15 - One Fate for the Defeated (Tragedy Part 2)
Sherbert - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE
Horsiekoshi High School, Neighdo - Neighpone
She chose her ambush well. A smooth hallway, only describable as an extended box. Not a pillar or alcove in sight. No cover at all.
The floor and ceiling were solid steel covered in wood. The building had been built to support the weight of light mecha, for the engineering student’s benefit. There was no way we were going to break out of there through one of those.
I could break a door down, or the window in one, and pass through that way. But Mai had that flamethrower, and those rooms were full of innocent bystanders. And I knew Mai wouldn’t care about that.
The walls were reinforced concrete. Even if Kaz thought to use her Thestrial magic to make a hole for us, it would take much longer than Mai needed to sweep that flamer across us.
That flamer… The floors were carpeted in the hallways. And while they looked clean, they were decades old. Forty years of soaking up all kinds of body oils, cleaners, and gunk… Dry as a twig.
The floors would go up like a flask of Alchemist’s Fire.
“Well, you certainly picked the right tool for the job,” I admitted with a sigh, hoping to get Mai talking to buy me more time to think.
“Oh I did! In more ways than you can see,” Mai snarled, flicking her head so the darkly tinted visor attached to her riot helmet flopped down into place.
YES! Okay, start thinking. Best way to finish this quickly. Perhaps a teleport strike? No good. That riot armor covered the places I could get a disabling or lethal shot in.
“I was going to use a spell rod, but then I learned from a certain stallion that you carry a personal shield emitter. Like a coward,” Mai continued. “So I’ve got this nice big tank of gunk that will short that right out while also burning hot enough to melt iron. But hey, tell you what… Lower that shield and I’ll kill you in a less efficient manner.”
Wait, what? The stupidity of her statement caught me off guard, throwing me out of my line of thought.
“You know that Sherbert’s family monitors her vitals, right?” Kazumi asked from her seat on my back.
“So what?” Mai snorted dismissively.
That’s right! They do. I learned that while fiddling with my watch. Uncle Sky said it was to make sure they got to me in time if I was hurt in a street fight. Hey, fair enough. I almost died once already.
“It means if you hurt me badly, or kill me, my Aunt will beam in within a few moments to kill you,” I answered.
“You think I’d come back and NOT be ready to fight a wizard? The inside of this armor is nothing but hexagrams. I’m in a magical DEADZONE! Go ahead, try a spell on me. See what happens,” Mai laughed, taking her eyes off us for just a moment as she did so.
One would think that would have been the perfect time to attack. Thing is… I could tell she wasn’t bluffing. And since I’d actually payed attention in magic class…
“ARE YOU INSANE!?” I demanded, taking several steps backwards. “What if the building uses magic to strengthen the support structure!? You could bring this whole place down! And your own magic will be PERMANENTLY ruined by this, just for being nearby that deadzone for like, half an hour! You will never fly again! Cloaking yourself in anti-matter would be safer!”
“Even a foal knows not to mess with Anti-magic!” Kazumi snapped. “Magic tells mundane physics how to behave. You’re in a ‘no physics’ zone! How are you not quark soup!? Even if you solved that problem, do you have any idea how much of your biology depends on your mana flow!? How are you not a withered corpse!?”
“I have help from some friends outside. That’s all you need to know. ENOUGH TALK! DIE!” Mai snapped
FWOOOOOM! Said her flamer.
The hallway erupted into blue white-light as intense and bright as a welding torch! If I hadn’t had my eyes replaced years ago, I’d have gone blind.
The heat was impossibly intense. I had no comparison for it. I could see the carpet smoking. The paint on the walls peeled and flaked away. The glass in nearby windows cracked. My left side felt sunburnt. I didn’t have to look to tell that my fur had been scorched.
All from the short rolling ball of fire which Mai had launched at me, and MISSED.
“Oh sweet kami, it’s filled with Dicyanoacetylene,” Kazumi squeaked in terror. “RUN! THAT'S THOUSANDS OF DEGREES! RUN!”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I wheeled around on my left hoof and took off down the hallway at a full sprint.
A pillar of flame swept across the hallway. I could feel the heat almost before I heard the horrible screeching roar of the flames. I ran left and jumped, twisting to hit the wall with my hooves and jump again. I could feel Kaz’s legs tighten around me as I moved, keeping her in place as I jumped over the torrent of death below.
Thank goodness Kazumi had taken to letting me carry her around. If we didn’t do this all the time, I wouldn’t be fast enough to-
My heart skipped a beat. The hallway in front of me was nothing but fire for the next twenty meters.
Wait… If I could jump it, Mai would need to find a way around her own firewall!
Could I do this? I’d made a jump like that when fighting Rojā. But with Kaz on my back? I had to try.
I took a deep breath and pushed my magic back and down, putting everything I had into my legs.
“Hold on!” I shouted.
Kazumi gripped even harder. I took what little running room fate had given me and jumped, a flash of blue magic accompanying me. The flames roared below as we sailed over the deathly blue. I landed just barely out of the fire. I smelled my tail catch fire, and sprinted forwards to get away from the heat.
“ON FIRE!” I shouted loudly.
“On it!” Kaz yelled.
I felt her repeatedly swat at my tail for a few seconds. “Out!” She reported.
I turned around and looked across the pool of blue flames and laughed. “Good luck finding a way around before we’re out of the building!” I called mockingly, going as far as to stick my tongue out at Mai.
Mai opened her wings, and flapped them once, taking to the air to simply fly over the flames.
“But- Antimagic!” I exclaimed in panic.
“She was bluffing! Shoot her wings!” Kaz yelled, pointing at the flames ahead of us.
Oh! Oh yes. That was an idea!
I focused as hard as I could on casting a simple ray spell. I never was able to master anything more complex than an arcane laser, but that’s all I needed. Just had to scorch her wings.
I fired, the blue ray lept from my horn, sliced towards Mai’s left wing… And vanished into nothingness two meters in front of her. No effect. No sparks. No indication of having hit a ward. The magic just stopped. That’s what anti-magic fields do. It’s why no one uses them.
Even Sombra knew not to make instant death fields. They’d work on him too.
“S-she’s immune… To anti… Uhhhh- NOPE!” I decided, turning and sprinting down the hall as fast as my legs would carry me.
Not dealing with a physics impossibility. Not today. Not ever!
I heard a low hum from my back and turned around to see Kazumi pulling her guns out of her saddlebags.
“I but, what!?” I asked, confused despite the dire situation.
Like, was she TRYING to get expelled!?
“Doctor’s note! Can’t feel safe in public unarmed,” Kazumi explained. “Just keep running!”
I did. I kept running. The deep bass thunderclap of Kaz’s hoof cannons echoed deafeningly off the halls. The bright orange muzzle flashes lit up the darkened hallway, punctuated by the ocasional roar and flash of blue from Mai’s flamer.
The school was monstrously huge, and sadly linear. All I could do was run and turn or jump when Kaz screamed at me to dodge. The few corners which came up Mai managed to bathe in flames. There was nowhere to go but ahead, through the kill zone. At least until we reached the lobby. Everything eventually comes to the lobby!
“How, not, kill, yet?” I asked between pants as I sidestepped around another gout of flame.
“She’s got a shield,” Kaz growled. “Good one!”
Master Rojā’s words echoed through my mind.
”I know fiction shows ninjas as unstoppable killing machines. While it’s true that we can hold our own in battle, that’s only the case against other martial artists and unarmed people. If you’re ever faced with a fully outfitted soldier, and you lack your own equipment, you won’t stand a chance.”
I’d called bullshit then. I was so wrong!
We needed help, NOW!
Using my magic as I ran, I ripped my watch off my leg and floated it up so I could press the buttons with my tongue and still run.
I needed help. NOW. And it couldn’t be my Aunt, not with that anti-magic field. Couldn't be uncle Sky either. Lots of his tech used magical components. There's no telling if he even had something purely technological. But I knew someone who did!
The speed dial chirped as I reached Ash. “Hey Sherbert, did you forget your homework or som- I hear fire!” Ash exclaimed.
“Mai’s back! She’s got a flamer! Anti-magic shield! Teleport to Rin, get him to his gear, then to me! Tell Rojā!” I ordered.
“Understood,” Ash said, the com clicking dead.
I slid my watch back on, knowing I’d likely need it to call for more help soon. The lobby was coming up in just a few more seconds. We could-
A large steel security gate had slid shut, blocking the end of the hallway completely.
“Oh no…” I whimpered.
“What?” Kaz asked, instantly swearing as one of her guns began to loudly beep out an overheating warning.
“Security gate! We’re trapped,” I said as I skidded to a halt a few meters from the door.
If I was allowed to wear my gi to school, I’d have had a few grams of Semtex on me. I could have blown the gate open. School had literally killed me by insisting on me using a school uniform. I hope there’d be a Sherbet’s Law banning them after this…
Screw it. This is the end. But we’re goin down swinging!
I plucked Kaz off my back with my magic and set her down so I could give the left side wall a one two TK punch. The wall cracked, groaned and then crumbled. The rebar mesh inside held up against my punches, there would be no escaping through the hole, but that’s not what I’d wanted.
I’d wanted the concrete chunks.
I reached down with a hoof and picked up an apple sized chunk of concrete, and charged my arm with as much magic as I could. I turned, winding up a fastball- style throw.
“Eat this!” I shouted, instantly regretting my choice of last words as I let the concrete fly.
Mai ducked left. Making me regret yelling. That had let her known when the attack would-
The chunk of concrete soared through the air, trailing blue as my magic accelerated it. The moment it enters the anti-magic, the glow vanished. But the concrete retained it’s momentum.
With a loud crunch and crack of stressed metal, the chunk hit something I had not been aiming for. It hit her flamer, smashing the barrel and bending it enough where only a total idiot would fire it again.
I couldn’t have hit that with a rock if I’d tried.
The chunk would have missed Mai if she hadn’t moved… Thank you luck. I owe you a beer if I live.
Mai glared down at her disabled weapon. Kazumi laughed and fired a rapid volly of three shots from her left hoof gun. I saw everything I needed to know.
My eyes were not the same as my old ones. They saw just a bit more light. As Kazumi fired, three tiny lenses, almost totally hidden in Mai’s riot armor fired three quick busts of ultraviolet light.
Lasers. The intense light scorched each bullet, either incinerating them, or vaporizing material, making a jet of exhaust, and blowing them off course.
She didn’t have shields. She had active countermeasures meant to stop bullets.
That meant rocks would work. Most of her body was protected by armor… But her mouth wasn’t!
I grabbed another chunk of concrete, charged it, and threw. Mai dodged right, the rock missing. I threw another, and another. Most missing, but some striking one of her plates with a solid crunch.
I wasn’t hurting her. Mai’s growls and screams were angry ones. But I was keeping her at bay.
If I could just hold her off long enough, maybe Rin would arrive!
Mai soundedly screeched in pain, my last throw had caught her in the cheek! Not directly. I didn’t break her jaw, but I could see a huge gash torn along it.
“HA!” I laughed mockingly.
“That’s it!” Mai roared, ripping a spell rod from a barrel holster.
Before I could even think about what might be letting her use magic despite that being physically impossible inside her ‘zone of this-is-a-terrible-idea’, a bright flash of magic nearly blinded me.
The light cleared, revealing Ash and Rin. Rin was clad head to hoof in his odd plate armor, though he had forgone the cloak. Probably to get ready faster. He carried a normal naginata, I guess something was wrong with his own Guardian Spear.
Shit.
Ash was unmorphed. Which made sense. Anti-magic would just strip off her armor and waste the charge.
Without a word, Rin charged forwards, going right for Mai.
Ash turned around and tossed me my spear, which I caught reflexively. “I’ll get this gate open. Back Rin up!” She instructed.
I nodded, wordlessly agreeing with the plan and charged forwards, using the haft of my weapon to vault, hoping to move faster than Mai was expecting. I’d attack from above, and hopefully pierce-
Mai’s left hoof snapped down as she activated the spellrod. Or rather, the Soul Blade. A Samurai's weapon.
The weapon’s blade sprang to life, forming a light green, crackling, sparking katana blade.
We’d studied those. They were each unique. Bound to their creator as a reflection of themselves in blade form. The crackling meant its creator and intended wielder was dead.
Mai swept the blade up, intercepting Rin’s charge and deflecting his naginata to the side. She stepped as she moved, causing my blade to strike the floor, cutting deep into the carpet and wood below.
I knew two things. First, Mai had changed. A lot. Her moves were not the same as before. She wasn’t using a particular style. She was fighting on instinct, mashing up formal moves with short brutal primal motions. Rojā said that was the mark of a properly seasoned warrior. Knowing when and how to break the rules.
Mai had lived through a lot of combat… I was still just experienced at sparring.
Second, Mai’s equipment, now that I was close up, was crude. She had a lot of it, and it was functional, but there was plenty of unfinished jagged edges on the armored plates. This equipment had been made recently, and in a hurry. It wasn’t perfected. I had a chance!
I swept my blade back up, wrenching it from the floor, and threw a series of three rapid cuts at Mai, careful to stay as far back from her as my weapon allowed. I did NOT want to step into that bubble…
Mai dodged the first strike. The second skipped off her armor as she turned to block Rin’s own attack. My third landed solidly on her left flank, and bit into her armor, cutting a decently deep gash into the metal… But didn’t go through.
So much for that legendary ceramite sharpness.
Mai growled, glaring at Rin angrily. “OUT OF MY WAY!” She roared, charging forward, jamming his blade point first into her right pauldron, then chopping savagely at his weapons’ haft, hacking through the thick oak rod in a mere two chops.
The blade clattered to the ground, leaving only a small dent in Mai’s armor. Rin yelped and jumped backwards, not having expected to be disarmed.
I growled and swiped at Mai’s face, hoping to buy Rin time to get back and get another weapon out. Mai swatted my blade aside, but not quite fast enough. The point sliced a cut along her cheek, just under the one the rock had made before.
Mai growled and jumped backwards, moving out of range. I readied my blade to advance, preparing a series of thrusts.
“Gate’s open!” Ash yelled.
Time to go!
Mai grit her teeth and began to sprint at me, I could feel her hatred. She wanted to ensure I didn’t get away. No… She wasn’t looking at me, she was looking past me.
She wanted to ensure that Kaz didn't get away! Kaz was in danger!
I spread my rear legs out and adopted a bipedal stance. “You move NO FURTHER!” I roared, getting ready to block every strike she sent my way.
Mai was good, but she was no Tami. I had this.
Mai smirked and raised a hoof. A rune on the bottom of her boot pulsed blue. I saw the concussion blast smash into my barrel. I had a few snapshots of the ceiling, a hole cut into the gate, and the lobby’s front glass wall before I crashed back first into a table.
Stars exploded in my eyes. I knew i was stunned, but I had to move! I could feel that I had kept my grip on my spear. Using that as my focus on reality, I slowly pulled myself together. The moment I felt my right forehoof I reached down to my pocket, and slipped the healing potion I kept for emergencies out, and drank it.
I didn’t feel hurt. Which meant that either I was fine, or the table broke my spine. The potion would either do nothing, or be administered quickly enough to fix a permanent injury. Never thought I’d need it for more than a bad cut while carving things in art class…
As I returned to reality I saw and heard the insanity unfolding before me.
The police had finally arrived, and entered the lobby, but were completely pinned down. I could see them sheltering behind overturned tables, the lobby’s pillars, and cabinets, completely hunkered down.
But why?
As I watched, one earth pony Officer took two nervous breaths, readied his stunrod, and stepped out of cover to take a shot. A deafening sound only describable as ‘brrrrrrrraaaaak!’ shook the lobby, and the officer fell down, physically shredded.
The backpack Mai had on had concealed a Luna damned minigun. On an auto turret mount. Why the buck hadn’t she opened with that!?
Oh yeah… She wanted me to die. Painfully.
Follow up question: Who the BUCK gave her this warsuit!?
I was afraid to stand. I had no counter for a motion tracking turret. I didn’t feel up to a teleport at the moment. My head was still hazy from the hit.
I saw Ash and Rin fighting Mai near the door. Ash had morphed. Her armor was in bad shape though. I could see holes in it, slashes, rips, and punctures. Each of them bleeding green crackling energy.
Anti-magic’s handywork. That’s what should've happened to Mai and everything within the bubble of stupid she was using. How? Magic couldn’t explain it! What is this bullshit!?
At least it also protected our weapons when they entered the field… Now that I thought about it my spear should have disintegrated too.
Rin was using his telekinesis to parry Mai’s strikes with a wakizashi. I guess he hadn’t been carrying another long range weapon. He couldn't strike at her with it, if he did, his magic would be disrupted and he’d drop the blade.
Ash was using my old strategy. Ripping up chunks of things with her telekinesis and throwing them at Mai. She couldn’t put much energy into her throws. Not like me. But she was doing enough to keep Mai from having a real combat advantage-
Kazumi was laying down just behind Ash, holding her rear left leg and whimpering. She’d been hit.
My heart fell into a pool of ice water. I could physically feel the despair welling up inside me as she squirmed, desperately trying to hold a deep gash on her inner thigh shut.
I could see the pool of blood she was laying in. She was hit BAD. But she was still alive! For now...
I turned my head to target a spot just behind the turret for a teleport. We just had to get her out of the lobby. There has to be an ambulance outside! I could do this. I’d just teleport over behind the turret, break it, and then run her out of the-
Mai lunged forwards! Her bullshit field touched Rin’s blade, it dropped from the air, clattering across the ground. Her bladepoint buried itself in Rin’s shoulder. He screamed, definitely hit. In the same instant, Mai swept her free foreleg up and fired a dart into Kaz’s left side.
She yelped. Then began to convulse as an electric charge went off.
Something deep within me gave way. As if somepony had been sitting there, my entire life, holding a door shut, and just said ‘Okay, now.’ and let that door open.
I could feel it. That massive reserve of magic everyone said I had. This is where it was. Behind that door.
Hello, magic. Kazumi needs us.
I saw Kaz’s eyes roll back in her head. Her mouth gaped open in silent pain. Poison. Fast acting. I knew it. Rojā showed me how to make it. I knew exactly how much pain Kaz was in...
I didn’t have much of a chance to think about that, because the world turned red.
“WAAAGH!” Something roared angrily.
It was very very mad. Killing mad. A threat. I’d kill it next.
I grabbed all of my magic and pushed it directly into my body. All of it. Every part. I gave it one single order. Improve everything.
I lunged forwards, everything deciding to move really really slowly for some reason.
Mai’s turret slowly spun to face me. It’s four barrels rotating lazily as a grandmare stirring a pot of soup. Wierd.
I made it halfway to Mai. Her turret fired. The twenty copper slugs left the barrel at the speed of a nerf dart. So I chopped them out of the air. It was easy. Like slicing tossed fruit.
I could feel my magic going completely insane. Every part of me felt like it was on fire. Not in a painful way. In that ‘casting a transformation spell’ way. I was using a LOT of energy. Pushing myself beyond the pony norm by Sisters knew how much.
I had to keep that up. Forever. Always. So I could exterminate the threat.
IMPROVE ME! I commanded, pushing even harder on the arcane energy within me.
I got close to Mai. The burning got WAY worse. Now it felt like real fire. Like my magic was being ripped away from me.
This couldn’t be healthy. But I didn’t care.
The next set of bullets began to leave Mai’s turret as I stepped next to her. She’d turned her head to look at me. But that had taken her like, for bucking ever. I reached out with a forehoof and twisted her turret away from me, holding it so the barrels touched her neck.
I’d thought that the gun would turn and fire. It didn’t the barrel assembly snapped clean off. I could see the stressed metal shards hanging from the end of the barrels. Exactly what you get when hot metal is bent way to fast.
Huh. Okay. Plan two.
Wait, was I in her anti-magic field? Yes I was. Let’s make it go away.
Magic. I’m failing. Unacceptable. IMPROVE ME!
It compiled. I felt my magic change form, the burning feeling slowed.
I could feel impossible power coursing through me, but I couldn’t tap into it. It was all needed to resist Mai’s bulshit invulnerability shield.
Hexagrammic wards, right? They all need to be connected and shit. I could fix that.
I swung my spear’s blade, scything in from the left. The weapon’s edge connected with her rear left leg, then slid through. Not effortlessly. There was resistance. That made me mad, so I pulled on the haft harder.
Mai’s leg came off. The lazy thing sort of just floated through the air. Kinda like if we’d been standing in thick oil.
I saw some sparks as electrical systems began to short out. Oh! Even better. Of course you couldn’t make an anti-magic field with magic. The Hexagrams were electrically based.
I raised my blade and chopped down, carving a blade-length gash through Mai’s shoulder and out her barrel. Then another, and another, and another.
I kept hacking chunks out of her armor, and her, moving each time, making sure to slice a different section of armor with each chop. Not one single pathway would be unbroken. This field would DIE. The threat would DIE.
Then I would kill the threat to my family. Mai would fall after this abomination of nature.
As my blade cleaved through Mai’s right pauldron for the fifth time, the fiery burning went away. I felt my magic snapback to normal.
No, not normal. That same overdrive from before.
Meh. Questions for later. Time to kill the danger to my family!
That thing was still screaming in rage. I’d have to deal with that next. It was getting annoying.
I swung my blade around, getting ready to throw a flurry of strikes into Mai. But she dropped to the floor. Really slowly.
“Trying to dodge, are we!?” I screeched, altering my angle of attack to send the flurry of thrusts downwards.
As my blade plunged into her, something hit me in the left shoulder. It kinda hurt. And tingled a bit.
I looked down. Oh. Taser prongs. Okay.
That might have hurt, but my back and shoulders were already feeling really electrocuted. So like, whatever. More pain. Meh.
Wait. Something shot the thing at me. More danger! Kaz not safe!
EXTERMINATE THE THREAT!
I wheeled around. The taser belonged to a pegasus. She had on a police uniform.
But… Cops are good guys. They help you.
Did she miss Mai? She must have. Not a threat. Accident.
I sliced the taser wires with a quick flick of my blade, and resumed disassembling Mai.
Her armor made it a bit hard to separate things, but I was making some progress about every fifth chop. I felt the extra magic slowly settle down. The craziness left. But the magic was still here. But it felt different now. Natural.
Like my normal unicorn magic. I guess I’d just sort of made it normal.
The problem solved itself. Unlike this one I was solving manually. There would be no returning this time. The threat would forever be gone.
“Sherbert,” someone said ultra slowly. “I’m going to touch you.”
Oh. Okay. That’s fine. That won’t stop me working.
I’d just buried my blade into her side when something grabbed my left shoulder. Hard.
“She’s dead. Stop,” a familiar female voice ordered adamantly.
I spun to see what had grabbed me. A mare. Thestrial. Mostly mechanical. A cyborg.
Oh. Tami. She was afraid. And awestruck.
Not a threat.
I looked down at Mai, and instantly winced, my stomach churning slightly. That was not a body… that was a pile of meat and chunks of armor. I literally couldn't identify more than five body parts. None of them were a head.
“Holy… I- I’m going to be sick,” I groaned, looking away from the horror movie mess I’d made.
████████████████ - 9th of Plantation, 29 AE
███████████ - ████████, Neighpone
The Emperor shuddered, a nervous breath finally breaking her silence as she watched the carnage unfold from Sherbert’s own eyes.
“By the Kami… So that’s what a red-mist moment is like,” she said with a shiver.
Rojā nodded once. Also quite disturbed, but less so. Having seen the recording before while preparing Sherbert’s defense.
“Yeah… You can see that she had absolutely no control over her actions,” he said softly. “If it was a threat, she was going to kill it. She had no choice. That was all instinct, and ingrained training. If she hadn’t been raised in Equestria, those Officers would have been butchered after they shot her. They have no idea how fortunate they all are that she was raised to see cops as her protectors.”
The Empress nodded twice. “I- I can see why she was arrested now,” she informed. “I can’t say that she shouldn’t have been.”
“Yes,” Rojā agreed. “In that moment she was full of adrenaline and a clear and present threat to others. However, that’s not a crime. Being killing mad and shellshocked is a state every warrior has been in at least once before.”
“Yes,” the mare agreed with a nod. “If it weren't for the second murder, she’d have been let go by any sane judge. This one is pure self defense… Even if she did use excessive force. That said, I hereby dismiss the first charge.
“Sherbert had no control over herself at the moment and was driven to that level of violence by the victim. None of this part is her fault.”
Rojā bowed low. “Thank you, Ma’am. And the other charge?” He asked hopefully.
The Empress paused, then shook her head. “No,” She decided. “At least, not yet. I want to see it too. Though… Given the fact that House Xii swore a blood feud against her and her family, I am leaning in your favor. While not strictly legal, Clan Wars are still a respected part of cultural tradition. And Sherbert may still be considered to be acting in her own defense.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Rojā sighed in relief. “I’ll resume playback now.”
“Please do!” The Empress agreed, leaning forward in her seat. “I can’t believe she was so rage filled that she didn’t notice what happened to her.”
“I can,” Rojā mumbled, shuddering at the memory of a true red-mist as he hit play.
Sherbert - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE
Horsiekoshi High School, Neighdo - Neighpone
I threw up. It had been a long while since I had done that. It wasn’t all from seeing what I’d done either. My everything felt… Off. Whatever I’d done with my magic had taken a LOT out of me. I could tell that I was only still standing because of the residual energy left over from that ragesplosion I’d had.
“S-sher…” Kaz gurgled faintly.
I snapped my head around. Desperate energy filling my body as I raced over to her side.
“She’s-dead-it’s-fine-we’ll-fix-you!” I babbled as I dropped down next to her limp body.
She twitched, trying to shake her head. “Femoral… cut. C-cold... Can’t see. S-sorry,” she apologised before laying still.
She was dead.
NO!
This was not happening. Not today! She only just died. Magic and medicine could still do something! But there were minutes.
I ripped my watch off my leg and set it on Kaz’s back, hitting the speed dial for Uncle Sky.
He picked up instantly. “I just got the alert saying your vitals are going nuts. Do you need medical-”
“KAZ IS DYING! TELEPORT HER NOW! TARGET MY WATCH!” I roared.
“SHIT!” Sky swore, “Sai! Initiate emergency telep-”
“Already targeting, boss,” the AI reported.
“SAVE HER!” I scream-pleaded. “I DON’T CARE HOW!”
A light blue shimmering energy field appeared around Kaz. Space around her seemed to fold in on itself, and she was gone. Not Sky’s normal teleport effect. I guess the emergency one was more subtle.
My watch left with her. It was the targeting beacon after all. It would have been good to tell him what had happened to her… BUCK! Would Tilk even know what that poison was? Or that it was a poison?
Baneleaf… It’s… It’s very subtle. That’s the point. Even magic examination will just show a slightly higher level of sodium in the body. It decays as soon as it causes the damage it’s going to do. Kaz would look like she’d drunk herself to death and got cut.
No! No she wouldn’t the dart was still in her. They’d see it, maybe get some residual poison out of it. I didn’t know an antidote anyways.
Ugh… I definitely needed medical attention too. My back was really sore, and my magic was still all.. Weird feeling. Made sense. I’d been in an antimagic field. Do… Do we even have medicine for that?
I heard hoofsteps behind me. Tami cleared her throat, announcing her presence.
“Sherbert,” she said very calmly. “The Officers need you to go with them now. Okay?”
“Why?” I asked. “Oh. Hospital, right?”
I turned around to look at her, the exhaustion starting to creep back into my body.
Tami shook her head her mane was half done. And a few ribbon cables were sticking out of one of her armor plates. She looked like she had teleported over midway through cleaning herself.
Makes sense. I mean, she was on the ‘monitor Sherbert’s vitals’ roster.
“No, Sherbert,” she said with the same clinical calm, her face locked in ‘concerned for you’, while her eyes were in full on ‘holy shit!’ mode. “You’re stressed, and just went completely berserk, and um… You’ve got a lot of magic that I’m sure you have no idea how to control running through you now.
“They need to make sure you’re safe, and that everypony else is safe. They’ll take you to a room, and you just stay there till you’ve completely calmed down. Okay?”
“It’s not out of control,” I said with a frown. “It’s just weird… And my back hurts… And head… Do you have any aspirin?”
I closed my eyes for a moment. I was starting to feel loopy.
I saw Rin behind Tami, he had taken off his helmet, and changed back into his changeling body. Probably to avoid the stab wound he’d took.
He blinked once in shock. “Wait, how can you not know!?” He demanded incredulously.
“Know what?” I asked, ears flopping back in annoyance.
“Look at yourself!” He said, pointing with one hoof.
I turned to look curiously. To my surprise, Tami grabbed my head, stopping me.
“NO! Don’t! If you don't already know you may go into shock and we need you to remain calm, rational, and stable right now,” she ordered desperately.
A female Officer to Tami’s right nodded, a terrified expression on her face. “Y-yeah!” She agreed with a nervous stammer. “I don’t want to taze an angry alicorn twice today.”
“What?” I asked.
Tami took a deep, nervous breath. “Damit, Officer No-Trauma-Training! Sherbert, just focus on me. Nothing else. I saw everything. You… Ascended.
“I don’t know how, but you did. Your whole body became a bright white light as you charged Mai. There wasn’t a… Body. Just magic. Nothing else. I know because when you entered that disruptor field she had, you started to flicker out of existence.
“Then you began to burn brighter. Stabilized. And reformed. As an Alicorn.”
“And then I tased you. Please don't kill me,” the officer whimpered.
“Were you aiming for Mai?” I asked.
The mare nodded. “Yes, kami!”
“Then we’re good,” I said turning my eyes back to Tami. “I want to look.”
She sighed and let go of my face. “Okay.”
I turned my head and looked at my back. I had a pair of rather nice wings. Somewhere between a bat’s and a dragons. They also had some faint circuitry patterns visible in the membranes. Huh. I guess my bionics were just sort of… Extrapolated and added to me when I change- Wait a minute.
“They’re supposed to be avian wings,” I said with a confused frown.
“They were at first,” Tami said quickly. “They warped as you hacked her to pieces.”
“Oh… Well, she was generating an anti-magic field,” I mused, giving the wings an experimental twitch.
They moved.
This was WEIRD!
“I told my magic to make me better. All of it,” I babbled. “I didn’t think it could do this.”
“Did you say anti-magic field?” Tami asked, a shocked look taking over her face.
“Yes,” Ash, Rin, and I said together.
Tami reached into a small pocket that folded out of her left flank, and retrieved a small ID wallet, opening it to reveal a badge.
“I’m Chief Master Sergeant Tamiko, Imperial Intelligence Institute,” Tami identified. “That gore pile needs to be quarantined RIGHT NOW! Use drones. This school is to be evacuated immediately. No one is to leave through this lobby.”
The officer yelped and sluted. “Y-yes ma’am!”
Anti-magic field.
Mai had come back from prison far far away. Gotten her hooves on that armor. A Samurai's blade. And on an anti-magic field. Which she said she was immune to, because she had ‘friends outside’.
I had to be dreaming. This had to be a nightmare.
But it felt so real. Even if this is a dream, I had to act as if it were real. My blood enemy had impossible technology. I had to stop this. Now.
I stood up.
“Kazumi isn’t safe yet.” I announced matter of factly.
Tami frowned. “Sherbert, please, do-”
I shook my head. “No. Mai escaped prison. She got her hooves on technology that should be physically impossible to make. She said she had help. Kazumi isn't safe,” I said more firmly. I could feel my body’s energy starting to come back.
Master Xii was responsible for this. He ordered the blood feud. On my very first day here, I’d seen him and Rojā lock horns. They saw one another as equals.
I’d beaten Rojā once before. Before I was this. Before I’d become an alicorn. That meant I could beat Xii.
Cut off the head, and the body will die.
Tami swore. I didn’t catch exactly what she said. “Sherbert, what are you going to do.”
“I’m going to the Flying Horse, and I’m killing Master Xii. He ordered the attack. He supplied Mai. He swore he’d kill me for sending her to prison. Nothing else makes sense,” I informed.
Tami turned to face another one of the officers who now filled the lobby. “Have someone arrest Master Xii on suspicion of aiding in an assassination,” she ordered.
“Not good enough,” I dismissed, shaking my head. The anger starting to come back. “If you put them in prison, they just come back later. Against all odds. They come back even more dangerous than before. Mai proved that today.
“I’m going to go kill him. He swore a blood oath against us. Kazumi isn’t safe until he’s dead. His exiled daughter came back in a bucking warsuit, and nearly killed both of us today. He’ll have a plan B ready to finish us off. Kazumi is already dying. She might be dead on a medical bed right now. We may have been too late.
“I’m going to go kill Xii right now. You’ll have to stop me if you don’t want that to happen.”
Tami bit her lip nervously. “I…” she sighed and closed her eyes. “I should… But I won't. Because I understand. Buck, this could end my career…”
I looked over at the nervous officer. Her eyes were closed. “If don't see it I can’t report it,” she laughed extra nervously.
I looked at another of the officers. An earth pony stallion. He shook his head. “I’m not tangling with you,” he laughed. “That is SO above my paygrade.”
“Good,” I said, and turned to walk out the doors.
“Wait!” Tami commanded.
My ears drooped sadly as I turned to look at her again. “Changed your mind?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. I- I’ve never had a family. But I understand how you feel. And I care for you. I know I wont talk you out of this,” she said as she reached back into her pocket and took a small potion bottle out to show me. “You’re running on fumes. Fight now, and you’ll die. Drink this first. It replenishes your stamina completely.”
I took the vial with my magic, focused as well as I could with my headache, and cast a detect poison charm. It was clean. She wasn’t trying to knock me out.
“Thanks,” I said, and tipped the vial back.
The potion took affect almost instantly. It HAD to be a combat stim of some kind. Every last fiber of my being went from barely working, to sore, to tired, to normal, to three cups of coffee energized in just a few heartbeats.
I turned and began to walk out the door. It hit me that Kazumi could be beyond saving. That I’d never see her again. That the last thing she ever said to me was ‘sorry’. An apology for hurting me by passing on.
Mai had struck the blow, but she was just the weapon. Xii was the one who wielded the weapon. He was to blame.
Today was my own personal Tartarus. What was the most likely? Kazumi survives, or Kazumi stayed dead?
My heart knew. This day was evil. So she was gone.
The rage began to boil again as I walked out of the school.
Kazumi… By Clover's Fire, by the Mare of Dreams, you shall be avenged!
████████████████ - 9th of Plantation, 29 AE
███████████ - ████████, Neighpone
Rojā paused the recording.
“Rojā, I need to see this. Why are you pausing?” The Emperor asked with a steep frown.
“I just want to know… Now that you’ve seen her reasoning, well… Will you dismiss the charge?” He asked nervously.
“Her reasoning is very sound. But I can not make any judgment until we see what Xii had to say,” the Emperor said adamantly. “It’s possible he wasn’t involved with this at all. If he wasn’t… I’m sorry, but the law is the law.”
Rojā nodded once. “I understand, Ma’am. A-as for Tami… Is there anything you can do?”
She shook her head, and gave Rojā a truly sorrowful look. “No. She broke the rules by giving Sherbert that potion, and refusing to stop her. Her discharge from service has already been settled… Though she may continue living at the Academy as a teacher.”
Rojā nodded once. “I understand. And I hope you do too after seeing this,” he said hopefully.
“I just had a thought,” the Empress mused. “I was under the assumption that Alicorns could sense an ascension nearby them. Luna was here at the time… Still is, here, actually. But she hasn’t reported anything. Why? We’re missing something.”
Rojā nodded in agreement. “True… But that’s not related to Sherbert’s case, Ma’am. That’s international politics,” he said as he hit play for the last time.
Princess Luna - 6th of Plantation, 29 AE
Akihabara, Neighdo - Neighpone
“Hey, cool!” Vinyl exclaimed from the next aisle over. “Guys! They sell little action figures of us!”
I couldn’t help but smile as the rest of my friends converged on Vi’s location, each one curious about how close of a likeness their figure bore to them.
I loved taking my Knights with me on these mini-vacations. They worked so hard over the last few decades, but for no real reward back home. How could they get one? Sure, ponies knew of their exploits. Or rather, some of them, but the true acts of heroism my bodyguards had performed… Nopony back home knew that.
But here? In Neighpone? They all knew. By treaty, all Equestrian military operations were reported by us to them. It was a fair trade, they did the same thing.
But the thing is, Neighponese ponies knew what my knights did a mere year after they had done it. And in a culture where alicorns were so beloved that their defense against their greatest foes were built to resemble us, my Knights got to share in my glory.
Here, they were as gods too. And my girls deserved that from time to time.
I had personal reasons for coming here too, of course. Where else would I be able to buy RPGs my Sister had banned for sale in Equestria? In Cadence’s city-wide pleasure den? I think not.
I hated going there. The Crystal Empire was too chilly for my liking.
So the Electric City in Akihabara it was!
I reached out with my magic to grab a copy of The Mare and the Timberwolf IV from the adult section of the computer game shelf and froze.
A blinding power was nearby! What on Equis-
An Ascension! But how!? WHO!?
I focused my arcane senses. They were close. Very close. And also angry, extremely angry. Righteously so.
Someone was in a life or death fight. They had very unusual magic. They could self-modify with arcane energy. Enhance their body.
Ah! They’d pushed themselves so far they crossed the threshold. The Ascension spell hadn't been cracked. This person did it by pure acciden-
No. No it wasn’t an Ascension. It was something else, similar, but different. And rapidly changing away from what it had been. It warped, twisted, and mutated. Something was terribly wrong!
Dark Magic!? No. Something else...
I closed my eyes, horn glowing as I cast every scrying spell I could. The spells refused to complete fully. Something was messing with magic around the new alicorn- Er, new thing. Warping the transformation spell, bleeding off energy.
Whatever the transformation had been, its caster would not form properly. They may even die. Too much energy had been lost, completely stripped away. Deleted.
Only one thing I was aware of could do that. And it had been entirely theoretical until now, as far as I knew.
“By the Gods,” I whispered in horror. “Anti-magic…”
I dismissed my scrying spell and cast a summons. I promised Discord I’d only call him with it if the need was great, and it was.
He didn’t appear visibly, but I could feel the Elder God’s presence nearby. He came. Discreetly, just like we agreed upon when making the summons.
“Discord,” I asked worriedly. “Is that you?”
“Of course it’s me,” he replied slightly confused. “Who else can be called with this sp- OH! Oh wow! No, I sense that now. That is not me. I’ll go look into this. The location is Horsiekoshi High School.”
“Thank you. We will too,” I informed.
I quickly walked around to the aisle my knights had gone over to.
“Girls, it’s game time,” I announced. “Emergency stealth operation. We’re going to Horsiekoshi High School. I’ll explain on the way.”
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If you don't know why I posted this, then you clearly have an anime to watch...
Oh darn you Meeps just as the chapter was getting good. Here the empress didn't think Luna knew
SO MUCH CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!
And no one can say she is going to be alright, there has been no mention of her being alive during the hearing, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
When Mai comes back, she knows how to come back with vengeance, good thing she is dead, painfully and in little chunks, could have used more fire though.
Hmmmm when auto turret mini-guns comes out, it's time to put the spell rods away and roll up the heavy guns, RPG's, grenade launchers, rail guns, shock rifles, in this situation there is no such thing as too much daka.
Kaz? KAZ!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
So... Sherb became an Alicorn... kinda? that brings us up to what? Seven now? Also, How? I know Luna explained it a bit, but HOW? Also, Sherbert won't have to worry about being "unworthy" of her family after this, Alicorn = automatic hero.
HA! the Knights of the Rampart Moon all have their own line of figures, that is cute. One question though, how are Lyra and Bonbon getting along as they are both knights.
Part 3 can not come soon enough.
Okay. Right now, i'm torn. Because i don't know. I don't know how to react.
Holy Fuck for Mai's arsenal ?
HOLY FUCK for Mai's final fate ?
Yay for Sherbert's ascension ?
Oh crap for Kaz's state ?
Or Oh snap ! for Sherbert's decision ?
That's approx the states i went through this chapter. Holy fuck.
But well,i know that Luna will flip a table, when she learns that Sherb survived the warping from the Anti-Magic... But yeah. I think that she ascended despite Luna's assessment of the situation. A different kind of ascension, like her mother, but she ascended nonetheless. At least that what my guts tells me. I could be wrong.
wooo new chapter! Caught it quite early this time too. *cough* not just because I am procrastinating with my own story nooope not the only reason. *cough*
Never thought about it, but this is so true! How can a carpet be truely ever clean when it has all that muck in it?
Well that sure would be useful! Can one even really do that? (Likely not in a grade school I imagine, but possibly college....)
Wonder if it's owner was from the island? *continues reading...*
Woah, that was pretty intense there Sherbet, going Super Saiyan/Berserker on us are you? (like x1000)
Of course, as changing heals some if not all wounds, right? (Least have heard that in some changeling head canons.)
Woaaaah did not see that coming! *eagarly reads on*
Ooooooo even cooler! Was wondering if her bionics would affect the change. MUCH cooler than avian wings!
Good choice there, I wouldn't want to mess with a freshly accended alicorn either.
Poor Tami. Understandable, but poor mare. Least she can still teach though!
Mmmm Celestia not an RPG fan I take it? Or else she bans the more.... NSFW ones... but then those one would think would be in Cadence's city. Hmmmm
Ah that explains it.
Even more excitement begins! hehehe ooooh can hardly wait for the next chapter, this one was epic!
You can make it girl, hold on tight and be strong! 
And noooooooo Kaz!
8414198
Are you sure? Perhaps you should conciter the painting in Paddock's office some more.
,
Yeah. No matter what univerce you're in, cops will never be able to safly capture somone in military hardware like that.
No, but she did do a thing. More to come soon
Well enough to work togeather... More details in next story!
8414189 Dont worry, part 3 soon :3
8414202 Shes not an Alicorn, but she is a thing.
8414288. It won't seem soon enough with the waiting. A thing a thing I guess you either don't want to give us a spoilers or don't know yourself.
Well there is several potential methods to bring Mai back but I just don't know. Though two of the methods available to Sherbert's family are unlikely
I guess they could get a biomancer or necromancer to assist not sure that would work though
8414309 I do know :)
8414325. Which do you know about Sherbert, Mai probably all of it as the author
In comment to Mai the villains have been brought back from death so many times it's a trope of itself along with the how
8414288
*facehoof* its some sort of resurrection circle, great. Seriously, Mai, you have lost every time now, cut your losses and give it up!
Well everyone said she ascended, so clearly she ascended into... thing.
Next story you say? are we going to finally get a story centered on Luna and her Knights? yes please.
8414325
Well clearly you know
8414333
It will mostly be Lyra, but yes. All of the Knights will play a role.
8414333. At some point Sherbert is likely to take Anyas solution if Mai keeps coming back and beyond clones made before the fight not sure how you'd resurrect atomic particles scattered over any distance
8414240
Shampoo your carpets. Everyone thinks vacumes are enough. No. It's not. Every few months. Shampoo em!
Possibly? I dont think it's likly but there might be one odd case out there. I figure that pones are more trusting and honest, and as such would trust the mentaly unstable person who needed a weapon as a stabilizer to not attack unless attacked.
Mai hurt her minipone. She shouldn'ta done dat, but she didz.
Yes. But without training the wound will persist on the form you take it in. So that shoulder stab will be there when he goes pony again. He went changeling to avoid bleeding out.
Especialy one who is just coming out of a red mist...
Tia baned AO rated games from being sold in Equestria. Luna has a special fondness for one particular sexy RPG series.
Well THAT was an anime episode 23 if I ever read one. And now for part 2 in episode 24.
Damn intense and so many questions!
8414288
That's why i mentioned Sherbert's Mother, Scootaloo. She's not an Alicorn either, but she's still an ascended being. I believe it's what happened here too. But heh, seeing the circumstances, i can only guess what she became...
Especially when you own pets. Vacuuming isn't going to get all the little hairs or bits of puke/wet cat food soaked into the carpet. Ours could really use one even today. *sighs*
Yeahhh our society probably wouldn't trust her with such a thing. Not even with a squirt gun.
True, true, hurt a loved one of somepony/ling/creature that can do stuff like that? Noooot a good idea!
So would still need to go to the doctor in pony form to get it mended eh?
Oh yes! Even more so with that!
Mmmm not that I blame her, bet they could be a ton of fun (for Luna) but yeah sounds like something Celestia would do. Would want to protect her little ponies from such sexy things, lol.
Wow, the fight scene was amazing. Nuff said.
Now you got me worried Sherb end up as some kind of alicorn midget. It would be a bummer since her transformation was definitely cooler than fixing some old coot's spell, yes i am looking at you Purple Smart.
If kazumi is actually dead, im going to be so mad about it. But you wouldnt right Meep? Right?
8414414 That over simplifies what Purple Smart did. it also discounts the fact neither Twilight or Sherbert would've achieved their transformations without friends and loved ones. Its literally because of her anger over what happened to Kazumi that allowed Sherbert to finally access her magic and transform.. Both of them achieved something amazing
If we were talking heroes Twilight would be like Iron Man while Sherbert would be more like the Hulk
8414433 Her fate was foreshadowed many chapters ago.
I love Luna's character here. That fight scene was 10/10 meep.
8414445
I'd think with her ninja training, Sherbert would be more like Batmare. She even has the proper wing set for the job, gliding over the rooftops and bat screaching 'I am the night!'.
So Sherbet became something else. Something more than simply pony, but not quite Alicorn. Something defective and half done, for the transformation was messed up by "impossible" technology. Technology that can make an Alicorn ignore the botched not-quite-ascension in order to investigate.
So that's the opening for dealing with marelund. Forbidden technology. Interesting.
Still more curious about Sherbet's fate.
Oh, and if the painting is not the symbol of the king in yellow (since apparently Dawn called bullshit on an Old God being crazy enough to appear in equestria), then Ash's father is an idiot. Instead of calling an hit on Sherbet, he should have went with paying people enough to find out why his daughter was not answering him.
That is, of he did and simply did not believe she'd be grateful never to come back home or something.
Anyway, I can see why Sherbet might be condemned. And also why she'd be discreetly released and sent back home. With a "please take this as a we're sorry that we left the Grandchild of Harmony be attacked again by a prisoner we guaranteed would never escape and don't let Overkill judge is evil for that. Pretty please with sugar on top."
Because hell if Anya wouldn't consider whoever let Mai get out a demon worse than her.
8414512
Was that the chapter with Uncle Sky?
Although it might be giving to much away if you confirm or deny.
8414433 8414512 I'm pretty sure she's gone for good. Sherb kind of states that she can feel it in her very soul that Kazumi is gone.
Although I don't really remember where the "foreshadowing about her fate was done", so I suppose that all of those upgrades she had done could help bring her back.
Knowing Meep though, Kaz isn't coming back. Meep's flat out said she only kills off a character that's been fleshed out and well loved, so... Kaz seems to meet those requirements pretty well. And seeing as how the last story and this one are all focused on Sherbert growing... Kaz's death is just a stepping stone for Sherb to grow more.
8415037 I can neither confirm, nor deny this at this time :P Trying to keep suspense and all.
8415021 Since you know the Strange Sign's appearance well enough to identify it through text I can confirm that is indeed what that painting is.
8415206. Yes keep that suspense but please don't keep us waiting too long PPPPLLLLLLEEEEAAASSSEE
There are various hints of all sorts of outcomes for Kazumi. Multiple times in this story options are discussed how death is a minor annoyance at best for Sherbert s family. A lot depends on if the soul is still available. We have the Lifegiver, a tech genius, the former god of death, necromancer, several travelers, and at least 2 Alicorns directly with ties to Sherbert. Without a doubt if necessary all five princesses could get involved
Wait, so she literally would've turned into alicorn if not for the anti-magic field? Dayum!
Wait.
Did she turn into a god, like Scootaloo?
Well, good riddance to Mai. That horrible death was pretty much something she Darwin-ed herself into, so no real sympathy here.
My initial thought was that going after Xii next is possibly a mistake since we don't know for certain that he was involved in this attack, but then I remembered that Mai knew about the watch shield generator, and that knowledge was discovered by his agents in the last attack and presumably passed on to her for this one. It may still be a mistake, but probably not from him not being involved in this mess.
And then she was an orc.