Dissonance: A Hidden World

by Braininthejar

Chapter 33: The Armory

"It is ready," said Dr Stone, "You may go."

Around her the siege camp had already been constructed, the well disciplined and organized soldiers setting up tents according to plans they’d received before boarding the train. Between Luna and Spitfire helping the army, the destroyed rails didn’t prove to be much of an issue. Now that Dr Stone’s mobile lab had been set up - a large tent filled with and surrounded by a collection of mysterious devices - she could make them ready to attack within hours. The soldiers were coming to her tent, group by group, to receive the preparing procedure either from her, or from one of the herd of assistants she had brought along - with Spitfire helping them by making copies of the machines with her powers, they had just enough work stations to finish on schedule.

A sound of many voices, a not-quite-cheer, erupted from the far side of the camp; Luna had just finished delivering a speech meant to encourage her soldiers.

Dr Stone looked down at the small table beside her, checking her notes. It was a reflex she had practiced for her role as a scientist. In fact, she knew perfectly well what she had left to do.

“Please form a line,” she said to an approaching earth pony, indicating a machine that looked like a hairdresser’s chair with lots of extra tubes. The officer barked orders at his unit, twenty ponies forming neatly in front of the device.

Dr Stone waited for the first soldier to take off his helmet and sit in the chair before pressing a sequence of buttons. The machine came to life, a system of tubes closing around the pony’s ears and snout.

“Working hard, I see,” called a voice from above Dr Stone. There had been no noise to herald Spitfire’s approach, the air around her wings moving with barely any effort on her part, cushioning her descent. The armored pegasus touched the ground beside the scientist, her eyes inspecting the soldiers.

Even though the camp was within the borders of the Empire’s weather anomaly, the temperature seemed to drop. Nopony averted their gaze, or visibly scowled, but movements became stiffer, more nervous. Everypony had heard the announcement of captain Spitfire’s fate.

Dr Stone looked over her glasses at the Wonderbolt captain just in time to catch a nearly imperceptible twitch in the corner of her mouth. She knew it for what it was, a grimace suppressed before it could reach the face.

Instead, Spitfire smiled sadly. “You have nothing to fear from me,” she said to the gathered soldiers. “The one life I had to take was a necessary sacrifice, but even that was not my choice. It was this mare’s heroism, and through it, my loyalty is now sealed in blood, bound to Equestria above all else.”

As she spoke, her smile disappeared, the tone of her voice getting harder and more soldier-like, more like captain Spitfire had been.

“By the life she sacrificed, I swear, I will not fail you.”

Dr Stone turned away from the machine, which had been humming softly for a while now, and seemed about finished with its task, and bowed her head to Spitfire. After a moment of hesitation, the officer raised his hoof, and saluted. A second later, his soldiers followed suit.

Dr Stone looked at Spitfire, just in time to see the corner of her mouth almost move, a smile hidden away before it could spoil the effect.

***

She had just finished her procedure on the unit, the last one on her list, when she saw Princess Luna walking towards her. She turned to greet her, bowing her head in deference.

Luna waited patiently for the surrounding ponies to finish saluting before walking forward, opening one wing to signal her retinue to stay behind.

“Doctor,” she said, “Please give me a full report.” The wing extended, indicating the tent.

Dr Stone nodded. “At once, your Majesty.” Pushing the last soldier’s shoulders to help him get out of the chair, she switched the device off, and then followed Luna into the tent, trotting to keep up with her long-legged sovereign.

As the two got inside, Luna closed the flaps of the tent over the entrance, her magic filling the tent with silver light, sealing it away from any attempts to spy on the conversation.

“So?” she asked, still in her studied, regal tone. “I can see all is prepared?”

“Yes,” said Dr Stone. “Once we activate the neural blocks, the soldiers will lose the capacity to understand speech until we end the effect. I take it the signalling system is ready?”

Luna nodded, “Everypony knows their roles. I am also working on a backup plan. We can only hope it will be enough to end this war in a single battle.”

Dr Stone raised an eyebrow. “You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

“What?” asked Luna.

“Playing the good princess,” said Dr Stone.

Luna puffed her cheeks in indignation. “I am not playing!”

“I know you,” said Dr Stone, “I have, for millennia. You don’t need to play in front of me.”

Luna squinted, her mouth a thin line. “And I have known you. I know the real you. So why do you keep playing Dr Stone in front of me? Does it make you feel more confident?”

Dr Stone clenched her jaw, not answering.

Luna extended her wing, and playfully patted her on the head. “I am just teasing,” she said with a smile. “Of course I enjoy being the good princess. And who says it is not the real me? I have been Luna for how long now?”

Dr Stone approached a cluttered table, took off her glasses, and started cleaning them with a piece of cloth. “You had been others before.”

Luna snorted. “We all have. Especially you. Remember that time you were a fair maiden, madly in love with Loyalty? Was that the real you, or just a role you lost yourself in?”

Dr Stone averted her gaze. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? It could never work anyway.”

Luna nodded sagely. “It never does for us.” She then cocked her head in thought. “What happened to him anyway?”

Dr stone shrugged. “I broke him. I thought I could make him forget his friends, but it was too much, and his mind went to pieces. Once I finished mourning his loss, the body was just meat on the lab table, a test subject like any other.”

Luna shifted uncomfortably. “What I was trying to say was… it is the same for me,” she continued. “These ponies adore me, and haven’t I always loved being adored? And if I am their beloved ruler, is it not my duty to go the extra mile for them? I do care about my subjects. I haven’t had a truly adoring audience since… I don’t even think those count, bunch of snobs. In hindsight, that whole millennium was a huge mistake.”

Dr Stone put the glasses back on her face. “What about Nightmare Moon? You seemed to enjoy that too.”

Luna scowled. “No. The premise itself? No. A legend spread by scared ponies, just because Gloria was too depressed to deny it in time? Making me the monster after I saved them all from Light’s madness? No, I didn’t enjoy that at all.”

The light around her dimmed, then disappeared, as her pattern ability shifted the energy inwards, surrounding the princess in a growing nimbus of darkness.

Luna flashed Dr Stone a predatory grin. “But I have long learned that we need to work with what we are given, and if we can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs, we might as well make it a game.”

Luna paused, her grin disappearing, and her darkness dispersing. “Speaking of breaking, I didn’t come here for idle talk. Remember the list of equipment you gave me? I’ve finished reading through it. There are some items that interest me...”

She summoned a thick file of papers in a flash of magic, then levitated it in front of Dr Stone, opening it at about half way through.

“...In particular, this one.”

Dr Stone looked at the page in surprise.”Dragonkiller bomb? This is interesting. How are you going to deploy it?”

Luna smirked. “It’s a secret. Let us see if I can save the day all by myself.”

Dr Stone rolled her eyes. “You just want to one-up Gloria, don’t you?”

Luna smiled wider. “I’ve already managed to become a princess. Might as well be the best princess.”

***

“... And that’s pretty much all,” finished Applejack dejectedly, before switching the megaphone off.

The army of ponies gathered in the square below erupted in a buzz of whispers.

Bling looked down over the railing, shaking his head. “This is not what they wanted to hear,” he said.

Applejack turned her head sharply. “That’s the truth! What else was I going to tell them?”

Obsidian, the third pony standing on the balcony of the palace, tapped his hoof on the crystal floor in frustration. “Nothing but the truth, I’m afraid. But that particular truth is very troublesome. Now they know that the masters of Equestria are monsters - they will no longer question the judgement of their ruler. But when it comes to battle, they will also know that Equestrian soldiers have been deceived. It is hard to put all your heart in a battle when the one you fight is a victim, rather than an enemy.”

“The Equestrians should have the same problem, shouldn’t they?” said Bling. “Unless the Shattered risk their cover story by brainwashing their whole army.”

“Even so, they might not hesitate as much,” said Obsidian. “In their eyes, they’re avenging their princess.”

“And ours are protecting their homes and families,” said Bling.

“So, the power of love versus the power of hate?” said Obsidian. “That might be interesting to watch.”

Applejack looked towards the horizon. “You sure there’s gonna be a battle today?” she said, swallowing nervously. ”This here barrier has been mighty solid for a good while now.”

“Of course,” said Obsidian and Bling together.

“The Crystal Heart might have protected the empire for thousands of years -” started Obsidian.

“But they wouldn’t make such a show of bringing an army to our doorstep if they didn’t have a plan for how to get in,” finished Bling.

Applejack sighed. “They’re fighting for Equestria,” she said. “The soldiers, I mean. I ain’t happy to have to fight good ponies.”

Obsidian tapped her on her withers, looking into her eyes when she turned. “Nopony in their right mind would be,” he said. “If it helps, think of the ponies you really want to protect. The ones most important to you. Where are they, out there, or in here?”

Applejack considered the question. “It’s not that simple. There’s lots of Apples still out there. Applebloom is still out there.”

“For what it’s worth,” said Bling, “we’ve taken steps to ensure the safety of your relatives within the city.”

Applejack gave him a surprised expression. “You have? They told me they wanted to fight.”

“I had to personally persuade some of them not to take part in the battle,” said Bling. “Your family are a brave, but stubborn lot.”

“But why?” asked Applejack. “I mean, I’m very grateful, and all, I don’t want any of them hurt. But I thought you needed every pony who could fight. You won’t be able to protect them if the battle is lost.”

“We do,” replied Bling, “and I’m aware of how capable some of your family are. But we can’t have you distracted. You will have enough to worry about even without your family in the field. And your power is worth more to us than any extra soldiers the Apples could provide us.”

Obsidian nodded. “It’s refreshing to finally have somepony pragmatic on the team.”

Applejack looked from one to the other, before turning towards the door. “I’ll go get ready.”

***

Rainbow Dash and Aurora were standing in the armory, picking through the armor and weapon stands in search of something Aurora could use.

Dash, already wearing a blue armor and helmet to replace those damaged in the last battle, looked at what she had left to choose from. Unlike her previous visit to the Empire, this time she seemed spoiled for choice; the glorified sports equipment that had filled the armory had now been replaced with proper arms and armor.

“You’re about my size,” said Dash, “so these should be good. What color do you want?”

Aurora looked at the stand, then went past Dash, and pointed at an armor from a different stand, lighter than what Dash had chosen.

“I think this one. Blue will look good on me, and I can fly faster with less metal.”

Dash looked at the stand again. “Huh, you’re right. I could wear that too. I can use my Element to protect myself in battle, so I don’t need that much armor. I can fly faster… this… way.”

Aurora turned her head, looking at Dash with concern. The pegasus was silent, staring into space.

“No… no, no… that’s not fair,” she whispered.

Aurora waved her wing in front of Dash’s eyes. “What’s the matter, Dash?”

Rainbow Dash spun around with a scream of frustration, kicking a nearby armor stand so hard it broke. She slowly turned, and looked Aurora in the eyes.

“The Wonderbolts,” she said, “They will be there.”

“Who are the Wonderbolts?” asked Aurora.

“The best flyers in all of Equestria,” said Dash. “I was supposed to join them. But if Luna is bringing her entire army here, the Wonderbolts will be there too! I will have to fight them! They will hate me!”

She slumped heavily onto the floor.

Aurora sat down opposite her. “We’ll have to go to battle no matter how we feel about it, but… how about I fight them instead?”

Dash looked up at her. “Will you? Then at least I won’t have… but you can’t beat them alone! You no longer have your magic!”

Aurora smiled mischievously. “Hey, don’t underestimate me! I may no longer be Loyalty, but I know my stuff! I was able to save all of my friends even before I got my Element, wasn’t I? If it comes to it, I’ll handle the Wonderbolts, You just worry about the Shattered.”

Rainbow Dash smirked despite herself. “How good are you at doing the impossible?”

Aurora grinned. “Pretty darn good.”

Rainbow Dash took a breath. “If… when we get through this, could you give me a couple of pointers on how to do that? I might need it.”

Aurora looked around the room, walked past the wing blades rack, and towards a collection of leg blades.

“I can do better. I can show you some now.”

***

"Thank you, mom," said Rarity, taking a sip of her tea.

She set the teacup on the kitchen table, and smiled. Her parents did too. A warm smile, meant to relax and encourage. So much like her own, practiced on countless customers who visited her boutique.

Three ponies kept smiling over the table, and none of them was fooled.

They’re trying to help, thought Rarity, but they’re both scared. They’re as worried, as I am.

“Mr… Glitterdust,” said Cookie Crumbles, “Is that the name? The commander here. He said we’re to relocate. Normally, this close to the palace is the safest place to be, but somepony in the command decided that if there really is a battle, this place might get hit.”

“Oh?” asked Rarity, “Where are they moving you?”

“Underground,” answered Hondo. “There are old crystal mines underneath the Empire. This is where all the crystals used to come from before they learned how to grow them with their magic. We’ll be moved there until the battle is over, along with your friends’ families, and some important ponies from here.”

Rarity sighed in relief. “I’m so glad. Now I won’t have to worry about your safety during the fight.”

She finished her tea, and went around the table, hugging first her mother, and then her father.

“Stay warm and safe,” she said. “It’s time I went to prepare myself.” She chuckled nervously. “Everypony will be looking at me after all.”
She was about to go out the door when she felt a hoof brush against her back.

“Honey…” started Cookie Crumbles, causing Rarity to turn around and face her. “What happened to Sweetie, wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know what would happen. Nopony knew.”

Rarity hugged her again, stronger. “I will find her, I promise.”

She then went out the door.

As she got into the corridor, Rarity turned at the sound of multiple hooves. Pinkie Pie was walking past, her parents and two sisters behind her, two crystal pony guards acting as guides. All the family members except Pinkie had saddle bags, as if packed for the road.

“You’re only hiding until the battle is over,” said Rarity. “Why are you all packed?”

The father opened his mouth to reply, but one of Pinkie’s sisters was faster. “Well, last time we had to run, we didn’t have the time to take anything but the coats on our backs. So this time, we’re prepared, just in case.”

Rarity looked at the bags. “But if you didn’t take anything…”

“These have been supplied from our reserves,” explained one of the guards. “They insisted.”

“I’ll just go with them, and then meet you at the palace,” said Pinkie Pie, leading the others away.

Goodness, thought Rarity, she’s still so chipper. How does she do that? Well, the Element of Laughter probably…

She looked towards the last door along the corridor. She knew Fluttershy was there with her family - a trio of pastel pegasi, who made her look assertive by comparison.

As the Pie family walked away, Rarity leaned against the blue crystal wall, and sighed. Suddenly she felt very tired.

“What if I fail?” she whispered to herself. “I said I would find Sweetie, but what if Obsidian is right? What if I’m not good enough? I did fail that stupid test of his. And not just fail. It was a disaster from start to finish.”

She started walking towards the exit, dragging her legs. “What should I do? Is there any way I could be more generous? But I have literally nothing left… I don’t think anypony here would need tail hair…”

There was a creek of a door opening. Rarity looked behind her, and saw Fluttershy entering the corridor.

“Rarity?”

Rarity was preoccupied, but her sense of aesthetics had been honed to the point where she used it without thinking. There was something wrong with the image in front of her.

Just like Rarity, Fluttershy wasn’t wearing her armor, just the Element gorget around her neck. The coat was in order, the face… Yes, realised Rarity, the eyes are slightly pink. Has she been crying?

Rarity walked up to her friend, her own worries forgotten for the moment. “Darling, what has happened to you?”

Fluttershy fidgeted her hooves nervously. “Nothing… please don’t worry about me. Everything is okay, really, you have more important things on your head right now…”

“I know you too well for that,” said Rarity, “Please tell me, what is troubling you.”

Fluttershy looked aside for a way out, but found that Rarity was standing directly between her and the exit. She wasn’t asking repeatedly, or pushing into Fluttershy’s personal space, just waiting patiently for her to speak.

Finally, Fluttershy swallowed and met Rarity’s eyes.

“It’s just… this whole war is a terrible mistake! It will be good ponies fighting and hurting good ponies! And I will have to take part in it.”

“But… your power is stopping ponies from hurting each other,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy flapped her wings in frustration. “I know that. But it didn’t help much last time, did it?”

“Well,” said Rarity, “I will be there helping you, okay? My power is giving more power to other ponies, and Dash’s is to inspire. We’ll both help you save as many ponies as we can.”

She looked towards the doorway where Pinkie’s family had disappeared. “I think it’s time we put our armor on. Come, I’ll help you.”

She started walking towards the exit. Fluttershy followed.

Both mares left the building, and went towards the palace. The world was still a dark and scary place, but now there was a task at hoof to focus on.

***

Shining Armor was standing between the houses overlooking the approach to the city, soldiers swarming around them, preparing defensive positions as the civilians hastily evacuated. A group or army engineers had planted a line of crystals just outside of the houses; the crystals grew within minutes, forming a spiky rampart. Archers were setting up ice bows on the roofs, while the few pegasi serving in the army kept watch from the sky, looking for any enemies seeking to approach the barrier from a different direction.

Shining levitated a pair of binoculars, trying to see the details of the enemy camp. The invaders had taken the train station, swooping in faster than any defence could be mounted. This was a predictable loss, as Shining hadn’t expected to be able to hold it anyway, nor was he willing to sacrifice lives to try to.

But not being able to deny the enemy a spot to land on was really painful tactically - the army now camping outside the barrier was easily twice the numbers of the defenders.

Everything will be decided here, thought Shining Armor. It all depends on what their plan is for getting in, and how many soldiers they can get past the barrier.

There was a flash of light, and Twilight Sparkle appeared beside her brother. “Mom and dad are safe,” she said. “How are we doing?”

Without word, Shining handed her the binoculars. She looked towards the Equestrian army.

“There’s so many of them,” she finally said.

“Yes,” replied Shining Armor. “We must not break and engage them in the open field. Whatever their plan is, this is where we need to stop them. The rest is up to you and your friends. If you can beat the Shattered with the Elements, then the size of their army won’t matter.”

“Obsidian says they’re unlikely to give us a clear shot,” said Twilight. “And apart from Luna, we have no idea what the rest of them could look like now. They might be hiding among the ranks of their soldiers to get us by surprise.”

“Could you use the Amaranthine to find out?” asked Shining.

“Too late for that now,” replied Twilight.

“So, we need to focus on the army, and then switch to the Shattered the moment they reveal themselves,” said Shining, “They will be aiming for you, me, Cadence, or the Heart.”

“That’s a lot to protect at once,” said Twilight.

“Well, I’m here with you,” said Shining, “and Cadence will be near the Heart. With its power fully charged, this is where the Shattered will be at their weakest, the reverse of what Celestia did to you.”

A group of soldiers approached their position, Glitterdust at the forefront.
“Report,” said Shining Armor.

“We’ve finished preparing the palace defences,” said Glitterdust, “Bling will hold it if anything happens.”

“What about the civilians?” asked Shining.

“The evacuation is almost finished,” replied Glitterdust. “Also, the families of the Elements have all been brought to safety. The Elements themselves will join you soon.”

“As it should be,” replied Shining Armor. “Take position at point A4.”

As Glitterdust saluted and walked away, Shining turned to look at his sister. “You know, Twily, I don’t remember ever seeing you looking so determined.”

Twilight handed the binoculars back to him, and once more checked if all the pieces of her new armor were in order. “I have to be,” she said. “It’s not just some test I could re-take if I fail. The Equestrian army might be against me, but still, the fate of Equestria depends on me.”

***

Bluebonnet entered the mobile lab tent, and dropped her bags on the ground. Agent Pierce followed after her, with three expressionless lab assistants completing the group, everypony freeing themselves from their respective burdens.

Bluebonnet looked around. “You go back and make sure they don’t damage the emitter while unloading,” she said to the assistants.

The three earth ponies left without a word. Bluebonnet saw Pierce shudder as they passed him; he obviously wasn’t comfortable with Dr Stone’s “assistants”, artificial constructs she sometimes brought to a semblance of life for big projects. They moved, they breathed, they obeyed orders to the letter, and could even emulate emotions when prompted. But both Bluebonnet and Pierce had seen enough of them to know they lacked real life - they were marvels of science, but ones devoid of souls, puppets little better than the animated armors guarding the lab. It was no surprise that they creeped Pierce out,

“Do you have the package?” she asked him.

Pierce checked the bags he had brought, digging into them for a moment before retrieving a square metal box. He put it on one of the tables, and Bluebonnet opened it briefly, exposing the round, dull object inside.

“What is it?” asked Pierce.

“A prototype weapon,” answered Bluebonnet. “Back when we started building pattern generators, and were looking for a way to weaponize them, we couldn’t get a big charge like we do today, but we figured we had enough to temporarily imbue objects. This weapon is an explosive built around a simple pattern generator. It only works once, creating a burst of pattern-charged payload, capable of penetrating magical defences, and hurting creatures who rely on internal magic for their durability. Apparently princess Luna showed interest, and had it delivered here. She must think the emitter we have brought might not be enough for our task.”

She walked through the tent with a bag in her teeth, set it on another table, and dug into its contents, finally retrieving a tangle of straps and metal clamps. “Help me put this on, please,” she said.

Pierce looked quizzically at the straps. “Is that a weapon harness?” he asked. “But you’re not supposed to fight.”

“The emitter will be the core of our plan,” replied Bluebonnet, “We can expect it to come under attack.”

“Yes,” answered Pierce. “And that’s what we have Luna for. And me. You’re not combat personnel. It is my job to keep you safe, and it will be much easier for me if you don’t purposefully put yourself in harm’s way.”

“We’re all in harm’s way,” said Bluebonnet. “Do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

She went to the bags left by her assistants, and retrieved a large, rectangular box. When she opened it, Pierce’s eyes went wide.

“Is that…”

“Yes,” said Bluebonnet. She grabbed the straps with her teeth and started pulling the harness over her lab coat. Pierce stared on.

“You fixed it? But why?”

“To learn what had gone wrong,” answered Bluebonnet. She was looking down at the pattern gun in front of her, purposefully avoiding Pierce’s gaze.

“And… what did you learn?” he finally asked.

“I found that some parts didn’t belong there,” answered Bluebonnet. “The generator had been rewired to purposefully overcharge it. This increased the power of the shot, but it had been strained even before that. There was no way it wouldn’t blow up.”

“So, you think-”

“”There were only three ponies in the whole world who knew how to do it,” said Bluebonnet, “and only one who might have had a reason.”

“Bluebonnet-” started Pierce.

Bluebonnet turned to him with angry eyes. “Doctor Bluebonnet.”

“Doctor,” he continued, “We’ve had enough ponies taking rash actions recently, and using this…”

“It’s safe,” interrupted Bluebonnet. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve reduced the power, and added a piece of plating to direct the blast away from me if anything does happen. It’s not perfect, but it will do until the version with pre-charged batteries is ready. Now, if you aren’t going to help, kindly keep watch of the tent from the outside. I have work to do, and don’t wish to be disturbed.”

“At least do wear some armor,” grumbled Pierce, defeated.

***

Scootaloo skulked on top of a slanted roof. She had been lucky to find a spot she could actually climb to, just as a guard escorting her got distracted.

She looked up, searching for a route she could take to sneak in the direction of the train station. There were some male voices shouting her name in the distance, but she paid them no heed.

“No way am I missing that.”

Author's Note:

So, there you have it, another "silence before the storm" chapter.

And what a storm it promises to be.

As always, please leave a comment. Tell me what you think.