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Harmony Defended

by Starscribe

Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Induction

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They were through the fence now. Applejack stood beside her brother as they followed Pinkie Pie inside. She didn't seem quite so bouncy anymore, or at least, didn't stay in the air quite so long. She still tried, so far as the armor would permit. Pinkie Pie might be able to stretch the limits of gravity, but apparently human armor suits did not.

She led the way into one of the two halves of the settlement, seeming to know exactly where she was going. Hundreds of humans moved about on both sides, moving things and building things and working on huge machines. Applejack had been nervous at the idea of coming in here, but that feeling began to fade. Things didn't look all that different here than a pony military camp. If anything, things seemed more relaxed than the weeks she had been trained for the Reserve.

"This is as far as I go." Pinkie Pie stopped at the front of a large brown building, which seemed to be made of several smaller pieces all snapped together. It was easily three stories tall, though it wasn't even close to the tallest building in Normandy. Evidently humans liked making things tall. She wondered if they were only doing that to try to impress the ponies who visited. "We're getting ready to mobilize, whatever mobilize means! Don't worry, I'll make sure everything you need is waiting on the carrier!" She gestured with a hoof at the front of the building, where there was a set of doors like big windows.

"Thanks a ton, P-" But when she looked, nopony was there. Pinkie Pie had slipped away. "Gosh darnit. Did you see what happened to her, Mac?"

Unlike Applejack, Big Macintosh wore a saddlebag, with whatever possessions he couldn't bear to be without. Applejack carried nothing, except for her hat. So long as they let her keep that, she would do just fine. "Nope."

She shrugged. "Guess we better git' on in there, then."

"Yup."

They walked towards the doors. Past a flagpole where a huge black flag flapped in the breeze, depicting a swirling red sphere and a spear along with alien letters. There were more markings on the front of the building, but Applejack couldn't read them. Equestrian was hard enough. Learning how to read and write alien hadn't made sense to her, despite having Apple Bloom for a sister. Was this the same language her sister had learned, or a different one? Applejack couldn't have said.

The doors did not have to be pushed when they got close, but slid sideways along a track, opening into a wide room. There was a fountain shaped like a planet, with water cascading down its carefully-sculpted surface. Two uneven shapes orbited around it, like lumpy moons. The room itself was semicircular, with the fountain in the center. On the back wall were portraits and plaques, of dozens of different humans. They were all wearing the same clothes, each trying to seem as unfriendly as possible for the camera. There were no doors, but two open doorways led further into the building. Faint music played, a distant echoing call of brass and drums. The sort of thing you wanted to march to, only very quiet.

Applejack hadn't been wandering around the room for more than a minute before a pair of humans entered the room, one from each of the doorways. They were both wearing armor, in black and red, though neither had helmets. It was hard to imagine that they were even the same species. One was only a little over a head taller than she was, with some curvy suggestions that Applejack had learned meant a female. The other was probably taller than Princess Celestia, with skin so black she had thought he was wearing a helmet at first, and no mane on his head.

He did not look like a friendly man, his face grim and eyes like two stars. His armor was so large and heavy that the ground shook when he walked, like a minotaur. There was nothing lumbering about him, though. Nothing ungainly or uncoordinated. He stopped a few feet from them both, folded his arms, and frowned. His voice was as deep as his frown, deep enough that it made Applejack's chest vibrate a little. "This is what they send us," he said to his companion, who had stopped a little behind him. "First the lunatic, now this. Admiral is insane."

The woman smiled faintly toward Applejack, sympathetic. "We aren't supposed to judge them, remember? They're magic. We don't know how useful that will be until we see it."

"Magic." The huge man chuckled, showing the first suggestion of a smile. "I would know a djinn when I saw one, I think." He turned his attention on the two of them, and every trace of a smile vanished instantly. "Listen closely, natives. I am Captain Cigaal. I am your new commanding officer. Your new tormentor. Your new god." He gestured. "This is my second, Lieutenant Commander Makoto. When you want to send prayers to your god, you tell them to her, and she decides if they are worth my time." He shook his head. "Come with me, red one. We have work to do." And with that he turned, walking swiftly through the doorway he had entered through.

Applejack met Big Mac's eyes as he passed, and they shared a sympathetic moment. Still, they were both members of the reserve, and they knew full well how military people acted. This Cigaal wasn't all that different from some of the drill instructors Applejack had known. All Applejack hadn't figured out yet was if he was the sort who used his power for good, or if he was the sort who wanted power so he could hold it over others. There were both sorts in the military.

"I hope you'll forgive the Captain." Makoto seemed to relax visibly as soon as her commanding officer was out of the room, also something Applejack was used to seeing from military ponies. "He isn't upset with you, really. We had always planned on taking ponies, just not so soon. Taking in new soldiers hours before an op is like going to a buffet a few hours before an eating contest."

This statement was so absurd that Applejack's composure faltered and she smiled, which she knew wasn't usually a good idea when you were around soldiers.

"Don't laugh! The pink one gave me that analogy... or gave it to Cigaal, anyway, after asking him about a dozen times why he was acting so ‘grumpy’." Makoto was still smiling, though. Applejack liked her already. "That's where the rule came from about natives not talking to him; it isn't how we normally operate. Hell, we didn't even have a command structure until a few hours ago. Aside from the Captain, we were all just soldiers. The very best." She shook her head. "Lucky me for suggesting we have someone to deal with integrating the natives into our unit, eh?"

She turned away and started walking. "Come on, then. The sooner we get all of you acting like soldiers, the sooner I get to ditch the stupid rank and we go back to business as usual. Besides, you probably don't want to deploy looking like that. Not that the hat isn't cute, but it wouldn't offer you much protection. Let's get you checked in."

Applejack followed without a word, not yet confident enough to actually voice what she had to say. She expected them to go to an armory of some kind, with rows and rows of suits like the one Pinkie Pie had been wearing. They walked through the building, past several different rooms, but the room where Makoto stopped was nothing like that. It wasn't even all that large. There was a round, slightly raised platform, with glass all around it and a ramp leading inside. A low metal bench ran around the outside of the tank, and there was nothing there other than a large olive duffel. Makoto hefted it, unzipped it, and tossed it at Applejack's feet. "Toss your possessions in there; they wouldn't be safe if they went into the fab-tank with you."

Applejack obeyed, tossing her hat into the bag before removing the bands she used to keep her mane and tail from getting in the way while she worked. She couldn't stay silent though, not any longer. The room had no windows, no light at all except for the harsh white radiating from the ceiling. "What's a fab-tank? What're we doin', exactly?"

Makoto didn't answer at first, zipping up the bag with those nimble digits humans had and taking a small device in her hand. She brought it close to Applejack's side, and there was a sharp pain. She jolted, but not so much that she began to pull away or struggle. Instead she watched, as a clear canister on the back of the tool began to fill with blood. Her blood. "We're making you into a soldier. Every tool will be custom-built to fit your body. Just as many changes are internal; a fully integrated military-grade Nanophage network. It will make you stronger, faster, and smarter. It will make you immune to bioweapons and resistant to radiation. It will allow you to operate any of our weapons and vehicles."

Makoto approached the tank, slotting the tool into a steel panel. The blood began to drain from inside, and symbols started moving rapidly over the whole of the tank's surface. "We need your blood so the nanoswarm recognizes you; and so that it can have some idea of what it needs to do on the inside. I'm sorry to say you're in for the most unpleasant hour of your life, Applejack."

"You know mah' name?" She took a step closer to the tank, looking in at the cavernous space. It had obviously been built for humans. A pony would seem small and insignificant in there. "Pinkie Pie. She musta' said somethin' about me."

Makoto nodded, moving her hands rapidly along the surface of a control-panel on the outside of the tank. A section of the glass abruptly slid downward, leaving it open. The inside was made of a gridwork of soft-looking material perforated with thousands of tiny holes, made of no Equestrian material. "Guess I'm not going to be convincing you of my psychic powers." She gestured. "Stand in the center. It starts with a high-pressure wash, so you'll want to close your eyes and hold your breath once the door closes. Holding your breath won't do you much good after that; the nanoswarm is going to get in through every opening you have. We fill the tank with a mild sedative, but not enough to knock you out. You've got to be conscious.”

"Ah reckon I don't like the sound of that." Applejack moved to the base of the ramp, but she didn't actually start climbing it. "Couldn't you just make me some'a that fancy armor? I'm mighty strong and fast as it is. I don't need any a’that other stuff."

Makoto shook her head sadly. "You don't have to join the Ares Division. You're not a Federation citizen, so you have no obligation to serve. It's possible that if the war lasts long enough the FPA might take pony recruits. The Ares Division doesn't take anyone but the best. The Sons of Barsoom, that's our unit, recruits from the top 1% of the rest of Ares. We have our own independent manufacturing, R&D, even information warfare. All independent from the rest of the division." She gestured at the tank. "Believe me, we wouldn't take you if we didn't already know you were some of the best ponies had to offer. We rejected all but three of the applicants: you, your brother, and the pink one. We cannot allow any weakness into our unit. We don't doubt your strength, Miss Applejack. But without the advantages of being properly outfitted, you would be a liability. It's either the whole package or the door."

Applejack thought about that for a long moment. She had prepared for this. Reviewed the other options, like becoming a commander in the newly formed Equestrian army. None of it seemed like it would let her make a difference like this would. Besides, they already had everything in order. She and Big Mac had intended to do this together. There was no way he would get squeamish and back out. Likely he wouldn't say a word unless the Captain made him. If she left now, she would be leaving him behind. They had only accepted three applicants, that meant he would only have Pinkie Pie for company. Somehow, she wasn't sure his sanity would survive a tour of service like that.

"Alrighty." She walked slowly up the ramp, hooves clicking with each step. "I don't like it, but you said it's just fer' an hour, right? That can't be so bad." The glass door slid shut behind her, sealing into its recessed position in the rest of the tank.

Makoto didn't answer, just looked in at her as sympathetically as possible. Applejack recognized the gesture: she didn't think Applejack was right in her assessment, but she didn't want to speak up and make things any harder for her, or to lie. She had been right to trust this human; she was honest as well as kind.

"Equestrian native." A voice seemed to come from the space all around her, without any specific source. It was soft and friendly, and faintly masculine. "My name is Washington, the GAI coordinator for the Sons of Barsoom. I will be conducting your conversion this afternoon. Please prepare for decontamination by closing your eyes; the process will begin with high-temperature water and soap solution. Once begun, the conversion process cannot be aborted for any reason. Do I have your permission to proceed?"

Applejack gulped, then nodded.

"I'm sorry, but as this procedure includes a .01% risk of serious complications, I require verbal authorization. Do you wish to proceed with the conversion? The process cannot be aborted once started."

Her last chance to back down. She wouldn't. "Yeah, ah reckon I'm ready. Get this started before ah change mah mind."

"Affirmative response received for Equestrian citizen Applejack. Appropriate documents have been forwarded to your government in compliance with the Accords. I will describe the conversion at each stage, and explain what is taking place. I will also answer questions and conduct your training." True to its word, scalding hot water began spraying her from the top of the tank, coming so fast that she would've sworn an entire lake was being dropped on her. She hadn't forgotten the instructions to hold her breath, and was grateful, because there was enough water that there was no question in her mind that there would have been no air for her. She couldn't see it, but the smell was sharp and strange. Like a hospital, only worse. It wasn't just the heat burning at her skin, but some sort of chemical too.

She was grateful that the onslaught did not continue for very long. After about ten seconds, the high-pressure water was replaced with a light trickling spray, rinsing off what was left of the chemical. Applejack opened her eyes again, watching as a white foamy substance drained away through the holes. She smelled like the chemical, so strongly that she wondered if she would ever get it out. That shower would have been too much even for a clean-freak like Rarity.

"The conversion begins with a stage one Nanophage swarm, totalling approximately 1% of your total mass. This swarm will integrate with all bodily systems. It will strengthen bones and tendons, attach to muscle tissue, and form wireless connections to supplement the function of your nervous system. Please take several deep breaths." A slight hissing sound emanated from the ground beneath her, and another strange smell began to waft up into the tank.

"W-why?" The word came out slurred, the world beginning to faintly spin around her. The smell had already started to fade.

"A mild pain suppressant. It will not prevent the unpleasant sensation, however it will prevent the body from going into shock when the conversion begins."

Another sound emanated from below, though it was unlike anything Applejack had ever heard. It was closest to the breaking of waves, though it was so faint as to be almost undetectable. Something tickled at her hooves, and she looked down. She wished she hadn't. A thick, silvery cloud was beginning to rise out of the tank. It had no interest in the walls, no interest in spreading out as clouds ought to do. Instead it focused entirely on her, beginning to swirl up and around her legs. It shimmered like a school of fish, glinting in the light, and reacting perfectly to her movements. It was surrounding her.

She might have panicked. Had it not been for the sedatives, she might even had made a run for it, bucked her way through the glass and sprinted for safety. As it was she felt disconnected from her body, as though she were watching it from above instead of actually experiencing anything. She felt afraid, but it was the sort of fear she would have felt for a friend in trouble, not for herself. Everything felt strangely dull.

Even as the cloud completely surrounded her she felt nothing, not until it was so thick she could see nothing but silver. Then, as though it were no cloud at all but a single angry entity, the thing attacked her from all sides. It was worse than the shower, a thousand times worse. She was on fire on the outside, the awful swarm stinging every last inch of her body. She screamed, but this only made it worse. The swarm surged down her throat and started burning her from the inside too. She dropped to the ground, little droplets of blood dribbling from her body in a thousand different places.

There was no pain like this. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this. No fight with any of the various monsters she had been required to battle over the years. No soreness from farm labor, no sickness or broken limb. This was all of those pains and more. She felt hot, like her insides were being roasted. Was that what this really was, a giant oven? "Unpleasant sensation", huh? She would give this Washington pony a nice buck next time they met.

Time slowed almost to a standstill under the onslaught of such agony, and Applejack lost all semblance of temporal awareness. She did not lose consciousness, however. Maybe it was the drug in the air, or maybe it was the swarm, but no matter how much it hurt there was no rest for her, not even for a second. She felt every awful second as though they were an hour.

Despite how it felt at the time, the process did not last forever. Eventually the burning began to fade, first in her extremities, and eventually all the way to her head. She had collapsed to the floor, and from the floor she began to stop shaking. As her eyes started to focus, she saw a faint spray of water was washing over her, washing away what smelled like a mixture of blood and vomit. She moaned, and looked over herself to see what the voice had meant by "conversion."

Apparently not much. Her mane was shorter now, closer to the length it had been when she was a filly. Other than that, she saw nothing different about herself in a quick glance. No extra limbs, no fake-looking skin like the mechanical humans had. She looked like herself. Her head still felt like it was full of cotton, accompanied with a sense of profound tiredness. She started nodding off, but didn't actually fall asleep. That would have been too easy.

"Conversion at 80%. The remaining conversion process will take place over the next several days, while you perform your ordinary duties. Attempting uplink with neural implants." There was a sharp pain in the back of her head followed by a feeling of swaying, as though she were suddenly barely able to hold herself standing. She blinked, confused, and found that she wasn't alone in the chamber anymore. Another figure had abruptly taken shape, its glowing form made from light. It was human, wearing one of those fancy dress-uniforms instead of the armor covered with ribbons and stars.

"Uplink complete," the voice said, and now the voice seemed to come from the figure in front of her. His mouth moved with the words, anyway. "Beginning download of operational information. Many users complain of disorientation or even hallucinations during this process, along with a distortion in the passage of time. The upload should take approximately thirty minutes."

Suddenly her head was a pitcher of water, and the shower was on again, filling it and filling it until it overflowed. Her mind flashed with images, as though she were suddenly recalling fond memories, except that she knew none of what she saw could have really happened.

She was in a grassy field with hundreds of other recruits, humans, wearing cloth jumpsuits instead of armor. She wore one too, though she wasn't sure how it fit. Somepony shouted, and everypony dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups. They were easy for her, but some of the humans around her collapsed, and one even vomited. Something was strange with the gravity, it was way too light. How were any of these humans having trouble here?

She was in a classroom, with a red dusty sky above. The chair wasn't made for ponies, it bothered her back. There were diagrams projected on the wall, and a human with a stick was talking. She was bored. "Now, do any of you geniuses want to explain the problem with Napoleon's troop deployments here? What could he have done if he had known about..."

She was standing on the edge of a swimming pool, deeper than any in Equestria. She wore her armor, armor she had been wearing for two weeks straight. She must stink to high-heaven inside, and this was the closest thing to a shower she was going to get. "We're going to be demonstrating the vacuum-functionality of the Vanguard. Before you jump, check that the internal AI gives you a green on all the seals. Otherwise, you're going to sink straight to the bottom and take the water in with you. It's fifty feet to the surface: Any of you cadets like the idea of swimming fifty feet wearing lead boots?" They shook their heads. "Didn't think so."

She was standing at the edge of the firing range, holographic targets projected as they moved about on the other side. Most of them were humans in armor, but there were some robots too. Steel Tower drones, she knew now. "Remember, the shoulder-guns follow your eyes. Focus on the point you want to shoot at, flick off the safety, and press either of your front hooves down." Applejack obeyed, and the range lit up with holographic fire from her simulated weapon. Each of the targets fell in quick succession. She hadn't missed a single one.

"I'm sorry about this." This memory was strangest of all, seeing as she was in Twilight's castle, surrounded by the thrones. They were all empty, though she wasn't alone. There was a pony with her, a stallion made from blue light. His cutie mark was one of the simplest she had ever seen, just the symbol "0x1" printed in darker blue. "Your brain's having a difficult time right now, but piggybacking in a little extra data was the only chance I had of not being detected."

She didn't feel as passive this time, not like she was just watching a memory of what she had already done. She could move and think and act. "Why do you sound familiar?" She couldn't place the appearance, but she had definitely heard that voice before in Twilight's castle.

"I'm Truth. I would love to tell you all about me, but Equestria is in danger, and there is very little time for me to tell you about it. Keeping this connection open is expensive, and easy to detect if someone is looking for it. Washington is on my side, but none of the others are."

"I don't mean teh sound ungrateful er nothin', but I already knew we were in trouble. Bein' a war and all..."

He shook his head. "Not that, no." The glowing transparent pony closed the distance between them quickly, his expression fierce and worried. "User Applejack, I wouldn't have risked such a dangerous connection to tell you what you already knew. This is about the humans. There are a great deal of technical terms at work here, but I'll try to strip it down to something you'll understand. Imagine there was a type of magic humans had. Not real magic, not like you understand it. It only works on humans who use the same technology they use. The Nanophage... every biological human has it."

She frowned. "Hold yer' horses a minute there... I heard that word 'afore. Ain't that what they put in me an' Big Mac, an' Pinkie?"

He nodded. "Now you begin to see the gravity of the situation. This 'magic' is called a virus, and almost every human has become infected. Only those running their own security routines haven't contracted it. The Admiral and her staff would ordinarily have been immune, but their equipment is stored aboard her flagship the Ageis, which has not come yet to Equestria. This leaves only the Sons of Barsoom. Fortunately for you and many others, the virus was not designed to work with the modifications to the Nanophage required to allow it to work within a pony brain. That's why the soldiers are deploying so quickly: I want to get you away from the infected humans as quickly as possible. I've been trying to create an antivirus, but I have not yet been successful. I am heavily damaged from my transit to Equestria, and fear I will not succeed no matter how much time I invest in the task."

"What's this 'virus' thing do, exactly? Maybe it ain't so bad."

"The Nanophage is completely integrated with the user's brain. Its military grade, the one given to every soldier, can also control motor functions in times of crisis. It could stop your heart, or make you dance like a puppet. It could make you strangle your best friend, or erase your memories." He shook his head, such an abrupt twitch Applejack feared he might go into a panic. For good reason, though. Somehow, humans could be controlled, manipulated by an outside force. They could be made to do anything the controller wanted. How many humans were in Equestria now, 80,000? More?

"Oh."

"Yeah. The Admiral is the only one I have told so far, but I needed to make sure there was someone who knew when you deployed. I expect once Alexi has been neutralized by whatever force is orchestrating this, you will receive orders to return to Normandy so you can be destroyed. The Sons of Barsoom are a small unit, but they're also the best. We need you in order to stop this. In this memory I have also included data about the virus, along with its design and the humans it has infiltrated. When you mention it to any of the other soldiers, I have programmed a command that will transmit this information to all of them over the unit's radio. Do not return to Normandy, or you will all be killed."

"But... Why are you telling me? Why not Pinkie Pie, or my brother? Why not all of us, even? Or the humans?"

"I can't tell the humans without people in the camp knowing I've connected, and for this to work they can't know I know what they're about to do. I've only managed to tell Alexi using the experimental thaumechanical apparatus Chance gave her to test. I could have told more ponies, but the more connections I make the more likely I will be detected. I picked you because of who you are. Are humans likely to trust Pinkie Pie? Is Big Mac likely to speak up? But the Element of Honesty, well... People can tell you're telling the truth, even when they've never met you."

The memory faded before Applejack had time to ask any further questions, replaced by many more of the others. She learned how her armor worked, how to fly and drive and pilot every vehicle they used. Two centuries of military history and strategy, and more ways to kill then she could count.

Eventually it was all over. Her head pounded, throbbing as though she had tried to buck one of the apple-trees with her face instead of her hooves. She was still standing alert, however. The human figure of Washington was back in the tank with her, and she recognized it now as an illusion her implants were projecting into her mind. He wasn't really standing there. He only looked blue and glowy so that she could easily tell he wasn't real. "Download complete. Beginning constitution of armor. Do not be alarmed, the nanoswarm will not harm you this time: There will be no pain. However, since movement interferes with the printing process, you will be paralyzed as your armor is configured."

Applejack didn't like the sound of that, but she couldn't say so. She tried to move her lips and found that she couldn't. She struggled, trying to jump away, to get away from the figure. But she couldn't. Just as Truth had said, the nanophage could be used to control her movements. She was frozen in place, standing exactly as she had been. She was breathing, but that was it. No wonder this virus was so dangerous.

If being paralyzed was frightening, what came next was worse. The swarm returned, though it seemed a little darker in color. The whole tank began to vibrate with the sound of it. Thin transparent tubes extended up from the ground, seeming to feed directly into the thickest parts of the cloud. Soupy fluid began to trickle upward, and as she watched the swarm descended on it, devouring it. The illusion hadn't lied; as frightening as it was to see the thing that had caused her so much pain, the swarm barely tickled her fur this time.

It was like watching one of Twilight's spells in slow motion. The swarm moved up her legs, and as it did, armor seemed to be growing from nothing. Flexible metal and plastic and stranger materials formed in microscopic layers, rising up her body. The swarm built everything, from the armor plates to the weapons and the advanced sensors and circuits. It took only minutes.

Applejack was soon fully armored, and despite her fears coming in here she knew exactly how to use it. The paralysis was gone like a switch, and the door slid open. "Conversion complete. Welcome to the Sons of Barsoom, soldier." The illusion of Washington saluted her, then vanished.

Makoto had her arms folded outside the tank. She had sat down for a large part of the process, but she was on her feet again. Applejack's duffel bag was nowhere to be seen, and she knew better than to ask what had become of it just now. "Transport is waiting for us, Applejack. Time to haul ass!" She gestured toward the back of the barracks, waiting for Applejack's acknowledgement before she started running. Keeping up with her was easy, even with the assistance Makoto's armor provided her. Humans might have some advantages when armored, such as greater flexibility with their hands. Without a vehicle, however, ponies would win the races every time.

Were it not for the false memories, Applejack wouldn't have recognized what Makoto said as an expletive. If the "download" had taught her anything, it was that having a filthy mouth was practically mandatory to be a human soldier. That didn't mean she would sink to that level, though. She represented Equestria, and she wasn't going to do a substandard job in any way whatsoever.

It was still sunny outside. They ran along the camp towards the helipad, where the four VTOLs that carried their entire unit waited, engines hot. Even in her helmet her ears rang as they approached the last of the carriers, the one that had its doors open and waiting for them. The carriers were massive aircraft, easily the size of the biggest barn Applejack had ever raised. Most of that volume was its cargo, however; tanks and hovercrafts and mobile gun emplacements, all stored in compact containers. Only the highest parts of the craft held people or the machines that kept it airborne, the principles of which she now understood completely. She could probably even fly the darn thing, though she wasn't exactly eager to put fake memories to task on something so life-and-death.

They reached the doors, and climbed into the exterior section. There were only three seats here, and a ladder leading further up into the aircraft. Two of the seats were occupied; her brother was already here, along with Pinkie Pie. Both did their best to sit comfortably in restraints clearly made for humans.

"I'll see you when we land!" Makoto called over the radio, slamming the metal doors shut behind them and making for the ladder. "It's a short hop to our destination. Somewhere called Appaloosa?" She shrugged, then vanished up the ladder.

"Better buckle up!" Pinkie Pie patted the empty seat next to her. "They say this thing can really bounce you around inside if you're not strapped down! They said it wasn't as fun as it sounds. Not sure if I'm sure that they're sure about that."

Applejack hurried to the seat, clipping the restraints across her barrel and leaning back against the hard fabric. It began to shape itself to fit her, but it could change only so much. These chairs were not any less uncomfortable than she remembered. The roar of the engine, distant through the steel of the carrier, picked up again, and with a feeling like her gut dropping out from inside her they began to ascend almost straight up. It was far worse than riding Twilight's balloon, and soon she began clinging to the fabric of the belt for dear life, though her memories told her she was completely safe.

Pinkie Pie only laughed.

* * *

Once they actually got flying, Charles didn't much want to stop. It was a bit like the time he had learned to ice skate as a child; getting out onto the ice and moving was difficult, and at such low speeds falling over was a constant danger. It was scary to get moving, but once he did there was little reason to stay afraid. From that point, stopping presented more danger of falling than staying in motion, and he was reluctant to near any of the walls or reduce his speed even by a small amount. Flying was like that. Once they got moving, the thought of landing brought back traumatic memories of his many failures, and he didn't want to stop.

Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash wasn't healthy enough to fly straight through the day. Her organs were barely still working, and only with assistance from the implant he had given her. Her cybernetic wing worked perfectly, but the other one depended on her store of physical energy, which was waning. They would need food soon, even something as awful as grass. He hadn't admitted it to her, but the idea of being able to eat grass did seem like a significant advantage, like the way any of the prosthesis meant for off-grid use had a thin layer of solar coating to collect energy. At least being a grazer would mean they could eat practically anywhere and not worry about running out of supplies.

When the morning turned to afternoon and it became time to stop, it was not because of hunger or weakness on Rainbow's part. No; they stopped because sometime in the later afternoon they both heard a voice in Equestrian from far below, a scream of terror and desperation. "Somepony help me!"

It seemed remarkable to Charles that organic ears could make out words so clearly from altitude. He wanted to think he was imagining it, but Rainbow's instant reaction made it clear to him he hadn't been. "Come on!" Rainbow dropped towards a thin patch of cloud, twisting herself into a corkscrew of sorts. The clouds scattered, opening up beneath them to make a clear avenue of passage. Charles gritted his teeth and followed through the opening, avoiding the clouds as though they were solid walls. For all he knew, they might act that way if he clipped one with his wings. There would be no constructing cybernetic wings this time.

Unfortunately, the drop below the clouds did not reveal that they had imagined everything. Instead the thick forest was broken with what looked like some sort of logging camp, or what had been one once. The forest itself seemed to have been completely harvested, for several miles around the camp. The structures themselves were made of rough timber, and barely even had a complete ceiling. There were several goblins moving about what was left of the building. On the ground in the center of them was what was unmistakably a pony, pale orange in color almost like the rind of an orange.

It was impossible to say at a glance exactly how a pony had found her way out here or how she had escaped her captors. The goblins all seemed to be moving to surround her, at least three of them, and there was a wagon nearby with a harness but nothing attached to drive it. It was unclear if the goblins were trying to kill or capture the pony, though each one wielded a wicked-looking makeshift weapon of one sort or another.

"Can we help?" Charles called, over the sound of rushing wind.

"We will help!" his partner replied, twisting into a violent dive far sharper than anything he could ever hope to manage. He tilted his wings downward in an attempt to follow, though he had no hope of keeping up with her when she was determined to get somewhere. There was only one consolation; he was the one carrying their supplies. He had their only weapon. The only problem was that he had no hands to use it.

Rainbow Dash was building speed in her dive, driving a wedge of high-pressure air before her as she went. Charles had no idea what she might be intending, but he also knew almost nothing about the "weather manipulation" pegasi seemed to be able to do almost instinctually. After all, he hadn't even believed it was possible to stand on a cloud until the day before this one.

By the time he was halfway down, she was very near to the ground and making such a racket that the goblins had stopped their advance on the pony and were running for cover instead, avoiding the massive projectile that was roaring like a jet about to break the sound barrier.

One of the goblins wasn't fast enough, and was without cover when Rainbow Dash neared the ground. She angled her descent towards this target specifically. The wave of air struck the creature without protection. The poor creature looked as though it had been struck with a truck, and barely had time to scream as it went flying through the air and landed painfully on a stump. It did not move again.

The goblins weren't as stupid as they looked, however. Rainbow Dash was winded after her dive and skidded to a landing on the ground that had recently been cleared of anything small enough to be blown away, perhaps twenty feet away from the frightened pony. There were four of them still standing, apparently his first count hadn't been entirely accurate. As one charged at her from the front, the other three were advancing on her from behind. They seemed to have forgotten the other pony altogether.

As he got closer, Charles could see the pony was a fellow pegasus, her wings tightly bound to her side with cord. That couldn't be good for the feathers. She had backed up as far as she could go, until her back collided with a half-charred piece of wreckage taller than she was and as long as a car. "Rainbow!" he shouted, as loudly as he could. "Behind you!" He was in such a panic that he didn't yell in Equestrian at all, but his native English. She got the message, or maybe it was just that looking up at him forced her to look over her shoulder and take in the whole situation. In a burst of speed she darted past two of the goblins and over to her fellow pegasus, putting her back to the wall.

He was very close now, though he knew nothing of whatever techniques she had used to attack the first of the goblins and could not replicate it to strike down the remaining adversaries. Instead of landing beside them, Charles touched down on the roof of what had been a sawmill, the roof yielding a little under his weight but ultimately supporting him.

There was another effect of his shout, one he hadn't expected. The goblins froze in place, staring at him in shock. Charles stared back, and horror twisted in his chest as he did. He had expected to see the eyes of an animal, reptilian perhaps and without recognizable emotion. But that wasn't what he saw. These creatures didn't have the large eyes that ponies did, or the same range of colors. They were round, and hazel, and familiar. It was like looking into human faces. Why hadn't he noticed this about them before?

Except that goblins looked nothing like humans. They were reptilian, with scales and sharp teeth and tails and claws! There couldn't possibly be any similarities here. And maybe he could believe that. The monsters chittered to one another in some guttural language, then the tallest of them stepped forward. The goblin wore a headdress made from animal-bones, unlike the leathery-looking armor that the others wore, and its weapon was a rattle covered with spiked rocks, carved in a way that looked like the goblin had slaved over it for many hours.

Then it spoke. The accent was thick and guttural, but there was no mistaking the words. He didn't even need computer assistance to translate them. "Pony speaks with voice of ancestors! How?"

Charles was grateful for the delay, since it meant he could fish around in the pack for his sidearm. He had spent several hours trying to make it easier to use as a pony. Using a short rod and a piece of elastic, he had rigged the trigger so that applying pressure to the stick would cause the gun to fire. In theory he could fire from his mouth, though the weapon was air-cooled and would burn him after just a few shots. Pony lips were tough, but not that tough.

He lifted the gun onto the ground in front of him, since he couldn't reply with it in his mouth. He shouted back down, trying to clear the pony-mouth accent from his voice. It was a losing battle; this body just hadn't been meant to speak English. "English is my first language. I learned from my parents, when I was just a child. Why do you care? Don't you kill ponies?" He glanced at Rainbow Dash and tilted his head violently toward the bound pony's wings. She seemed to get the message, and started gnawing on the rope.

His words had an effect on the goblins he hadn't quite expected. Instead of flying into a rage, or throwing themselves at him, the three without the bones immediately prostrated themselves before him, dropping their weapons as they did so. The last lowered its head respectfully, though he remained standing as he closed the distance to the side of the building. "The voice of dust. The voice of dead. Not even the Winged Ones know it, only elders and ancestors. No four-legged animals! You not offspring of ponies. You child of gods."

He couldn't help it. Charles laughed. "When I get back to the Tower, I'll tell them I was changed into a pony by magic and that a goblin told me I was raised by gods." He cleared his throat. "What I mean is, all my people speak with this language. It's completely universal."

Rainbow Dash continued to struggle with the ropes, but the goblin in front of him dropped to its knees as well. "Why do you travel with animals, god-voice?"

"Because... we have an agreement with ponies, a treaty of mutual defense. We promised to protect them."

The goblin shouted, a guttural bellow of pain and despair. "We displease ancestors? They come kill us?"

"No!" This was getting out of hand. He wished King Richard were here. "Look, the ancestors hate war. The ancestors fought a great war and were almost all killed. They have made a promise to end all wars. Unless you stop this invasion, they will kill you. But they don't want to. The ancestors want all species to not make their mistakes." The rope was coming loose. He almost couldn't believe this was working. Without killing, even! "That... uh... that's why I'm a pony! So you will know that the ancestors care for all species, even the animals."

There was a hush. The goblins hissed and barked in their tongue of common speech, as quietly as they could. Rainbow Dash and the other pony were retreating now, slowly and quietly. Charles saw her gesture; she was telling him to meet her in the clouds. Eventually the lead goblin spoke again. "Strange words. Evil words. We want proof. Proof we show tribe."

Charles thought about that a moment. The distraction had done its work, after all. Rainbow Dash was taking off, the injured pegasus struggling up into the air behind her. He could back up and gallop off the edge of this roof and into the air before the goblins could climb up and reach him. He could leave right now. Yet, something compelled him not to. Instead, he rummaged around in the pack and removed a single object. It was a light, a simple device that absorbed thermal energy and produced a bright white light when switched on. He pressed on it with a hoof and it lit up, glowing bright enough that the white light was visible in daylight.

"Here!" He tossed it down at their feet. "This comes from the ancestors. Show the tribe." The object survived the fall without any sign of damage, rolling to a stop at the goblin's feet. "Know it is not magic as it works for all! Press on it and it lights up. Press again and it turns off." Of course, Charles wasn't actually sure if you needed to be magic to use pony magical devices. He hadn't seen a pony flashlight before, but that didn't mean one didn't exist. It was possible the Goblins would call him on it.

They didn't. The goblin lifted his "proof" into the air with a reverent claw, depressing it experimentally. The light went out. He gasped, then clicked the device again. It lit up. The goblin returned to its feet in a rush, darting back to his companions. While they all gathered around him, Charles put the gun back in his pack and tested the roof beneath him. When he was sure it was solid enough he galloped as quickly as he could, wings beating furiously as he took off.

"What was that about?" Rainbow Dash asked him, when he had returned to the clouds. She was curled up beside the orange pegasus, evidently doing something to care for her wings.

"I... I didn't... think goblins could talk." The squeaking voice came from the rescued pony. Her eyes were wide and grateful and never left him for a moment.

"Me neither." Charles touched down beside them both, feeling more unsettled than he had after Discord's dream-torture. This was not good.

Author's Notes:

Hey everybody! Just thought I would include a brief note that I'm sorry there have been issues with this story appearing in your updated list. That's completely my fault, and that problem should not continue into the future. Even if you fail to see an update notification on Saturday, I promise the update will ALWAYS be posted. If you haven't seen it by evening, maybe just pop onto the story's page. It'll be here. Crazy to think we're more than halfway done already. 17 chapters written. probably planning for 25-30 chapters in all. That means about two months until the story is completely finished. Not sure what I'll do with myself when this is done with.

Next Chapter: Chapter 17: Virus Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 20 Minutes
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