9 - I am Become Error! (Showdown Part 1)
Sherbert - 4th of Solar Dusk, 26 AE
Uneigh Ward, Neighdo - Neighpone
Kazumi often bought potions and equipment over to the Academy to show me new things she’d developed for work, or for fun. Like when she developed a potion that made everything taste like cream soda. I had therefore seen her with a lot of different pieces of equipment, ingredients, and so on. But it never sunk in just how much stuff an alchemist needed to have laying around until I started to help her pack her things.
Half an hour into packing up her belongings, Kaz had flown out to rent a cart. We were five pony sized boxes in at that point. Now we were at twelve total boxes, with about seven ponies worth of volume. And I was pretty damn sure that we would need to make two trips or rent a second cart.
“The bungee cables aren't going to hold, Kaz,” I warned as the tiny mare flew over the cart to add another cable to the growing bungee net.
“It will be fine. There’s nothing volatile on bits that could fall off. Just my blankets and stuff,” she replied, hooking the cord on the cart’s top rail.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine… But since I’m pulling this, you’re picking up things that fall.”
“Fair enough,” Kaz laughed. “But it’s not going to fall. I’ve pulled carts this loaded up before.”
I was about to reply with a snarky ‘wanna put money on that?’ but the urgent triple beep of an incoming call diverted my attention to my watch.
Flipping the cover off I looked at the projected interface. Uncle Sky was calling me for a change. Cool!
“Hold on, my Uncle’s calling,” I said as I tapped the screen to accept the call and smiled. “Hey, Unc-”
“YOU FOOL! YOU’VE DOOMED US ALL!” Sky shouted in equal measures of panic and horror.
My eyes widened as I was struck with a sort of confused terror. “I- bu- What!? What did I do?!” I asked, ears falling flat.
Kazumi frowned, flapping her wings to get closer to me. “Um, Trigger-sama?” She asked hesitantly. “Did you call the right po-”
“You asked my sister to deal with a threat,” Sky hissed. “That’s what you did!”
I raised an eyebrow, my worry starting to evaporate. “What’s the big deal?” I asked. “I thought things through and she was the best option to get things done with the least collateral-”
“HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW HER NICKNAME!?” Sky exploded. “You’re twenty six! You spend half your summers here!”
“What is her nickname?” I asked, the eardroop returning again.
“Kyr'amur'kotir,” Sky replied letting out a nervous breath. “Ayna ‘Kyr'amur'kotir’ Trigger.”
I frowned as I tried to dissect the changelish. I wasn’t quite fluent in that language, but I recognized that as a compound word, so maybe I knew it’s components and could-
“And for those of us who don’t speak Changelish?” Kazumi asked with a worried expression on her face.
“OVERKILL!” Sky snapped.
“Ohhhh….” I hissed, wincing at the realization that changeling names were earned by their most notable deeds…
“Yeah, so… WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU ASK HER TO HELP YOU WITH A BULLY PROBLEM!?” Sky demanded not angrily, but worriedly.
“It’s not a bully problem, she wants me DEAD. Literally!” I snapped angrily. “Stop screaming and just tell me what you want me to do.”
“I just stopped Ay from launching an ICBM tipped with a fucking anti-life warhead right into Neighpone!” Sky shouted. “I have every fucking right to be scared!”
“A what?” Kazumi and I squeaked breathlessly.
“You heard me!” Sky exclaimed.
“W-why would you even make that?” Kazumi wondered, shrinking in on herself.
“I didn’t. She did. Because the idea was to open a hole into Tartarus and obliterate the entire realm because it’s evil,” Sky explained slowly. “Ayna isn’t normal. She happens to be a person who is a bit off her rocker, to put it politely. She honestly can’t understand morality in terms of shades of gray.
“It took our parents sixteen years to show her that sometimes good people do evil things, but that doesn't make them evil. Her sense of morality CAN’T get more complicated than that. Trust me, we’ve been trying for over sixty years. Nothing. No progress. Ay can only operate under the sort of simplified morality you find in Oubliettes and Ogres’ Alignment System.
“She defines herself as good, and therefore sees it as her moral imperative to permanently eliminate evil. Because that’s what good does. Which is why the Captain and I made sure that Ay DOESN'T DO ANYTHING! She’s an excellent Wizard because she overfocused and is autisticly interested in several schools of magic. Ay’s also great at managing other mages, and is pretty good at working out magitek, though she’s not that interested in it.
“She’s a valuable resource. But if you let her off the chain, she- Ugh! Okay, look. I asked her to develop a saddle bag enchantment to make it pickpocket proof. She created a spell which caused anyone who hadn’t received verbal and sincere permission from the bag’s designated owner to open the bag to be atomized if they opened it!”
I flinched. “Ahhh! And she can’t understand why that’s wrong?”
“No! She genuinely couldn’t understand what the problem was. Because stealing is wrong, it’s what bad people do. And bad people are evil, and evil MUST DIE,” Sky explained. “I can’t talk her out of not going to help you. It just WON’T happen. Ay’s been made aware of an evil, and so she has to go destroy it. Because if she doesn't, she’ll see herself as evil for knowing about an evil and letting it continue to exist.”
“Oh…. Buck…” I groaned finally understanding what I just did. “I killed her. I killed her so hard… I didn’t want to kill her! That was the entire reason I called her!
“AJ and Dash are busy, and I thought Trixie would just straight up murder her, and I thought you would show up in a mech and take out half the street to stop her, and-”
“HEY!” Sky exclaimed, sounding genuinely hurt. “I can be discrete! I’d have gone in some light power armor and tossed her around. And honestly, Trixie is the best choice here. She dislikes killing because it bores her! She would have just roughed whoever this is up a little.
“Look, it's not too late. There's nothing I can do, but Ay is en route to you to borrow a jumpsuit of yours for part of her plan. Explain to her that you want to kill Mai yourself as a test of your own power, that she’s your measuring stick, and you just need to be kept safe from her for now until you become strong enough.
“That will get Ay to not kill her. It’s all I can think of that has a chance to work, and you are the only pony who will be able to convince her of that. Understand?”
I nodded rapidly, relief flooding my entire body. Thank the fates there was something I could do to stop this!
“Yes! I understand. Where did she say she was going to meet me at? I’m not at the Academy right now,” I asked as I stretched my legs in preparation to run.
“She’s a Diviner and specializes in portals. Ay will go to you, wherever you are,” Sky said in a way that was rather unintentional ominous.
“Wait, in that case, why didn’t she just find Mai, teleport to her, and then send her into the sun?” Kazumi asked skeptically. “She called Sherbert a while ago to confirm that she’d found Mai via her divination.”
“Because she doesn't teleport, she portals. It takes a lot of energy to portal long distances, and Ay is currently pissed off that she’s going to be exhausted for her date night tonight because I refused to let her take out one person with a tactical strike via ICBM so she wouldn’t have to leave home. Mai is currently alive exclusively because my sister wanted to not be too sleepy to get laid. She lucked the fuck out!” Sky elaborated.
“C-could she actually just drop her into the sun?” I asked worriedly.
“Maybe if she were given a few dozen ultracapacitors of extra energy to draw on,” Sky sighed. “That’s not remotely what she’d do though. Ay’s about efficiency.
“I need to go. I can’t be talking to you when she shows up and the status board shows the warhead she took is just starting to be put back into temporal stasis. You’ve got like, five minutes. Just remember to tell her that you want her alive so you can use her as a ‘boss battle’ later. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, closing my eyes to try and take everything in and get focused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“You do now. So NEVER ask Ay to do anything like this again. There’s no telling if whatever she did to that warhead to limit the blast radius to one meter would have actually worked…” Sky muttered as my watch clicked off.
Kazumi closed her eyes for a second then sighed. “Okay, we need to deal with this. She’s coming to you, and soon. The Academy isn’t too far away, but you won't make it there on hoof-”
I raised an eyebrow. “I could easily make it there on hoof.”
“Not while pulling the cart,” Kaz pointed out.
“D-do you really want to keep moving your stuff before we resolve this?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes, because if it’s not gone by tonight it gets thrown out,” Kazumi mumbled as she looked down dejectedly. “And I don't know what kind of consequences will eat up time after your psycho aunt shows up.”
I bit my lip, trying to think of any comeback, but I couldn’t.
“Good point. So, what's your plan? Have her walk back with us to get one?” I asked worriedly.
She shook her head twice. “No. You pull the cart to the Academy, I fly over, grab one of your spare suits, and fly back to you. If you take Peach Street, I’ll find you easily.”
I knew Peach Street. It wasn’t the shortest route home but it was an easy place to get to.
“Okay, good plan. Hopefully, I make it there before she arrives. It would be best to explain things in private…” I sighed, knowing full well that I wouldn’t get to make it a private conversation.
Kazumi nodded and gave her wings a quick stretch. “I'm sorry. I’ll be as quick as I can, okay?”
I nodded and picked up the cart’s harness with my magic, slipping into it so I could pull everything. As the harness settled on my shoulders I winced. Even just the weight of the cart resting on me was heavy. Good thing I’d spent the past year basically just working out.
“No problem, I’ll do my best to move quickly,” I promised as I took a few experimental steps.
The cart was heavy, and the harness dug into my shoulders a bit painfully, but I could move this. It was gonna suck, but sometimes you just need to do crappy things for the sake of people you love.
“The gate can be opened by anyone from the inside, just give it a push,” Kazumi said as she hopped into the air, wings flapping hard as she took off.
I sighed and began following the trail back to the gate. Hopefully, the cart would fit through the cherry trees without too much trouble.
I made it to the treeline and was able to pull things through, only having to unhitch myself twice to push a few branches out of the way twice before I was able to get the creaky cart to the gate. The rather narrow gate…
“Dammit,” I grumbled as I unhitched myself AGAIN so I could make sure the cart would fit through the gateway.
After giving everything a visual inspection, I realized that if it was going to fit, it would be a super tight squeeze. Some of the boxes held on by the bungees were going to be a problem if that happened, so best push the cart through from the back to catch anything before it shattered.
I mean, I know Kaz said everything dangerous was at the bottom of the cart and wouldn’t fall but people make mistakes, and perfectly safe things like glass alchemical equipment are expensive.
I trotted over t the gate and pushed it open, turning back to return to the cart, making it two steps before someone laughed.
“Wow, you didn’t bother to disguise yourself leaving here, even though you did to come here,” a mare’s voice mocked. “You really ARE stupid.”
Oh, SHIT! I’d completely forgotten I was trying to AVOID Mai because I was worried about getting her killed.
I spun around quickly, eyes locking on to Mai’s annoyingly yellow face. She stood at the center of a semicircle of five ponies, each dressed in Flying Horse uniforms. Shit… She brought back up.
Oh, double shit! I wasn’t a first year anymore. I was free game for the street fights. Which were back on… Because Rojā could only buy one year of time with whatever threat he issued…
BUCK!
“M-Mai, listen-” I stammered nervously.
Mai rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to listen to you. Well, except for your screams as I crush your throat!” She laughed, cracking her neck.
The green and gray earth pony stallion next to her raised an eyebrow. “Um… And you’ll do that while crushing her throat, how, exactly?” He asked sarcastically.
“Shut up!” Mai strapped, glaring at him.
“Mai, you don’t get it,” I warned, doing my best to look serious and urgent. “I told my family you wanted me dead. My aunt is a psychopath and she’s on her way here right now to kill you!”
Mai rolled her eyes. “Please, like I’d believe that.”
“Wait…” One of her possy, a salt and pepper colored speckled unicorn mare, said with a steep frown. “Mai, uh, you handed out information on her. That means either Trixie Lulamoon, Lady Pie, or Ayna Trigger is after you.”
Mai sighed. “She’s just saying things to avoid a beat down. Everyone lies when they are afraid.”
“I’m not lying,” I insisted. “She’s going to be teleporting to me any second now. If you’re here she might atomize the entire street just to get rid of you. I was going to talk her out of it but I can’t do that if you’re right here! You can attack me anytime. Just don’t do it now!”
The salt-and-pepper mare’s ears lay flat in terror. “Ohhhhh, shit! Mai, I did a book report on Ayna’s Manual of Effective Combat Maneuvers. Sherbert is UNDERSTATING that. You’re BUCKED, run now, I’m gonna! Also, I thought we were just having a normal fight and you actually want to kill her. I thought that was just jock talk. BYE!"”
Without another word the mare spun on her rear hooves and bolted down the street, vanishing into an ally at top speed.
“The rest of you agree that this bitch is spewing bullshit, right?” Mai asked her gang.
“It’s what I would do,” the stallion agreed with a nod.
The remaining two looked at each other then nodded, and took a step towards me.
“You want us to soften her up for you, Mai?” One of them asked while giving me a sadistic grin. “Or should we hang back to break that midget's neck when she shows up?”
“You two hang back,” Mai ordered as she began to walk towards me. “Zao, make sure she doesn't run away.”
I grimace as the green earth pony nodded and shifted his hooves into a combat stance. I may have been tougher than the average unicorn, but that guy looked like Big Mac, only compressed into about sixty percent the size, and after a few years of doing nothing but punching things.
He’d definitely punch my skull clean in if he hit me. I had to get away… But if I just ran they would probably trash Kaz’s stuff. So I needed to get them to chase me. But how?
“Why are you even mad at me?” I asked Mai, hoping to buy enough time to come up with an escape plan. “Kazumi’s the one who shot you.”
“Oh she dies too,” Mai smirked. “But it’s your fault she shot me. After all, if she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t have protected you. So you’re ultimately to blame for everything I just went through.
“Now, why don’t you hold still so this goes over quickly? You won't beat a fifth-year student. Not possible.”
Crap. That wasn’t buying me anything… And I didn’t have an idea of how to get them to chase-
Ah ha! I break her leg, she gets mad, orders them after me, and then I run. I just need the one good hit.
“Maybe,” I agreed as I reared up onto my hind legs, shifting into a biped combat stance. “But that just makes kicking your ass a part of the family business.”
Mai rolled her eyes. “Please, spare me your bravado.”
“My aunt Pinkie does at least four impossible things before breakfast,” I mocked right back. “You should have read that stuff you passed out about me.”
Mai rolled her eyes one more time and then lunged forward, delivering a lightning fast punch squarely into my chin.
I fell down like a sack of bricks, stars exploding in my eyes.
“That’s why you don’t start a fight standing up!” Mai laughed as she kicked me in the ribs.
I clenched my teeth to avoid crying out in pain.
Okay. She’s super quick. You’ll need to do something fa-
I felt her kneel down on top of me. “Wow, I brought friends for this… You seriously went down with one punch. Heh, second years, am I right?” Mai laughed to her friends.
Wait, she thought I was unconscious? Well well...
“I thought we were here because her friend packs heat,” the stallion reminded.
“Yeah well, guess she isn’t here,” Mai said casually. “Humm… Do I break her legs one by one first, or just smash skull into the road until it pops?”
Oh-buck-do-something-now! Um, that telekinetic punch thing I did in my first sparring match! That! Do that! How did I do it?
“Pop it and let’s get out of here,” Zao grunted, clearly bored.
“Alright,” Mai said as her hooves gripped the back of my head firmly.
Oh-shit-too-late-I-was-going-to-die!
I couldn’t die! I just made a marefriend! And she liked pony back rides! And-
And that’s how I did that.
I grit my teeth, focusing my magic, pushing it down away from my horn. Mai lifted my head up, getting ready to slam it down. I felt the arcane charge reach my left knee. Mai began to push down. I slammed my foreleg back in a reverse elbow strike.
The telekinetic charge detonated with a flash of blue. Mai flew off me, my head twisting painfully as her grip drug me back slightly. I heard a crunch as she smashed into the wall around Kazumi's family estate.
I gathered my legs under me and rolled, springing back up onto all fours and turning around in time to see Mai push herself up too, blood dripping from her forehead.
“I’m telling you, get out of here before my aunt shows up!” I growled. “You may be a psychopath, but I don't want you dead.”
Mai wiped the blood off her forehead with a hoof and glared at it. “I don’t know how you did that, but you’re going to regret it!” She vowed before charging me with an angry roar.
I saw her butterfly kick coming. Didn’t matter. She was just too damn fast. Her kick caught me on the left side, sending me staggering back a few steps.
Crap! I couldn’t dodge anything she threw at me. Even if I saw her start the move. I could only attack. Defense was impossible.
Embracing my new found skill, I reached for my magic again, charging up another punch. My forehooves blue glow returned to them just in time for me to get hit in the side of her head by Mai’s follow up punch.
My left eye went black as the pain burned all throughout my left side. I hit the ground ears ringing. Unsure of what she’d even hit me with. Moaning.
I saw Mai move out of the corner of my good eye. In a desperate attempt to shield myself I slapped out with my hoof, hoping to intercept her attack.
I felt my hoof brush against something. The charge stored in it detonated. Mai screeched in pain.
“AHHH! You little SHIT! You almost broke my leg. Where did you even bucking learn to do that?” She growled.
“Need me to hold her down, Mai?” The stallion asked.
I rolled slightly, managing to push myself up with one leg. My head was still spinning…
“No! I just gotta kick that bucking horn off before she does that again,” Mai said, looking at me with a cruel sneer.
SHIT! I had to dodge this. Horns contain part of the brain, that’s why getting it hit hurts like Tartarus. That’s why you DON'T want them broken open!
“Thanks for holding your head up. Go ahead and tip it back a bit, will you?” She asked me as she turned, her hips twisting as she readied a roundhouse kick.
Gods dammit, body! Stop freaking out! DOEGE! JUST DODGE!
I managed to droop slightly to the left.
Mai stepped forwards, her rear right leg snapping forward in the kick.
WHY WON'T YOU DODGE!?
Mai’s hoof stopped mid air in a shower of deep emerald green sparks, a loud crack like a bat hitting a hoofball echoed off the street.
What?
“What?” Mai said with a puzzled look. “But your horn isn’t glow-”
Her confused question was cut off as the sparks around her leg grew into a burning aura, and her leg crumpled up like a sheet of parchment, creating a sound akin to the world's loudest, wettest bubble wrap.
Mai couldn’t scream. Her jaw opened, her eyes shut, but no sound came out. She’d reached the point past pain.
I recoiled in horror as best my stunned body would allow, shuffling back a few centimeters. As I slid back she came into view.
I didn’t recognize her by sight. I only understood that she was my aunt via context.
Ayna stood a short distance away, clad horn to hoof in a thin form fitting set of dull silvery-gray armor covered in green glowing arcane etchings. A long black cloak covered most of her body, the hood drawn up over her head, her horn spiked through the cloth. The hood hid her face almost completely in shadows, so only the burning green light of her eyes could be seen through the definitely magical darkness.
Beyond her I could see the pale shimmering green curve of a shield which looked like it covered the space for about ten meters around me in every direction. And prevented Mai’s friends from leaving…
One of the runes etched into Ayna’s breastplate brightened, filling the air with the sound of a single tolling bell, followed immediately choir singing in Old Equish accompanied by an orchestra’s haunting and angry melody.
A second rune on her armor brightened. The light beneath the dome dimmed noticeably as if darkness were slowly leaking out from under her cloak, bringing with it an icy cold normally found only in the depths of winter. The cold and darkness brought with it an unseen wind that made her cloak billow ominously, as if it were a creature waiting to strike anything that got near its master.
A third rune blazed to life. Small bouts of emerald green flame flickered to life, forming an elaborate arcane circle around Ayna’s hooves which rolled and shifted, sliding unnaturally between several different patterns which resembled both ward and hex magic notations.
PANTS TO BE DARKENED!
Ayna let go of Mai’s leg, and picked her up by the barrel, levitating her off the ground, allowing her to thrash as she turned her hooded head to look Mai’s eyes.
“You will beg for mercy in vain,” Ayna said calmly. “The debris of your home will litter the city. I shall sup on your very atoms.”
OH SWEET BUCKING LUNA! WHY DIDN’T SKY SAY SHE WAS LITERALLY ONE BUCKING MILLIMETER AWAY FROM BEING KING SOMBRA!
I tried to speak, but my throat was full of something. I coughed, squirming on the ground. Mai squirmed in the air, somehow still conscious. Several loud cracks made my ears flick with sympathy pain as Ayna’s grip began to simply crush her.
Her friends screamed and ran to the edge of the shield, immediately trying to claw their way through it. Mai thrashed more, trying to break free of the arcane grip.
“Foolish daemon,” Ayna laughed. “Your attempts at resistance are futile. You will be returned to the cosmic dust from whence you came.”
I spat whatever had been in my throat out. I didn’t bother looking to see what it was. I had no time!
“Wait!” I gurgled, looking desperately into Ayna’s eyes.
To my complete and total shock, Ayna turned to look at me, dispelled the shadows around her face, and smiled happily like a normal gods damned person.
“Yes?” She asked with a happy inflection to her voice. Like she was talking to me in any other circumstance.
Though she didn’t stop slowly crushing her captive.
“Please don’t kill her,” I begged.
Ayna frowned, giving me a genuinely confused look. “Given how it was about to execute you via decornutation, I can’t comprehend you requesting I show mercy to this evil.”
What had Sky said to say? Come on, remember it. Remember it fas- Right!
“I need her… Measuring stick,” I groaned.
Ayna’s frown deepened. “It put out one of your eyes. Are you thinking straight, or are you just saying whatever words your concussed mind is conjuring up?” She asked in concern.
“I’m missing an eye?” I asked in horror.
That explained why half my vision was still black... And why my cheek felt wet and sticky.
“Yes,” came the matter of fact reply. “It’s okay. We’ll fix it. Allow me a moment to exterminate this mortal demon, and I’ll take you home for healing.”
She didn’t even see Mai as a person… Keeping her busy with non-combat stuff is now COMPLETELY understood, Uncle Sky. I am so sorry.
“Don’t! I need her,” I begged again, my head clearing up enough for me to speak strait. “She can destroy me now. So I’ll know I can fight evil myself if I can ever defeat her!”
Ayna nodded. “I see that Sky talked to you… But, if you really do agree with his logic of using this thing as a test, I won't kill it.”
I could see Mai's friends had grouped up in a terrified huddled mass on one side of the shield. Their cocky nature had just disintegrated. I mean, yeah. No shit! I was panicked beyond reason too! There was a psychopathic battlmage slowly crushing somepony to death less than three meters away!
“I do!” I said instantly. “I completely do. It makes perfect sense. Lifting more weight and running longer isn’t a good indicator of how well you do in real combat! I need a real test.”
Ayna nodded again. “Alright. But if you later change your mind, tell me. I won’t allow evil I can destroy to exist. Though I will happily pass the sword to another,” she replied, giving extra emphasis to ‘tell me’ showing me that was NOT optional.
“I promise I’ll tell you if I do,” I agreed.
Ayna yanked Mai towards her, leaving the mare’s face just a single centimeter away from her own.
“I will divine my niece’s location and health every, single, day,” Ayna vowed. “If I ever can not locate her, or detect she has been injured, I will contact her dojo. If she is not practicing scrying defenses, and has not been hurt while sparring, I will find you.”
“A-a-and… K-kill… Me…” Mai whispered, her voice mangled by a punctured lung.
“No, I won't kill you,” Ayna said simply. “That is Sherbert’s duty, and I promise you that she can be restored to life through many different means at my family’s disposal. Her father has resurrected ponies before, and my brother and I are friends with a stallion who has repeatedly returned the souls of the dead to android bodies, restoring them to full life.
“No, I won't kill you. I will sever your hooves just below the ankles. Front and back. Then you will lose your nose, and then your left eye flowed by the right. But I’ll leave you your ears. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness, every babe that weeps at your approach, everyone who cries out, 'Dear Gods! What is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. Until Sherbert decides to fulfill her duty.”
With that, Ayna simply dropped Mai to the street, the runes on her armor dimming, taking the effects they created with them. The shield fell as well, and Mai's alliys ran for it, leaving her on the ground in a crumpled heap. Wow... Assholes!
Ayna trotted over to me and gingerly picked me up with her Telekinesis.
“Come along, Sherbert. You need to be in a hospital,” Ayna said with the genuine compassion and empathy I'd expect from any Equestrian.
“I didn’t know you were an evil overlord,” I whimpered dizzily, my head pounding even from the gentle motion.
“I’m not evil. I’m good. I only kill evil things. I even follow the Golden Rule while I do it. Treat others as you wish to be treated,” Ayna said with a simplistic smile. “Everyone knows that rule, but they forget that it’s a two-way street.
“Obviously, it wanted me to cripple it, and then kill it painfully. That’s what it was doing to others. See? I’m doing the right thing. Besides, if you don't destroy evil, it just keeps being evil. That’s not okay. As for the theatrics, I like to make sure evil’s last realization is to understand what it’s like to be its victims.”
I had to admit, that line of thinking did make a sort of weird sense…
“Yeah, I guess,” I moaned, my vision starting to swim.
Then everything went black.
Sherbert - 6th of Solar Dusk, 26 AE
Deck 13 Medical Bay, USS Phoenix - Phoenix
I moaned, rolling over slowly. Something tugged on my neck. It kinda hurt. I couldn’t see what It was, everything was black.
“Uun?” I asked with a moan, reaching up with one hoof to gently feel for the thing.
It was a tube. Why tube?
“Don’t pull at your IV,” a changeling’s voice ordered as someone gently pulled my hoof away from my neck. “Are you awake or just moving again, Sherbert?”
“Awake…” I murmured. “Where am I?”
“You’re in my med bay in Phoenix. Do you remember me? I’m Doctor Tilk. I’m your uncle’s preferred doctor,” Tilk asked politely.
“Oh yeah,” I said slowly. “I remember you.”
“Good. Then you know you’re safe,” Tilk said with a relieved sigh.
Everything was still black...
“Why can’t I see?” I asked worriedly.
“Your eyes are bandaged. I will take the bandage off shortly. I was just about to remove them when you started to pull at your IV,” Tilk answered kindly. “Ayna brought you in with severe bleeding in your brain. We fixed it, there’s no brain damage, but you could have mild post-traumatic amnesia.
“Don’t worry! That just means you may have lost things leading up to your injury. What’s the last thing you remember?”
I winced and thought back. “I remember asking Ayna not to kill the mare who hurt me,” I admitted.
Tilk laughed bitterly. “Yes… Don’t ask for your aunt’s help with combat in the future unless, well, you know now. Don’t worry, I yelled at your uncle for not explaining that danger to you, for you.”
Yeah… I’d made the WORST decision…
“Were you able to fix my eye?” I asked remembering that, well, I’d lost one. “D-did she find it and bring it back?”
“No. Sky made you a replacement, I installed it. The surgery scars were treated with a healing potion and should be completely healed now. The new eye is an exact color match to your old one, you won't notice the difference,” Tilk promised as I felt her lift my head and begin to unwrap the bandages from it.
“Wait… He grew an eye for me?” I asked, slightly confused.
“Um, no. It’s b-eye-onic. Hehe,” Tilk joked a little too happily.
I groaned at the pun.
“Do you need some painkillers?” Tilk asked professionally.
“Why didn’t dad make me a new eye?” I asked.
“Your parents don’t know about this,” Tilk answered bluntly. “We decided they would take you out of the program and bring you home over something like this. So, Sky made you a bionic eye. Your parents do not, and will not know. We understand how important this is for you, and family will support you.”
I blinked as the bandages came off, and the world became white as my eyes got used to-
No… No that should have happened, but it didn’t everything was clear. Perfectly clear.
I could see everything in the bay. Every last polished steel wall and ceiling panel. Every high tech healing bed. Every single medical readout monitor embedded flush with the wall. Every foal’s drawing taped above the bed with privacy curtains drawn around it.
Yep. This was the Emerald Hive. The unmistakable alien architecture was… Uh, unmistakable.
And also in perfect crystalline focus, contrast, and brightness… That wasn’t suspicious at all. I mean only HALF my vision should have been like that, right?
“Huh… I thought my eyes would need to dilate and get used to the light,” I said mostly to myself.
Tilk coughed once.
I turned my head back, giving the smallish pale green eyed mare a glare. “Both my eyes are mechanical, aren't they?”
“... Yes,” she admitted ears drooping in embarrassment.
“Why didn’t you just say so!?” I snapped, ears folding with irritation.
“Because um… I felt that if you thought you were less damaged it would be better. See, we had to remove your uninjured eye because having one organic and one inorganic eye was confusing your visual cortex and well, the conflict just made you blind… I was only trying to spare you from a common psychological-”
“I’m not broken! I have two eyes,” I laughed.
“Oh! You genuinely see them as body parts?” Tilk asked, giving me a surprised look.
I nodded once. “Um, yeah. It’s attached to me in a way that makes taking it off hurt me. That’s a body part.”
“Oh good!” She said, breathing a sigh of relief. “You have no idea how many ponies panic after augmentation. Even those who want cyberware often end up trying to pull the implants out because they don't feel like a part of them.
“I- I wanted to make sure you’d keep at least one working eye if you felt that way.”
I winced at several mental images that bit of info gave me.
“Well, I’m not going to do that. That would be dumb,” I pointed out.
“Every dumb,” Tilk agreed with a nod. “Do you forgive me?”
“Yeah,” I answered giving her an understanding smile. “You’re a doctor. Medical concerns. I get it.”
Suddenly, something else Tilk said hit me like a slap across the face.
“Wait, did you say family? As in, you’re a part of my family!?” I asked, ears perking up in alarm.
Did I have ANOTHER accomplished person to live up to!? WHEN DOES THIS TREE END!?
Tilk flashed me an amused smile. “That was a joke,” she said as she turned to check some medical equipment.
“How!?” I demanded just a little bit angrily.
“... You… Don’t know?” Tilk asked, looking back at me and raising an eyebrow.
I shook my head. “Obviously not!”
“Oh. Well, do you recall how several people came to our world from other dimensions during the Tartarian Invasion?” Tilk asked curiously. “I’m certain they cover that in Equestrian Schools.”
I nodded. “Yeah…”
“Well, one of those people is another universe's version of your mother. And I’m her wife! So I’m married to your mother from another ‘verse. Which makes me your pseudo-mom by fifth-dimensional inter-reality fuckery. Sorta. Heh,” Tilk giggled. “Don’t worry I don't take that seriously, that would be absurd.”
I shook my head slowly. “The world is weird.”
“Yes. Good weird though,” Tilk agreed.
“Heh, yeah,” I said with a brief smile.
A smile that turned into a frown pretty quickly. “Um… How am I going to get back to Neighpone?”
“I’ll let Sky know to fly you over after I give you a full check up. Now that you’ve regained consciousness ,we can make sure you are fine mentally and physically. Just let me make sure you’ve got enough of that IV drip to safely disconnect you, remove the shunt, and we will get you home as soon as we can, okay?” Tilk said as she took a few notes from the screen she was looking at.
I nodded once. “That sounds great… And um, my parents won't ever find out about this, right?” I asked worriedly.
“Ever? No. Sky isn’t a liar. He’s just going to delay talking about it till after you graduate,” Tilk said with a wink. “Now, hold still while I take that tube out of your neck, okay?”
Sometimes, it pays to have an uncle who understands you. Thanks, Uncle Sky. I owe you one.
████████████████ - 9th of Plantation, 29 AE
███████████ - ████████, Neighpone
“Shit…” The mare swore to herself.
“What is it? Did something come up?” Rojā asked with a heastent frown.
“No,” his superior said with a shake of her head. “I just realized that Ayna’s diplomatic immunity would have covered her murdering those thugs. But she would have been barred from entering the country again if she killed them. That would have been rather bad for diplomacy and trade.”
“Is that why she was at those meetings after the incident?” Rojā asked.
“I never heard she assaulted anyone,” the mare shrugged. “So whichever judge handled it, they decided she was fine. There may be some mental instability clause… If not, there needs to be. She’s definitely not sane. In a rather beneficial way. I may ask Captain Skritt about contracting her in the future.
“Carry on, please.”
“Of course, Ma’am,” Rojā said, resuming the recording. “Though I am curious, why are you not upset that a foreigner threatened civilians under your protection?”
“Civilians? What civilians? That was a group of organized criminals who conspired to commit a crime, assembled with the intent of committing a crime, and then committed assault, attempted murder, and so on. They will experience ‘death by cop’ eventually. It’s hard to be upset that people like them were endangered. Carry on, Rojā.”
“Already am,” Rojā reminded, cueing the footage of the next event he wished to show her.
The mare frowned for a moment, then nodded once to herself. "One more thing, don't think I didn't notice what you wanted me to see here."
Roja blinked, genuinely confused. "Ma'am? I was merely showing you some of Sherbert's early combat capabilities. How they developed is just as important as what they became."
"That is true, but if you don't see it, then you missed something rather obvious, Captain," the mare chuckled smugly.
Rojā frowned, thinking for a moment. "She's merciful," he said after some thought. "She had been blinded, beaten, and was going to be killed but she still insisted her would be murderer be spared."
"Exactly. I'm surprised you didn't mean for me to see that side of her, Rojā," the mare laughed. "It would seemingly be a valuable piece of evidence supporting your argument. You're fortunate this segment included it. Let's move on shall we?
"On second thought, how about you show me Kazumi's reaction to her new marefriend being gone, then go ahead? I can make time for a few more minutes."
Rojā smiled for a moment. "You're barrowing from their story for your hobbies, arn't you?" He asked teasingly.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that accusation, Captain," the mare informed casually. "Carry on."
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This chapter was "bloody" good I say quite good.
Okay. That was a CLOSE one. For Sherbert because she almost got killed, and for Mei because she almost got Kyr'amur'kotir.
Also, the "Boss" want to use the power of Kyr'amur'kotir it seems. XD
The Boss : Naked Bug ?
Ayna : Aye Aye !
The Boss : This thing over there is evil.
Ayna : On it ! *prepare the nuke*
Kudos if one get the reference on the first line. XD
This is a cool story, can't wait to see were it leads
8348174 Nekkid Snek!
8348179
We have a winner ! *gives a cookie shaped like a carboard box to Meep* In case of bugboxing emergencies.
Good to see Sherbet didnt turn into a Mary Sue. Well... good in a very bad way i guess.
Ouch and congratz on taking a first step in turning into a bionic mare? Explaining this to her parents should be fun.
Ohh that escalated quickly....
Poor sherbet ninja in training for what year and a half and already blood feuds and loosing body parts.
I am curious about how Kazumi is taking this. I mean sherbert just disappeared from neighpone. She's probably gonna freak out at sherbert. This will fun to see how kazumi reacts.
8348221 I dont like writing Mary Sue. Thus I try to keep everyone to their ability level. SO naturally Sherbert gets her ass handed to her by the blackbelt/teaching instructor but gets a few hits in(as luck premits.) but does no real dammage. Likewise the martial artist looses instantly to the practiced war vetren battlemage who dosn't play by martial arts rules and strikes at range with an instantly crippling attack. It's just a game of rock paper sizzors. Give Sherbet a few years to catch up, and then she will do better.
8348283 Humm, good point. I suppose I'll have to show that next chapter. I was going to time skip.
Since no one else has said it I will have too. Nice reference to the best movie ever Meep!
Well Meep certainly provided as much as some people say there is no such thing as overkill, there is there absolutely is. I will say this for Anya's methods there isn't much room for reformation but you can be sure they'll never do it again
8348494 Sometimes, it's better to prevent than to redeem. It's a question of when/if.
Goddammit Trigger, this is your fault. Always reach children about dangerously crazy family members, else someone ends in jail. And some other one dead.
Well Sherbet, that's what learning is all about. Getting your plot kicked and having enemies learn why they would listen when the hero tries to save them from her own family.
I did like the impossible reference, though
Poor Kasumi, her big teddy bear just got a booboo fighting the evil mare of murderous intent. She needs a hefty dose of cuddles, stat!!
So, yeah, Sherbet is so screwed now. She's going to have to explain why is May half crushed to death. And why are three students from the flying horse absolutely terrified of ever practicing martial arts again.
Interesting though, not all students from the are lunatics. The one that got away thought this was only bulling. Still an asshole, but a normal one that might grow into a decent pony. Children make mistakes, after all.
8348562 Well, when you factor in the fact that rival dojos having street fights is traditional, it's less bullying and more 'just what people do'. That particular mare was up for a good street match and willing to go after a specific target... Until she realized that was NOT a simple street match against someone her classmate had a grudge on, but an actual hit. Willing to participate in a grudge match due to traditions of a culture is different from 'asshole bully'.
8348569
More than a hit, a hit against someone so connected they and their families could "be disappeared" just to try to appease the family of the victim. After all, she's low potatoes, like "the one who created the only weapon capable of letting our country exist is her uncle" low. She did well in running away
Mei, on the other hand, will most likely be screwed. Roughing up the gaijin is cool and all, but you do NOT risk the Wrath of Trigger on your country because the mare was too much of a derp to realise you passed her your number!
I'm not sure if I should be completely terrified of Ay, or ask her to go demon hunting with me. Also, Mai is more of a derp them Sherbert, even if Ay didn't show up, what did she think was going to happen afterward? The entire Trigger/Emerald/Azure family would have come down on her like a sack of bricks shot from the moon via mac gun, she was so dead regardless, not to mention the possible political ramifications.
Well let it never be said Sherbert is over powered, this is now what 0-3 for her? She hasn't even won a fight yet.
And this wasn't the incident that landed her in jail while we're reviewing all this? Now I'm very much looking forward to that reveal.
8348713 Once the deed is done who is going to admit what they did. It was a street fight that got out of control.
8349191 Ninjutsu.
8349280
My God! I wish I could take a trip to Japan and conveinently get kicked out of a bad dojo to join a real one that teaches that! That would be awesome!
8349286 Don't learn it in America. What we call Ninjitsu here is just a mixed martial art that sucks (Learn Krav Maga or Maui Tai instead). There are placed in Japan that still teach the real deal. I did a lot of reading before writing this. It's something you could actually go learn.
8349291
I do want to learn grab maga (or however you spell it) but right now I'm learning jujitsu and ikedo. I can tell you did a lot of research too. It's payed of. Great story so far!
8348909
I would like to point out that sherbert is related to 2 arc mages, pony stark [No Sky I will not feel sorry for the pun], her master's former student, a mare who ignores physics, and is friends with Death, even if none of them talked all of the aforementioned ponies would be able to find out, oh and then there is Moon Butt who walks dreams. One way or another Mai was screwed from the beginning.
8351461 Keep in mind they believe Sherbert is talking out her rear. How many times have they gotten away with things like this. Mai is counting on factors that just DON'T apply in this situation she knows about Sherbert's family but she doesn't understand the implications of that data.. I also get the feeling she doesn't have all the connections remember how Twilight and the others treated Sherbert at the end of "On the Era of Harmony"
8351461
"Umm, you shouldn't? I am a genius billionaire playcolt philanthropist. Cept not the playcolt part, I just say it for the sweet sweet reference... Also my Mk.II power armor is basically pony Iron Man armor, cept better (I still call it the Iron Mane suit)."
8351606
I will grant you Sherbert might not have 'connections' per say, but her entire family is very protective of each other, so I feel they would still bring the ban hammer if she was killed, not that she would stay dead.
SB: "Ughhh what the buck happened?"
Dusk: "Your dead kid."
SB: "WHAT!? B-but.... wait, I thought you weren't death anymore?"
Dusk: "Got ya. But seriously, you did die, welcome to life as an android. Now about that bitch that killed you."
8352480
So when is your story arc about how you over come your own mortality, face villains using knock-off Sky tech, and joining a global super hero force?
8352741 Dusk can actually still save some souls. If you recall her resurrection it's mentioned that she needs souls living in that realm to restore its power. She can't do anything like her old volume, but she can do a good number... ANd she can reserve a few of her slots to watch over her friends.
8352741 I meant that Mai doesn't have the complete picture of all Sherbert's family and how those connections actually work. Does she realize killing Sherbert is likely to not piss off one government but two creating a international incident of extremely nasty proportions.
Even without Twilight in negotiations to form a herd with Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, and Megan. She will be meh these things happen let alone Celestia and Luna likewise accepting it. Thats just Equestria how about The Pheonix Sky and Anya are just going to roll over and accept it too
8352772
Ya skills at information gathering Mai does not have, maybe she should have trained in the same path as Sherbert instead of assassin.
8352776
Pff.....Mai's only 'path' is thug. Flying Horse teaches martial arts, they don't teach ninjutsu so Mai doesn't have the training in stealth or information gathering.
8352741 "Earth-1..."
Okay, I'm way too far behind, limited commenting from here on out or I'll never catch up.
Mai is an idiot, Anya is scary.
HA HA! Nice Princess Bride reference.
8554570 Thanks :3 I pride myself on quality reference use ^.^
That song you linked made me think of O Fortuna from Camina Barina. Nicely chosen.