The Master Game

by WanderingPhysicist

The Day of a Quiet Family

The young bat pony Freya and her mother, Fluttershy, enjoy an afternoon playing in Ponyville park. Both ponies are quietly sitting and watching the other ponies after finishing their picnic lunch. Fluttershy leans down and nuzzles her daughter. Freya smiles up at her mother. Well, smiles as best she can with her favorite stuffed animal in her mouth. Fluttershy looks to her other side and groans. The pegasus stands up.

‘I’m going to find your brother, Freya,’ Fluttershy says. ‘You wait here.

Freya nods. Fluttershy smiles again and trots away shouting ‘Kain!’ Freya returns to playing with her stuffed animal, a small white rabbit named Angel after her mother’s former pet. Like her mother, Freya is extremely shy and timid. She rarely speaks, even with her family. The young bat pony is almost always seen carrying her Angel with her wherever she goes. Somehow the bunny stays pristine and unweathered despite all of the travel it sees.

Freya looks up from playing with Angel to scan the park. At a nearby bench, she sees Satsuma Apple reading a book. The bat pony lets out a sigh as she watches the earth pony. A shadow looms over Freya. She turns to see two teenaged unicorns standing over her.

‘Well, well, well,’ one of the unicorns says. ‘Look what we have here.’

‘It is one of the bat weirdos,’ the other laughs.

Freya squeaks and grips Angel tightly. The unicorns use their magics to pull the bunny away and hold it over the young bat pony’s head. Freya squeaks and whines as she reaches for her beloved toy. Suddenly, a small rock hits one of the unicorns in the side of the head. They look over to see Satsuma approaching.

‘Don’t you know it is not nice to beat up on pretty girls?’ the earth pony taunts.

Before the bullies can react, Satsuma gallops forward and headbutts one of the unicorns in the gut. While the one falls, the other is slapped in the horn, releasing Angel. Satsuma kicks the bully in the side of the head. The two bullies collect themselves and run from Freya’s defender. Satsuma snorts and turns to Freya. Freya gives Satsuma a small, happy smile. The young hero picks up Angel in his mouth and carries him to his owner. He leans forward, offering the bunny. Freya timidly leans forward as well.

Right before she takes the rabbit, Freya whispers, ‘Satsuma.’

Satsuma drops the doll, leans closer and whispers in reply, ‘Freya.’

‘Freya! Freya!’

The young bat pony is snapped from her fantasy by her mother’s calls. She quickly looks around. Satsuma is still reading his book. Fluttershy and bat pony colt younger than Freya are trotting up. The young filly blushes and squeezes her bunny tightly. Fluttershy gives Freya a nuzzle.

‘Let’s go home and get started on dinner,’ the mother says.

Freya nods and gets up to help her mother and brother clean up. She gives Satsuma one last look and sighs.

After Applejack revealed her deception about Satsuma's origin, her coltfriend Sunshine was furious with her. The two ponies had a big fight, ending with them dissolving their friendship. Their relationship remained sour for years. Without a family to turn to, Sunshine got some unexpected comfort from a more courageous Fluttershy. The unlikely couple of the Captain of the Lunar Guard and a shy pegasus animal keeper turned into a great romance, with the couple married less than a year after Fluttershy first comforted Sunshine. Sunshine left the Lunar Guard and became the police commissioner for Ponyville, patrolling all night in his old uniform (which Luna insisted he keep). The two ponies had a pair of foals, both bat ponies like their father. The older Freya is very much like her mother, even down to the yellow-grey coat and purplish pink mane. Kain is a ball of energy willing to protect his family at all costs, much like his father. His nature is reined in by Fluttershy’s overprotectiveness. The little bit of excitement the foals get usually comes from visits from their adopted sister Rei.

‘I understand. Be safe,’ Fluttershy says before hanging up her mobile.

The pegasus sighs before turning to her children. The two foals are at the table waiting to start dinner.

‘Your father is going to be a bit late.’

‘What is it now?’ Kain asks.

‘Apparently, Auntie Pinkie Pie is up to something, and he is following her.’

‘Probably just some surprise party. Dad’s always freaking out about those.’

‘Hopefully it is just that...’ Fluttershy worries, remembering the details she was told about Pinkie tackling somepony through a wall and running off with the Cake twins. She sighs and shakes her head. ‘Okay. Let’s dig in. No sense waiting when we have good food on the table.’

Kain cheers and starts eating. Freya gives her mother a concerned look, sets down Angel and starts eating.

Late at night. A loud metallic sound wakes Freya up. She looks around and sees a robotic pony standing by her bed. Before she can scream, the robotic pony puts a hoof over Freya’s mouth, and the two disappear from the room.

Sunshine drags himself home after a long night out. He is still wearing is Lunar Guard armor and claws over his hooves, still coated with plastic. He is ready to shower and spend the night with his wife. He gets to the door of the cottage and pushes it open. Before he takes a step inside, his ears twitch.

‘Fluttershy?’ the bat pony calls. ‘Are you in there?’

Getting no answer, Sunshine enters the cottage, secretly tapping the power button to electrify his claws. He looks and listens as he makes his way through the living room. Before he can sweep another room, loud metallic footsteps come from the back of the house. A robotic pony steps into view.

‘I know you from my wife’s stories,’ Sunshine growls. ‘You’re a Cyberpony.’

‘Correct. You have been deemed fit to serve.’

‘Serve who? Where are my wife and kids?’

‘Familial bonds are irrelevant. You will serve the Cyber Queen.’

‘There is only one royal I serve, and her name is Luna.’

Two more Cyberponies flank the Lunar Guard.

‘Your devotion to your former master is admirable. It will serve you well after your upgrade. We may even give you the honor of deleting your former master.’

‘Wrong choice, bub.’

There is a crack of electricity as Sunshine stabs the Cyberponies flanking him in the necks. He steps back and jumps, pulling himself forward with his embedded claws. The guard lands on the lead Cyberpony and rips apart its armor. He stops, holding his claw centimeters from the Cyberpony’s head.

‘Do you need me to repeat the question?’

The Cyberpony tries moving a leg.

‘Oh? A teleportation device. Thank you.’

Sunshine stabs the Cyberpony in the head and activates the transmat. He instantly appears on a Cyberpony ship. He quickly scans the area before disappearing into the shadows to hunt for his family.

Freya wakes in a cell of some sort. Kain is throwing himself against a force field. The young filly squeaks to get her brother’s attention.

The young colt looks back. ‘Hey, sis. You up?’

Freya nods. Kain trots over and sits by his sister. She hugs and nuzzles him. A door opens, and a Cyberpony enters. Kain immediately jumps up and growls, showing the bat pony’s large canines.

‘Where are we! Where is our mother!’ Kain demands.

‘Your maternal unit has been chosen to be the new Cyber Queen,’ the Cyberpony replies. ‘She was deemed fit according to data we obtained from an ancient Cybership that crashed on your planet centuries ago. This data was provided by somepony calling himself The Master.’

‘Doesn’t mean a thing to me! Now let us go and we’ll destroy you nicely!’

‘Your enthusiasm is great. You will serve the queen well.’

Kain screams and leaps into the force field again. Freya helps him up and whimpers. Kain sighs and looks at the Cyberpony again.

‘She wants to know where her bunny is.’

‘Stuffed toys are irrelevant. The need for them will be eliminated when you are upgraded.’

Freya looks up at the Cyberpony and growls.

Fluttershy is led to a large control room. Cyberponies stand at stations monitoring their ship and the planet below. The central viewscreen displays the continent containing Equestria. The pegasus is forced towards a Cyber Controller. The cyborg turns and looks at the scared pony.

‘This is our future queen?’

‘The records indicate that this is Fluttershy. She will be our new queen,’ one of Fluttershy’s escorts replies.

‘Y-you w-want me to be your queen?’ Fluttershy asks.

‘Records indicate your potential to be an effective Cyber Queen at 99%. The data core provided us stated such. You will lead the Cyberponies to victory over the universe.’

‘A-and why w-would I help you do that?’

‘We have your family. Your children are awaiting conversion. Your mate has been ambushed in your home. If you wish to protect them with the last ounce of your useless emotions, you will surrender yourself to us.’

‘Please! Anything but that! Spare my family!’

‘Your cooperation will make the conversion process much simpler.’

A golden helmet lowers from the ceiling. The Cyber Controller takes it and holds it out. Fluttershy sighs and steps forward. Before she puts on the helmet, she stops and smirks.

‘Did your records say what happened last time somepony tried to convert me?’

Fluttershy looks up at the Cyber Controller, an intense stare in her eyes.

Kain leads Freya through the Cyber ship as they search for a way out. Every room they find seems to lead to more Cyberponies. They hear the approach of some Cyberponies and hide behind a grate. Unfortunately, four Cyberponies stop in front of the grate. Freya whimpers and shrinks as small as she can.

‘Excuse me, gents. I am looking for my wife and kids,’ a familiar voice states.

Weapon fire fills the hallway and is soon silenced after the last Cyberpony falls in a heap. The grate slides open.

‘I know that whimper anywhere. You’re safe now, Freya,’ Sunshine says, poking his head inside.

The adult bat pony is tackled by his two children. He laughs as he tries to hug them both.

‘I knew you would come, dad! I knew it!’ Kain cries.

Freya just sighs as she nuzzles her father’s coat. Sunshine laughs as he stands back up.

‘Come on. I found a spare parts shed near here. You can hide there while I get your mother.’

The foals nod as they follow their father down the hall. He leads them to a storage room filled with Cyberpony armor. Kain marvels at the technology.

‘Now stay put. I’ll be back shortly.’

Sunshine turns to leave, but his back left leg feels heavier than normal.

‘Freya, you’ll be safe here. Trust me.’

The filly lets out a long whimper.

Sunshine sighs and looks back. Kain is trying to climb into a bin of leg guards.

‘Freya, I need you to watch after your brother. Make sure he does nothing stupid, okay?’

Freya raises an eyebrow.

‘Okay. Nothing stupider than normal. You’re his big sister. He needs you.’

Freya pouts.

‘Just be safe. We’ll be home before you know it, and Angel will be so happy to see you.’

Freya sighs and lets go. She rolls her eyes as she trots to the bin and pulls her brother out by the tail. Sunshine laughs and gallops back down the hall. Freya glares at her brother, getting a groan in reply.

‘Well, if I am not allowed to help save mom, I might as well try to learn what I can about the attackers.’

Freya points at the ground. Kain groans and sits.

‘Fine. Pick up any new songs you want to try out?’

Freya taps her chin then smiles. She clears her throat and opens her mouth right as the door opens and a Cyberpony walks in.

Sunshine kicks down the doors to the control room. He lands growling, his claws sparking with electricity.

‘Hi, dear!’ Fluttershy greets as she gallops from one panel to the next.

Sunshine looks around. All of the Cyberponies are on the ground. Their heads look like they have exploded.

‘Sorry about the mess, but I didn’t have time to clean up if I wanted to stop the alarm from sounding.’

‘What are you doing?’

Fluttershy presses a button. ‘Oh. I’m just causing the ship to enter the atmosphere at a really steep angle so it burns up before crashing into the ocean near Manehatten. I think they are due for a festive light show after their weather patrol lost control of that storm and caused them to get a hurricane.’

Sunshine watches his wife work. ‘And you know how to do this how?’

Fluttershy stops and kisses her husband on the cheek. ‘You know my last husband taught me how to fly his ship.’

Sunshine growls. ‘I wish you’d stop bringing him up.’

Fluttershy stops and kicks a lever. The ship starts moving. The pegasus trots to her husband.

‘That was the first time I mentioned him in half a year. I was going to offer to do page thirty-one once we made it out of here, but now I am not so sure.’

The stallion freezes and squeaks in a perfect mimic of his daughter. Fluttershy laughs and give him another kiss.

‘Come on, hero. Let’s get out of here.’

The two ponies gallop from the control room. Sunshine pulls ahead.

‘Got to pick up the kids first...’

Several Cyberponies drive Kain and Freya against the back wall. Freya does everything she can to hide while Kain stands his ground.

‘I’ll take you all on! Bring it!’ the colt shouts.

Kain jumps to do an aerial attack, but his target swings a foreleg and knocks the young colt into a bin. Cyberpony head plates fall across the floor. Freya looks around for anything that can help them as the Cyberponies step forward. The scared filly sees the head plates and gets an idea. She dons a head plate like a helmet and pulls a piece of pipe from the wall for a makeshift spear. She jumps and flies over her brother. The young filly narrows her eyes and growls, ‘My brother.’
…

Sunshine leads Fluttershy back to where he left their children. They pick up their pace when they hear a loud crash ahead of them. As they near the room, the tip of a spear pierces the door. A loud scream followed by Kain shouting ‘Freya!’ is heard. The parents panic and force the door open as best they can. Inside, Freya has her brother pinned to the ground and licks his mane. The young colt squeals with laughter and shouts at his sister. The parents make their way around the smoldering Cyberponies. Fluttershy gasps at the one impaled on the door. Freya looks up and tackles her mother in a hug. She turns and smiles at her dad.

‘You did a very good job protecting your brother,’ Sunshine compliments.

There is a loud crash, and an alarm start sounding.

‘Oh. Looks like we’ve begun reentry,’ Fluttershy notes. ‘Up we go.’

Fluttershy lifts Freya onto her back. Sunshine picks up Kain, who is trying to fix his mane, and gallops from the room.

‘I got here from one of their teleportation things. If we can get it to work, we can get home.’

‘You lead the way,’ Fluttershy replies. ‘I’ll get us home.’

Sunshine leads them through the corridors to the transmat platform. He and Fluttershy climb on. Fluttershy puts her muzzle under her wing and pulls out her sonic screwdriver.

‘You had that with you this whole time?’

‘I always have it with me,’ Fluttershy scoffs.

‘Always!?’

‘Don’t start that now, dear.’

Fluttershy snorts, points the sonic at the control panel and the ponies disappear.

Back at their cottage, Fluttershy sits in her kids’ room, watching them sleep. Freya is gripping Angel extra tight. The mare laughs and kisses her daughter on the forehead.

‘I tried contacting HQ,’ Sunshine says as he enters the room. ‘No luck. Something big must be happening.’

Fluttershy gets up and closes the door to the room. ‘We have to get to Canterlot. If something bad is happening, Luna is going to want all of the Elements on hoof.’

‘Are you sure it is safe to leave the kids? What about the things that attacked Pinkie or the Cyberponies?’

‘Pinkie is fine. I know it. As for the Cyberponies...’ Fluttershy holds up her mobile. ‘Meteor sightings are trending all across the east coast. If any are left, I am sure Trotswood can handle them.’

Sunshine kisses his wife. ‘I should just trust that you can handle everything.’

Fluttershy giggles. ‘You’re right about that. Or do you just want page thirty-one?’

Sunshine smiles. Fluttershy giggles again. The two ponies trot downstairs to begin leaving for Canterlot. In her room, Freya stirs. She goes to the window and sees her parents leaving. After getting a good grip on Angel in her mouth, the young bat pony silently flies out of the window and follows her parents away.

Author's Note:

Fun Fact: The title is inspired by Kyōran Kazoku Nikki, a very fun and wacky story.

Fun Fact: Freya and Kain are named after two of the notable dragoons from the Final Fantasy series.

Bad Joke: In light of the episode BATS! and given who she marries and has kids with, I guess Fluttershy doesn't mind having a little bat pony in her ;D

Comments

[Patronum2000]

former pet

I wonder what happened to him...
probably old age but I can still imagine