Mobile Suit Gundam: Alicorn - Volume 2

by Alines Reinhard

Chapter 13

“Font, I don’t think sending your friend to death like that is a good idea…” Black Wine said with a concerning voice “The info seems to be mixed in this time, but perhaps not much of them are alive…”

“Yes Sir… But that what’s I have to do…” said Font “…We are really in a shortage of components and equipment. They said perhaps we will have more of them next week…”

“Next week? What about the creatures? Will you guarantee they will not reach us perhaps… tomorrow?”

“That’s why I have to send our squad to counter them as soon as they can…”

“And what about the Alicorn? Was it still there?” Black Wine raised his voice when mentioned the word “Alicorn”.

That’s when Font started to feel a shiver down his spine. “Did… did he just discover something?”

“I ask again: where IS the Alicorn?” he raised his voice even higher “Do you still keep it on the CLOUDSDALE?”

Font looked around his room, trying to find a possible answer for his incompetence.

The Alicorn was really still in Klugetown along with the ship. He have intended to lure the Canterlot and its MS to his ship, killing all of them in the process and get away, with the battle record of beating S.M.I.L.E, smashing the Alliance's largest hope yet.

He has prepared to tell the Cloudsdale crew the news and tell them the plan. They are tired of running all around Equus with their supposedly prey chasing them behind their back. But his assistant said it might backfire, as Kludgetown’s shipyard was still being finished. And she was right: the defeated above Halflinger Groove only further proves his point: they are really scared of being killed by their own prey.

But still, Font wanted to put his money on to the Cloudsdale and her crew, praying that Lady Luck will be on their side once again. Additionally, he ordered New Hampshire to aid the ship. He have told this plan to Black Wine before, and he was happy to hear his plan. But that morning, the Chancellor blew him with that anger, indicating he might don’t want to risk it. With that, Font sighed and answered with stuttering:

“Yes… Yes… my Chancellor…”

But to his surprise, Black Wine also seems to have some regret, as he put his head down and didn’t raise his voice anymore:

“I have to say it’s my fault, too. I have underestimated my enemy, and now they are coming for our precious Alicorn Gundam… But don’t worry, I have another plan up my sleeve…”

“Sorry, Chancellor?” Font asked as if he didn’t hear it clearly.

“I said that I have another trick that can save us if your plan failed…”

“What, you even think of that?” Font surprised.

“Uh… I actually just came up for that reason lately, but I have planned this since the war started. But…” the dark blue unicorn glanced around his room, as well as Font’s own assistant “…this is a secret just between us…”

With that, Font requested his lavender mane assistant to leave the two alone. Then, through the monitor, Font questioned in concern.

“Are you sure those creatures don’t hear us?”

“We have the most advance electronic warfare equipment. They won’t hear a word from this.”

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” he positioned himself nearer to the screen. Both his hands tied into each other and his eyebrows frowned, looked straight into the screen with both his ears up.

“Now listen… I have installed some spies onto that ship, specifically. What I want is to capture lady Rainbow Dash and bring her to us, completing our collection. Now, without her, the Alliance will at least endure a big shock and their morale will dramatically go downhill. I don’t say it will completely stop their fight, but sometimes, a big shock is all that our ponies need!”

“That’s a smart move, Chancellor. But… how do you gonna execute it?”

“You will hear about it when it happens. But you will get to see her right here, at Canterlot. What I want you to do is arrange a camouflage ambulance at Kludgetown, near the shipyard where the Cloudsdale stay. You will pick up her and the spies back to Equestria.”

“Yup heard that. We have plenty of friends there, so it should not be uneasy for me, except…”

“Except what?” Black Wine raised his left eyebrow.

“You know they also have a foothold there too, right? The Alliance?”

“Yep, I know…” the Chancellor sits back on his chair in the most comfortable position he could “…but they will not find us out. Additionally, I killed some of them!”

“Wait… what?” Font surprised “You assassinate them?”

“That what I intended to do!” the dark blue stallion said casually “If you read the Kludgetowner’s news about two or three days ago, you will see they reported on some mysterious death within the town. I assassinated around 5 of them…”

His casual talk was, perhaps, the most uncanny and creepiest thing he have ever heard. There’s a weird shiver in him, bringing with it the feeling that Black Wine is a somewhat mass murderer. Font swallowed his fear and asked again, trying not to stutter:

“So… how do they kill?”

“I killed them with some toxic potion, my dear. If I recall correctly, after they died, their corpse will slowly turn into a tree… or something like that…”

“Okay… Okay… I understand that Chancellor!” unable to continue listening to Black Wine’s gory description, Font decided to just continue the spies' discussion “So, can I ask how can we identify your spies again?”

Black Wine sighed. He then took out a piece of paper that painted a red circle with a bright orange flame on it. Surrounding the circle is some specially made words that Font doesn’t know how to read.

To be fair, he actually understands Ponish language, but the words on it make him think they are gibberish Ponish.

“Uh… Those words are our own intelligence code. You don’t have to learn, and I advise you not to learn it for now.”

The words are large enough that Font assumed it could be readable if painted on a car, spies from meters can still read it. He said that thought to the Chancellor and he nodded.

“That’s exactly what I wanted you to do!”

…

“Hey, isn’t that Water Vapor?” asked Yolinda when she and Flash saw the pink hippogriff sitting alone in the catina, reading through some sort of book. Occasionally, Flash could see him sigh whilst turning the pages, making him think Water Vapor is somewhat tired after all of the mourning and battle he has gone through.

“You know too little about your comrades, Flash…” criticize Grisela “…that’s a big shame. Look how sad he is!”

Flash glanced at him again. He genuinely feels bad for the poor hippogriff, since he knows he has lost friends on the Eagle Scream. Some of them have formed a strong bond after just over a month, which makes the farewell even more heartbreaking.

“Oh, isn’t that Water Vapor?” Yamina walked right next, placing her hoof onto Flash’s back and looking at the sad soldier. Her present also breaks Water Vapor from memories and nostalgia, making him look at the duo and waving them to his table:

“Hello, nice to meet you guys here…”

…

Water Vapor, or as his friend like to call him, WV, is best described as a shy but kind and careful hippogriff. His feminine voice doesn’t stop him from being a brave figure amongst his comrades.

According to the official report, he took down 3 mobile suits all on his own. His maneuverability is astounding, given the fact that he just get to pilot a standard Jegan Type D, with no additional thrusters or fuel tank.

But at the moment, he was devastated. His new friends, although not getting to know him for a long time, still manage to give him a wholesome and meaningful moments.

“I… I honestly like having dinner with the Captain and his crew… They are so kind and friendly to me… Do you know Captain Gamira? Well, you should have a talk about food with her! She’s extremely enthusiastic about it!”

“Oh… she must be a wonderful commander… right?” asked Yamina, as she comfort the sobbing hippogriff, patting him on his back. “Where did she from?”

“Well… she’s a griffon… a model Griffonstonian citizen according to her shipmates…”

It was also worth mentioning who Water Vapor really is…

Yamina was his closest friend before the team temporarily braked for hiding. She told that the pink hippogriff was born in a family of five. He is the youngest in the group, so he was largely ignored by his parents.

But he doesn’t need to gain that much care. He eventually went to a Seaquestria college and get to know great friends that he called his new family. That’s when his life really took off. In fact, he got to study… aeronautics.

Hippogriff could technically be an amphibious race. They all wear amulets that not only let themselves but also other creatures transform into fish-like creatures, allowing them to move freely in the water. His family is living in Seaquestria, the hippogriff’s aquatic kingdom. But after the victory over an evil king in the past, their kingdom expanded and they regain the dry part of the kingdom, called Mount Erris. Water Vapor always love to visit that mountainous city when he was young. He have attempted to go there at least a dozen times when she was small, and sadly, that’s mostly the only way he could gain his parent's notice: they immediately pulled him back into the water once they found him flying towards the city. The most he could be allowed when he’s out of the sea is flying above the water, looking at the scenery, or gaining some knowledge on flying. That’s when he was obsessed with being airborne.

He was the best student in his class back in Seaquestria, as he and his uncle would be regularly founded testing flying stuff. S.M.I.L.E recruiters were introduced to him when they are trying to study a kind of gigantic bipedal monster that was later known as the mobile suit. Yamina said that he still remembered the stunted face of his fellow hippogriff when he was immediately able to pilot one of them, an old GMII that somehow get to Seaquestria. Impressed by that event, S.M.I.L.E immediately let him become part of the organization.

And that’s how they become comrades. On the last day before he left the kingdom, his whole family, including his parents, come to hug him tightly and say goodbye. His mom even gets to apologize for her ignorance of her youngest son.

“Hey… Brad… I think I treated my mom… and dad too harshly sometimes… Do you… do you… think so?” he asked shyly. He’s gradually learning how to not stutter day by day, and it’s getting paid. Before going to college, he was known to have the stuttering disorder.

“I don’t know. But it’s good to be able to love your family again. Of course, I’m happy for you!” Flash comforted him, with words suggested by Yolinda “But… are you sure you have forgiven them?”

“I’m easy to forgive, honestly… I learned it from Princess Twilight and her friends!”

Twilight Sparkle, the reigning ruler of the Kingdom of Equestria, was known for her friendliness. She and her friends, which was now called the Council of Friendship, have free Equestria from self-isolation and bring a lot of creatures altogether, making the kingdom become the most diverse and inclusive country in Equus. He knew apart from Luster, Water Vapor was perhaps one of her biggest fans.

“Right… so how do get to pilot the mobile suit, I wonder? Didn’t you the one who is able to pilot it on the first try?” Blue Thunder questioned.

“It is! Thanks to some piloting techniques that my uncle teach me when I was small. If I recall correctly, he even made a flying machine with the same piloting mechanism: 2 control sticks on each side, pedals below the pilots, and windows. You guys gonna love it when seeing it first hoof!”

“Interesting…” the blue pegasi mumbled.

…

“Thanks, Yolinda… I think you and me make him happy again!” Flash said to his brown furry friend that help him overcome his own social anxiety.

“No problem, Flash! I’m always here to give advice!” said Yolinda. “Is he better now?”

“Uhm… I don’t know, but I actually can’t say he is better. The whole ship has never go through a war with this much level of brutality and tension, so we have to talk to him more.”

“That’s… that’s really, really depressing…” Luster Dawn said with her face looked down, her hoof dragging around the grass “Stuff like this will happen way more often in the future. Did the ship have a therapist… or something?”

“Zecora… may be… I haven’t seen her since I came to the Parrot’s Strength. She must be really busy right now.”

The group then decided to halt all of the talking for quite a long time. Flash brought his vision out of his friends and looked to the tranquil Ponyville, the famous capital of friendship. From there, he could see the town’s largest landmark, The Castle of Friendship, towering above the hay-roof houses. Its six edges stars shine above, reflecting the light of setting sun on the horizon.

“The Castle of Friendship…” he thought. The place was one of the… holiest places in all of Magic of Friendship worshippers. It was the monument that marketed the Council of Friendship’s victory over Tirek, an evil creature with unlimited hunger for magic, with a wish to absorb every one of them to him. After he was beaten, the Castle appeared from the ground, as it rose up to the sky. It was a reward for Twilight and her friend's commitment, as well as replacing her destroyed Golden Oak Library.

“Tell me, Flash… Why do you choose this place, of all the towns, cities and kingdoms in this world?” asked Yolinda.

“I don’t know. When I heard Luster’s voice I immediately linked of this place… But when I was Twilight’s personal guard, we tend to get to this very tree and have a personal chit-chat. Maybe you remind me of it?”

“Yeah… like how I reminded you of a painful memory you do not want to remember again?”

“Huh?”

“I’m doing sounds like Princess Twilight sometimes… “ the light cerise unicorn raised left eyebrows.

“Yeah… but you don’t have to worry about it. I completely forgive you! I guess my mental health was a bit better when we started to trust each other!”

“You quite understand the Magic of Friendship…” Luster commented. “Hey, so when will you come here? I can’t wait to see you in person!”

“Uh… maybe tomorrow! But brace yourself, the battle is gonna be a brutal one…”

…

“If I’m not wrong, you are also being tortured for the human experiments, too?” Zecora asked while looking over some documents.

“Sorry, Miss Zecora… long time no see…” Flash said, “…how has your job going through lately?”

As her hoof is still buried in the messy papers of her clients, she still manages to sigh and answered:

“Busy, like real busy! But somehow you still get to see me in my free time. It’s already 10 am, why are you still awake?”

Flash smiled nervously. It was Luster who suggest he come at that time, as that’s when Zecora was also ready to rest.

“So… what do you want to talk about, Brad? Maybe you need some help on your mind?”

“Sadly, no… Miss. But do you still keep that “Curse and Chaos”… book?”

“Ah, I think it’s still at the ship library. I have put it back. Oh, and didn’t you the one that has that “haunting curse”?” she said as the zebra looked at him nervously.

“Ye… Yes… But…”

“Sweet Celestia, that must be very unpleasant for you, or straight up nightmare! I heard its victims said they rather choose death than being have this curse…”

“Technically it’s a curse, but Luster and her friends know how to handle it, Miss…” Flash cuts her words with a determined look “…I think the understanding has made my experience way better.”

“I see… But according to the book, that has never happened. But unsurprisingly, Luster Dawn was known to be a magic genius so she can rewrite the whole spell, even if she was still stuck within the Alicorn…”

“Aww… tell her I thank her so much!” Luster whispered into his ear.

“But I think I should keep an eye on you a bit closer, my dear…” the zebra said as she pulled out a client paper and write something on it “…I know Luster Dawn and her friends quite well, so I know she won't have any bad intention towards you. But rewriting spells is very dangerous, I have to say that… She a great pony, but…”

“Flash, Flash, can you tell her this?”

The light cerise unicorn voice took all over his mind, making his ears deaf for a moment. Now, all Zecora’s words are unhearable to him, as Luster Dawn almost screamed into his ears:

“That’s not how the “curse” work. How the “victim” experience is all depend on the “caster”. That’s why we can talk to you both like an evil entity and as our true self! You have to tell her that!”

“Uh… Brandon? Are you okay?” Zecora asked with some concern “Are you wanted to sleep now?”

“Not yet, not yet! But I think there’s no spell rewritten here. How I experience it is based on how they treat me…”

“Like Stalikholm syndrome?” Zecora raised one of her eyebrows and cross her hooves, questioning his explanation.

“What’s that mean?”

“The Stalikholm syndrome is a coping mechanism to a captive or abusive situation. People develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time. They are your ‘abusers’, in technical terms of the course. You have somehow developed a positive feeling about them… But again, that’s Luster Dawn and her friends, so it understandable. She’s smart, right?”

“Absolutely! Your Luster Dawn the Great always does things right!” Luster said with a cocking voice. He could almost imagine her putting one of her hoofs onto the chest, closing her eyes, and smiling proudly.

“Oh… there are actually tons of abilities that a ‘castor’ could do…”

“But you just said ‘abuser’?” Flash questioned.

“It’s a technical term for the Stalikholm syndrome, from a doctor's perspective. I’m talking about the perspective of an enchantress regarding the curse…”

And they go on to talk for nearly an entire night. Through Flash, the Luster Dawn and her friends could talk to Zecora, as she has acknowledged their ability to use Flash’s sense. They could hear and see what Flash experienced, so they can witness the entirety of the conversation. Sometimes, they will talk as an echo or a whisper to get Flash to talk for them.

“They are great friends that saved Equestria multiple times, after all. I don’t say cursing others like this is a good thing but you are lucky, Brad…”

“I know. They are fun to be friends with… And how about you, Zecora?”

“Uhn… It’s a complicated one….”

The zebra sit back comfortably on her chair, closing her eyes as she remembering the past. Although it’s not entirely happy, she still preserves it like a piece of precious gem, never letting it fade away.

“There are three main races live in Farasi: kelpies, abadas, and zebras. When I was small I was taught that the zebras are the only race that can’t make magic. Honestly, I was jealous when I heard that! You have to know I’m a huge bookworm at the time…”

She leaned herself towards Flash. Her front hooves crossed on the desk, as the middle-aged zebra looked straight into his eyes:

“I wanted to be the first zebra to learn magic, but my friends don’t believe me. They just keep telling me that ‘Our teachers said zebra can’t make magic, you see?’… I have distant myself from my friends, and left the kingdom with the mind to never return to it again.”

“Wait… did she just talk in rhymes again?” Grisela surprised. Flash repeated what she said and the zebra nodded her head.

“Yeah… I have given up talking like that since I reconnect with my friends. I used to talk like that because I believed that if I continue to speak in rhymes, the magic will work. That’s not a pleasant thing to do, you know…”

“Oh… I’m sorry… I didn’t know that!” Flash replied with a sorrowful voice.

“But learning to reconnect with my friends means that I have learned the Magic of Friendship… By the way, do you want me to talk in rhymes or…”

“Just… just talk the way you want, Miss…”

“Be respectful to her, Flash. She’s also a hero…” Grisela whispered into his ear.

And with that, Flash has learned that she was also one of Farasi’s own Elements of Harmony, called the Elements of History. The friends have defeated an evil creature, called the Grootslang, bringing water and greenery back to Farasi.

“Wait… what does the Grootslang do to you?”

“It tries to attack our kingdom. I remember it even dare to attack us and blocking us to bring all those lives back! But after all… we didn’t intend to harm it anyway…”

The couple was silent for a few seconds awkwardly. Zecora have raised her voice a little too much, and she realized that. Flash also seems to worry about it.

“Not… Nothing… My apology for my temper…”

“Sorry Miss…” Flash replied and went silent again. But then, he suddenly regain confidence and asked:

“How about your life after that?”

“Significantly better! I didn’t have to say in rhymes again to gather the magic, as the magic is within me now! I have saved Farasi along with my friends several more times after that occasion. And we get to be praised, of course.”

“And with that, it’s an honor to meet you, Lady Zecora!”

Flash stunted her by getting out of the chair and bowed down before the zebra. His eyes looked down and his arm put politely on his knees. It was needless to say Zecora was heavily blushing, her hoofs put onto her mouth as she gasped. She rushes to him, put him up, and said:

“I’m just a doctor, you idiot! And just call me Zecora!”

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear his friends laughing at the scene.

And the two of them laughed hard, too.

It was a refreshing moment, doping for them to prepare for the most intense battle in their war.