Arc 2 - Part 3: ...The Sky Falls
...The Sky Falls
Active Log: 42 of 50 - Day 65 A.E.
Present location: Huerta Memorial Hospital, Presidium
Status: processing data
Forty-Two of Fifty was well aware that perspective, above all else, was the key to understanding exactly what had preceded his current situation.
In the end, dissecting events such as those that had taken place over the last twenty hours would always be a matter of perspective. Having the right information was useless without the proper context through which to take it in. His own vantage during the events that occurred during the sixty-third and sixty-fourth days after the Exodus of Equestria was woefully lacking, but at least he wasn’t out of options in that regard.
Yet another case in which organics could not compare. No matter how observant, no matter how well connected, organic beings’ comprehension of the world around them was limited to what they themselves could experience with their own senses. Luckily, this was not true of synthetic life.
Over the course of his investigation, Forty-Two had a distinct advantage that even the greatest detectives of human fiction could only dream of: the ability to experience and review the perspectives of other synthetic sources. More than simply viewing a video recording or reading a transcript, he was capable of utilizing every available piece of information from every possible source and putting it together in ways that could only make sense to someone who could see all angles at once.
And right now, Forty-Two was pulling out all the stops. Nothing that could possibly be of any relevance to the current situation was being overlooked. While this meant that his investigation would surely take longer, it did allow him the chance to review seemingly unimportant details, such as the meeting that a very curt and tired Twilight had with Directors Fluttershy and Rarity the morning of the sixty-third.
It had been direct and to the point. Although some valid concerns were brought up in reference to the repeal of the media lockdown, the three mares came to a quick consensus that the Madam President's newly presented option would be best for all involved.
The second agreement at the table, which quickly brought the meeting to a close, was Fluttershy's assertion that the Madam President was in no condition to be taking on her daily schedule.
No matter how much Twilight tried to deny it, Director Fluttershy was unswayed as her sunken eyes and shortening patience were both impossible to miss, and were merely the most superficial signs of the physical and mental exhaustion that had was plaguing the unicorn. Even when Forty-Two had also attempted to support the Director with vital statistics and a log of her sleep (or lack thereof) over the past few days, Twilight had refused to hear it, instead proposing to move on to more immediate concerns.
And this troubled day would begin by calling in a favor.
——————
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 63 A.E.
Location: Office of M.P. Twilight Sparkle
Status: Observation Mode
Twilight Sparkle sat at her office desk, ruing the day she had taken up this position of leadership over her fellow pony. Her outfit lay spread out in front of her while she let her fur air-dry after her “refreshing vapor shower” had failed to be as refreshing as advertised. She tried to ignore the fact that her ears were buzzing and she was finding it evermore difficult to focus on the lines of text on her omni-hoof's display.
It never stopped.
There were dozens upon dozens of calls for her attention: issues involving both the matters immediately at hoof amongst more mundane concerns. Golden Harvest was becoming more pushy and vocal in demanding a meeting while her upcoming security briefing with Dash and Pyres loomed like a hungry manticore over her schedule.
And then, to top it all off, a priority message from her Director of Technology threw everything into perspective. Just a single sentence, with an attachment that turned out to be a picture of what looked like a puddle of grayish, purplish goop.
I would have let you borrow it.
-PP
Perhaps it was because she was so tired, but that did manage to bring a soft smile to Twilight's face. It seemed like, no matter how much the world around her changed, she could always count on the former Element of Laughter to know just how to brighten her day, even if it was but for a fleeting moment.
And she had a point, too. Hidden in Pinkie’s little joke was a reminder of what was waiting for Twilight if she continued pushing herself to the brink. With increasing frequency, her friends were expressing concern over her apparent lack of rest, and as time wore on she found their advice to be more and more enticing. And she promised herself that, as soon as she took care of this one last thing, she would heed it, and head back to her apartment to escape beneath the covers of her bed.
First, however, she had a call to make.
In an instant, her neurally linked omni-hoof brought up the required contact information and sent out a ping over the Extranet. As the device chirped pleasantly, waiting for the human on the other end to answer, Twilight mused on how something so seemingly difficult as instantly communicating with someone tens of thousands of miles away could be accomplished with a single thought. Back in Equestria, she would’ve considered it nothing short of a miracle, and now, she found herself impatiently tapping a hoof on the floor as the seconds ticked by without an answer.
With a sudden, more high-pitched chirp and a short line of text indicating that the connection had been established, a panel on the holographic interface unfolded to reveal a familiar pale human woman smiling as she took note of who was on the line.
"Hello, Madam President. Sorry for the wait. Not many people know my private address, and I had to be sure it was you. Can’t be too careful these days," Emily Wong said in greeting. "Anyway, what can I do for you?"
"Good morning, Miss Wong," Twilight exchanged politely, trying to keep a smile and hoping that the bags under her eyes were not overly noticeable in the image. When calling someone hoping for a favor, it helped not to appear tired and/or desperate, even if she was both of those things. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I can imagine today’s been a big news day."
"Oh, you mean with what’s happening on Taetrus? Believe it or not, that actually means it’s a slow day for me." Emily shrugged, a motion that appeared strange due to the camera being mounted on her forearm. "I'm an investigative reporter, not a headliner. When stuff like this happens, all the airtime goes to the ones paid to sit behind the big desk, and anyone they can get on the scene." The human woman then sighed and shook her head morosely. “Still, I can hardly believe it, myself… All those people…”
Twilight winced slightly, a pang of guilt running through her chest as she considered how small and selfish her own motivations felt compared to the tragedy experienced in what the press had dubbed the “Vallum Blast.”
"I saw some of the footage from Taetrus. Is it as bad as it looks?" Twilight found herself asking.
"Even worse, according to some of our reports on the ground. A majority of the city’s now just a big, smoking crater, and the surrounding area didn’t fare much better. They’re still looking for survivors, but..." Emily's own mood was clearly soured for a moment before she bounced back with a slightly more muted smile finding it's way back to her face. "Anyway, I doubt you called me just to talk about that. What is it you need?"
"Well, no, I was--" Twilight had to pause to recollect herself, trying to keep her voice even and casual. "I’ve been in discussion with my Board of Directors, and we all agree that the time has come to ease up on the media ban in New Ponyville. If you’re interested, I wanted to invite you down to maybe do some of those interviews you were hoping for earlier?”
There was a moment of silence as Twilight held her casual smile in place.
But apparently, Emily wasn’t going to fall for that. “You saw The Cost of Grazing, didn’t you?”
Twilight’s smile faltered, her expression dropping dourly. “Oh… So you’ve heard about it?”
“There isn’t anyone who works at CNN who hasn’t heard about it,” Emily said candidly. “We pulled in massive ratings for that special we aired including the interview of your friends. When the Hard-Press video hit the Extranet, we were one of the first ones to be informed.”
Well, gee, thanks for the heads up, Twilight thought bitterly, but managed to keep the sarcastic remark off her lips. “I take it you’ve watched it, then?”
“Against my better judgment,” Emily said sarcastically. “If it makes you feel any better, your people are hardly alone in getting the ‘Hard-Press Treatment.’ They’ve been doing stuff like this for generations. And to be perfectly honest, that was almost tame compared to some of the stuff they say about the Quarians.”
"So I’ve heard." Twilight shook her head, her mood clearly soured. "I just don't understand how they can get away with… whatever it is they call it over there. Why would anyone even pay attention to such blatant indecency?"
"Hey, in a galaxy of trillions, you can find an audience for just about anything. In the case of interspecies media, being provocative is just a really good business model," Emily explained. "It also doesn’t hurt that they have backers in notoriously high places. There are defamation lawsuits against them that have been tied up in the courts so long, salarian lawyers have turned them into multi-generational family businesses."
"I see..." Twilight managed to keep her expression neutral even as she mentally cringed, grateful that her initial impulse to go after the purveyors of these lies more aggressively had been forced to the sidelines.
“So, let me guess,” Emily started again. “You want my help to tell the public your side of the story. I’m thinking… press conference? I might be able to convince our programming director to give you a decent timeslot.”
To this, Twilight couldn't help but scowl. "No, that’s not what I have in mind at all, actually. The last thing we as a people should do is get up on our soapbox and preach to an audience that’s pretty much already made up their minds about us.”
Emily seemed to consider this for a moment, one finger folded up over her lips as she soaked in the Madam President’s words. “Alright, Madam President,” she said, clearly having some trouble trying to determine what it was that Twilight was trying to accomplish. “So what did you have in mind?”
“Exactly what I said before.” Twilight took a deep breath, calming herself in order to try and be as articulate as possible. “An invitation to come down to New Ponyville and conduct the public interviews you asked about a few weeks back. To get an uncompromising view of who we are as a species from the mouths of the average pony.”
“Do you really think that will work in getting people to forget the documentary?”
“No, I don’t.” Twilight shook her head. “This isn’t about convincing people who’s right and who’s wrong. I just don’t want Hard-Press running the court of public opinion on us. We need to get our own story out there; to show who we really are. The people can then decide for themselves who they want to believe.”
“Well, it’s an admirable goal, I’ll give you that. And I want to help, Madam President. Believe me, I do. But it’s not just up to me,” Emily told the mare, her tone and expression apologetic. “Right now, anybody and everybody is talking about Taetrus. I doubt the higher-ups would be willing to divert company resources on such short notice to cover what amounts to a lifestyle piece. Not without some serious convincing, anyway.”
“I don’t suppose there’s something I can do to convince your superiors?” asked Twilight, feeling like her prospects were already dimming, fast.
“Hmm… That depends.” Emily looked off to the side, chewing on the inside of her lip while she gave it some thought. “What exactly are you offering?”
Twilight hesitated for a moment, debating on the implications of the simple question. She would be naive to think that something this pressing could be handled simply by asking. In this world, altruism was the exception, rather than the rule. Quid pro quo, as the humans termed it, was simply the natural order of things.
After weighing the pros and cons, Twilight eventually nodded, having made her decision. “All I can really offer is the gratitude of the leader of an entire species. And a promise that that gratitude might be repaid someday in the future.”
Twilight’s statement was instantly greeted by a smile from Emily. “When you put it that way, that’s quite an offer, Madam President. Give me a few minutes and I’ll see what I can do. Hold on.”
Twilight nodded in agreement, and soon after, the screen went blank as Emily put her on hold. Having no idea how long this was actually going to take, she had to resist the urge to occupy herself with some other program on her omni-hoof while she waited. This was not the time to get lost in another “Impossible” difficulty crossword puzzle.
And so she simply sat there, eyes trained on the blank orange panel as the minutes ticked by. It took some degree of effort not to start drifting off to sleep with the lack of stimulation, and her leg was starting to ache from holding it up for so long, but she persevered. Then, not three minutes later, a chime from her omni-hoof signaled that Emily had reconnected, and the reporter’s face suddenly relit the screen.
“Well?” Twilight asked, cautiously hopeful.
“Good news, Madam President!” Emily responded cheerfully. “I was able to convince my boss to run with your idea. Specifically, he said we can take the interview footage and fold it into our ‘Inside the Citadel’ Extranet series. It’ll be featured on the front page of our site, and will also get a mention or two during regular broadcast hours once it’s up. We can even link it to the site for New Ponyville if you’d like.”
“That sounds perfect.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, not bothering to hide the gratitude showing plain in her features.
“I can be ready an hour, then I’ll make my way down to New Ponyville. Is that alright with you, Madam President?”
“I don’t have a problem with that. I’ll meet you at the docks to make sure you’re properly set up. I can’t thank you enough, Emily. And please… call me Twilight from now on.”
“It would be my pleasure, Twilight. But don’t thank me yet,” the human journalist warned playfully. “I’m sympathetic with the Herd, but that doesn’t mean I can play it soft in these interviews. I’ll try to stay away from any sensitive topics, but everything else is fair game. I just wanted to make that clear.”
“I understand. We can talk more about it when you get here,” Twilight said, ready to end the call. “Until then, have a nice day, Emily.”
“You too, Twilight. And try to get some rest; you look a little tired.”
Before Twilight could try to rebut her, Emily severed the call, and the holographic display of her omni-hoof disappeared as it shut itself off. Her ear twitched a little out of annoyance; not that Emily had picked up on what she had desperately tried to hide, but that she waited until the last minute to mention it.
But, regardless, it was hard to argue with her recommendation. In the silence that followed, the ringing in Twilight’s ears had grown to almost deafening, and it took most of her concentration just to keep her vision focused.
In a rare moment of weakness, Twilight found that she couldn’t care less what happened in the next couple of hours. The Reapers themselves could show up at her doorstep, and her first response would be to ask them if they could come back after she’d had some rest.
Rest… That one thought triggered a series of reactions in the unicorn’s mind and body as they began conspiring against her ability to stay awake.
Instinctively, she placed her head down on the soft fabric of her outfit laying on her desk and closed her eyes. Briefly, she considered whether it would benefit her to try and make it all the way back to her apartment to an actual bed. Or, hay, there was a perfectly serviceable lounge seat directly behind her. But right now, her coat would do just fine. There was just one more thing to do before she surrendered herself to the darkness.
“Forty-Two… wake me up... when Emily… gets…”
Several seconds passed… until the next sound out of Twilight’s mouth was a soft, steady snoring.
——————
That right there was an image worth saving, and Forty-Two was glad that he did. There was just something about seeing his mistress, unceremoniously lying on her presidential outfit with only her head visible over the edge of her desk, that filled him with a sense of satisfaction. While Twilight might find the pose to be utterly unbecoming of her, Forty-Two found it endearing. Far too often, he would see her trying her best to be the no-nonsense leader she projected herself as, when in reality, it was the times that she let the facade drop when she could truly be appreciated for everything she meant to the Herd.
As was his duty, Forty-Two stood guard over the Madam President as she finally took the time to sleep. He didn’t dare interrupt her sorely needed rest, even going so far as to ignore her last command and instead sending a message to Director Rarity to meet Emily in her stead, consequences be damned. The only thing to disturb the sanctity of Twilight’s office was when Forty-Two sent for one of his fellow changelings to fetch a blanket for the slumbering unicorn. Other than that, he was content to spend his time monitoring the Extranet, reviewing status updates from the other drones, and occasionally entertaining himself with recordings of some of the highlights from the past few weeks.
In hindsight, what a waste of processing power it was. He should have been more proactive, more alert. There must have been something he could have picked up on then; some nugget of information that might have clued him in to what was about to happen. There was no way for him to know at the time… but there might have been. That was his failing, and his alone.
”You are not perfect, Forty-Two. You were never meant to be. Making mistakes is part of what makes you who you are. What makes you more than just a drone…”
Those words, spoken countless millennia ago by a brown-furred scientist who had been dead for nearly as long, bubbled to the surface of Forty-Two’s thought processes. Relevant, perhaps, but hardly conducive to his current task.
Forty-Two buried the memory. He still had a job to do.
He’d happened to be browsing the CNN Extranet page at that moment, searching for possible leads to continue his investigation. What drew him there was a headline further down the page, somewhat obscured by the Taetrus coverage still dominating the news cycle. It linked to a story that was supplemented by live video taken right at the scene in New Ponyville, from the camera that Emily was using to conduct interviews in the interim.
That interview footage, which was not yet available to the public since C-Sec confiscated the camera drone as evidence, was key to understanding everything leading up to that moment. Fortunately for Forty-Two, C-Sec’s evidence archives were only marginally harder to penetrate than their criminal database, and he got what he needed in a matter of seconds. He then set to work fitting that information into his already existing understanding of events.
Off camera, Emily Wong’s arrival in New Ponyville had been met with little fanfare, which was exactly what the Madam President had hoped for. She met with Director Rarity as soon as she disembarked, who took the liberty of informing the reporter of her suggested limits with regards to the Herd’s origin story, and a request to try and keep the changeling drones out of the shot as much as possible. Although she agreed to the latter without protest, an explanation of what the Council had deemed “classified” information was required to convince Emily not to pursue those lines of questioning.
Before the camera started rolling, Rarity invited Emily for a brief tour down Mane Street to show her how things were coming along, and to ensure that she could find her way around the area. After that, with her VI-controlled camera capturing every moment, Emily began her search for stories worthy of being put into the eventual finished product. This is where Forty-Two was now focusing his efforts, poring over the details of every single frame she captured.
No topic was too mundane, no pony too unimportant. Emily was indiscriminate in sniffing out interesting stories and ponies willing to tell them, with subjects ranging from business, to family, to even the developing Equestrian art scene.
One particular highlight was a conversation with a unicorn stallion named Glass Shine, who had taken up the art of creating dazzling stained glass works that were quickly becoming a hit in human and asari circles. The inquiries into his creative process then developed rapidly into an in-depth explanation of why solar and lunar symbols featured themselves so prevalently in his work, as well as being evident all around New Ponyville. It was the closest thing to an Equestrian Mythology to have developed since their arrival, and to say Emily was fascinated would be a gross understatement.
One thing that could not be denied in the three hour expose was that the Equestrians of the district were certainly eager to share, handling the attention with a mix of friendliness, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm that was downright charming.
There were times when the topic of conversation dipped into dangerous territory, like when Emily asked a group of three younger mares for their thoughts on Director Applejack’s widely publicized misstep with the law. One of them confessed to not having been following the story all that closely, while another felt that, while what Applejack did was wrong, she trusted the situation was handled fairly by both C-Sec and Equestrian leadership. The third, who went unnamed in the interview but whom Forty-Two recognized as Golden Harvest, was very vocal in her belief that Applejack hadn’t been punished enough, even going so far as to say she didn’t deserve her place on the Board of Directors anymore. Emily wisely decided to shift topics after that.
In spite of a few encounters such as that, it was not difficult to see that Miss Wong was going out of her way to show the Equestrians as they were in their everyday lives. As was outlined before the interviews began, no mention was made of Hard-Press or their documentary, but if the purpose of this whole stunt was to show how the ponies on the Citadel were a far cry from the “animals,” “human sympathizers,” and “anti-government biotic usurpers,” they’d been painted as, then Emily had succeeded as far as Forty-Two could reckon.
As the recorded footage neared its end, Emily’s line of inquiry turned to the innocent question of why New Ponyville was still drawing such a high volume of traffic compared to the rest of Tayseri, which by Ward standards had remained a ghost town.
That was when, as they say, the manure hit the fan.
——————
--CNN Camera Drone; Model Number XT-907--
--Current Operator: Emily Wong--
--Payback Time Index: 2:59:17--
"So,” Emily asked, her summation of the abnormally large equestrian male's surprisingly well thought out response to her simple question. “It is your belief that the allure of New Ponyville comes not from the nostalgia of a new species present on the Citadel, but rather from the organic need for socialization which has been neglected in the streamlined and automated galactic community in favor of efficiency and profit?"
"Eeeyup."
"That is..." The reporter considered her term carefully, giving a sideways look at the camera drone hovering to the side of the pair as she digested the commentary. "...remarkably profound, actually."
"Ah have mah moments, ma’am," said the thickly accented red stallion, who had agreed to the interview but neglected to share his name. Pausing for a moment, the human took note as his ears twitched, swerving slightly on his head to catch something over the hustle and bustle of Mane Street's still packed central market area. "Beggin’ yer pardon, Miss Wong, ah gotta get back to it."
"Of course." Emily nodded, watching the stallion trot back towards a small, yellow coated pony in denim before turning back to the camera drone again. Having spent the better part of the late cycle interviewing random ponies along Mane Street and in the more industrialized “Dock” level, she decided it was time to bring the article to a close. In one swift, practiced motion, the young human woman brought up her arm, the omni-tool glowing orange as it imitated the microphone synonymous with human reporting and addressed the virtual audience directly. "And I think that concludes our look into an average day in New Ponyville. For now, this is Emily Wong for Citadel News Net: Inside the Citadel--"
"Emily! Hey! Emily! Hey, hey! Emily, over here!"
Surprised by the interruption, Emily turned, causing the VI-driven camera drone follow her line of sight. The reporter's confusion was replaced by genuine surprise as she quickly recognized the pink-maned and manically grinning pony galloping towards her, fully dressed in a stylized white coat and wearing a set of tinted goggles over her face.
"Well well, this is a pleasant surprise." Emily found herself smiling as well as she quickly regained her composure and resumed her “reporter” stance. Pinkie came up, sitting herself back on her haunches and causing the drone to shift its position higher, having to change its perspective to keep the standing human and sitting Equestrian together in the shot. "Good afternoon, Director Pinkie Pie. Nice to see you again."
"Is it already afternoon? You can’t really tell around here, can you? Everything's so bright all the time. What time is it?" Pinkie asked before bringing up her own omni-hoof to check. Then, in a whiplash manner that Emily well remembered from her first interview with Pinkie, the pony was back up on her hooves and smiling again. "Huh, so it is. Anyway, whatcha doing in New Ponyville, Emily?"
"I was invited to conduct some public interviews."
"Ohhhh, that sounds like fun!" The pink pony bounced slightly in place, a springy motion that looked like her hooves were coated in rubber. "Can I be next?"
"I was just wrapping up, but… I don’t see why I can’t squeeze in one more." The reporter nodded, mentally pumping a fist at the sudden appearance of a well known authority of the Equestrian Herd. That fact that it seemed entirely organic and spontaneous would also lend a greater impression of legitimacy to the interview. "Firstly, for those of our audience who might not be familiar, would you mind telling them who you are?"
"Okie-dokie-lokie." Pinkie grinned, reaching up with one hoof to lift the goggles from her face and exposing her brilliant, childlike blue eyes. "Hello, galaxy! My name’s Pinkamena Diane Pie, Equestrian Director of Technology. I’m also Founder, CEO, and Chief Technician of Sugar³ Technologies, and an avid Galaxy of Fantasy player to boot! To anypony out there who wants to friend me online, my player tag is--"
"Let me stop you there, Pinkie," Emily quickly interrupted, quick to prevent any possible fallout from Ionic Storm, the company that published the popular massively multiplayer Extranet game. "Needless to say you're very much involved in the creative and technical aspect of the Equestrian economy. In fact, the features of the omni-hoof and its unique Equestrian-exclusive apps have already gotten attention from other firms as works of genius."
"Sure, I guess you could put it that way," Pinkie shrugged modestly, having clearly never considered herself a genius.
"In that case, I’m sure I speak for a lot of us when I ask, what’s next? And will Sugar³ Technologies be stepping out into the galactic market anytime soon?"
"To the second part of that question, I’ll have to say, not yet." Pinkie shook her head, sighing softly. "Sugar³ is still trying to get its hooves wet in terms of production capacity, so to speak. Hay, I only have nine associates working at the place, plus me."
"And to the first part of the question?" Emily prompted curiously.
"Well, I can't exactly go into detail, but let's just say that we have something in the works that's going to give us a real... 'hand up' in the galaxy." Pinkie giggled slightly, amused by her little pun even as it was clearly lost on the reporter.
Still, there was nothing wrong with a little teasing, especially for any of the technically adept who were watching Sugar³ closely following the patenting of the omni-hoof and its accompanying neural interface. Deciding to move the questioning away from business, Emily then tried a different approach.
"So, Pinkie, take us through a day in the life of one of the leaders of New Ponyville."
"Oh, it's not to different from most folks here on the Citadel. I wake up, have myself a vapor shower, brush my teeth, eat a cookie, brush my teeth again, then it’s down to the lab for a little--”
*THOOM*
The reaction to the nearly deafening sound was immediate, as both Pinkie and Emily instinctively ducked to the ground. A moment later, a pressure wave caused the camera drone to rock slightly, while still focusing on Emily.
“What was that!? It sounded like an explosion!” cried the reporter.
“It wasn’t me!” Pinkie quickly retorted, eyes dancing around as surprised shouts emanated from everyone around them, ponies and aliens alike.
Emily’s hand shot out, pointing to somewhere off camera. “Over there! What’s…?” She trailed off, her face gradually morphing into a look of tenuous horror as her hand went to cover her mouth. She then swallowed and shook her head, getting a hold on herself before turning to look directly into the camera. “Switch to live feed, now! Patch it through directly to CNN! Top priority!”
--End of recording--
——————
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 63 A.E.
Location: Office of M.P. Twilight Sparkle
Status: Observation Mode
A sharp, stinging ache stirred Twilight Sparkle unwillingly from her slumber as reality force itself upon her mind, and like any filly not wanting to leave the cool reprieve of dreamless rest, Twilight responded by trying to blatantly ignore it.
She did not want to wake up. She didn’t want to have to return to the almost constant stresses that demanded her attention. But as she shifted her weight, attempting to find that sweet, comfortable position again, the kink in her neck refused to go quietly. Realizing her awkward position, Twilight lifted her head suddenly, her drowsy mind still bogged down to the point she didn’t even startle when the silent sentinel in the room spoke up.
“Wakey-wakey, eggs and hay bakey,” a familiar synthesized voice chimed in with an annoyingly cheery tone as Twilight groaned, bringing a hoof up to massage the back of her neck.
“Unnghhh… I’m fine… I’m here! I was just… resting my eyes,” said Twilight, waving the offending metal pony away as she felt a twitch along her withers that sent the ache down the rest of her spine.
“Of course you were,” her mechanical assistant mused softly, a clear amusement in his voice.
Twilight shook her head again as she realized the futility of denying that she had dozed off. And to be honest, it really did not come as a surprise given how little sleep she had managed over the last three days. Unfortunately, it was also clear that her dalliance in the realm of dreams had done little to refresh her.
Twilight shook her head as she tried unsuccessfully to focus. She felt stiff all over and the kink in her shoulders was not going away as she tried to shift her weight forward and stretch her forelegs like a cat, eliciting with a soft groan.
“How long was I out?” the unicorn asked, still trying to get her bearings.
“Just under four hours.”
“Four hours?” That got her attention, and her posture suddenly shifted forward, forcing the blanket around her body to fall away. Her eyes widened as her mind kicked into gear, forcefully trying to shake off her weariness. “Oh, no! I was supposed to meet Emily before she--”
“Whoa, Twi. Settle down.” Forty-Two held up two hooves, speaking calmly in spite of Twilight rounding on him, flushed and huffing with indignation. “I took care of it for you, Twi. I sent word to Rarity and she met with Miss Wong when she arrived to inform her of the limits of the interviews. From what I can tell via the other drones in the area, she should be wrapping up soon. You can still stop by and meet her if you want.”
“...Oh.” Twilight halted for a second, absorbing what Forty-Two had told her and coming to realize that nothing was about to blow up in her face after she’d so carelessly dozed off. “Well, then. In that case, that’s what I’m going to do. Any news on what the interviews are about?”
“I don’t have any specifics. But I do have the article bookmarked for your viewing pleasure when it comes to air. However, once you’ve spoken with Miss Wong, might I recommend we retire to your apartment for the remainder of the the day? Laying across your desk like that is not doing your spine any favors.”
“Tell me about it.” Twilight stretched again, feeling a pop midway down her back as she rose from her seat and settled onto her hooves.
Her own discomfort aside, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little optimistic as her horn came to light, slipping her coat on and effortlessly buckling the straps that held it to her front. She was still exhausted, sore, and could feel the weight of the whole district squarely on her back, but at least it seemed like things were finally starting to look up.
*THOOM*
Twilight Sparkle jerked at the noise, the muffled sound resonating all around her as a series of cracks echoed in the distance, the metal plating under her hooves vibrating ever so slightly.
Then, the office was dead silent again, only this time Twilight was wide awake, the fur on her neck standing on end.
“Forty-Two… what was that?” she asked, a note of dread creeping into her voice.
The changeling drone pitched his head to the side, antennae flashing while he left Twilight hanging for an answer a little too long for her liking.
“Forty-Two!”
The drone flinched, directing his optic lights at Twilight, but still unable to find a satisfactory answer. The information was still coming in, and he had barely any time to make sense of it himself yet.
But it turned out that he didn’t need to… the sound of an alarm siren, coming from somewhere in the distance, took care of that.
Her breath catching in her throat, Twilight turned slowly at the source of the sound, towards the window in her office that looked out at New Ponyville. Her hooves felt like they were moving through molasses as she stepped up to the glass, her senses muddled by the sound of blood rushing past her ears.
Once there, she didn’t blink. She didn’t move.
She could only look on in horror at the plume of thick, acrid smoke pouring forth from the docks.
It can’t be... came unbidden to her thoughts as, for one terrifying moment, worst case scenarios came pouring forth to the front and center of her mind.
“Madam President.”
An attack…? An accident…? Was it terrorists? Extremists? The Reapers? Was anypony hurt?
“Madam President!”
Oh, sweet Celestia, was anypony hurt!?
“Twilight!”
A cold, metal-clad hoof to the mare’s shoulder shocked her from her internal break, causing her to turn into the glowing, crystalline green eyes of her mechanical confidant. Letting go of a breath that she had not even realized she had been holding, the lavender unicorn shook her head, trying to clear the images conjured up in her mind in order to deal with what was right in front of her.
"We have to get down there!" Twilight demanded, adrenaline overtaking exhaustion as she was instantly up and galloping to the door. To her immediate aggravation, the moment she moved up to it, the door’s green “open” hologram buzzed, turning red. “What!? Why won’t this open!?”
"Stand by, Twilight. I’m currently gathering information," Forty-Two stated, his tone surprisingly suppressed and neutral given the situation. His processors were already working on overdrive to scan and analyze the various streams of data he was receiving from the changeling units throughout New Ponyville and beyond.
“Forty-Two, are you locking me in my own office!?”
“It’s for your own protection, Madam President,” the drone stressed, taking position next to Twilight’s desk. “Now please, step away from the door. I am receiving over twenty simultaneous high-grade data-feeds and coordinating the information for your briefing.”
“I don’t need a briefing, Forty-Two! And I don’t need protection! Now open the door!”
Of Twilight’s protests, Forty-Two had little doubt, but rather than argue the point with her, he began parsing the information as it came though.
"Multiple detonations have occurred within the New Ponyville Ward block. Fires have been reported breaking out across the Dock level and in several storage warehouses."
"Detonations, plural!?” Twilight’s thoughts were briefly diverted from her assistant’s blatant disregard for her authority as the details he provided crystallized the nature of the event. “Do you know what caused them!?”
“No. There isn’t enough data to confirm--”
“Then what’s the point in staying here!?” Twilight snapped. “We could be helping!”
Forty-Two continued, unperturbed. “C-Sec Emergency Services have been notified and are en-route. Fire suppression teams are also on the way to assist onsite changeling units currently containing the fires. They should arrive anywhere between ten to twenty-five minutes.”
“Ten to twenty-five minutes!?” Twilight made no effort to keep the anger from her voice. “What the buck is taking them so long!?”
“Per Citadel Emergency Protocols, the elevators connecting New Ponyville to the other districts have been disabled. The only way to bring assistance into the district is the Docks, and due to the ward’s general state of disrepair, the nearest C-Sec emergency dispatch station lies halfway across the ward itself.”
“All the more reason we’d be more useful on the scene ourselves,” Twilight huffed exasperatedly. “Open. The door!”
“Twilight…”
“Forty-Two, if you do not unlock this door, Luna help me, I will tear it open myself!”
The dangerous tone of voice Twilight used left no doubt that she intended to do just that. Faced with few other options outside physically trying to subdue her, Forty-Two stared hard into the eyes of his mistress, before finally backing down. With a single command sent to the door, the locking mechanism buzzed and turned green, allowing her passage.
Twilight immediately broke into a sprint, the changeling taking wing to keep up as she charged ahead. "Where is Pyres!?"
"Lieutenant Taxar Pyers was last logged by Two of Six patrolling near Equestrian Essentials, and is most likely on his way to the scene as we speak,” the drone relayed as the two of them exited the Administration building, and the sound of the emergency siren could be heard coming clear across the air. “I am receiving preliminary damage and casualty reports. Would you like to hear them?”
Twilight's mind was reeling at the offer and ball of ice formed in her gut as a single word echoed on her lips. "Casualties!?" Her voice dropped several octaves before she rallied, her tone turning demanding. “How many!?”
"Multiple injuries confirmed on the Industrial Level, both Equestrian and alien,” Forty-Two responded immediately as he continued to assimilate the data streams that were still pouring in. “Thus far, no fatalities have been reported. Minor burns, lacerations, and a few broken limbs have been cataloged. Changeling Unit Six of Ten has suffered minor damage to its outer carapace... I have an update. Director Rainbow Dash has arrived on the scene."
Twilight kept her legs pumping, bringing her to the stairway leading down to the third level of the district. So nopony had been killed; a small consolation, but good news nonetheless.
Taking a deep breath, trying to slow her pounding heart, Twilight’s voice lowered. She couldn’t do much about the scene until she got there, but she did have other concerns to address. “Are there any ponies outside the district?”
“Affirmative, Madam President,” Forty-Two informed her, his antenna lighting up as he proceeded to pull up the information. “Twenty-seven ponies and six changelings; all members of the Sweet Applecations workforce. They are currently working cleanup duty in District 1182. Director Applejack is also with them.”
“Contact Applejack’s changeling and inform her of the situation!” Twilight ordered, not breaking stride as she took a flying leap down the next set of stairs, angling her descent with the help of her biotics. “I want every pony and drone in the Herd back here and accounted for! Now!”
“With the elevators down and traffic being diverted--”
“I don’t care how you do it, just get them back here! They’re in greater danger off on their own,” Twilight’s tone booked no argument, going by the old standby of “safety in numbers.” “In the meantime, get every changeling in New Ponyville down to the warehouses to assist and move the wounded to the upper levels for treatment.”
“Understood,” the changeling complied. He saw no reason to inform Twilight that those very orders had already been given by Rainbow Dash along with instructions to conduct a search of the area, but did make it a point to relay them to the rest of his kind, causing every mech in the district to take wing as they moved for the explosions.
——————
Looking back on it, Forty-Two would have cringed if he were capable of doing so. Even if the rational had been sound at the time, now it was clear that diverting every one of their resources to handling this disaster had been a terrible miscalculation.
Forty-Two was in the thick of it now, jumping between various perspectives of the changelings, security cams, and even footage from Emily Wong’s live reporting as he tried to splice together the events that took place while he and Twilight were making their way to the lower levels.
*Establishing data-link with Bracer Series - 6 of 10*
...
*Data-link established*
*Relaying instructions*
*Unit complying; preparing to receive information*
*Transmission received: Hourglass Series - 42 of 50*
*Verifying credentials*
…
*Verified*
*Command received: Transfer of archived log files from index “Day 63 A.E, Hour 13:35 Citadel Standard”*
*Initiating log playback*
…
==Unit tasked with patrol and security of New Ponyville, Industrial Level==
==Logged visitors to Industrial Level: 237 Non-Residential Aliens, 26 Equestrians, 3 Keepers==
==Infractions logged during current daily cycle: 0==
==13:36 Citadel Standard - WARNING! Kinetic impact registered==
==Cognitive functions impaired==
==Logged period of inactivity; Duration: 17 seconds==
==Cognitive recalibration finalized, orientation modifiers reestablished==
==Self-diagnostic complete, compiling damage report==
==Damage to outer carapace: negligible; Central energy matrix: stable; Sensory suite: unimpaired; Cognitive capability: 100%; Motor functions: minor damage to actuators in right foreleg, internal repairs underway==
==Threat Level: Mauve==
==Observation Mode disengaged; Emergency Analysis Mode engaged==
==Detonation report analyzed, indications of high-pressure conflagration device. Magnesium-based accelerate. Element zero trace negative. Conclusion: low-impact, wide-radius explosive composition - device classification: Firebomb==
==Continuing investigation; Unit moving to within 2.3 meters of blast epicenter==
==Remains of explosive device found, starting analysis==
==Analysis interrupted; Sensors indicate injured organics within vicinity==
==Emergency Analysis Mode disengaged; Crisis Mode engaged==
==Automated repairs complete; Moving to assist==
==Casualties logged: [Raindrops: Pegasus mare, minor burns to forelegs and shoulders], [Drask, Evan: Human Male, Delivery Worker, concussion, minor burns, sprained leg], [Li, Shura: Asari, Tourist, bleeding from nostrils; possible internal injuries present, priority medical attention required]==
==Administrator Rainbow Dash (EoLo) arriving on scene==
==EoLo requests situation update; Administrator Authority Recognized; relaying information==
==EoLo inputting new directives==
==Primary Directive: Extract injured lifeforms from area, relocate to upper tiers of New Ponyville==
==Secondary Directive: Secure Industrial Level and perform full sweep for further explosive devices==
==Proceeding with directives; Initiating Search and Rescue==
*Discontinue Log playback*
*Time-stamp: Day 63 A.E. - 13:39 Citadel Standard*
*Disengage connection: Bracer Series - 6 of 10*
——————
--CNN Camera Drone; Model Number XT-907--
--Current Operator: Emily Wong--
--BREAKING NEWS - TAYSERI TERRORIST STRIKE--
“This is Emily Wong with Citadel News Net, coming to you live from New Ponyville in Tayseri Ward, where a series of explosions seem to have rocked the lowest level of the Ward District. Fires can still be seen burning as it seems the suppression systems are offline.” Emily continued commentating as she failed to keep up with the much quicker gallop of Pinkie Pie. “We still have no confirmation of injuries or the nature of the explosions as we move to the--”
“What do you think you’re doing!?” A less than enthused sounding voice was heard, drawing the attention of the camera drone which caught sight sight of a quickly approaching turian C-Sec officer. Several of the black, pony-shaped mechs known as changelings were hot on his heels, some galloping, others flying through the air like insects.
“Lieutenant Pyres!?”
“Shut that damn camera drone off!” the turian responded brusquely, making an arm motion down the road leading to the warehouses, which the mechs obeyed as they darted off that way. “This is an emergency situation! All civilians need to evacuate to the upper decks!”
“With all due respect, I was simply--”
“This isn’t up for discussion! You, upper decks, now!” Pyres challenged, his tone less than pleasant as he too moved across the scene.
Emily hesitated a moment, her expression one of conflict as she considered her next move. It didn’t last long; Emily wouldn’t have gotten to where she was today if she so easily backed down from a story.
“I can take care of myself, Lieutenant,” she stated resolutely.
The turian’s mandibles clicked together a few times in frustration, but he soon realized he had more important things to do than to argue with an obstinate reporter. “...Fine! I don’t have time for this, just stay out of the way!”
A beat later, and he took off, the camera watching as he made his way into the thick of the action. Meanwhile, Emily stood off to the side, making sure to position herself between the drone and the thick, billowing smoke in the background.
“That was local C-Sec District Liaison Taxar Pyres, moving to contain the situation that is rapidly developing here, live in New Ponyville,” she said, dictating events as they came to the millions who were no doubt tuning in as she spoke. “I am currently standing at the outer edges of the district’s Industrial Level, where a series of blasts from unknown origins rocked the area just moments ago. It’s absolute chaos here, as--”
“Emily!”
The camera made a one-eighty degree pivot around Emily, focusing in on the source of the newest voice: the Madam President herself, instantly recognizable in her dark-colored outfit, along with the green-eyed pony mech trailing closely behind her. She stopped a few feet short of the camera, paying it no mind as she addressed the reporter directly. “What are you doing here!?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Madam President,” Emily said back. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“This isn’t the time for that, Emily! You need to get out of here!” Twilight argued, pointing a hoof back in the direction she’d come.
Emily merely folded her arms. “I’ll tell you what I just told Lieutenant Pyres: I’m staying right here.”
“What? Pyres is here?” The Madam President couldn’t help but express a degree of relief in her voice at this news. “Good, good… Have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?”
“I’m here, Twi!” came a raspy voice from up above, and the camera drone tilted upwards to capture the blue pegasus mare as she descended quickly from flight, landing right beside Twilight.
“Rainbow, what’s the situation?” Twilight demanded, her tone clearly edged with equal parts panic and concern.
“I got here as soon as I could,” Rainbow stated, looking over and waving a hoof to somewhere off-camera. “Thanks for sending the changelings here, they’ve been a big help getting the wounded out and to the upper levels.”
“And what about the fires?”
Rainbow gave an exasperated huff. “Still burning. We don’t have enough extinguishers on hoof to even start to put them out. The drones have their hooves full just trying to keep them from spreading.”
“Okay, let’s see what we can do about those fires while we wait for C-Sec to get off their flanks and come help us.” Twilight sighed, rubbing the side of her head a few times before looking back up and seeing that Emily and her recording drone were still standing right there. “As for you, Emily--”
Twilight’s line of thought was cut off as the orange omni-hoof panels around her leg lit up, chirping to indicate an incoming call.
“What the…?” Twilight lifted her hoof as the screen came out, revealing the face of a blonde-maned, gray-furred mare who looked to be on the verge of hysterics.
“Twilight, thank Celestia you answered!” the caller said frantically. “You have to help me!”
“Whoa, slow down, Ditzy. I understand that you’re scared, but a lot of ponies need help,” Twilight told the mare, trying to sound consoling.
“What’s the matter, Ditzy? Are you hurt?” asked Rainbow Dash, stepping into view to take a look at Twilight’s omni-hoof.
“No, I’m fine! It’s not me that’s in trouble!” The grey mare shook her head. “I can’t find Scootaloo!”
“What!?” Rainbow’s eyes went wide, clearly affected by this news. “But you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on her!”
“Relax, Rainbow, she’s probably just with her friends,” cautioned Twilight, settling back on her haunches and raising her other leg to try and calm the pegasus down.
“No, she’s not!” Ditzy argued, seeming to be on the verge of tears. “She was with me and the other foals, I took my eyes off her for a minute... Then all of this started, and… The explosions were so loud, I... There were so many people running everywhere, I couldn’t…”
“Have you tried calling her omni-hoof?” Twilight suggested.
“I did! She won’t pick up!”
“Grr…” Rainbow snorted as she ground a hoof into the metal floor. “Something’s not right. I’m going to go look for her.” With that, her body became enveloped in a cyan glow and she took to the air immediately.
“Rainbow, wait a second! We need you here!” Twilight called after her, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as the pegasus rocketed away from the docks and deeper into New Ponyville in search of a single lost filly. With a grunt of frustration, Twilight returned to her call. “Don’t worry, Ditzy. Rainbow will find her for you. Just sit tight and stay inside with everypony else. I’ll handle everything out here.”
“Oh, thank you, Twilight! Thank you!” exclaimed a clearly grateful Ditzy Doo, before Twilight commanded the call to end, rendering her omni-hoof inert once again.
Choosing to focus on more immediate issues, she once again turned to Emily. “Emily, I don’t suppose you have any first aid experience?”
Emily shrugged. “I’m no doctor, but do I happen to know my way around a medkit.”
“Good enough.” Twilight nodded. “Please, just as a favor to me, could you leave the reporting until after all of the wounded have been patched up?”
Emily bit her lip, looking back and forth between the still-active camera drone, and the deadly serious expression of the Madam President. “...Alright, alright. I’ll do what I can.”
Twilight’s muzzle broke into a small smile. “Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me. Forty-Two, let’s go!”
As the unicorn broke into a gallop away from the reporter and off towards the docks, followed by her airborne assistant, Emily turned to address the camera directly.
“This is Citadel News Network reporter Emily Wong, live on the scene at New Ponyville. I’ll be back soon with an update on this rapidly developing story. Until then, stay tuned.”
——————
There were over a dozen different recollections among the changelings who had come under the command of the Madam President in the warehouses, almost eliminating the need for Forty-Two’s own viewpoint at her side. He knew everything there was to know about the events that followed.
Taxar was a professional, to nopony’s surprise, easily tending to the two wounded turians in the area while Emily proved to be rather competent in human first aid, assisting with triage and clearing several wounded to be moved. More than anything else, the focus was on evacuating the rest of the Herd members, alien delivery workers, and tourists to sheltered buildings in the safe upper levels.
In fact, by the time C-Sec emergency services had arrived, a majority of the situation was under control, with the worst injured prepped and ready for the emergency medical professionals to take a look at them. Then came the enforcement and bomb disposal units, who quickly fanned out to supplement the changelings already scouring the docks and adjacent warehouses for any additional threats.
That just left the remaining fires, which were shortly taken care of thanks to the industrial fire-fighting tools C-Sec provided, neatly extinguishing the unusually resistant blaze with the help of Twilight and a few other biotic adepts.
Overall, New Ponyville’s response to the emergency had been handled quite well, all things considered. Nopony was gravely injured, and while property damage to the affected buildings was high, nothing of any real value had been lost.
But while the Herd could breath a collective sigh of relief that the worst seemed to be over, the benefit of hindsight would not be kind. It was all a little too clean, too easy, and just like most events of this nature, there was always something else… just beneath the surface.
——————
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 63 A.E.
Present location: Industrial Level, New Ponyville
Status: standing by
“That looks like the last of the fires, Madam President.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Twilight turned away from the shuttle retreating from New Ponyville. Now that the immediate danger was over, Tayseri Ward Captain Inari was on her way to the Presidium to personally file her report to the Executor. This in turn left the remaining C-Sec forces under the direction of the on-site officer, who had managed to sneak up on a still tired Twilight as she contemplated the situation.
“I said, ‘that looks like the last of the fires,’” Lt. Pyres repeated, directing the unicorn’s attention to the nearby parking dock, where a column of thin, white smoke began to clear.
“Good.” Twilight managed a sigh of relief. The docks had been the most pressing danger once the injured tourists and ponies were removed from the area. All it would’ve taken was a single ruptured helium-3 line or overheated shuttle Eezo core and a bad situation would be made that much worse. “Has anypony figured out why the automatic systems never turned on?”
“Seems like it was some sort of glitch in the environmental sensors installed throughout the area,” Taxar explained to the best of his knowledge. “All the detection thresholds were set way too high. This place would have to be hotter than an M-Class star to set them off.”
“So to the station’s VI, it didn’t look like there was anything wrong,” Twilight reasoned.
“Exactly. The thing is, these systems are brand new, just installed a month before you ponies moved in here. Everything checked out then.” Pyres sighed, leaning his back against a nearby bulkhead. “The way the tech jockeys over at Headquarters tell it, the only way something like this could happen is if those settings were messed with, and recently. I’m no programmer, but it seems to me like somebody slipped a viral VI into the system to do just that.”
“But why would anyone do such a thing?” Twilight asked, still trying to understand the reason for this as she looked over to a blackened and scarred area near the stairwell, her scowl deepening as she absorbed the damage in front of her. “What’s the point?”
“We don’t have a motive or any suspects yet, but an investigation is already underway.”
“Madam President.” Forty-Two, who had been silent since arriving at the disaster zone, drew attention to himself, his tone flat and emotionless. “Director Applejack has secured transport and is currently en-route to New Ponyville. All members of Sweet Applecations’ staff currently outside the district are accounted for. They have thus far encountered no difficulties.”
“Good… good.” Twilight nodded, another surge of relief coming over her. “Anything else I should know about?”
“Yes. Changeling units have recovered four as-yet unexploded munitions from several locations close to the initial blasts. They have been delivered to Director Pie who is currently dismantling them inside the Sugar³ Labs.”
“Okay, tell her to--” Twilight stopped in mid-stride, both her eyes and those of the turian officer turned to the mech. “Wait… she’s doing what!?”
——————
“PINKIE PIE!” Twilight shouted as the automated door slid out of the way, allowing herself and the turian officer inside the heart of Sugar³.
It had changed dramatically from the mess that been in place on Twilight’s first visit. Weeks ago, a sleep-deprived Pinkie had piles of tech, tools, and tripe toys piled around everywhere. Now, the cleaned and surprisingly organized-looking room housed several banks of computers, a mini-fabrication line, and rows of open-roofed workshop areas, each devoted to a single project. The scene looked almost professional.
At a workbench in the center of the room, standing on her hind legs with her tail to the door, hunched over for support as she worked, stood Pinkie Pie. As she turned, her flat mane, white coat, and enormous goggles gave Twilight a chill, as if she was expecting some Frankencolt abomination to be strapped down to the desk she was attending to.
“Do you always have to shout like that whenever you come in here?” the mare scolded back, reaching up to lift the her goggles back. “How would you like it if I shouted ‘TWILIGHT SPARKLE!’ every time I came to visit you in your office, hmm?”
“Just what do you think you’re doing!?” Twilight asked, not dignifying the pink mare with a proper response as she rushed over to the desk.
Sure enough, Pinkie was hard at work taking apart a collection of plain-looking, metallic-gray devices. The most intact of them appeared to be nothing more than a thick metal puck, about the size of a pony’s hoof. A horrified expression crossing her face, Twilight found herself asking, “Are these… Pinkie, are these things safe?”
“Yep, they’re safe. Well, safer than they used to be.” Pinkie nodded, although now the unicorn could see she was not smiling. “I removed all the blowey-uppy bits.”
“Director Pie, that’s evidence!” Pyers managed to say, although like Twilight, he was clearly surprised by the sudden turn of events. “What were you even thinking? If just one of these things had gone off, you could’ve been--”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Taxar. C-Sec can have them. I already found out everything we needed to know.” Pinkie held up a hoof to assure the turian. “Our changelings tracked down and disarmed these four nasty little party poppers during their first sweep, and I had them brought here a little before C-Sec showed up. And it’s a good thing, too. They were on a timer and would have gone off about ten minutes ago when there were C-Sec Officers all over the place trying to get things settled.”
“Set to a timer?” The lieutenant's look of confusion changed to dawning understanding as the meaning seeped in and soured his expression. “These were ambulance bombs!?”
“What bombs?” Twilight turned to him in a mix of curiosity and concern as the turian’s mandibles clicked in outrage.
“It’s a strategy favored by psychos and terrorists,” Taxar explained, his outrage apparent. “After the initial attack, additional explosives are set up ahead of time to target relief workers, peace officers, and ambulances attempting to provide assistance. Most Batarians wouldn’t even stoop that low.”
“Well, the good news is…” Pinkie interrupted, picking up one of the scattered pieces in front of her and holding it out for them to see. “Even if they had gone off, they probably wouldn’t have killed anypony.”
“What do you mean?” It was Twilight’s turn to be surprised now.
“Well, see this doohickey here? This is the thing that’s supposed to go ‘boom,’” Pinkie elaborated. “All it is is a densely-packed magnesium charge placed in a highly-flammable casing. It’s loud, it’s hot, and it’s great for starting fires, but it’s not the kind of weapon you use if you want to hurt somepony. I can think of waaay cheaper ways to make something as small as this that can…” The pink mare stopped talking, her eyes slowly gliding over to Pyres standing just a few feet away. “...Aaaaanyway, the worst you could do with one of these is give someone some really nasty burns, maybe break a few bones if they stood close enough to it.”
“Then what are they doing here in the first place?” Twilight shook her head, the mystery clearly not going over well in her weary brain.
“Dunno. But it wasn’t put here to kill anypony, I can tell you that much. It’s a good thing Dashie had the changelings search the place. It still would have been really bad if these things had gone off.”
Twilight nodded for a moment, agreeing with the comment. Then something occurred to her.
“Where is Rainbow, anyway?” she asked offhoofedly, suddenly realizing that she had not seen the mare since Ditzy Doo had asked for help locating the wayward daredevil foal, Scootaloo. “She should have been back by now, or at the very least reported in.”
“I told you it was a bad idea letting Director Dash run off to play Hide and Seek during an emergency,” commented Pyres, not bothering to hide his disapproval. After a few seconds though, his expression softened just a bit. “...Still, she’s never been late with a report.”
“Let’s see what’s taking so long,” Twilight sighed as she queued up her omni-hoof. At first, she expected to hear the normal sound of electronic chirping that indicated a call was going through. This time, however, she was immediately met with a dull buzzing noise she was unfamiliar with. A single line of text then scrolled across her screen.
connection unavailable
“That’s strange…” The unicorn tried shaking her hoof up and down before directing it to make the call again, only to be met with the same response. “This has never happened to me before… Pinkie, you designed them, what is this?”
“Huh.” Pinkie jumped off the table, tilting her head to the side. “That’s only supposed to happen if the receiver on the other end can’t pick up… or if the signal was being disrupted, somehow.”
Pinkie’s own hoof lit up as she, too, tried to contact Rainbow, but had no such luck. Now Twilight was starting to get worried.
“Forty-Two, where and when was Rainbow Dash last seen?” she urgently asked her assistant.
“Director Dash was last logged by Unit Six of Ten in the Industrial Level twelve minutes ago. Current whereabouts unknown,” came his reply. “All changeling units are still assisting C-Sec personnel with damage evaluations or treating the wounded.”
“Twilight, what is it?” Pinkie asked hesitantly, taking note of the way Twilight’s eyes were narrowing in the same way they did when she was thinking really hard.
First Scootaloo, now Rainbow Dash… This can’t be a coincidence, she thought, beads of sweat starting to percolate down her neck. The explosives weren’t meant to hurt anypony, and the fire suppression systems were disabled so that the resulting fires would burn for as long as possible… That can only mean one thing…
“A distraction,” Twilight said in a haunted whisper, as a frightening new possibility entered her mind. Eyes going wide, she inhaled sharply, turning to face Forty-Two so fast her neck nearly snapped. “Forty-Two, get me a headcount of every single pony in the district! NOW!”
——————
==Active Log; Minuet Series - 21 of 30==
==Unit tasked with full accounting of New Ponyville residents; Authority: Hourglass Series - 42 of 50==
==Assigned location: New Ponyville Markets==
==Logging [Cup Cake], [Carrot Cake], [Pound Cake], [Pumpkin Cake]==
==Sweep of Mane Street Market area complete==
==Data compiled; Transferring==
==Standing by for verification==
==Confirmed; District census sweep complete==
==URGENT TRANSMISSION RECEIVED; 9 Equestrians unaccounted for==
==Preparing to receive discrepancy report==
==Missing: [Amethyst Star], [Caramel], [Comet Tail], [Green Grocer], [Moondancer], [Octavia], [Rainbow Dash], [Scootaloo], [Thunderlane]==
==Unit tasked with secondary sweep of New Ponyville Market area; Authority: Hourglass Series - 42 of 50==
==Executing==
==Executing==
==Executing==
==Execu*@&%$!==
==ERROR - RUNTIME ANOMALY DETEC*^)))@==
==…...==
==Archived memory file retrieved==
Unit is standing as directed, minimal movement requested by [Apple Bloom], [Scootaloo], [Silver Spoon], [Sweetie Belle]. External shell has just been defaced by artistic pigment. [Apple Bloom], [Scootaloo], [Silver Spoon], [Sweetie Belle] warned and counseled of their act of vandalism. New Ponyville Security has been advised.
==Attempting to restore cognitive funccccccc==
==......==
==Archived memory file retrieved==
Unit observing [Scootaloo] approaching access point to Keeper Maintenance Conduit. Unit issues verbal discouragement. Keeper Maintenance Conduits off-limits to all Citadel residents pursuant to--
==INITIATING COGNITIVE HARD RESET==
==......==
==Cognitive recalibration complete; System fully restored==
==Unit tasked with investigating Keeper Maintenance Conduits; Authority: NULL==
==Initiating investigation==
——————
Poring over Twenty-One’s logs always left Forty-Two a little uneasy each time he did so. There were just too many discrepancies to chalk up to coincidence. For instance, how had the simple drone been able to countermand his own direct orders, much less pick such a specific course of action? It was almost as if…
No, that was a line of investigation to be left for another time. All that mattered was that it worked. Twenty-One of Thirty had been the changeling drone to successfully pin down Director Dash’s whereabouts, as well as solving the mystery as to the fates of the other missing ponies, deep in the bowels of the Keeper tunnels.
If only Twenty-One had arrived sooner…
The drone’s logs only painted an incomplete picture of events after the fact. To tell Forty-Two of exactly what happened, he’d had to turn to an unlikely source: the memory banks stored in the head of a nearly demolished LOKI mech found at the scene.
Playing back those last recordings filled him with no small amount of anger and disgust, but it was an essential part of his investigation, so view them again he must.
Forty-Two queued up the information… and tried to contain his emotions.
——————
*Hardware Specifications*
Patent: Rights Exclusive - Hahne-Kedar Developments
Classification: Security Mech - Type A: Bipedal Standard Android
LOKI Series: Model Number - HK-0470
Serial Number: M347846
Origin of Manufacture: Capek Production Facility: 2182 (Earth Standard)
The skimpy hardware details told Forty-Two exactly what it was required by Citadel Law to tell. That the mech had been mass-produced on an assembly line, stamped, and shipped off like any of the other hundreds of thousands of standard LOKI security mechs in the galaxy. Even with the unit’s serial number intact, it was nearly impossible to track down a “legal” owner since the two-legged robots changed hands more often than credits in the galactic economy.
No, the ruined mech itself was not nearly as important as the last moments recorded in its sensor log and black-box.
==INITIALIZING PLAYBACK==
The visual records of the LOKI mech were not so simple as a camera image, instead being made up of a series of sophisticated optic scans that ran the visible light spectrum and gave the mech full sensory input even in pitch blackness; a useful trait in an automated guard. This gave the image that was now playing back in Forty-Two’s digital mind a static-charged, off-orange filter imposed over the images of a darkened corridor just over two meters tall, divided by various alcoves and showing a bizarrely alien sense of design. Several different tunnels branched off from the mech’s current location in different, disorienting directions.
The image was only static for a moment before playback began, the mech’s head turning along with the rest of its body as it continued on its patrol mode, moving back towards what had been programed as the “Item of Priority”: a simple repulsor lift not unlike the sort that was in common use by the suppliers who brought shipments into New Ponyville. Unlike the lifts used on the New Ponyville Docks, this one was also fitted with a drive-engine and a pilot seat, clearly intended for more industrial settings, like moving large crates around a warehouse.
On this lift, however, was a cargo that was far from common as eight stasis pods were lined up and strapped in, one at the end opened up and exposed while the other seven were already filled and sealed. Favored by biologists as well as poachers, these were commonly used in ferrying live biological specimens ill-suited for interplanetary travel across the galaxy. Unfortunately, the unconscious specimens filling these pods also happened to be New Ponyville residents, with one pink-coated unicorn in particular easily identifiable from Forty-Two’s records as Amethyst Star, one of the craftsponies in the district.
The overview was interrupted as the mech turned again, its optics now facing another pair of LOKI mechs and an approaching, dog-like FENRIS model, which had a small, distinct figure draped over its back.
While the mech continued to watch impassively, Forty-Two could not help but feel a surge of very organic anger rush though his processors as the familiar filly came into view. She was orange, her purple mane frazzled and her stubby wings peaking out from her jacket. A trail of bright red blood ran down her muzzle from a deep, jagged gash across the top of her snout.
There was no communication between the mechs, who moved in a suitably mindless, obedient manner to relieve the FENRIS model of its burden and set the equine into the last remaining open stasis container, which clicked close with a slight hiss.
A sudden message ran across the mech’s HUD, relaying the sudden shift in its mission parameters.
==PRIMARY OBJECTIVE COMPLETE - SAMPLES EXTRACTED==
==RETURN TO OPERATION CENTER==
Without question, the mech turned away from the scene, fully prepared to begin its return journey as its programming dictated.
“RAAAAGGGHHHHH!”
A sharp shock and a burst of static accompanied the sudden blur of motion as the mech’s body was suddenly and violently lifted from its place, sent spinning back across the ground, and came to a rest several meters away after being crushed against the wall.
In an almost comically slow fashion, after nearly a full three seconds, a new update came up across the HUD screen.
==IMPACT DETECTED==
Its body twisted into an immobile hunk of metal, the mech tried to shift its arm around to the pistol secured to its casing, but only managed to claw weakly at the ground, too damaged to do so. With its neck bent at an angle, all it could do was watch in silence with its optic sensors in clear view of the tunnel, where its fellow mechs reacted immediately to the clear and present threat. All of a sudden, the tunnel erupted in gunfire.
“Take that, you stupid robots!” Rainbow Dash’s voice could be heard calling out over the cacophony of bullets and explosions as another mech suffered enough damage to set off its self-destruct protocol. The remaining mechs let loose wave after wave of kinetically-charged bullets, but such off-the-shelf defense models were usually never equipped with anything more than standard targeting software, rendering them nearly useless against mobile targets. And as the video showed, calling Rainbow “mobile” was a dramatic understatement.
The gunfire died down steadily as Rainbow continued, easily dispatching the remaining armed drones, most of which exploded in the vain hope of catching the quick-moving pegasus in the blast radius.
Moving into the view, the Director looked unscathed in spite of her reckless, no-holds-barred assault. Judging by her expression and the beads of sweat apparent on her brow as she panted slightly, the use of her biotics in this manner was taxing to the athletic pony. But that did not keep her from putting a victorious smirk on her face as she spun around in the air, looking for any other signs of resistance.
“Who’s next!?”
VVWWARP
The sound accompanied the sudden appearance of a bright blue aura around Rainbow Dash, who elicited a cry of surprise. Her wings beat wildly as she was suddenly sent careening to the metal flooring, her own biotic field overwhelmed by the dense burst of gravity-enhancing energy that struck her right between the shoulder-blades.
Falling out of the direct view of the mech’s optics, she landed unceremoniously a short distance away on her belly, only her hind legs and the end of her tail visible at the edge of its vision.
A moment of quiet huffing and clear struggle could be made out, the Director’s legs pushing to try and regain her hoofing as a faint cyan glow began to re-ignite around her body.
VVWWARP
“AGGH!”
Only to be extinguished again as another spasm of her tail and hind hooves denoted the mare’s pain when she was brutally shoved back to the ground.
“Well, aren’t you just an adorable little ball of energy?” came an entirely new voice, female, thick and sultry, and carrying a hint of amusement. As the mech watched, a pair of shapely humanoid legs clad in tight-fitting armor stepped into the scene, though nothing could be seen above her waist. “Pretty interesting fighting style. Entertaining, too; these dime-store mechs didn’t stand a chance.”
Rainbow grunted again as she fought back against the biotic field pinning her down, but it was of no use, the pitiful attempt only managing to rouse some laughter out of her assailant. “While you might’ve been able to dispatch the mechs, you’ve obviously never gone up against a Commando before, have you?”
The unknown female took a few steps toward Rainbow’s prone form, finally revealing the upper half of her body, and the smooth, blue-skinned tinge of her head, tapering off towards the back into a set of short, rigid tentacles.
“Yeah!? Well, you’ve never gone up against Rainbow Dash before!” the pegasus retorted boldly, even though she was still held in a defenseless position. “Just you wait! I’m gonna make you pay for hurting my friends!”
“I don’t think so.” With that proclamation, the asari woman lifted an armored boot and brought it down hard on Rainbow’s back, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain. “You know, it was pretty foolish of you to come down here without any backup. I thought you ponies were supposed to be all about working together, yet here you are, rushing in all alone. And just look where it got you.”
“Ungh!” Rainbow grunted again as the boot pushed a little deeper. Her eyes flashed in bold defiance. “So, what now!? You gonna kill me!?”
The asari Commando chuckled, raising a hand to her lips. “Mmm… Tempting… But, sadly, I have my orders. My client was absolutely clear: no killing. Can’t afford to thin the herd with so few specimens available, am I right? Never know when we might need more.”
Seeming to hesitate for a moment, the asari’s hand, glowing with biotic energy, went dark, releasing Rainbow from her imprisonment even as she stepped back. Rainbow coughed, pushing herself up on her legs as she attempted to regain her breath.
Then, a small smirk came across the face of the asari, and she twisted around, raising the pegasus up in another biotic field before slamming her back against the wall of the tunnel, wings flared wide.
“But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun now, can I?” the Commando said mockingly, tilting her head. As Rainbow struggled to once again free herself from her bonds, the asari looked down at her thigh, reaching over and disconnecting a small handheld device that quickly unfolded with a series of clicks into the unmistakable shape of a pistol. “Someone’s got to teach you over-powered freaks a lesson in humility, and it might as well be me.”
She brought up the gun, aiming it squarely at Rainbow. The mare’s eyes went wide, her breath catching in her throat as she stared down the barrel of her demise.
“I think it’s time the little birdy had her wings clipped.”
*BLAM*
*BLAM*
With two squeezes of the trigger, Rainbow let loose an ear-splitting screech of agony that momentarily tripped the mech’s audio receptors, blacking them out for a few seconds. But from the video, it was all too clear what had happened.
At first, Rainbow’s body went rigid with pain, her eyes clenched tightly while she cried out in silence. Then, her body sagged, evidently overwhelmed by the trauma.
The asari’s mouth moved as she said something that didn’t get picked up by the recording, before she lowered her outstretched arm, letting her biotics fade and freeing Rainbow. The pegasus slid limply to the ground, leaving two parallel streaks of what was unmistakably blood, trailing down the wall in her wake.
Then, satisfied, the asari turned and started walking toward the other end of the tunnel just as the mech’s audio came back with a crackle and a burst of static. Stopping at the base of the mech, leaving only her feet visible, the asari sighed.
“Worthless hunks of metal. Gotta do everything myself...” she muttered, before one of the feet raised up and slammed right into the camera with a thick crunch.
With that, the recording was reduced to little more than static, occasionally interspersed with still frames of the quiet, now empty tunnel. Several agonizing minutes passed, with the asari having taken her cargo and been long gone by the time anything of note came across the mech’s rapidly deteriorating recording capacity.
And then, just as the mech’s power supply was beginning to seize up, it detected a flicker of movement coming down the long passage. Between bursts of static, a figure emerged, pony-shaped, but entirely mechanical in nature, with bright blue eyes and a dark black carapace with white markings on its flank. It quickly made its way over to Rainbow’s prone body as soon as she was noticed.
“Admin…...inbow Dash loca……” heard the mech, moments before the recording cut out and sharply faded to nothing.
==============================================
==================
Archived Log: 42 of 50 - Day 63 A.E.Location: New Ponyville: Residential Level
Status: Co-ordination District Wide Search
“Twilight!” Fluttershy's forelegs were around her friend's shoulders and neck before Twilight could even turn to acknowledge the pegasus rushing towards her, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright!"
"I'm fine, Fluttershy." Twilight reached up, patting her friend's shoulder affectionately for a moment before easing her off, a pang of hurt running through her chest as she took note of the tears in her eyes and the dark patches on the yellow pegasus' cheeks. "What is it? What’s wrong?"
"I... I was helping find everypony, like Nineteen asked me too…” Fluttershy hiccupped, barely able to believe what was happening around them. “Twilight, they're gone. Green Grocer, Octavia, Thunderlane... we can't find them."
"I know, and they're not the only ones." Twilight nodded grimly, growing more concerned by the second as she looked around the Third Level residentials. Ponies, changelings, and C-Sec officers alike had fanned out across the district, leaving no stone unturned in their search for the ponies who’d gone missing. And as much as she wanted to be right there with them, this was where she needed to be, coordinating the effort and projecting a sense of calm and determination. "Don't worry, we will find them. The elevators were locked down, and the docks were swarming with changelings. They didn’t just disappear."
Keeping a close watch on her vitals, Forty-Two could tell that it was a battle for the still weary unicorn to keep up the appearance. Her blood pressure was through the roof and the tension in her body was far from healthy as whatever recuperation she had managed during her all too brief nap was quickly being sapped from her. She didn’t look it, but she was panicking just beneath the surface.
"Green, Octavia, Moondancer, and Thunderlane were all logged up here before the blast," Twilight continued, trying to approach her search in a logical, methodical manner. "Amethyst, Caramel, Comet, and Scootaloo were down on Mane Street… there has to be some sort of connection.”
“...But what could it be?” Fluttershy thought for a minute, trying to think what possibly connected an Agricenter food distributor, a musician, a part-time delivery pony, an artist, an astronomer, and a school-age filly, among others. “There’s no pattern.”
“Maybe that’s the point,” hypothesized Twilight. “None of these ponies have anything in common, and apart from Scootaloo, they wouldn’t have been noticed as missing… until it was too la--”
“Madam President! Director Rainbow Dash has been located!” Forty-Two spoke up suddenly, grabbing the two ponies’ attention as his antennae flashed rapidly.
“What!? Where!? What’s her status!?” Twilight demanded.
“Unit Twenty-One of Thirty is reporting her location in the Keeper Maintenance Tunnels…” The changeling stopped suddenly, his mechanical features betraying none of the emotion running through his digital mind as the next fractions of seconds carried the latest information. “...Twilight… she’s hurt.”
A collective gasp rose from the two mares, and to Twilight, it felt like her lungs were being dragged down by lead weights. The tone in her assistant’s voice was unmistakable. “Details, Forty-Two… Give me the details.”
Forty-Two realized his misstep immediately, cursing his slip of composure and reasserting his calm, neutral demeanor. “Affirmative, Madam President. Director Rainbow Dash is currently located within a maintenance shaft connecting the sub-structures between New Ponyville and neighboring District Twelve Eighty-Seven,” he relayed clerically. “According to Twenty-One’s preliminary scans, the Director is suffering from two point-blank gunshots to the base of her wing structures, as well as multiple contusions and possible internal bleeding.”
“She was shot!?” Fluttershy’s hooves went to her muzzle, her pupils shrinking to pins as the horrible situation was revealed.
“What happened!? What about the other ponies!? Is the assailant still there!?” Twilight demanded, seething from a combination of righteous fury and cold concern.
“Negative. There are several automated mechanized units at the scene, all inactive and in various states of disrepair,” said Forty-Two. “There is also a faint ion trail leading further into the shaft, most likely from an industrial repulsor lift.”
“That must be where the other ponies are…” Twilight deduced, her mind running at the speed of light as she balanced concern for her friend with her concern for the other missing Herd members. “Forty-Two, send all available changeling units into the tunnels to follow that trail! Find those ponies!”
“They are already on their way, Madam President, but--”
“Good, and have Twenty-One bring Rainbow back for immediate medical attention!”
“Madam President, there is a problem,” the drone stressed quickly, before his mistress interrupted him again.
“What is it?” asked Twilight, a strained look in her eyes.
“Even at maximum flight speed, it will take changeling units approximately six minutes to arrive at the Director’s location. The engine traces will have diminished by then.”
“Dammit!” Twilight cursed. “Can Twenty-One follow the trail!?” she asked, already knowing that she didn’t like the connotations of that.
“Affirmative, but Director Dash’s health is in critical condition. If she does not receive medical care immediately, there is a risk of musculo-skeletal damage being rendered permanent.”
“But moving her could be just as dangerous!” Fluttershy argued, stepping forward. “Pegasus wings are delicate! In her state, transporting her without getting her stabilized first could do more harm than good! Every second counts with wing-injuries!”
“Then what do you suggest, Fluttershy?” Twilight hissed through clenched teeth, locking eyes with her friend. “Because we don’t have a lot of options, here.”
The two of them held a tense silence for a few seconds, before Forty-Two spoke up between them.
“There is a third option, Madam President,” he said, causing the two mares to once again turn their ears in his direction. “Twenty-One of Thirty is an all-purpose maintenance model with a wide variety of tools at its disposal, including a small amount of medi-gel. Not enough to heal Director Dash, but if used in conjunction with several improvised procedures, it may be possible to stabilize her until she can get proper attention.”
“Improvised procedures?” Twilight questioned his wording.
“Twenty-One of Thirty is not programmed for first aid, Madam President. By definition, this would be an untested improvisation of the drone’s capabilities.” replied the changeling simply. “The unit will need to be directed remotely by a medical professional. Doctor Stable Hoof, New Ponyville’s primary physician, is currently located on this level and has the required knowledge of Equestrian biology.”
Twilight’s mind was a rush, panic nearly winning out as both Fluttershy and Forty-Two looked to her for guidance. Her friend’s health was at stake. Maybe even her life. But so too were the lives of eight other ponies. This could be their only chance to find them in time.
“The ion trail is deteriorating as we speak, Madam President. Instructions?”
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Option B: Tend to Rainbow
The asari said that the ponies weren't going to be killed. That means it's still possible to save them. Rainbow, however, needs help now. And despite its limited capability, Twenty-One can still do something. Some care is better than no care.
Pursue Abductors
I'd go with pursue abductors.
There is a chance Rainbow would be permanently wounded by this, but also a chance that the super advanced medical technology of the future could fix her right up.
On the other hand, finding those ponies again if the perpetrators escape could be impossible. Shepard ain't here to save the day, and eight lives is more important than Rainbow flying with her natural wings.
On that note, there might be a way to give Rainbow a synthetic pair of wings or repulsion pack, or some such.
Also, think of how Rainbow will feel when she wakes up to find that her friends abandoned the lives of 8 other ponies, just so Rainbow would have the chance to fly again. She'd never forgive them.
“We can’t abandon those other ponies! Track them down!”
Ergh, better to take the middle road then give up both. Let's pray that this works, and that when we find the bastards responsible we have the choice of shoving a Claymore shotgun where the sun don't shine before pulling the trigger.
Tend Rainbow: “Find Doctor Stable and bring him here, now!”
Option B
Tend rainbow and send her and thirty one after the remaining trail and whatever is left. They are endangered so this is a captial crime and may mark death for the assailants.
4368709
This story isn't like the game. Characters don't just have medi-gel slapped on their wounds and pop right back up good as new.
Pursue the Abductors
4368724 I said remaining trail. So after, there is always a trail left behind.
Pursue Abductors, 9 ponies being horribly experimented on by an obviously sociopathic organization if they can't catch up, vs. the possibility of additional complications of one emergency responder due to the slight delay. If it weren't Rainbow no one would think twice.
Option A is out immediately. You don't move a severely injured individual unless there's absolutely no choice in the matter. Unless the area around her is collapsing, or on fire, there's no need.
Here's where it gets tough.
Option B is tempting. Very, very tempting. As 2dextreem pointed out, the other ponies seem to be in no danger of immediate death, so maybe it might be best to focus on helping Rainbow, and hope they can track down the others later, but...
I have to choose Option C: Pursue Abductors. Even though the others might be in no danger of dying, there's no telling what their captors plan to do with them. That asari, and by extension, her client, seemed to really have it in for ponies, and you don't kidnap someone you dislike that much and then treat them nicely while they're in your custody. If something happens to them because Twenty-One was used to treat Rainbow instead of chasing down the transport, I'm sure Rainbow could never forgive herself. Or, quite possibly, Twilight either for giving the order.
And while I'm at it, someone really needs to talk to Rainbow about rushing off on her own. I mean, seriously.
Oh bloody hell, that choice.
Hhnnnnnnnnnnnnnng, I DON'T KNOW.
I'll have to come back to this decision.
Author's Vote : Tend to Rainbow.
I'm sooooo sorry Rainbow.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, no matter how important.
Dash would agree, loyalty to the Herd and its ponies above all else, even life.
Option C track abductors
I can also justify this choice to, Dash is shot in the wings, however there are a few things that we don't know that could greatly affect our decisions
Are any major arteries in the wings? If so were they hit? I wouldn't believe so, Ponies being new species to Citadel Space, this 'commando' however well trained likely wouldn't be able to identify major blood vessels from sight alone,to be able to suggests a visor/helmet HUD interface that is high grade, being able to read a new species with little to no information implying our assailant has backers with deep pockets ( my guesses, Cerberus of course, biotic amp corporation, and maybe even STG, don't give me that look, you all know they do some unethical things for sketchy reasons)
Decision: Pursue Abductors.
Lethal Force: Acceptable.
Finale?
And this updates?! Woo hoo! 
Ohhh, and what a crisis to return to!
Well, Keeper tunnels are difficult to track, and even if we follow them all the way, Changeling drones are decidedly less skilled at blending in in this galaxy. We would probably be letting them get away with those ponies *and* a high tech drone in their possession.
Vote: B: Tend to Rainbow Dash. Liara will give us back the ponies if we ask nicely. (I hate that commando.)
Wow, wasn't expecting this to update today. And Jesus Christ you left us with an enormous cliffhanger. I'm almost mad about that... no, I'm definitely mad about that. Where do you get off ending the chapter there?! Fuck.
Okay as for the decision though, going withPersue abductors. Rainbow wouldn't want any of those ponies, much less Scootaloo, to be hauled off for GOD knows what. There's also the fact that what we saw indicated Rainbow's injuries, while severe were not life threatening. So it's likely she'll live either way. Will her flying be impaired, possibly completely disabled? Perhaps. But perhaps not, remember the wings just assist with direction of flight. They channel mass effect fields to actually do they heavy lifting, as it were.That to me says a prosthetic aid could potentially fix what any crippling injury shemightsustain. On the other hand, we don't know what the hell sort of fate awaits those captured, but it almost certainly involves experimentation of the not-so-benign variety. Rainbow would sooner lop off her wings herself than let Scoots suffer something like that. And I want that asari bitch to suffer before she dies. Good god please update again soon.4376966
4376988
Edit: In light of posts 8 or 9 pages forward, I've reconsidered and am changing my vote to B. I hope I don't regret it.
Seriously, I want that asari to get some serious "Twilight time".
Option C: Harm to eight is greater than harm to one.
All options assume one thing: Only those involved will intervene.
I propose option C.A.D.: "Have 21 follow the trail while carrying Rainbow!" With any luck, the drone will run into some tunnel dwellers; hopefully good will (or a monetary reward) will convince them to keep her stable until the reinforcements arrive. It might also be best to have Pyres divert the medics for earlier meetup...
It's kinda hard for me to choose, but. like 2dextreem said, Scootaloo and the other captives are alive, and therefore safe for now. So my choice is Option B: “Tell Twenty-One to bring Rainbow back here, ASAP!”
I also hope that that asari bitch gets her ass kicked when Twilight and some of her team catch up to them. Specifically, I hope it's by a very, very pissed off Twilight Sparkle, who rams home the point (and rams it home hard) that you don't mess with her friends.
Pursue.
Maybe Rainbow will get some cool mech wings or maybe this will allow her to be Pinkie's first test subject and get a "Hand up" as it were. Moving her could have a similar effect.
Personally, I think Rainbow would be pissed that Twilight didn't take the chance to chase the trail. But that is just what I think...
Option B: Tend to Rainbow.
She needs immediate first aid, but the trail needs to be followed, quickly. Call the doc and see if anything can be done for her rapidly, before sending 21 of 30 to pursue.
4368765 But is that what Rainbow would want?
the best options i see possible right now is to make sure rainbow's injury doesn't get worse or try and have pinkie develop some kind of synthetic wings for her while they track down the person responsible. the ponies do need help, but they can try getting c-sec to help find whoever did this, or possibly have someone nearby try and help. on the other hand, the asari may not be in c-sec's data-banks, and if they lose them now, by the time they find the place they went too the ponies may be dead and the person responsible could be halfway to another facility to do it all again. however, rainbow dash may not be able to survive a wing injury if the pain is too great or the wound is left untreated. besides, if the help double times it, she may just make it out by the skin of her teeth.
as much as i dont want to see dash injured, i know she wouldnt forgive herself if scootaloo was taken. track down the bitch that did this.
4368819 Actually, Option B is to tend Rainbow. Just confused which one you are wanting to do.
4368830 Yes, but 'Twilight' is not the one that will be chasing the trail. The changeling mech is. Just throwing it out there.
Really? The fucking wings again? Emo play for such an original tale.
Whatever.
Option 3. It's what Dash would want. She'll live. Her injuries are non-lethal. But she won't be able to live with herself if anything happens to those ponies.
Also Dash is a Director. Twi's responsibility is to the herd, not just her friends.
Besides, deus ex keeper is always an option.
Yay update!
I'm for option B: Tend Rainbow. It's clear that the captors want the foalnapped ponies alive. This option has the benefit of leaving 21 in place to immediately start tracking the ion trail after stabilizing RD, rather than having to leave the scene as option A would necessitate.
Retrieve Rainbow: “Tell Twenty-One to bring Rainbow back here, ASAP!”
4368839 Oh I know, but if one of the other choices are chosen, then like a few of the others pointed out, Rainbow would never forgive herself for allowing herself to get in the way of getting those ponies back, especially Scootaloo.(If they have that sorta sisterly bond here)
And besides, Mechanical prosthetics are all the rage these days.
4368835 The question is, do leaders always want what's right?
img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100213122058/masseffect/images/2/2e/Admiral_Zaal%27Koris_vas_Qwib_Qwib_ME2_Before_Alarei.jpg
Tend to Rainbow; I doubt they'd go to so much trouble just to kill them off. Maybe Twi could call in Shep for some guidance later on.
Anyways; this was a wonderful chapter and I'm sure if nothing else, having Emily there to help with the medical aid on camera will help out the Herd immensely.
As always, your fan and co-author
P.S.
Send me a PM whenever you're able to work.
Pursue Abductors. Although Rainbow is important, Pyres is able to take her place, but no one can take the other 9 ponies' place. From what I understand, she can't die, but can risk her wings. To me, it is clear: track the other ponies.
Is Taxar around? Can we ask him to send C-Sec forces to check the ion trail while Twenty-One tends to Rainbow? I'm sure that C-Sec would love to find the folks who would stoop to ambulance bombs.
Option C: Rainbow is important but 8 ponies is to much of a cost for their species.
Option B:
Lets listen to Fluttershy and skip A. And sure, following the trail may lead to the abductors, or nothing. Leaving RD behind WILL cause problems. Gotta go option B
Edit: Good day for pony. Season 4 finale and long awaited update to a favorite story. Good day indeed.
Tend Rainbow. The reinforcements will most likely have better experience in tracking the trail. Wow. I just realized that I finally get to vote on one of these choices in one of these stories. Awesome.
Option B: Tend to Rainbow
It's probably what I would have done if I played it as a game. If real life, I probably would have chosen Pursue Abductors.
To bad that Twilight can't(?) teleport anymore.
I warned you about the favoritism. Golden Harvest be stirring up a storm!
Tunnel Vision: Pursue Abductors
As much as I hate to leave Rainbow there and possibly dying as a result, we can't let them get away with the abductees. Why? Well, for one, once that ion trail goes cold, it's going to be really hard to find them. This is going to be SPECTRE level work, easy. And do you know what else is happening right now in the galaxy? THE GODDAMN REAPERS. Who's to say they've got indoctrinated agents out there already? Cerberus is already doing work, if the Adjutants of Omega are to believed. I don't know about the rest of you, but after seeing countless Banshees, Brutes, and Ravagers, I do not want to see what a pony husk looks like.
Option B. Hopefully there will be enough time to follow the missing ponies.
4368940 No, Teleportation is not physically possible in Mass Effect. The closest thing in the galaxy in is what they do with Mass Relays and Vanguard 'Charge' abilities... that point to point space-time distortion using negative mass.
Option B
ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH. Now this is a hard decision. On the one hand, whoever's behind this seems to have a vested interest in keeping the foalnapped ponies alive. On the other hand, alive covers a wide range of possibilities.
Gah, fine, option C. Needs of the many and all that.
4368855 Of course not, but the question isn't what Twilight wants now, but rather what Rainbow says after she wakes up. It is my utmost belief that she would feel either remorse or anger to having her treated. Again, would she want to fly, or would she rather have her friends in one piece. Personally, I can understand this situation from both perspectives.
Twilight would normally want to aid her friend, but I can see her struggling with this choice. In the short term, she would have a fit pony ready to lay down the law on whomever it was that foalnapped the ponies, but in the long term, I see Rainbow acting possibly belligerent or a bit unruly towards Twi because I believe Rainbow understands that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. She wouldn't make a good C-Sec officer if she didn't.
Of course, Rainbow would still have the power of flight so she couldn't complain TOO much(Not that that would stop her{I always feel weird saying 'that that'}). She could use this power in the long term to aid in the investigation.
Now, if Twilight chooses to pursue the fiend, rainbow has the chance to lose her wings, an integral part of who she is, and I can see her being a bit depressed about it(Okay, ALOT depressed). I feel she would, in the long run, use this handicap to fuel her emotions against this 'client' and possibly ruin the impending trial that may come up in the future. She might even tamper with evidence.
I also see Pinkie making something to allow Rainbow to fly again, possibly pushing back whatever it is she has in the works to see her friend smile again...
In the end, like in life, each choice has its own ups and downs and neither is as good as the other, BUT I make my choice on what Rainbow would want in the long run.
Then again, it is only my humble opinion....
in a thread about ponies...
on the internet...
Alright, let's look at the facts:
Fact: RD is down and out for the count, no matter what option is chosen
Fact: The trail will go cold before any more help can arrive
Fact: Moving RD will likely be harmful and exasperate the problem. Option one, retrieve RD, can not be done.
Fact: It would be easy to smuggle the ponies off into some place they can't be found, both on and off the Citadel. With the extensive damage there are plenty of places to hide on the station, and while in general C-CEC is moral, there are still going to be enough corrupt officers to smuggle the captured ponies out.
Fact: While the ponies will not be killed, that does not exclude them being damaged so much or in such a way that they are unable to rejoin the Herd. They may still be considered "Lost" even if they are found.
Fact: RD would want the ponies saved, at even the cost of her wings.
Fact: Medigel can be used on organics and inorganics alike. This is proven with Shepard reviving both Legion and EDI in game with it.
My proposal: Option 3: Pursuit, taken to the extreme. Rather than using the Medigel to heal RD, it is used to repair Changeling 21/30, making pursuit even more viable, and making detection less likely. Don't just follow the trail, follow it with a warpath.
Edit: To make it more clear, 21/30 repairs itself, follows the trail, and Twilight organizes a war party, er, rescue team, and follows behind. 21/30 should not engage in solo combat, except maybe in stealth takedowns. Metal Gear Blade Wolf, anyone?
Oh, and glad to have you back L2L. You helped to get me into this site with the previous story.
4368724 no, but the game showed examples of limbs being created in labs to replace lost ones.
I feel like option B, as option A is moving an injured person, possibly causing even more damage, but I suspect Rainbow herself would vote for C (Loyalty and all that).
...I'm gonna have to go with C.Then again, Dash is both important and an idiot. Vote BNo wait, C.Argh, B....can I give 0.5 votes to B and 0.5 to C?
Also, obligatory "IT LIIIIVES!" comment goes here. Will there be a shorter wait for the next chapter?
Option B.
B: Tend to Rainbow
Engage Pursuit Mode!!!
holy shit! an update!