Chapter Nineteen
Sergeant Steady Hooves of Neo-Equestria's Royal Guard marched around, a cup of coffee floating up to his lips. He took a quick sip, letting the bitter liquid slide down and wake him up. He and his squadron had set up camp outside of Whitetail Woods, near one of the 'relocation centers' for the newfoals. He shuddered slightly at the memories of his first-and only-tour of that area, grateful that he was a true pony of Neo-Equestria, and not some jumped-up ape.
Rumble
Steady Hooves' ears pricked back as he heard and felt a distant rumbling. He looked around, noticing the other guardsponies coming to attention.
One pony trotted up to him. “Sergeant, what was that?”
Steady Hooves put on an air of confidence. “I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle, Private. We're the Royal Guard! We protect Neo-Equestria from–”
The rumbling grew in intensity and volume, becoming steady. A large group of machines suddenly appeared from behind a bend in the forest, streaming out in an almost-endless wave. Pegasi and some other creatures clad in heavy armor flew above them in tight formations. Most of the machines he could see looked similar, angular green boxes with cannons sticking out from the sides. One of the ones in the lead, however, was quite different, tan-colored, with a large turret on top. Steady Hooves nickered and reared back slightly as he recognized a human sticking out from a hatch on the turret. He looked to several of the other machines. Most were closed up, but some had... had... ponies poking out from hatches!
The human held up a hand and tapped a headset on his helmet. Within seconds, the machines slowed to a crawl, finally stopping a dozen or so feet from Steady Hooves' camp. The man held up his right arm and slowly waved it. “Hi, there!” he shouted, smiling. “I'm Sergeant Jack Robins, United States Army. We seem to be a bit lost.” He held up a hand to his forehead and looked around. “You know the direction to your Canterlot?”
Several of Steady Hooves' comrades formed up behind him, spears held either in their magic, or the crook of one of their forelegs. Steady Hooves noted none of them shaking or wavering. Good soldiers. “I don't quite know what your game is, human, but– ”
“Sergeant Jack Robins, United States Army,” Jack repeated, his eyes narrowing. He sucked in a breath. “All right, let me lay this out for you. Your nation has committed acts of unwarranted aggression against the people of Earth.” He motioned to the tanks besides his and behind, as well as the fliers above. “We're here to help put a stop to it.”
One of Steady Hooves' soldiers, Private Iron Flank, shook his spear. “Quiet, you stupid ape! You don't know enough to be grateful that Queen Celestia is helping you and your unworthy species!”
The pony in the tank next to the humans' vehicle, a green-coated unicorn mare, spoke up. “They are not 'unworthy', and they do not need any help. Especially not the help that will annihilate their species.”
Steady Hooves looked to her. “Who the tartarus are you?”
The mare straightened up. “Sergeant Blossomforth of the Royal Tank Corps' First Regiment, representing the Equestrian Alliance. We are here in aid of our allies and brothers in stopping your assault upon Earth.” She glanced up at the pegasi hovering above. “I would advise you and your small band to surrender. You're heavily outnumbered and outgunned.” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait... do you even have any firearms?”
Another of Steady Hooves' soldiers spoke up. “We have spears,” she said, raising hers up slightly.
Jack blinked. “It's a... nice spear.” He breathed in and out several times before holding his hands up, palms out, and continuing. “We're not gonna start anything. You want a rumble? Fine. Any blood spilled-and it will be spilled-will be on your hands. I mean, hooves. Now considering what Neo-Equestria's done already, I've got every right to start shooting and not stop. I would prefer, however, to take you and those under your command prisoner.”
Steady Hooves stared up at Jack. And... how will we be treated if we do surrender?” he finally asked.
Jack held his right hand up. “On my word of honor, you and your soldiers will be treated well.” He looked to Blossomforth.
Blossomforth blinked. She looked to Jack, then to Steady Hooves. “Yes! I too swear this...”
Steady Hooves snorted. “Sergeant Steady Hooves, of the Neo-Equestrian Royal Guard.” He slowly reached up, removed his helmet, and placed it on the grass. “And on behalf of my squad, I surrender.” He looked to his fellow soldiers, some with expressions of shock, others with quickly-mounting anger or determination. “If we fight, we die! And I won't spend your lives on something that won't matter one bit.”
There was a long, pregnant pause. Finally, the other guardsponies lowered their weapons and placed them on the ground.
Jack let out a breath. He looked to Blossomforth. “Sergeant, I think we need to have a little talk, figure out where the hell we are.”
Blossomforth nodded. “Agreed.” She tapped her headset. “Lieutenant Galbrix, could you please join us below for a meeting?”
Jack, Blossomforth, and a third being stood around a small table, set up near their tanks. Several maps of Equestria and Canterlot Province were laid out on them. The third one standing there was one Lieutenant Galbrix, a male griffin. He was tall, nearly Jack's height when standing fully upright. He had a long scar going down the right side of his face, and several chips in his beak. Galbrix jabbed a talon at the map of Canterlot Province. “All right. Can someone please tell me why we're not storming Canterlot Castle at this moment?”
Blossomforth nickered. “Because we're at Whitetail Woods, Lieutenant, nowhere near Canterlot Castle.” She paused. “But the area we drove into was almost identical to the flat field right outside Fort Bulwark.” She looked up, first to Jack, then to Galbrix. “So... why aren't we there, instead of the forest near Ponyville and Hoofington?”
Jack rubbed his chin. He paced back and forth in a small circle, lost in thought. “All right. Let's think about this. Neo-Equestria envelops another Earth. Now...” He glanced up. “Wait. They keep on saying 'Neo-Equestria'. Not...” He waved his right hand in the air. “Not the planet Neo-Equus or some shit like that. Like it was just Equestria that covered the first Earth they did this to.”
Galbrix stared at Jack for a moment, then tapped his earpiece. “Bring the prisoner Steady Hooves to our table.” His eyes narrowed. “I'm not even sure I want to follow this line of questioning, but I don't think I have a choice.”
A few minutes passed. Eventually, Steady Hooves was escorted to the table by a pair of burly pegasi. Steady Hooves' eyes widened as he spotted Galbrix. “A griffin?”
Galbrix growled, a deep, guttural scraping coming from his throat. “Yes, a griffin from Griffinstone Province. Why so surprised, Sergeant?” He stepped away from the table and towards Steady Hooves, a bright glint in his eyes. “When's the last time you saw a griffin, Sergeant?”
Steady Hooves swallowed as Galbrix approached. “W-well, it was m-maybe a week before we arrived on the old Earth. The last of them were converted into... newfoals...” Steady Hooves' face paled as he finished speaking the last word. “Oh, no.”
Galbrix stared at Steady Hooves, beak open. “You... converted the griffins of your world into newfoals?” He started forward, claws opening and closing. “You violated their minds, body, and souls and turned them into those zombie things? How dare you!”
Blossomforth and Jack exchanged a look. They both ran around the table and stood between Steady Hooves and Galbrix. “Stand down, Lieutenant,” Jack said, holding his hands up and out. “Don't fly off the handle, here.”
Galbrix's head shot up slightly. He locked eyes with Jack. Time seemed to pause for a moment before Galbrix grunted. “I... apologize, Sergeant. Griffins do have a bit of a temper.” He looked back to Steady Hooves. “How much of your planet did you transport to the first Earth you converted?”
Steady Hooves blinked. He glanced to the side in thought.“Well, just Equestria itself. Queen Celestia, as powerful as she is, had enough problems just transporting that.”
Jack looked to the sky. “So, if it's anything like our Equestria, Queen Celestia took something the size of the contiguous United States and the Canadian provinces and... stretched it over a planet?” At Steady Hooves' nod, he whistled, then looked to Blossomforth. “Forget about the maps. They're pretty much useless to us. The entire country's been stretched like taffy and spread all over a planet, I bet.”
Galbrix rubbed his chin. “I'll get patrols sent out to scout around.” He looked to Steady Hooves and his guards. “Escort the prisoner back to the holding area with the others.”
Steady Hooves' breath hitched in his throat. “We were just trying to help!” he blurted out. “Queen Celestia was trying to do her best for all creatures! We weren't being cruel or evil to them.”
Jack slowly closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. A few moments passed before he spoke. “Steady Hooves, just shut up. All right?” He motioned at the guards. “Just... get him out of here.” He shook his head as Steady Hooves was escorted away. “Some people just wanna dig their own grave, it seems.”
Galbrix tapped the earpiece nestled in his right ear. “Squadron One, prepare flights for aerial recon. Report to our... command table in five minutes. Out.” He looked to Jack. “How do you do it?”
Jack tilted his head to the side. “Sorry, do what?”
Galbrix looked over his shoulder. “Stay so calm in the face of such a, such a dweeb. I was about a half-second away from sinking my claws into his throat before you sent him off.” He lifted his left paw. It was clenched so tightly, the claws were digging into the flesh. Tiny rivulets of blood dribbled down.
Blossomforth winced slightly. “Lieutenant, you might wish to... get that looked at. Infection isn't a pretty thing. Especially in a war zone.”
Galbrix shrugged. “I've had worse.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Of course you have. Well, to answer your question, I know that if I lose my cool here and now, it's not gonna do anybody back home any good. I can blow steam off later on after this is over. Right now, though? I can't afford to do that. Humanity can't afford for me to do that. So I'm gonna keep it frosty for the moment.”
Galbrix stared at him for a moment before slowly speaking. “I've spent most of my career on the northern border with the Griffin Empire. My home there has been under siege for almost my entire life. To see that loser speak about wiping out the griffins back where he came from, like that? My mind went back to Griffinstone, to my family and friends there.”
Jack let out a sigh. “I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. My mom and dad and three brothers all still live there. God, what I wouldn't give to be there right now with my tank and crew.” He stared off into the distance. “But I can't, so no use dwelling on it. Just gotta do what I can here, and now.”
Blossomforth reached out and patted the small of Jack's back. “And we'll do what we can to help stop this madness, Sergeant.”
Jack looked down at her and smiled. “Thanks.” He looked up and to his right as twelve pegasi marched over. “Nice of you to join the party,” he said, flashing a toothy smile.
Galbrix marched over, his demeanor and poise much more professional than before. “Attention!” he barked out. He stopped in front of the line as they all straightened out, then started walking down the line, paws clasped behind his back. “You twelve shall be splitting into your component flights and doing recon sweeps in a standard search pattern. You shall report in every five minutes, or if you find something you believe warrants our attention.” He stopped in front of the last pegasi and spun about on his foot. “If you encounter enemy units, you are not to engage unless you have a definite advantage. You and any information you gather are worth nothing if you're dead. Understood?”
The pegasi all shouted as one. “Sergeant, yes Sergeant!”
Galbrix smiled, the expression almost reaching his eyes. “Then good hunting. Dismissed!”
Racno, Janet, and the fourth member of their crew, Jose Hernandez, sat in a loose semi-circle, facing two ponies and a zebra. Cards were arrayed in front of everyone, with a small pile of chips in the center. The zebra, a stallion named Torth, glanced down. “These chips which lay upon the earth. Tell me again, what are they worth?”
Janet looked up from her hand at Torth. “Well, if Earth is conquered by the Neo-Equestrians, then the red ones are worth five thousand dollars, the white ones are worth ten thousand dollars, and the blue twenty-five thousand. If we win and Earth is saved, then the red ones are worth five cents, the white ones ten cents, and the blue ones a whole quarter.”
Jose glanced up. “So, Torth, lemme guess. Shaman?”
Torth nodded. “I know spells both flashy and subdued. Many a foe's had their day rued.”
Janet snorted. “If rhyming is a requirement for being a Zebrican Shaman, I wouldn't make it past the first lesson.”
Torth flashed a toothy smile. “Rhyming such as we do isn't easy. One could compare it to flying for a breezie.”
One of the ponies, an earth pony mare in coveralls, raised her right foreleg and looked her cards over. “It can give me a headache,” Sergeant Turnkey said. She reached over and gently tapped Torth on the foreleg. “But I can't deny Torth's gotten us through more than one sticky situation.”
Torth blushed slightly, but he still grinned. “A few spells I would weave, and victory we all together would achieve.”
Turnkey looked to Janet. “So besides doing demonstrations, where have you been assigned?”
Janet leaned back and looked to the sky. “Well, we've been on the Frontier a few times, fighting off Tyroxian raids on our colonies. Also tangled with Galvatron's faction of Decepticons more than once.” She let out a slow whistle. “Not sure which was worse.”
Jose spoke up. “Gotta be the Tyroxians for me. The 'Cons not with Starscream are getting pretty beat up and desperate, and retreat more often than not. The Tyroxians, though, they're smart, skilled, and they got the devil inside of them. They hate humans, Cybertronians, Tlalakans and just about anyone who's allied with us.”
The ponies and zebra stared at them. “Why?” the second pony, a pegasus mare named Corporal Highlands, asked.
Janet glanced down. “That's the ten-million dollar question, Highlands. And I'll be damned to be able to answer. Far as I know we've asked Cybertron about it, and they don't know why Tyroxians hate them, and by extension, us.”
Racno's cheek-fins fluttered. “They've tried a few raids on Tlalak, but nothing recent.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small necklace. He held up a tiny vial filled with water and kissed it. “And I hope that's one thing that won't change.”
Highlands leaned forward. “Racno, what's that?”
Racno glanced down at the vial. He held it out, smiling. “This is water from the Well of Transformation. It is the most sacred site on Tlalak. All of Her children who leave bring a vial such as this with them, so that home is always close to our heart.” He slid the vial and necklace back in.
Torth looked to him. “To one so far from home, do you have any kin when you cease to roam?”
Racno nodded. “Mom and Dad, as well as two uncles, three aunts, and numerous cousins.” He smiled. “My parents and I came to Earth after Tlalak was freed from Decepticon control to learn of the high technology Earth and Cybertron have.” He stared off for a few moments. “I was barely five when we arrived. Most of my memories from before then are not exactly pleasant ones. Deceptitraan tried his best to grind us down and break our will.”
Turnkey, Highlands, and Torth all stared at Racno for a few moments. Highlands finally spoke. “But he didn't?”
Racno finally smiled. “No, he didn't. We never surrendered or stopped fighting against him or his drones.” He waggled his head back and forth. “Admittedly it took help from the Autobots to finally stop his reign of terror, but we never gave in!”
Highlands nickered. “Everything goes better when you've got help, Racno. As the old saying goes, friendship is magic.”
Janet nodded to her. “Thanks.” She looked down at her cards, half-forgotten. “Wait... what was the version of poker we were playing again?”
The others all looked to each other. Torth's brow wrinkled. “Something is amiss. I thought we were playing go-fish?”
Jose rolled his eyes and tossed his hand to the dirt. “I fold, and say we go get something to eat.”
The others all nodded and threw their own hands down.
“We fold, too!”
Jack paced back and forth in front of the table forming his, Blossomforth's, and Galbrix's impromptu command post. He occasionally stopped, took a sip of coffee, then resumed pacing. “We should've heard something from the scouts by now.”
Blossomforth's eyes went back and forth as she tracked Jack's movements. “It hasn't even been ten minutes, Sergeant. Their last reports didn't indicate anything amiss.”
Jack stopped mid-pace and turned to Blossomforth. “That's what worries me.”
Galbrix stared at Jack for a moment. “Sergeant, did you come up with that line off the cuff, or did you practice it in the mirror to get it just right?” He paused while both Jack and Blossomforth turned to Galbrix, directing withering glares at him. The griffin remained unperturbed, though. “What?” he asked, his expression one of innocence.
Any retort was cut off as their earpieces buzzed. “Squadron Two to command post, Squadron Two to command post. Come in. We just found... something. Over.”
Galbrix tapped his earpiece. “We hear you, Squadron Two. What exactly did you find? Over.”
“There's a compound below us, several-dozen buildings arranged in two rows. There's a large fence surrounding it, with guard towers at the corners. There also appears to be several fields of crops outside the compound. Or at least someone's poor attempt at crops. Over.”
Jack's body stiffened with each word spoken. “Squadron Two, please confirm if any adult occupants have cutie marks. Over,” he finally said.
There was a long pause. “Checking now, Sergeant. And... I am confirming one, two, three... I am confirming multiple adult ponies with no cutie marks. Over.”
Both Blossomforth and Galbrix looked to Jack. “Sergeant Robins, are you all right?” Blossomforth finally asked.
Jack snorted. He balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the table, rattling everything on it and everyone looking at him. “Those fuckers did it. They actually did it.”
Galbrix's eyes narrowed. “Did what, Sergeant? What are you talking about?”
Jack looked from Galbrix to Blossomforth. He let out a breath. “Something really horrible. Hopefully, though, something we can mitigate.”
The column of tanks and support vehicles drove on, quickly approaching a tall chain-link fence and guardhouse. The ponies at the house stared at the tanks, mouths open and eyes wide. One of them turned and galloped into the compound, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Jack, upper body poking out of his tank's hatch, stared ahead with narrow eyes. He held up a clenched fist as the compound neared. The tanks slowed down. He waited for his Abrams to come to a stop before climbing out and sliding down to the ground. His boots hit the dirt with a solid thump. “My name is Sergeant Jack Robins, United States Army. As of this moment, we are occupying this camp and liberating those held inside.” He stepped forward, right hand trailing to the laser pistol in its holster and undoing the flap. “I would advise you to surrender.”
Blossomforth poked her own head out of her tank. “And I am Sergeant Blossomforth of the Equestrian Tank Corps. I would advise you to take his advice.”
The guardspony's head whipped from Jack to Blossomforth, then back. He craned his head to his left, looking at all the tanks on the ground, and pegasi and griffins in the air. “W-we surrender!” he shouted, throwing his forelegs into the air.
Jack nodded. “Good move.” He turned at the waist and looked over his shoulder. “Kowalski, you're with me! Hernandez, Racno, stay with the tank.”
Janet quickly emerged from the main turret hatch. She slid down the turret and hull, landing gingerly on her boots, before joining Jack by his side. Meanwhile, Blossomforth trotted up to the gate. A half-dozen stonebacks flanked her, curled up into balls as they rolled along. They stopped short of the fence and unfurled. “Fence... gone!” one snarled out. They raised their forelegs, unsheathed razor-sharp claws, and brought them down. The chain-links were sliced apart, and the fence soon crumbled. The stonebacks grabbed various parts and dragged them off, opening up the compound.
Even as they worked, over a dozen ponies from inside galloped towards the entrance. “Stop!” one mare, a unicorn, called out. She wore a white lab coat, had a stethoscope around her neck, and black saddlebags with various other medical implements sticking out of them. She slowed to a halt a few meters from the entrance. “Please, I beg of you. We've been doing our best with them!” Her eyes shone as she spoke, her breath hitching in her throat. “We-we've been t-trying our best with them. It's just, there's... there's too many of them!” By now tears had started streaming down her cheeks. “We can't care for all of them!”
By now, ponies had begun to slowly trickle out of the buildings. Jack, Janet, and Blossomforth gasped as they ambled out. Glassy eyes peeking out from hollow eye sockets bore into them. One stallion leaned forward, his ribs visible. “But I thought Queen Celestia had purified all of us,” he said through bleeding gums.
Blossomforth's head whipped around. “Get the ambulances and medics up here!” she shouted. She turned and walked off, her gait increasing with each step. “Send a vehicle back to the portal! We need food, medical supplies! On the quadruple, foals!”
Jack's head shot around. “Where's the nearest town?” He looked down, his eyes narrowing. “Doctor...”
The unicorn swallowed. “Redheart,” she finally said. “I'm Doctor Redheart. The nearest town is Hoofington, but it doesn't matter. There's barely enough food for the residents there, to say nothing of any for the newfoals here.”
Janet's eyes danced with an inner fire as she stared daggers at Redheart. “I dare say, Doctor, they can spare a little for the poor souls starving here!” She turned to Jack and straightened up. “Sergeant, permission to head to Hoofington to 'requisition' some supplies?”
Jack right-faced to Janet. “Permission granted, Corporal. Have fun shopping.”
Even as the two turned away, Redheart raised a hoof. “No, you can't! They barely have enough for themselves!”
Jack and Janet paused. They slowly turned back to Redheart. Jack stepped forward, right up to Redheart. He looked down at her, eyes blazing. “So would you please tell me why the fuck you thought it'd be wise to take in seven billion people, then?”
Redheart stared right back up at him. “Because the alternative would have been watching every single one of them die!” She barked a laugh, and one eye started twitching. “Their Earth was on the brink of nuclear annihilation. Two nations poised to use weapons I couldn't even conceive before I studied them, to wipe out their civilizations. Queen Celestia offered the people the chance to be reborn, to escape from the destruction that was coming.” Redheart sucked in a breath and paused to steady herself. “I am genuinely sorry it's come to this, but at the time, it seemed like the best option. I won't apologize for trying to help save those humans from annihilation.”
Silence had descended upon the area, save for Redheart. Jack stared at her, expression unreadable. After a long moment, he spoke. “I... I can't pretend to know what was happening on this other Earth. All right, so maybe it was like you said. Fine. I won't dispute that. It's above my pay grade. If they really went willingly... I won't even pretend to understand why they chose to, but all right. A lot of people do a lot of shit I don't understand.” He jabbed a thumb at his chest. “But when it comes to my Earth, and the people there? You can bet your cutie mark none of us would sign up for this.”
Janet looked to Jack. “Permission to speak, Sergeant?” At his node, she turned back to Redheart. “Doctor, I acknowledge your intentions were good, noble even. But they paved their way to this hell. And taking on seven billion more people will just accelerate the slide.”
Redheart slowly nodded. She smiled, even as tears streamed from her eyes. “I know,” she finally said, voice barely audible. “I know.”
Jack sighed. “Corporal, take from shops, take from restaurants or businesses. Stay out of homes. Understood?”
Janet nodded. “Understood, Sergeant.” She turned to him, stood at attention and saluted. “Permission to go foraging?”
Jack turned, stood at attention, and returned the salute. “Granted.”
Racno and Jose stood outside a tent set up outside the camp. A line of newfoals stretched out from inside the tent to well within the compound itself. Medics went along the line, doing preliminary checkups on the future patients and taking any aside that needed immediate attention.
Jose looked over at his friend. Racno was turned away from him, staring at the compound itself. He walked up to Racno’s side and leaned in. “Hey, you okay?”
Racno turned to him. “My apologies, Jose.” He waved a hand at the camp. “This just brings back... bad memories.” He sighed and looked down for a moment. “Before the Autobots liberated Tlalak, Deceptitraan had begun rounding up citizens and imprisoning them in camps.” He closed his eyes. “I was in one such camp for about three days, along with my mother and father. No one died, thank the Tide, but I still have nightmares about it.”
Jose's mouth opened for a moment. He closed it and slowly shook his head. Silence reigned between the two for a moment. He then reached out, grabbed Racno’s shoulder, and squeezed it.
Racno looked to him, smiling. “Thank you.” He waved at the line of newfoals. “Although they're the ones who need our empathy and help.”
Jose let go of Racno’s shoulder. He slowly shook his head. “Never thought I'd see Equestrians pulling this kinda shit.”
Racno glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Why? The capacity for cruelty is in everyone, every species. I could tell you tales about the Warlords of the Marshlands, during the Second Tlalakan Collapse, that would turn your stomach.”
A short chuckle escaped Jose. “Yeah.” He bobbed his head a bit. “I guess humans do have a tendency to see the worst in ourselves.”
Racno shook his head. “A shame not all species share such humility.”
Jose grinned. “I guess that's why humans are so awesome!” He held up his hands as Racno turned his head towards him. “Hey, hey, I'm joking! You know I'm joking!”
Any rejoinder was cut off as a half-dozen vehicles drove up. The lead vehicle, one of the Steel Hooves' supply trucks, pulled to a stop next to the tent. The passenger door opened and Janet jumped down to the ground. She quickly spotted Jose and Racno. “Hernandez, Racno!” she shouted, striding forward. “Get over here and help unload.” She waited for them to run over before continuing to speak. “Have you seen Sergeant Robins?”
Jose nodded to her. “Yeah, Corporal. He and Sergeant Blossomforth are inside the camp.”
Janet glanced to the camp. “Thank you.” She started towards it, picking up her pace as she walked. Inside, she quickly spotted the pair, standing with Redheart. “Sergeants!” she shouted, stopping short of them and exchanging salutes. “We've returned from Hoofington, with some... requisitioned supplies generously donated to us by the townsfolk.”
Jack nodded to her. “I see. What's the mood in town, Corporal?”
Janet hesitated for a moment. “Sergeant, there's an old saying. 'Civilization is three missed meals from collapse'.” She shook her head, expression falling. “I think Hoofington's missed two meals already, Sergeant. And from the scuttlebutt I managed to pick up, it's like that all over Equestria.”
Redheart slowly closed her eyes. “What have we done?”
Jack opened his mouth, but quickly clamped it shut. He placed his hands on his hips and shifted slightly before finally speaking. “Doctor, you can't change the past. Well, you can't change it easily. As for the future, though?” He waved his arm at the buildings all around them. “You want seven billion more future-dead newfoals? Because that's what you're gonna get, Doc. Now, there is a way you can help head things off.” He knelt down. “How do we get to Canterlot from here?”
Redheart stared at him. Her breath hitched in her throat. “May I be forgiven for this,” she half-whispered, before looking to one of the buildings near the front of the camp. “There's maps in the front office.” She started trotting in that direction. “I'm... surprised you haven't found them.”
Jack snorted as he, Blossomforth, and Janet started following her. “Been a little busy,” Jack remarked.
Jack laid out a large map onto a table outside the camp. Blossomforth and Galbrix flanked him as he looked it over. “We're here,” he said, pointing at one small square on the map. His finger traced a road around the forest, up the map, until landed on a stylized city hanging off a mountain. “And there's Canterlot.”
Blossomforth leaned over and squinted. “Fairly straight line, there.”
Jack nodded. “We won't pass through any towns or military outposts, it looks like.” He looked to Blossomforth, then Galbrix. “So which one of you will be staying behind to coordinate with whatever the real version of Canterlot sends through to help out, here?”
Galbrix and Blossomforth exchanged a look. “I'll head to this false Canterlot,” Galbrix said, “along with two squadrons. The rest will remain here and assist you, Sergeant Blossomforth. I think I'd get impatient and rather gnarly waiting here.”
Blossomforth nickered. “I wish I could back you up personally, Sergeant Robins.” Her gaze drifted to the door.”But someone has to remain here in charge of things, and keep an eye on Doctor Redheart.”
Jack followed her gaze. “You think she's gonna try anything funny?”
Blossomforth slowly shook her head. “No, but she needs someone to help her, to listen to her.” She held up a hoof. “I know it probably seems odd to you. It's just... I can't help but pity her. She wanted to do good, but now it's devolved into her own personal hell.”
Jack studied Blossomforth for a moment. He brought his hand up, curled it into a fist, and gently bumped it against her hoof. “Nah. I know where you're coming from.” He looked to Galbrix. “How soon can you have your fliers ready?”
Galbrix cracked his knuckles. “As soon as your tank's ready, Sergeant. If you'll excuse me?” With that, he turned and left the office.
Blossomforth slid her hooves off the table. She looked up to Jack. “And I'll make sure you have backup in your assault, Sergeant. You won't be alone.”
Jack glanced to the side. “I don't think we were ever really alone in this, but thanks.”
Queen Celestia strode out of Canterlot's main gate. Her mane was still ablaze, but she had managed to calm down enough so she didn't set fire to wherever she walked. Her bodyguards trailed behind her, unaffected by the heat she radiated.
Nemesis Prime stood outside the main gate. Most of his damage had been repaired, but he still had superficial rents and tears in his forearms. “About time you showed up,” he said. He waved his right arm over his torso. “Had enough time to get my internals repaired and refueled.”
Queen Celestia paid him little mind. “You shall bear witness to my glory, Nemesis Prime. Now I tap into the power of the Heart of Ponyland itself!” Her horn started glowing. Her mane whipped about even more. A bright white light shot from her horn, straight up into the sky. “The barrier shall move once more. The humans shall be saved and given superior pony bodies, whether they want them or not!”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Oh man, I can't wait to see what happens to Queen Celestia when she finds out that Humans are on her 'New Neo-Equestria' also it would be funny to see a few of Cobras characters show up too, like say the Commander showed up with a laser device that could force the barrier to shrink which would be mounted on a large military flat-bed truck. Also if you use that idea then as the barrier shrinks all the damage done by it would be undone, all machines, buildings, roads and even Megan's home would return to normal if the barrier is shrunk down to the original portal site at Megan's Ranch.
Queen Celestia is probably killing herself by keeping using so much power on her own.
"Where is your sister Queen Celestia?"
This story is one of the only reasons I come back to this site
I just want to point out that this story was originally uploaded more than seven years ago.
Bloody incredible.
9447163
9447163
now that I think of it what happened to conversion earth's megan?
9447335
Who knows, maybe she died or something, because if she was turned into a pony wouldn't there be another Alicorn flying around that looked like Megan's Alicorn form before she got turned into one, also why did you double reply to my post?
9447468
not sure how that happened
So, did they terraform the planet to look like a stretched out copy of Equestria, or did they literally stretch Equestria over the new world, leaving a huge baron spot where the nation once stood? And Epona help anyone left behind if they uprooted much deeper then sea level...
I actually want to know more about this. This sounds really interesting. Was this the Soviet/US Cold War, or was this an alternate Hasbroverse and the two powers being the Joes and Cobra?
Also, funny story, I just finished binging this story yesterday. Ha!
9448044
Or was it just what they were told was happening? You could say that now about the situation with North Korea and it'd technically be true. Even the part about people willingly undergoing conversion could technically be true too if the other Earth had something like the PER that shows up in a lot of these stories.
9448281
We know Queen Celestia is a liar and manipulator, we know there are no other Alicorns left i Mirror Equestria...
Whatever the Mirror ponies believe is questionable at best.
The Well of Transformation? Ob to the scure.
I can honestly say I didn't expect that to pop up but it's a welcome treat.
Good to see this update again.
Let's see how she handles the Matrix of Leadership......
Oh, you did not you cheeky bugger!
Still, got to love the classics.
9447335
What do you think happened to her?
9447468
Firefly never returned. Megan never became the Mag’ne.
9461878
Hey don't forget about the time difference between Earth and Equus, 1500 years happened during the time Megan left back over the rainbow to her world and it was only 20 years for her, who's to say that the world where that Evil Celestia came from and turned the humans of that earth had the same time difference, so the Megan on that Earth could have been turned into a pony.
9461885
Not sure what you’re saying. I’m not saying she wasn’t turned into a pony. I am saying that there is no reason for her to become an alicorn if she was converted because the reason Megan became an alicorn is because of what she did, not because she had a specific chain of nucleotides. NE’s Megan was never the Mag’ne. Her fate lay elsewhere.
PS: “who's to say”? That would be the author.
Blossomforth is a Pegasus.
Also, good chapter. Is Queen Celestia even aware they've got an overpopulation/food shortage problem? Does she even care?
9466226
Same name, different people. Do you have any idea how many people share my first name? :p
9466324
Fair enough.
9462019 Look at EQG Twilight versus pony Twilight. One turns into a unicorn, the other is an alicorn. Pony Twilight has gone through more, just like Hasbroverse Megan. Though if TCB Earth wasn't Hasbroverse equivalent, she probably never existed.
9466324
This is why Equestrians have cutie marks. So in case anypony has the same name, we can tell the difference
MORE GENOCIDE!!!?
9466324
HOW IS COMMITTING MOLTABLE GENOCIDE HELPING AT ALL!!!!?
YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF EVIL ARROGANT IDIOTS!!!
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