Chapter 14: The Battle of Lecompton, Phase Two
Zvezda, after recovering from the shock of having her comm spell interrupted, decided to take matters into her own paws. This time, she had Impedimenta cast the commlink spell, tying herself, Impedimenta and Genghis together. Genghis was making good time to the artillery battery, but still had several more miles to go. “Impedimenta, you’re in charge of the camp. I’m going to take a look around. I may have to sink that barge myself!” she growled.
“Just be careful, Zvezda. We need you intact. We don’t have the dragon doctor here. You’re in command. Go watch and report. Don’t get stupid!” the unicorn mare snapped back at the much bigger dragon. “Remember that, Mission Commander!” Impedimenta could best be described as having a ‘prickly personality’, and often had to put Zvezda in her place and her mind on track. Years of working together in Equestria had earned each other's trust.
“Right, Imp. Get clear, getting ready to take off.” Impedimenta moved back while Zvezda positioned herself for her takeoff run. A fortunate gust of wind helped her up off the ground.
Meanwhile, over at the attempted artillery site, Vipers One and Two had climbed out of a bombing run, having dropped half their load of flash-bangs on the artillery force. Not only had they stunned the artillery force, one of the wagons had gone up in a flare of smoke and fire. A couple of inspection swoops revealed the NLAW rockets were either in pieces, or bent enough to put firing at them at high risk to the gunner. “Viper One to Buffalo Six, nice job. They won’t be doing any shooting at us from there,” Frack said over the radio to Twogogglehat.
“Good to hear, Viper One. Standing by for additional orders,” the chief said back to Frack.
Frack was about to reply, but got overridden by Doctor Macombe on the Voyager. “Gay-lactica to Vipers! Something is happenin’ at their campground! A large radar return has done appeared theah and is headin’ your way!” he sent telepathically via crystal.
“Ho, boy. Head for the clouds, Two! Better not let it see us!” Frack sent to his wingpony.
“Headin’ up, Frack! What’s the plan when we get up there?” Harry asked.
“More on that later, Viper Two. We need more information before attacking,” came the thought of Captain Crane.
“Understood, Commander. Heading for the clouds,” Harry thought as he and Frack flew up and out of sight.
“Galactica to Buffalo Six. Get under cover. Dragon heading your way,” Crane called over the radio to the buffalo.
“Get under shelter, Buffalo Six copies,” Twogogglehat said in English before switching to Lakota. “Dragon coming. Let’s get under cover,” he told his troop. Nothing more needed saying as they all went into a thick copse of trees off to the east.
Zvezda flew to where her artillery battery was supposed to be, following the roads to get there, flying high against the cloud deck for best long-range visibility. She could see Genghis and his troop proceeding along the road, not moving at max speed, but a good pace, so they would not be exhausted before any fighting, if needed. She trusted Genghis to do his job. If Vladimir trusted the big black earth pony, well, so could she.
It was not long before she arrived at the wreckage of the artillery battery, the thin smoke coming from a wagon marking the spot. Zvezda landed to check out the ponies. Long Tom was coming out of his stun when he saw the dragon’s head looming over him. “What happened?” she growled.
“A big herd of buffalo stampeded through, Z,” Long Tom managed to groan as consciousness returned to him, intimidated by the dragon’s glare. “They came from that way and went over that way. Follow the footprints.”
“I will. Check on the others and let me know if you’re capable of shooting anything. I doubt it, though,” Zvezda grumbled before walking off in the direction the buffalo went.
Up at the base of the overhead cloud bank, Vipers One and Two watched the dragon lumber north on Jones Street, its head swinging to and fro, sniffing for the buffalo. “Harry, I think it’s time to piss this dragon off enough for it to lose rationality,” Frack sent to his wingpony.
“How do you plan on doin’ that, Frack?” Harry sent back.
“Drop a couple of flash-bangs around its head. Enrage it enough to follow us, not the buffalo trail. Lead it to and past the boat, and either let its own greed take over, or let it try to mess with the Kettles.”
“Has anyone said youse is an evil, evil boid, Frack?” Harry replied, checking his remaining flash-bang loadout.
“My wife, constantly. She can get away with it. You can’t.”
“Should I be worried, Lead?”
“Now, no. Later, maybe. Depends on what she says,” Frack replied as he scanned the dragon about a thousand feet below. He then ‘switched channels’ mentally. “Bomber Eight to Enterprise. Activating Phase Two. Alert Midway for incoming attack. Ready Bomber Flight Two.”
“Enterprise copies traffic, Bomber Eight. Readying Bomber Flight Two. Will alert Midway. Don’t break your ass up there, unless you really want to piss off your wife!” Howard sent back.
“Understood, Enterprise. Pissing her off is not high on my list of Things To Do! Commencing bombing run on the Akagi,” Frack sent, waving to Harry to follow. Together, they swooped down to about five hundred feet, dropped two flash-bangs each, then made for the cloud deck.
One of Harry’s flash-bangs went far enough ahead of the dragon to get her to catch the flash, the others lending their bangs to the situation, which confused and stunned her for a moment. At that moment, the buffalo headed east, away from the dragon. Zvezda shook her head to clear it before heading north on the road, towards the Voyager. “Genghis, report position!” she sent via Impedimenta.
“Estimate a mile and a half from the artillery location. What’s the status?”
“Artillery team alive, artillery equipment destroyed. Detach a couple of your troops to guide the artillery team back to camp. You bring the rest up to the ship. Time to scuttle that damn nuisance!” the pissed-off dragon sent to her subordinate.
“Genghis copies. Increasing to a trot. We found Long Eyes, unconscious but alive. We’ll get her back to camp, too.”
“Very well, Genghis.”
In the Voyager’s control room, things got busy. “Lucien, ready the field. How long do you think you can hold it?”
“About half an hour befoah ah shut it off ‘cause ah run out of powah. Glad ah have a booster shot heah,” Lucien said as he took a potion vial and set it on the console near where he stood. “If ah use it, that gives me anothah half hour, but then ah’d be wiped out.” The vial shone a deep blue with random aqua glitters flickering from it.
“Get the diversion field up before she goes airborne again. I’ll call the Kettles. Julia, weapons to starboard, but do not activate until my express order. Illusions can easily be disbelieved,” Howard cautioned before switching the radio to another frequency. “Enterprise to Midway. Opposition nearing. Ready defenses.”
“Midway to Enterprise. Copy message, will ready offenses as well as defenses. No dragon is going to get the Heaven Stones, if I have them figured right,” Pa Kettle grumbled over the radio.
“Will call you when we see it heading your way. Enterprise out,” Howard finished before resetting the radio transmitter to his command frequency. He could receive the Kettles, but not send without switching frequencies.
“Howard, tell me again why we’re using call signs from World War Two, please,” Julia asked.
“Well, main thing is if the dragon somehow is listening to our radios, howinhell would she know what we are talking about?” Howard asked as he went to the stairs leading down to the Lounge.
“You have a point.”
Downstairs, Howard found Bernie and Carroll ready to go, wearing vests with twelve flash-bangs and two frag grenades. “Flight two, head out and meet flight one. Follow the river west and get above the clouds before turning. We’re putting the screen up,” he told his remaining fliers.
“Time to mess with a dragon’s mind, right?” Carroll asked as she and Bernie started going to the door.
“Show me a dragon with a mind and I might agree with you,” Bernie quipped as she followed Carroll out and up, pulling for the clouds.
Bomber Flights One and Two met above the cloud layer for a conference. “Okay, who’s going to bell the cat?” Harry asked.
“Leave that to me. Carroll, swap vests with me. I’ll lead, you and Harry follow. Bernie, you’re Attack Eight. You trail and supervise,” Frack said as he and Carroll settled onto the cloud to switch vests, giving Frack the full one. “We’re going to lead the dragon to the crater, where the Voyager is ‘waiting’. Let’s keep it on track and see what the Kettles are willing to do.”
“Pissing off a dragon is dumb,” Bernie observed.
“Pissing off a family of earth ponies that have ties to some sort of magic is dumber. We’re counting on one facet of dragons we know is true. Their greed,” Frack explained as he swapped ammo vests with Carroll.
“Don’t forget about a dragon’s temper, either,” Harry grumbled.
“Forget? I’m counting on its temper overriding its better judgment until it gets in range of the meteor metal. Then the greed kicks in. We know Pa doesn't take kindly to strangers nipping in and taking,” Frack replied.
“That’s what worries me,” Carroll said as she finished swapping vests, getting Frack’s depleted one settled on her griffon frame. “Country folk can be nasty when there’s no cops around.”
“It worries you, Carroll. I’m counting on it. Are we ready?” Frack asked, flapping gently up off the cloud. “Let’s piss off a dragon!”
Captain Crane, keeping a telepathic ‘ear’ bent on his bomber squadron, gave Lucien the signal to raise the screens. Lucien’s horn lit up a deep red color, and to those watching outside (nobody, but that didn’t matter), the Mississippi Voyager disappeared from its location downstream of the wreckage of the FR1029 bridge and reappeared inside the crater lake.
“Git’em tuh look wheres you wants them to, an’ that’s much o’the battle raht theah” Lucien muttered as he got the illusion spell going.
“How do you know so much about such things, Lucien?” Howard asked quietly.
“Military history is a hobby o’mahn, especially aftuh ah made half-colonel…” Lucien said absently, much of his attention on the illusion spell.
“When was that, nineteen sixty-five?” Howard asked jokingly.
“Nope. Nineteen seventy-one. Ah got put in charge of a hospital in Saigon, an’ ah figured ah should know at least the basics. Got hooked on it then an’ never forgot any.”
“I didn’t know that…” Howard muttered as he watched the action, rotating between the different gems.
Zvezda, after the flash-bang went off near her, recovered from her daze and glared around angrily, looking for the source. She hissed a little, smoke curling from a nostril. “Nobody does that to me and gets away with it!”
She spotted something coming from the cloud deck overhead. She focused on it, then BANG! A flash of light and a loud noise went off, dazing her again. “Yoo hoo! Lady Dragon!” she heard from somewhere in front of her and ahead. “Want another?”
Smoke puffed out from both nostrils, black acrid smoke. “Who dares?” she shouted in the direction of the voice, her vision currently wiped out, but clearing.
“I did! Gonna do something about it?” the voice jeered. “Here! Have another!” as another flash-bang went off, this one much closer to her head than the last one.
With a roar, Zvezda leaped into the sky, catching air under her wings. “Time to die, insolent one!” she roared, homing in on where the voice came from.
“How much ya wanna bet, you sorry sack of scales?” the voice came not from in front of her, but off to one side and above. “Youse gonna fall victim to thermogoddamits!”
“What is that?” Zvezda roared, banking toward the voice.
“You can’t win!” the voice shouted as another flash-bang went off, close enough to her tail so she could FEEL it.
When she turned in the direction of that bang, another one went off against her back, between the wings. “You can’t even break even!” said the voice, this time from in FRONT of her.
Confused and irritated, Zvezda gained altitude, going to the cloud bank to recover and have the moisture soothe the burn on her back. “And you can’t get out of the game!” the voice said from very close to her, just as another flash-bang went off, right next to her head.
Zvezda made it to the cloud deck, where she stayed still and quiet, letting her sight and hearing return and the dampness soothe her burns a little. She let herself stay there for a moment before she heard a voice say almost in her ear, a different voice than before. “We ain’t got all day to wait for you, lady! Either come up and out or down and out, we’ll be waiting for you! The deck IS six thousand feet thick, so choose! We like toying with loser dragons!”
“Who are you calling a loser?” Zvezda shouted, really getting annoyed.
“You,” that female voice said in her ear. “I would call you dumb, but that’s Casimir’s job.”
“How do you know Casimir? He’s not dumb, he’s an idiot. He’s also my younger brother,” Zvezda rumbled.
The voice in her ear giggled. “You are? I didn’t know he had relatives here. We thumped his ass good. Now, he’s learning, as is his moronic aide. Saint Louis likes them, and they like the Saint Louis ponies. Teamwork helps.”
Zvezda let loose a rumbling growl that would have loosened the bowels of many creatures. Fortunately, Bernie is not among that number. “You’re mine, whoever you are! Make peace with your life, because it will soon end!”
Another laugh was heard. “I’m on the boat. Where are you? Lost in the clouds? Hurry up, I have more toys with your name on it!”
With a roar, Zvezda headed under the cloud deck, well and truly pissed. Impedimenta tried to calm her down, but the dragon was completely lost to rage, ignoring her aide, mind focused on swatting those insolent pests! She spotted the Voyager, sitting in the lake that mostly filled the crater where the meteor impacted, thin plumes of smoke coming from its stacks. She beelined for the riverboat, thick puffs of black smoke coming from her nostrils.
Behind her, Bomber Flights One and Two came out of the clouds, watching the large blue and yellow dragon flying off, madder than a wet hen. “Step one complete. Let’s hope steps two and three work as well,” Frack sent to his comrades-in-arms.
“Here’s hoping. If that doesn't work, what will?” Harry asked.
“May we never have to find out, Third,” Howard said over the link. “Gunners, lock on as the target goes by, and let her have it!”
“Forward gunner copies. Guns ready,” Aaron ‘said’, followed by Arnie’s “Topside guns is ready. All set tuh rock and roll, Captain!”
Howard was on the Bridge, ocular to his right eye, looking out the starboard window. “Wait until it gets north of us, then do your damndest! Shred the wings!” he ordered as a call came over the radio.
“Midway to Enterprise. Akagi coming into sight. Request orders,” said Pa Kettle.
Howard switched the transmitter back to the Kettle’s frequency. “Midway, hold fire until we start shooting. When the attention shifts, open fire with everything you got. We’ll get the Akagi in a pincer move. Go with God’s guidance, Midway.”
“Copy that, Enterprise. No stranger is going to take anything without retribution!” Pa snapped.
“Enterprise ten-ten,” Howard said before switching freqs again. “Enterprise to Lawyer Buffalo. Report status.”
Twogogglehat was quick to respond. “Herd is intact, were not noticed. Drifting northward to ford river, heading to camp.”
“About to open fire. Watch for any other action,” Howard told the buffalo before returning attention to his gunners. He watched as the big dragon flew close to the boat, passing it on the west, heading to the crater. The bombers came to a halt south of the river. “Open fire!” he sent to his gunners.
The gunners didn’t hesitate. Aaron had control of the forward grenade launchers, Arnie the topside grenade launcher and machine gun, and Julia controlled the forward machine guns remotely from the bridge.
Zvezda was startled by the stings of grenades on her tail, then she felt the pain of her wing sails getting penetrated by bullets. With a roar, she turned to look behind her. Her roar got cut off when she felt bullets on her nose. In pain, the big dragon turned again to put her back to the stings, heading to the ground to land so she could focus her magic on shielding and healing. She aimed for the highest point she could find, on the crater rim.
“Gunners, cease fire! Bomber wing, go in to check. Stay near the clouds!” Howard said over the crystal net.
“Bomber Lead copies, Enterprise,” Frack sent as the guns went quiet.
“First, weapons tight until I say so,” Howard told Julia as he made his way outside to fly to the roof, ocular around his neck.
Since the meteor struck at an extremely oblique angle from the southwest, the crater turned out slightly lopsided, the highest point of the rim being on the northeast side, closest to the Kettle Kompound. Zvezda headed there to land and focus her magic to stop the pain she was feeling from her seared tail, punctured wings, and a headache from all those flash-bangs to the head.
She sprawled on the dirt of the hillside, wings spread, eyes shut, focusing on making the pain go away. As the pain ebbed slowly, she felt herself sinking slightly into the soft soil of the crater rim, the feel of the magic meteors giving her a pleasant buzz, making her more determined to get some for her hoard. She felt some ground snakes slithering over her legs, neck and tail, the touch also helping to ease her pain.
Fifteen minutes of focused rest, and her pain had subsided to aches, mainly in her wings, which were still healing the holes. “Feelin’ any better, madam?” a rather harsh voice asked, not far from her head.
Startled, her eyes opened to see a large earth pony, shiny black in color with a light green mane and darker green forelegs. Next to him on one side stood a sky-blue unicorn colt. On the other side was a white earth pony mare with dark green forelegs, a pink earth pony filly, and a yellow unicorn mare at the end. “Looks like you’ve run into a peck of trouble. Looking for something?” the big black earth pony asked.
“The meteor,” Zvezda growled. “Power booster.”
“Well, madam, if you want it so badly, why don’t you watch over it?” the earth pony said in a gentle voice before switching to a harsher tone, one echoed by the other four. “Watch it FOREVER!” they all chorused.
The two unicorn’s horns glowed as the three earth ponies stomped their forehooves deep into the loose soil. An aura surrounded the ponies before moving to the blue and yellow dragon. She roared once as she felt herself changing, her paws sending roots deep into the soil, her scales to leaves and flowers. Her head turned to stare at the lake as her vision changed. She could ‘see’ the meteor buried deep under the mud and waters of the crater, the ‘glow’ of dust and pebbles around the limits of her vision sharpening into focus. She knew where all the meteor metal laid around in front of her, and it was her job to prevent theft. Those who would make an offering to her, asking permission to find metal, she could grant permission. Anyone who failed to do so, she was free to kill. The thoughts filled her head to the exclusion of all else.
The ponies sat down on the ground, not heeding the rain which started increasing in intensity. Pa reached for the radio around his neck. “Midway to Enterprise. The special job is finished. Returning to base,” he said, fatigue rising up in him and the others.
“Enterprise copies transmission, Midway. Get some sleep. AAR can wait until tomorrow. We still have her army to deal with,” Howard said over the radio. “That’s our job.”
“May the good Lord above see what we have done here and forgive us for it. She wanted the Heaven Stones, now she can watch them forever,” Pa said as he and the others got to their feet and started making their way down the crater rim, the science crew coming up to help them down the slope.
“I second that thought, Pa. Enterprise ten-ten,” Howard said before putting the microphone down. “Lucien, shut down the illusion field. Next up is the ground force. Arnie, you get that all down on video?”
“Sho’ did, Captain. Glad ah did, or else ah would not believe it mahself!”
Back at the invasion force’s main base, Impedimenta let out a howl and broke the connection to Zvezda, rolling some on the ground to make sure her hooves were not taking root. That also broke the connection with Genghis, who had not yet reached the artillery site, but was close.
When she recovered from the shock, the first sight Impedimenta saw was Veggie Stew, looking at her. “What happened, Ped?” the brightly-colored pink and orange earth pony asked.
“Zvezda found the meteor. It was trapped. She’s caught in it, and I don’t know how to get her out,” Impedimenta explained. “It’s all gone wrong. River Force is lost, the artillery has been destroyed, and the dragon is no more.”
Veggie Stew considered the news. She might not be the brightest bulb in the box, but she is an excellent camp cook and a good pony to be around. “Vladimir is going to have a shit fit.”
“Tell me about it,” Impedimenta groaned as she got to her hooves. “I’m going to sound the recall. We’re going to have to think closely about our next move. Our main weapons are gone. I’m going to need to consult with Genghis and Long Tom about our next move, if any. I’m going to hate reporting to Vladimir.”
Veggie Stew tossed her head, sending her brilliant mane flying. “So, don’t. Toss the crystal set into the crater and join another community. We know of a few, right?”
“I’ll keep it in mind. We have to get together first. Let’s get to the radio.”
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, about the same time
Ham was at the sensor controls in the aircraft, calling out sites of pebble-sized mana-intense debris for picking up by the ground team, with grabbers and insulated boxes, for sure. Getting a piece of that stuff near their counter-magic field could cause anything to happen, which is why the sample-return bucket is on a hundred-meter line hanging from the aircraft.
Ham’s display lit up with warning alarms. “Captain, intense mana usage coming from the southwest! It’s well within our suit’s protective limits, but I would not suggest going within five miles of the place for some time,” he reported, working the sensors to get a more precise fix.
The commander of the mission looked over Ham’s shoulder. “That’s down by the crater. Something’s going on down there that we’re going to have issues with,” she said, more thinking out loud than anything else.
“Going to consult with Base?” Ham asked as he watched the thaumic meters.
“Yes. I have an idea. If it gets okayed, I’m going to need you to ready several ground survey rovers. This needs monitoring, and at these power levels, we’re going to have to move cautiously,” the commander said.
“Two crawlers and a chopper. Not like there are intact paved roads handy,” Ham observed. “Use the chopper as a surveyor. Crawlers can’t ford deep streams.”
“Good point, Ham. Have the team gather samples to place in the return bucket. Let me do a consult before deciding on what’s next,” the commander told him. She was one of the better mid-grade officers, one whom Ham got along tolerably well with, even after two years in confinement.
Sunday, 25 June 2017, 1830 hours, dragon force camp, Lawrence, KS
Impedimenta called a council of the team’s leadership, they being herself, Genghis, Long Tom, and Veggie Stew, who was in charge of logistics as well as being head cook.
“You all know the situation we’re in. What I’m looking for is options. I cannot raise Zvezda or Gar with the comm spell, our weapons are useless, and the only way we’re going to get any meteor metal is by going under the flight path and searching.
“First question: What do we tell Vladimir, if anything? I’m sure we all know how he’s going to react,” Impedimenta told the group.
Genghis was the first to speak. “Vladimir is going to be incensed if we return without answers. What happened to Zvezda? What happened to Gar and her team? Where are the buffalo Long Tom encountered? Why was Long Eyes returned unharmed? Those are questions we need answered, or else Vladimir may kill us all in a fit of rage. That’s how I got my position, when my predecessor, Attila, pissed off Vladimir. Vlad did say he was tasty when done to medium rare.”
Veggie Stew spoke up, unusual for her. She’s good at her job, but planning was not one of them. “Why not send an emissary or two to the riverboat and ask? We know Gar and her team were on the way to attack the boat before they vanished. For all I know, they were captured or killed. Why not just ask?”
Long Tom decided to say something. “Why not? We have few arms to fight with at a distance, despite Genghis’ known skills in combat, well, the best swordspony cannot stand up to a grenade launched from a thousand feet, right?” he said, jittering some.
To everypony’s surprise, Genghis agreed. “It would indeed be foolish to charge in against a foe we have underestimated. We do need to find out what is going on, then make a decision based on that. Vladimir is truly not going to be happy. We may want to relocate, but where?”
“Where will there be a place that can accept twenty-five ponies right off? We may have to float check the crystal comm set and let those who want to return to Cincinnati bring him the news,” Impedimenta put into the pot.
“Won’t be me!” Veggie Stew said loudly. “I’m told Long Eyes and I can look forward to a long life together, and I’m not going to jeopardize it to be the bearer of bad news to a tempestuous dragon!”
Long Tom swallowed before speaking. “How about we send Long Eyes to the boat with a note to float out thoats to them?” he managed to say.
Impedimenta was quick to reply. “No, not Long Eyes. Quick Claw, the griffin. He can give better descriptions of what he sees. Ask for a meeting mid-morning tomorrow? The four of us go to parley?”
“Acceptable,” Genghis said. “We need data before determining action. Even Vladimir can accept that.”
“You fill Quick Claw in, I’ll write the note. Be back in half an hour. Meeting adjourned until QC returns with the answer,” Impedimenta said before taking out paper, pen and clipboard from her saddlebag.
Mississippi Voyager, 2000 hours
Captain Crane, along with much of the crew, was in the Lounge, amidst a poker game consisting of Jason dealing, Julia, Lucien, Arnie and Howard playing. The pegasi and griffin were sleeping, and Aaron had the watch. Lucien had once again demonstrated his skill in bluffing, managing to take a decent pot with a busted straight. Jason was dealing because he could be trusted not to cheat. It was known somepony had accused him of cheating at cards. Said pony now sports an interesting scar pattern on his nose.
Aaron spoke over the intercom instead of reporting in person. “Captain, please look out the starboard forward windows and tell me I’m seeing what it is I’m seeing.”
Everyone at the table turned to look southeast. Howard picked up the phone to the bridge. “I see a griffon flying our way with a large white flag flying under him. Is that what you see, Mister Tereshkov?”
“That’s what I see, Captain. It’s heading this way. What would you like done?” Aaron asked.
“Light up the foredeck and we’ll meet it there. Man the bridge guns and have them ready. We’ll go out to meet them,” Howard told his crewman.
“Bridge aye, Captain.”
Howard led the poker players, except Jason, outside, to watch the griffin approach. When it was in range, the griffin called down, “Request permission to land and deliver a message!”
Arnie’s and Lucien’s horns lit up. “Permission granted!” Howard called up, pointing to where the griffin should land.
When the griffin touched down, carefully gathering the white flag under him, he asked, “Who is in charge here?”
Howard stepped forward. “I am, son. Howard Crane, captain of the Mississippi Voyager,” he said calmly. “Who are you and what is your message?”
“I am Quick Claw, from Pittsburgh. My current leader wishes to parley tomorrow mid-morning,” he explained, pulling out an unsealed envelope from his chest pouch. “Will you accept?”
Howard read the short note before passing it to Julia. “We will accept. When we see your team, we will cross the river for pickup and conversation,” he told the courier.
“If I may ask, Captain, what happened to Gar and her team, and what happened to Zvezda? We admit to confusion and wonderment,” Quick Claw asked.
“Gar and her team were captured early, and are confined aboard. Would you like to bring them back to your compound? They can tell you how we are,” Howard explained.
Quick Claw did not hesitate. “Any who wishes to accompany me are welcome to do so. What about Zvezda?” he asked.
“A question that we will answer tomorrow. Demonstrations are in order. Would you like some coffee while we get the hippogriffs?” Howard asked.
“Yes, please. Black would be…” Quick Claw trailed off as Jason brought out a mug of steaming black coffee. “...all right…”
Lucien smiled at QC’s wonderment. “Come on insahd an’ ah’ll get the ladies. Up tuh them if they want tuh go back or not,” he said with genuine warmth, his red glow extending to tug on QC’s unoccupied arm.
Ten minutes later, the griffin and three hippogriffs were on the foredeck along with Howard and Julia. Gar carried a radio along with her regular gear, as did the other members of her team. “When you get close, call us and we will cross the river to meet you. We’re looking forward to the chat,” Howard told them.
“I know it, Captain,” Gar said with a little warmth. “With you, we were never in real fear of our lives, but we know the threat was there if we misbehaved. You proved to us we had little to fear, and we will relay such to Impedimenta. Until tomorrow, then?”
Howard nodded, then held out a paw, which all the guests shook. “Until tomorrow mid-morning. See you then!” he said before stepping back, allowing the flock to take off.
“Think this will work, Howard?” Julia asked.
“I certainly hope so. There’s not enough of us left in this world to fight each other. Only by working together will we thrive. May we boost our teams, not reduce them,” Howard sighed as he watched the three hippogriffs and a griffon fade into the twilight.
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when i saw the cover art i thought it would be a story about something that happened on the Mississippi river.
Not quite the hardest Earth Pony magic Ive seen in stories, that is a terrifying class just slightly less than Pinkie Amok, but this is right up there with Days Of Wasp And Spider for shere brutal takedown and repurposing?
11359704
Would YOU want to piss off Pa Kettle? After all, of any pony, he and his family have the most exposure to the meteor metal. With a little help from a couple of unicorns, well, if the dragon wanted the metal, she can just keep watch over it.
FOREVER!
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It takes place on the Mississippi River system. The first of the new model riverboats.
shrugs Not like there are pictures of them. See chapter 1 for a description.
Any other questions, by all means, ask!
this chapter is amazing. i love the radio cross chatter it really plays things out good.
glade to see updates for this story but do take care of your self friend.