Chapter Fourteen: Last
“What do you mean, he worships me?”
Crown sat down while gracing the pony with his best grin. The pouting, angry face Twilight displayed nothing but a great source of amusement for him.
Out of all the things he had expected to find in the camp of their maybe foe, an altar devoted to the worship of his small equine friend was not one of them.
Twilight stared at Crown, who only continued to smile and seemingly completely ignore the bizarreness of the whole matter, no doubt to annoy her further.
“Well, he has this shrine in his camp. It has candles, incense, the whole schtick. And also this.”
In his hands was a figurine carved in her likeness from wood with care and preciseness that quickly became unnerving when imagining the hours the unknown human had to spend carving it.
It even had her cutie mark!
The implications of that were disturbing when Twilight took into consideration the fact that she wore armor and clothes most of the day.
“He worships me?” she repeated, dumbfounded.
Crown only shrugged. “Probably some weird tribal thing. Don't ask me. I know shit about stuff like that. But they do worship thrumbos in some way, so maybe they just kinda… think you are some weird thrumbo?”
He pinched the figurine on the whim. Stealing anything from the tribal was a bad idea, he knew that. They wanted to pretend they didn't know about him. But at the same time a little Twilight statue, common!
He still couldn't talk to King, not the way they used to, at least. Teasing Twilight was the only source of entertainment he had in the desert. It was either this or singing. And hearing others' reactions to his singing, he was sure they would agree with him.
Twilight shot him a deadpan look. “You meant that they have mistaken me for the several ton weighing animal? One with different color schemes and body structure?”
“I mean,” the human gestured vaguely in Twilight's direction. “Ya have the horn and weird psychic powers. Besides, didn't you do exactly the same thing?”
“That was different and you know it!” she said defensively. “That was at a time of great distress!”
“I think I know what's going on.” King said, turning the attention of the bickering due to him. “Congrats Sparky, looks to me like you have a secret admirer.”
Silence reigned for a while upon them, Twilight giving him a deadpan stare while Crown fought bravely for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.
“King, are you fully aware of my ability to ignite things with my mind?” Her horn lit up, the aura suddenly had a menacing glare to it. She leaned in close to him. "Or do you want a little demonstration?”
“...”
“Good.”
Crown put on his flak vest. For the sake of keeping the pretense that he was bathing, he took off most of his clothes before emerging into view, even taking a quick dip in the water to sell the act to their observer.
“There is this other thing,” he said as he struggled with his boots, eyes darting along the tree lines. “When I was out there, I had a bad feeling.”
“Bad feeling?”
Twilight felt icy dread creeping up her spine. Being so far out of their depths, it was always better to err on the side of caution. If Crown has a bad feeling about something, who is to say his instincts aren't trying to tell them something?
“Yeah, like… isn't it strange how easy it was to spot this guy?”
That was a disturbing thought. What If it was them being tricked into a false sense of security? A cunning enemy, luring them into a deadly trap.
She looked at the figurine.
Or maybe it was just some confused human, or both. Who knows at this point?
“Okay, we have to keep our eyes peeled, but now we have to go.”
Crown chuckled. “Well, that ain’t fair. Ya only have to keep half the eyes peeled as the rest of us.”
“Crown, have you ever seen the results of botched teleportations, when, let's say, somepony angry teleports somebody into a rock?” asked Twilight.
The human raised an eyebrow, his boots finally on. “Ehm, well, no?”
“Do you want to?”
“… Okay, I see your point. Let's gather our things and go! Preferably not by teleporting! Ever!”
Twilight facehooved. Well, it could be worse. She had to only survive with them for three years. It could be worse. There had to be something worse than this.
She just couldn't come up with anything right now.
“Common Lydia, let's go.”
Trudging along the line of rocks, the trio were getting closer to the mountains, their snow covered peaks towering above them. The air was getting noticeably colder and more crisp. It made the weary pony give a genuine smile.
Finally, she truly felt like they were making good progress. The worry for their friend’s fates hasn't left them, but with the mountain range in the full few, their new challenge at least became visible and clear once again. Now they need to find the pass Knight used and with some luck and bravery, they will defeat the imperials and bring their captured friends home.
“Ain’t they a beauty, heh?”
The mountains truly were a beautiful sight. Their own base was set in a mountain range, but nowhere of this magnitude. The mountains surrounding Going South were of orange stone, mostly flat and not tall enough to have permanent snow like Guy Peaks.
By Faust, she was going to strangle Knight for naming the majestic mountains that.
These were giants made from unimaginable amounts of granite, the gray contrasting against the desert. Their summits hidden by clouds and mist. The monotonous rocky desert and the high mountains clashing against each other in an image worthy of awe. Even mount Canterhorn on which Canterlot was built would be nothing compared against these. Now that they were getting closer, she could recognize the little speck of greenery speckled on the mountain slopes. Those would be trees or maybe even entire groves or forests. The scale of those mountains was just absurd.
“It's kind of strange how this world can be so pretty sometimes, yet still so utterly hostile at the same time.”
She even saw birds nesting on the rocky cliffs and a waterfall in the distance, creating a rainbow.
“That’s rimworld's for you. Everything here just looks… upscaled. From spiders to storms and apparently, gorgeous views.”
It reminded her of her own old home in the observatory tower. So high in the on the mountain, the air itself was different, purer somehow, no matter where you were in the grand capital city of Equestria.
Ponyville won her over in the short time she lived there, but she would always miss the view from her tower, the great lighting show that was every dawn as the Celestia raised the sun, seeing the shadows dissipating from the land and the lazy morning mist blanketing the city streets. .
She never appreciated those mornings, not being much of an early pony. Often studying late into the night and not waking until the sun was already high in the sky.
Now, she may never have the chance to appreciate those ever again.
Crown snorted. “Well, let's hope we find the pass, cause if we don't we ain't climbing that, know that for sure.”
If this whole catastrophe was good for anything, it made her appreciate her life more than ever before. With a new promise to herself, she added on the growing mental list of things she would do after coming back.
- Hug Spike.
- Hug my parents + bbbff.
- Hug the girls.
- Hug Princess Celestia.
- Watch Princess Celestia rise the sun.
- Laugh at the foolish humans for not believing her that the Princess can do that.
- Hug the foolish humans too.
- Read a book
There was more, but she felt those were the most important.
With renewed determination, she spoke up. “Knight found a way, and we will too.”
And for once, she believed her own words of encouragement.
Walking through the shrubs and watching around, Crown let out a weary sigh. “I still don't think the spy left us alone. It seems way too convenient. It just screams danger trap ahead to me.”
“Maybe he got scared without his doll?” suggested King jokingly. Twilight only growled, her horn lighting up as a thin trail of smoke started to rise from the human.
King sniffed. “Hey, what's that smell? … Oh bugger.”
Before anyone else could do anything, King dived on the ground and started rolling, extinguishing the flames.
“Goddamnit! That was my last good shirt!”
Twilight smiled innocently. “I have warned you.”
“I didn't think you actually set me on fire!”
“It was only a small fire.” she corrected..
“Fire is fire!”
Crown sighed. Was this how their parents felt when he argued with Knight over everything? It could be worse, at least the landscape was beautiful. So beautiful he might even sing! He opened his mouth and-
Twilight shot him a glare.
Or maybe not. He too was down to his last good shirt and he doubted that purple smart would appreciate his great singing voice very much.
King paused. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He turned towards a nearby dune, sand formed there into smaller mounds. Nothing too unusual.
He stared at them, seeing the grains of sand move.
A glint of metal from under them.
“AMBUSH!”
Crown dropped down, green spit flying around them, the ground before him collapsing, revealing a spike filled pit.
From under the sand, mantodeans charged. Spears crafted from scrap metal, stones and bone in their claws. The humanoid like insects starting their hunt.
“Get to cover!” yelled King.
Twilight's horn lit - what cover!? there was no cover in the desert! Only some knee high rocks that were barely enough to cover a pony, much less a human and a wilting bush! What sort of cover is a wilting bush?!
Dawn roared, the chain sword ready for battle
Lydia was in fright. The spooked animal took off running, bucking Twilight off its back, the pony landing on the ground painfully, inadvertently saving her life as an arrow hit her armored chest instead of her neck. The projectile exploded into splinters on impact, dazing her.
‘Closer!’ she realized. ‘I need to get closer!'
King's hands moved fast, unholstering his gun and shooting the five loaded shots in his gun in quick succession. Pulling the hammer of the single action revolver with his wounded arm, ignoring the injuries and the pain that should have been caused by using the broken fingers.
King chose the revolver and not the arguably better weapon that was the Lee Enfield, despite being better shot than Crown, for few simple reasons.
It took much more skill at using a pistol effectively in a fire fight than a long rifle. Taking the rifle would practically be robbing them of a second fighter in any engagement over the distance of twenty yards.
King was trained with pistols, revolvers and basically anything capable of spitting lead at high velocities. Spending countless hours on range and winning every shooting competition held by his department.
And he really liked the revolver.
Whatever Colt was, they really knew how to make a timeless gun.
Gun empty, his aim true, three of the insectoids fell, clutching their various body parts as the bullets ripped through the air and into them. The other two mantodeans simply tanked the bullets, the hard chitin enough to stop a pistol caliber bullet. He had to aim for the gaps in their natural armor. Knees, eyes and joints on their upper limbs his main target.
Opening the cap at the back of the cylinder and retrieving the individual bullets from his belt. He reloaded, taking at least partial cover behind the lichen covered rock. Each casing pushed out and replaced with a fresh one as the gun clicked satisfyingly with practiced ease.
Crown crawled on the ground, hiding behind a wilted bush, because if you can't get cover, concealment is the next best thing and you work with what you have.
Rifle sighted on a mantodean larger than the rest. A warrior caste rather than a simple drone. Crown pulled the trigger, the shot hitting the insect in the torso. Green ichor spilled from the wound, but the warrior class refused such a little thing as a single gunshot wound stop him, spitting at Crown in retribution, the acidic sizzling mere inches from his face.
This was bad! There were at least twenty of them! Not counting those on the ground, bleeding after King's show of marksmanship. The last time they had to deal with as many mantodeans, they had to use special ammunition and entrenched machine gun! Not at least they had a psy-caster on their side, but-
"Wait, where the fuck is Twilight?!"
Twilight wasn't there.
To the utter astonishment of the insectoid hunters, the pony vanished in a flash of purple light, appearing on the dune they were using to ambush them, chain sword and plasteel ikwa in tandem.
The drones were expecting an easy mark. Nothing but more food for their queen. They did not expect a plasteel plated ball of magic, fury and sharp objects.
And paid for that.
‘They dared to try and attack them? Her friends? And for what? To eat them? Animals! They were nothing but animals!’
Rage not fully hers cursed in her veins.
Leading with Dawn, she struck down a worker drone holding a bow; the mantodean did not have a chance to react, to hiss or run as the sword cleaved him in half.
‘Why can't they be just left alone!’
The spear floated towards the insects, attacking like a snake's tongue. Getting stuck between the chitin of another hunter turned prey, who desperately tried to pull the spear out, only dooming himself faster in the process as now his ichor could spill freely without the ikwa blocking its flow.
‘Why can't all of them just…
Die.’
A mantodean tried to stab her in the back with his claws, but was swiftly taken care of by Dawn. More ichor on the sand, its mandibles making a pitiful whimpering sound.
Something held her.
A figure dressed in a wooden mask and clothes from blue grass, wielding a staff from strange, twisting wood. Belt decorated with trophies made from skulls. Their jaws clicking in a strange manner, almost like some alien war chant.
Or a spell.
The oxygen around her started to bristle with electricity. A heatless blue fire enveloped the pony.
Twilight recognized the phenomena from a book she had read once. Ancient ponies named it hurricane’s flame after the famous commander of the pegasi. Commander Hurricane managed as one of the first to tame the storms and use them for warfare. Using the thunder clouds as weapons, thousands of lightning bolts would strike down upon their enemies.
And every time before the first barrage came, the ground would be lit by heatless blue flames, offering a warning when it was already too late to run.
A spherical shield formed around Twilight as a bolt of lightning struck from above, shattering her shield and flinging her back.
An enemy spell caster!
Waving the staff in an intricate manner, the psy-caster hummed a melody, until they pointed the glorified stick at the pony.
Another crack of lightning, this time Twilight anticipated the attack and dodged under it.
Crown turned, the sound of thunder making his ears ring. Twilight was on the ground, getting up as another mantodean charged her with a club. The last shot of his clip left the barrel of Crowns rifle, hitting the insect in the shoulder. The larger caliber bullet effectively severing the limp. Despite that, the swing was already underway, the club continuing on its collision course with the pony, gravity finishing the job.
The plasteel plates fulfilled their purpose once again. The club hit her on the withers, the angled nature of her armor making it glance off and disperse the force of the blow without causing more than a bruise.
Twilight struck low, stabbing the mantodean with the chain sword, viscera covering the furious pony.
With no bullets left and enemies coming in close, the hours of practicing under his Sun Glory's watchful eyes came into play.
Crown reached for his knife and in one fluent motion attached it to the bayonet lug, effectively turning the rifle into a short spear. Just in time as another beast jumped him from behind. His weapon still held at an awkward angle, Crown swung while using the buttstock of his rifle as a bludgeon while turning the rifle around to use the sharp end.
Twilight retreated back to her friend, fighting off two more attackers with her sword, while Crown drove off his would be murderer with the rifle-turned-spear until the two colonists were back to back.
“What now?” she asked, panic gone from her voice. The world was simple, emotions a burden. Dawn singing in her grip.
“Not dying sounds like a plan.”
The mantodeans around them formed a circle. Throwing spears and spitting acid, the two of them were dodging when possible and Twilight blocking it with her magic when not.
Twilight narrowed her eye. If they want to live, they have to grab the first opportunity to strike. Teleport behind them again, get to the psycaster and-
Before she could finish the thought, her world was consumed by agony.
The pain was indescribable, consuming everything. Every neuron in her body was lighting up at the same time. Pain, utter and complete pain. Chaotic images floating to the forefront of her mind.
She was floating in space. Her body is a steel construct. Indomitable, everlasting and invincible. But She wasn't the only one there. She was more. She was in beings, machines and programs across the wide galaxy. Connected to them. She serves them and they serve Her. All as one. Controlling, helping and assimilating more and more. A fleet of battleships, deployed its robotic soldiers on the planet side under her supervision, eliminating target after target. The atmosphere was successfully destroyed, yet there was more resistance. They think their ascension will save them? Her master's will shall not be defiled!
The planet cracked, tectonic masses crumbling into oblivion as thousands of atomic warheads planted under the planet's surface by Her soldiers detonated, revealing something under the very planetary crust.
A green metallic shine, pulsing with lines of yellow.
The archons must be stopped.
King peeked from his cover, revolver ready, when a hail of acid came his way in an attempt to keep him pinned down.
Then he heard his friends scream.
Next to each other, Crown as Twilight were laying on the ground, holding their heads and screaming, faces twisted by pain.
Ignoring the barrage, he leaped out, weapon aimed towards the enemy coming towards his fellows. The warrior caste, spear held high, ready to sate its thirst for blood, to add to his trophies. For the hive, whispered his simple mind.
The first bullet hit him in the stomach, making it stagger back, but the mantodea kept standing. The second ripped though its leg, but the warrior kept creeping closer to his defenseless friends in a blood lusted frenzy. The third glanced off from his armored head. The fourth slipped between the chitin plates protecting its chest and hit it in the heart, finally ending the monster's life with a fatal blow. But not before the monster locked his eyes into his, throwing the spear at King with a crazed anger in its many yellow eyes.
Something warm started to soak King's clothes, turning them red.
The end of the spear was jutting from his stomach.
‘Heh, so… this is it, eh?’
The remaining insects turned to him. Far too many of them.
But his hand was still steady.
Last two bullets, make them count.
The mantodean psy caster held their staff high, the spell holding Twilight and Crown maintained by its chanting.
A loud bang. A crack and a shower of splinters, the anima wood mask was destroyed, the exoskeleton of its head weakened, but otherwise unharmed it kept the casting as Crown and Twilight continued to writhe in pain.
His last bullet, his last chance. The mantodeans already coming for him.
But King was fast, his hand still steady and his aim true that day.
Click and a bang. He didn't need to see; he knew that he had not missed.
A cloud of green ichor left the psy casters head, staining the sand. Dead on the spot.
The ground started to shake, his knees gave in. The rest of the mantodeans started to flee. A loud noise, a roar of something? Out of the corner of his blackening vision, he sees Twilight getting up. Crown dragging himself towards him. Both were alive, both were now safe. Shock on their faces, words that did not reach him.
Begging and pleading for someone. Like someone they knew was leaving, but for anything, King just couldn't figure it out, but it didn't matter.
They would live, and that was enough. He was enough, for once.
‘Not… useless… after… all…’
King collapsed to the ground, a faint smile on his lips as a shadow of something large passed him by.
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11346351
It's a crossover with a still pretty niche game, a game that is not flashy nor has that deep of a lore or characters by default. (Both of those being mostly randomly generated) But if Rimworld excels at something, it is helping you create these intricate stories through its world generation. Every play through is very different from the previous ones.
I dunno, I just really like this game and its potential for storytelling, but it's definitely a strange one, not gonna lie.
She forgot to write down Food, Water, and long baths since those would be the first thing I do. This is getting good! Can’t wait to see if King gets saved
Pls return
11457863
One day, but sadly not anytime soon.
Life keeps getting in the way, but I'Il come back to this story.
Cool seeing a Fanfic for a game i made MLP mod for.
11552324
Your mod broke my save once, I want a refound. (joking of course. Im pretty sure I broke it by being stupid.)
11552399
Ponies of the Rim broke your save? Did you tried to remove a faction mid game or did you tried to use it with biotech?
11552620
It was a long time ago - like before ideology i think? - and it was an extra modded playthrough. Honestly it was probably a load order issue, but basically all bodies of all pawns disappeared randomly and became invisible. I think I solved it by basically just making a new mod list and then it worked fine. Though without CE this time so I thought that it was something to do with that but apparently it's compatible? Dunno, maybe one mod randomly updated and broke everything, it happens sometimes.