Chapter 13 - And You Thought it was Over
Flurry could hear something at the edge of her perception calling to her. Muffled blurs of sight and sound taunted her cold and numb body, every sensation so distant it felt like she was watching from the afterlife.
She was lying on her back as far as she could tell, her wings splayed out against cold metal.
The vague outline of a pony appeared in her vision, nearly lost in the blinking lights casting bloody shadows over them.
“What’s going on? What happened to you?” a voice demanded.
It was a mare’s voice, familiar somehow. Where had she heard it before? It was somepony important, but she couldn’t remember. The voice was full of confusion and fear, but why?
“Damn it, Flurry, snap out of it!”
Something hard struck her face, jostling her out of her daze. The world of sound fell back into sharp, painful focus, though the blurry colored shapes refused to behave. Flurry fought for clarity as her mind began to catch back up with her body.
Her muscles convulsed as she drew a ragged breath into shrivelled lungs. Pain blossomed across her chest, her heart pounding so hard she felt it was about to escape her ribcage. She clamped her eyes shut out of instinct, rolled onto her side, and retched, her whole body quivering from the effort to take each breath.
“Oh, thank the Winds!” the mare said with a relieved sigh. “That’s it, just one breath at a time.”
Every time Flurry exhaled, it set off another bout of wet, gurgling coughs. Her throat felt like she had swallowed a hive of bees wrapped in sandpaper. After a long fit of coughing, she finally managed to calm down enough to stop being a convulsing mess.
On top of that, her eyes itched like crazy, and she grimaced as she tried to open them again. Everything was still a disorientating blur, but with each painful blink, the world gained a little more focus.
Swan Song was sitting on her haunches beside her, a hoof gently stroking Flurry’s back. The mare’s eyes were wide, her ears pinned, though a look of relief fell onto her face. She was still wearing the air bubble collar, which was draped over her neck, a faint shimmer over her head showing it was still engaged.
Flurry managed a weak smile.
“Hey… Swan,” she croaked, immediately regretting it as each word caused pain to shoot up her throat.
“Try not to talk,” Swan replied, reaching for a small pouch at her waist and drawing out a survival hydration pack. “Here, drink this.”
A straw was thrust into Flurry’s face, and she gingerly grasped it in her mouth. Her lips were cracked and split, fresh pain blooming across her face as she held the straw. It took extraordinary effort to take the first sip, her battered insides straining from the effort. The water felt so good going down, she wanted to gulp it all at once.
“Take it slow,” Swan said gently.
For a short while, silence reigned. Flurry slowly drank while Swan held the pack in place. Her cheek throbbed for some reason, and she gingerly gave it a rub.
As Flurry drank and her body began to calm down from its initial panic, rationality began to return. She could remember now how they’d ended up here—wherever here was. She had been aiming for the Dream, but this was definitely not her ship.
Eventually, Swan withdrew the empty survival pack.
“You were a mess when I came to,” she said finally. “You were covered in ice. Your eyes… they were frozen! What happened? The last thing I remember was my ship exploding.”
The pegasus mare slumped, her wings drooping at her sides. She raised a hoof to the collar around her neck. “This is yours, isn’t it?”
Flurry nodded slowly.
“But how…” Swan’s words trailed off, realisation dawning in her eyes as she ran her hoof along the collar. “Y-you rescued me. I don’t understand.”
Flurry gingerly reached a hoof to hers.
“Helmet… cracked… no… time,” she rasped, the pain forcing a pause between each word.
Swan’s eyes widened and her lip trembled. “But why? You got what you wanted from me. Why risk yourself?”
Flurry smiled softly, though it might have looked more like a pained grimace, she wasn’t quite sure.
“Promise,” she said simply, hooking her foreleg around Swan’s to give it a squeeze.
Swan looked down at the gesture like it was some foreign, alien thing. Flurry could see the mare trying to process what she had said, a heavy frown crossing the pegasus’ brow.
Swan’s eyes glistened, and she wiped away a tear.
“I don’t understand. That can’t be the reason,” Swan said, shaking her head. “You want something. Everypony always wants something from us.”
Swan looked away, her shoulders shaking as she fought to keep her emotions in check.
Flurry shook her head. What could she say to a mare that had spent her adult life being used and discarded by others?
She swallowed and prepared herself. This was going to hurt, but Swan needed to hear it.
“Don’t… want anything. Just… for you… to be…” Flurry began, having to take a breath between words. She began coughing again as her scratchy throat overcame her effort to speak. There was a pause as she collected herself.
“Be what?” Swan asked.
“Free.”
Swan looked back at her, desperate hope in her eyes overriding the ever-present suspicion. Flurry simply smiled. There wasn’t much else she could do while lying on the floor.
“Damn you,” Swan said. “Why do you have to make this so hard?” She paced away, her wings fidgeting at her sides. “Why can’t you be like Last Shadow from the stories? Then I could hate you without question. Now I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.”
The pegasus mare shook her head, wiping her glistening eyes and letting out a heavy sigh. “I want to trust you, Flurry, but it’s hard. Hard to let go.”
Flurry gave her an understanding nod. As a grand master of holding a grudge, she knew how hard it was to let go. This was something that would take time to heal.
She moved to stand, but her legs wobbled for an instant before giving out. She flopped down with a grunt, trying to will her limbs to steady themselves.
“Here, let me help you,” Swan offered, walking to her and extending a foreleg.
Flurry eyed Swan for a moment. The pegasus was looking away, trying to seem nonplussed about it, but the significance of the gesture was not lost on her.
She reached up and hooked her foreleg around Swan’s.
“Okay, one, two, three!” Swan grunted, bracing herself and tugging as Flurry rose to her hooves.
Flurry staggered, and Swan moved to her side, leaning against her. At first, even standing was difficult, but her legs soon began to steady.
“You really shouldn’t be moving around, but trying to talk sense into you is pointless,” Swan said.
Flurry chuckled, though the effort made her wince. She felt like an old mare being taken back to her room by her caretaker.
“Let’s focus on getting out of here,” Swan said, tugging at the bubble collar. “Can you turn this thing off?”
Flurry grinned and nodded, gesturing for her to turn a little. Tapping gently on the control jewel, she dispelled the bubble. Swan then took in a breath and slowly let it out.
“Thanks. For this and also for helping me,” Swan said, her voice quiet. “I just wanted you to know before we continue.”
Flurry gave her a nod in reply. There was a lot she wanted to say, but with her larynx feeling like someone had taken a cheese grater to it, she elected not to give it any more reason to hurt.
“Anyway, let’s go,” Swan said sheepishly as the pair began hobbling away.
Flurry found her eyesight improving past the next doorway. She could see Swan clearly, but everything beyond a few canters was still a blur. Within that blur, she could just make out a dark corridor and the vague shapes of signs on its walls lit by the pulsing red emergency lighting.
“Are you able to get any communications with that?” Swan asked, gesturing to Flurry’s holo-brace.
Flurry tapped away for a few moments, shaking her head when she could only get a burst of static from the brace. “Can’t get a signal,” Flurry said, her raspy voice making her wince. It was still a marked improvement over her bullfrog voice of five minutes prior. “Then again, this cheap piece of crap ain’t got much of a range.”
Flurry glanced around the corridor, her brow furrowed in thought. “I think we’re on the Orion.”
“Wait, you think this is the Orion?”
“Well, it was the biggest thing I could see when I teleported,” Flurry shrugged.
“How can you see in space without a helmet?”
Flurry thought for a moment. “You saw my eyes. Take a guess.”
“Yeah,” Swan acknowledged. “The cruiser. That’s pretty big.”
“We’d be up to our flanks in rabid ferals if it was. Or, you know, burning to death in that little mess you caused.”
Swan shivered. “Let’s not talk about that, please.”
“Oh, and we also could have materialised inside one of the Orion’s bulkheads. That would have ended all our problems right there.”
“Okay, stop. Sorry I asked,” Swan spat out. “You know, for someone with a wicked sore throat, you don’t seem to mind making the effort to be a smartass,” she added.
“I aim to please,” Flurry snarked—before paying the price with a small coughing fit.
“So, where are we anyway?” Swan asked, scowling.
Flurry tapped up the schematics of the Orion she had stored on her holo brace, generating a basic outline of the ship. Judging from where she was when she picked up Swan, the most likely area within her teleportation range would be somewhere near the crew quarters.
Her top priority was finding Nyx, and she would probably be where the fighting was thickest. Flurry pointed a hoof up towards the dorsal wing and the bridge.
“So we need to find an elevator?” Swan asked rhetorically.
Flurry nodded.
Swan’s wings shifted irritably. “If this was a pegasus ship, we could just find an atrium and—”
“And most ponies don’t like plunging to their deaths down a big hole in their ship,” Flurry countered.
“Not my fault they weren’t born with wings,” Swan grumbled.
Flurry rolled her eyes at the lieutenant’s irritation before trying to walk past her. Swan quickly moved to her side, and they hobbled along together, passing through a series of interconnected rooms. Most were empty, the walls down to bare metal with exposed linkages and outlets for equipment yet to be installed.
Swan took the lead, guiding Flurry as they limped along together. After a few minutes, Flurry could feel the strength returning to her legs, but her blurry vision and itchy eyes made things difficult.
After a while, she was walking without help, but not before Swan’s head began bobbing like she was fighting off sleep. It seemed all the mare was running on was a heady cocktail of adrenaline and stubborn pegasus pride. Flurry would have offered to carry her if she was confident her legs wouldn’t give out and put them both on the floor. It was enough of a challenge just walking in a straight line.
Up ahead was a wider access corridor. As they entered, Flurry noticed the air becoming thicker. With it came a familiar sickly sweet smell, like overripe fruit left out in the sun.
“What’s that smell?” Swan asked, staggering slightly. “I feel… great?” She started to giggle under her breath.
Flurry could feel it too, a wash of happiness, joy, and contentment all swirling into her mind through the aroma. She could feel fragments of emotions dancing at the edges of her perception where memories should have been. These weren’t her emotions, but somepony else’s.
Flurry let out a snort, wiping her nose with a fetlock as she asserted control once again.
She looked over to Swan. The mare’s eyes had glazed over, and a silly smile was creeping over her muzzle. She had stopped completely, staring in fascination at her own hoof.
Flurry quickly reached over and hit the activate button on Swan’s bubble collar, the enchantment flickering on in an instant.
“Wha…?” Swan murmured as the bubble forced out the contaminated air. Flurry guided her to sit down and let her head clear.
After a few moments, the pegasus shook her head, her face a little flushed. “Urgh, what was that? It’s like I just downed a whole tank of aerohol.”
“It’s a nectar bomb,” Flurry said. “The ferals must have tossed one around here somewhere. I’ve seen this trick before. A few more minutes and you’d have been unconscious in your own private paradise.”
“Nectar? What?”
“Changelings make it. Think of it like bee honey, only packed with the emotions they’ve gathered,” she explained.
“Will you be okay breathing it?”
Flurry let out a chuckle. “Oh, this is nothing. You should try eating a nectar stick, those’ll knock you on your ass.”
“You ate that stuff?” Swan said, a look of revulsion on her face.
“Really tasty,” Flurry grinned nostalgically. “I stole some from one of Nyx’s friends when I was a kid. I could get you some. I know a guy.”
A disgusted scowl crossed Swan’s face. “No thanks.”
Flurry calmly weathered the angry mumbling about back-alley alicorn drug deals, her mirth fading as they made their way down the corridor and began to see signs of combat. Scorch marks ran across the once pristine walls, and a lot of the lighting panels had been shot out.
“Stay close to me,” Flurry whispered, readying her shield spell.
They cautiously moved forward, keeping to the sides of the corridor and any cover they could find. It was quiet, but that didn’t mean there weren’t enemies out there. The emergency lighting wasn’t helping the situation either, as it cast deep shadows in the areas between the small beacons of light. Flurry could feel the tension in Swan’s body as they walked.
“There’s something up ahead,” Swan whispered, her voice tight and her ears perked and alert. To Flurry, everything was still a blur beyond a short distance—lots of vague shapes and shadows shifting as they walked.
Getting closer, Flurry made out the slumped form of a pony, surrounded by several changeling bodies. These were much larger than usual changelings found in the Conformity, their bodies swollen with muscle. Their wings had atrophied down to tiny stumps, and their wing cases were now solid chitin. The set of fangs that all changelings had were grown into sabre-like teeth, nearly twice the length of an average changeling’s.
Swan let out a gasp, her wide eyes staring at one of the bodies like it was going to leap up and bite her.
Flurry gave it a kick with a hoof. “I assure you, it’s quite dead.” She continued limping along while Swan stood staring at the bodies.
“Bastards,” Swan growled, her body quivering.
“Easy, kid,” Flurry urged softly. “Take that anger and use it, just don’t let it control you.”
“You don’t understand,” Swan hissed, clenching her teeth. “I saw what they did to those poor ponies on that cruiser. Butchered them and used them like spare parts! I won’t just sit by and let that happen!”
Flurry watched the mare seethe, giving one of the corpses a stomp before pacing away as her wings bristled at the wave of emotions threatening to consume her.
“Swan,” Flurry called, but when the mare didn’t respond, she repeated in a much firmer tone.
“Swan!”
“What?” Swan snorted.
“I know, okay? It’s rough seeing that stuff for the first time. You just want to lash out at everything,” she said, her voice softening slightly. “But I need you to focus. I can’t have my walking stick wandering off shooting up the place.”
“But—”
“Easy, take a breath,” she said, giving her a gentle smile. “We’ll get through this and make those responsible pay for it, but getting yourself all flustered isn’t going to help us. Besides, getting angry and doing something dumb is my job, and you’ve filled your dumb quota for the day.”
Swan’s ears flattened before her lips curled into a slight smile. “Okay.”
She then wrinkled her nose as she took a closer look at the feral bodies. “So this is what changelings are like? Roided up monsters?”
Flurry gave her a wry smile. “Never seen a changeling before?”
At Swan’s lack of a rebuttal, she continued. “They’re not all like this. Most are the size of a regular pony and wouldn’t hurt anyone. Just a little different.”
“Then what are these?”
“These wretches are what most ferals eventually end up like,” she said. “They feed and feed until it ends up destroying their minds. There’s nothing left of who they were now—just instinct. They’ve all been turned into weapons that kill on command.”
“By whom?”
“The galaxy is a dark place. There’s always somepony looking to exploit the weak,” she said, pointedly looking at her. “In a way, they should be pitied, or at least put out of their misery.”
Swan lowered her head, pawing lightly at the deck.
Flurry sighed, turning her attention to the slain pony before them.
It was an earth pony stallion with a light blue coat and teal mane hidden beneath a black security helmet. He looked to have been part of the Orion’s security detail—just some poor pony caught up in all the chaos. The stallion was splattered with blood, slumped against the wall. Attached to one of his forelegs was a pulse pistol, spent CAPS cells scattered around him. He had evidently given a good account of himself before being overwhelmed.
“Harmony awaits you, brave stallion,” Flurry whispered, bowing her head to the fallen guard. “Please forgive me, there are ponies that need this now more than you do.”
Gingerly, Flurry removed the pistol and its mount from his foreleg, checking the cell’s charge. It was still about half full—not fantastic, but better than nothing.
“Swan, take this,” Flurry said, levitating the pistol over to her.
Swan numbly looked at the weapon as it plopped in her hooves. The mare’s eyes were distant and unfocused as she stared at the dead guard.
“It’s funny, I’ve been taught to hate dirt ponies my whole life,” Swan murmured softly. “Why do I feel so hollow inside?”
Flurry placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Because you’ve seen them as they are, not how the Republic wants you to. They’re ponies, just like you. The war made everypony forget, that’s all.”
“Did you forget?”
“For a while, yes,” Flurry said softly, her ears flattening.
They both stood there quietly until Swan finally spoke.
“Was that how you became Last Shadow?”
Flurry let out a sigh, her wings fidgeting at the bad memories.
“I got so focused on trying to stop the stupid thing that I didn’t see I was only making things worse,” Flurry said, looking away. “I don’t hate the pegasi, Swan. Fighting against them was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I had to try and stop it because Thunderstreak never wanted war.”
“Wait, you knew the crown prince of the Republic?” Swan asked with a frown.
“Give me a little credit, I was a princess, you know,” Flurry replied.
“What was he like?” Swan prodded, curiosity in her voice now.
“Hopelessly naive, but in a good way,” Flurry said softly. “He saw the potential in us all to be better. A rare thing these days.” She shuddered. “And then some bastard killed him.”
Swan’s ears flattened. “Were you two close?”
“You could say that.”
Flurry rubbed her eyes, feeling wetness on her fetlock. This was good, right? It meant her eyes were getting better.
“This gas must be getting to me,” she said. “Can you use that thing?”
She gestured to the pistol in Swan’s hooves.
“Yes, though I haven’t used one since the academy,” Swan replied, strapping the weapon to her foreleg.
Flurry cast one last look down at the fallen stallion.
“We’ll make sure he’s honoured once this is over,” she said softly. “But we need to keep moving.”
<=======ooO Ooo=======>
They hadn’t encountered any further signs of changeling or pony as they made their way deeper into the ship. Not knowing when or where an enemy would appear was playing havoc with Flurry’s nerves. She wasn’t exactly in the best condition either.
Their trek paused as they began to hear broken chatter over Flurry’s holo-brace.
“…fall back to… cut off…”
It sounded like one of Flint’s squads, but it was difficult to tell how the fight was going. The fight against the cruiser outside may have been won, but the outcome within the Orion itself was still in question.
“Can you get through to any of them?” Swan asked.
“The signal’s still too weak,” Flurry replied with an angry flick of her tail. “Anything could be happening and we’re stuck wandering around.”
“Could you teleport us?”
“Remember what I said about how we got lucky not to materialise inside a bulkhead? I’m not going to tempt fate again.”
“Yeah, let’s not do that,” Swan said, quickly abandoning her idea. “So even you have limits.”
“Don’t go telling everypony, but alicorns are just like anyone else—just with a few more tricks,” Flurry said, tapping her horn.
They neared an intersection with the word “MEDICAL” stencilled in large blue letters on the wall.
“Finally some luck,” Swan commented. “Hopefully somepony can fix you up.”
“I hope so,” Flurry said, her aching body agreeing with the idea of medical attention. “And we could use a bit more firepower on our side as well.”
Their hopes were dashed as they made their way closer and began to see signs of a struggle.
Trolleys and cabinets had been piled up into a makeshift barricade. They looked to have been swept aside when the changelings attacked.
Large windows were inlaid into the walls, looking into the medical bay. It was well-lit in contrast with the rest of the ship. Flurry guessed it had its own power supply separate from the main energy grid to keep it going in an emergency.
Inside, she could see alcoves for beds, but most of them were missing. There were a few plastic-wrapped packing crates piled up inside.
As they crept closer, their ears perked at a loud crash from inside the room. Glass shattered and Flurry could hear the guttural chittering of feral changelings.
They looked to each other and crouched low, trying to keep out of sight as they made their way towards the entrance.
Swan peered inside and let out a tiny gasp before shrinking back into cover.
“What is it?” Flurry asked.
“T-they’ve lined up bodies in the far corner,” Swan replied, her voice a hushed whisper, her wings trembling at her sides. “Lots of bodies.”
“How many changelings are in there?”
Swan remained silent, slumping against the wall.
“Swan,” Flurry urged. “How many changelings?”
Swan blinked and swallowed. “Three. Two are dragging bodies at the far end, while the other is rummaging through some storage bins.”
“Are any of them armed?”
“One has what looks to be some kind of rifle,” Swan replied.
Flurry nodded, pondering their options. Close combat was still off the table. She was still not great on her hooves, and her poor eyesight was going to hinder precise use of magic. She’d have to fall back on the classic ‘hit them with something large’ approach.
Quietly, Flurry checked the magical reserves gauge on her holo-brace. Thankfully the teleports hadn’t taken too much out of her, as she still had a decent amount left.
“Okay, I’ll go in first and draw their attention. You stay by my side and be my eyes. I’ll deal with the two on the far end while you take out the one with the rifle,” Flurry explained.
Swan nodded, her movements rigid.
“It’s okay, Swan,” she said softly. “I know this is a lot to deal with, but I need you now. I can’t see anything past about three canters. If anypony is still alive in there, I don’t want to risk hurting them.”
“Okay,” Swan said, taking a breath. “I’m with you.”
The pegasus primed her pistol, the gentle hum as it powered up seeming to give her some comfort.
“Go on three. One… Two… Three!”
Flurry moved quickly into the room, flaring her wings to make herself the bigger target. Swan moved beside her, sheltering under her wings.
“Eleven o’clock!” Swan cried, making Flurry snap her head in that direction.
The black, blurry blobs in that direction let out a hiss and buzzed their wings in involuntary surprise. Around them was scattered medical equipment that had been pulled out of packing crates: cabinets, trolleys and a gurney.
Flurry wrenched the gurney off the floor and into the air with her telekinesis. With a broad swipe, she knocked the two blobs across the room like ragdolls. Their bodies smashed against the windows before tumbling to the ground.
“Four o’clock, gun!” Swan yelled.
Her shield spell flared to life as the third opened fire, the energy blasts splashing against her shield.
There was a flash from Swan’s pistol beside her, the first shot missing, but the second slamming into the feral’s chest, knocking it down.
A groaning chitter emerged from behind the medical tables, which Flurry silenced with the repeated application of gurney to the head.
“Are we clear?” Flurry asked, keeping her shield up as she surveyed the room.
“Yes, I think so,” Swan replied with a relieved sigh.
“I’m going to check on the crew,” she said, giving the pegasus a pat on the shoulder before they separated.
The bodies of the crew had been collected and neatly lined up along the far end of the medbay. They were mostly wearing white orderly uniforms, with a few others garbed in grey work pony overalls.
Flurry knelt beside a pink unicorn mare, observing the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The mare’s eyes were half-lidded, a goofy smile on her muzzle.
“They’re alive?” Swan asked, trotting back with the changeling’s rifle slung on her shoulder.
“Looks like the gas got to them,” she said grimly. After tilting the mare’s head back, Flurry noticed a pair of puncture marks on her neck.
“What is that?”
“Those fangs aren’t just for show. They inject a psychotropic venom which enhances the effect of the nectar,” she explained. “Keeps them under.”
“Please tell me you didn’t drink or smoke that stuff as well,” Swan asked sarcastically.
“Of course not,” Flurry replied, looking away sheepishly.
“Are they going to be okay?”
“They should be. Ferals want to keep you alive,” she said, gently setting the mare down again.
“That’s reassuring,” Swan muttered. “Let’s grab any supplies and get—”
“Umm, excuse me,” came a muffled stallion’s voice from behind the line of bodies. “I assume you’re Orion security? I require some assistance.”
Flurry and Swan exchanged glances. Swan readied her newly acquired rifle, taking aim towards the voice.
It was coming from a cabinet underneath a workstation. The changelings had moved a lot of equipment in front of it to make room for their gathered prey. The cabinet was small, barely large enough for an adult pony to fit in.
“Not exactly. We’re part of a rescue mission from Harmony station,” Swan said. “I’m Lieutenant Swan Song of the Imperial Navy, and with me is citizen Flurry Heart.”
“Oh great, a colonial,” the voice huffed with a derisive tone. “I should have known by the accent. And the brigand ex-princess. Fantastic. My, they must have been desperate to call you in to help.”
“We can leave you in there, you know,” Flurry snorted.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” he replied, his voice a little more agreeable.
Flurry began levitating equipment out of the way of the cabinet. “Who are you?” she asked.
“Oh, my apologies. Being stuffed in this box is affecting my manners. My name is Dr. Doppel. I’m Harmony’s Chief Medical Officer,” he announced.
Flurry looked to Swan.
“We don’t have a Chief Medical Officer yet,” Swan stated, her eyes narrowing.
“Obviously,” he said with a sardonic snort. “I was held up by the wonders of Commonwealth bureaucracy.”
“How did you end up here?”
“Captain Nyx generously offered me passage aboard her ship,” he explained. “Then all this kerfuffle happened and I ended up in here. I can show you my credentials once you’ve got me out.”
Flurry levitated the last piece of equipment out of the way. “There, you can come out now.”
“Thank you, but I must ask that you please don’t overreact when you see me,” he said, causing Flurry and Swan to exchange glances.
“Sure, no problem,” Flurry said.
Gingerly, the cabinet doors opened, and an ordinary-looking changeling in a white lab coat flopped onto the floor. His stringy blue mane was trimmed, though it was a bit dishevelled from his time cooped up. His black chitin had been polished and carried a slight blue tinge.
He blinked, his slitted amber eyes darting warily to Swan’s rifle, which was aimed squarely at his head.
Swan, for her part, had a look of disgust etched on her brow. The pegasus’ eyes were fixed on the jagged horn protruding from his forehead.
“You’re a changeling!” Swan hissed.
“Very observant,” he deadpanned, unfazed by the gun pointing at him.
Flurry gently reached over to Swan and eased her gun down.
“It’s okay, Swan,” she said.
“How can we be sure? He might’ve been working for them!” Swan retorted angrily, her wings bristling at her sides.
“Because it would’ve been easy for him to pass himself off as one of the crew,” Flurry explained. “Besides, he wouldn’t have locked himself in a cabinet.”
“Exactly!” he said. “Those ruffians shoved me in.”
“On the other hoof,” Flurry began, her voice laced with suspicion. “Syndicate changelings are known for staying undisguised. Ferals won’t attack them then.”
“That’s absurd,” Doppel retorted. “We all can detect other changelings, disguised or not.”
“Ferals can’t,” Flurry countered. “You could be Syndicate.”
Doppel huffed for a moment before placing a hoof to his chest. “It’s a matter of pride that I never hide my form, with my patients or anypony else. And in case there is any doubt…”
He rolled up his sleeve and revealed a holo-brand from the Conformity. He tapped it gently, and the image of the good doctor appeared with a slew of personal information. “You should know that every changeling of the Conformity has one of these.”
“Could be fake,” Swan suggested.
“Hmm.” Flurry gave it a closer look after rubbing her itchy eyes. “That’s a legit Conformity brand. No way that’s getting faked,” she said.
“I trust that is enough for you?” Doppel asked while eyeing Swan, who simply grumbled.
“It certainly explains why they put you in there,” Flurry commented.
“I don’t think they knew what to do with a non-Syndicate changeling,” he said, rising to his hooves and brushing himself off. He looked over to the crumpled body of one of the ferals, still smouldering from Swan’s shot. “Giving themselves over to their base instincts.” He shook his head with a scowl. “Savages.”
He trotted past them and towards the line of unconscious crew, his expression softening. “Alas, I don’t have anything that can help these poor folk. At least they haven’t been fed upon yet.”
“Lucky them,” Swan muttered.
“Swan—” Flurry began, before breaking into a fit of coughing.
“That doesn’t sound too healthy. Are you injured or sick?” Doppel asked with a concerned frown as he walked over to her.
“I just had a little touch of hard vacuum, but I’ll be okay,” she replied through the coughs.
“I have too many questions I don’t think I’d like the answer to,” he said as he checked her pulse. “If I may, I’d like to accompany you. I can’t do anything here, and the rest of the crew may need my help.”
“We’re not taking him with us,” Swan declared with a firm stomp of her hoof.
“I’m afraid you don’t have a say in the matter, Lieutenant,” Doppel snorted, glaring daggers at her. “I go where I’m needed. So either shoot me or step aside—I have work to do.”
Flurry couldn’t help but smirk as he trotted past them with fiery determination in his eyes.
<=======ooO Ooo=======>
With the power out through most of the ship, they couldn’t rely on elevators to make their way up to the bridge. Thankfully, despite Dr. Doppel’s muttering, they managed to find some emergency stairs leading up and were soon on their way.
The stairwell spiralled upwards, just like the ones inside the old castles where Flurry grew up, only this one had a wider open space in the centre for pegasi to fly unhindered. Along the way were hatches leading to other decks and maintenance crawlspaces. It was dark, with only the dim red glow of the emergency lighting allowing them to see.
Swan had taken the lead, trying to keep as much distance from Dr. Doppel as she could, while he and Flurry stayed together.
Thankfully, Flurry found flying to be easier than she expected, which was a good thing since there were eight decks they needed to ascend. Dr. Doppel bobbed alongside her like a giant bumblebee, the buzzing of his wings echoing up the shaft.
“Can you keep that down?” Swan hissed from above. “Last thing we want is your bug friends finding us, or worse, security mistaking us for one of you.”
“And what would you have me do? Cut my wings off?” he retorted.
“Swan,” Flurry interjected before the pegasus could reply. “Can you check the hatch to the command deck?”
Swan looked like she was about to say more but simply nodded. “Sure.”
“I fear she doesn’t like me,” Doppel commented.
“She’s lost a lot of friends today to the Syndicate,” Flurry said quietly. “Try not to take it to heart.”
“Don’t worry, I’m used to it,” he said grimly. “But my hope is to prove the majority of my kind are not savages.”
Flurry had seen enough goings-on in the Alliance and Republic to understand what he meant.
They both landed at the level for the Command deck, finding Swan waiting there for them.
Flurry checked her holo-brace again for any friendly radio chatter but was still only getting garbled signals. It couldn’t be down to a lack of range now. Were the radios being jammed still?
“I’ll go first,” Flurry said. “If we get shot at, I can protect myself.”
Swan nodded.
Flurry readied herself and gently eased the hatch open.
A bright light burst forth, followed by a flurry of energy pulses that made her duck quickly back. They eventually ceased and she could hear distant panicked breathing coming from within.
“Whoa whoa, friendly!” she cried, though she wasn’t about to stick her head out just yet.
“Orion security. Throw any weapons out and step out one at a time,” a stallion shouted from behind the hatch.
She looked to Swan, giving her a nod. Swan looked reluctant to obey, clinging to her rifle for a moment before finally relenting. She tossed her rifle and pistol out the hatch with a sour look.
“We’re coming out,” Flurry said, readying her shield spell just in case. “We have Dr. Doppel with us. He’s a changeling, so hold your fire.”
She stepped out into the light, squinting in the brightness. Behind a makeshift barricade were five ponies aiming rifles at her. Only one was wearing body armour, while the others were wearing engineer jumpsuits or uniforms. They all looked frightened and weary from their ordeal, ears flattened and guns shaking in their grasp.
Doppel stepped out next, a few of the ponies tensing as he emerged. He merely let out a tired sigh, eventually sitting on his rump and holding his forelegs up.
Swan Song was last, her head held high, defiantly striding forward. “First Lieutenant Swan Song, Imperial Navy serial number BW4578670.”
The mare rattled it off like she was entering a prisoner of war camp.
“TEI confirms they’re not hostiles,” a stallion behind the barricade announced.
“I can see that,” the earth pony in body armour snorted. “They have an alicorn with them for Celestia’s sake.”
He trotted forward from the barricade and gave a salute. He was middle-aged, having a pale-grey coat with a steel-grey mane poking out from under his helmet. “Corporal Bounty. My apologies, but you can understand our precautions. I must admit, when Captain Nyx said you were coming I didn’t quite believe it.”
“Understandable, corporal,” Flurry replied with a smile. “What’s the situation?”
“Bugs are pushing us hard. We’ve got a lot of ponies missing. Chief Flintlock went through with his squad half an hour ago, but we haven’t heard much since,” Bounty said before his eyes went to Doppel. “No offence.”
“None taken,” Doppel replied with a sigh.
“And Captain Nyx?” Flurry asked, feeling her chest tighten as she waited for his answer.
“The captain has been out leading the fight since we were first boarded,” he said.
A gentle sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Can you take me to her?”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, before looking to Doppel. “You’ll have to be detained until the situation has calmed down.”
Doppel bristled. “For pity’s sake, at least let me check your wounded.”
“I don’t think—”
“Have someone watch me if that’s what you want, but I won’t sit by while lives are at risk,” Doppel snapped, squaring up to the earth pony.
“Fine,” Bounty relented, gesturing for one of the other ponies to stay at Doppel’s side.
“And before you go, let me tend to your injuries,” Doppel added, turning to Flurry.
“Come on, Doc…” Flurry protested.
“No arguments,” Doppel interrupted. “Honestly, you soldier-types all think you’re invincible.” He looked to Bounty. “Officer Bounty, was it? Could you get me a first-aid kit, please?”
Flurry gave him a nod, which seemed to be enough for the earth pony. He trotted away, only to return a minute later with a first-aid kit on his back.
“I’d prefer to examine you properly, but this should help boost your recovery rate at the very least,” Doppel said, retrieving an auto-injector and a vial of blue liquid. “No substitute for bed rest and common sense, but we make do with what we have.”
Flurry extended her foreleg, and Doppel gently positioned the injector. She winced as the needle pierced her skin, a gentle hiss coming from the injector as it activated. The pain faded quickly as the device emptied its contents into her system, a coolness spreading up her leg and into her body.
“Thanks,” Flurry said, giving her foreleg a rub. The constant pain that had been niggling her since they arrived began to fade, becoming a tolerable ache. Her eyes and lungs tingled slightly as the healing accelerator began to take effect.
“Lieutenant?”
“Don’t count on it, no way in hell I’m letting that thing touch me,” Swan huffed with a scowl before trotting away.
“She grows on you,” Flurry said with a shrug. “See ya around, Doc.”
Doppel simply rolled his eyes before they parted ways. Flurry gave the pegasus a stern look as she passed.
Bounty led them past the bridge of the Orion, through cramped corridors filled with ponies. Many of the side rooms had been co-opted to hold the displaced crew.
In the dim lighting of the corridors, they were like zombies, their expressions vacant and lost. The air tasted stale, but at least it was free of the ferals’ nectar gas.
“When they started boarding us, we lost contact with most sections of the ship. Then we started getting infiltrators,” Bounty explained, his voice trembling as he recounted it. “Lost a lot of ponies before we could respond.”
The corridors echoed with a dozen conversations, all of which died down as they passed. Flurry gave them reassuring nods as she walked by. These ponies needed all the encouragement they could get.
“Have you heard anything about the battle outside?” Swan asked.
“We’re still entirely cut off from the outside,” he replied. “The techs have been trying to get external communications back online since the power went out. Even within the ship, the bugs have been jamming everything other than short-range comms.”
“I see,” Swan said sadly, her ears flattening.
Flurry turned and placed a hoof on Swan’s shoulder. “They’ll be okay, Swan. If you like, you can head back to the bridge and wait for word there. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I don’t want to be sitting around doing nothing. Maybe I can help in some way.”
Flurry could see in Swan’s eyes the desperate desire not to be left behind. For some reason, it seemed Swan was looking to her for approval.
“Alright,” she said with a smile. “Looks like you get to meet two alicorns in one day.”
Bounty led them away from the bridge and deeper into the ship. As they got closer to the fighting, the steady staccato of pulse rifle fire grew louder and louder. Flurry could discern the higher pitch of changeling weapons opposed by the deeper rumble of the defenders. Shouts, screams, and the animalistic screeches of the ferals filled the air.
They trotted past a grim line of wounded ponies, limping back from the battle. Dr. Doppel was going to have his work cut out for him before this was over.
Flurry could make out familiar voices amongst the chaos: Flint, Fire Hawk, and the rest of his squad. She was overjoyed to know they had made it here safely and that she would soon be joining the fight with them.
Swan was quiet, trotting close beside Flurry. The pegasus was doing her best to hide her fear, but Flurry could see her wings trembling at her sides. Even so, Flurry admired the kid’s spirit. Swan was no marine, but she was still stepping up to the fight, just like her brother had done before her. Only this time, they were on the same side and Flurry was going to do her damndest to make sure she made it back to her aerie.
As they rounded a corner, they were both confronted by a scene of absolute chaos. The area had been a broad concourse leading to different sections of the ship, but now, it was a battleground.
She spotted Flint’s ponies fighting over a makeshift barricade of equipment. Flint and Echo were crouched together, firing off bursts over the barricade periodically. Priest was lying prone, his rifle resting on a bipod as he fired through a gap. Meanwhile, Princess was crouched low, the barrels of her gatling cannon glowing red hot. At the centre was Fire Hawk, now ablaze in her Nirik form, white fire billowing from her hooves and mane as she fought off the ferals clambering over the barricade.
Spent CAPS cells littered the ground, and every wall was marred and blackened by energy weapon impacts. The thick scent of blood and ozone hung in the air along with the sickly sweet scent of feral nectar.
“Captain Nyx was here the last I heard,” Bounty said before turning to head back the way they came.
“You’re leaving?” Swan asked.
“Somepony needs to organise things on the bridge,” he replied. “Good luck to you both.”
With that, he galloped away, back towards the bridge.
“Stay close to me now,” Flurry said, looking to Swan, who was giving the withdrawing stallion a sour look. Swan gave her a nod, and they crouched low while scurrying over towards the barricade. After reaching it, they ducked in beside Flint and Echo.
“You’re late,” Flint said, not looking up from his rifle’s scope.
“Sorry, had to pick up a stranded pegasus along the way,” Flurry said with a smirk aimed in Swan’s direction.
“See! Told you she’d be here!” Fire Hawk whooped, knocking another changeling from the barricade. “You ponies all owe me thirty bits! Hey, pillow-stuffer, glad you could join us!”
“Wasn’t going to miss this, tinderbox,” Swan shot back.
“See, I knew I liked you,” Fire chuckled, her flames billowing with mirth.
Flurry turned to Flint. “What’s the situation?” she asked. “Where’s Nyx?”
“The captain’s off takin’ the fight to them. We managed to get a message from her about fifteen minutes ago,” Flint replied. “As for us, we’ve got them held here, but more keep coming.”
She’s close, Flurry thought, resisting the urge to jump over the barricade and go looking for her.
“Got another wave, chief!” Fire Hawk shouted before ducking back below the barricade.
Flurry peered over and saw a blurry mass of armoured changelings scurrying along the walls and ceiling towards them. Then, from behind the wave came a fresh fusillade of pulse fire that ricocheted off the barricade, making everypony duck down.
“Don’t they know their cruiser has been taken out?” Swan yelled over the noise.
“I don’t think they care,” Flurry replied, tensing her body and charging her horn for the fighting to come.
Flurry peered over the barricade to get a better look at the situation. Suddenly, things went dark at the far end of the concourse. It wasn’t so much like the lights went out but that they were swallowed up by an inky veil of darkness.
Much of the weapons fire coming towards the ponies stopped. Then, sounds of gunfire erupted from behind the changeling position. The ferals leading the charge had stopped in their tracks, looking back to where they had come from. They began chittering with one another before retreating.
“Weapons hold!” ordered Flintlock, the thestral taking a sudden keen interest in the evolving situation.
From within the darkness, bright indigo flashes were accompanied by cracks of thunder. Flurry watched as smoke and flying debris were revealed briefly by the flashes and then just as quickly returned to an inky black. Otherworldly screams of the feral changeling horde echoed up the concourse, causing a shiver to run down her spine.
Flurry’s heart began to race. This was it. She was reminded of her childhood where she sat at a campfire in the dark of night, listening to legends of the infamous Nightmare Moon. Over seventeen centuries later, it was like it happened yesterday.
She had sat on a thick log, huddled together with her friends as the tale unfolded. Then, a pause. A feeling of sheer dread overcame them as the ambient chatter of the nighttime forest suddenly fell silent. It was like the darkness itself had become alive and at any moment, it would consume them all. Shadows fled, leaving nothing behind but stark terror. Then…
The beast was upon them! Terror gripped their young hearts for the briefest of moments as the dreaded mare of legend pounced, her horn crackling with deadly magic.
The memory faded as Flurry snapped back to the present moment.
The changelings down the concourse were being slain in droves as the most feared pony in thirty centuries tore into them. Flash after flash along with the sound of rending metal and shattering chitin filled the scene.
It was then that Flurry saw her.
The darkness relented and Nyx strode out from the haze behind the changeling position, her horn crackling with arcane energy. She was clad head to hoof in armour of polished silver, the deep blue kite shield of her cutie mark emblazoned on her chest. The style was ancient, from an older, simpler time, but beneath the old exterior were modern ceramics and impact-resistant fibres.
Floating at her side, in the grip of her telekinesis, was her sword, the blade glinting in the dim light.
Nyx stomped a hoof, baring her fangs, her slitted eyes narrow with fury. The black alicorn flared her wings in a challenge at the horde before her.
The ferals lunged at the alicorn, abandoning any concern for the pitched battle they had only moments before been putting their entire focus on.
Five came at her and were felled almost instantly, Nyx’s sword slicing through them in a blur of motion.
Nyx then walked forward in a slow and purposeful manner, directly into the mob.
Enough waiting! Flurry wasn’t about to let Nyx face them down alone.
She leapt over the barricade with one downward thrust from her wings. Racing forward, she quickly caught up with the retreating ferals, soon overtaking the stragglers. She then brought her forehooves down onto an unfortunate feral’s back, knocking it to the ground with a crunch of shattered chitin.
Flurry fought her way in, battling hoof to hoof against the now pincered feral horde. As weakened as she was, she was still more than a match for even these specialized soldiers.
She vaguely heard shots behind her and caught flashes of light, but she paid them no mind. Never once did she take her eyes from her cousin, fighting in the midst of the mob.
Within moments, it was over, and Flurry found herself face to face with the black alicorn.
Nyx regarded her coolly, her breath coming in slow, steady pants. She gave her sword a flick, swiping away the coating of blood before burning the stain off with cleansing fire and sliding it back into its sheath.
“You made it,” Nyx said with a sardonic lift of her eyebrow. “It’s about time you got here.”
The dreaded mare of legend would pounce, her horn crackling with deadly magic. Then, Nyx would laugh, tossing candy. Rather than a gruesome death, her cousin showered everypony with affection.
Flurry took a few tentative steps forward before rushing to her and hugging her tightly. Nyx hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace. It didn’t matter what came at them now; nothing was going to rob this moment from her.
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That's one way to make an entrance.
Just got to wait for the BBEG to one-up Nyx. Somehow.
Okay now something‘s probably going to rob that moment from her.
Two Alicorns, no problem. Time to get down to business.
No she hasn't, at least not yet, because what she really wants most from you is to survive all of this.
Now you're catching on!
What, and you haven't, Flurry? What even is your quota for dumb? Or do you see yourself as exempt because alicorn?
10329999
Flurry knows that this is her job and Swan can't have it.
You know, I feel like I should be more terrified at this happy moment that will soon transition into all hell breaking loose and someone not making it out of this alive, but having read similarly-themed sci-fi fics, I feel prepared and await the seemingly impending demise of one of these characters.
This chapter was so cool
Does Dr. Doppel look like the old black changelings or does he look like Thorax's reformed changelings? For that matter what do the syndicate changelings look like? I originally thought the syndicate were black and full of holes and the not evil changelings looked like the reformed guys.
10334368
I'm not a fan of the reformed changeling's looks, so they look like they did pre-reformation. It gives them more reason to take the forms of others when amongst crowds of ponies etc
Which is why they all get tarred with the same brush by the rest of the colonies.
Yay it's Nyx. I have been waiting with much of anticipation for her arrivel.
This is all I could think of at the end of this. Where Nyx is wading through the enemies and then Flurry gives a hug.
https://images.app.goo.gl/RXPN5eTdSvvJe1xy6
10334368
We refined our changelings long before MLP's rainbow-deer existed.
Neither of us liked the new look for them. We wanted the natural appearance of changelings (who are typically good) to be frightening to ponies.
10344108
hello darkness my old friend
Hey, there's my girl, doing her best with a bad situation. Certainly sound like things still aren't resolved with this changeling boarding party, but with the cousins together, surely this dream team can't fail. Or if they do fail in some capacity, it is spectacular in another.