By Luna's Light: Prelude
By Luna’s Light: Prelude
Starfleet possessed the mightiest navy in the galaxy, a fleet of warships of every possible size and configuration able to project its power out across the galaxy. When called upon, a formidable array of dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, escorted by a veritable cornucopia of cruisers and destroyers, could set out to any point to rain down fire upon the Grand Ruler’s enemies.
For any situation where the orbital firepower of a naval strike group was not called for, there were the so-called and somewhat inaptly named inter-dimensional pathways. From these pathways, ponies singly or in the serried ranks of whole battalions might set forth across safe territory from one planet to the next.
The process was not without its dangers: if the gateway at either end were to be damaged the pathway would cease to exist so rapidly that anyone caught between points would die before they even got the chance to scream. The pathways themselves were vulnerable to interdiction by warships. But, under the watchful eye of Starfleet, travelling between worlds under the aegis of the Grand Ruler, venturing forth under the protection of the imperium of the space ponies, who could fear such trivial and unlikely dangers as these? Considering the high cost of space travel, and the fact that use of the dimensional pathways was free to all taxpayers, they saw a great deal of use, particularly in the tourist industry.
That was why the New Canterlot gatehouse into which Raven, Eve and the sentinels had just broken into was full of posters advertising an array of glamorous holiday getaways, like R-L-X, formerly known as the Dark Planet.
Get away and relax on R-L-X! the poster proclaimed, as a middle-aged pony in a Hawaiian shirt ogled a couple of skimpily dressed young mares in bikinis on a beach while drinking a cocktail out of a coconut shell. Winter planets, ocean planets (great waves for surfing!), jungle planets, desert planets, all of them vied for that tourist bit. Eve remembered Cadance complaining to Twilight that tourist revenue in the Crystal Empire was going down, but why wouldn’t it with so many more exotic choices on offer?
Eve’s thoughts were interrupted by a wail of alarm as a night guard (a pony whose job it was to stand guard at night, not one of Princess Luna’s guards) went sailing through the air over her head before hitting the far wall with a crunch.
Eve frowned. “Delta, was that really necessary?”
Delta sauntered over from the security desk, from whence he had just plucked the unfortunate guard and used him as a baseball. “What?”
Eve studied the fallen guard. He was a heavyset, aged space pony with a mane receding with age and a paunch that was expanding over his belt. Probably some kind of ex-Starfleet trooper supplementing his pension. Fortunately he wasn’t dead – she could hear him wheezing – just unconscious, but still…he was going to be in bad shape when he woke up.
That…troubled her. She couldn’t really say why it bothered her, but it did. It was…it was unnecessarily cruel, what Delta had done. Toying with an overmatched opponent, it was…wrong.
“He was old and fat, I doubt that you needed to treat him that harshly.”
Delta shrugged. "When we destroy the world it isn't going to be very pleasant for him, is it? But you're worried about a broken collarbone or something?"
"It might not make any sense," Eve said. "I'll even admit that it really doesn't make any sense. But...but it's how I feel. You could have just punched him out or something and it would have accomplished all our goals just the same." Call it the remnant stirrings of Twilight's conscience, call it the nascent beginnings of her own, but personal cruelty of the kind that Delta had just displayed...she didn't like it; she couldn't bring herself to condone it.
"Whatever happened to all of that let's be monsters stuff from earlier?" Delta asked.
"Why don't we try and save it for those who deserve to have monstrosity done to them, okay?"
Delta stared at her for a moment. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say. Just...let me know in advance next time, yeah? Like you said, I could have just punched him out or something." He smirked. "It was funny to watch him fly though, wasn't it?"
Eve didn't laugh. She didn't even smile. "He didn't signal an alarm, did he."
"Nah, he didn't even get close. You need anything else?"
"No, not right now," Eve murmured. At this point, Charlie was the only one who had any actual work to do: he had set the chevrons on the dimensional gate to the asylum planet Xandra. With the gateway closed to the public and scarcely inhabited apart from the night guard, most of the other Sentinels had already broken off to amuse themselves while they waited. Alpha had found the gatehouse bookshop and was now leaning against the wall reading what looked like a thick tome of philosphy; released by Eve, Delta started trying on sunglasses; Bravo was sat on the floor not far away from the desk where Charlie was working, she had her earplugs in and was blowing bubbles out of pink gum.
Two was collecting travel brochures, leafing through them idly, keeping some and throwing others aside. He still had a clutch of them in this hand as he wandered across the beige, sterile departure lounge to stand at Eve's right hand.
"How do you like the idea of sunbathing?" he asked.
Eve was so taken aback by his question that she was unable to answer it for a moment, and then only to the extent of a baffled, "Huh?"
Two held up an R-L-X brochure. "Sun, sea, sand. Sounds pretty idyllic, don't you think? Or...would you prefer something cooler, maybe, ice and snow? We could try both, figure out what it is you like."
"What are you talking about?" Eve asked.
Two blinked. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "It's just...you know, once all this is over...once we're free I thought that maybe...you and I could go on vacation together...figure out what we want to do with our lives."
"All of us?"
"No," Two said emphatically. "Just...us."
Eve blinked. Her mouth opened a little wider than necessary. "You want me to go on vacation with you...are you asking me out?"
"I..." Two hesitated. "I guess I am, yeah. I...I've never done anything like this before but-"
"There are a load of dating manuals in the bookshop," Alpha called out from the over the top of her philosophy tome.
"Thanks, but it's a little late now," Two replied, with a roll of his brown eyes. "I just...you know, I like you, and I thought that...maybe once we had some free time we could...spend it together. Some place nice." He grinned. "Plus, you know I've got changeling DNA in me; if you don't like my face I can change to one that suits you better."
Eve hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. He was cute, and loyal, and he had saved her life, and he had been built from the genes up with a lot of fine qualities. Did she love him? It was hard to say, mainly because Twilight's memories were of absolutely no help in that regard, she didn't remember anything more risque than blushing. She remembered a cute boy who played a sweet guitar, but she didn't really...she was forced to conclude that Twilight hadn't been particularly interested.
Except that I'm not Twilight, am I?
She grinned. "Your face is cute enough," she said. "But let's just stay focussed on the mission for now. And after..."
"After?"
"Maybe buy me dinner before you start planning our vacation," Eve said playfully.
Two guffawed with what seemed like it might be relief. "Sure. Dinner it is."
"Um, guys," Charlie called from the workstation overlooking the gateway. "It's probably a little too late, but should I maybe turn off the security cameras."
"Now why would you want to do that?" Raven asked, as she swooped out of the shadows before Eve could so much as open her mouth. "If you do that, nobody will know we were here."
"That...that was kind of why I suggested it."
"Oh no. Oh, no," Raven declared, as she bowed to each of the cameras mounted to the wall in turn, as though she were an actor receiving the rapturous applause of the delighted crowd. "No, that's not what we want at all. We want them to know we were here, and we want them to know where we're going."
Eve folded her arms. "Okay, first of all why would we want that? And secondly, if we want that then why is Charlie going to seal off the gate once we reach the other side?"
"Yeah, and what exactly is there on Xandra for us, anyway?" Two demanded. "It's an asylum planet, the only people there are-"
"Crazy people? Is that what you were going to say?" Raven asked. Her cloak of midnight blue swirled around her as she turned to face. "Don't you know that fools sometimes glance at the truths that sanity would conceal? Don't you know that the mad, standing outside of society's norms and strictures, can understand it better than those who live in it?"
Two frowned. "So...we're going to Xandra to understand society?"
"No, I just wanted to point out that being crazy doesn't necessarily mean you don't have something to say," Raven said. She grinned, and her smile suggested that she could easily be considered a little bit crazy herself. "We're actually going to Xandra to meet an old friend of mine, an old and powerful friend who will be of great use to us."
"If he's so powerful then what's he doing in a mad house?" Two muttered. "Who is he, anyway?"
"Patience, patience, my good friend," Raven said, in a soothing tone such as she might have used to calm a baby. "As for your questions, Evenfall, we want Starfleet to follow us but we don't want them follow us too quickly. If we disable the gateway they will have to prepare a ship, make the journey, they will be delayed by several hours at least. Time enough for us to prepare a nice surprise for them."
"What kind of surprise?" Eve asked warily.
Raven chuckled. "You know, insane asylums are one of the most commonly used settings for tales of terror and spine-tingling suspense," Raven said. "I suggest that we show our Starfleet pursuers precisely why that's so."
"I think I've got it!" Charlie declared triumphantly.
The interstellar gate consisted of a large metal disc, at least thirty feet in diameter, maybe bigger, engraved with symbols in the ancient space pony language. Twilight's death had left her studies of this language incomplete, and so Eve was unable to read them although she did recognise the symbol of creation occurring at least once. Upon Charlie's cue, the wheel began to spin as a dozen chevrons locked into place, guiding the gate to connect with another, somewhere out across the stars. The gate to Xandra, in this instance.
There was a flash of bright yellow light, and then the portal opened and...and the great and beautiful vastness of space lay spread out before them, bridged by a road of glowing golden light that would lead them all the way to their destination.
But Eve's gaze went not to the road, to the mere conveyor of their hopes and ambitions, but to the great and all embracing voids of space that lay around. Separated from the road only by a thin, transparent, life-sustaining membrane, the stars danced and the galaxies wheeled all around. Eve could see nebulae in all the vibrant colours one could wish for, she could see planets bright and dim, red and blue. She could see comets trailing through the darkness. She could see...she could see everything. The majesty of the universe was spread out before her, its scope and scale mocking the Grand Ruler and his pretensions to dominion.
"Woah," Two muttered.
"It's beautiful," Eve whispered.
"And it will all be yours," Raven said. "Once our task is done, and you are free."
"Once we are free," Eve repeated. Looking at the stars, looking at all that was out there to see and do...she was impatient to be done.
And so she gathered the Sentinels together and they made their way through the gate and across the stars to Xandra.
And the cameras saw; and as the cameras saw so did Starfleet see, and Brass Bolt too in the warehouse hide away; and as they saw they knew; and as they knew they made their plans.
Rarity had managed to hold it together until she reached her ready room, but once she got there...now tears flowed down her face, and sobs wracked her throat and her chest heaved with emotion and her stomach was tightening so frantically that even sitting down as she was it was almost making her double over in agony.
And all the while the tears flowed.
Rarity had never been so emotional as she appeared to the world. She had not been born possessed of any great quantity of sensibility that added grace to beauty in a lovely girl; she was not the kind to faint at a black veil and the skeletal image that lurked behind, she was not the sort who would burst into tears at the sight of a pastoral scene, or be plunged into melancholy at the slightest provocation. Rather she had affected all those qualities, playing when it suited her the gothic or romantic heroine - the irony that it had been Fluttershy, not she, who had been carried off to imprisonment by some brooding, beastly foreigner had not been lost on Rarity - with her fainting couch and her fits of wailing about the town like a ghost, but none of it had been real. It was all make believe, a play put on for her own benefit, giving her pleasure and doing harm to no one.
But now...now the tears were real. Now she really did feel as though she was about to faint, now she could feel so many emotions swirling in her that she could not have begun to speculate which of them was the strongest. Twilight was alive; Twilight had been cloned by those animals of Starfleet to make a slave of her; those barbarians of Starfleet had done a good turn for once by bringing Twilight back; Twilight was lost, feeling rejected, and on the run with Raven of all people and a gaggle of fellow clones about whom they knew nothing; Raven was free, and close by Twilight's right hand...and her exposed back; Grand Ruler Celesto had ordered them all killed; all her friends stood under a death sentence; Spike was missing. Joy, hope, fear, nigh unbridled blazing wrath all mingled in such quantities that they formed a solution that was part of all of them and yet tasted of none in particular. So Rarity wept for joy and sadness both, and felt her stomach tighten with nerves and anger both, and knew not what to do but wait for this rush of feelings to subside.
And until they did, shut herself up in her ready room. She couldn't be seen like this.
And so she waited, alone, unseen, until that first heady but debilitating rush of emotions that sprung from all the revelations that Rainbow Dash had poured upon her head had subsided, and she was able to stand up straight, and dry her tears, and march out of the ready room in such a state that nopony would ever know that she had ever been discomfited to the slightest degree by all that she had learned.
Rarity strolled onto the bridge. She had forsook her Starfleet uniform, and instead wore a striking but sensible ensemble consisting of a midnight blue skirt, ankle length and narrow but not movement-restrictingly so, from out beneath which peaked a pair of white boots that fastened up along the sides with smart black buttons. Her blouse was white, with puffy sleeves with little frilly cuffs and a lace collar that, had it been fastened which it was not, would have been very tight around her neck. A waistcoat, of a lighter shade of blue than the skirt, completed her appearance.
She certainly turned heads as she walked onto the bridge and sat down in the captain's chair.
"Captain?" Fratello asked.
"Given that we're presently hiding in an asteroid field, on the run from Starfleet, I don't think addressing me by my Starfleet rank is particularly appropriate, do you?" Rarity asked dryly. "Neither did wearing that dreadfully unfashionable Starfleet uniform."
Fratello's robotic face was inscrutable, but after staring at her for a few moments he did give a barely perceptible nod of his head.
Midnight appeared in a flash of light blue upon the holoprojector. "Two more battleships, Wrath and Arrogance just entered orbit around United Equestria, together with escorts and the carrier Furious." She paused, and looked Rarity up and down. "You look nice."
"Thank you," Rarity murmured. "What does that bring the total up to?"
"Fifty-three battleships, twenty-three battlecruisers, eleven fleet carriers and all their escorting cruisers and destroyers, without even counting the super-dreadnoughts Grand Ruler, Prince Castor and Lightning Dawn or the battlecruisers Queen Celestia and Princess Luna since they either haven't fully completed or haven't worked up yet; but still...this concentration of naval strength is unprecedented."
"It makes you wonder what they're all gathering for," Bridge Bunny murmured.
"Regardless of their aim or objective it will be no easy task to breach such a powerful blockade," Fratello declared.
"My friends on the surface will think of something, I'm sure," Rarity said. "But one thing at a time, Fratello. Bridge Bunny, I'd like to address the crew, please."
"Yes C-, I mean, right," Bridge Bunny pressed the relevant buttons on her black console. "Attention all hands, attention all hands, the Ca...Rarity will now address the ship's company." She stood up and proffered a small silver microphone.
Rarity, too, rose from her chair to take the offered instrument. "Hello. My name is Rarity, and I speak to you now not as your captain, but as pony just as you are.
"I am sure that none of you have forgotten that it was not so very long ago that we were engaged by a Starfleet battlecruiser intent on our destruction." Intent on our destruction was probably over-saucing the salad just a tad, but it got the desired point across. "That ship claimed to be acting under orders. I have now discovered that they were not lying. The Valiant was indeed ordered to destroy this ship with all hands, but order of the Grand Ruler himself. I speak to you now as a pony wronged, to ask if you wish to continue serving a sovereign who will sentence you to death upon his whim, for no fault of your own. Do you wish to continue serving an organisation that shows you no loyalty, but will give you up the moment it becomes convenient?
"I must confess that I do not. No, I will go further than that and say that I will not. I will not return to Starfleet; I will not wear that uniform, I will not take those orders any more. They have rejected us, and I for one am minded to reject them in turn. You may ask, what then will I do? Well, hear I must speak to you as a friend, asking for friendship and for a favour. You see, in addition to learning that we were, in fact, marked for death...I have also learned some very good news.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle is alive," she paused to let that sink in for a moment - the bridge crew knew already, but it would be news to the rest - before she went on. "She is alive, and there is video evidence to prove it which you may view if you doubt me on this. She is alive...but she is lost. My friend is lost and in need of my help and I intend to go to her aid...but I need your help to do it. I need this ship. I can't do this without you. If you will come with me, then we will go and rescue a hero who is in desperate need of our assistance.
"I can't do this without you. I need you. And Princess Twilight needs you too."
She sat down, and waited for the response - either mutiny or agreement - to come.
"I'll do whatever it takes to help, Rarity, no matter what," declared Bridge Bunny.
"Considering all that I owe to Twilight to refuse to assist her now would be churlish in the extreme," Fratello said.
Monkey Wrench's voice came over the comm. "This is Engineering. We're all with you, cap'n. Let's go save the princess."
Rarity looked around the bridge. Everyone nodded, or murmured some words of support. Some of the stood up to do so. Some of them took of their Starfleet uniforms and tossed them on the floor. Nobody said a word in objection.
"Based on my observations of the crew, my summation of their opinion would be: right behind you, Miss Rarity."
Rarity could not have concealed the sigh of relief on her face even if she'd wanted to. "Thank you. Thank you so much, bless you all." She raised the microphone to her lips. "Alright then, here is the plan which we will execute tomorrow..."
Princess Luna stood upon the battlements of the city wall just as she stood upon the battlements of civilisation in the struggle against the Grand Ruler and his evil. The moon, raised by her power, shone full down upon and the city and upon all the wide realms of United Equestria…a light in the darkness to bring hope to all who were in need of it.
Or so, at least, she hoped. If this was to be…
Luna shook her head free of such thoughts. Melancholy served no purpose, not when there were such things in the world now as to take joy in. Twilight had returned, and if she could only be returned in truth then would the world not be set to rights at last? Was this the hour? Was this the time when the chains of Equestria might be shattered and broken, and these green fields, these spacious forests, these good and kindly people be set free of all their bonds to live as they had lived before?
She hoped, with all the hope of those who little left but hope, that it would be so. If Twilight could return, if Sunset could triumph, if, if, if…so many ifs, so much resting upon the edge of the knife. And yet she had to hope, for the alternative…where would despair lead, but to doing nothing. Better surely to fail in reaching for something better than to accept passively the dominion of evil. If they acted they might lose; if they did not act then evil would have the rule over all things…and they would have given it to them.
Given it a second time, no less. If once could be forgiven, though no less bitterly regretted for all that, on the grounds of ignorance, then twice…twice could not be borne by them…or by those who would come after.
For the sake of the children, they had to try. And, if there were any whom she trusted to achieve this task, it was those in whose hands it rested. Heroes all, and full of virtues.
They would do it, if it could be done.
And as for her? She would play her part to the final curtain. She…would do what must be done.
Luna removed her helmet, and let the gentle breeze kiss her face and waft gently through her starry mane. The cool wind soothed her brow and quieted her whirling thoughts.
“Princess Luna? You asked to see me?”
Luna looked down to see Sunset Shimmer standing beside her, looking strange in her four-legged form. Of course, what was really strange was the way in which what was abnormal or even wrong became commonplace so quickly. She had spent most of her life in just such a form and yet now it seemed strange for her to look on. Would they ever return to their natural appearance, or would the downfall of the Grand Ruler leave them trapped in these bizarre bodies?
Something, she suspected, that they could not know before the deed was done.
“Yes, Sunset,” she murmured. “I did request your presence.”
Sunset had to crane her neck to look up at her. “Is it safe for us to be meeting like this?”
Luna chuckled. “This may be the last time for awhile when you can be seen in public without a price upon your head, Miss Shimmer. So take the opportunity, and look out.”
Sunset obediently went to the battlements, hauling herself up by her forehooves so that she could look over the walls and across the moonlit fields, the silvery-illumined forests, and the rivers on which the pale glow glistened.
“It is beautiful, is it not?” Luna asked.
“It is,” Sunset murmured.
“There was a time when I wished to see it all,” Luna said. “After I returned, after Twilight and her friends saved me, I told myself that I would fly to every corner of Equestria. I would see every field and every forest, every town and every city. I would see all the people and how they had changed and grown, how they lived and loved…I would see everything. Such was my dream and yet, somehow, I never found the time before…before the world ended.”
“There is still time,” Sunset said. “You have all the time in the world.”
Luna smiled. “Perhaps. But, though I have not seen half so much as I should like…still it is beautiful. Beautiful…and mine to protect.”
“Ours,” Sunset corrected her. “You are not alone, princess.”
“No,” Luna said. “No, it is as you say. I am not alone. And yet…”
“Princess?”
“I regret that I did not have the opportunity to take a student of my own,” Luna said. “I must confess that I envy what Celestia had with Twilight, and with you. The chance to pass on knowledge and teachings, the chance to…to love another, as a daughter.”
“There is still time.”
“Time,” Luna murmured. “Yes, time. Never enough time. Are all things in readiness?”
Sunset nodded. “The plan is set. Everything is ready to go once you give us the signal. Do you…do you really think that you can beat him?”
Luna smirked. “Even after all these years I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. He, on the other hand…he has grown lax in idleness, sending out young ponies to do his fighting and his dying for him, when did he last stir himself to arms? My hope is partly in his indolence true, but even if I am mistaken…I have a few tricks. And it must be attempted. Nothing else will draw the eye in quite the same way.”
“No,” Sunset agreed, though her voice was so soft that it sounded as though she would have rather found another way. But there had been no time, no time for anything but this hazardous course. Never enough time.
“You should get some rest,” Luna said. “Tomorrow is a day of great moment.”
“And you?”
“The night is my domain, I have many duties yet before me,” Luna replied.
Sunset got down off the battlement, and bowed her head. “Then I take my leave, your highness.” She turned to go.
“Sunset,” Luna called.
Sunset stopped, looking back over her shoulder.
“You will do very well,” Luna declared.
Sunset looked confused, but at the same time gratified. She was smiling at a little as she walked away.
Yes, you will do very well.
As well…as a princess, if only for a little while.
She heard one of her guards swoop down from out of the sky to land upon the stone walkway beside her.
“Catseye,” Luna murmured. “Are the tribes prepared?”
“Aye, your highness, all wait upon the word,” Catseye murmured. She was a good soldier, swift, keen-eyed, but lately she had been of more use as Luna’s ambassador to the reclusive tribes of the night ponies who dwelled in the Mountains of the Moon. She had been uncertain if they would answer the call, if they would obey the ancient oaths. Even in these present circumstances it gladdened the heart to know that they still held true.
“Good,” Luna whispered. “That is most excellent news. Sunset will have need of them in the days to come.”
“Princess Luna,” Catseye’s voice trembled. “Is there no other way?”
“None that offers such chance of success, nor may be taken with honour,” Luna replied. “And besides, destiny is inexorable. It drives us on. And it has driven us to this point…why fight against that tide, when there are so many other battles to be fought?”
“But…princess…”
“All things will be as they must be,” Luna repeated. “All that we may do, to lend some meaning to our lives, is fight with all our courage for what we know to be right and just.”
And never stop fighting.
Starla knelt before the throne, in armour clad in her warlike raiment wrapped, with a bow slung across her back and another waiting to be summoned by her space pony magic upon command. She was ready, and in the spirit well prepared to undertake this hunt. She knew her target, and she knew where her quarry had gone to ground.
All that she needed now was the blessing of he who had been as a father to her for many years.
"Arise, Starla," His Majesty commanded, as he descended from his royal state with his mane a-glitter and his crimson cape flowing around him. "Arise, dearer than daughter; arise, my brave pony. Arise, and look on me."
She rose, and in rising to her feet so too she raised her head. On looking into those eyes so wise, that face so noble and majestic, that mane as black as night in which the stars themselves did seem to sparkle...it brought peace and quiet to her soul, and calmed all the passions that were in her. It was as though that deep calm which did possess him flowed from him outwards into her like a river flowing outwards to the sea, carrying her away to peace and utmost devotion.
He reached out, and with one hand he gently stroked her cheek.
His affection nearly brought her to tears.
"Are all things in readiness?" he asked, his voice so soft and so tender that they might have been speaking of flowers and romance rather than battles and bruising arms. "Are you prepared?"
"We are, Majesty," Starla murmured. In any other company she would have feared and been ashamed to present so weak and unwarlike an aspect, but she knew that here, alone with His Majesty, she would not be judged. He knew well the effect he had upon her, he would not hold it against her nor judge her on the basis of it. "The Revenge is standing by to carry us to Xandra. It seemed appropriate."
Celesto chuckled mildly. "'Tis so. But I asked not of 'we', my child, but of yourself. Are you prepared, in soul as in body, for what lies ahead?"
"I am, your Majesty," Starla replied. In truth...in truth she was more than half looking forward to it. Twilight had stolen everything from her: love, happiness, husband, the chance for family and future. She would never bear Lightning's children, not unless a second sea-change as powerful as the first came over him. They would not grow old together in the evening of a life well-lived in service to the throne. Twilight had taken her dreams, it would be satisfying to take her life in return.
Celesto smiled down benevolently upon her. "Though our foe is contemptible, she is also dangerous; there are few others in all my vast and mighty Starfleet, in all the wide span of my empire, that I would trust with such a task as this. But you, my little star, in you I have no doubts."
"I will be worthy of your majesty's faith, I swear it on my soul," Starla whispered.
"You need not swear, mine own soul entertains no doubts," Celesto replied. He turned away for a moment, and produced by an act of his divine magic a long knife or very short sword, just over a foot in length, in a scabbard of rich, reddish brown with leather straps to enable it to fasten around the arm. The hilt was golded, or gilded at the least, and fashioned in the shape of a unicorn's neck and head. The unicorn's eyes were set with sparkling sapphires, and a sharp horn a few inches long provided a lethal adjunct to the concealed blade within.
"Hold out your arm," Celesto commanded, and when Starla obeyed he fastened the blade below her elbow. "This is Last Argument; for many years in my younger days I bore it into battle, and many times it saved my life in the last resort. I give it to you, that it will keep you safe as it once did me."
Starla's mouth fell a little agape as she reached out with her right hand to grasp the blade bound around her left forearm. As her fingers closed around the hilt a feeling like a lightning bolt leapt through her, and when she drew the blade six inches from its scabbard she saw that the sharp metal was also a beautiful glowing blue, like the clear sky on a shining day.
"An enchanted blade," she murmured.
"Of course, did you think I would carry an ordinary knife into battle?" though the words were a rebuke, Celesto's tone was amused. "This knife will slice through any shield of magic, resist any enchantment, and now that you have grasped it it will always return to your hand.
"Your Majesty...this gift...I cannot-"
"You can, if I command it so," Celesto declared. "If I were your father, as I have oft anon and all the more often in these latter years wished that I were, then I would leave you patrimonial lands and wealth and fine estates for your enjoyment. But, being only one who loves you dearly, all I can give you is this gift, and my blessing for your triumphant safe return." He bent down, and kissed her upon the nose, and as he kissed her so Starla felt a feeling of inviolable strength such as Twilight Sparkle could never hope to match flow over her. All fear and doubt abandoned her. She was Starla Shine, a warrior without peer and a paragon of her race; she was the benchmark of beauty, strength and passion all alike, the exemplar of all that a female of the space pony race ought to be; that he had chosen another, that his eye had roamed rather to a specimen of some lesser race...that was no fault of hers, the stain lay not upon her character.
And now she would revenge the insult, and carve her name on Twilight Sparkle's skin.
She bowed her head. "Your Majesty...I must go. Though I regret that I will miss Rhymey's funeral."
"And I regret that I cannot see you off upon your ship, because of Rhymey's funeral," Celesto replied. "Yet you may catch my speech, before the Revenge carries you away."
"I'm sure it will be spectacular, Majesty."
Celesto smiled. "On your return, I beg of you...do not give up on Lightning Dawn. He loves you well, I'm sure, and will remember it before the end."
I fear you are too optimistic about him by far, Starla thought, but it would not do to contradict him so. And so she said only. "I will have patience, and pray Your Majesty is proved correct." And then she bowed, and took her leave of him whom she loved as a father, and who loved her well in return.
As the doors to the throne room closed behind Starla, Grand Ruler Celesto found himself...troubled. He frowned. He was not often given to feelings of disquiet, least of all when sending his soldiers off to fight and in all likelihood die to enhance his glory. But Starla...Starla was different. He had not lied to say he wished she were his daughter. If he lost her...his heart would be grievously wounded. Lose Buddy Rose, lose Artie Bristles, condemn Dyno and Myte to torment and death but to lose Starla...lose Starla and he would lose all the world.
It was the same with Lightning, which was why he had been so pleased to see them matched, and was now so sad to see them set at odds with one another by the meddling of Twilight Sparkle.
"You really care for her, don't you?" the voice came, so it seemed at first, from his own long shadow which he cast upon the farther wall. A moment later, a lesser shadow - humanoid, with two horns like a lamb - stepped out of his own, sidling sideways across the brilliant marble. "That's quite astonishing really."
Celesto snorted. "The fact that I have a heart astonishes you, brother?"
"Shouldn't it? I don't. I don't think Raven does either."
"You have no need of such."
"Do you? A thousand years and you've never loved anyone before; it seems a little late to start now, don't you think?"
"My care for Starla and for Lightning interferes not with my task," Celesto growled. "What concern, then, is it of yours?"
"Just so long as that remains the case. I'd hate to think that you had grown too comfortable here, playing the god-king. There are times when I worry that you're settling into your role too much, like Titan did. You don't want to be reset like he was, do you?"
"I am not Titan," Celesto said. "I remember who I am, and I will play my part, do not doubt it."
The shadow on the wall was silent for a moment. "But you've learned to love all the same. Interesting. You didn't tell her that the blade you gave her can teleport."
"Starla has no need to know that."
"So...what? You're going to snatch her to the vault when the time comes."
"If she has not returned by then, yes," Celesto replied. "She will be protected from the flames. She...Starla is someone who deserves to survive."
"Nobody deserves to survive but us," the shadow said. "Our family. All the rest who will not die will live on through our grace and the mercy that we, in said grace, dispense. Don't confuse your feelings with objective worth. And don't forget who you really are."
The shadow began to fade, and as it faded so Celesto scowled at it.
"I do not forget," he muttered, though there were times increasingly frequent when he wished he could. This was a role, but it was a role he enjoyed far more than he had anything else his life had granted him before the role.
He would preserve it, in great part. The strength of Starfleet, his great fleet, his empire...he would preserve it all, and rule eternal.
Any who thought otherwise...would get a rude awakening when the time came.
The loading dock, where their dropship was prepping to take them to Revenge was cluttered with all manner of metallic crates and boxes, scattered about the tarmacked surface. Some of them were empty, others contained much-needed equipment that the boys were loading onto the dropship before they embarked.
"Do you guys ever miss monsters?" Artie asked, as he walked down the boarding ramp after having deposited one such crate in the ship. "Because I miss monsters. Life was simple back then, you know? Just a pinch of evil dust and then: bam! Look out, there's a killer plant; look out, there's a giant mantis; look out, there's a statue come to life. Kill the monster, save the day. Simple."
Starla took a quiver of arrows out of the crate and pulled out a couple to examine them: weight was good, the heads looked sharp, the fletching was well done. They'd do. "Life is still simple. Kill the monster, save the day. That's still the job."
"Except that we're not hunting a monster, are we?" Artie asked.
Starla's eyes narrowed, even as she glanced at him out of the corner of one. "You going soft on me, Artie?"
"No," he replied defensively. "I'm just saying...come on, this is Twilight. We fought alongside her. That doesn't bother you at all."
"She's not Twilight," Buddy declared dismissively. He leaned against a stack of empty crates. "She's one of the professor's science experiments gone wrong; that's all any of them are. Taking them out...it's a public service, no different than slaying a monster."
No, Buddy, you're dead wrong about that. It is Twilight, Starla thought.
This wouldn't be nearly as satisfying if she wasn't.
"They killed Rhymey," Starla said. "That doesn't make them monsters in your eyes?"
"Hey, I want revenge for Rhymey as much as anyone," Artie declared, though he didn't really sound like it in Starla's opinion. "But I'm not going to pretend that this isn't harder than normal. We fought with her."
"If it helps, think of it as some other creature wearing Twilight's face," Dyno said, as he sauntered out of the dropship with his brother by his side. "That makes you mad, right? We're all set, Lucero, and ready to go."
Lucero...bright star? Starla raised one eyebrow, though Dyno didn't appear to notice her curiousity, the smile on his face didn't waver for a moment.
Starla shook her head. "We can't leave just yet. We need to wait for our two new guys to get here."
"New guys?" Myte asked. "I thought we were keeping this in the family, for Rhymey?"
"I would have liked that too, but it won't work," Starla said. "With Lightning injured..." she almost said that Lightning would have been compromised anyway by his feelings for Twilight, but...even after all the insults he had offered she didn't have the heart to tear him down that way amongst people who looked up to him. "With Lightning in hospital we need a uniforce wielder to face off against Raven, and His Majesty thinks we need a new close combat specialist to fill in for Rhymey."
"Hey!" Artie exclaimed. "What am I, beef ragout?"
Buddy asked, "What's beef ragout?"
"It's the upper class equivalent of chopped liver," Artie exclaimed. "We would never have had something so common in our house."
Buddy smirked. Starla chuckled. "Whatever you say, rich kid. Your staff is fine but we need a shield, somebody who can go up front and take the hits so the rest of us don't have to. That's who we're waiting for."
Buddy folded his arms across his chest. "How many other uniforce wielders are there in Starfleet?"
"I only know of Cerise Wonder," Artie replied. "Think she's going to show up?"
A razorback, its engine growling like a hungry minotaur, skidded to a halt at the bottom of the loading dock. A pair of stallions leapt out just in time before the vehicle roared off again, leaving the two ponies to walk briskly up the dog towards Starla and her team.
"Major Starla Shine?" asked the taller and older looking of the two.
"That's right."
The two stallions slammed their feet in unison as they stood to attention.
"Junior Lieutenant Danaeus Swift, reporting!"
"Master Sergeant Green Sickle, reporting!"
Starla folded her arms as she studied the two of them, the replacement Lightning and the replacement Rhymey as she couldn't help but think of them, at least until she got to know them better. It was easy to tell which one was which: Danaeus was a young space pony with a coat of pale silver, a mane of shining gold and eyes of emerald green which currently displayed an awe verging upon the star struck. His horn was gold, signifying the potential to use the uniforce, although at his age Starla doubted that he had progressed to mastery of the ability yet. His youth also doubtless why no one had heard of him yet, although the name was familiar from...
"Danaeus," Starla muttered. "Brogan...right?"
Danaeus nodded eagerly. "You remember me? I...I mean...yes, Major, that's right. We met before I left for the academy."
Starla smiled. "It's fine to show enthusiasm, even when we're on duty. In fact I'd say it's a good thing." She remembered him now, Khan Swift's kid, they'd met on the Brogan mission. He'd been awestruck to meet real, active Starfleet warriors...especially Lightning. Danaeus had followed him around like a big brother, and Lightning...Lightning had seemed to like him. He'd come out of his shell for the kid. Starla wondered if Danaeus was disappointed that his big hero wasn't here.
Another thought struck her, less welcome. "How old are you now, when did you get out of the academy?"
"I'm eighteen, major!" Danaeus declared exuberantly. "I graduated six months ago!"
"Mm-hmm," Starla murmured. Just a kid and we expect him to go up against Raven? "Consider this a standing order: stay close to me at all times, understand. You are our big gun but you're not here to be a hero. I'll let you know when you're needed but otherwise, leave things to us old-hands. I have no intention of writing to your mother."
Danaeus looked a little glum, but Starla felt it was too his credit that he didn't try to argue with her. He just nodded, though his voice was somewhat despondent. "Yes, major, whatever you say."
Green Sickle was without a doubt the older of the two, and possibly even the oldest pony on the deck right now. He had a scar on his right temple near his eye, and another on his jawline which was, by the way, solid enough to break rocks on. His coat was as green as his name, and his blond mane stuck upwards in an untidy shock rising into the air. He was big, built like a small fortress, his muscles straining against his armour. As shields went he looked the part...he looked as though most attacks would just bounce off him.
"Welcome aboard, gentlecolts," Starla said. "Introductions, briefly: Buddy Rose, Artie Bristles, Dyno, Myte and my name, as you know, is Starla Shine. We are all ranked Major which means you call us sir but make no mistake I am your team leader and when I give you an order you do not look at anybody you do it. Do I make myself clear."
"Yes, major."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good," Starla said. "I'm not going to lie to you, you're stepping into some shoes that some in the team would leave unfilled, but I'm glad the squad is up to full strength again. I don't know if you've been briefed or how much so I'll give you a rundown on the ride over to the battleship; let's move out, people! Revenge is waiting for us." In more ways than one.
"Hey, Starla," Artie said, as the squad boarded the dropship. "Did you say goodbye to Lightning before you left?"
Starla paused, looking over her shoulder at Artie where he stood on the ramp behind her. "No," she said. What would have been the point? "No, I haven't seen Lightning in a while."
Artie frowned. "I knew you too were having problems, but I guess I hoped that-"
"Artie!" Starla said sharply. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't need a friend right now. I need a soldier. Can you be that for me?"
Artie straightened up. "You got it, boss."
"Thanks," Starla said, as she boarded the dropship.
Revenge was waiting.
One of the slight advantages of living under Starfleet's rule was that it seemed to have taught ponies not to ask too many questions. Normally Luna would not have considered that an advantage, but it did mean that today her people were able to set up the cameras and podium outside Fancypants' house without anyone questioning what they were doing. They just flowed around the cordon that Luna's guards established like a river flowing around a rock.
The screens had been helpfully provided by Celesto in advance, to televise Rhymey's funeral - or at least Celesto's oration - across the city and, indeed, the empire. Which meant that once Luna actually started to speak, and use those screens to spread a very different message, then ponies would start to take notice.
At least...she hoped so.
She watched the preparations from inside the lavishly appointed townhouse; she would not emerge until it was time to make her speech.
She tapped her earpiece. "Is everypony ready?"
"Sunset here, we're in the palace and ready to move once the show begins."
"Rainbow Dah here, once the distraction starts we'll get to the extraction point."
"Rarity here, as soon as you start to speak we'll swoop in."
"Cerise Wonder, once everybody starts to move I'll start running interference to keep your backs clear as long as I can."
"Sephora here, give me the word and I'll send in HANNIBAL to back you up."
"Mister Bolt," Luna said. "How are you doing?"
"I'm working on it, princess."
"Are you going to be finished in time? Need I remind you that everything depends on you."
"Like I said, I'm working on it," Brass Bolt muttered on the other end of the comm.
"Work quickly, sir," Luna murmured, as the screens set up all across the city, all across the planet, all across the empire on every ship and every world where the Grand Ruler's word held sway roared to life.
It was about to begin.
Grand Ruler Celesto mounted the podium slowly and with great dignity, accompanied by the sound of horns and violins and the chanting of a choir to fanfare and precede his coming. He placed his hands upon a rostrum covered with microphones to capture his every word and cadance. Cameras were trained upon his face to broadcast his image across the broad span of his domain in real time. And beyond the cameras, filling the vast expanse of the Campus Martius, the ranks of hundreds upon hundreds of Starfleet warriors massed in three immense columns, thousands strong, hung on his every word.
In every fort, the garrison would be parading thus to hear him. In every town, the population would have been forced out to bear witness to this occassion. On every ship they would hang upon his words. And the outer cameras, raised him above the back of the crowd, would show thousands of soldiers here, in this place, representative of the invincible might of Starlfeet, which none dared challenge.
An enormous painting of Rhmey, towering even above Celesto himself, reminded everyone of why they were supposedly here.
Celesto was silent for a moment, looking out over his army, imagining the multitudes beyond count beyond them, loyal to him, listening to him. What god ever commanded such power before?
None, he was certain.
He took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"We are here to mourn a hero of our great and glorious Starfleet," he declared. "Rhymey, whose record of valiant service to our cause speaks for itself, has fallen to base treachery and a stab in the back. Why? How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace?"
"Why? How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace?"
Because he was a moron, Rainbow thought, as they watched the broadcast waiting for Luna's moment.
She didn't say anything, out of respect for Fluttershy, but that didn't make it any less true.
"How is it that so mighty a warrior should be laid low in a time of peace," Celesto demanded of the silent crowd. "Peace! It has been over a year since the defeat of Sombra, and no demon or dark lord has since risen up to trouble us. Our empire is secure, and no external enemy dares to challenge our supremacy amongst the stars. The war in Rangiveria is proceeding smoothly, and total victory is nearly within sight. Perhaps many of you have become complacent; perhaps Rhymey himself fell victim to this disease. Such a lack of vigilance is inexcusable!"
"Perhaps many of you have become complacent," the Grand Ruler's voice echoed out of the television screen into Lightning's hospital room.
Snowflame sat down not far from the TV. "I thought you said this was some guy's funeral?"
"His name was Rhymey, not some guy," Lightning said, from where he sat up in bed. "He was my friend."
"Then why does this seem more like a pep rally?" Snowflame asked.
Lightning sighed. "It's the Starfleet way."
"The more I see of the Starfleet way the less I like the Starfleet," Snowflame muttered.
"Such a lack of vigilance is inexcusable!" Celesto yelled, thumping his fist on the lectern for good measure. "We must never forget that we live surrounded by chaos, encircled by enemies, threatened at all times with death and the destruction of all that we hold dear. Never forget that our cause is a righteous one, and that we must fight each and every day to ensure the triumph of right and justice, and the survival and supremacy of our race which, alone, can ensure order is maintained amongst the stars. Fight! Be vigilant! Keep up your guard at all times! Who killed Rhymey? None other than the viper that he himself in foolish infatuation had clutched to his breast! His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"
"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"
Starla smirked as a picture of Fluttershy temporarily replaced that of the Grand Ruler upon the screen.
"Nowhere to hide now," she murmured.
"Is that even true?" Artie asked. "I thought that-"
"They were all in on it together, obviously," Starla replied. "If it were not true, His Majesty would not say it."
"So we're going to reckon with them next?" asked Buddy.
"Maybe," Starla said. "Though frankly, I doubt that simpering weakling will last a fortnight now that her secret's out."
"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy squeaked in alarm as her picture filled the screen. "What! But...but I-"
"We know, Fluttershy, we know," Rainbow assured her. "Trust me, we're not going to let anything happen to you." She glanced up at the seen. "Seriously, this is what you pull? What a complete and utter-"
"His unworthy Equestrian wife, Fluttershy!" Celesto paused to let that sink in for a moment. "But she was not working alone. No one pegasus mare could possibly overcome a Starfleet warrior alone! She was assisted, by none other than Twilight Sparkle herself!" The crowd gasped as Twilight's picture appeared on the screens behind him. "Yes! Twilight Sparkle, the great hero of Equestria, the mare whom we all thought so sweet, the princess whom I loved almost as a daughter, did not die a hero's death as we believed! While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies! Rhymey's death was only the beginning! I have seen conclusive evidence that Twilight's friends, also falsely known as heroes, are in league with her as part of a conspiracy to betray Starfleet and hand all that we have accomplished over to our enemies!"
"While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies!"
Sunset felt as though she were about to choke on her gall at the sheer level of audacity that the Grand Ruler was displaying. "You lying little...there is not a single true word in that entire sentence! The only true thing in that entire speech has been that Rhymey is actually dead."
"While we were weeping bitter tears over her fate, while we mourned her gallant sacrifice, this false princess was absconding to ally herself with our enemies!"
"Maud, let go of me!" Rainbow yelled, as she struggled against Maud's grip on her arms. "Let go!"
"I can't do that," Maud said.
"I am going to go over there and I am going to kick his flank so hard!"
"You can't do that," Maud said.
"Rainbow Dash, calm down," Fluttershy said. "Twilight comes first, remember?"
Rainbow bowed her head. "He can't talk about her that way. He doesn't have the right."
"I know," Fluttershy replied. "But we have to get our friend back before we can worry about defending her reputation."
"I have seen conclusive evidence that Twilight's friends, also falsely known as heroes, are in league with her as part of a conspiracy to betray Starfleet and hand all that we have accomplished over to our enemies!" Pictures of Twilight's close associates flashed up on the screens behind Celesto. "Nor is that all! The tendrils of this conspiracy stretch from Rangiveria and Kallana, to Zebrica and into the very heart of this, our fair capital!
"But," Celesto continued. "Though our enemies have struck a blow against us, they are foolish if they believe that they have so much as disrupted our momentum; they are foolish if they believe that this loss foreshadows our defeat; and they are foolish if they believe that we will allow this insult to go unavenged. We of Starfleet are warriors no stranger to sacrifice. Many of your fathers and brothers have already perished in our glorious cause, but do we falter? No, we go forward renewed in spirit, determined to carry on the will of those who came before us. We must not grieve, for those who perish in the service of Starfleet are blessed to die as heroes of our struggle. No, rather we must re-dedicate ourselves to the great struggle remaining before us. Starfleet Intelligence is already beginning to hunt down all traces of his vile conspiracy at every level. From the skies our navy will rain down fire and fury on our furies such as they have never known. And on the ground we shall march forth to new victories, new conquests, until we have achieved true peace and security and our great nation may flourish once again!
"Stiffen up your courage! Be ever vigilant! Take your sorrow and turn it into anger! Victory and vengeance are the greatest monuments that can be erected to the memory of the fallen! Starfleet yearns for the valour of its soldiers!" Celesto raised his fist in the air. "Sieg Starfleet!"
"Sieg Starfleet!" came the cry, as thousands of space pony fists rose into the air. "Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet!"
"Sieg Starfleet!" the cry echoed from the Campus Martius, and from every corner of United Equestria where soldiers gathered, fists raised in the air even as their war cry struck the clouds above them.
"Sieg Starfleet!" the cry resounded inside every one of the warships that massed in orbit over the planet.
"Sieg Starfleet!" came the cry from Starla and her team aboard the battleship Revenge, as Starla exulted in seeing those liars and seditionists unmasked.
"Sieg Starfleet!" Sunset trembled as the cry erupted from the speakers, repeated over and over again, that cruel cry, that call to arms, that how for vengeance and destruction. So many voices crying out from across the galaxy, screaming in hatred of everything that was not them, so many voices that would not stop until they had trampled all opposition under foot. How could they stand against such power? What could they do against such unceasing lust for bloodshed? How could the power of friendship and harmony prevail over such brute force, such unthinking savagery, such technological and martial might, such sheer numbers?
How could they possibly win?
"Sieg Starfleet!"
"Mister Bolt," Luna snapped impatiently. "Our moment is slipping away from us."
"I'm almost...and I'm done. You're on, Princess."
"Thank you," Luna said, as she strode out of the door and onto the podium.
"Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet! Sieg Starfleet!" the cry washed over Celesto and he smiled exulting in his power. Such a perfect instrument he had created, truly he was more powerful than-
"Excuse me just a moment."
Celesto's eyes widened as he recognised the voice of his sister-in-law, Princess Luna. He turned, and there she was: her face upon every screen, her voice coming out of every speaker.
"Pardon me for interrupting," Luna said. "But I have something to say and I'd like you all to hear it."
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Holy Hannah the next chapter came quick!!!!
Now you see, this makes perfect sense. This actually fits with rules of science and doesn't end up just confusing you.
Is this commentary on the Flanderization of Rarity?
Totally read this in my Data voice
Yeah, your sword is cool, but it will never match with Immortal Game's swords Grand Dipswitch
This is probably the second time I get to see Luna being an awesome distraction against a mad tyrant that will save the planet...I love it.
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I suppose partly, in the sense that I think Rarity's portrayal confuses her actions with her nature; mostly it's just my views on the character in general, it seems pretty clear to me at least that she's playing up the fainting and the drama queen stuff because she wants to, not because it's in her nature. And partly it's just because I've started reading a gothic romance called Mysteries of Udolpho with a heroine who cries or faints every other page (although I'm still loving the book and Emily) and so I've got these things on my mind.
Finally! A stargate! See, it isn't the space bridges I had a problem with, it was the description.
Well, Trixie is an obivious cliche by now, but there is this mare by the name of Tempest...
Artie!!! *Glomps* Thank god you are here! You always know how to be my favorite.
The same way it did against the devil, against Chaos, and against the darkness. The same way it will do against the shadows and Hatred himself. By never surrendering to the dark emotions, by never quitting, and by staying true to yourself. As long as you hold onto the hope in your hearts, you will never lose. Just stand together and be united in the one thing that has never changed, your friendship with each other. Grand Ruler may have the power...but in the end, he is the weakest there because he lacks a true heart.
Sorry, hero speech moment kicked in! Oh and the Gundam reference was nice, thank you! Right now all I can think of is Gundam while reading this, mainly some of my faves (Wing, 08th mobile suit team) *suddently imagines Shining wearing Char's helmet* Ok that is cool.
Oh, this is getting good. The whole thing gives me empty room feel at the end and I swear you better not hurt my Luna.
*Looks at Kahn swift's son* Oh yeah, there was that movie thing...got to talk about that sooner or later.
Holy throne....
Curse you, cliffhanger.
Celesto I will have your head for your transgressions!
What is so bad about Mykan? I haven't read his fics but it seems he's getting A LOT of hate. Why is that?
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As a person, he's been getting a lot nicer and more chill about things. As a writer...read his stuff and you'll find out why a lot of people don't like it.
But I'll level with you here: I've made a lot changes to the setting that Mykan created, I've taken a lot of liberties with his worldbuilding because this isn't about getting back at him or annoying him it's about playing around with some of the characters that he created (who have potential, even if he doesn't use it to its fullest) and telling a Mil-SF story into the bargain.
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He has????
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I thought he had before he started sending me combative PMs in response to that comment.
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He seems like a nice person. I do agree with the fics part though. Jesus Christ the grammar...
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What?
The revolution is about to begin.