Extraterrestrial #51

by TundraStanza

Ch. 22: Best Laid Plans Go to Waste

---
"Always be ready to adapt, especially when it's inconvenient." ~Somebody... probably... Okay, I made that one up.

---{Cier's POV}

Slightly-Cloudy-Day

8:00 AM

Outside of Warehouse in Brooklyn

Odds were that we wouldn't like how it would end. I'm not sure why that thought crossed my mind the way it did. In any case, we had our makeshift squadron of changelings plus Mom and Dad at the front. Immanue/Pharynx stayed at the back to ensure that no-ling got lost. Still, I couldn't help but feel nervous.

"You're doing a great thing, Cier." Dad smiled at me. I found his currently ponified expression to be both encouraging and funny.

"Thanks, but... are you sure you aren't a little biased?" I gave him a half-frown look.

"No, but look at how far you've come." He did a singular arc motion with his hoof. "You took the initiative and brought us out of the house with purpose, you found more people that share in your current situation (including Mom and me), you actually stood your ground against an army for the sake of others. And now you-whoa!"

In his attempt to utilize both of his front limbs to emphasize his point, he tripped over himself. Mom rushed his side to examine the damage. It wasn't anything visible. Later, Dad would tell the story as just losing "some momentum." I couldn't blame him. He was the most recent in our group to try and figure out the four-legged walk.

"... are leading a crowd to the next safe house." He chuckled. "That isn't something you would have done years ago, or even six months ago."

"I'm pretty sure Fifty-one had something to do with that." I glanced away.

"Is that what he told you?" Dad shook his head. "That didn't seem like him however long ago either. If I recall your joint explanation correctly, his rank meant that he was actually less than qualified to be a leader. I think your ever-growing ability to take charge of matters rubbed off on him, not just his qualities onto you."

Your father's right, thought Fifty-one, If you hadn't been the initial driver during my first day in your world, I probably would have sat still in one place while waiting for orders that would never arrive. In a way, you saved me.

"Huh..." I smelled... a fresh scent of emotion. It was both of their confidence in me. "Maybe you're right."

Pharynx's mind echoed in my head. Look alive, maggots and weaklings! We've got some hooded freaks on our tail!

Explain, responded Fifty-one.

One of, uh... Immanue's thought-voice piped in. How do you say... 'street gangs'? They have melee weapons. His presence morphed straight back into Pharynx. My intimidation only scared away two of them. Three are still walking toward us with murderous intent.

Maybe they'll stop if we keep moving and get off what they consider 'their turf', suggested Thursday.

"Are you okay, Cier?" Mom popped up beside me. "You went quiet mid-sentence."

I tried to whisper to them. "Try not to make any sudden movements to look, but there are some armed gang members following us."

"What?" She looked anyway. "How could you possibly-"

"Hive mind." I looked forward. "Whatever the other changelings want me to hear can be shared directly by thoughts."

"So, should we pick up the pace?" wondered Dad. "You mentioned before that we shouldn't get in a fight except as a last resort."

Negative, Thirteen. I could almost hear Pharynx shaking his head as he thought to us. Anger isn't this foul unless the owner intends to follow through with action. They want blood, not property. Squad E, arm yourselves for a counter-attack!

Well, chitin. Fifty-one mentally groaned. "Terry, Arlene, please stay near the middle of the group for safety." Squad D, prepare to assist! Squads A through C, protect our pony companions no matter what!

Several affirmations echoed in the hive mind. There were a couple questioning thoughts, most likely the other human minds that weren't completely used to changeling tactics. Still, the changeling bodies complied with the orders. I could sense magical charges from the back of the group. A second later, I heard some gunshots and two people yell out in pain.

Targets disabled, said Pharynx. They'll live, in case any of you are squeamish about that kind of thing.

Is everyling okay? wondered Thursday's thought-voice.

There was a bit of a grunt before Pharynx responded. We lost one of our drones. But we can't stick around. The scared enemies from earlier might have heard the shots and will try to find us. We need to move!

I wanted to take the fallen with us, but I also knew that could encumber our movement. Hissing at myself as much as the situation, I took some deliberately louder steps to convince our swarm to keep going. With a little threatening encouragement from the Pharynx, the rest resigned to follow.

"M-Maybe I can at least... channel their spirit for a bit..." suggested Spirit.

"Wait until we're all at the safe house... please." I briefly squeezed my eyes shut. "I don't want to lose any more of us right now."

"Is there... anything I can do for you?" asked Dad.

"Not unless you've spontaneously figured out how to use your unicorn magic." I flashed him a half-smile with my muzzle.

"Alright." He nodded. "Just... let me know if a way does show up."

Didn't you randomly figure out how to use my magic when you triggered it the first time? wondered Fifty-one specifically at me.

I thought back, It was more of an accident, and I don't want Dad's first experience to be that much of a magic-based meltdown.

Unicorns like Twilight are the exception, not the rule. I doubt this stallion could produce a spell that destructive.

I shook my head. For all we know, the show deliberately underestimated other ponies' powers just to highlight how amazing Twilight was. I mean, nobody wrote an episode where they made human bodies completely vanish before merging what was left into Equestrian foreigners. If they missed that detail, what else did they leave out?

It sounded like his sigh echoed in my mind. I get your point.

---

8:45 AM

We cut some more corners in relative silence. Eventually, we came across a series of yellow-roofed warehouses. There were signs of grime and graffiti along the outer walls. Most of it was unintelligible symbols that I couldn't even begin to pronounce. Still, the number near the door matched the address.

Pharynx and five other changelings agreed to stand by on lookout while the rest of us went inside to confirm the location and situation. I got an eerie sense of tension as the door slid open like that red door toward the end of the Death Note anime. Thankfully, there was no sign of an SPK task force or a Kira. Instead, there were a few dividers up like at our previous sleeping location. Some of the sections had desks and decor while others had well-made beds.

In one of those beds, there was a face I had seen before, but I was also seeing for the first time. It was a pale, almost-white mare's face with a tall horn and long, wavy mane. She was sleeping soundly; the sheet over her was slowly rising and falling.

"Sweet Celestia..." Thursday whispered, "... literally."

"So that's Lauren Faust?" Mom murmured.

"That's what the news report said." I nodded.

"Gosh, so the two of them were Discord's first victims." Luxuri held his/Ninety-nine's head low. "Makes you wonder how they managed to keep going in spite of all that went on."

"Maybe we should let her rest for now," suggested Dad while waving a hoof in a general direction away from this bed.

The sleeping face smiled. "That's quite alright, sir. But I appreciate the thought."

There was a collective gasp and a holding of breath among the swarm. Mom and Dad instinctively bent one hoof down to a kneel. Maybe that was actually Spirit and the other pony. I couldn't really know.

Celestia/Faust gently pushed the sheet aside and sat up on the bed. Even without her regalia, she looked like a royal. She looked much taller than I was expecting. Although as I thought that, it occurred to me that I was currently much shorter than usual. Maybe that was it.

"Good morning, everyone." She shuffled her big feathers on either side. "I take it you found the place alright?"

She lifted the flat side of her right hoof up. Mom and Dad stood straight at the same time. There was a mix of scents I was picking up from them. I couldn't discern what the main emotion was. Fifty-one just smelled baffled. Wait... I could smell Fifty-one's emotions apart from my own? Since when could I do that?
---

9:45 AM

Introductions and descriptions took a while, since there were at least two names to mention for each body present. After that, we tried to inform Celestia/Faust about our current situation. Several times, members of the traveling group ended up interrupting each other for clarifications, comments, and doubts about how the events came to pass. In contrast, the white alicorn sitting there listened intently and patiently, occasionally nodding at the last changeling or pony to speak.

"And... I guess that about sums it up." I idly scratched behind my frill.

"By the way, what should we call you?" piped up Thursday. "Princess Celestia? Lauren? Or some other third thing?"

"Either name is fine." She smiled. "Both of us can hear you. This goes to every-creature. If you need the space, feel free to stay for as long as you need."

Some of the changelings in our group started crawling on the walls to look around the warehouse in depth. Others kept their hooves on the ground as they got comfortable. I took a seat on my haunch while I let Fifty-one project a hive mind update to Chrysalis.

"Yeah, sorry. Still caught up in Massachusetts. Can you handle the drones that are with you there for now, 51? Thanks."

Understood, my queen. Fifty-one opened his eyes and looked down.

"She trusts you to take care of us." I smiled with the side of my mouth that lacked a fang. "I say she's right to do so."

Heh, didn't we just have this conversation in reverse earlier? He wiped his left eye.

I looked over to Dad and Mom. From the way Dad was looking at a small wrench and how Celestia was talking to him, I guessed they were practicing his unicorn's magic. I was sure it would be fine. At least, I was pretty sure it would be. I decided to distract myself with my own hive mind call.

Anything happen out there? I idly walked along the inside wall's perimeter.

Negative, replied Pharynx. Just a couple homeless individuals leaning against different walls of other buildings.

Alright, just keep us posted. I nodded.

As if you needed to tell me that. It almost sounded like he spit in the hive mind landscape before he disconnected.

"You're getting better at doing that," commented Fifty-one to me in his dual voice.

Thanks. I took a break from my walk just before reaching the ceiling. "It's kind of exciting, getting more versatile together."

I'm glad you're feeling better. He thought. You sound more lively and natural when you stay positive.

"Huh. Really?" My tongue flicked out involuntarily. "I hardly noticed."

It's true, he insisted. Your mood right now feels real and moving is effortless. It's a lot easier to switch control back and forth as needed than when you're upset and driven by my instinct. At the risk of myself sounding cliche, just smile. It feels great.

"I'll do my best," I agreed.
---

Author's Note:

I know this uploading pace is probably a pain on the readers, but my mind doesn't like to cooperate with whatever it considers a non-priority task. It tends to disagree with me regarding the classifications of priority tasks.

So... the person writing for Chrysalis that I occasionally bounced off for reference stopped writing years ago. I can't imagine I'll be all that good at writing this character instead, but I'll give it a shot in whatever increments this particular story requires.