Doc was there almost immediately to examine Church...but his report was unpleasant. There was nothing he could do, Church was dead. Caboose proved to be inconsolable, as he wailed about having 'killed New Daddy' as he clung tightly to Maud...who oddly showed no reaction to the events whatsoever.
Tucker wasn't much of one for emotional moments, so he instead did what he felt he had to do. He quickly stripped Church of his armor and cybernetic arm for use in making armor for Maud as requested, and then buried what was left respectfully beside Captain Flowers. He then took the armor, Caboose, and Maud back to Blue Base so he could figure out what to do next. "Okay...I have no idea what I'm doing here," he said as he picked up the armor and examined it. "I'm not really good with tools, maybe I should...ask Grif for help? He seems to have made a lot..."
"Tools?" Caboose asked curiously. "Why do you need tools?"
"Church asked me to turn his armor into armor for Maud," Tucker explained. "But...I don't know the first thing about it, or where to begin-"
"Oh!" Caboose declared eagerly. "I can do that! I'm good with tools and machines! Let me try!"
Tucker glanced askance at Caboose. "I dunno, rookie. You didn't seem to handle that tank very well..."
"Please?" Caboose begged. "I need to make up for that..."
Tucker sighed. "Tell you what. Draw up a schematic for complete armor and weapons for her, and if I can read it we'll talk-"
"Done!" Caboose declared eagerly as he held up a completed schematic. "I've been working on it ever since New Daddy went boom, cause I don't want my pony sis to go boom."
Tucker stared at the image for a time. "...okay," he said finally. "It doesn't look...too bad. Let's see what you've got." He pushed the armor and arm over to him. "In the meantime, I'm going to contact command. We're badly outnumbered, and Maud just lost her Dad. I think I can fix both of those with one call."
"You can bring New Daddy back from the dead?" Caboose gasped excitedly.
"...not exactly," Tucker corrected as he turned to go. Once he'd left the room, he opened his communicator. "Private First Class Tucker to Blue Command. Private First Class Tucker to Blue Command."
"Blue Command, this is Vic!" the response came. "How can I be helping you on this fine day?"
"We're down two men, and two of our remaining number are emotional wrecks, and we're outnumbered two to one," Tucker responded quickly. "We need backup as soon as we can get it!"
"Eeyikes!" Vic answered with a wince in his voice. "That does sound bad. Well, I can send you some backup in a few weeks-"
"Actually, I was hoping you could send us a Freelancer," Tucker interrupted. "A...specific Freelancer."
"If you know the call sign, I can see if they're available," Vic responded readily. "I've got one available to get there by the end of the day..."
Several hours later, Doc, Caboose, and Maud were standing atop Blue Base as Caboose put the finishing touches on Maud's armor. "And...there we go!" Caboose declared happily. "How does that feel?"
"It feels fine," Maud replied as she moved about in the armor, it having been reshaped and molded to her frame.
"And since there was so much extra material, it'll grow with you!" Caboose declared happily.
"Good job," Maud praised calmly.
Doc carefully observed from the side, using his helmet's scanner to read off the details of the new armor's specs, along with the weapons Caboose had included, which were currently collapsed inward to Maud's sides like saddlebags.
"That's some...interesting armor," he observed calmly. "With some...unique functions..."
"Yeah, I tried to give it everything," Caboose confirmed happily.
"Yes, I'm certain the...latte maker was very important," Doc observed. "Important enough to cannibalize the central cooling unit."
"Maud's too cool anyway," Caboose countered happily. "And everyone loves coffee!"
"Even when it...tastes like gravel..." Doc allowed.
"She eats rocks."
"And of course, if she has a latte maker she needs cupholders," Doc allowed somewhat sarcastically. "I'm sure that was a very good use for the very expensive data archive terminal I put in the cybernetic arm you cannibalized for that purpose."
"It was the right shape," Caboose confirmed. "What does expensive mean?"
Doc glanced towards the rapidly fluctuating teleporter atop Blue Base. "And you cannibalized the teleporter receiver matrix, which means the teleporter now will send someone anywhere...to make a system to let Maud teleport back to Blue Base whenever she wants to."
"Well, she can teleport anyway," Caboose allowed. "This way, she won't get lost anymore."
"And you took apart the Base's communication systems...to give her an FM radio," Doc observed.
"Only the best for little sis!" Caboose declared proudly.
"Tuned to an endless polka channel."
"Everybody loves polka!"
"I managed to retune it," Maud offered calmly. "I only get one song, but I like it."
"But how did you make the weapons collapse that small?" Doc asked curiously, poking the bags that barely seemed large enough for books, let along weapons nearly bigger than Maud.
"Oh, Maud has magic," Caboose declared happily. "I made the armor tap that to make that work. But I kept getting this weird Isis error about fragmentary echo retention...but the radio and audio systems work fine, so I turned those off."
Maud blinked as mentioning it briefly called the error message onto her HUD.
A.I. Sys Error: Interface Circuitry Malfunction
Unknown energy type
AI Fragment insertion may cause echo retention upon removal
Since she didn't understand what that meant, she blinked it away and decided to ignore it.
"Tuuuuckerrrr..." a ghostly voice began to echo. "Tuuuuckerrrr..." A ghostly image of a troop in the same armor as the Reds and Blues, but white, appeared before them. "I come back with a- and he's not even here!" The ghostly aspect of the voice vanished, becoming much clearer and familiar. "I make all this effort to pierce the veil and come back as a ghost to give him an important warning, and he doesn't even stick around to hear it!"
"New Daddy's a ghost!" Caboose wailed out.
"Hi Dad," Maud greeted calmly, the slightest bit of warmth in her voice. "Took you long enough."
The ghost of Church turned to Maud in surprise. "I...have no idea what that is supposed to mean," he observed thoughtfully. "But I see your armor is finished."
"I made it!" Caboose declared happily.
"Huh, good job rookie," Church observed idly. "Now where's Tucker?"
"Probably off training," Doc observed thoughtfully. "He already called Command about getting backup and taking care of Maud."
"Wait, and?" Church asked in confusion. "How could he take care of both?"
"He said he called in Maud's Mom," Doc allowed readily. "Not sure who that is-"
"He called in Tex?!" Church screamed out in shock.
"Is...is that who he called?" Doc asked nervously.
"Yes, that's who he called!" Caboose declared happily. "He said so!"
Church stared at the group in silence. "...that flocking cockbite son of a finch!" he screamed out in rage. "I am so haunting him and making sure he never gets any!"
"Cockbite?" Maud asked curiously.
"He's talking about a rooster!" Caboose declared happily.
"Ah."
I think you mean Tucker
Good chapter. Though I'm surprised Maud knew he'd come back, even if she's a Pie. Though...can you tell me how long it's been since she's arrived?
I expected the song to be the smile song
Tex is going to have an interesting time.
8561406
Ditto
I see you're still forgoing trigger-guards for Maud's firearms... I suppose you could tune the pull weight to be so heavy that only she can effectively pull them (Basically the opposite of a hair-trigger tuned up to 11 given Maud's strength)... It wouldn't be a perfect substitute, given that they would still discharge if smacked hard enough, and would require more specialized/frequent maintenance, but there would be less danger with casual handling...
I approve of every feature that Caboose put into Maud's armor. Blue Base technology be damned, the Pony needs to look cool!
We Pie family never get lost! ...we just tend to wander
Shouldn't AM radio better in the remote place?
Careful now, that rooster has teeth...
Sorry but I don't know what echo retention means.
8561406
More like Smile HD you mean?
echo retention?? that sounds interesting.... wonder who will try to possess her armour first.....
8561406
8561408
But the smile song isn't polka music and that radio can only receive polka
...Could someone please explain what a echo retention is?
8561430
Why do you think the radio only gets one channel?
8561505
I think the basic translation is "ghost program"? Maybe? I hope so, or I'm about to sound real dumb.
Okay, I just KNOW that is going to be important in the future..........OH! Maybe it will help keep Church from being erased by the emp (Wash: IT'S E M P! me: WHO GIVES A FUCK?!) later on!
Will caboose's monster girls be updated soon?
... as a gun nut, I should be mad that the magazine is called a "clip", but that would require getting mad at CABOOSE, which is like yelling at a puppy... so, whatever I guess
Just to clarify, does Maude have a weapon system based on the M14 EBR from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, or are they two separate weapons? I only ask because both images imply the weapon can switch between medium range full auto mode and long range single shot sniper mode.
8561673
Two separate weapons, one on each side.
I can't wait to see Tex's reaction to Maud. You have SO got to put in a scene where Maud asks Tex how to beat someone to death with their own skull.
Tex is coming, this is going to be fun.
Also potentially traumatic for everyone else on base.
So, does Maud's armor keep a copy of the A.I.s entered into it or...?
Just latte have it Doc, it was Church's request after all.
Well maybe if she sticks to the polka station she'll stumble upon this gem.
Well lets see how Tex feels about being roped into becoming a parental figure to a armed and armored pony
So now you have Caboose acting like Loco?
Good man.
Huh. That's, actually really good.
Not exactly.
And I bet I know which one.
Not really.
And I think I know which one it is.
HAHAHAHAHAAAA!
He's calling him a rooster with teeth, which is a bad thing.
8561698
this needs to be a thing.
Well Grif, Tucker; Time to say goodbye to having any sensation left in your balls.
I can't wait to see how interactions with Tex go. I can totally see her at some point not being able to reach an enemy and Maud suggesting a Fast Ball Special. I can also totally see her happily brushing Maud's mane and tail just to relax.
8562018
Yes
Nice save Caboose.
8562060
Does it count as a save if he honestly thinks that?
8562125
Yes. It counts.. At least I think so.
8561673
8561686
To be fair, there are enough differences to make it clear there are two seperate guns pictured. That said, my first thought was Caboose came up with something based on the Steyr AUG, if only because a multi-roll weapon that can switch from battle rifle to sniper rifle by just switching barrels would both make sense and be oh so cool....
Great schematic.
Also... cockbite. Roosterteeth? I finally get it!
Then what about the bite par....OH ROOSTER TEETH, I GET IT!
8561576
I GIVE A FUCK! IT WAS FUNNY WHEN FILLIS DID IT BECAUSE SHE’s SUPPOSED TO BE SMART, BUT WHEN PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE DO IT, then that is a right to be concerned!
Also, a girl named Tex is coming to town. Be prepared to get on your knees and pray, Blood Gulchers, for Tex will have no mercy for you.
Caboose...
The guy famous for friendly fire incidents and naivety...
Can assemble a subspace storage unit from MK 5 Spartan Armor???
Now THAT is a work of fiction.
8562466
But does that mean that he isn't as strong as in the show?
8562581
Oh hell no. This is just a way to ensure Maud gets her armor and gear. If anything, I feel like Caboose is going to completely forget how he did it later.
So he's hunting tucker so he don't get laid and to also mess with him for calling tex
Props to Caboose for his endeavor, even if he went overboard with the creation and collecting raw material.
Now I await Tex
8562614
So like in the show, he is a bit of an idiot savant when it comes to electronics? Seriously, he did the same sort of thing when he put Epsilon in that floating eye/super laser gun in the series.
Wait... "Cock" = "Rooster"... "Bite" = "Teeth"...
I see what you did there. I don't know if you did it intentionally, but you did it.
8562819
That is the entire joke about the use of "cockbite" on the show. It has been the joke since the word was first used.
8562819
Never managed to put that one together you sir should be proud.
8561439
8563345
Was that sarcasm? I actually have difficulty telling sometimes, especially over the internet. If it is, refer to below. If not, disregard this.
8563144
I don't remember it ever being used in the show. I guess I was just too busy enjoying everything else to notice it.
8562581
And Maud seems aware of Church's "true being". I gotta feeling I know what she'll pull off in future to keep him intact, and it involves a secondary crossover...