The Pieces Come Together
Twilight gaped in awe. “Oh, my goddess! Is that Starswirl with Faust up there? Who’s the dragon?”
“Morgan le Fay,” replied Discord who did not sound too pleased to see her.
Before Twilight could question the draconequus further, those three beings withdrew into the crystal vessel the same way that they had emerged, and the ship began to rise rapidly. The remaining trio suddenly flared brightly, and when the light faded, they were gone.
“Show’s over – time to get down to business,” came a familiar voice from behind those on the balcony.
Everyone whirled around to see Techbird, Galena, and Cosmic Dawn standing in the room behind them. Although no longer the awe-inspiring manifestations that they had seen outside, they were nevertheless far greater than when anyone had last laid eyes on them. Each had been enhanced into a more ideal version of their species. Cosmic Dawn was still a unicorn but grown to match Luna’s size. Galena, too, was larger, but her carapace was not marred by the voids that characterised her species. Instead, her violet carapace resembled highly-polished seamless armour, and her wings shimmered with energy. Techbird’s crystal form fairly glowed with power, but her expression and body language still matched that of the griffoness that they had known for so long. She grinned with amusement at their reactions.
“What happened to you?” Starry exclaimed.
“Where have you been?” Wandering asked almost simultaneously.
“Were those really Starswirl and Faust with you?” Twilight asked.
“And what in Tartarus is that?!” Destined demanded, pointing a hoof in the direction of the crystal craft that was still ascending beyond the atmosphere.
“It’s a long story,” Cosmic Dawn replied. “We suggest that you call in everyone so that we can explain everything at once. Short version though – we learned our origins and rediscovered the Old Magic.”
Celestia stepped forward and regarded them keenly. “Your timing cannot be a coincidence – have you brought a solution to our dilemma with the Swarm?”
Techbird answered, “No, we came when we could, but even the Old Magic can’t deal with a foe as huge and widespread as the Swarm. Even now, you continue to underestimate their influence on the galaxy. However, while we do not have your Answer, we do have a piece of your Puzzle. The remaining pieces are in your hooves already.”
Much to the frustration of some, Techbird insisted upon waiting for more of the representatives of the GEC and members of House Path before she would explain any further. Alexa was there as well, and even Admiral Kline and Forestwalker attended courtesy of Destined Path. With the gathering as complete as it was likely to get, Techbird, Cosmic Dawn, and Galena took turns to relate everything that had happened to them since they visited Stonehenge.
“…and we have been studying the Old Magic ever since, looking for a solution to the Swarm problem. The scrying array kept us up to date, and we came to the conclusion that we could not put off our visit any longer. So here we are,” Techbird concluded.
“So – all our species originated from Earth?” Precision Strike asked.
Techbird nodded. “Yes, and the portal that brought us here has remained a constant link to our birth-world, which is why that even today, there are so many similarities between Equus and Earth. One aspect of magic is information, and the flow of mana to this world brought along with it titbits here and there that made our civilisation so familiar in some ways to the Terrans.”
“Why was the portal kept open if creating Equus as a refuge was its reason for existence? Should it not have been shut down once its job was completed?” asked Privileged Horn. The unicorn had glared at the various people who technically had no legal right to be on Equus, but the gigantic crystal vessel and its occupants had left a powerful impression on him, and he wished to learn more, so he kept his peace.
Cosmic Dawn answered. “Equus is a nursery, not a walled garden. Its races were meant to grow and learn, free from the threat that humanity presented. Once we were ready to leave the safety of our home world, it was intended that we find our place in the greater universe, with the portal to Earth being the link to our past. Merlin, Morgan, and Faust are not only the keepers of the Old Knowledge, but they’re guardians of our heritage.”
“However, the portal is also the Equians’ gateway to the future,” Galena added.
“How so?” Twilight asked.
“I have a better question,” Privileged Horn interrupted. “What future? You’ve just told us how that scrying array up there has seen the Swarm’s spread across the galaxy and approach to Equus. How many years before they reach us despite closing down the portal?”
“Between 120 and 160 years by our estimates,” Galena replied. “You should be long dead by that time if that’s what worries you.”
Privileged Horn frowned. “Do you truly think I’m so shallow as to be only concerned for my safety? Despite what others may think, I’m trying to do what is best for all Equians. My disagreement as to how that is accomplished is not personal. So, answer my question – what kind of a future are you offering?”
“Ah! One where the Swarm no longer poses a threat. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Today we are gathered to discuss what to do about this enemy to all beings in this galaxy.”
Alexa looked hopeful as she asked, “Does that mean that you know how to defeat the Swarm?”
Techbird shook her head. “We bring knowledge and power, but not easy answers. However, Merlin’s attempts to foresee the future have told him that a turning point will soon be upon us, and we three will play our part.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said you would help us find our answer,” Wandering commented.
“Oh, that’s just great,” the unicorn noble said sarcastically. “Another vague promise of dealing with the situation! This is a waste of time.”
There was a throb of power throughout the room, but the source was not from one of the three from the crystal vessel. All eyes turned to the pony from whom it emanated. Destined Path’s horn was lit and his eyes glowed with his power.
“No, you are wrong, Lord Horn. These are the final players in our drama that I have foreseen. We now stand on the cusp of a turning point in History. What we discover today will determine the fate of not only Equus but also the entire galaxy.”
The unicorn’s ears folded back and he shivered a little. “H-how, Your Highness?”
“By doing that which has always made us greater – work together in Harmony. But this time I see that it includes the people of the Federation, not just Equians.”
There was a long, tense moment as Privileged Horn locked his gaze with Destined before he turned away. “I understand. I will update the GEC and recommend the immediate lifting of the ban.” He stood and bowed to those assembled. “May the wisdom of Faust guide you.” He then left the room.
Twilight said, “Son, are you certain that now is the moment?”
Destined nodded. “As the Alicorn of Time, I perceive that multiple time-streams branch from this key moment, Mother. We have all the pieces now – we just have to assemble the puzzle.”
Twilight faced the others with her mouth set in a determined line. “Right! Let’s review everything that we know about the Swarm.”
“I still say that their instant communication is the key,” Starry said. “Nothing else can possibly affect such a numerous and scattered foe.”
“But how can you use that to stop the Swarm ships?” Alexa asked.
“We need to permanently break the ships away from the Swarm’s mind control,” Wandering replied. “Without their ships, they are no longer a threat.”
“Spells exist that deal with dispelling various kinds of mental enslavement,” Celestia pointed out.
“Don’t they all require the caster to be in the presence of the victim?” Luna asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” the Alicorn of the Sun conceded. “Although that is more a matter of spell degradation over distance, not actual physical presence.”
“What if it gets relayed instead? Use the Swarm’s own communications to spread the spell,” suggested Gisela.
“Maybe a Federation telepath?” Forestwalker suggested.
Fidelitas shook her head. “No, Zane said hy could not synch with the Swarm network. I believe that I may be able to, but I don’t have a telepath’s abilities and I would likely get taken over.”
“You would be up against the combined mental might of hundreds of thousands of controllers, maybe more,” Wandering pointed out. “I couldn’t exactly count them when I was taken over, but that’s something that I sensed during that moment.”
“What about the hypothetical central mind or minds that you thought were in the background?” Pif asked. “If we could reduce the number of targets, then the job might be simpler.”
“But wouldn’t they also be more powerful?” Path rebutted.
Galena replied, “Control isn’t merely a matter of numbers or power level – it’s both plus a number of other factors. That is something that I have learned well these past few months.”
“Then there is something in the Old Magic that can help us?” Starry asked.
Cosmic Dawn replied, “Perhaps, but Modern Magic is a lot more sophisticated. The forte of the Old Ways is sheer power.”
“That’s true,” Twilight affirmed. “So many new spells were written long after our ancestors came to Equus.”
“A suitable spell is useless if we don’t have a means of delivering it,” Techbird reminded them. “Wandering – are you sure you have no clue as to the location of an Overmind, to give it a name?”
The alicorn stallion shook his head. “I had no control over my thoughts or actions while I was controlled. A lot of it is a blur. The changelings I was linked to were able to pull some information from the link that overwhelmed me, but that’s been triple-checked already. Maybe a telepath could dig it out of my memory?”
“Wait – I thought the telepaths couldn’t read you?” Alexa asked.
“No, Zane may not have but he showed that he could have done so when he used a mind blast to break the controller’s hold on me.”
“Can Zane read a changeling’s mind?” Starry queried Fidelitas.
The Red Changeling Princess shrugged. “He never tried, to my knowledge.”
“Would you object to having that tested?”
“If it helps us solve our problem, I most definitely would not mind.”
“What are you getting at, Starry?” Penumbra asked.
“It seems to me that we have a means of getting into the Swarm’s network, and now we may have a way of linking through a changeling network. That’s a big step towards what you need to inject your proposed spell.”
“I hate to throw cold water on your idea,” Fidelitas said apologetically, “but I only said that I may be capable of that, and there’s still the defence of my mind at issue.”
“That’s where the telepath comes in!” Pif brightened with realisation. “Hy could synch with you and shield your mind.”
“It will take more than one telepath, of that I’m sure!” Wandering stated bluntly.
“Seeing as our solution could revolve around telepaths, may I suggest that we bring one into the conversation?” Cadance suggested.
“I gave Zane a mana beacon in case we needed his services again,” Destined said. “I could invite him to join us if you think it will help.”
“Every bit helps,” Celestia said. “Please fetch Zane if he is willing to come.”
Destined nodded and teleported away.
“While we are waiting for Destined to return, does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be a suitable spell to use if we can work out a delivery method?” Luna asked.
Cosmic Dawn looked thoughtful. “I wonder if Morgan may know of something that can be adapted?”
“You mean that Morgan and the others can be contacted?” Gisela queried. “Then why aren’t they here in this meeting with us?”
Dawn grimaced, her ears folding back. “Umm, no. The three are our teachers and guides, but won’t be taking an active role in this conflict. They believe that we have the means to save ourselves if only we can figure it out.”
“Then why did they come here?” the hippogriff pointed out.
“Because we asked them to bring us to Equus,” Galena replied. “It seems that while they won’t make a move, we three are not so restricted.”
“Are you saying that Starswirl and Faust are both willing to let us be destroyed rather than come to our aid?” Celestia asked with a frown.
Techbird shook her head. “No – more like that they want us to learn and discover for ourselves – a technique that I believe you employed several times in your career, Princess. Besides, I don’t believe that even they can do this by themselves.”
“Then did you learn anything useful regarding mind domination from them?” Pif asked.
“The point may be moot,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “It might be easier to write a new spell from scratch, but it would be helpful to know exactly how the Swarm mind-control works. After all – if it isn’t done through magic, then a counter-spell isn’t an option and undoing it would require a totally different technique.”
“You speak the truth, Princess Sparkle. Our shamans know of potions that can achieve similar results, but naturally they would require different remedies,” Crafted Stanza said. “Obviously, this is not the case this time, but it still illustrates the problem.”
“What if you could monitor its effects on a test subject?” Wandering suggested hesitantly.
Twilight looked uncertain at that proposal. “That would probably be very useful, but fraught with peril. For starters, the controller would quickly know what our plans are, and even if we brought in a volunteer who is ignorant of any useful knowledge, we would first have to bring a suitable subject to a controller, and that is unlikely to happen.”
“Why do you say that?” Starry asked.
“Just think – the first time that we invaded a Swarm ship in real time, we succeeded in learning a lot about them and their slaves, and killed its controller. Now they are willing to sacrifice every ship that gets invaded just so that they can take out the team along with them. We lost several brave griffon warriors before we learned that lesson. So what is the likelihood of them allowing us to grab a controller alive or even just bring a test subject to it?”
“Can you teleport directly to the controller?” Precision Strike asked.
Luna said, “Not a good option, I’m afraid. While teleporting out of a ship is easy, teleporting into one of those living vessels is problematical due to its organic nature. By default, a teleport spell resists placing someone within a living being just as much as an inanimate wall. I believe Wandering had to be physically standing on the ship before his teleport spell could detect a safe void. And those voids vary from ship to ship due to them growing organically rather than being built.”
“Maybe Destined can do his time-freeze again?” Boyce suggested.
Luna again shook her head. “Remember that Destined can only take a few people with him. Even if we reached the controller, incapacitated it, and linked into the Swarm network, we would have to be in normal time to affect anything more than a short distance away from his time alteration field. And what happens to Swarm ships with no controller actively guiding the drones?”
Starry frowned. “Even though all the drones collapse, the ship explodes seconds later. And we have no idea how to prevent that.”
Luna nodded. “The trigger may be instantaneous and cause a chain reaction that cannot be stopped.”
“Then how are we going to get close to a controller?” Cadance asked.
“We could invade one of their hives instead,” Blue Streak spoke up for the first time.
Admiral Kline frowned. “I may not know much about magic, but I do know about military targets, and that’s asking a hell of a lot. There’s a reason why we have never tried to take back a world that has been thoroughly taken over by the Swarm.”
“I never said it would be easy,” the Warmaster replied, “but neither did I say we have to liberate the whole planet. We would just have to make a focused strike on a single hive. That’s almost certainly where we would find a controller, or possibly even one of those overminds.”
“It would be horrendously dangerous. Lives could be sacrificed and there is still have the strong possibility of failure.”
“That’s why it’s called war, Admiral. But I believe that we can achieve it with acceptable losses. Right now, the combined might of the Stellar Federation resources and Equian magitek is the strongest it has ever been. We may be giving the Swarm the hardest fight in its history. It’s time to put all that power to use.”
While no stranger to conflict, it was at times like these that it struck Boyce just how much older and more experienced some of these brightly coloured ponies were. He could tell that Blue Streak had earned his title as Warmaster, and knew that death and destruction were inseparable parts of the job. The stallion would not lightly suggest such a course of action. “As ever, Star Fleet will support any strategy that is agreed upon.”
Just then, Destined returned in a flash-bang of magic, accompanied by Zane who appeared to be in female mode on this occasion. Many of those in the room did not know about the cyclic gender nature of skunktaurs, but those who did and knew Zane were intrigued by hys change. However, now was not the time to indulge their curiosity.
“Thank you for coming, Zane,” Wandering said.
The skunktaur smiled and replied in a voice that was an octave higher than previously, “It’s no problem, really. While the timing may have been better personally, the war with the Swarm takes absolute priority.”
“Then can we do a test immediately?” Fidelitas asked as she moved to stand directly in front of Zane. “We need to know if telepathically connecting fully to changelings is possible, not to mention the rest of the species here.”
“As I mentioned to Destined before we came here, I believe that won’t be a problem. While we were scouting the Swarm ship, I could sense your surface thoughts, although I did not follow through with making a connection. Are you giving me permission to do so?”
“I am. Go as deep as you can without our personalities and memories merging completely.”
“Understood.” Zane placed a hand on Fidelitas’ neck and stared directly into her eyes. Without any sign of effort, he continued, “I am in without problems. I can sense your links to your mother, sisters, and your hive’s drones. Hmmm… I can even see a quiescent link to Wandering Path. I did not realise that you could do that.”
{Can you hear this question?} Fidelitas asked within her mind.
{Yes, I can, Fifi.} Zane replied telepathically.
Fidelitas was startled. {You know my nickname?}
{I know that you prefer it when your family calls you by that name.}
{You have proven your point. Don’t use that name again – you are not family.} Aloud, Fidelitas said, “Zane can communicate fully with me psychically. I suggest that all species present be tested for future reference. Who volunteers next?”
Precision Strike was the first to raise a claw, and his expression changed to intrigued as mind communication occurred. Similar results happened with the rest of volunteers with a one hundred percent success rate.
After Techbird was tested, she summed up the findings. “I believe that due to every one of our species originating from Earth including Zane’s, we are all compatible with their psionic abilities, unlike the Swarm which is a totally alien species. Not being a child of Earth does not necessarily mean incompatibility, however. For example, the Caitians and Rakshani can also link with other races.”
Zane added, “However, that means I cannot mentally attack the Swarm directly because of my inability to ‘tune-in’ to them.”
“What if you had an intermediary who could connect to both the Swarm network and yourself?” Wandering asked.
“Who would be capable of doing that?” Galena asked.
Starry realised immediately what he meant though. “No, Wandering – you can’t tell them!”
The stallion looked at his wife. “You know that I have to, Starry.”
Starry bit her lip hard and she looked away without replying.
Twilight also recognised what Wandering meant, and she came over to put a wing around him. “Are you sure about this, son?”
Wandering nodded and took a deep breath before addressing all those present. “Due to having a changeling as a sire, I gained the ability to network with them and have done so from birth. However, that isn’t the only trait that I inherited from my father. I can shape-shift too.” By way of demonstration, he shifted into chakat form in a flare of green magic fire. Those ignorant of Wandering’s ability murmured in surprise.
“But how is this useful?” Fidelitas asked. “I could not tune into the Swarm while I was on their ship, even if I had taken on the form of one of them.”
“Because unlike you, my ability to shape-change is raised to alicorn level. I become what I shift into – it’s my special talent,” Wandering replied. “I’m not just emulating a chakat as a changeling would do – I am a chakat presently. Now substitute controller for chakat and you have your intermediary.”
That provoked far more reaction than his initial revelation. Fidelitas was the first to ask the relevant question though.
“So – are you saying that you can shape-shift into a controller and maintain a telepathic link as well as connections to both changeling and Swarm networks?”
Wandering nodded and replied, “I believe so, yes. I will test this, but only under strictly controlled conditions. While I always retain my special abilities in other forms, I don’t want the unexpected to cause big problems.” Green fire flared and he was an alicorn once more. “With the strength of a multitude of changelings to back my will and the telepaths to stop my mind from being controlled, I could be in a position to deliver a spell.”
“Could you do so from here though?” Crafted Stanza asked pointedly.
The stallion shook his head. “I would need to be in the presence of a controller to establish the link.”
“So we’re left with two problems,” Blue Streak said. “One – get Wandering to a controller or overmind without getting killed, and two – devising a suitable attack that takes advantage of the Swarm’s universal instantaneous link.”
“I have a question,” Cadance said. “Why are you concentrating on breaking the Swarm’s mind control?” When she got a lot of odd looks from those at the meeting including her husband, she continued. “I mean – that is such an integral part of their nature that it would have to be extremely difficult to stop it, so why not use it instead?”
“Use it? How do you mean, Cady?” Shining Armor asked.
“Well, if the commands are as irresistible as you claim, why not make one that says something like… ‘Forget all orders from the Swarm and ignore all future ones.’ ”
The Alicorn of Protection blinked in surprise before turning to his sister. “Would that work, Twily?”
Twilight Sparkle’s gaze was unfocused and her lips moved without anything being heard. The room was virtually totally silent as everyone waited for the Alicorn of Magic to finish her mental calculations. Then a slow smile grew on her lips before her gaze returned to those around the meeting room table.
“Cadance is right – that should work. I can already see one way of structuring a spell to accomplish exactly that.”
“Would that effectively free all their slaves from every instruction that the Swarm had given them?” Forestwalker asked.
“Yes, if we can successfully transmit the order across their entire network.”
“That’s a relief,” the chakat said. “I was so worried about the ship colonies.”
“But that’s why we were trying to break their mind-control – why does this method make any difference?”
“Don’t any of you see?” Forestwalker looked around the room and sensed nothing but confusion. “Remember the ship that was first investigated where the existence of controllers was discovered? It exploded after the controller was killed. Why did the ship self-destruct if it and its inhabitants were no longer being dominated?”
Comprehension dawned on several faces. Shining was the first to voice it though.
“Pre-existing failsafe orders! But by ordering them to forget all old orders, those would be neutralised also.”
“Thus saving the lives of millions of innocent ship colonies,” Forestwalker concluded.
“Trust you to be thinking of them,” Boyce said with a fond smile to his mate.
“As a matter of curiosity, what do you suppose would happen to the Swarm creatures still in the ships?” Alexa asked.
Forestwalker replied, “In my opinion as a professional biologist, I would say that they would likely be treated like any foreign bodies in an organism.”
“In other words, they would be eradicated, thus removing the Swarm’s ability to travel between the stars permanently,” Starry said with a broad smile. “This is sounding better and better.”
“We still have to get to a controller or overmind to implement the spell,” Penumbra reminded her.
“I’ve been thinking about that, and it comes back to Wandering, Zane, and one other person.”
“What do you need from me?” Zane asked.
“Is it possible that you can locate the source of the commands that were given to Wandering?”
“Perhaps. It depends on what information was passed on to him while he was under control by the Swarm.”
“But he was also linked to his mini-network, and they reported a large store of information being received.”
“That increases the chances if I can link through Wandering to access that data. Where are you going with this though?”
Instead of answering him directly, Starry turned to Forestwalker. “The chakat teleporter, Swiftwalk wasn’t it? Shi said that shi has homed into destinations by strong empathic impressions from other chakats. Correct?”
Forestwalker nodded. “That’s right, but it has to be an extremely clear impression to substitute as an anchor for hir.”
Fidelitas laughed. “Changelings can exactly imitate forms because they have the ability to perfectly memorise details. Wandering had several connected to him at the time. Care to guess how good an impression he could supply?”
Forestwalker stood up and practically danced on hir paws in excitement. “I have to go home and contact Swiftwalk!”
“Can I offer you a lift?” Destined asked.
“Yes, please!” the chakat said, bounding over to the alicorn.
“We’ll be back as soon as possible,” Destined said as he lit up his horn. Moments later, they were gone.
Path said, “Gentlebeings, I think we are seeing a genuine ray of hope at last. Are we forgetting anything though?”
“Power,” Twilight stated bluntly.
“What about it, dear?” the earth pony asked his herdmate.
“While the proposed spell would work, it would require an enormous amount of power to propagate it throughout the Swarm’s enormous network.”
“Pfft! Is that all?” Techbird asked. She gestured to the large bay windows that let so much light into the room. It also showed quite a view including the gigantic crystal vessel that could still be seen hovering above the atmosphere. “That array has been draining Earth’s mana for centuries and only some of it has been used in all that time. You want power? You have it to spare!”
“Anything else?” Path asked.
Wandering said, “If everything else works out as we hope it does, I can only see one weakness in the plan.”
“What would that be?” Boyce asked, worried that his hopes were about to be dashed.
“Me. If that mega-spell is going to be all funnelled through me, will I be able to endure it?”
Silence descended upon the room once more as everyone digested that small detail with big implications. Even Twilight, who once had wielded the power of four alicorns, shuddered at the prospect. Would what might be their last hope be scuttled at its inception?
Wandering gave them a reassuring smile. “Might as well go out with a bang for a good cause.”
Starry failed to stifle a sob as she hugged her husband.
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They have an idea one that doesn't kill billions but there still might be a sacrifice
I wish you the best in this for writing. I hope even you do well in it and have a marvelous tie in to your works.
This is just where I lamentably get off the ride.
Why is the hair on the back of my neck standing up?
Because I can see probable paths, and I also know one particular pony who is not going to take news of this well. That's the problem with tunnel vision...
i say long path should remind everyone about the first battle vs chrysalis where he sacrifice himself to defeat and help free killed off the original body of chrysalis.
this is going to be a repeat of that ending in that story.
but it will be interesting to find out that wandering path become the main leader of the swarm instead ultimately.......lol.
if they need help that bad I can help *WolfGrin*
I need more time to read fanfics by other users, 'cause fanfics like these are too good to miss.
Pity Federation computers and warp field arrays cant be reconfigured to duplicate the effective form of Wandering, using him linked in as a real time guide but with asymetric energy flows and diverters. Sort of like a mental equivalent of power armor?
If the Array has been absorbing all Earth mana for centuaries, leaving Eath magicless, how quickly is the local mana field recovering back on Earth now its Sink has left the building?
it looks like we have a vary good working plan.
You mixed up Zane's pronouns during and after the 'gave hym a mana beacon' bit. Rest of the chapter seems on point, though!
And then one of the Overminds is located...
2.bp.blogspot.com/_EpX6GUNLABE/SrEFEJ-KGqI/AAAAAAAAALs/OdeiapViVFc/s1600/B5-Shadow-ships.jpg
Discord blinks, "When did THAT crossover happen in this story?!"
8992498 Wandering needs the Silurians to 'upgade' him. Heck, look how well it worked out with Barclay!
flashevap.com/barclay.jpg
Easy peasy!
8995650
Oh, all thats just for show. If you utelise computational warpfields correctly, you can make it so that Wandering Path has Always been like his upgraded form, even if previously he was dead. Back propagate the change down his world line means the universe has to make sure he exists at the conversion point so he can be there to be converted.
Hubble prooves the Anthropic Principle.