The End Of The Line

by autobotfan15

Chapter 10: Switching Yard

[Canterlot Castle Training Grounds - Sunset]

---

The mood was tense as Stacy stood in front of three small scaled tanks. An M24 Chafee, a KV-2, and a Maus stood in the field. She locked her gaze on them in a stare that could rival Fluttershy’s. The tanks stood there motionless, their barrels raised in anticipation. Suddenly in three swift movements, Stacy quickly chucked three basketballs in the air. She quickly pointed to the M24. “CHAFEE!”

BOOM!!!

“KV!”

BOOM!!!

“MAUS!”

BOOM!!!

All three tanks fired at the balls in the order they were called. They all hit them with precision and just like that the balls were reduced to blackened burnt rubber. On some bleachers were Discord, Andrew, Gregory, and Rainbow Dash. They all watched the scene with amazement and approval. “Wow, they’re just as precise with targets as I used to be,” Rainbow said.

“You’re not jealous, are you?” Gregory asked.

“Jealous? Me? Now why would I be jealous of someone who could snap tanks out of nowhere?” she huffed.

“For a beginner, she’s mastering it quite well,” Discord said with astonishment.

“I think she’s played too many war games to get this skill,” Andrew said. “Then again, she was a champ in the World of Tanks servers. You think she’d have a better score with world of warplanes given her Dad’s background as an airman.” The group continued to watch until Stacy decided to call it quits. She walked up to the group. “How was that?”

“Impressive skills you displayed. You might as well have a movie titled how to train your tanks,” Gregory said.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Stacy said.

They were getting ready to leave when they heard a buzzing sound above. They looked up to see Chrysalis being escorted by two changeling drones. The Queen looked exhausted and saddened. Gregory approached her. “Chrysalis are you-”

“Where’s Jason? I need to talk to him.” She said not looking at Gregory.

“I think I last saw him in the castle library,” Andrew said, pointing to the doors that led inside.

Chrysalis said nothing but walked inside. The others watched her in a mixture of confusion and worry. They soon followed her quietly inside after Stacy made her tanks vanish. The group soon found the doors that led inside the castle’s library. They decided to listen in on the conversation. “I’m sorry, they stole how much?!” Jason asked, alarmed.

“All of it. Every bit and every last scrap of treasure we had hidden. It’s like they wanted to clear out everything before bombing it. We couldn’t grab it all in time. Thorax confirmed it.”

“Well that's not important. What’s important now is that you and the others are out,” Jason said, putting a hand on her neck.

“Still, did we really have to leave?” Chrysalis asked, “So many memories came from that hive and so many drones didn’t want to leave either. That overpowered friend of yours can stop rockets with his windigo powers can't he?”

“We don’t know how fast the rocket will travel. For all we know it would make his flight speed appear as slow as a turtle. Some missiles are capable of flying faster than Rainbow Dash.”

Gregory came walking in at that moment. “What happened?” he asked. When Chrysalis repeated what she’d said, he sighed. “Lightning is fast, but rockets are faster. Besides, it’s not the hive that makes the country, it’s the people.”

Chrysalis gritted her teeth, then exhaled. “You and Jason keep saying that, but what if it was your home being threatened?”

The two humans looked at each other, then Gregory sighed again. “This insane Howard guy is going after what Jason cares for the most just to get his childish revenge because his pwecious wittle cartoon was changed. It would hurt a lot more if you and your changelings were destroyed than if the hive was destroyed. Still, the fact that they ransacked the hive beforehand is a bit disturbing. Was there anything dangerous in there?”

“Well, during my reign we had several artifacts that had special magical abilities from healing to mass destruction. I originally wanted to use them during my first attack but decided against it because then there wouldn’t be any ponies to harvest love from.”

“And that is why some people back home thought you weren’t an intelligent leader,” Gregory said blankly. “What’s the most dangerous object there?”

“Well, aside from the horn we once had, the only other thing we had was a grenade that would immediately pull itself back together after detonation.”

“Don’t tell me, it was called the Holy Hand Grenade,” Gregory quipped.

“This isn’t Monty Python, dumbass,” Jason retorted, “but I remember that grenade. The more magic that gets poured into it, the bigger the detonation.”

“Well, fuck me sideways,” Gregory swore.

“Well, this situation gets more dire every second. Is there some miracle waiting to happen?” Andrew said as he walked in.

“We’re in the world of a television show where the good guys always win,” Gregory replied, “so of course there is. We just don’t know where it’s gonna come from.”

“Oh, and I suppose that miracle might come in the form of something crashing on one of the balconies?” Andrew retorted.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud thud came from nearby, followed by a scream and the doors bursting open to reveal a scared filly. “Daddy!”

“Cozy?!” Gregory rushed over and scooped the pegasus up in his arms, holding her close. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“Something just crashed onto one of the balconies!”

Gregory turned back to Andrew. “Now think of a nice ham and cheese sandwich,” he deadpanned.

“Me and my big mouth,” Andrew deadpanned.

The group headed towards where Cozy directed them as quickly as they could. There on the balcony were a few guards surrounding a big boulder. “Oh look, could it be Tom?” Andrew asked.

“I thought Rarity said never to talk about that ever again,” Gregory murmured.

“I was looking outside when I saw this thing flying,” Cozy explained. “I think it came from Ponyville.”

Gregory put her down and stepped forward, holding up his hands. Sparks of electricity began shooting out of his fingertips. “Stand back,” he warned, “this could be dangerous.” He grabbed a small metal hilt on his belt and a glowing blue blade made of ice formed on it.

“I don’t think it’s dangerous. Look, there's a scroll tied to it,” Andrew said pointing to the paper.

“Will you stop fucking jinxing everything!?” Gregory snapped before he slowly approached the scroll, cutting the rope tying it to the rock and letting it fall. It slid down, opened, and began hovering into the air. It formed a mouth, then it began to speak. To the humans it reminded them of a howler from Harry Potter.

A male voice began speaking. “I have something of great interest to you. If you value the preservation of life, meet me at the southern edge of Ghastly Gorge. If you don't trust this, then I encourage you to bring a friend who ever finds this.”

As the paper landed on the floor, retaking its shape, everyone looked at each other. Gregory looked to Andrew. “Who was that?”

Andrew thought then realized. “Cinders and ashes, that's Robbie’s voice.”

“Robbie?” Stacy asked. “Why would he reach out to us?”

“Cinders and ashes, really?” Gregory deadpanned. “Look, if it’s one of those morons following Howard, then it’s most likely some kind of trap.”

“If it was, why didn’t he ask someone to come alone?”

“The more of us that he could take out of commission,” Gregory said.

“What if he does have something we can use? For all we know it may actually be a relic from the hive.” Stacy asked.

“Far too trusting, these two,” Jason said, gesturing to the other humans. “Sounds like you when you came here.”

Gregory chuckled and flipped Jason off. “Bite me.”

“That’s Ember’s job,” Jason retorted.

Gregory rolled his eyes before turning back to the two. “Even if he is on the level, who’s to say that Howard or one of his goons doesn’t know what’s going on already? If he was really on the level, he should have suggested to meet somewhere closer. Ghastly Gorge is farther away from Canterlot than Ponyville. Haven’t you seen the official Hasbro map?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to appear as if he wandered off. For all we know, Howard might be keeping tabs on who goes where.”

“Of course Howard would be keeping tabs on his people,” Gregory replied. “That’s what I’d do in his place.”

“I’d say we should go. Besides, they don’t know I promoted myself to general yet.” Stacy grinned.

“And I thought I was the naive one,” Gregory said with a groan, “but fine. Jason, though, you’re not going anywhere.”

“Fine by me,” Chrysalis said. “I’ll go instead. If this is a trap, that human bastard will pay.”

---

[Ghastly Gorge - A While Later]

---

A bright flash appeared in the foggy area as three humans, a changeling, and an alicorn appeared. The humans recognized this place as where Rainbow Dash made Tank her pet. The area looked as if it had light fog surrounding it.

Gregory held up his hands and concentrated. Since he had been practicing his weather abilities, he’d discovered that he could control more weather phenomena. Soon, the fog began to swiftly lift. However, as it lifted, a voice called out, “I wouldn’t lift this fog if I were you.”

Everyone turned to see a silhouette of a centaur trotting through the fog towards them. As it got closer it’s feature started to look mismatched. It had the head of a minotaur as well as dragonfly-like wings.

Gregory held up his hands in a defensive position, lightning sparks shooting out slightly from the fingertips again. “I recognize you,” he said, looking at the being darkly, “You’re one of the morons following that childish dick Howard that I knocked out when we came to rescue Jason.”

The being said nothing as he stopped. “I didn’t ask you here to fight. I asked you here to give you all something.”

“And what, pray tell, is that?” Luna asked, lowering her horn at the being in defense, the horn beginning to glow.

“I came to give you these,” Robbie said as he pointed to the ground. Sitting on the ground were two items: a small horn and a small bell.

Stacy gasped “Grogar’s Bell!”

Gregory quickly ran over and picked both of them up. The horn in his hand was not the Gjallarhorn, but he did recognize Grogar’s Bell.

“Gregory, stay back! Those things could be rigged to blow!” Luna warned.

Gregory nodded, then aimed the horn at the creature. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t drain you of all your magic right here and now.”

“Trust me when I say you’ll need these for the storm Howard is brewing,” the draconequus known as Robbie said.

“What about the other artifacts or Twilight Sparkle?” asked Andrew

“In the order you said, they’re under Howard’s possession and she’s under heavy guard.” Robbie stated. “And she’s under Howard’s spell.”

“Yandere bastard,” Gregory snarled as he slipped the horn onto his shoulder. “And what’s this horn? I don’t recognize it.”

“I found it earlier in an alleyway,” Robbie explained. “The moment I touched it. I saw your story. I only ask that you use these artifacts wisely. The bell was the only thing I found myself.”

“The horn is something that can break enchantments on anycreature who touches it and it can reveal hidden truths if it so desires,” Luna explained quickly. She then turned to Robbie. “What are the plans of your leader?”

Robbie frowned. “He’s planning on many things such as an ultimatum on the world: Jason dead or alive or the world sees fire in the form of rockets. Another plan he has is to capture Chrysalis and use her as a ransom.”

“Again, he’s just some Saturday morning cartoon villain,” Gregory said while rolling his eyes.

“It gets worse. The mirror pool was rediscovered,” Robbie said darkly.

Andrew grew pale. “I’m not liking where this is going.”

“Seriously, why didn’t you destroy it?” Gregory asked Luna.

“We tried to, but for some reason the water keeps coming back and the pool itself keeps regenerating whatever stone it loses. We already tried explosive magic.”

“He’s probably planning on replicating himself, and Twilight can’t use magic right now even if she wasn’t under his spell,” Gregory said, pacing the ground worriedly. “The only other ponies I can think of who could cast that spell are Sunset, Starlight, Luna and Celestia. But who knows the spell? That book was probably destroyed when Tirek blew up the library.”

“Even if Twilight remembers it and wasn’t under Howard’s influence, wasn’t her magic dampened by Jason’s punishment?” Andrew asked.

“I just said that she can’t use her magic right now,” Gregory said.

“Are you going to ask to join our side?” Luna asked Robbie.

Robbie could only look down as if he was thinking about his options. Andrew stepped up. “Robbie, we can fix this. Think about it: what would she want?”

“Even after everything I learned, all I see in Jason is a man who was instrumental in ending the life of a pony I cared deeply for.”

“You’re a fucking moron,” Gregory replied. “Ponies died, yes, but this is NOT THE DAMNED SHOW! Shit here is real!”

“Gregory, calm down and let me handle him,” Andrew said.

Andrew walked up and all the group could do was wait. The conversation seemed hushed. Chrysalis turned to Stacy. “You really think he can influence him?”

“I’ve known those two for a long time since we met at a convention,” Stacy said. “Those two are Robin Hood and Little John.”

The group then saw the two hug but then much to their surprise, Robbie spread his wings and flew away. Andrew’s expression became almost unreadable as he turned back to the group and walked towards them. “Well? What happened?” Luna asked with concern.

Andrew was silent for a moment before answering. “He’ll help however he can, but he’d rather remain in solitude.”

“Why is that?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know, but what he said to me reminded me of something I heard in another cartoon,” Andrew stated.

“And what’s that?” Luna asked.

“I have been a fool, made mistakes, monumental ones. I have now gained a new understanding of who I am and who I should be. Robbie the humble servant to no master. The lone ranger of Gaia.”

“Well, at least you know the real name of this world,” Gregory said. “Okay, so he’s gonna be a lone wolf. Fine. We should get back to Canterlot.”

The group grabbed the items and left. However what no one saw was a head peering out of a nearby tree. Howard gritted his teeth. “Why, that no good double crossing traitor! He’ll get what’s coming to him, mark my word…”

---

[Canterlot Castle Dining Hall - Evening]

---

The five former bearers, the four humans, the royals and two children were seated in the dining hall having dinner. The mood could be described as almost peaceful. Once Ember arrived back Gregory explained everything that happened. To say Ember was surprised would be an understatement. Andrew sat next to Rainbow Dash, all the while feeling a little flustered. “Is it stuffy in here or is it just me?”

Gregory looked at him, then grinned. “Heh, oh I bet it’s stuffy for you,” he smirked.

Chrysalis chuckled a bit as well, putting an arm around Jason’s shoulder (she was in her human form). “It’s just you,” she said.

Rainbow Dash grinned as she carefully maneuvered a hind leg and touched Andrew’s side. Almost immediately, Andrew’s temperature rose but he tried not to show it. “Kids, no flirting at the dinner table,” Gregory said while wagging his finger at them, “you’ll spoil your appetites.”

“How the hell does he recover so quickly?” Jason muttered.

“I’m not spoiling anything, but maybe if my fan wants dessert I can get him some skittles,” Rainbow teased.

“How does she know about those?!” Jason asked.

“Where do you think she learned it?” Gregory grinned wider.

“He shared some with me,” Rainbow said. “They’re delicious.”

Andrew blushed a bit harder but then had an idea. “Careful Dashie, you're already on the highway to my danger zone,” he said trying to sound a little flirty.

Jason stared at him blankly before turning to Gregory. “Please tell me you didn’t tell her about Top Gun or the Blue Angels.”

“Of course I did,” Gregory said. “I have the movies and downloaded plenty of Blue Angels footage before coming here.”

“Aww, is my mate jealous he’s not getting attention?” Chrysalis cooed.

Jason scoffed. “Eh, let him have his fun.”

Ember, who was next to Gregory, groaned. “Okay, knock off what humans call the PDA.”

“She’s right,” Gregory said, “it’s time to be serious.”

“That goes double for you two.” Ember said, pointing to Stacy and Flash Sentry. Flash was standing next to the table with his spear.

They both gave the dragon confused looks. “We didn’t say anything.”

“First off, what is this horn?” Gregory asked, slipping it off of his shoulder and placing it on the table.

“The horn you hold now is called the Olifant,” Luna explained. “It isn’t as powerful as the Gjallarhorn, but it can reveal truths that anycreature who touches it needs to see the most. It also is powerful enough to break most enchantments on anyone who touches it or hears its blast.”

Gregory pursed his lips. “So why didn’t I see anything when I touched it?”

“Because you were touched by the Gjallarhorn’s powers already,” Luna explained, “so the truth you saw is no longer something you need to see again.”

“Tell me about it,” he muttered. He then turned to Stacy and Andrew. “Hmm…”

Andrew noticed his staring. “What?”

He held out the horn towards him. “Maybe you should touch it. Both of you.”

“Why? I thought you already knew our truths from the day we met,” Andrew said.

“No, you may have some truths that you need to see,” Gregory said. “It shows truths to those who touch it.”

Andrew hesitantly touched it. The horn glowed and Andrew’s eyes glowed for a bit. He then started hyperventilating. After a few more seconds he began shaking. Rainbow Dash immediately pulled him away, making him crash back down in his chair. “Holy shit, you okay?!” Gregory asked as he got up and helped him to a sitting position.

“Jesus…that was more terrifying than how everyone described it. My head feels like it got stomped by a bull,” Andrew said as he rubbed his head.

“What did you see?” Luna asked cautiously.

“Everything, from the Goddess Faust to today,” he said.

“Fuck, that’s a lot,” Jason said.

“There's something else. Someone give me something to write with.”

Luna teleported in a piece of paper and a quill pen. Everyone watched as Andrew began to draw something. “Okay, so you guys know about Biblically accurate angels?”

“I downloaded a few videos some guy made of them, yeah,” Gregory said.

“They were horrid!” Rarity said.

“I thought they were kind of interesting,” Fluttershy admitted.

“And biiiiig!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Well, apparently you guys thought goddess Faust was just an alicorn with a red mane and white coat, right?”

“Actually, she’s more than that,” Gregory said. “I saw her briefly in my Gjallarhorn visions. She has no real form. Each race on Gaia sees them as their own race. Dragons see her as a dragoness, ponies as an alicorn, hell, I saw her as her human form. But go on.”

“I saw her true form, and it’s not the redhead animator we know,” Andrew said as he lifted up one of the scrolls. It looked like a floating Unicorn head with many different wings and had rings with eyes circling around it.

“A mix of a Seraphim, Cherubim and Ophanim,” Gregory said. “I wonder why the Olifant showed you that…?”

“It wasn't just that. This here is a god called Awdry.” He said as he lifted up another scroll he drew. This one resembled a steam locomotive with a giant eye and it appeared to be on tracks made of stone.

Gregory sighed. “A train? Really? Jesus Christ…”

“There was more. It turns out these gods were the creators of several universes. It was easy to distinguish which one. I even saw one that resembled Mickey Mouse.”

“This is getting ridiculous,” Gregory said.

“The way I see it, Faust too knew the magic of friendship and these gods were her friends that created several different worlds that were meant to be viewed by the eyes of so many more people,” Andrew said.

“That’s not really the big issue right now,” Jason said.

“We need to focus on the here and now with Howard and the danger he and his idiot crew are to the world,” Gregory added.

“Yes, and based on what you guys told me. I think I have a plan,” Stacy said.

“What sort of plan?” Luna asked.

“We might be able to get inside if we distract Howard’s crew,” Stacy explained. “They may be under his influence but deep down they’re still the same fans who watched this show.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Andrew asked.

“Perhaps we get down there and blow the horn, lifting the spell?” Gregory asked.

Stacy turned to Gregory. “Look they won’t listen to us, they won’t listen to you and they will definitely kill Jason the moment they see him. But there are five certain individuals here that they might listen to.”

“You think that this Howard guy will even let us get a word in edgewise?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m not talking about Howard. I’m talking about the others. When they joined we were asked who was best pony and Howard was the only one who said that it was Twilight.”

“No, you didn’t hear me,” Rainbow said. “If Howard knows the truth and sees us coming, you honestly think he’ll let us talk to them?”

“He’ll be expecting a huge army of creatures ready to hit hard. But I’m sure the fans won't expect a surprise visit from the ponies they worship.”

“No, absolutely not. That's way too dangerous. The moment they see AJ and Dash wince in pain because of the punishments, they’ll be reminded of Jason and go ballistic,” Andrew said.

“That happens every hour on the hour,” Jason explained.

“So what if we go shortly after the hour strikes?” Gregory suggested. “That’ll give us less than an hour, sure, but it might be worth the risk.”

“Actually the way I see this plan it would require one small but important thing,” Stacy said hesitantly.

“This planned pony social party may last more than an hour so maybe you could, I don't know, temporarily reduce the punishment?” Pinkie asked, turning to Jason.

“We’ll gladly take it back when we’re finished, pardner,” Applejack said.

“Of course!” Rainbow said.

Jason nodded. “Yeah, a good call.”

“Great, so here's how it works. The ponies will distract the goons, we sneak in and I’ll have my tanks at certain areas. The moment we get to the library we’ll send the signal for you girls. When that comes you can either help fight alongside the armies who are hiding or you can retreat.”

“Not a bad idea,” Luna said, “but I cannot ask anyone here to place themselves in danger.”

“I’m willing to help even if I have to use either a tree branch or a crowbar as a weapon,” Andrew said.

“You will be properly armed,” Luna said.

“Are you girls willing to go through with this?” Andrew asked the former bearers.

“We might not be the Elements anymore, but we can’t let these humans keep doing what they’re doing,” Applejack said.

“She’s right,” Pinkie added. “They’re threatening our friend Jason, and we let him down for far too long.”

“It’s time to kick some butt,” Rainbow said.

“Or, um, just talk to them,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, I have a daughter to protect now.”

“And I will not let some ruffians make Twilight into a slave,” Rarity finished.

“Great,” Andrew said before turning to Luna. “Any word from the neighboring nations?”

“The griffins are sending some of their best warriors,” Luna said, “and the yaks are sending their military force. We’ve heard nothing yet from Minotauria.”

“What about Queen Novo?” Gregory asked.

“The hippogriffs still are not on good terms with us,” Luna said, “but we did receive a message thanking us for the warning.”

“The dragons are ready for a fight,” Ember said.

“As are the changelings,” Chrysalis added.

“Good, Stacy, when should we make our move?” Andrew asked.

“We still have until noon before the missile launch,” Stacy said, “so we’ll perform phase one at dawn.”

“Get plenty of sleep, everyone,” Luna said with authority, “because tomorrow, it’s possible that everything changes.”

Everyone got up and started leaving but Chrysalis stayed behind, looking worried. Andrew noticed this and went up to her. It was now just those two alone in the dining hall. “You okay there?”

Chrysalis said nothing as she looked down at the floor for a while. Gregory came back in, peering at the changeling queen. “Andrew, why don’t you head to bed? I’ll talk with her.”

“You sure?”

“Rainbow is offering for you to bunk with her,” Gregory said with a chuckle.

“Oh, in that case I guess I’ll go.”

After Andrew left, Gregory took a seat next to Chrysalis. The two sat in silence for a while before he said, “I might not be able to sense emotions as well as a changeling, but if Andrew can see something’s bothering you, I sure as hell can. You okay?”

“It’s all too much for me to handle, especially after what I recently learned from one of the medics in my hive.”

Gregory’s eyes slowly widened as he looked towards Chrysalis’ stomach, then back to her. “You should really tell Jason,” he said calmly and kindly, “and you shouldn’t go into battle tomorrow. That kind of stress isn’t what you need right now.”

“I know, but I made a promise to my family that I would protect them to the end. What good am I as a queen if I stand by and watch my soldiers sacrifice themselves for me?”

Gregory put a hand on Chrysalis’ shoulder, a kind smile on his face. “I can understand what you’re feeling,” he said, “but the stress of battle won’t do any good for the egg inside you.”

Chrysalis sighed as a tear went down her face. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but then he got captured and I nearly stressed myself by almost killing those two other humans.”

“I don’t know much about changeling pregnancies,” he admitted, “but I really don’t think you should go out tomorrow. Jason’s not going, and he can stay behind and comfort you. Do you have anyone in your ranks that you trust to keep this secret?”

“Just Thorax and his brother. They were always my most loyal subjects.”

Gregory chuckled. “Then tell them and Jason. They’ll keep the secret for you, I’m sure. Tell them to make an excuse for why you can’t go into battle at the moment. Or tell the truth. It’s your call.”

“No, I’ll tell Jason when I meet him in bed. It was supposed to be a romantic night in my hive to tell him, but now I have to share it in the one place where I had my first failure. Ironic, isn't it,” Chrysalis said with a frown.

“Maybe so, but you can override that bad memory with a good one tonight,” Gregory said reassuringly. “I know if it were me, I’d be so happy to hear the news that I was gonna be a father. Stressed, sure, but happy. I’m sure Jason will feel the same.”

“You already have a kid,” she deadpanned.

“Yes, yes I do,” Gregory admitted, “but if by some miracle I got Ember pregnant, I’d still be happy. Happy to have a bigger family and to be able to give Cozy a younger sibling.” He removed his hand from her shoulder. “Feeling a bit better?”

“Yes, thank you Gregory,” she smiled.

“No problem,” he said as he stood, helping her to her feet. “Go ahead and find Jason.”

Meanwhile in a bedroom Andrew was in what some would call an awkward situation. “You know when I heard you were offering to let me bunk with you, I thought you meant a shared room with two beds not one.”

“What, are you complaining that you get to snuggle with a pony?” Rainbow grinned. “You know how many times I’ve found Gregory and Pinkie napping while she sleeps in his lap?”

Andrew just smiled as he held her closer. “When it’s you, I’m not complaining.”

She smirked. “Flatterer.”

The two happily went to sleep knowing tonight would be the only time they could enjoy a warm feeling before the storm tomorrow.