107 - Forces Good and Ill
Earpieces adorned Gregor's head, but he was not the only new one with it. Luna's horn glowed as she poked and felt at hers. It wasn't designed for a pony's long fuzzy ear, but it was in there. "Is this working?" she queried in an uncertain voice, reaching up a hoof to brush it. "How can I be certain?"
Twilight's glowing horn pressed the button as she pointed at it. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle, confirming the, uh, channel?"
"Read you 5 by 5," came a human operator, or what was likely a translating collar. "Most of us do not speak horse, so keep your collars on. Thanks."
Lyra inclined her head, her earpiece threatening to fall out. "Five by five?"
Bon Bon nudged her silly wife. "Loud and clear. Alright, we can all communicate at a distance. This is good. Glad you were here, Luna, Twilight."
Twilight shook her head. "I didn't expect them to charge us for these, but now's not the time to be cheap."
"I should think not," agreed Luna. "Now that we are properly equipped, how do we neutralize this threat? You say your people are with us." She turned to Laud. "Good. Point out which is theirs and I will strike the others from the sky; crisis resolved."
Twilight was suddenly between Luna and Laud. "Let's explore options that don't involve hurting... How many humans are on each of those things?"
Laud and Gregor exchanged looks, perhaps considering it together. Gregor was the first with an answer, "The largest of them can contain easily thousands of crew members. Those are the ones so large they cannot land on a planet for fear of irreparable damage to both vessel and the unfortunate world."
Laud gestured towards the merchant vessel they were right in front of. "This one was made for landing and can hold dozens."
Lyra whistled softly. "Can you imagine that? Thousands of them, all in one thing." Her eyes went up towards the sky. "Just floating there, over our head? That's crazy!"
Twilight pointed at Lyra. "If there are that many, just smashing them would be... barbaric. Surely they don't all agree, and we'd be hurting the ones that aren't with this idea along with the rest. That's a step too far."
"Is it?" Luna leaned forward. "There are more ponies than there are humans at stake here. How many will be lost if they, the humans, have a chance to come do as they please?" She willed Twilight out of the way with an arcane nudge. "You are a warrior, are you not?"
Laud nodded at the question. "I stand ready to fight for my domain, princess."
"If your death assured the continued safety of thousands, tens of thousands... Would you accept that?"
Twilight and Lyra gasped with echoed shock
"That is a trick I can only do once, princess. I would prefer to act in such a way as to avoid the circumstance." His right hand fell to the hilt of his sword. "But, failing that, I would do my station proud."
Luna's attention slid right to Gregor. "And your people?"
"Are you truly her sister? To ask such a dire and terrible question." He spoke calmly, but the chastising tone was clear.
Luna recoiled at it. "A simple question is it not? When the life of our entire kingdom is on the line. Do not take me for a monster for it."
Bon Bon suddenly clopped the ground. "This is getting us nowhere. The problem is simple. The one with the power to stop believes they don't have to. From their point of view, they have all the cards." She pointed up into the sky above her. "They're safe."
Luna scowled. "This one understands. Why should I not begin striking their star ships from our sky?"
"Because that will just attract more of them." Bon Bon rolled a hoof. "We don't need that fight. We don't need a fight. We just need to convince one human that they can't win."
Laud clapped his expecting wife on the withers, even if it got him a cross look from her. "The fire of your spirit is inspiring. How do you propose we convince this 'one man' of the error of his ways when he hides behind so many others, deep inside the belly of his ship?"
Gregor inclined his head faintly, a more jovial smile returning to his face. "If it does not involve the destruction of my brothers and sisters wholesale, this idea seems easier to embrace. Still, the devil lurks in the details, and we have no room for that. How will we reach him?"
Lyra sprang up, bouncing right off the ground almost a foot in the air, her hooves quivering before she came back down. "I know! I know I know I know," she sang eagerly, cantering in place with a huge grin, looking so very proud of herself. "Your sister, I swear. She's too clever!"
Luna peered at the curious mint unicorn. "Speak in specifics. In what way has mine sister been involved, hiding in her castle as she is while I am out here defending our people."
Lyra thrust a hoof at Luna. "Space is no object to you, night princess. You can visit his dream and bop him, right on the nose." She reached to deliver such a bop to Bon Bon, only to have it easily caught. Bon Bon suddenly threw Lyra to the ground with a squeak. Bon Bon almost casually pinned her partner. "Ow, hey! Ow... c'mon. It's a good idea, admit it!"
Twilight looked away from the two wrestling mares, if it could be called wrestling with how well Lyra was being held down. "She does have a point. Can you visit this human's dreams and contact them that way?"
Gregor placed a hand on Laud's shoulder, causing the noble to jump in place in surprise. "Your shock is plain on your face, and easy to discern the source. Your domain is filled with creatures who play with forces we would stay well away from, and do it with such a disquieting banality, as if it were simply their nature, and, perhaps, it is. And that only makes it more terrifying."
Luna inclined her head at Laud. "Fear not, prince consort. I will not visit 'lest your slumber is disturbed by nightmares, and only long enough to bring peace to them." A little smile spread on her face. "But if I am to visit this troubling human, I need know much more of him. Simply hoping he has a nightmare I happen upon seems a poor strategy. I do not know him. You mentioned they are a stallion, did you not?"
Bon Bon let Lyra up, stepping to the side. "That's what they said, but I'd ask him." She was looking at Gregor pointedly. "That human is your superior, is he not?"
Other eyes turned to fix on Gregor. He let out a soft sigh despite still smiling, an odd conflux of expressions for that fleeting moment. "It is true. What a position to be in, to offer up his mind and soul to the work of strange new magic. Perhaps I am truly parted from the church I had held so dearly."
Luna dipped her head. "If it helps, I will be gentle."
"No." Laud took a firm step forward. "You will be less than gentle."
"Pardon?!" She recoiled, head raising as she frowned at the suddenly loud human.
"You will not warp the mind of a holy man," he stated more bluntly. "That would prove you are everything the demon they are casting your people as."
Gregor inclined his head lightly towards Laud. "He is not incorrect in this. If you mean to defile his spirit, I will have to decline, even knowing you have magic enough to enact a terrible vengeance on me for not co--"
"--No!" suddenly cut in Twilight, joining the interrupting trend. "No, for Celestia's sake, no... We would never." She raised a hoof to her breast. "Even if you refused to help us, hurting you for that would... We're not like that. Right, Luna?" She looked to the larger princess for support.
Luna sagged softly, wings drooping a moment. "Neigh. We will not sink that low, but neither will we surrender. I will visit this person and speak with them. With words, not magical compulsions. With luck, and an enlightened view on his part, perhaps we can avoid needing anything further than that. Will that promise suffice?"
Gregor brought his hands together. "Allow me time, to pray and gather my thoughts. Grant me this and allow me to confer with myself and the pancreator, that I may be clear on the path I walk. You ask a grave thing of me, the weight of it one I will carry for some time."
Luna looked ready, her wings flaring and a low snort escaping her, but Twilight was already replying even as Luna was warming up. "Of course. This is... an unusual circumstance. Know that, whatever your choice, you are still a guest. You've already made decisions that set you as a friend, and friends don't force friends." She turned around to the fuming Luna."Right?"
"Right," she bitterly accepted, turning away. "I will retire to Twilight's castle. When you are ready to save your own lives, and all the others of this world, approach." She took off on large wings and flew towards the glittering crystal structure that was Twilight's home.
Laud allowed the breath in him to escape in a slow sigh, a common noise of the day. "I understand her frustration. She wishes to protect her domain, as do I. But Hawkwoods do not win by abandoning what makes them great in the first place. Rise or fall, we will cleave to what is right." He returned the gesture Gregor had given, placing a hand on the shoulder. "Go. May the pancreator show you the path towards the light."
The two shared a quiet moment, making a strange gesture of religious unity that required human fingers and hands. Gregor stepped away, a gravity about him in defiance of his usually diplomatic features.
Bon Bon huffed when he was far enough away. "That could have gone better."
"That could have gone worse," countered Lyra with a smile. "Hey, hubby? You know anything about the human Luna needs to visit?"
"No more than you." He began to lead the way off the landing pad. "Our business here is done for now. He's wearing an earpiece the same as we have. When he wishes to reach us, he can do so."
Lyra reached up, pressing her piece back into place. "Oh yeah! That's kind of super neat. If everypony had one of these, we wouldn't have to send letters anymore. Boop boop." She pretended to press the button but didn't actually. "Hey, Bonnie? We're short on the sour candy, cherry flavor? Can you get on that?"
Bon Bon rolled her eyes even as she raised a hoof to make the same imitation press. "Bon Bon here. We're all out of cherry flavoring. I asked you to pick up some yesterday and you spent the whole day slacking off."
Lyra burst into laughter. "Oh, wow, that sounds way too much like me. Sorry, Bon Bon. I'll get more right now." She false-pressed the button once more and resumed a lively jog. "You humans have neat stuff."
Twilight was beside Laud as they headed towards the castle. "Do you think we have a chance?"
He smiled, a thin gesture, but genuine. "You need ask me? I have heard tales of your adventures. You have faced worse."
Twilight inclined her head. "I'm not sure any of it threatened the entire world?"
"Your first," he corrected. "Against the dark form of our now-ally. She sought to plunge your world into darkness eternal. That surely sounds like--"
"--point," cut in Twilight, conceding her mistake. "Besides... we have friends. We have each other. You're right. We can do this." She paused to clop her forehooves together. "Let's stay focused on solutions, not how big the problem looks."
Solutions! Was Gregor wrong for going off as he did? Should Luna have tried a different tact? The moon hasn't been flung at things yet, but was this all Celestia's tricky scheming from the start?
Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? 
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Who's doing what to who now? I didn't know Lyra was so good at wrassling.
10321053
Oopsie, Bon Bon is a much better fighter, and did not accept the boop. Some snoots are dangerous to boop.
*shrug* Unless Shining Armor with the help of all the Alicorns can put up a shield around Equis then they have to show a bit of force. Honestly if I warped into a system onto to have the sun or moon make a b-line for me I'd be done. Maybe hack their comms and give em a warning as the sun and moon approach.
I severely doubt that speaking directly in the mind of one that considers you a demon is going to be of any help, but better to try it and only then eliminate the fleet than to do otherwise.
10321063
They still must be booped though. A heavy sacrifice, but a worthy one.
Just realised a neat trick that Celestia can do, given the full power of the sun can heat the atmosphere of a whole planet to escape velocity temperatures in less than a tenth of a second.
Lightly heat the ships whole?
I mean, to 50 C or so would make a point, and it should be well within all actual toerances?
If there was a clear-cut, easy solution, they'd have taken it. At best, they can try to stop the pebble before it becomes an avalanche.
It should be prince consort, princess is a typo.
10321159
Humans have weird genders.
Silly Gregor, after having been told mental magic is expressly forbidden, you still jump that conclusion? Your trust is dangling and needs more strength!
Still, the visitation would not be unlike particular visions granted. Let's hope Luna does not go overboard...
Keep going! ;)
10321522
You say that right after Luna had to be gently reigned back from considering such actions.
10321527
History is written by the survivors after all...
No need to shield the planet; if the ships have not arrived yet, put a shield around the gate, like the Iris in Stargate:SG-1. I bet the first time a ship traverses the gate and doesn't make it through will be enough to deter them for a while.
Hmm, I don't know how Luna's little dream travel is going to help much. The element of the church that's leading the imminent attack has already made up their minds about Equestrians being demons that much be purged. Luna walking through his dreams and communicating with him mentally, a magic that is among the most greatly feared, seems more likely to just confirm that view.
"A simple question is it"
"A simple question it is"?
"make me for a monster for"
"make me a monster for"?
"her fore hooves together"
"her forehooves together"?
10325477
Global calamities are no excuses for typos!
10321648
I don't believe they have any way of telling that a ship was destroyed after traversing a portal. If I recall correctly the only form of FTL communications is ships carrying messages.
Honestly I'd give him one chance to back down if I was luna and if they didn't swat them out of the sky. They want to glass a planet, Luna is completely justified in ending them all in a second.