Chapter 4
Time really passes quickly. . .
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Maelstrom laughed with satisfaction as the rocket went up in the air. It didn’t burst in flame, it didn’t explode, hay, it didn’t do anything but fly up in crooked circles until the only thing visible was the flame. Afterwards, that too slowly faded to nothingness.
“I call that a success, wouldn’t you agree?” the pegasus asked Blueblood. “Much better than your first product, Prince Blueblood. I applaud you.”
“Glad to be of service,“ Blueblood replied.
“What is the next step of development then? The explosives?”
Gear Match, still scribbling on a parchment, didn’t bother to look up to reply. “Next step is the guidance system. According to the plans, the Jericho is a guided weapon that uses precision strikes. The actual method used seems to be unknown.”
“I do not like hearing words like ‘unknown’,” Maelstrom said.
Blueblood gave the widest, most insincere smile he could muster. “It’s a good thing I’m here, right? We’ll immediately start on replicating the method. First, we’ll start out in creating an effective gyroscope. The way the rocket flew didn’t sit well with me. Did you notice the spiraling movement?”
Maelstrom nodded. “I had thought it was odd.”
“It is supposed to fly straight. It’s either the gyroscope or the fin design, but we’ll see what we can work on.”
“Three days,” Maelstrom declared. He looked at Silver Star, who was right beside him, and then smiled back at Blueblood. “I have to say Prince Blueblood, I like seeing you being more supportive and agreeable this time around. Is a certain mare making you more productive?”
Blueblood shook his head. “This was a project I was never given a chance to start or complete. The prototype Jericho my aunt built was also something my father worked on, so I may have a few stakes in it.” He looked at the neighponese mare. “Besides, with a face like hers, I doubt a threat of pain would motivate me more. She would most likely be liable to throttle me whether I provide failures or successes.”
Maelstrom chuckled. “Then as a show of good faith, she won’t be present at the next inspection.”
“You are a good pony, Maelstrom,” Blueblood replied, hoping his voice sounded sincere enough.
Maelstrom called Silver Star to him as they walked away. The mare glared as she walked away, one of her forelegs rising up as she pointed her hoof to her eyes, and pointed it back to Blueblood as his and Gear Match’s escorts began to circle around them. He gave her a jovial grin, stood on his hind legs and clapped his front hooves again.
Silver Star didn’t lose control, unlike the last time. But if her stare was any indication, if she could, she would have Blueblood suffer a thousand deaths in a blink.
“Would you please stop antagonizing a mare who is most likely deranged and knows how to throw pointy stars in your direction?” Gear Match muttered.
“And miss out on all this fun? I dare not, Gear Match,” was all Blueblood said before a bag was shoved over his head, and they were escorted back to their cavern room.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Blueblood grunted as Gear Match magically fitted him with protective equipment that would be worn on his face, forelegs and chest. He stretched his jaw as he tried to accommodate the mouth piece that would keep his tongue from burning and improved jaw grip, and nodded once he was fitted.
Gear Match checked to make sure the fittings were secured before he slowly levitated a gryphon armor piece from a make-shift forge. He then carried it back to a improvised anvil they were using.
Blueblood checked the design specifications he had drawn, made a quick calculation, and grabbed a smithy hammer nearby by his jaw. He tested it with a slight swing, before he went to the anvil, and brought the hammer down.
Sparks flew and sizzled as the cold unforgiving steel met the heated armor piece. Gear Match grunted as he added more magic on his grip, keeping the metal in place as a loud clanging sound reverberated throughout the room.
The guards outside would ignore all the commotion. Blueblood had advised that building a weapon like this could take a few scale models, and he advised he worked better if he wasn’t disturbed.
Maelstrom allowed it.
Blueblood began to work in a rhythm, ignoring the slight shake and ache on his jaw at every impact. He shook out the sweat that was forming from his forehead, grunting as he felt the minor discomfort from the protective clothing rubbing on the stump that used to be his horn and from the heat emanating from the forge. He worked through the pain of overexertion that came from working two projects all wrapped together by the underlying fear that all his work may be for naught.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Maelstrom looked somewhat dumbstruck. He stared at the flying rocket circling in the air, and looked at Blueblood.
“I thought you would have this fixed!?” he demanded. “It is still flying in circles!”
Blueblood shook his head. “The gyroscope I used was definitely up to the mark. Maybe it’s something else.” He looked at Gear Match.
“Could be the fin system, Prince Blueblood,” the older stallion advised. “Margin of error regarding trajectory has been improved by at least sixty percent. Other than the gyroscope, the only thing affecting flight direction for the rocket would be the fins.”
“Uh-huh,” Blueblood replied, and looked at Maelstrom. “Well, there you go. Could be the fin design. We’ll get to work on that.”
The pegasus growled. “And in the mean time, I suppose you want me to have my ponies look for that rocket and confirm your theory?”
Blueblood shook his head. “Oh no. Unless you could get a group of pegasi nearby the rocket, and have it brought down before gravity does that for us, then we won’t be able see if the fin’s designs were faulty as they’d be mangled beyond study. I’ll have a quick look at the original designs, and compare it with my own. I’m bound to see what the mishap is all about.”
“More delay!” Maelstrom shook his head, letting his mane scatter in the air. He trotted around in a circle, and then looked at Prince Blueblood. After a moment, he nodded. “How many days?”
“I can have some basic plans drawn up in two days, but give me five days, and I’ll definitely have a perfect design and work on a few ideas regarding the guidance system.”
“You have five days then,” Maelstrom declared, resigned. “Do not disappoint me, Prince Blueblood. My patience is wearing thin.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Five days was a bargain. The day after they sabotaged the fins, Blueblood and Gear Match had finished modifying armor parts to create the basic form of Blueblood’s design. After that, they began to draw up the interior work of the armor. They had to make sure that Blueblood would be insulated from heat, line up the cloth inside (most especially the joints) so that Blueblood’s skin wouldn’t grate at the plates during movement, and provide some additional battle elements like enhanced strength.
Gear Match advised the use of an intricate gear system. He based his theory on the construct of Ponytech factories which have different working parts all doing different jobs in one seamless system for peak efficiency. While he was saying this, he stole a glance at Blueblood, who was looking up from his work table, biting a thick cloth to cover the surface. The older stallion half wondered why the Prince was still tweaking on what looked like to be a mini-AMR.
“It’s a good plan, Gear Match, but the problem is that it would take weeks to do a full complete design using miniaturized Ponytech factory designs, and maybe even longer to make it specifically for the suit,” Blueblood advised. “We just don’t have the time!”
Gear Match shook his head. He could ask Blueblood about it when they were out. “We don’t need to make a complete adoption design. Just enough to have the basics covered.”
Blueblood looked at the older stallion. “You have something in mind then?”
“Yes.”
The Prince nodded. “How long?”
“Give me a day, and I’ll show it to you,” Gear Match replied.
And show he did. Once breakfast was served, and Blueblood had hidden the vial of essence of magic away (they saved up quite a bit), they made sure that no one was listening before the older stallion unveiled his design.
It was very rough, bulky, but Blueblood couldn’t see why it wouldn’t work. Gear Match once again showed his absolute genius when it came to gear work. He had initially shown the design he was aiming for, using smaller miniature gears in tandem, but as he knew, the more intricate the design the longer it would have been for it to be built.
Instead, he opted to create a design that, while not as elegant or as smooth as a luxurious timepiece, would do the job just the same. Bigger gears were used, making Blueblood adjust his armor designs slightly to accommodate the interior workings and changing his proud minimalistic design to something far bulkier.
Granted, bigger shoulders and thicker neck made the armor look scarier than his intended design, but maybe it was what they needed right now.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“Let me see if I have understood what you just said correctly,” Maelstrom said, “This rocket does not have your proposed guidance system yet.”
“Correct,” Blueblood replied. “This has the new fin design, and also the newly tweaked gyroscope. Once we can confirm it flies straight and true, then we can start applying guidance system plans.”
“It better be,” Maelstrom muttered. “If it does not, Prince Blueblood, I’ll make sure you will have a new guest in your cavern home. And from what I have been gathering, her hooves are itching to buck you.”
“Whoa!” Blueblood slowly took a step back, looking at Maelstrom. “No need for that.”
“Then you better pray this rocket does not stray from its path then, right?”
“No need for prayer,” Blueblood smiled. He gave a nod towards Gear Match, who nodded towards one of the few technician unicorns near the rocket, the very same ones around when they first tested the first prototype.
After the slight problem of technicians getting burned when they manually initialized start-up procedures, Blueblood added a receptor crystal at the base of the propped rocket. Once given the go-ahead, one of the technicians would launch a bolt of simple magic to it, and that would initialize the system instead.
The lucky pony on that job was one of the few unlucky (or more specifically, slower ones that wasn’t able to scramble out of the way last time) ones that were burnt in the first prototype test, and he looked slightly put-off at the chance of a repeat performance. Staying a good distance, he launched a spark of purple magic to the crystal, and the thrusters began to glow as the fire began to build up.
Maelstrom seemed to be holding his breath as the rocket slowly began to ascend, then launched straight in the sky. It spun slightly on its axis, but didn’t circle the sky, or stray from its flight plan by a large margin. He smiled, and slowly laughed.
“Again, Prince Blueblood, you do good work,” the pegasus declared. “Wonderful. Just wonderful.”
“It will not be as wonderful as a self-guided rocket, I assure you,” Blueblood replied. “If you recall, Gear Match and I have been making plans, opening options on how to succeed in creating the technological marvel. So far, the options I advised to you until yesterday were all viable, but I was wondering how you want us to proceed regarding this matter.”
Maelstrom looked vaguely annoyed. Anyone would be if they were given information they could only understand at a basic level before breakfast. How was he supposed to know the different processes that went between magical threading, crystal synchronization, and mathematical based positioning?
“That is why we have you, Prince Blueblood,” Maelstrom muttered. “Do what you have to do. In three days, give me your proposals on which system would you think is best.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“Whoa! Whoa!” Blueblood muttered as he felt somewhat uncomfortable.
With all the free days they were able to obtain, they were now in the testing phase of the armor design. At that moment, he was wearing the interior suit of the armor, stripped of its plating and showing the inner workings of Gear Match’s system.
With magic fed in miniature engines on specific places and the smooth build and gear system made by Gear Match, the armor would give Blueblood added strength, and some speed increase. Best of all, the bulky design did not impede mobility. Joint movement was smooth and had excellent response time. The leather lining also made it comfortable to move around in.
Today, Gear Match was going to tweak the gears a bit. That wasn’t a problem for Blueblood as their escape depended on the armor working perfectly. The problem was the fact the armor design made it hard for Gear Match to fix if the Prince was on all fours, and had an in-built system that allowed Blueblood to stand on his two hind legs while the problem was worked on.
“Gear Match, you must fix this!” the Prince declared as Gear Match began fiddling on a mass of gears on Blueblood’s upright back. “Ponies are not meant to stand like this for extended periods!”
“Don’t worry too much about it Prince Blueblood. I designed it specifically to keep you balanced in the most comfortable way as possible. You can stand like that for hours, and you won’t feel any muscle discomfort. Once I’m done working on this, you can stand back to all fours, and continue with that fancy secret project of yours.”
Blueblood unconsciously looked back at his work table, covered in thick cloth. “It’s not much of a secret, though I agree it’s fancy technology. So if we could move along. . .”
“I need you there for the moment so we can make sure everything goes without a hitch when the time comes. That means you have to stand there while I tune the interior to perfection, Prince Blueblood.”
“Be done quickly then! I do not care what you say, the ground is too far from where I’m standing, Gear Match. No pony was meant to stand on only two legs!” Blueblood muttered.
“Take it as practice, Prince Blueblood,” Gear Match replied. “Standing on your hind legs could save your life one day.”
“Save my life?”
Gear Match walked in front of Blueblood, and nodded. “The torso area is where most of the moving parts will be situated. Your torso also holds the mini-AMR, its power source.”
Blueblood realized what Gear Match was saying. “The torso will be the most heavily armored.”
“Exactly. Now if our necks were slightly shorter, it’d be the biggest surface area of our body as well. It would be a nice trifecta of sorts.”
Blueblood nodded. “We should reinforce the neck area as well then. . .”
“That would not be such a bad idea.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“And that’s how it would work. Theoretically,” Blueblood said towards Maelstrom.
The pegasus blinked. “So, if I understood it correctly, your guidance system uses a combination of magical threading and the mathematical base positioning to create a. . . what you call a ‘hot area’ where the rocket would be guided to.”
“Exactly,” Blueblood replied. “The gyroscope will be guided by the system, and in turn, guide the fins to steer the weapon towards the direction where you ‘painted’ the hot area. Now, keep in mind this is something new. Not even Princess Celestia or any ponies had successes in creating a system like this. We’ll be very lucky if it even works on the first try.”
Maelstrom nodded. “Well then . . . what are you waiting for?”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“I can’t believe it worked decently,” Blueblood muttered as he placed down his personal project. Gear Match had called him over and had him trot over a specified area where the interior of the armor was lying on the ground. “I don’t like it when we try something new and doesn’t spectacularly blow up in our faces.”
“We just got lucky. Or in this case, unlucky,” Gear Match replied, carrying various tools in the air and tweaking with the interior system. “The theory proved to be correct, so there. Lesson learned. Now we have actual technology to create self-guided weaponry.”
“What grinds me, Gear Match, is the fact that we are trying to sabotage them. And we have been doing a good job so far when it came to knowable factors. Now we are in the stage where we are using new technology, which was never created before, and suddenly it becomes a moderate success? It scares me. To the bone.”
Gear Match nodded as he floated his tools away. “Still, you pressed to your advantage, as usual. Now that you have bought more time, Prince Blueblood, let’s turn to matters at hand. Step forward.”
The white stallion looked at Gear Match slightly, who indicated the flattened interior armor. He was pointing at four indentations that looked like hooves, and advised the Prince where to place his forelegs.
“Now, when you get to your hind legs, I need you to stomp hard simultaneously at the indentations. That should start the process,” Gear Match advised.
Blueblood nodded and raised his hind legs high, and stomped them down. He heard a loud click, and the whole armor suddenly sprang up, as if alive, and secured itself to his body. Gears began to move, latches began securing the interior of the armor around him, and the small engines began to power up, getting its magic from the AMR on his chest.
“That is utterly brilliant,” Blueblood muttered.
“For your plan to work, we need to get you suited up as quickly as possible,” Gear Match muttered. “The interior is the most complicated piece. We can attach the plates easily, but securing the interior to yourself would take at least an hour manually. With this, we cut that time down to seconds.”
The Prince nodded, and moved his legs, making sure there was no hitch in movement. “Have we saved enough essence of magic to pull this off?”
“Not yet. We need just a bit more. How about that project of yours, Prince Blueblood?”
Blueblood once again glanced back at his work table. He took a deep breath. “Let us worry about things that we can control momentarily.”
“Not going well on that end, I take it?”
Blueblood shook his head. “I can come back to it when we have less pressing matters on our plate. For now, let’s just get more essence of magic.”
This was it. They were almost home.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The next testing day, the guiding system did its job. It exhausted a group of unicorns (simultaneously using scry spells and imaging spells tended to exhaust magic), but the rocket flew true towards the intended target. It hit it almost dead center with just a few meters off, still well within the margin range of error.
Blueblood, for the first time, hated himself for being a successful pioneer in technology.
“That was absolutely perfect,” Maelstrom laughed. “Absolutely perfect. Prince Blueblood, you have made me a happy pony.”
“Glad to hear that,” Blueblood replied, trying not to grind his teeth. “Are you satisfied with this step, or do you still want us to continue refinement - maybe find a system that would be less taxing to unicorns?”
“No, this is good. A couple of sugar bars, and they’ll be right as rain,” the pegasus said. “I believe we can move to the next phase of the prototype - the explosives and the miniaturized rockets containing said explosives.”
“Ah, we’ll most likely hit a snag on that one,” the Prince advised. “Even before, the technology that the Jericho plan uses, the ‘repulsor’, has eluded a lot of scientists and engineers for years.”
“Yes, but that was years ago,” Maelstrom replied. “Surely, you could replicate this ‘repulsor’ system or adopt it somehow?”
“I’ve looked into it, believe me. I thought of using smaller Fire Gems, but considering size, the gems won’t produce a fire hot or strong enough to keep it afloat. I don’t think it could even produce it for longer than just a few seconds,” Blueblood replied, frustration in his voice.
“How long do you think until you’d be able to even be close to reproducing such technology then?”
Blueblood shook his head nervously. “You won’t like hearing this.” He paused. “Months.”
Maelstrom blinked, and then shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry, did you just say months!?”
“I know, I understand. It’s an awful estimate.”
“Awful? Awful!? My dear Prince Blueblood, awful is severely understating it!” the pegasus growled, slowly approaching the Prince in a aggressive manner.
“Now, calm down,” Blueblood replied. “Look at what we have achieved. We have rebuilt and bettered a prototype weapon built years ago, without any notes but a vague plan from technology not from this world. We have adapted the best we could, pioneering self-guiding technology. ‘Months’ is the best estimate to develop the repulsor system, and considering how advanced that piece of technology is, it’s an impressive estimate.”
Maelstrom shook his head, his chin moving forward slightly. Blueblood read the anger easily, so he kept his face neutral. His next words would either defuse the situation, or make it worse than it was, and the latter was not needed, not when they were so close to escape.
“I will make that repulsor technology happen. Meanwhile, I can start designing explosives to fit on your rockets, that way you can still use what we have developed so far. That way, your investment won’t be put on hold and you can start using it to further your plans.”
Maelstrom stopped on his tracks, and looked at Blueblood for a moment. He then shook his head, and began to compose himself. “You do that. Draw your plans. I’ll see you in two days.” He paused again. “Prince Blueblood, I received word you’d like to stretch your legs out some more. Is your room not spacious enough?”
Blueblood nodded. “It is, but dark and getting musty. I’d like to at least have some fresh air now and then.”
The pegasus nodded. “Show me those plans. Then we’ll see.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Time really passes quickly, Blueblood thought.
The past few weeks of planning came at such a rush that Blueblood wondered how in Equestria he managed to keep up for as long as he did.
Maelstrom had just left, very satisfied with all the work and research done by Blueblood regarding explosive designs. He even agreed to Blueblood’s request in more leeway, and more time to move outside the cavern wall.
Still, there was something odd regarding the pegasus. Maelstrom seemed to be under the impression that explosives were only a one-trick Diamond Dog . . . a basic outward explosion. He looked mightily surprised by the different types of explosives that Blueblood had advised, and seemed particularly interested in the strategic properties of shaped charges.
Blueblood wondered if he was over thinking it. Maybe the pegasus had bits and resources, but he may not be that knowledgeable. Besides, the only reason Blueblood was even somewhat well-informed regarding explosives was because of his brief marefriend who worked in construction as a demolition expert. Still, a pony with such ponypower and resources would have at least a few people who are knowledgeable regarding explosives, right?
It didn’t matter, however. The end game was near. There was no way Blueblood or Gear Match would allow the completion of a rocket with explosives. That final key would finally turn a scientific and technological concept into a real world weapon of destruction.
Blueblood grunted from his work table. He was still tweaking his personal project, finally putting the finishing touches and half wondering if he was going to install it to his armor. He could imagine hearing Gear Match advising him to not install untested technology because the last thing they needed was it to backfire on them.
“We have to escape,” Gear Match muttered, trotting around in circles. “We delayed for so long. If they are able to place explosives on the prototype--”
“Gear Match,” Blueblood cut him off. “Calm down. The armor has been completed, and our plans are drawn. I just need to know if we have enough essence of magic stowed away.”
Gear Match stole a glance at their hiding place. Every morning, true to his word, Maelstrom always gave a vial of essence of magic to Blueblood, not knowing that the stallion now had his own magical battery that kept him full to the brim. They have been slowly saving it for weeks, being an essential part of their escape.
“We have enough,” Gear Match replied, frowning. “Cutting it close, but it should be enough.”
“Alright,” Blueblood sighed. “I’ll start our opening gambit tomorrow. Prepare everything. Do you still remember where the Dragonfire Gems were placed outside?”
Gear Match nodded.
“And the directions to the exit as well?” Blueblood asked.
“Yes,” Gear Match replied, repeating the directions Blueblood had advised him to escape the cavernous labyrinth.
“Good,” Blueblood breathed a sigh. He had forgotten how many days they had been stuck there, how many days they were missing. Had he been declared dead? Was Auntie Celestia still looking for him? Or had she given up any hope to see him back alive?
So many questions, but no answers. But at least tomorrow, they’d know the answer to the burning question that popped in his head the time he realized they were captured:
Would they be able to escape?
“We are really going to do this soon, aren’t we?” Gear Match asked, fear tingeing his voice.
“One way or another, my old friend,” the Prince replied. “One way or another.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
617 users online
944,952 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Alright, chapter proof-read and done. Good news, Chapter 5 draft is complete, and reasonandrhyme is giving it a go. Guy's a machine, I tell you.
Enjoy people.
Yes! Finally updated!
Although it's following the same plot lines as the movie, this story really peaks my interest and I feel you're doing an excellent job. Keep it up.
Always kinda amusing when FiMfiction tells me that I've got an unread chapter, then I see it's this one. Trust me FiMfic, I've read it already. Many times.
I'm going to go see if I can't get you a few more readers over on r/mylittlefanfic, I want to see more reactions when the next chapter drops
1354666
It's going to diverge after the escape. If anyone followed closely, Blueblood has only a few similarities with Stark, and the way their companies were built is almost contradicting. Stark Industries started as a heavy weapons manufacture, while Blueblood's Ponytech is actually more of a technological innovator in other areas. I still have a few bombs I want to put it, that not even ReasonandRhyme knows.
1356030
And while I appreciate more readers. . .
you want to see more reactions eh? 
You like train-wrecks, don't you? 
1357170 Hopefully it will be no train wreck after the final revisions. I just want to see everyone going "Wha... Wait, what? What just happened?"
would be would be
(repeated - delete one repetition)
pony anatomy, vis a vis the neck vs torso, IS fairly odd, isn't it?
(cue bouncing-CMCs 40% of our body is neck picture)
secured itself to his pony
(to his body, I think you mean)
the pegasus has bits and
(the pegasus had bits)
explosives is because o
(was)
who worked under for construction as a demolition expert
(who worked in construction as a)
I'm really looking forward to the escape, and the fight to freedom. I feel this segment was much more drawn out than, say, in the Iron Man movie, but in doing so you accomplished some good things, like giving us a much more developed and relatable Gear Match.
1386227
Huh. I'll get on correcting those.
As for secured on his pony, I think I got too fancy with the wording. It was supposed to be secured on his person, but since we're talking about ponies... hmmm. Body works. It works. Reasonandrhyme, ya here? Whatcha think?
EDIT:
I just realized Capn_Chryssalid just commented/read my story. Hey man, big fan!
Looks promising for having Bluebood as a Ironman-like alter ego (i'll give it a read soon). If that is the case then one would inspect that Fancy Pants to pick up War Machine mantle as well. And why call it "Iron Colt" would it be more accurate to have it "Iron Stallion", Since Colt=Boy as Stallion=Man?
1402590
Very well written story you have here. I like your take on Blueblood's character.
give us an update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1545482
Yeah. He's my favorite jerk too. XD
1531675
Two chapters awaiting proof-reading. Its coming, don't worry.
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6q2h7mE331rqzuo7o2_250.jpg
It's awesome.
Love Tony Stark.
Love Iron Man.
Love this.
Great job.
1583323