Evanstallion: Neon Friendship

by Short-tale

Episode 18 Pains and Losses

Fluttershy laid in the cockpit for hours. She didn’t have the heart to move anymore. The speaker crackled to life with the measured words of Twilight.

“Fluttershy?! Fluttershy are you there? I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier but Pinkie and I were caught in the explosion when Unit-03 broke free.”

“How could you?” came the barely audible response.

“How could I what?”

“How could you lie to me?” the pegasus whimpered.

“Lie? What lie? I didn’t lie to you?”

“Discord said that the angels weren’t magical constructs. That they were living beings. You said they weren’t actually alive.”

“What?! But my research says they are Fluttershy. I would never lie about research. I don’t know why he told you they were alive and they do seem alive but they are made of nothing but magic. I assure you. You haven’t hurt anything.”

“Except my best friend! I killed her! My Eva killed her!” Fluttershy moaned.

“She’s still alive, Fluttershy. We are transferring her to the hospital on base now.”

“Please get me out of here,” Fluttershy suddenly begged. “I have to go see her.”

***

Fluttershy rushed through the hospital wing with Twilight telling her to slow down. Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared beside them.

“Where are we running to?” the party pony asked and tried to bounce. She nearly fell when she forgot her front hoof was in a sling.

“Woah there, Pinkie,” said Twilight as she stopped to catch her before she fell. “I’ll help Pinkie, you go on.”

Fluttershy had already disappeared behind the next turn.

“Are you ok?” asked Twilight to Pinkie.

“Oh it’s just a broken hoof,” said Pinkie gleefully. “Not too shabby for an explosion. Of course I won’t be my bouncing self for a bit. Gasp. We could have a first-time-I-broke-my-hoof party. I can invite everyone I know. All the nurses in the hospital...”

“Pinkie! Applejack’s really hurt. Unit-01 went wild and crushed the entry plug. Applejack’s alive but she might have lost a leg.”

“Pffft. Twilight, that’s silly you can’t lose a leg. Even the back ones that you can’t see, that you think are lost, are always there.”

“No Pinkie. The leg is so damaged they might have to cut it off.”

“But...but Applejack needs her legs. How can she buck trees and help around the farm?!” Pinkke’s voice became higher pitched and strained. Pain reached her expression as the implications grabbed on and worked their way into her brain.

“I know, Pinkie,” sniffled Twilight, placing her friend in a comforting embrace. “But at least she’s still with us.”

There was a large clatter around the corner that Fluttershy ran down. Nurses were rushing in that direction.

“Oh no, now what?” asked Twilight as she took off down the hall. “What happened?” she demanded.

“This pegasus came barging into Applejack’s room then collapsed,” Nurse Colorura explained.

“Oh my gosh,”cried Pinkie. “Is she ok?”

“We’ll put her in the bed right next to her friend,” explained Nurse Coloratura. “Then we’ll observe her. It looks like simple exhaustion.”

Twilight blew a sigh of relief.

“What is happening around here, Twilight?” demanded Pinkie. “Our friends are getting hurt right and left.”

“We are fighting angels for our lives everyday,” Twilight calmly explained. “Ponies are going to get hurt.”

“It’s just too sad. What are we going to do now?”

“Same thing we always do, Pinkie. Keep going on.”

***

The darkness parted for a few seconds for Applejack. She wasn’t dead like she thought. She groggily looked around her room. She saw a hospital room and a hospital bed next to her. There was a somewhat familiar yellow pony in it.

“Apple Bloom?” she tentatively asked. Then the form sharpened and the yellow pony resembled Fluttershy.

“Oh, Fluttershy. Are you alright?”

The answer never came and darkness took her once again.

The light slowly turned on again. This time it was Rainbow Dash in front of her bed. She was shouting something and looked like she’d been crying. But Applejack couldn’t figure it out. And the world fuzzed over again.

Applejack could feel her body before she tried to move anything. Something was wrong. Her mouth was dry and her head hurt. But that wasn’t it. A part of her mind told her not to look. Instinct told her to keep her eyes as tight as possible and go back to sleep. She couldn’t any more. Her body wouldn’t allow it. It said it was time to get up and tend those trees. Those pigs needed feeding as well. But try as she might she couldn’t remember what the pigs were for. Truffles maybe.

So Applejack opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was how crusty her eyelids were. It felt like she hadn’t opened them in forever. Then an indistinctive blur filled her vision. She narrowed her eyes trying to peer through the fuzziness. The picture cleared and she was facing an upset pink unicorn with a light blue streak in her purple mane.

“Starlight? Are you alright?”

The unicorn quickly looked up with tear residue in her eyes.

“Oh my gosh, AJ? You’re here. I mean you were here the whole time but now you’re really really here,” Starlight rambled.

“Hold on, Sugarcube, slow down. Ah feel like a wrestled a nine foot sidewinder. Where in the hay am I and where is Fluttershy?”

“Fluttershy?”

“Ah thought Ah saw her in that bed over yonder,” Applejack emphasized by pointing her hoof.

“AJ that was three days ago. Fluttershy is fine. But umm you know this might be best if I get Nurse Coloratura. She might be better at breaking this to you. I’ll be right back.”

“Starlight wait. Ah’m not sure Ah want to hear it from her. Ah have always figured honesty to be the best policy between couples. Ah know we’re just startin’ out but we might as well start now.”

“Ok,” said Starlight, visibly shaken. She tried to compose herself as she sat back down. She took a deep breath and stared directly in her eyes. Applejack felt a little woozy looking into them but could tell something important was about to be said.

“Applejack,” the pink unicorn began, “do you remember the fight?”

“Which one?”

“The one inside the Eva.”

Applejack shook her head blankly. It was then she realized she wasn’t wearing her hat. She had given it to Ms. Pinkie to hold and then something had exploded.

“Wait! The explosion,” Applejack gasped trying to sit up but failing. “Is everypony alright? Ms Pinkie Pie and Ms Twilight?”

“Ms Twilight is fine and Ms. Pinkie pie broke her hoof,” assured Starlight. “But after the explosion there was an angel in your Eva. Or at least that is what Rainbow Dash said. You fought with Fluttershy. Her Eva lost control and ripped yours apart.”

Applejack just stared blankly, taking it all in.

“If Fluttershy was here, Ah might have hurt her. Ah should go...” Applejack began.

The orange mare moved to stand but felt a lightness on one side that she’s never known. Bewildered, she tried again and felt her left side not moving quite right. Dumbfounded, she stared down at the lumps in her blanket. She lifted the right side and saw Kicks McGee spring into action. She tried the other side and Bucky gave a half hearted flop. It didn’t look the same. With shaking front hooves she carefully pulled off the blanket and saw the small red stump that was her left back leg.

Starlight couldn’t handle anymore and began sobbing and wrapped her hooves around her stunned girlfriend.

Applejack just stared in disbelief. It didn’t seem real. She was fine a minute ago and now seemingly seconds later the world she was used to was over.

“Oh Applejack,” Starlight sobbed. “I will become a medical pony. I’ll make a leg for you. A metal one. It’ll work out. I’ll make sure it does. Even if I have to bend time itself.”

Applejack could only stare. No words would come as to what the future would hold.

“Starlight,” the cowpony finally said in a hoarse voice. “Could ya check in on Apple Bloom fer me? Ah don’t know when Ah’ll get to see her.”

“They’re moving her into this room soon. You’ll be together for some time at least.”

“Well at least there’s that.”

“We’ll get through this AJ. I’ll stay right here for you,” Starlight said and smiled through her tears.

Applejack smiled slowly at her. There was no way she was going to recover anytime soon but she wanted to let Starlight know she appreciated her company.They sat together in the room until visiting hours ended. They didn’t know what happened outside.

***

Fluttershy stood in front of Discord with a look of scorn and anger. She felt used and cheap. Applejack’s crumpled form still danced through her mind. She had heard that her friend was awake now but knew she couldn’t face her.

Discord looked down at her from his desk. His face was full of pity.

“I I don’t know what to say,” he began.

“Normally a real friend would begin by apologizing for hurting them,” she sneered.

“I didn’t think any of this would happen. I was just following the script.”

“Script? Script?! Discord, this is my life and my friends' lives. We aren’t toys for you to play with. We are ponies. Ponies with real feelings. Ponies with that can get hurt.”

“It was not my intent to cause you pain. I was actually trying to help you,” Commander Discord clarified with an uncertain smile.

“You tried to make me hurt a friend then gave me a front row seat to her beating when I refused. I don’t think I want your help anymore, Discord.”

“I know. I know. But unfortunately we still have so much to play out before it is over. I can’t stop it. I don’t have the power anymore.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about. But I think it’s time I left,” Fluttershy said definitively.

“I understand but before you go I want you to know that I am truly very sorry.”

“That was better. But I don’t think I can trust you right now.”

Discord took Fluttershy’s paperwork and ripped it up including her ID card.

“There. All done. No more CAKE for you,” he said.

Fluttershy nodded then confidently turned and left the room.

“Was that wise?” asked Cheese emerging from the shadows. “She doesn’t really know what is really going on here.”

“I’ve made allowances for your infernal ‘cheesy sense’, Commander Discord said, flicking his hands in disgust. “But you don’t understand the full work. Watch what you say around her and her friends or you might not be able to play with us anymore.”

He turned his long thin body and strode out of the room.

***

Rainbow Dash leaned against the headquarters entrance. She felt bitter and raw about how badly she was beaten. She tried desperately to not blame Applejack but the resentment still lingered. She vowed she would train harder and better than she ever had. Those angels wouldn’t know what hit them next time.

Fluttershy marched out of headquarters with anger all over her face.

“Hey, Fluttershy, wait!” Rainbow called out to her and began to chase her down.

Fluttershy wiped her head around. “You knew!” she spat. “You knew who it was and didn’t tell me. You knew who it was and still fought her.”

“I did what had to be done,” Rainbow immediately rebounded. “You were going to try to talk to her until it killed you!”

“She’s our friend. She was our friend and you still fought.”

“I was trying to subdue it. I wasn’t going to destroy it,” admitted Rainbow.

“I just can’t right now, Dash.”

“Are you giving up then? Just going to quit?”

“I just watched my friend nearly get killed because of me. I’m never going in that thing again!” Fluttershy shrieked.

“What about me..us? Are you just going to walk away from that too?”

“Us..you? I am trying to keep everything inside right now so I can even see straight to make it home. All you want to talk about is you. I’m heading home, Dashie. I just can’t think clearly right now.”

Rainbow Dash felt all hair on her body stand up in annoyance. She turned and bucked over a trash can. This was the job. You were supposed to try your best. Although her best lately wasn’t good enough. The only pony who was didn’t want to pilot anymore. It made Dash angrier just thinking about it.

Fluttershy flew home as quick as her wings would carry her. She could feel the weight of what had happened descending down on her. She was so frustrated she wanted to kick at things but didn’t have the heart to do so. She opened the door with such heat that she nearly knocked Pinkie Pie over.

“Fluttershy, woah what’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, dodging the shearing door edge.

“Everything!” Fluttershy shouted. “My friends have no problem fighting and killing each other! My boss wants me to hurt living things! My girlfriend is only interested in herself!”

“Slow down, Fluttershy,” cooed Pinkie. “It’s never all that bad. Let’s figure this problem out one step at a time ok. First take a deep breath.”

Fluttershy forced herself to slow down and breathe in deeply. Then she slowly let it out.

“There,” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Don’t you feel a tinsy winsy bit better?”

Fluttershy slowly nodded.

“Good, now we can talk about..”, Pinkie paused mid sentence as the pink pendant on her necklace started to glow. “Rats. These angels are so inconsiderate. Hey why isn’t your necklacey thing glowing?”

“I quit.”

“Aww, that’s too bad. But I understand. That fight sounded really scary and ended very bad. But if you’re not going to fight anymore you should get to a shelter like everypony else. We’ll talk later ok?”

“Ok,” Fluttershy nodded her head.

Pinkie Pie patted her with her hoof then winced. “I got to remember which hoof I broke.”

Fluttershy left the apartment and followed the steady stream of ponies walking towards a shelter. The anger had not abated.

***

Rainbow Dash rushed to her Eva. She felt edgy still. Her fight with Fluttershy merely added more fuel to the fire.

“I’ll show you”, she thought. “A pony has to fight sometimes for those she loves. Sometimes there is no way to talk your way out of it. I’ll protect the city without Fluttershy’s help.”

***

Pinkie hobbled into the control room.”Hi everypony. Long time no see.”

“Hi, Major Pinkie,” waved Lyra.

“What’s going on?” the perky party asked pleasantly.

“We have an angel bearing down right on top of us!” shouted Bon Bon.

“Well at least... what?! It’s here already! Launch Unit-02!” shouted Pinkie.

“No time,” explained Bon Bon. “It’ll be through the defense shields ...”

The building shook and a large explosion sounded in the distance.

“..now.”

“What is with things exploding lately?!” whined Pinkie. “Rainbow Dash the angel is here! Bring your Eva here!”

“Already on it,” came Rainbow’s voice through the speaker.

***

Rainbow Dash began climbing Unit-02 through the nearby tubes.

“C’mon! C’mon!” the speedster sneered. “I need to get there now!”

The second filly found the appropriate tube and dove through it. In the distance she could see the creature. It looked like a large humanoid clown with a skull head and rolled up arms.

“Yuck,” spat Rainbow, “why do these things have to look so weird?”

She immediately took off into the air and soared towards it.

“If I can hit it fast enough, I’ll be down before it knows what hit it,” she assured herself.

“Be careful, Dashie,” warned Pinkie. “That thing might be faster than it looks.”

“It’s got nothing on me.”

Rainbow Dash sped up with her front hooves fully outstretched preparing to strike. The creature suddenly turned and saw her.

“Nuts!” the cyan pegasus cursed and increased her speed.

“Rainbow,” commanded Twilight,” slow down you won’t be able to react at that speed.”

“You don’t know until you try.”

“Rainbow! We don’t want you to get hurt too,”Twilight pleases. “Please listen.”

“Sorry,” Rainbow answered,” too busy about to kick butt.”

The angel’s arms unrolled and turned into long sharpened metal planks. They shot out and sliced through Unit-02’s wings like butter. The wings flew off into the air and the Eva crashed into the ground.

“Damn it!” shrieked Rainbow Dash clutching her wings. “Damn you,” she shouted and pushed her Eva into a headlong charge. The planks changed direction and sliced Unit-02’s head clean off. The Eva crumpled to the ground.

“Rainbow!” shouted Pinkie.

***

Fluttershy sat huddled in the corner as the shelter’s light shook above her head. Each large slam brought fresh screams of nearby ponies. One group of florist ponies passed out in pure terror. Fluttershy felt helpless and small. She took down most of the angels so far and she was hiding in the corner like a coward.

Without warning the shelter’s wall exploded sending shrapnel and bricks through the air. The air filled with dust and smelled sickeningly like blood. The three collapsed ponies were quick to get up and run away. Fluttershy froze in terror. She was staring at the severed head of Evanstallion Unit-02. Blood poured out of it’s severed neck.

“Rainbow Dash?” she found herself whispering in shock. Suddenly the fear, anger and hatred left her in an instant. She flew head long through the opening in the shelter. She heard the immense hoof falls of Unit-00 in the distance. She watched as the angel turned on its AT field. Unit-00 slammed into it revealing the shimmering golden energy strands that comprised it.

Fluttershy could see the Eva carried an explosive in its mouth. The barrier held as the explosive detonated. The ruined wreckage of Unit-00’s face was obscured by a cloud of smoke. Then the Eva collapsed.

Fluttershy flew faster than she ever thought she could. She passed by Cheese Sandwich doing something with watermelons. He said something but she didn’t slow down to hear him.

She flew right into the control room.

“I need my Eva!” the third filly shouted.

“Fluttershy,”shouted Pinkie gleefully. “I thought you said you were never going to pilot again.”

“I won’t let my friends get hurt anymore,” the small yellow pegasus said, stomping in emphasis.

“Fluttershy,” exclaimed a bouncing and excited Commander Discord.

“I came back for my friends, Discord,” explained Fluttershy. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Could you hurry the reunion up?!” insisted Bon Bon. “The angel’s almost in the control center!”

Fluttershy took off into the air once again and flew down the hall towards her Eva. She climbed into the entry plug and entered it. The Eva roared to life as if aware of the expediency of need. It galloped off to battle.

The angel made its way through the ruined base and focused on the command center.

“Fluttershy!” shouted Pinkie. “It’s right outside! We need you out there now!”

The screen of the control center cracked and shattered as the angel burst in. Unit-01 burst through the other wall. It pushed the angel back away from the control room. The horn drill whirled to life and Fluttershy tried to stab the angel.

“I don’t care what you are anymore! I don’t care what you want!” shouted Fluttershy. “You will not hurt my friends anymore!”

Fluttershy screamed and the Eva shoved the angel down again. She felt a small shiver of excitement as she angled the horn at the creature’s face. One of the metal planks slid through the air cutting off one of Unit-01’s forelegs.

Fluttershy clutched her leg in pain. But something in her let loose. A rage that she had never felt before gripped her. The Eva’s eyes began to glow a bright teal. It started to charge when it was caught from a laser blast from the horror’s mouth. The Eva flew backward landing on its back. Then the battery ran out.

“Oh no!” gasped Fluttershy, “I forgot to grab my charging cable!”

The angel turned and faced the downed Eva. The metal plank arms swung through the air cutting off the Evanstallion’s chest armor. A large crystal sat in the center of its chest.

“What is that?” asked Lyra as the control room crew left their seats and ran towards the fight. Their equipment still worked but only marginally. With the display screen smashed the crew had no way of knowing what was happening. The only way to see was following the action on hoof.

“That’s the core crystal we used to anchor the Eva’s magical matrix,” explained Twilight.

The angel started to pound the crystal with its heavy metal arms. Each strike sounded like a pick ax striking an iron vein. Each blow reverberated through the ruins of headquarters like a large ominous grandfather clock chiming their doom.

“No! No! No!” stammered Fluttershy in quick successive breaths. “We need to protect our friends! We need to protect ponykind! Come on Evanstallion! Move!”

The Eva changed. The eyes popped on and glowed a ferocious red. The metal guard around its mouth started twisting with a metallic squeal that left the command crew curling their eyes back in pain. It broke off revealing a twisted black mouth shrouded in smoke. The Eva stood on its hind legs and stretched its back. Another sound of shearing metal accompanied the large armor plates as they fell off. A billow of dark smoke flowed from the shoulders.

The Eva kept forward with unnatural speed. It crashed into the angel easily knocking it off its feet. The smoke wrapped around the large plank arms and a sickening tearing and pop accompanied it. Then it engulfed the rendered limbs and reformed into a new foreleg.

The Eva whinnied a haunting high pitched sound. It descended on the angel and began biting and consuming the beast. Crunching, biting and chewing noises filled the air.

“What in the what?” asked Pinkie Pie dumbfounded. “It’s eating the angel! Like a pancake. With no table manners!”

“You’re not one to talk about table manners,” reprimanded Twilight.

“It’s eating the angel, Twilight!”

“Trixie is going to be ill,” informed Trixie. She ran off and began to wrench in the nearby bushes.

“What are these things?” asked Bon Bon.

“Well we call them shadow ponies,” explained Twilight. “We found remnants of them in our study of the second impact site. We figured how to congeal their bodies into giant pony form with use of a soul gem. We placed armor on it to restrain its essence and allow a pilot to enter and exit them without getting corrupted. But now it is free.”

Pinkie Pie hopped wildly on her hooves. “Ow, ow, ow,” she repeated.

“Pinkie, stopping hopping on your broken hoof!”

“Sorry Twilight, I’m too terrified to remember which hoof that is right now!” Pinkie whined.

Twilight slowly helped the pink mare lift her left hoof into her sling.

The Evanstallion looked up from its meal. Its eyes shined eerily in the low light. It whinnied again. A haunting foreboding sound.

“So, uh, how do we get it back inside?” asked Lyra.

Author's Note:

Applejack and Starlight’s part in this tale is done. For those that are curious what happened I will tell you. They took Apple Bloom and moved to Appleloosa. Starlight became a medical unicorn. She made Applejack a metal leg. Then Applejack discovered a lost earth pony magic art called Alchemy. Aj sacrifices her own foreleg to put Apple Bloom’s soul into a nearby suit of armor. Starlight makes her yet another leg. Applejack becomes a “mule of the military” and renamed the Full Metal Alchemare.
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