Sentinel Strike
Sentinel Strike
A light wind gusted across the field as the two ponies faced each other.
Raven's bat-like wings were spread out on either side of her, her face concealed under the shadow of he hood.
"So, Princess Twilight Sparkle," her voice was soft, almost sibillant. "We meet at last."
Twilight's wings were tucked behind her. She scowled. "This ends now, Raven. I won't let you hurt Queen Celestia."
Raven sniggered. "This ends now? Princess, this has only just begun. I suppose your little vow signifies an intent to, in the vulgar parlance, stop me?"
"I do."
"And how do you propose to do that, little bookworm?"
"I'm not a bookworm," Twilight growled as he began to glow. "I'm well read."
She fire a spell, and another and another, a barrage of lavender bolts streaking outwards. Raven dodged them all. Twiliht had known she would. Raven was too fast, too agile to be hit by a spell aimed at where she was when the spell was fired.
But she was also predictable. It wasa sideffect of overconfidence. She was focuused entirely upon two things: dodging Twilight's spells and closing the distance with Twilight. And she was doing both in a pattern of the same movements repeated. If Twilight could just learn the pattern...
Got you.
Twilight kept firing. Raven dodged...right into the path of the three bolts that Twilight had aimed at the next position Raven was likely to occupy.
Raven staggered as the bolta exploded, and as soon as she halted Twilight hit her with an
Inverted shield spell. It was something Sunset had theorised, but left Twilight to put into practice: a variant on a standard shield t at, instead of forming a protective barrier around the caster, formed an imprisoning cocoon around the target.
Raven floated in a bubble of lavender energy, beating futilely against it with her fists.
"There's nothing you can do," Twilight said. "That will hold you until you can be taken into custody."
"Oh woe is me, beaten by my own hubris," Raven sighed. "I suppose ther isn't anything I can do...unless, of course I had something up my sleeve you couldn't have vorseen when you set this little trap...something that I believe might be called 'a ace in the hole'. Something like this."
Twilight ga ped as Raven threw back her hood. Raven laughed as Twilight beheld, there on top of her heada golden horn.
Twilight shook her head. "You can't..."
"Guess again," Raven said as her horn began to glow. "UNIFORCE!"
The beam of golden light shattered Twilight's shield like glass. Twilight was hit before she cpuld react, and she realised what all of Starfleet's enemies had gone through. It was burning, a fire dancing on her skin, a fire swirling in her blood, like being plunged into a vat of sunlight burning her inside and out. Twilight cried out in pain as she rolled out the way, thrashing on the ground to make the burning stop as her armour melted and began to fuse to her coat and add to her agony.
The pain became the least of her wories as Raven fell on her. Twilight could still feel the uniforce ravaging her body, destroying her inside and out, but that pain receded before the sharp immediacy of Raven's hammerblows. Twilight tried to block to dodge, but she was not a close combat expert, and she could barely stand already. Raven cackled as she laid into Twilight, knocking her to the ground only to pick her back up again.
I need to open the distance, Twilight thought. What she really needed was a doctor before the uniforce killed her, but if she could put some distance between her and Raven shemight be able to teleport away without Raven being able to follow. Twilight spread her wings-
"Where do you think you're going?" Raven asked. She grabbed Twilight's wing, amd Twilight screamed as Raven bloodily tore it from her body. Raven laughed as picked Twilight up, raised the princess up, and snapped her back like a twig.
"And to to think, you actually thought you were better than me," Raven said, setting Twilight down upon the ground. "I hope you've learned your lesson now."
There were tears of pain and fear in Twilight's eyes. She couldn't feel her legs, but she could feel the blood ozing out of the stump of her wings, feel the breaks to her bones all across her body, feel the uniforce eating away at her like acid.
"Yes," Twilight whimpered. "Yes, I have."
Please, she thought. Please let he Be satisfied. Please let her be satisfied. Her friends couldn't be far away now. There was probably nothing to be done about her legs, but she could manage in a chair so long as her friends helped.
I don't want to die, Twilight thought. I want to go to another of Pinkie's parties, I want to see Rainbow come up with a new stunt, I want to be dazzled by Rarity's latest dress.
I don't want to die.
"Good," Raven said. "Hold that thought." She stabbed Twilight in the heart. "Goodbye, Princess. This was a lot of fun."
She left Twilight there, dying. Dying alone, in the middle of an empty field, with no one there to witness.
"Applejack?" Twilight murmured as blood leaked from the edges of her mouth. "Rainbow...Dash? Anyone?"
There was no one there. No one was coming. The Princess of Friendship, who had learned so much about trusting in others, was dying alone, abandoned by her friends when she needed them the most.
The pain Twilight was feeling sent a spike of anger through her as sharp a Raven's knife. None of them were here, none of them...cared. She hated them all right now, she hated them for leaving her alone in pain...and in terror at what was to come.
Yes, she was terrified. She was dying and she was alone and she couldn't be a brave little princess, she couldn't put face her ultimate destiny with unflinching valour. She was in pain and she was frightened and she was cold so cold and so Twilight Sparkle sobbed and blubbed and whimpered as she felt the hand of death upon her.
"Please," she begged. "Somebody help me... Princess Celestia ...Mommy?"
The light in Twilight's eyes began to fade as cold engulfed the limbs she could still feel. There was a bright light, that would have blinded anybody there to see it. And then, when the liht cleared, there was nothing on the field but a lifeless corpse bearing the face of Twilight Sparkle. And that was what Lightning Dawn found when he arrived upon the scene.
"What are you doing here? This area is restricted!"
Maud turned to see the source of the sudden angry shouting coming her way. A zebra was advancing down the dimly lit corridor towards her, with the light of the five dying candles illumunating the red streaks in her mane, which fell flat down the sides of her face, like Pinkie's hair when she was upset.
Though as best Maud could tell, this zebra looked more angry than upset. As she got closer to Maud, Maud saw that she was wearing a black bodysuit, a little like Pinkie's starfleet armour, completely covering her body below the neck. It had red stripes on it.
Maud turned to face the irate zebra. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise that I wasn't supposed to come here."
"Dust and sand you didn't! You're the new Starfleet ambassador, right! I bet you were dying to snoop around and spy on us, weren't you?"
"No."
The zebra scowled. "No what?"
"I am not the new Starfleet ambassador. You're thinking of my sister, Pinkie Pie. My name is Maud."
"Well if you're not the ambassador then what are you doing here? You are a spy, admit it!"
"I'm not a spy, I'm here with my sister. I already apologised for being somewhere I shouldn't be. I just wanted to look at these rocks." Maud gestured to the wall to her right, a slab of agglomerated limestone concentrate, with marble steles set into the main wall. Above and below the marble images had been carved into the limestone, and in some cases it looked as though onyx figures has been placed into troughs made in the limestone. It was quite fascinating.
The zebra frowned. "Look at...the rock?"
"I think it's inspiring a poem," Maud murmured. She paused.
"Limestone, you are versatile,
Wounded, you remain beautiful,
A chain of marble is your necklace,
And onyx slumbers in your warm embrace."
The zebra's face twisted in confusion. Maud's poetry had that effect on lots of people. It was just too avant-garde for general audiences to appreciate, but Pinkie liked it, so that was okay.
"Are you...what..." her face reddened. "Are you mocking me, little pony?"
"No," Maud replied. "I've been told that I don't have a sense of humour."
"Don't you-"
"Karima!"
Another zebra approached from the same direction as the first; this one qas also wearing one of those suits, but hers was all black. Her mane was pale, and hung over one shoulder in a braid.
"What are you yelling about?" she asked.
"I caught this pony spy wandering around and then she started sassing me!"
"I told you, I'm not a spy," Maud said. "I'm-"
"With the Starfleet ambassador, yes, I know," the blonde zebra said. "I'm sorry if Karima was rude to you-"
"Hey!"
"She just gets a little intense, that's all," the blonde zebra said. "My name's Ria, let me know if there's anything I can do to make your stay here more comfortable."
"I will," Maud said.
Ria and Karima stared at her for a moment. Ria chuckled. "So...have you seen anything interesting?"
"These rocks."
Karima planted a hoof into her face. "Dust storms not this again. Look, you can't be here okay? So get out!"
Ria laughed again. "What my, um, what Karima is trying to say is that this part of the palace is not entirely safe, we've got a lot of construction going on, only certain zebras allowed here, for safety."
Maud blinked. "It looks perfectly stable from a geological standpoint."
"Maybe it looks that way, but it would be terrible if one of Ger Majesty's guests w re to get hurt, so if you could go back to your room that would really help us out," Ria said, smiling broadly.
Maud exhaled. "Okay. I suppose I'd better go, then. Goodbye," she said to the two zebras. She raised one hand to touch the wall. "Goodbye," she said to the rock.
As soon as the Starfleet spy was out of sight, Karima rounded on Ria with an angry scowl. "What the sands was that about? Why didn't you just let me toss her out?"
"Yes, let's let Strafleet know that we're hiding something, what do you think Sephora would say about that?" Ria demanded. "Besides, I think a spy would be a little less...odd."
"That's probably just what they want you to think."
Ria rolled her eyes. "Look, we got rid of her, isn't that all that matters?"
"Yes. No," Karima said. She pouted. "I'm the lead pilot, you shouldn't talk about me like you did."
Ria's face softened into a smile. "I'm sorry. There, is that better?"
"A little."
Ria laughed. "Come on, let's get back to work before Sephora starts to worry."
Team Sentinel huddled on top of a cliff overlooking the zebra capital. Two lay on his belly, a pair of binoculars in his hands observing the strength and disposition of the enemy. Three knelt beside him, waiting for his report.
Without the aid of the binoculars, her enhanced eyesight and hearing enabled her to detect at least six very loud zebra mechs on the perimter. Initial observation suggested that they were powerful, but slow and cumbersome. That was a weakness the sentinels could exploit.
Inside the palce, exact location unknown, waited the two targets of their mission: zebra Queen Tynisa and...and Pinkie Pie.
Twilight is my bestest friend whoopee, whoopee!
All I really needs a smile, smile, smile, from these happy friends of mine!
Twilight, won't you smile?
This calls for a party!
I am not Twilight, Pinkie means nothing to me.
Then why am I so full of doubt.
Why am I tormented by someone elses memories?
Why do I feel as though this is wrong?
"Three?" Two asked insistently. "Three, is something wrong?"
"No," Three snapped."I am operating within parameters."
"You were kinda spaced out for a moment there, boss," Delta said.
"I am functioning well," Three repeated. "Two, report."
"Strong defensive compliment," Two said. "Twenty visble mechanised units, plus support troops. The probability that there are additional units concealed inside the buildings I estimate to be high."
"Analysis of the mechanised units?"
"They possess ranged and melee caopability," Two said. "But their mobility is extremely limited."
Three nodded. That was her impression too. "One Charlie, can you hack these mechs?"
Charlie shrugged. "I've scanned them with my drone, and I don't think there;s anything to hack. This tech is ancient, like steam and gears ancient, it's too primitive to interfere with."
Three asked. "Can your drone enter the palace and find the targets?" She did not refer to them by name. That way she could almost forget that Pinkie Pie was going to die by her hand. She could almost forget.
Charlie shook his head. "Not without giving away our presence."
"You're a lot of use, aren't you?" Delta asked.
"The situation isn't playing to my skillset at the moment," Charlie replied. "Not all of us were engineered to be good at hitting things."
"Quiet," Three said. "Since further reconnaissance is impossible, the plan will be as follows: Alpha, Bravo and Chare will create a diversion on the ea t side of the perimter to distract maximum numbers of zebra units. Once the feint is under way Two, Delta and myself will storm the palace, locate and eliminate the targets. Are there any questions?"
Alpha raised her hand. "I've got one. Why are we doing this?"
"Your question makes no sense," Two said.
"I mean none of us wants to fight for Starfleet, right?" Alpha said. "They couldn't implant loyalty even thoygh they think they did. Their words, their slogans, their ideals mean nothing."
"Nothing," Three said.
"But here we are, doing their bidding," Alpha said. "Why?"
"The chips in our heads that will kill us if we don't," said Bravo.
"Then w should be trying to remove the chips while we're out of sight on this mission," Alpha said.
"We must have purpose," Three said.
"Why?"
"Because all living things have purpose."
"All living things choose their purpose," Alpha said. "We were designed like tools with purpose in mind."
"Look, I'm not too fond of Professor Brain and that lot myself, but this is what we're meant to do," Delta said. "It's like our destiny, almost."
"We're killing people," Alpha said.
"No one we know," Delta replied. "Who's Pinkie Pie to us?"
"My best friend," Three murmured.
The other Sentinel's stared at her.
"Uh...what?" Bravo asked.
"Two," Three said. "You are created from the DNA of Lightning Dawn, yes?"
"That is correct," Two said.
"I possess all of the memories of Princess Twilight Sparkle up until the moment of her death," Three said, her neutral tone belying the weight behind the words. She might be the only creature living who knew, actually knew, what it was like to die. She remembered the pain as Raven's uniforce tore her body to shreds, the agony as Raven's blade pierced her heart. She remembered crying like a child because she didn't want to die all alone and in unbearable pain. She rembered calling for Queen Celestia, and for her mother. She remembered getting no answer from either of them.
The emotions Twilight had felt in that moment wrre detached, weightless; Three had no connection to them. But the pain...the pain felt real.
Two frowned. "Then you are Twilight Sparkle."
"No," Three replied. "I feel no emotional connection to herlife as I feel none to Starfleet. But I remember Pinkie Pie as though I have been spying on her. I remember every party, every adventure, every moment that they shared together. I remember that they loved one another."
"Ooh, remember any salacious details?" Delta asked. Bravo clobbered him on the head. "Ow!"
"Not now, jackass," Bravo hissed.
"And now I will kill her," Three said. "Because that is my purpose."
She fell silent, her eyes down, not looking at any of them.
The silence stretched.
"Three," Two said. "Are you waiting for something?"
A group hug Three thought, but of course Twiliht's friends would have reacted to her distress, and she was not Twilight and these were not her friends. There would be no comfort found here.
"No," she said. "Is everyone prepared?"
"Yes," Alpha said, if eluctantly.
"Then commence the operation."
Pinkie Pie was woken by the sound of a baby crying.
She was a pretty light sleeper anyway; it didn't take much to wake her up, but a crying baby? That would do it for sure.
Pinkie sat up, throwing off the airy sheet and letting the cool night air brush against her face like a kiss from her secret special somepony.
Or at least that was kind of how she imagined it might feel. After all, Dashie did have quite a sensitive side, even if she didn't show it very often.
The baby cried again. Pinkie got up, dressed in her blue and yellow-spotted pyjamas, and saw that Maud wasn't in the room. Probably still exploring the palace like she'd said she was going to.
There was no door to the room she had been given, so Pinkie brushed the beaded curtain aside and stepped out into the corridor. It was pretty dark, but it was night time after all. The crying was pretty faint from here, but her Pinkie sense told her where to go, guiding her in a right turn, then a left, then two more rights until the crying sound became loud enough that her ears could take over the guiding a she followed the sound, that got not only louder but more insistent the closer Pinlie got to it, moving through the labyrinth of dark corridors of yellow stone until she came to a small chamber, barely wide enough for three ponies, where a tired looking zebra sat overlooking a cradle where a foal lay, swaddled and crying.
The zebra looked up as Pinkie pushed the beaded curtain a ide, and instantly she saw Pinkie her face took on a mask of terror.
"I am sorry, eminence, if he is disturbing you. I will silence him at once."
"No, it's okay," Pinkie said, speaking in a sift whisper so as not upset the foal. "I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help, that's all. There's no need to be scared." Why was she scared anyway?
"Help?" the zebra asked confusedly.
"Yep," Pinkie said, stepping over to the cradle. She leaned over it, looking down at the most adorable zebra foal ever. "Heeeey there. My name's Pinkie Pie. It's nice to meet you."
The foal quietened for a moment, then began to cry again.
"Aww, what's the matter?" Pinkie asked, reaching down to tickle him on the nose. Come on, you can tell Aunt Pinkie Pie."
The foal stopped crying and went a bit cross-eyed as he tried to focus on Pinkie's hand, then settled for grabbing it and stuffing into his mouth. He gurgled.
"He says his blanket itches and he doesn't like it," Pinkie said.
"He...he says," the mare murmured.
"I can speak baby," Pinkie whispered. "A Doctor taught me, after I begged him enough. It comes in pretty handy sometimes."
"From the mouth of any othr Starfleet officer such a statement would ring false," Queen Tynisa declared from where she stood in the entrance way, parting the beads with her body. A pair of guards in gleaming armiur stood behind her. "But from you...from you I believe it."
"I try not to lie," Pinkie said. "I don't always succeed, but I don't lie to children."
Tynisa chuckled. "You are an unusual pony, Miss Pinkie Pie."
"Kind of, I guess," Pinkie said. But that doesn't make me better than anypony else, just different."
Tynisa nodded absently. "Will you walk with me?"
"Okay," Pinkie said, following Tynisa out of thw lityle room and down the darkened corridor. There were a couple of twists and turns along the way, but Queen Tynisa seemed to know where she was going, so Pinkie let her lead the way into a pantry that was much brighter than the rest of the palace right now. Homelier, too, with tea cosies in the shapes of elephants and hot water bottle containers shaped like hippos littering the tables.
"This is my steward's pantry, but I come here when I wish to vest myself of the cares of titlr for a time." She picked up a tea cosy , grabbing the elephant's trunk with her mouth and shifting it aside. The queen looked almost abashed for a moment. Please forgive all these...I find that knitting helps me to relax and think."
"You're pretty good."
"Thank you," Tynisa said. She sat down. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I will not pretend that my gRief equals yours, but...I did mourn for Twilight when the news reached me."
Pinkie lowered her head. "Twilight...she was something else."
"A bright star in a darkening sky," Tynisa said. "The first time we met she attacked me."
"What?"
"It was during the evacuation," Tynisa said. "I would not leave, so she stuned me and had my guards carry me through the portal." She chuckled. "I laugh now, but at the time I was livid. When she visited me to apologise I nearly ordered thrown in the dungeon."
"Nearly?"
"When she explained her reasons it was impossible to deny her logic," Tynisa replied. "I had been a stuuborn fool, and she had saved me from myself."
Pinkie giggled. "Nopony ever won an argument against Twilight using logic."
"She visited but twice, but we corresponded infrequently," Tynisa continued. "She always signed herself 'Former Librarian'. I do not understand why."
Pinkie chuckled. "Bit of a private joke."
"Ah, I see." Tynisa smiled. "I see some of her in you."
Pinkie shook her head. "You saw some of me in her. Twilight had the best of all of us inside her."
Tynisa said, "We zebra have a saying 'We are not dead, who are yet remembered.' So long as you remember her, she lives on."
A dull thudding noise split the quiet of the night air. Then another, ten another. Then the entire palace seemed to shake with the sound of thud-thud-thudding, and the gaps in the thumping werevfilled with throbbing drums and blaring horns.
"What's going on?" Pinkie asked.
Tynisa rose to her hooves. "We are under attack. Kane! What news?"
Kane was one of the two zebras standing guard in the doorway, with a red cloak and a couple of what looked like lucky charms - an ivory elephant and an onyx lion - tied around his spear just beneath the head. He cocked his head to one side. "The eastern wall is under attack. It's hard to tell but the attackers look to be three ponies."
"Ponies?" Tynisa's eyes flashed as she rounded on Pinkie Pie. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I don't know, I swear," Pinkie said. "If I'd known anything about any attack I would have told you so that you could get the children away."
Before Tynisa could reply there was a disturbance in the entry to the pantry.
"Let me througy, I need to see my sister," Maud said, her voice betraying concern. "Pinkie? Are you okay? What's happening?"
"I'm okay but apparently someone's attacking the palace and it might be ponies!" Pinkie cried.
Maud stiffened. "Pinkie would never have anything to do with an act of treachery. But...I might be the one they're after."
"What?"
"I told you, Pinkie, I was ordered to report for a mandatory psych evaluation," Maud said. "But I didn't go. I'm in breach of my anti-social behaviour order."
"Forgive me, but I find it more likely that I am the target than some over-zealous Starfleet officers are risking war with Zebrica for your sake," Tynisa said. "Ontari, comm."
Ontari, the other guard, removed some kind of device from around her neck and threw it to the queen, who started speaking into it. "This is Queen Tynisa, what is happening?"
Pinkie could hear the tinny reply coming out of the device. "Majesty, this is Bellamy, the enemy is attacking from long range. They keep shifting their position, and they're fast, so we're havibg a hard time getting a lock on them. I'd send in the infantry but I'm worried about casualties."
"They're keeping their distance?"
"Yes, my queen."
"Then it's a feint. All units be alert. Karima, Ria, suit up and activate the HANNIBAL system."
"Majesty, this is Sephora, I have Ria and Karima with me prepped and ready, but Hannibal hasn't been fully tested yet."
"It will be tested now, activate it!" barked Tynisa.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Majesty, we should get you to somewhere safer," Kane said.
"Agreed," Tynisa said. To Pinkie and Maud, she added, "I must ask you too to come with me. Until this matter is settled then, regardless of your pat in this, I am afraid must consider yourselves my prisoners."
The HANNIBAL, which didn't stand for anything but had its name in all-caps anyway because block capitals were cool and imposing, was the pride of Zebrica, or would have been if more than a hooffull of zebras had known about it.
It was a mech, standing a dozen fert tall at it's full height, red and imposing, sleek and slender, in design lightyears ahead of the clumsy mechs that Zebrica displayed to the outside world. It had a head like a dragon mounted on top of a sleek bipedal form, only the feet had tracks of wheels built in for exa speed on stable surfaces. Like other zebra mechs, it had four arms, two for the primary weapons - and boy did Hannibal have a trick up his sleeve there - and two secondary arms with mechanical arms for defence and supporting tasks like reloading the main gun. It had a unique one-of-it's-kind power system, entirely Zebrica, but the equal of anything that Starfleet could come up with. It was the first of a nww army that would put Zebrica on an equal footing with its warlike northern neighbour and she, Karima, was its lead pilot.
Because she was just that awesome.
She stood in the shadow of the machine while a dozen engineers worked under Sephora's direction to get it ready for launch. Karima reached out and brushed her hoof against the metal armour, cold and hard to the touch.
"It's time, little brother," she murmured. "Now we show them what we're made of."
"Are you nervous?" Ria asked as she trotted over, her mane tied up in a bun so as not to get in the way.
Karima grinned. "Nervous? I was born for this."
"Well I'm a little nervous," Ria admitted.
"Okay, we're all set," Sephora shouted. "Pilots mount up!"
Karima and Ria slipped helmets over their heads as hatches opened in the back of HANNIBAL.
"See you on the other side," Karima said.
Ria nodded. While she climbed into the hatch in the lowet torso, Karima scrambled into the cockpit in the head. There was a kind of stretcher for her to lie on her belly amidst a cavern of lights and indicators, with a large viewscreen - black right now - to her front. Karima shoved her forehooves into a pair of black slots at the front of the cockpit, and felt the slots contract around her legs, locking them in place. Wires descended from the ceiling to plug into slots in the shoulders and back of her black and red plugsuit. Karima felt them tingle a little upon contact.
"Okay beginning activation," Sephora said, her voice coming in through the comm in Karima's helmet. "Here goes nothing."
"Here goes nothing?" Karima yelled. What kind of a thing to say is that?"
"Look, this based on two years at MITand a crazy dream I had," Sephora said. "I didn't know Her Majesty was going to tell me to build something this crazy. If it works, it-" she was cut off in a burst of static.
"Sephora?" Karima asked. "Hands, are you there?"
The sounds of firing and explosions was her only response, plus scattered bursts of chatter and yelling from a number of different sources. "We have three enemy units approaching our position...fire at will...they're moving too fast we can't...Agh!...Shoot it shootbit shoot it...can't lock on, it's too...lay down a suppressing fire and fall back by...they've broken through the perimeter...enemy troops have entered the palace. Enemy troops have entered the palace...we need reinforcements now, dammit, now!...They're unstoppable, they're...aargh!"
There was a burst of static before Sephora came back on. "Sorry. Some started broadcasting on all frequencies but we've got it locked down now."
"Things sound pretty bad out there," Ria said plaintively.
"It sounds like they're getting their asses kicked, we need to get out there!" Karima yelled.
"Beginning activation now," Sephora said calmly. There was a whirring noise, the cockpit flickere with light...and the everything went dead again.
"I don't think that worked," Ria said.
"Hang on," Sephora said. "I'm going to recalibrate the power coupling." The mech shook with a series of thumps.
"Did you just hit it?" Karima asked.
"Attempting activation," Sephora said.
The whirring started again, and this time...this time the going began to glow with so much light that Karima would have been blinded by them if it weren't for the tinted viso of her helmet. All the readings showed maximum performance, with inicators glowing gold as they climbed to their highest levels.
"It works!" Sephora yelled. "It works! Beginning stage two activation."
Karima felt a tingling in her spine, a shock travelling up her neck and into her brain it was like...it was like she was ripped out of herself for a moment, tossed like a leaf into the air around her, and then thrown back again more aware, more conscious, more alive. Her eyesight, her hearing were both heightened and se could feel...
Karima?
Ria? Can you hear me?
Yeah. I guess this really does work, huh.
Yeah! I can feel what you're planning to do before you do it. Gey, you really are nervous aren't you?
So are you, liar.
"Synchronicity at 95 percent you're good to go," Sephora declared. "HANNIBAL roll out!"
They were in a large spacious when the bad guys found them.
Kane and Ontari had been joined by a dozen other guards as Tynisa, Pinkie and Maud were hastened through the palace. From what Pinkie could hesr the zebras were getting hurt pretty bad by somebody.
She really hoped it wasn't ponies behind this. Why would Starfleet send her to make friends and then attack? It didn't make any sense.
They were passing through a hall with a high vaulted celing when one of the walls exploded. Everyone but Maud flinched as they were showered with rock fragments. Flames burned on the other side of the hole, consuming the remains of a zebra mech that had been cut in half.
Silhouetted against the flames stood...a pony? An alicorn space pony. Pinkie gasped, so it was true after all. She didn't understand.
The pony was black, with glowing red eyes. He wore silver armour that was not starfleet gear but looked kind of like it, with big chunky shoulderpads; it was silver like his mane. He held an enormous axe in each hand, with the blades resting on the ground. The pony spread his wings and smiled a cruel and predatory smile, baring teeththat were pearly white like a shark.
"Targets spotted, I'm going for the pink one!" he yelled as he leapt through the hole in the wall. He descended upon Pinkie Pie, axes drawn back.
Pinkie's eyes widened a she stood rooted to the spot. Me? He's trying to kill me?
The black pony descended...
There was a grey blur and suddenly Maud stood between Pinkie and her assailant.
"No," Maud said, her voice calm, but at the same time as firm as any of her rocks.
She punched him in the face, which went through half a dozen humorous contortions before the pony was flung backwards into the wall, making a pony shaped dent in the stone.
"That sweetroll is lying officer, I never stole it, ugggh," the pony muttered as he slid to the floor unconscious.
Two more space pony alicorns burst in through the hole in the wall. One of them looked like...
"Twilight?" Pinkie murmured, like a child who dares not believe that they have gotten the present they dreamed of for Hearth's Warming.
Twilight stopped, her lavender bas waving. Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "Huh?"
Pinkie was moving before she knew it, brushing past Maud, her arms spead wide, a smile of joy to match the soaring lightness in her heaet spreading across her face. Not since...she had ner felt so...she felt as though the baloons of her cutie mark were going to carry her to the sky she felt so, so happy.
"TWILIGHT!" Pinkie shrieked as she wrapped her arms around Twilight's neck and held her tight so that she couldn't slip away. "I knew it I knew it I knew you wouldn't be gone I knew you'd come back I knew." There were tears in Pinkie's eyestears dropping onto Twilight's shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't leave me."
Twilight didn't say anything. Nobody said anything. Pinkie felt someone grab her by the neck and haul her off Twilight, who stood there frozen like she had brain freeze. Pinkie was whirled round, brought face to face with...Lightning Dawn?
"Lightning?" Pinkie said. "What-"
"Grand Ruler sends his regards," Lightning said, ramming his fist into Pinkie's stomach. Pinkie gasped in pain, and when he dropped her she doubled over on the ground, clutching her stomach.
Once more Maud put herself between he sister and harm, grabbing Lightning's fist squeezing.
"Don't do that again," she said, as Lightning winced in pain.
She threw a punch, but Lightning rolled with it, counte I g with a spinning kick that caught Maud on the jaw, sending her reeling. Lightning went for her like a timberwolf. Maud was strong but she was not a fighter. Lightning hit her in the face with a one-two that staggered her, then a vicious uppercut that sent he tumbling backwards to land on her back on the ground, unmoving.
"Lightning! Stop it!" Punkie screamed.
Lightning stared at Maud for a moment, as if to see if she would get up. When she did not, he turned back to Pinkie Pie.
Pinlie shook her head. "Lightning...I don't understand." She glanced at Twilight, who was still frozen. "Twilight...help me."
Twilight didn't reply. She didn't do anything.
Lightning advanced.
There was a crack and a crssh as a giant red robot with a head like a dragon burst tnrough the back wall.
"Your Majesty, get down!" the robot, or a voice from inside it, yelled.
Queen Tynisa and the zebras hit the floor as the robot struck a dramatic fighting pose.
"I don't know who you are but you ponies oickedthe wrong palace to invade!" the robot yelled. "Get ready to see what this badass mother can do!"
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...Dashpie!!!! Haven't seen this ship in a few years (then again, most of the ship fics in my fave are Flutterdash) So, yay! My second fave Dash ship, and it is so sweet.
Don't know what's more awesome. Doctor who reference or the fact that somewhere, out there, the Doctor is out there.
Oooh, a giant mecha and its...strangely familar and seems to be a mix of a few things.
The dragon design is very Escaflowne like, dragon like body. While the OS brings to mind a combination of Pacific rim and NGE (Neon Gensis Evangalieon for those who don't know)
If anything, the death you wrote for her, is less anti-heroic and more...human. She is dying, alone. And if you note from the rest of the show, she hates and is afraid of being abandoned. Hell, in my own fic I made that one of her nightmares is to be abandoned by everypony she knows.
I love Pinkie in this, trying to be so cheerful in a dark world.
I wouldn't be surprised. He tends to do that. At one point you remember seeing Brain with the team as they go to fight Titan's trio and the next, boom he isn't there. I went through the fimfetch version of chapter three just to confirm what you said.
I love what seems to be our mutual treatment of the Pink one. Making her into the 'heart' so to speak. Giving her the persona of a pony who is trying to become laughter in a miltaristic society and bring hope to the world. Another thing I love is seeing the sibling relationship between Maude and Pinkie. First thing Maude does, is walk in front of ponies and get ready to protect her little sister. Also...that poem, I almost want to say that it was a reference to her eldest sister, Limestone.
Also, Ilove the levels of tech that keep showing up. It really makes it feel like there is something 'advanced' to this advanced world.
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To be honest, I was originally going to do FlutterDash but Legend has just sold it so brilliantly in a Starfleet that doing it here would be like trying to cover Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. And then I noticed that actually Dash had an intimate scene with Pinkie, and they are quite cute together, so...DashPie it is.
I'm glad you liked it. Originally (again) Pinkie was just going to speak baby (because if anyone should, it's her) and then I decided to explain how and so the reference became explicit.
Well, when there's so much cool mecha out there to be inspired by, why pick only one source of inspiration?
I am loving this story but are you ever going to visit the lives of the other members of Starfleet?
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Yes, probably fairly soon, although the next chapter will finish up the attack on the zebra palace.
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Sweet a PinkieDash! Always good to see.
Where is this intimate scene that you are talking about though? Is it the little kiss on the cheek or is there another scene I missed earlier?
I will be keeping an eye on this story for sure.
the chapter maybe a blast but seriously watch your writing your orthographe hurts. Re-read your chapter after writing them, it will help notic the mistakes left behind
Poor Twilight. She died in the worst way possible... alone.
And poor Pinkie Pie, too.