16 - Every Bad Day...
Just a quick reminder;
"Italicized" speech is in Equish
"Normal" text is English
Just wanted to make sure everypony was clear on the formatting before we continued on. Now, without further ado, let's get this ball rolling again!
The team awoke early the next morning, taking the first train out of the station as they departed for the capital of Canterlot. The girls had stayed behind to tend to their own livelihoods, leaving Shadow as the only one who had been to their destination before. It wasn’t a bother for him, but it weighed on the minds of his companions, if their slightly raised heart rates were anything to go by as they sat in their reserved car. The ride was mostly silent, save for the click and clack of the train as it chugged up the mountainside, but a pressure of tension could be felt hanging over the group that only got worse as time passed.
Finally, Shadow couldn’t take the mood any longer, clearing his throat in order to catch the attention of his companions, “We need to clear the air if we’re going to put our best foot forward for humanity. So, perk up and show me a smile or two so that the ponies don’t think humans are a bunch of cold and anxious beings.”
His words got a small grin out of Dr. Kelly, although it did little to lift the mood as the light from outside was blocked by a tunnel. It was only as they exited the darkness that the mood suddenly shifted, a round of gasps escaping his companions as they all stood up and pressed themselves against the windows to get a better look. Shadow smiled to himself as he imagined the sight that his teammates were experiencing for the first time, the glistening waterfalls and ivory towers of the capital city shining in the morning light as they rounded the final turn towards the gates.
“It’s beautiful.” Dr. Kelly breathed as they shifted from rocky mountainside to the paved stone and brick of the train station, “I’ve never seen anything like it before. No human city could ever exist on the side of a mountain like this.”
Shadow chuckled as the doors slid open, leading his teammates out of the car as they pried themselves from the windows to keep up proper appearances. “That it is. Canterlot certainly lives up to its splendor, although the castle outshines the city itself ten times over.”
The humans hummed in agreement as the ponies around them shifted aside, looks of uncertainty and fear a common sight as they made their way through the crowded streets. None of the guards made a move to stop them, although they also didn’t do anything to calm the masses as whispered rumors began to spread around them like wildfire. Shadow’s keen hearing was able to pick up some of the mutterings from a distance, although it wasn’t enough to gleam exactly what the ponies were talking about, save for the source of their uncertainty.
It was only as they passed through the castle gates that the mutterings were left behind them, much to the relief of the humans as Dr. Kelly and Ambassador Lang let out soft sighs of relief. Will had simply rolled his eyes as they were directed through the castle halls by a pegasus guard, the maid staff and other servants pausing in their work to stare as they traveled through the titanic structure.
“Seems like every one of these little ponies is staring at us like some kind of zoo exhibit.” Will muttered to Ambassador Lang behind a hand, “I hope the Princesses aren’t planning on our people being able to work together overnight, because I can tell that would fall apart faster than a train held together by string.”
“We are an oddity in their world,” Lang countered quietly, “do not expect them to overcome their curiosity in an instant when we could hardly do the same in their places. None of them have ever seen a human before, and even those that have encountered Shadow in the past would still only have a rudimentary concept to tie to our people. Relations like these take time and will most likely present challenges that neither side can predict. We must be ready to overcome them in order to see a prosperous union between our cultures.”
Will grunted his agreement, causing their guide’s ears to flick back for a moment before returning to their forward orientation. While he was good at hiding it, Shadow could tell the stallion was nervous under his calm demeanor, his steps just a hair faster than normal and his wings twitching every once and a while against his barrel plate. Luckily, their journey was unhindered as they came up to a set of familiar doors, the seal of the royal family carved and painted into the wood as they were pushed open by a duo of unicorn guards.
Shadow led the humans into the throne room for the very first time, their eyes roaming around the cavernous space before settling on the ponies that were seated upon the dais. Yet it was not two ponies that met their gazes, but four, causing Shadow to pause for a split second as he took in the surprise guests. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor looked down upon the group with a mixture of curiosity and calm as the royal family stood from their seats, the alicorns flaring their wings wide at their sides as the guard dropped into a bow.
After a moment’s hesitation, Shadow and the humans did the same, although their actions were forestalled as Celestia raised her voice, “Please, raise your heads and be welcomed as the friends you are. We are not your rulers and as such you do not need to bow before us.”
Will and Shadow passed on Celestia’s words as they stood straight again, the quartet of ponies stepping down from the dais as the mares folded their wings against their sides. Celestia’s smile was warm and kind as she led the royals down the steps and up to the gathered humans, Luna falling in on her left while Cadence and Shining Armor stood to her right.
Cadence’s smile was wide and filled to the brim with excitement, her wings twitching slightly at her sides while Shining gave the captain and his subordinate a once over from head to toe. Either he didn’t see anything wrong or didn’t know what to look for, but he gave the security personnel a small nod that was silently returned by Captain Goodwill.
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Cadence said with enthusiasm as she stepped past Celestia to look up at Dr. Kelly, “I know you probably can’t understand me right now, but I just want to say it is an honor to meet you and I hope that you have a wonderful time here in Equestria. The Crystal Empire is bursting with the idea of a new species to introduce to the world, and even more so at the idea that you are a people that has traveled across the stars to get here. It’s like something out of a fairytale or a comic book!”
Shining chuckled as he placed a hoof over his wife’s withers to calm her down a bit, although it did nothing to detract from his own smile, “What Cadence is trying to say, is that we hope these talks can benefit both sides and that there can be peace between our races. We look forward to seeing what new things we can learn from each other and hope that our relationship can be a prosperous one.”
Shadow let Will pass on the crystal rulers’ words, taking a moment to catch Celestia’s eye as she and Luna watched their younger counterparts interact with the aliens amongst them.
“Not exactly what I was expecting, but a welcome surprise none the less. I certainly hope that the other races will react as well to the humans as Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor have.” He followed Celestia’s gaze as the solar alicorn smiled, Cadence having embraced Dr. Kelly in a hug that included both her front legs and wings, the surprised woman awkwardly patting the mare’s mane with a hand as she tried to support both their weights. Luna chuckled as the excited alicorn finally overbalanced the human she was hanging off of, their bodies getting slightly tangled as they fell to the floor. At first, the guards looked like they were going to intervene, but the tension quickly dissipated as both Cadence and Dr. Kelly began to laugh at their own folly.
“It is good to see the wonder of youth and the excitement of discovery in our little ponies once again,” Luna said softly as Shining Armor used his magic to carefully untangle his wife from Dr. Kelly, grinning and rolling his eyes as the two females only made it more difficult by trying to help him, “it has been so very long since we have seen adult ponies throwing their worries to the wind and embracing their inner foal.” She glanced at Ambassador Lang as he covered his face with a hand and shook his head back and forth, “Perhaps our people are not so different after all, even though we come from such different origins.”
“You might be right about that, Princess.” Shadow replied as Cadence finally pulled her wings free and hovered over to her husband, a sheepish smile and a deep blush lighting up her face as she spouted out apologies to Dr. Kelly. Will tried to hold in his laughter as he passed the stammered words back and forth between the two beet red females, his own face twitching as he failed to keep his mirth from escaping in short bursts.
After the humorous embarrassment that the greeting had devolved into, there wasn’t much to be said other than the humans were welcome to stay in the castle for as long as they required, with royal guard escort of course. A summons had been sent to the other kingdoms of Equis and the rulers of the other countries were expected to arrive sometime within the next three days. To allow for any delays in travel, the summit between the species would be held in four days’ time, where the humans would present themselves to the world at large and discuss things concerning trade and other such matters. Ambassador Lang would lead this portion of the mission, as was his duty, while Dr. Kelly did research into the different aspects of the native species and how they might be useful to the human collective. In order to better manage their time and resources, Shadow would translate for Dr. Kelly and Lieutenant Bellwood while Will did the same for Ambassador Lang and Captain Goodwill. This way they could split up and not leave any member of the team without the ability to communicate should the need arise.
All seemed to be well for the most part as the sun overhead began its journey towards the horizon, and Shadow was enjoying a moment of rest while Dr. Kelly and the others set up their rooms in the guest suite of the castle. The men had been assigned to the room next to Dr. Kelly and the lieutenant, although Shadow ended up bunking with the women, given Dr. Kelly was the only member of the team who could operate the machinery necessary for his maintenance.
The rooms themselves were rather opulent when it came to the décor, although that was probably to be expected given where they were and who usually stayed in these quarters. The room that the women shared had a set of twin beds that were large enough to hold at least three humans at a time, along with a bathroom that was more like an indoor pool when compared to the usual dimensions of a private restroom. A balcony overlooked the castle courtyard and over the city beyond, allowing the otherworldly visitors to see the vast plains below the city and even glimpse the small homes of Ponyville if one knew where to look. All and all, it was a significant shift from the small town feel Ponyville offered in abundance, but not unwelcome to the planet jumpers as they unpacked what little extra supplies they had brought.
Dr. Kelly and Lieutenant Bellwood shared a professional courtesy with one another and split the closet space down the middle so that nothing would get confused, although Shadow noted that the guard had much more utilitarian choices when it came to the clothing she had packed. Jeans and t-shirts were stationed over a set of combat boots while her armor was folded and stored on a folding rack that had been a part of the gear that was stuffed in her backpack. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelly had a second lab coat, a formal dress in a dark shade of red that reached down past her knees, and a plethora of science equipment that seemed to have taken a large portion of her packing space in leu of any personal effects. All told, the women had four sets of clothing apiece, although given how long it was going to be before the portal could be opened again, there was the necessity that all of the clothing was going to get washed at some point or other.
And speaking of the science equipment that Dr. Kelly had jammed into her backpack, there was a set of tools and a compact charging station that would allow Shadow to stay in peak performance even while away from Earth. Given Dr. Kelly was the one who oversaw the maintenance of the CW units prior to their current mission, it only made sense that she would bring the necessary kit for their trip to keep Shadow at full functionality.
The entire team had been invited to dinner with the royal family once they had settled into their new residence, and so Shadow joined the humans as they journeyed through the castle halls with yet another royal guard leading the way. While Shadow could have easily directed the team through the seemingly labyrinthine corridors, he knew that Celestia and Luna were just doing what they could to help their subjects adjust to the interplanetary travelers. After all, seeing an alien wandering the halls without a royal escort would be a bit disconcerting if one didn’t know how the aliens were going to react. Little did the castle staff realize, the humans were feeling much the same way, if Shadow’s sensors were any judge of their current mood.
And yet, just as everything seemed to be going their way, everything went horribly, horribly wrong.
It started out as a simple mistake, as these things usually do. The guard that was guiding them turned around a corner, Dr. Kelly immediately behind him as the rest of the group followed. Yet just as the woman shifted her weight to turn, she bumped into someone and fell back on her behind as the other being stumbled back onto his flanks. Dr. Kelly was in the midst of apologizing while the unicorn rubbed his head with one hoof, but as he opened his sky-blue eyes, time seemed to slow down as disaster struck.
Shadow picked up on the blonde stallion’s heart rate spiking as his eyes narrowed into pinpricks of terror, his horn lighting up with a bright blue light as Dr. Kelly watched on in surprise. Shadow’s movements were slowed as he tried to get around Will and Ambassador Lang, preventing him from interceding before the panicked unicorn fired a bolt of pure magic into the center of Dr. Kelly’s chest. The impact sent the stunned woman flying back and into the far wall as the stallion screamed bloody murder, his eyes locking onto the other humans in the hallway as the guard tried and failed to calm down the terrified pony. Magic fired in every direction as the panicked pony closed his eyes, bolts of deadly energy shooting through the air like a hail of bullets as he screamed “Monster!” at the top of his lungs between ear-piercing screeches.
The rest of the team ducked behind whatever cover they could find, the pillars bordering the corridor or under the benches against the inner wall, anything to prevent them from sharing Dr. Kelly’s fate. The woman slumped below the eve of a window, her body only a foot to the left from having been flung out of the stained glass and into the open air beyond. A trail of red marred the stone as she bled onto the previously immaculate floor, her body limp and her lab coat torn and blackened from the heat and force of the magic bolt.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the stallion wore himself out, falling to the floor in a dead faint as the singular guard stared in shocked horror. Captain Goodwill and Lieutenant Bellwood did not share the sentiment, rushing from their hiding spots and checking on both Dr. Kelly and the unnamed stallion.
“Clear!” Bellwood cried as her hand came to a rest on the stallion’s neck, “Strong pulse and no signs of any injuries. Looks like the poor sap fainted from the shock.”
“Get a doctor in here now!” Goodwill yell as the rest of the humans slowly climbed out of their hiding places, “The doc’s skull’s been cracked and she’s bleeding like a stuck pig! Shadow,” he pointed at the still frozen guard pony, “tell that sorry sack of manure that if he doesn’t get his rear in gear right now, the doctor is going to bleed out right here in the hallway!”
Shadow immediately passed on the message, the already white fur of the pegasus’ face blanching as he spread his wings and shot off down the hall like a bullet. Meanwhile, both Bellwood and Goodwill used what little medical gear they had on them to try and slow the bleeding, although there was little they could do to keep the broken pieces of Dr. Kelly’s skull from moving around under the makeshift bandage.
A flurry of ponies came and went in the next several minutes, including but not limited to Princess Celestia and the other members of the royal family as the medical staff rushed both Dr. Kelly and the still unnamed unicorn to the medical wing of the castle. Suffice to say, dinner was canceled for the evening while everyone waited for news, be it good or bad. Yet from what the Shadow had seen from the doctors and nurses that had rushed the two casualties away, the odds were not in favor of everything coming out alright.
Shadow knew this more than anyone else, because as they had levitated Dr. Kelly onto a stretcher, his sensors had ceased to detect her heartbeat. Even if the doctors could restart her heart, and somehow repair the damage to her skull, the chances that there had been permanent brain damage from the impact were almost a certainty.
Not even one day in the capital of Equestria, and already everything was falling apart. If this was setting a precedent for how the rest of the negotiations were going to transpire, then it could very well be that there wouldn’t be a team left to return to Earth once the portal opened again.
Shadow simply sat down in the middle of the hallway, his processors running a mile a minute and yet unable to compute any concrete data, until everyone had left and he was the only one still present at the scene of the event. He glanced at the blood that was still dripping down the wall, his optics locking on a single drop as it ran over the cracks in the stone until it reached the pool that had collected on the floor.
His processors finally ground to a halt, and he lifted his head high as a mournful howl escaped his muzzle. It echoed through the halls of the castle and out over the streets of the city, the blood red sunset matching the mood of the entire castle as Dr. Kelly fought for her life on the operating table. Shadow continued to howl until the last light of the sun had faded, his head falling until his gaze reached the floor between his front paws.
The last thing he could remember, was the foreign sensation of moisture running from his optics and over his muzzle, falling to the floor with a pitter-patter as he slumped over on his side.
…ERROR: EMOTION DRIVE OVERLOAD DETECTED…
…HYPERCORE UNABLE TO COMPENSATE…
…IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN REQUIRED…
…CPU POWERING DOWN…
…Power Core: 96%...
…Portal Recharge Time: 12:00:00:04…03…02…01…
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Shit. Trust fucking Blueblood to cause - or almost cause - a nearly catastrophic incident. If Dr. Kelly is somehow rendered disabled or worse from this Celestia will make him look after her, since he was the one who harmed her in the first place! Then she will recover and pet him into submission.
There's no way Blueblood didn't plan that. Though the fact that their arrival apparently occurred unannounced (highly unusual) gives credence to the idea the idiot just panicked.
Good grief, how hard did he blast her to get her head smashed open?
Magic continues its work on Shadow...
Keep going! ;)
Whelp, attacking and nearly killing a foreign ambassador. That's grounds for getting your title stripped. Good luck with the rest of us commoners for the rest of your life, Blueblood!
9478126
Bruh he done
Well done, Blueblood.
You just gave the humans their casus belli.
Well done.
Will cooler heads prevail?
I feel the urge to post this video.
Maybe it's because I just finished reading Eon by Greg Bear, which does that sort of thing but very well (the cast watch, helpless, as tensions snap and Nuclear War consumes the Earth below them, and, later on, one character gets assassinated by having half his head blown off, only to be saved and acceptably reconstructed by the quick reaction of automated futuristic medical technology), but something about the suddenness here felt very unsatisfying.
For lack of a better way to describe it, I have to resort to the vague old "to me, it felt like the story took a 90° turn 'because management ordered more drama' and I can feel the crudeness of the 'splice in the film'". (ie. There's a whiplash between the before and the after which makes it feel unnatural.)
Blue Blood needs to be stripped of his title, if he has no spine he is useless to Equestria, and Equestria needs to have strong leadership.
Keep posting, really enjoying your story.
Please tell me that you plan on writing after season 9 ends.
-1. Shaky premise, "featured" message at the beginning of the long description. Short and long descriptions don't exactly inspire confidence in the story.
9478295
Well, you should try actually reading the story then. You'll find it's quite good.
NOOOOOOOOOOO, why is it always the hot redheads?!
And blueblood strikes again in another fanfiction lol. great chapter i hope Kelly will be ok well only time will tell. Did shadow cry water or was it oil or some other chemical like that?
Why is everyone sure this was Blueblood? Unless I missed something, the only description we have is "Male Unicorn".
Edit: Forgot what I was going to post. Namely, it appears that a robot can faint, and now I wonder at Shadow's power consumption when he isn't blasting monsters every other day.
Blueblood, you massive dumbass!!!
Damn you blueblood, if she dies...or is permanently injured, I hope shadow rips you a new one!
Oh please update new chapter as soon as possible! The suspense will kill me!
9478455
It also mentioned blond.
And this here folks is a fine example of when a machine 'blue screens'.
9478455
"but as he opened his sky-blue eyes," "the blonde stallion’s"
These are words to describe him even though he's unnamed. Blueblood, as you can guess, has blue eyes and blondish hair.
AAAHHHH
I NEED MORE RIGHT NOW I WONT BE ABLE TO HANDLE WAITING
Dammit Blueblood now you’ve gone and screwed things up for everypony AGAIN
Wow cant imagine being in the city and hearing this mournful howling coming from the castle.
Note for future reference: Humans are very susceptible to magic.
Seriously, this is not a good start for relations. I imagine the humans will want a harsher brand of justice than Celestia or Luna may be comfortable with. I also imagine the humans will be more wary around unicorns knowing that Equestria is essentially an open carry country.
(Also, tears coming from a robot seems a bit too much.)
OH SHIT.
shadow.exe has stopped responding
Well, looks like this inter-planetary incident is grounds to start off with hostile relations. Can’t wait for the general on Earth to use this as a reason to start war.
That sounds like Blueblood....I have the feeling that shadow may or may not rip out his throat now.
Ded.....also, hope that was shadow crying at the end. That will make things even more complicated.
This seemed very fitting. And if the doctor does not survive shadow will once again have to watch his power use.
Blueblood if the doc doesn't make it then you'd better kiss your flank goodbye because shadow will hunt you down and kill you and no pony, not even the princesses themselves would be able to stop him.
Also, when will the next chapter be out?
Do you know?
And another thing shadow was crying! WTF!
I wonder does that mean that the energy of the planet is slowly turning shadow into an actual wolf do you think?
You should give Shadow solar panels.
Well, fuck....that turned into a FUBAR situation in damn hurry. This is all I got to say about it.
Should be precedent. Unless they're holding an election?
9634552
Typo eradicated, thanks for spotting that. Hope you continue to enjoy the book and please point out any more mistakes if you happen to see them.
See you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.
Trust Blue Balls to be the first pony to attack an abassador... The reasons for disliking him compound every single time I read a fic. I know they're fan works, but still.
The guard prrroooobably should've just tackled Bluey to the ground.
There really needs to be a meta-universe fic written where the decent Blue Bloods unite and travel all the dimensions of FimFiction to eradicate all the incompetent Blue Bloods out there!
9927035
Yeah this blue blood is an idiot
Yep, magic is screwing with Shadow given he can now cry.................................................................................................................. Extra dots added for spoiler reasons.
He doesn't have tear ducts so what is he crying
9927035
I'm pretty sure you can count them on a single hoof