• Published 5th Jun 2018
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Meliora - Starscribe



Earth is only just recovering from a war that almost wiped out the pony descendants of humankind. But when the Alicorns fail them, the survivors turn to an unlikely source for aid: Jackie the bat pony.

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Chapter 33: Maculata

Jackie returned to Meliora with necromantic blood still clinging to her body, and a swirling aura of nervous urgency to her every step.

For as little time as she had arranged to spend in City Hall over the last few days, her ponies there were getting on remarkably well. She could see no signs of violence, or of violent coup. She had chosen her leaders well. Better than you did, Alex.

She landed on the balcony, folding her wings quickly and striding past a few confused guards. “But aren’t you…” Umber said, staring at her as she passed.

Avery’s airship held overhead, a shadow circling the city slowly. She could make out a little cloud of fairies buzzing around it, possibly hundreds strong. But none of them came down, and that was probably for the best. We don’t need the jungle getting out of control right now. Shame they wouldn’t have the deer’s magic on their side, but… nothing she could do about that now.

“On Athena’s ship?” She shook her head. “She blew it up. Guess she didn’t want us to get our hooves on it.”

She kept walking, right through the heartwood and into the dream world gathering.

So little time had passed that all she had to do was ask Misty to make sure nopony went anywhere.

There would be much less ado about this meeting, no votes or discussion really. Only Eureka of all the ponies here would be of any use, and he wouldn’t be waiting in a conference room.

“Just thought everyone should know,” she began, once the conversation had quieted. “Ship is destroyed. Lavender, I want you watching Mundi—but I don’t think we’ll have to watch it very closely. The only question will be whether we get weeks or only days. Doesn’t matter. We can’t win a war with her either way.”

“Then what do we do?” Hat Trick asked. “Not wait to die.”

“Obviously not,” Lavender snapped. “When has the Dreamknife ever just left us to die?”

“I have a plan,” Jackie cut in, before anyone else could break the silence and turn the room to chaos. “It’s… a little complicated to explain, and important that Athena not see it coming. All I can tell you is I’m going to be gone until it happens. Either I succeed, or I’ll be back in time to die with everyone else.”

That silenced the room. Ponies stared at her from all sides, and a little of the hope seemed to drain out from between them. “You can’t tell us anything?” Firelight asked. “You’re expecting us to just… wait?”

“No.” Jackie rose from her chair. “Everyone on this side, evacuate into Meliora. Except for our unicorns in training. If this fails… we’re going to try and move the heartwood. Lots of places we could hide it. I know I said I didn’t want to give up our world, but it seems a shitty way to die if we don’t have another choice.”

There was silence in the room for a long time. She couldn’t blame them—in a way, Jackie had just announced their surrender. Giving up on the real world, moving into a place where they’d be frozen in time, unable to grow older, to reproduce, and where the Dreamlands’ rules would slowly twist their minds.

“I don’t expect us to evacuate,” she said. “But it’s a possibility. Prepare for it while I’m away.” She lowered her head to Avery’s perch on a nearby chair. “Queen, I wonder if you might be able to find room for the heartwood on your airship, should the worst happen. I know it wasn’t the alliance you had in mind… but we still intend to fulfill our side.”

“That is good. It’s never wise to break a promise,” Avery answered, her voice magically magnified. The spell she was using didn’t affect the pitch though, and she still sounded sped-up compared to an ordinary pony. Guess that was the one advantage of being her size. “I don’t think the Fiore can make room for…” She glanced around. “A tree as large as this.”

“Not the whole thing. My unicorns will explain… only a small part of the tree is required for the spell. Nature magic could sustain it if we removed it from the tree itself.”

Avery nodded. “We will have to make arrangements for further payment should this be necessary. But we can worry about them later. Just understand that your city will owe me a favor.”

“Agreed.” Jackie could feel the strands of magic tying her down, nearly as strong as they had been with Voeskender. But so long as they didn’t need to evacuate, it wouldn’t matter. Jokes on you, fae. I’m not going to live through this either way.

She could answer few of their questions, and so the meeting didn’t go much longer. As soon as the ponies began to disperse, she pulled Liz aside. “I don’t know if you want to come with me,” she said, her voice low. “I’m going far away, might be gone a little while. Won’t have a chance to come back here.”

The seapony frowned, reaching up to scratch at her chin with a booted foreleg. “How far?”

“Alpha Centauri,” she answered honestly. “And further. I think Oracle’s colony is further. Also you’ll need wings and lots of transformation makes most ponies sick.” She took a step back. “You really don’t have to come, kid. I just thought I’d offer since you enjoyed our last trip. Or did you? I guess it didn’t end quite so good after—”

Liz rested a hoof on her shoulder, silencing her. “I’ll come, Jackie. I don’t have wings, but there’s tech for that. Armor mods, and ever since you got me this Sorcerer set…” She stepped back, flexing her artificial back legs and grinning. There was a mechanical click, and a set of thin wings sprung out from either side. They weren’t straight, but they were rigid, with tiny engines mounted underneath.

An impossible achievement by the tech of ancient Earth. But sea ponies were the second-most advanced race in existence. It shouldn’t surprise her that they’d come up with something clever.

“Cool. Then pack for the road and meet me in my office in ten.”

Jackie had nothing to pack, of course. Her days of relying on trail rations and bedrolls while out on her own were long over. Though some part of her did wonder what had happened to Alex’s magical saddlebags, and the quaint little house the Alicorn had built inside.

The Dreamlands were even better for things like that, so long as she could get back and forth. Of course, eating nothing but Dreamlands food would eventually stop you from being able to leave. But a few days, even a few weeks? She could handle that.

“I guess this is it.” Hat Trick stood in her doorway, shifting nervously on her hooves.

“For Meliora?”

“If you lose,” the bat pony said. “But you haven’t lost yet. I’m sure you think your plan will succeed.”

“I do,” Jackie said. “But it’s desperate. If you plan on living, you may want to catch the next train for somewhere else.”

“You wouldn’t be upset? I’m sure my abilities will be vital in maintaining Meliora if the heartwood is destroyed.”

Jackie shrugged. “Professional courtesy. Most of the immortals are dead. There are five bats. I don’t know what Artifice will do, but I’m going down with the ship. If the universe won’t let Meliora live, then I don’t want to either.”

“Am I… interrupting something?” Liz squeezed through the empty door, her saddlebags tightly packed and a rifle on her shoulders. “I can just—”

“No, I was just leaving.” Hat Trick stepped back, lowering her head politely. “They’re my ponies too, Jackie. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then you’re better than she is.”

Hat Trick laughed. “I know. She never lets me forget.”

“Well… that was weird.” Liz pushed the door closed, locking it behind the bat. “We’re making the round tour of Alicorns, then?”

“Three destinations,” Jackie echoed. “Oracle, then Archive, then…” She trailed off. “Somewhere you can’t go. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Yeah, right.” Liz stuck out her tongue. “I’m immortal, Jackie. I’m not just forever young like you are. There’s nowhere too dangerous.”

She shook her head. “Your sister can explain it. For now, Oracle. From the dreams I’ve seen, he’s got a colony somewhere… different. Get those wings ready, you’ll need them the instant we come out on the other side.” She drew the dagger, flipped it over one hoof, and sliced through reality into the enchanted wood.

There was another journey ahead of them, one much like many she’d taken before. Reaching Oracle’s colony required climbing the ancient peaks of Wrighthamaren, crossing the scorching desert of Arrakis and finally ascending into the clouds.

But they hadn’t come to see the angels, and no sooner had they reached their city than Jackie cut her way back to the real world—though it wasn’t the world of her birth.

She didn’t know the name of the planet, though she could feel the air on the other side and knew it would not be safe for her to breathe. “Don’t fall out of your suit,” she advised, sheathing her dagger and staring through the portal.

There was a cloud city waiting on the other side of the opening, similar to those she’d read about in ancient Equestria.

The clouds weren’t white here, but slightly yellow. I don’t even want to think about what that means. She had cut her way into somepony’s bedroom, using their own dreams to cross the vast distances of space. Sorry not sorry Einstein.

The pony she could see sleeping there in a cloud-bed was nearly twice Jackie’s own size, and she remained on the other side to study its appearance closely.

He looked like a pegasus, if a pegasus was expanded to the size of the largest earth horses without gaining much in mass. Her magical senses showed his metal bones, and hugely oversized lungs. The metabolism of this creature didn’t involve a stomach and digestion at all, but instead relied on direct consumption of hydrogen gas, which was combusted in another metallic organ.

Damn our genetic engineering is getting good. You’re quite the little monster.

“Something wrong?” Liz asked from behind her, nudging her towards the opening. “Are we gonna go across or not? My suit is good for cloudwalking, don’t worry.”

Jackie lifted a hoof to her mouth, but the sleeper didn’t stir. If he woke, this portal would close and they’d need to find someone else. She spoke in a whisper. “I’m just… trying to figure out how to copy him. He’s a fucking biocyborg.”

“I have no idea what that means. Do you mean you got the scale wrong? That bedroom looks a little… big.”

“No, scale’s right. They’re just that size. Give me a little space, I’m about to be too.”

Liz stepped back, letting Jackie concentrate. You could’ve done it in a few seconds I bet, Ezri. But I was never as good as you.

Even so, she wasn’t about to be bested by a little genetic engineering. Besides, it was only a dream. The insides didn’t have to be perfect as long as she was confident in the general idea.

Jackie was suddenly bigger. Her bat wings had gained feathers and a traditional pegasus shape, though they were still dark purple and even had differently colored feathers suggesting where bones had been.

Speaking of bones, it was a good thing they were up in the clouds. Jackie felt like her whole body was made of balsa wood and twine, ready to fall apart if gravity so much as looked at her funny.

She looked down, grinning at Liz. “Alright small stuff, let’s get going.”

Liz glared. “Careful with the nicknames. You look like a blimp. I bet I could blow you away if I wanted.”

“Maybe if you had lungs,” Jackie replied, grinning. “But you’re using a computer to talk, so I’m not worried. Now come on before he wakes up.”

Together they stepped through the opening, and onto another planet.