge, they’re comin’ this way!”
“Stay calm Bast, remember yer trainin’. Ah cain’t understand why the tanks ain’t gunnin’ em down.” The old pony chewed thoughtfully on a wad of mint in his cheek.
The shadows came into sight now, flitting back and forth along the open countryside as the school bell began to peal out its summon. The sounds of hooves hitting dirt came quickly as the signal was heard by the patrols.
The two Guards watched them close with the tanks, the guns swinging round to start firing, then swinging right back into the ready position. It didn’t hit until the old Guard Sergeant recognized the shadows.
“Luna’s curse, they look like ponies, Bast! That’s why the tanks ain’t firing!” He spit a glob of mint juice out of one side of his mouth, his pike old and war-scarred as he leveled it in front of him. “Get yerself ready Bast, we’re gonna be hip deep in a few seconds.” He remembered the story about the tanks, how they would never fire on ponies, it made all the Guard feel a bit safer though not tonight.
“Bast no matter what, you make sure this information gets to the Captain, he’s gotta know.”
Bastion looked at the old Sergeant, calm as could be, chewing and spitting on the dirt by the river as he levelled his pike. The look on his face one of grim determination as he nudged the younger stallion, “Stay calm, ya got yer pike trainin’ and we’ll be fine. Until them reinforcements get here, we hold. Got it?”
The younger pony could hear the hoofbeats getting closer, his guts were turning to water as he realized they were still too far away to help. The shadows were right in front of them, snickering madly with closed eyes. They looked like little dark foals, giggling at something funny in the schoolyard.
Bastion was asking for Celestia’s blessing for himself and the old Sergeant as the shadows gathered on the other side of the bridge. He watched as their eyes opened with a silvery glow shining through the night, then they smiled, still laughing with needle teeth as they jumped towards the two guards.
“FOR EQUESTRIA!” The old pony bellowed as he swiped at the shadows, cutting them with his spear head and tearing them up, Bastion right beside him as they went flank to flank, making sure none passed.
The short pikes were ripping up the shadows as they leapt to try and tear their collared throats out. Not for the last time Bastion thanked Celestia for the armor as it took another hit from razor sharp teeth.
Ringing sounded throughout the town as Bastion could hear the hooves of the patrols, they were SO close, they had to see what they were fighting didn’t they? The lantern had taken a shot, sputtering out as it fell into the river; the two guards fighting for their lives in the dark, only the moonlight giving them anything to see.
Cackling shadows made no sound other than the mad laughing, tearing at their armor and hooves as the blades on their short wooden poles tore through them; leaving them to dissolve in a mist, nothing but ashes that blew into the same breeze that cooled the sweat on their brows.
Bastion had never been so tired after just a seconds of fighting, but then he’d never been in such a scrum. His pike flashed again and again as the foal like figures kept leaping at them wanting their flesh.
The old Sergeant went down with a grunt, his hooves slapping at one who’d manage to get a grip on his throat. Bastion turned to help, only to be battered in the side by a rush as the dark overwhelmed them both.
Granite was tearing through the streets followed by as many patrol ponies as he could find, the others were already there as he came up short, his hooves skidding along the dirt. He looked at the wan faces, staring back at him as he shouldered through the group, “Where’s Bastion?”
One pony pointed as he saw his brother and the old Sergeant laying in the dirt, their coats and armor bloody, gasping for breath as the Unicorn medics worked feverishly to save them. “Oh, Celestia.”
He grabbed the nearest guard, “Anypony see what did this? Why didn't the tanks fire?"
“Granite, nopony knows, all we saw were some shadows running away and that was it. We didn't have any light till the others came so we stood guard over them." He pointed to the two lying on the ground.
The big Earth pony swore and slapped the dirt with a hoof.
------------
Twilight had opened her eyes at the first ringing peals of the school bell, grabbing her saddlebags she had rushed through the castle waking all her friends, telling them the alarm was sounding.
The six poured out of the door in a rush, seeing the other guard ponies taking off down the street for the riverside. They made it just after Granite had found his brother lying there with the old sergeant.
Twilight didn’t think, just acted, “Out of the way! Now! Move!”
A guard yelled, “MAKE A HOLE!”
Ponies moved quickly aside, Twilight scrambled to the side of the two injured, reaching into her saddlebags to get out thick green packs that she peeled a covering off of and slapped onto their wounds, making sure they were secure. The Unicorn medics were hitting the two with more anti-pain spells, letting them calm and relax as the nanites took hold to do their work.
The magic users were firing up more wound closure spells as well, helping the packages along, they kept going until they were too exhausted to use anymore spells.
Twilight tapped a hoof as she saw the two pony’s breathing slow, so many little puncture wounds where there wasn’t armor, she was afraid she’d arrived too late.
Applejack grabbed the nearest guard, “Get back on patrol! There might be more of whatever attacked em! Go on now!”
Armored ponies moved at the command, glad for something to do. Twilight bit her lip as she watched the packages begin to turn white, a sign they were working. Her hoof kept tapping nervously before Pinkie came beside her, giving her a hug.
“They’re working, he said they would.”
“I know Pinkie, but there’s so much blood.”
“They’re guardsponies, they haven’t been given the order to die yet.” A low gravelly voice added to the conversation, Granite chuckled a bit. His face was lined with worry as he watched his brother covered in green packages. “Is he going to be alright?”
Twilight could do nothing but be honest, “I don’t know Granite, I’m sorry.”
Bastion opened his eyes, taking in gulps of air, he was looking around wildly as Granite kneeled beside him, “I’m here Bast, I’m here, calm down.”
“....ponies...”
“What?”
“...ponies....”
Granite looked up at Twilight and Pinkie with a confused look on his face, “Ponies?”
A medical team from the hospital arrived doctors and nurses getting the two injured up on carts, hauling them away at top speed. Granite followed his brother. He stopped before he left, looking at Twilight.
“They did their job, they stopped whatever it was Princess. It’s not your fault.” He looked at the worry on the pretty mare's face, giving her a bone crushing hug, “It’s fine, my brother is strong and you couldn’t kill that old Sergeant with a dragon. They’re both too stubborn to die.” He gave her a wink and took off after the medical carts.
Twilight stood confused at the bridge, thinking of what Granites’ brother had said. She rummaged her mind for anything that might be a reason he’d said ponies. She stood there for some minutes before Pinky and Rarity nudged her between them, “C’mon, you need more sleep.”
Applejack walked behind them shaking her head, “Ah just don’t get it, why didn’t the tanks fire?”
Fluttershy was hovering near with Rainbow Dash, she offered, “Well, I told him of all the bad things so he could make sure the tanks took care of them. Maybe I forgot to tell him something?” She was looking worried as well, that maybe it was her fault.
“Nah Fluttershy, you’re good at describin’ things. I just don’t get it. Another funny thing is why weren’t there any dead things near the guards? They just up and evaporated? What did that poor guard say to ya, Twi?”
The group stopped for a second as Twilight tapped her chin, “He said ‘Ponies’.” She was lost in thought for a moment.
“Ponies? Ponies did this? No that don’t sound right.”
Twilight flipped around to look at Applejack intently, “Didn’t you say Crusader made sure that the tanks wouldn’t fire on ponies?”
“Well yeah,” The orange mare nodded, “He didn’t want nopony getting hurt while he was gone.”
The lavender mare slapped a hoof on the ground, “That’s it! C’mon, we need to get to the castle library!” She took off in a hurry, wings spread as the others exchanged glances, wondering what kind of idea Twilight had now.
The five followed the rapidly diminishing Twilight back into town towards the castle. The patrols had resumed, and everypony on watch kept looking towards the forest wondering what would happen next.
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...and miles to go before I sleep...
Smiles to go before I weep....
I don't know what is possessing the Everfree, but it better get over its self soon before Crusader just decides to level the entire foliage, just to get rid of it.
5658822 you beat me to that comment...
5658936 Nfire and myself kicked probably a half dozen ideas back and forth for the story. I don't know the exact details for the rest of the shorts, but I am very pleased to see how it is going.
Have to keep people guessing after all. He does write a great story though.
5658936
Oh, if only Applejack had been given an override for the sentry guns to make them fire on anything she designated.
MwuhahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAH.
... If this is ANOTHER time my people are being absolute savages to ponies I am going to have to punch a certain somebuggy right in her royal cloaca with a broken bottle!
5658657 I just spent a minute trying to think of a science version of the phrase 'My kungfu is stronger!' but I couldn't make it work.
*Double take* Did you seriously post three chapters since the last comment I made? sheesh.
5563621
Actually, barring an act of god, Earth will be uninhabitable in a billion years due to the slowly increasing solar output driving the carbon cycle into overdrive and killing off the plants maintaining the atmosphere oxygen content as well as starting to boil off the oceans into water vapor. There would still be life, but it would be unfit for animal life at that point.
5659015 E for effort though!
And yep, fourth will be going up as soon as I can, writing on it now, hopefully tonight if not the morning!
began to peal out it’s summon.
its*
For them to be able to attack, and yet dissapate? bodies of mycelium etc, critically stressed fibres, but the teeth? Hmm, Prince Ruperts tears? For a given minute amoun of material, is very strong, but its stressed in such a way that as soon as you exceed its toughness at any point, the stress rips it apart into dust.
the trouble with Twilight going in with a permanent shield up, the forest comes up through the ground. Which means you need shining to handle shields, and Twilight to handle levitation, given Luna is off on a wild squawk chase.
Otherwise, given the wrong story, cant thing of anyone else with the shere armor and power to go in there on their own.
Looks like they might have to use the Bore to get in there. ranks of unicorns casting shield and blast spells, melting and freezing the ground to beyond the edges of the shield tube. Air filter, sealing, even what I call the shield grind. Two layers of shield, the inner far stronger, the outer weaker, but it can extend outwards and inwards. You dnt let them attack the outer shield, you let them attack the inner. Put up the outer shield, then grind the attackers between the two layers. rinse and repeat as best you can.
The forest is mooving up to Pied Piper levels.
What do I see in these last couple parts? Why, we've got some nice characterization for a couple more new guys! It's great to see the cast expand a bit, and that you're giving some spotlight to a couple of the local military ponies. I do hope that Granite is right and Bastion and the sergeant recover from their ordeal.
On the other side, though....after how badly those two soldiers were mauled I am beginning to have grave misgivings over the fates of those children. If that cold pit does indeed speak truth, I see a quick and very sharp escalation against the forest when Crusader returns...unless an outraged princess does it sooner.
5658966 That he does! And this is a great side shot, too, particularly in that we're seeing how well the town can handle things with Crusader away. He'll probably blame himself, but it's actually likely that he wouldn't have even noticed the shadowponies the first night.
5659014 I don't think it is. After all, changelings are still natural creatures. They still bleed, at the very least, so there would have been sign of the attackers if that was the case. And these shadowponies were explicitly mentioned to evaporate into mist when the guards struck them.
5659307 While we do bleed its pretty hard to make us bleed. We are in natural full plait after all. Also our blood is REALY watery, would soak into the ground pritty quick.
5659363 You still don't simply evaporate though. As far as full plate, I dunno if your exoskeleton would give you quite that level of protection, but I'd agree that it's far better than unarmored hide.
5659363
ah but wouldn't you guy's leave a husk?
these things completely evaporated, plus cant you're people only disguise themselves as creatures that share their relative mass
im not sure if using what would amount to a foal version of a changling is a good idea. im pretty sure you wouldn't use them during a mission due to the future of the hive or something like that, plus they would be less competant than a fully grown drone
5659363 Watery? You must be some other type of changling, in my experience they have thick blood.
5659421 exoskeltons are very tough, comparable to steel... and given that changlings are larger than any given bug, I'd say it's safe to assume they have very thick chitin.
Great side story Nfire, I really do enjoy it.
5659453 Thank you!
5659421 Actually, the make up of an aurthropod's exoskeleton is composed of a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine interwoven with cermaicized calcium carbide. When a bug's tiny you can just crush this stuff because it's all thin... But it's actually stronger then steel and when scaled up to changeling size well... it might be resistant to .22 and 9mm bullets.
<<OOC: and that's the BASIC chitin. If they have chitin like scorpion's it's even tougher. Additionally some species of insect have hematite layers in their exoskeletons as well...>>
5659435 We carry the bodies of our dead back to the hive for an honorable extraction of residual love energy and disposal of the remains. Leaving a corpse on the field is a waste of food and disrespectful to the individual. Unless it was a drone, because well, non-person biobots.
But I have it on good authority this wasn't us. Which makes sense, It's not the Queen's piriod... Sorry about Canterlot by the way.
5659453 Ah... Only fought starving lings before? If were not low on love it's very watery. As we starve our blood thickens, becomes harder to move, and the lost circulation actually begins to cause us to rot, producing those holes you see on a lot of us. Racial curse and such.
<<OOC: physics wise changeling's exoskeletons are comparable to ATI 6-4-MIL alloy titanium. It's mostly used as armor plating for vehicals, especially Strikers. You would want to cook changelings, fire and energy weapons would be the best to attack with as it would take skill and anti-armor melee tools to get though their chitin. The downside is if you breached the exoskeleton that changeling is probably paralyzed. Also it will take months before they would molt and have a new exo so a breach means you can run up and finish them off with a well placed strike between plates.>>
Twilight's got some idea of what they might be facing... but I think the forest is in for a rude invasion when Crusader gets back... especially if he brings a second Bolo with him and Luna is still riding along. Two Bolos and the Princess of the Night....
5660420 the appropriateness is wow
5660420 by Akatosh that forest would/will be screwed
5658822 I'm just worked about what that poem refers to in the Bolo-verse... Unit NKE of The Line's last charge was heartbreaking.
Should be: "He looked at the worry on the pretty mare"s face"
5699460
should be: "He looked at the worry on the pretty mare's face"
9030233 Went in to edit and it looked okay? Thanks for letting me know :)
Uh ... so ... who exactly do ponies murder to make leather armor?
I feel like the ponies need some shotguns loaded with rock salt.