Chapter 45
Metal ground on stone above them, an ominous, sustained rattle. None of them spoke: there were no plans to formulate, nothing to do but hide and wait. Eventually something whined and scraped on stone, and something rattled down the shaft. A steel cage of sorts, apparently winched down by cable. There were two soldiers inside, both in something like riot gear, massive weapons over each shoulder. Jacob had never actually seen the ECU in action, but he recognized the patches on their shoulders.
They hopped out of the cage, advanced into the cave a few steps, then raised their weapons to an alert, but not overtly hostile stance. They didn’t aim, but they were clearly ready to do so at a moment’s notice.
“What kind of gun is that?” Jacob whispered into Katie’s ear, pointing with one hand. The massive weapons were four feet long, connected with thick tubes to the backpacks of the soldiers holding them. A thin layer of condensation trickled out of the barrels, sinking down towards their feet.
“ATR,” Katie whispered back. “It’s basically a lightning gun. Earth ponies can stop bullets, but they aren’t as good with electrocution. The electricity screws up your brain, so unicorn spells are fried too. They don’t work too well on flying ponies, but ponies who can fly can also be shot with regular bullets, so…”
Someone reeled up the cage again, scraping and bumping along the wall as it went. It took another ten minutes for it to finally reach the ground again. It did so with a third armored soldier and an apparently ordinary woman.
The third soldier disembarked first, before assisting the woman through the now-melted snow pile and into the chamber. She wasn’t wearing a military uniform, though she did dress in sturdy, rugged clothing. She was surprisingly fit-looking for a politician, though there were clear lines of age on her face. Her hair was black, her face imperious, and her expression disdainful. She carried no flashlight, but one of her soldiers set a powerful propane lantern on the ground in front of her, illuminating the chamber far more clearly than their weak electric lantern could. No light came from above, though moonlight did faintly glow in the shaft behind her.
“Who am I negotiating with? I see you all hiding: someone come out and speak with me.”
Nopony moved. Jacob could feel a little of why—something about this woman wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t just unarmed in the presence of very dangerous ponies, and she hadn’t just come out to a field mission when she wasn’t even supposed to be in the military. She was more than she seemed, and he had to figure out how.
Jacob rose. He straightened, then stepped out from behind the pillar. Harley probably would have done their negotiating, but she was still hiding near the ceiling and apparently didn’t want to give her position away. As he crossed the room, he kept his hands out where they would be clearly visible, well aware of the weapons tracking him.
He passed Elise, and she joined him, walking beside him as they neared the senator on the far side of the room.
“Stop.” The command came out distorted from a soldier’s helmet, but still understandable. They were still about twenty feet away, but the command was absolute. He stopped.
This close to Senator Hunter, Jacob would’ve sworn that the light wasn’t acting properly. It was much darker behind her than it was on his side of the spacious chamber, even if the lantern was only a few steps in front of her. It wasn’t just darkness behind her, but power too. Power, and confidence, and danger as he had only felt near Sunset during her rage.
“Good, good.” The woman surveyed them, eyes widening a little as she apparently recognized Elise. “Special Agent Avery? You’re alive?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Elise met her eyes without flinching, just as she had done to Sunset before. “When the command center was evacuated, I was saved along with many other refugees.”
The woman’s eyes darkened. “What happened in Containment was your work? The perfect counters to each and every one of our security measures.”
She nodded again. “Containment was a violation of the Geneva Convention’s standards for the treatment of prisoners of war. It was a shame to our organization and our country, Ma’am.”
Her expression straightened into a hard line, and she met Jacob’s eyes instead. “And who are you? The leader of these rebels? The one who subverted one of my agents.”
“Yes.” He barely even remembered that spell, cast so many months ago now. Elise had held the knowledge, but he had to save her twice to get it. First from her fall, and then from her own insanity. “I am. And you’re Senator Maria Hunter. I voted for you in the last election. I thought you were one of Colorado’s best senators in a long time.”
Her expression softened a fraction. “Being politically active won’t save you, pony. Besides, that’s only who I was. That isn’t who I am.”
Jacob shivered, unable to meet her eyes any longer. They were already dark brown, but the gloom seemed to thicken and congeal around her, casting distorted shadows on the rock behind. “You thought to find the Temple’s ancient gate and flee to Equestria? I’m afraid you wouldn’t have found it so welcoming even if you made it.”
The Temple? That sounded like a fitting name, he supposed. “How do you know about it? The Light Tenders are supposed to destroy everything from Equestria. You see us as carriers of an intelligent disease, don’t you? None of this is supposed to exist.”
She laughed. One of the soldiers even chuckled, though the sound was muffled from within the thick riot gear. Jacob stared, but he couldn’t see a single patch of exposed skin. All three soldiers were massive, hulking creatures, but their armor fit them perfectly. There were no weak points for him to exploit.
“If you actually believed anything Agent Avery told you, then you’ve filled your mind with the same obfuscation we created for those we had working in the field. Of course Equestria exists. Despite the best efforts of its enemies, despite the weakness in its throne and the absence of its most powerful protector, it survives still.”
“Why did you come down here?” He folded his arms, trying to sound confident. “You said it yourself, we’re trying to evacuate. The world is too dangerous for us, so we’re leaving. You won’t have to worry about us again.”
Her laugh was much less friendly this time. “Oh no. I won’t be sending the pretenders such good stock. My kingdom requires the competent, the brave, and the strong. Some of you cower, but that is not a strike against you. Ponies are wise to cower. You might too Lifeline, if you knew who I was.”
He froze, unable to breathe for a few seconds. How the hell did she know that stupid pony name? Could Elise have been a traitor all along, and led them all the way here to give all that she had learned to their enemies?
No, he decided. Her body was still rigid with hostility, and none of it for him.
And just like that, he knew. “You’re…” He retreated, staring up into the woman’s dark eyes. “You’re Nightmare Moon.” He knew it instantly then, without a shadow of doubt. The Alicorn power he had sensed from her was no mistake of his perception. “The reason humans knew how to fight ponies.” He looked to the soldiers. “You found the Light Tenders and mobilized them against Equestria.”
“You see now what I would be giving up. You see why I had watchers at this Temple. The old glory will be mine, Lifeline, and you will help me take it.”
He wanted to spit in her face. Elise didn’t move either, only glared. He could barely move his mouth to speak. “Why would I do that? It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, or how important you are. You’ve been hunting ponies down, killing them. You’re the reason there isn’t peace with Equestria right now, I bet. I would still be in school if it weren’t for you.”
“I’m sure you all have similar stories.” She didn’t sound angry, or like her confidence had faltered even a little. “It’s true you’ve all suffered a great deal, but you assign responsibility incorrectly. I didn’t invade this world. I am as much a refugee as you are.” She gestured at the soldiers just behind her. “I did not come to trample your laws and subjugate you. I was fairly elected after a life of public service, as you already observed. You should critically consider who you’ve really been serving since you joined this war. Unless you think bioterrorism qualifies your princess for nobility.”
He opened his mouth to object, or maybe to defend himself. They had come because of that exact reason, after all. To find better leadership for Earth’s ponies after what Sunset had done. But he didn’t say that. It didn’t really matter what this person, or pony, or whatever she was, thought of their motivations. The only thing that mattered was whether or not he could convince her to let them go.
But Maria, or Nightmare Moon, or whatever she was didn’t let him speak. She went on advancing slowly towards them. The soldiers didn’t react, just watching as she walked towards them. “I don’t ask for charity from my subjects, Lifeline. Swearing your hooves to me would bring power.”
He could see it now, feel it. Magic that wouldn’t just save the dying, but restore them to health. His touch would take the wreckage of broken people and make them well again. It wouldn’t matter if they had “died” before he arrived or not. He would never be too late ever again. No other families would have to give up their parents as he had. There wouldn’t be any more orphans.
The vision faded. “The world I’m building will need skilled ponies. Thanks to your friends there are now many ponies to choose from, but they’re still ignorant and weak. Your strength could ease the transition, and protect the people you love from short-sighted rulers. Equestria’s millennia of peace will come to Earth in time.”
Someone set a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, but it was only Katie. “But you’re Nightmare Moon,” she said, her voice flat. “We don’t know very much about you… and maybe ponies lied about who you were… but it didn’t seem like you were trying to bring peace. You were just trying to take over. It seemed like you just wanted power for yourself.”
All trace of Senator Hunter’s smile vanished then, her glare far more intense than any she’d had for Elise. “Be careful, mare. Your civilization was a dream when I was betrayed. Don’t speak ignorance to me about events I lived.”
Jacob stepped protectively between Katie and the towering woman. All humans seemed giant to him now, but her especially so. Maria Hunter had to be at least six feet, if not taller. The darkness around her thickened and gathered with her anger. “I have not appointed myself queen by right of immortality. Imperium derives from strength. Celestia stood no chance without the Elements as her crutch.”
“Imperium derives from the consent of the governed,” Elise spoke flatly. “That’s the human way. Or… our way. And we won’t serve you. We won’t sacrifice centuries of democracy for an autocrat, no matter how peaceful she says she can make the world.”
“Do you all feel that way?” she asked, her voice icy cold. “Do you all refuse my gifts?”
“Yes.” Jacob hadn’t known it until that moment, but he knew it now. It didn’t matter what this being said. Her actions were what mattered. She had left ponies to starve and die in their own filth. Not only that, but she openly admitted to wanting to rule the world. Claimed it was hers by right. “We do. Let us leave in peace, we don’t have to fight.”
She turned away, dismissive. “Not for me.” She waved one hand in the air as she made it back to the cage. “Kill them.”
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Wow... oh man, this was AWESOME for being so short!
Also, time for a little throwdown... but I wonder about Nightmare, here, leaving the fighting to the flunkies. She can't ditch her disguise, perhaps?
Did not see that coming. I was expecting more of an eldritch abomination.
That begs the question, who was that earlier abomination serving? Who was that sorcerer in the continent centers ranks serving? They don't seem like Nightmare Moons style. I think that Nightmare Moon is getting played by some other force.
Interesting, gives a whole new meaning to "the stars will aid in her escape"
Liking the fast pace of updates too, though sincerely hoping it won't take a toll on the quality at all.
Ugh. I had completely forgotten she was tagged for this story.
Schiße! Take cover you fools!
7587879 Really? I've seen Nightmare Moon as the mother of monsters before.
Well, they've got Nightmare Moon standing right in front of the portal to the other world, and Twilight and company are likely waiting on the other side of it. So... all they need to do is guess the code, and they can probably still win. I'm still guessing "sweeping the floor" was Twilight's direction to find the key, so I wonder if there are any five-symbol words written on the mosaic that they could try?
The Nightmare has returned. Let us proceed to send her back to Tartarus.
Considering the story on the floor, what the warden and the dragon said and the nightmare's own words I'm thinking that this "fate" entity and Nightmare Moon are one and the same.
(1) This would be an appropriate place to say you can't win. There's no getting out of this one, and there's no way you can fight. I said before the only possible remedy would be to get everybody on Earth into Eques, and send them back home when the moment was opportune. She's clearly out of Sunny's league. Raw power and democratic sway alike, she's got her completely outclassed.
(2) Once again, I find it prudent to mention the strength of the other two stories was moral ambiguity. They both had miscommunication and ignorance no one was at fault for being the culprits that stirred conflict. Here, I was almost convinced the same was true here. I was sadly mistaken. The frequent updates may have something to do with this.
(3) Also, this theme with ponies being compatible with literally everything rubs me the wrong way. It's not the first thing to do so, but it is the first I know of where the end result isn't a hybrid satyr or a centaur, but a fully external human with equine buried beneath everyone. It seems to imply total extinction via assimilation and crossbreeding. Anything with a sufficiently large brain can be crossed with them, and it always leads to the same ending result: even quarter or eighth equines go fully so eventually. Wouldn't this thrill WL? She'd be tickled to peaches.
(4) I do wonder: If WL from LOPE was in this tale, crossed dimensions, and came back to Earth in this story, would she take on the form of a human woman with purple hair and eyes, like she became a mare with purple hair and eyes? I know she would be a witch in any case. It wouldn't be what she was aiming for, but I am sure she'd love to have her twenty digits back again. What about those messed up siblings from Consequences? I felt sorry for them, for they didn't get their true selves revealed, so much as get brainwashed and overwritten. I suspect that even if they did cross dimensions and come back later, the physical screw ups would go away, but their altered mindsets would remain permanent. That and the fact they would still have wings for the rest of their lives, no matter what shape they took, a problem Alex, Jacob, and Chance wouldn't have, being standard ground dwellers. But if the earlier chaps were an indication, they would look like themselves shape wise, but they would come through with naturally green and aquamarine hair. Pity.
(5) I suspect that nasty little hook that leaves men with a half and half chance of ending up mare or not was Nightmare Moon or Chrissie's idea, and they rigged the operation. (Is Chrissie alive, by the way? Even though her good intentions are overshadowed by how evil she is, she even has a song about it so we don't make a mistake, she is probably less shady here if she is alive.) Sunset's going to need all the help she can get. Chrysalys, Tia, Sonata, "D" and so fourth. Only Tia and "D" are at Nightmare Moon's level. As high as Sunset's potential is, she is still a rookie, and learning ever more about her body. She's also not used to being in hierarchy. She never asked for this. She did not want this, as she has said every time she was bombarded with the title. Regent, Chancellor, not Princess. She'd be glad to be relieved of it, because being Celestia's regent is what she did best.
(6) Speaking of which, I love fanfiction for the nature of straying from canon. It comes with the territory liberties will be taken. One very consistent liberty I have seen many times is agelessness. Often coupled with invulnerability. If you ask Queen Faust, Jim Miller, and Mr. Larson, they would tell you they started off as fillies like the rest. They had been newborns, then toddlers longer than most ponies have even been alive, implying they age ever so slowly, but they do age. If Granny Smyth can be trusted, the average horse lived for possibly three or four centuries. Tia and her crew live for millennia. And if they are eternally youthful, they are no less vulnerable to injury and illness than regular ponies. They are just that good at avoiding them. They took their share of injury and illness, but few severe enough to be hospitalized. Why would they have so much security if they could not be speared or shot through? And why should ponies be so religiously protective of them if regular, typical assaults cause all the pain of a pinprick? Pegasi especially. I'm not a fan of the indestructible, impenetrable Tia, "D", and Nightmare Moon. I like the idea that they are like phoenixes. You can petrify them, incinerate them, grind their statues to dust, they will revive from their ashes or mineral dust. Or they would permanently die, but it takes a lot, and you'd need an instantly fatal blow, as they recover from wounds in a matter of minutes. Or they'd be liches, zombies, vampires. Already dead, but somehow active, but accumulate any tissue damage they receive.
(7) Ultimately, I like the theme that Celestia is intricately bound to the sun, and will live till it explodes. Her sister is tied to it too, indirectly. She's bound to Celestia, and will die when she does. Two others are embodiments of virtues, one embodies companionship and togetherness, and assists lonely ponies in need of a friend. The other romance and affection, and will stick around as long a marriages need support, and relationships mended. Now Sunny is the element of redemption and forgiveness. As long as there are people wanting to turn a new leaf and improve themselves, she'll be there to see to it they are given the chance they deserve. Whether this is what she became in this story or in LOPE is debatable. The Big "A" in that fiction is bound to life by the continued existence of sapient life. S/he will not die for good unless all sufficiently intelligent life, hominid and equine alike goes extinct, and s/he made a hasty decision s/he now has to live with, so long as people/ponies remain. They gave him a fair warning that s/he might not like the results, but didn't explain the costs fully. S/he chose to go ahead, trapping himself in that type of existence.
(8) Is the same thing going to happen to Jacob? Is he going to end up eternally a nurse and a surgeon to the entire populace? He's been established as something Alex never was: A pacifist. Much like SS, he hates violence. He channels his thoughts and skills to healing, period. Even when he thinks somepony deserves death, he will not leave them to die. Alex isn't evil, but s/he does have a temper. S/he blew his fuse on one antagonist, and was merciless on him, even though he was already permanently incapacitated, unable to hurt people ever again. Slaughtered. Given Jacob is more of a pacifist then Alex, he might be eternally, indefinitely tasked with healing and curing people for a long time. Made to stick around so long as wounded and ill ponies exist.
7588782
You're exactly right that from one point of view (the one I intended for the audience), the ponies are indeed in the wrong here.
That doesn't mean the ponies are going to start acting like "bad guys" though. From the human perspective, from mine from yours and to a lesser extent Jacob's and the rest of the crew, the ponies are clearly in the wrong with what they did.
However, the ponies clearly don't have the same morality we do. They clearly see good and evil differently. This is not me trying to "justify" their actions as saying "well, since they don't think they're wrong, they're okay." far from it. I'm saying that, because the ponies themselves don't see themselves as being in the wrong, they are going to talk and act like they think they're heroes. In their own minds, that's exactly what they are. They see themselves as heroic, selfless people, putting their own lives on the line to save the downtrodden humans. To some extent the protagonists buy into this, though I think to a greater extent Jacob and Co cooperate because the alternative is being killed by a shady government organization.
The situation this story depicts is horrific. In some ways, you might even call it "worse" than TCB. The difference in my mind as an author is that I'm not trying to write anyone as the ones who are "really" right. Everyone thinks they're doing the right thing (except maybe the monsters). I'd say shades of gray make for a far more compelling story than good ponies invading an "evil" human earth "for our own good," or ubermench virtuous humans triumphing over Xenolestia. Those stories have their place, but they're dull as rocks and sand to me because they lack nuance.
So if it's any comfort, just know that just because the ponies see themselves as good guys, I'm not trying to convince you that they are. you're just seeing them the way they see themselves. Our human characters will experience things very differently.
I'm not really sure what I feel about this week's collection of chapter, but I think part of me feels rather disappointed on some level.
I think part of what bugs me about the story so far is that the mystery simply isn't compelling in terms of being a mystery. For the first part of the fic, largely the mystery is preserved by the fact that they were in the middle of running for their lives--and as soon as they're free enough to actually chat, someone explains to them that magic is what's causing people to turn into ponies. Etc.
Later we're given the suggestion that there is surely more 'to it', but only for a handful of chapters, if that, and then Jacob just directly asks Sunset and gets a straight answer. To put this another way this is sort of like going to a class about, say, protein synthesis and feeling like the explanation the professor is giving doesn't quite make sense--and then you go and ask him or her and they explain concisely that in fact you're right (or wrong) and there is more to it--and they're only just not covering it because it's more complicated.
This isn't the same thing as lying to someone though, and it isn't really a mystery. Or at least, it isn't to me.
In this chapter we're told that, contrary to all that in fact the pony's version of events is wrong and in actually the ponies weren't fleeing discord but some sort of weird fate thing.
I sort of feel like the mystery keeps getting revisited and revised, rather than a mystery that over time reveals small chunks and hints at something greater. And the mystery is super easy to 'resolve' too. It isn't really hidden, they just haven't openly asked the questions.
I think this is in contrast to LPoE, largely because the central mystery was mostly preserved and other mysteries (like HPI) were added, and over time partly resolved. I guess I just don't really find the mystery all that compelling because every time we learn something about the truth, the truth is rewritten.
Maybe I'm just not getting it, I suppose.
7589020
I'm not really sure if I buy into the notion that the different organizations in this situation represent organizations with a greyish morality. In, again, LPoE, the various factions, like Alex and her friends, HPI, and the ponies themselves seem to get at the notion of grey and grey morality. Alex is guarded with everyone, including the ponies, for good reasons. HPI is hostile, but not maliciously so; rather because they're as far as they know the last surviving humans on earth. The ponies enacted their grand spell, without ever asking or getting people's consent, because they didn't want to watch humanity die--even if the end result is the death of humanity to begin with.
In other words, each player does questionable things, behaved questionably, yet do so for compelling reasons.
Yet, in this fic, the Light Tenders appear to be largely evil for evil's sake. Most of what they do, most of what they're trying to do, is hard to really call justified; locking ponies up for the public's protection might be justifiable, yes, but not in the way they did, to the point where it almost becomes overly evil. The pony's motives for creating the show aren't a whole lot better, either.
The only character who really seemed to be working towards that point of view was Elise--and she only got two PoV chapters and only really expressed any doubt for one of them, before completely changing her tune.
I wonder if the first two episodes of the "propaganda", the ones about Nightmare Moon, were a message? Something like "please come back, sister. You will be forgiven."
Also we need more one-liners. I know this isn't that kind of story, but they're kinda my thing. Let me suggest one: "You will regret running from Celestia's mercy, because you will find none here!"
it took me a while to remember this comparison, but I got it. imagine the ponies are like Spanish and British in the 1700's and the humans are like the native Americans
7593678 Just because it's true, doesn't make it right, or make me like it.
Were I in that situation, being told I'm a lost cousin of some alien pony, I would say, "Cool. No, that's really cool. Can you give me something to verify this, or some booklet with history of something before I decide to go with you?"
If I could look it over and see that it is intriguing enough to throw caution to the wind, I'd take it. If not, I'd say, "Still cool. Can I stay here though? I got stuff to finish."
If they didn't give me the option to stay, I'd say, "Since you showed me, I weighed the options, and while it may not be fully informed, I'm deciding to stay. Do not say "because you do not know better (or something to that effect)" that I need to go with you. It's not convincing, and it's insulting."
I get that from their POV, uniting their kin together is a bigger goal, (makeuswhole) by they should be aware that this campaign is exposing their kin in ways that isn't necessary, and losing life unnecessarily; even if they suck at everything that is war, they should know better than to go ham and say that it's justified. The whole thing has smelled fishy since the destruction of Unity, and I don't like it.
7594957
Staying behind would be a serious mistake. Those who chose not to evacuate with the Ponies were captured or killed by their own government, depending on whether they resisted or not. The pony recruiting argument didn't involve anything about human history, it was "come with us or the bad guys will kill you", and in that at least they were telling the truth.
7595013
You're not wrong there. However, I was stating my reactions to if here wasn't an immediate threat, which has been present throughout the book thus far.
But if the time came, they came a knocking, and told me men were on their way to practically exterminate me, then I'd follow them until I found transit to elsewhere.
Elsewhere being NOT with the Equestrians, however well meaning, or the Light Tenders, as they've gone a little off. Just somewhere neutral. That's about as much as I could hope for. But I get the feeling that safe neutral real estate is difficult to find these days in "Friendly Fire", correct, Starscribe?
7595625
I'd say there was probably plenty of it until Sunset decided that the best way to make ponies safe was to mass-tf as many humans as possible. At that point, any neutral ground probably dissolved.
On the other hand, at that point there would be so many ponies to hide in that anyone who wanted to could disappear, once face among thousands.
7595644
I still have trouble imagining that as a bad thing when they were never human to begin with.
7595644
I feel like I'm missing out on some nuance in the story, and just wanted to ask in case it sheds light on things for me.
The protagonists of the story, and you yourself in the comments of the the story so far, have consistently chosen the verbiage of 'bioweapons', 'assault', and 'mass-tf'. From my perspective it just doesn't seem like those things are in any way identical to: 'Dumping magic into the tub in order to help break a spell that has clouded the minds of generations of people, to the point where the truth about magic is painful for them to look at.'
Am I missing something in the seemingly more common interpretation that makes what they're doing, not the latter, and more the former?
10456662
Just trying to stay faithful to the characters' perspective. Many of these people are humans who resent having their lives tampered with. and wanted to be what they were, even if it was ultimately a lie. That's not me taking a stance personally--just how I think they would act, given their personalities and history. Also stories about transformation are typically more interesting when they feature an unwilling subject. Conflict is the meat of drama, and "yay this is much better thanks for showing us the truth" does not a conflict make.