Chapter 29: Leo
Jamie had seen plenty of Perspective Entertainment in her idle time aboard Persephone, watching as brave heroes fought off dozens of opponents with makeshift tools and their wits one moment while inventing incredible devices or negotiating treaties the next. But putting on a VR headset and watching trained actors perform the stunts was one thing—doing any of it herself was another.
There were no daring escapes as they led her from the Zapapple. Maybe if she’d been able to fly, she might’ve tried something while still close to Hollow Shades. Even if she could somehow kill everyone around her and blast through a wall, it would just be into the arms of Twilight’s evil empire. The princess herself was through that wall, waiting for her.
It wasn’t just the general and his marines leaving the ship, either. Several of the bugs were joining them for the trip, including Basal. She followed at the very back, and avoided Jamie’s eyes whenever she looked at her.
“I suggest an increased level of politeness when you’re with the princess,” Pike said, as they descended a spiraling ramp through the bowels of his ship. “Her time is precious, and she has little patience for those who would distract her from Harmony.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, wings spreading involuntarily in her exasperation. “I was sent for this. Just… maybe didn’t expect the kidnapping in the middle there.”
They passed through a metal door near the prow, out onto an extended platform without handrails. On either side was a drop down to nothing. What was worse, the wind caught her wings almost instantly, threatening to tear her right off into the void. Pike had to catch her, pressing on her with that strange force ponies called magic. She assumed it was him, anyway—he was the one glowing.
“Forgive me, I should’ve warned you that there would be wind. Concord is traveling at speed, and even within the shell the air is always somewhat disturbed until we slow again.”
She opened her mouth to say something snide, the rudest thing she could think of. But the words dissolved, as she got her first look at the one who had created this world of misery and suffering.
She was the tallest creature Jamie had seen in her new body, except for Ferris. Even then, she probably would’ve been nearly as tall, and several times heavier. Princess Twilight Sparkle didn’t wear a multilayered dress covered in enchantments, or much of anything for that matter. She had purple metal shoes, and a circlet of dark purple perched on her head. Both glowed slightly, as though they were being moved by a unicorn. Or… more likely, they contained some other magic, which Jamie couldn’t easily understand.
The princess watched them approach with a single sharp eye, which cut straight through the general and his marines to Jamie. She hardly seemed to blink, watching without the slightest distraction. More like Epsilon than any living creature Jamie knew.
“Princess.” Pike stopped them just before her, dropping into a low bow. At once every other creature in their group was imitating him, many bowing even lower. Jamie was caught off-guard, and only managed a slight inclination of her head before the others were already standing. “I have done all things as you ordered. Hollow Shades has been occupied, and we will soon dismantle any resistance there. It was likely already done in the time since—”
Twilight’s horn glowed faintly for a moment, and Pike fell silent. Twilight stepped around him, apparently uninterested in whatever else he had to say about Hollow Shades. Does she not even care about the ponies they’re killing? Maybe it was her idea to begin with. “That will do, General Pike. Prepare your crew for debriefing and compose a full report. I require nothing further from you at this time.”
He saluted sharply. “At once, Princess.” Then he gestured, and his group parted around Jamie like she was the rock at the center of a river. Even the bugs, which cowered before Twilight and never looked in her direction. In moments they left her alone, standing at the base of a steel ramp over a terrifying drop, with the wind constantly pushing her slightly to one side. And right in front of her was the princess who ruled the world—the one who tortured and enslaved and wrote a maze of confusing laws. The one who would murder Jamie.
Twilight extended a hoof to her. “Welcome to Concord. I think you’re going to enjoy your time here.” Her accent was strange, even compared to the creatures she had been living with for the last month. Sometimes Shy had sounded a little like this, though only when she was reminiscing. “I’m told you call yourself Empathy. That sounds like a pony name though, and wouldn’t be a good fit for you. It would be better if we can begin our relationship with honesty.”
She twisted slightly, offering a hoof. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. Everypony else calls me Regent or Princess, but you can forget about the formalities. It’s wrong for Alicorns to lean too much on pomp and circumstance.”
What’s your game? Jamie almost backed away, or maybe just gave her the same name over again. But this wasn’t a being she could resist too strongly. If Twilight wanted to end this, she could. Maybe if I cooperate, she won’t hurt me. “Jamie,” she answered. “Empathy was the name of my… position.”
“Jamie.” The princess let go of her hoof quickly—the gesture really didn’t make much sense for horses anyway. She turned away from the ramp, looking thoughtful. “That’s a very old name. Well, we can get to the complex business of discussing your purpose here in Equestria another time. I have an urgent appointment in an hour, and a long trip to make to get there. But… before that, I would like to introduce you to where you’ll be staying for the duration.” She pointed with a wing, right behind them. Jamie didn’t have to look very far.
It was a castle, built of the same structural crystal that spiked through this atmospheric platform at various points. It was nothing like the Hall of Justice in Hollow Shades—this palace was built far more for beauty and luxury than defensibility.
Twilight smiled, reaching out to gently push her mouth closed with a hoof. “I suppose you’ve never lived anywhere quite like the Concord Castle before. There’s no shame in that—I hadn’t either, until I had it built. Even my predecessors never… fully explored what magic could offer ponies who master it.” She stepped to the side, nodding towards a trail of bright gold leading to the palace steps. “After you, Jamie. I think you’ll find the trip enlightening.”
Are you going to kill me in there? Jamie didn’t argue, though her steps weren’t rapid. She was in no hurry to get where Twilight wanted them. The docks themselves were deserted near this mooring, but at all the others…
This was a military dock, packed with the Unification Army’s finest. These wore polished boots and dress uniforms, instead of the practical armor and olive drab of the ones who massacred innocent people. They all had heavy packs of gear, all moved like robots…
Jamie sped up, eager to get away from the dock as fast as her hooves could carry her. She had the dignity not to sprint away, but only barely. “So, uh… your city here, Concord. Are you using a gravity refractor?”
Twilight’s eyebrows went up, though her expression was otherwise so neutral that Jamie couldn’t have said if she was furious with her or impressed with her insight. “Concord uses lift crystals, the same as most airships only… larger, obviously. It’s the single largest thaumic storage and processing medium ever constructed. Maybe we’ll have time to visit in the next few weeks.”
Weeks. But did she say that to trick her into compliance, or did it really mean… “I’m sorry Twilight Sparkle, I’m not a very good emissary. I didn’t even give you my formal greeting from Persephone. The creatures there—”
The Alicorn rounded on her in an instant, horn glowing faintly. None of these robotic soldiers seemed to even see them, keeping their distance. Twilight’s act of neutrality was gone in a flash. “I asked for honesty, Jamie. You can’t have any relationship without a foundation of trust. Nopony on Persephone is sending anypony anywhere, seeing as they’re all corpses. I personally lobotomized the supervising computer, so I know it didn’t send you. Would you like to try again?”
Star Orchid had stood on half a dozen Equestrian naval ships before—working as the princess’s personal advisor meant plenty of interaction with her military, something that she kept as far away as possible from ordinary citizens. Even with a lifetime in the civil service, she’d only stood near the core of an airship once—though even that had only been a little personnel carrier.
Now she had unfettered access, without a single Unification Army soldier to get in her way.
Apparently it was the same way for the humans who had taken this ship, because they sounded almost giddy with excitement as they called back and forth to each other. Several ranged about the room rounding up the engineers, bringing them to stand in a group near the center of the deck. Landon had something even Star could guess was a camera, taking pictures of anything that looked technical.
Captain Kondrak was the only one whose attention was elsewhere—he crouched beside the fallen soldier, his own helmet off and working skillfully with his medkit.
Star approached slowly, not wanting to interfere. After working with Discord, she realized she’d seen those tools before. “That’s an auto-suture,” she muttered. “Discord has Devourer medicine?”
Kondrak didn’t look away from his patient. With the armored breastplate removed, the deep gash cut straight through uniform and flesh beneath. Kondrak had already cut away the clothing, and patiently sealed the torn flesh with the quietly humming auto-suture.
“Discord is super dead,” the soldier said. He leaned up against a bulkhead, clutching a length of metal to keep from moving. The steel bar twisted slightly under his grip, the way it might for an earth pony who was having trouble sitting still. “If we still had him, you really think we’d have people out here doing this ourselves? We’d sleep this nightmare away, and wake up with our world back.”
“That was partly the problem,” Kondrak said. He glanced to the side, fishing through his medical bag while he used his other to keep the patient still. “Pony, do you mind, uh… I need the Pharmablue coagulant.”
She levitated it out of the bag for him. Kondrak caught it in his free hand, eyes widening. “Looks like our guest is lucky.”
“Just had lots of practice with rapid memorization,” she countered, settling down beside the medkit. This kind of field medicine might’ve been horrifying for her, except Discord had done so much worse. In a purely physical sense, it had looked like he was killing two patients, instead of only saving one. “Princess never really gave me much time to learn things. I had to remember everything she ever said, and be able to recite it back to her without the slightest mistake. If I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t last a week. I’m more interested in why a captain would be a healer. Those are separate professions for ponies.”
Kondrak chuckled, twisting off the cap of the vial and sliding it into place in the side of the auto-suture. It chimed cheerfully, and he went back to work. “I’m the captain of the Hippocrates—she isn’t a warship, like this vessel. She’s a Saint class, designed to place a field hospital on any platform within 24-hours. That she survived when the others…” He looked away, back to his patient. “Later, Star Orchid. When our situation is less urgent. I’ll leave you with the assurance that I have served far longer in hospitals than at the helm of starships. Marlay here is in capable hands.”
She left him to his work, though what Marlay said still lingered. He’d known the name of Discord, and apparently believed that he was dead. His magic is. Maybe that’s what he means?
She walked back to where a half-dozen royal technicians had been herded, tucked up against the wall without any controls within reach. As usual for the royal technicians, they were completely silent, though mares and stallions alike were utterly terrified. I would be too, if dead monsters from the ancient past took my ship and destroyed my life’s work.
If this ship had a living captain, Star had no doubt they would’ve been forced to join the Unification Army in penance for their failure. But it wasn’t the royal technicians’ fault they’d lost, was it? It’s my fault. But if the princess ever finds out about that… Would she have something worse than an assassin hunting her after this? If Geist was still here, if he’d seen the fall of the Harrow, then he would certainly know she was the one responsible for Harrow’s loss. Who else could lead the enemy directly to its heart?
And now they know how all our ships work. Even if the ones near Concord won’t be able to stop the whole army they command. They’ll still know.
Her eyes fell on the fallen Unification Army soldier, the only they’d seen past the barricade. Was it her imagination, or had she slid a little closer to the ruined core?
Star slowed as she passed the royal technicians, more than a little curious about what these engineers might know. Maybe there were some old childhood friends in their number, their secrets forever silenced. “Don’t bother trying to get them to talk,” she said to the human soldiers, speaking confidently as she passed. “They can’t, they don’t have tongues.”
“Excuse me, what?” Landon blocked her path, expression indignant. “You’re shitting me. You’re telling me the Rogue is butchering her own crews? That’s ridiculous.”
“You.” She pointed towards the nearest pony, a soft pink stallion with a vibrantly rose mane. “Show them.” When the royal technician didn’t seem cooperative, she lit up her horn, glaring. “You’ll be happier if they know you can’t talk. Do you want to get left alone, or interrogated?”
A nearby mare shoved him aside, opening her mouth wide for Landon to see. Star didn’t look away in time to avoid seeing the old wound, still seeming swollen and unnatural despite probably decades of time to mend.
“We’ll have to do something about that,” Landon said, deflating. “And those scars on your necks… damn. Captain should be able help you once we have you aboard the Hippocrates. Listen closely all of you—I fucking hate shooting civvies, but I’ll do it if I think you’re trying to take us down. We’re marching the lot of you out of here. If you try to run…”
Star left her behind. There was nothing more for her to contribute at this point. Though from the way Landon said it, it sounded less like they were going to try to get them to write their answers and more like they planned on giving them back their voices?
She never would’ve believed it was possible, except that she’d seen what Discord could accomplish. If the Iron Lord survived his operation, then she had no doubt they could return a mute pony their speech.
The fallen soldier slid along the floor, a little closer to the magical core. What had Twilight called it, a pseudo-phylactery?
Even that, Star was certain she wasn’t supposed to hear. Maybe Twilight thought her advisor would be taking all her secrets to the grave. Given how long they lasted, most of them probably did.
“Five minutes until we move!” Kondrak called. “I almost have Marlay here stable. Nobody ask if we can keep the ship—she’s already spoken for.”
Star continued to where the pony had fallen, nudging her with the edge of a hoof. None of the human soldiers were close, maybe she should’ve been afraid. But there was nothing to be afraid of, right? The Unification Army relied on Harmony’s light to keep them fighting. Without it…
The pony moaned, withdrawing slightly from the pressure. The movement was so subtle she almost could’ve dismissed it as some drop of reflexive magic left in the pony’s body. But that wasn’t possible.
Star focused her magic, pushing the pony sideways so she could get a better look at her face. Her expression was still twisted into terror—and her eyes were still moving.
“Oh Harmony.” She retreated, gasping and breathing heavily. “You’re supposed to be dead. Without the phylactery… why aren’t you dead?”
The pony only twitched, one leg spasming slightly. Was she trying to reach for Star Orchid? She didn’t have a weapon, not even a knife—but she was a unicorn. Star couldn’t underestimate the threat she posed.
There was one way to investigate—one she never would’ve considered back on Concord. Touching a soldier’s gear was one of the things that meant instant execution even for the members of important families in the Magic district. But she’d already betrayed everything Twilight stood for. She could hardly be more dead.
Star gripped the edge of the fabric, pulling gently. This was no vault, just resealable Velcro meant to keep the contents safe from dust and casual observation.
The pony was almost dead, a thin film of preservative solution dribbling from her lips. But she didn’t fight.
Inside was a curved metal shell, shaped to match the saddlebags but protect the delicate contents from accidental or deliberate destruction. There was no lock though, just a simple unicorn-knob. The mechanism was indicated only by a horn icon set into the metal, which meant it had to be twisted from within, using levitation. It clicked, and the top popped out suddenly enough that she jumped away in surprise.
Within the protective metal cage was a little bank of thaumic crystals, so dim they were almost dead. There was also a reservoir of preservative, about a liter’s worth. And connected to them both, protected by metal ribs, was a heart, deep red and sealed in glass.
It twitched as she watched, almost making her turn and run all over again. She clutched her chest, but didn’t run.
Are you all really this complicated? She’d expected a simple bellows, maybe a thaumic battery to work them. This heart, with living red flesh instead of corpse-yellow… how?
“P-ple… p…” the pony coughed. With the bag open, Star saw her heart beat again, and the thaumic crystals dim still further.
“You’re… an older model,” she said. “Or maybe you aren’t quite the same as the others. What makes you different?”
Her head turned towards the satchel, as though whatever she had to do was inside.
This is incredibly stupid, Star thought. There was no way it didn’t end badly. But if she walked away, those spells were going to die.
You’ve suffered as much as anyone under Equestria’s rule.
“You try anything, and I’ll…” She brandished the human weapon in her magic, shaking it threateningly. Then she focused her magic on the thaumic crystals, and hit them with all the power she could muster.
It might’ve been harder for her if she hadn’t made charging simple spells her job for weeks during this undercover mission. Even so, the drain on her magic was staggering. The gun dropped right out of the air as her ability to levitate was momentarily suppressed, and the spell took every drop of magic she had.
She severed the connection, but even so she dropped limply to the ground, breathing heavily. Probably shouldn’t have done that right before we run from this place.
Her effort wasn’t wasted, at least. The crystals were glowing now, solid blue to match her magic. The strangely preserved heart began to beat, and the pony looked up. “Mind… clearer,” she whispered. “What is… assigned… confused.”
“On your feet, everyone!” Landon called. “Moving out, nice and easy! Nobody runs, nobody else gets shot.” She was gathered along the float core with a few other humans, adding little yellow boxes hidden among the structural links. Star could guess what those were for, even without a word spoken between them.
“I need some help over here!” she called, glancing back towards Kondrak. If she had left the pony to die, they could’ve left without much worry. Now, though…
The captain appeared moments later, his helmet back on and medical bag over his shoulder. At least the glass was clear as he spoke. “This one is… still moving,” he observed. “Why?” Something flashed over his eyes, and she caught a tiny reflection stretched and distorted. Was he somehow… seeing outside the ship again? “The others are still inert.”
“Human…” the pony muttered, seeming suddenly alert. “What are you doing outside the reservation?”
“Taking you prisoner,” he said, drawing his handgun in a single gesture and aiming at her head in the same smooth motion. “Please, join the others.”
I shouldn’t have helped her. Star followed behind the captain, watching the Unification solder seal her satchel and rejoin the others. As exhausted as the drain was on Star’s magic, it probably wouldn’t last more than a day or two. There was a reason the Army never left the phenomenal power of Concord’s core.
I probably can’t make things worse. I’m already a traitor.
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the reservation?
Well now. Looks like we'll be getting a lot of answers soon enough. Twilight has a captive audience and Star's inadvertently revived a relic of the deep past. This will get very interesting soon enough.
Womp. I feel like it's going to take a while for Jamie to be able to talk again. She didn't exactly have a way of knowing that, but I think she might still resist telling Twilight where the bunker is. Everything about Epsilon though, she'll probably be honest.
10243432
I thought the first and only thing a Liberation Army soldier would do after regaining free will would be to scream "AAAAARGGH...PLEASE KILL ME!"
Then Epsilon and Twilight kissed.
More questions. Hopefully we'll get answers soon.
I can't imagine the stress of attempting to achieve something through lies only to be called out on it before you can speak your first sentence.
And so it appears Twilight confirms one of her theories. She must be very ecstatic at the fact there is a somewhat real alicorn and not a changeling impostor before her.
Given how it's practically confirmed that the empire's tech is refined dark tech, I really wonder which is it? Either Twilight was incredibly insulted by the comparison or genuinely surprised that Jamie saw the machine past the magic. Very few if any ponies know the truth.
Weeks... I don't know whether Twilight is being dramatic and foreshadowing a series of painful torture-and-interrogation sessions or whether she's actually genuine and plans to use the young alicorn for the empire.
There's an impossible alicorn with a human name claiming to be sent by a bunch of dead people. Standing. Right. There.
I'm betting Twilight hasn't been so curious in centuries. But what is the end goal? Is Jamie the ultimate source of intel to wipe out humanity? Is she the miracle alicorn to be groomed as an actual successor, her human origins done away with by historical revisionism? Or is Jamie the last best hope for Twilight to understand the alicorn ascension process so that she can produce a native heir?
I'm guessing Star would have been a stellar servant (perhaps a princess) if it wasn't for well... all of this.
She... isn't a zombie is she?
And things just got even more complicated. We'll need more context to understand.
10243441
Either that or she'll attempt escape. Worse case is that if she can't escape she'll seriously consider Epsilon's "suggestion". There's already a lot of guilt she's placed on herself for all those that died as a result of Epsilon's plan. She has nothing to lose at this point. Nothing to gain by speaking to Twilight. She knows she's found out. As far as she knows, she's already dead. Only thing to do is resist. Preferably after the Princess leaves for her appointment. Just have to find an answer that'll won't give too much away but still satisfies her.
So many questions stirred up from this chapter... all the more excited for answers
So the orange-maned ex-pony is a unicorn? Well there goes the idea of being one of Twilight's old friends.
Oohh boy, lore is coming!
I can't wait!
Actually that she is from Persephone is not a lie, Twilight just isn't getting the time frame correct. If she said that it was however many thousands of years ago, it could help her alicorn status in her eyes, as well as proving she didn't lie. She could even say that she didn't know where her most recently location was, that it was kept secret from her at this time for the reason of: You can't spill what you don't know.
Twilight in this fascinates me. I hope she doesn't turn out to just be evil for evil's sake. I've delt with a serious before with a intriguing sadistic celestia...that turned out to be just a evil half/seperate possessing entity removed via the mirror pool
10243689
I really like the idea that magic is a specialized/refined form of human "darktech" and she's dollied up the idea of pony magic to give ponykind a stronger sense of separation from their originators.
10243441
Intresting her choice of words. She says "lobotomized". She didn't destroy it. Is she using it?
10244063
Pretty sure she's not evil for being evil. She's twisted over time after losing her closest friends, her brother, parents, etc. She's a neurotic person, everything has to be perfect or she feels like she has no control. If she had to go through a ton of traumatic stuff, lose her closest friends, family, mentor/etc she'd very easily become a "ends justify the means" kind of person.
Young Twilight would never consider harming something, she was actually shocked by what she was trying to do to Tirek in the show. So she's just experienced a lot of stuff and it's worn the goodness in her away and twisted it into something that mimics what was good, but is actually bad.
10244559
I have already compared her with Red Son Superman: Twilight no longer sees ponies and other creatures as friends in need of help and guidance, but as tools which need to be fixed, modified and replaced for optimal efficience.
10243816
It could possibly be Sunset Shimmer, which would give interesting implications about the EQGverse.
10243964
Only thing is... Persephone was an enemy faction of Devourers. Twilight would not accept an alicorn from there. Regardless whether she believes her own narrative or not.
If Twilight believes in her own religion, why would Harmony create an alicorn in such an evil place?
If Twilight accepts her human origins, why would she believe Jamie isn't an agent of Central that'll attempt to kill everypony later on?
Maybe Jamie is useful, maybe she'll give important insight to creating new alicorns, but there's probably no way Twilight can ever see the girl as a "true" alicorn and equal. Especially with that name. An incredibly human one.
10245532
It would just assume that she was from a time when there were ponies working under the yoke of their human masters -- when ponies were the teraformers. The only question that would raise was, where was she all this time? Again she could tell the truth that she was frozen all this time, and the system had a heck of a time reviving her. She can also out epsilon. She can rightfully call it an enemy that she escaped from, or she can call it a misguided ai that she has a tenuous bargain with priced out as a cost of revival when she was at its mercy. Epsilon is building its base whether Twilight wants it or not, it doesn't need a piece of paper with Twi's signature on it, even though Jamie could say that was something it was seeking which would also be the truth.
Jamie has a LOT of tools that she can use without lying at all. Things that are true from multiple points of view. Given partial information Twilight will be inclined to leap in the right directions.
10245678
Given the sort of experience Twilight has extracting information, Jamie would certainly do well withholding information rather than outright lying. Jamie probably wouldn't consider outing Epsilon. The mentioning of an active AI will bring Twilight one step closer to killing all those people in the bunker. That would destroy Jamie. Not to mention Twilight saying that Jamie's pony name wouldn't be a good fit and wished for honesty. It's quite clear Twilight knows Jamie was never a "real" pony.
Hopefully, Twilight doesn't press Jamie too hard especially with that important appointment coming up. A non-answer might be more acceptable than a lie for now. But as soon as Twilight goes away, Jamie has to attempt an escape. There is literally nothing to gain and everything to lose staying a "guest" in Concord. I wouldn't advocate for Epsilon's plan but given the number of fates worse than death that one could have in the empire, it might be a good idea to not get taken alive.
That being said, the method of escape can be as simple as jumping off a ledge when no one is looking. Or maybe even when they are. It doesn't matter at this point. Doubt anyone but the princess can really stop her non-lethally and gliding should be easy enough for Jamie. The naturally high wind speeds should help give her distance as well. She'll just have to hit the ground running.
Things just keep building up! Xp
Jamie is up a creek without a paddle.
Make that an entire river system.
Yeah, she's doomed.
That's an interesting response.
That is an amazingly helpful resource to have for this fight.
Giving all these butchered technicians back their tongues would be a really good way to start building goodwill. I suppose it's going to come down to a question of how deep they are in the cult and if any are willing to leave.
Oh my god, this one is alive. And if she's alive, is the rest of the Unification Army still alive? And are they still conscious in there? This just gets more and more monstrous.
The reservation?