Chapter 22 – Confrontations

I helped Bon Bon and Lyra get everypony safely out of the building. They were in no condition to even consider going up the ventilation shaft, so we went with the simplest most expedient method. We trotted out the front door. What? The security was down, Bon Bon and Lyra could stealth, and there were more than enough unicorns with us to use a simple aversion spell on the secretary and the two guards stationed at the door.

Once I had seen them to safety, I teleported back to the room we had rescued them from, and made my way back to the elevator. Since I had never been to the floors lower than this one, there was no way I could simply teleport down. Moving from one place to another through nil space is incredibly risky.

You need to have a fixed point in your mind to arrive at. Back in the bad old days when such magic was first being developed, only the brave and the extremely foolish would test the limits of what could, and could not, be done. They learned what would happen if you teleported to a location where another object was present. (Explosion.) They learned what happened if you tried to teleport to a location underwater. (Explosion.) They learned what happened if two ponies tried to teleport the same object to two different places at the same time. (Really BIG explosion. And a lot of radiation for some reason.)

But aside from explosions and dead apprentices, they did make a few interesting discoveries. For example, if you had an incredibly detailed picture in your mind of, say a room, with the shadows of a tree falling across the floor. Then when you teleported to that room, you’d end up being there at the soonest time to you that most resembled when the room looked like that. Meaning you’d travel in time. If, that is, you were powerful enough. It was written that one of Clover the Clever’s apprentices, Wisenhimer, theorized that if you had sufficient power, and sufficient imagination to visualize clearly, then theoretically you could create your own version of paradise in your mind, and teleport yourself there to it. This line of thought was quickly abandoned after he tried to put it into practice, and was never seen again. Did it work? Or did he blast his essence across all of nil space? Who knows? All I know is, I’m not going to be the one to find out. No, I’ve got four legs, I’ll just trot into the unknown, thank you very much.

I got in the elevator used the security key once more and pushed the button for the next floor down. Right before the door opened I used an invisibility spell. I didn’t like the idea of the drain this would put on my magic, but I had no idea what I would be facing. So far the only ponies we had encountered were the security guards two floors up, so I was pretty sure that there weren’t a lot of ponies allowed down here. Still, it was only a matter of time before I encountered somepony, and until I knew everything I could, I didn’t want to blow my cover.

The doors slid silently open, and I quickly made my way into the new room. The first thing I was hit by was the smell. By the Sky Stallion, this place reeked. It was one of the most horrible smells I could describe. It was the smell of rotting meat.

This entire floor was one vast room. Inside it was row after row of tubes like the ones we saw upstairs. Far on the other side of the room I could hear sounds of voices. I made my way down to the last row on the left, farthest away from the sounds, and, checking that nopony was there, I dropped my invisibility. This room was long, and I didn’t want to burn up all of my magic before I got to the other side.

I slowly made my way down this row of tubes toward the voices I heard, spells ready to stealth or fight if I should encounter any one. I couldn’t help but to peer into the tanks that I passed by. But by Celestia I wished I hadn’t.

Of all the words I could use to describe the contents, the ones that best fit were ‘living nightmares’. Only the truly deranged could create such horrors that I saw. I now fully understood what Dr. Brass was talking about.

There were ponies in those tanks. Twisted amalgamations of ponies. Some had stunted wings, some had horns where wings should be, some had a wing or a horn growing from places neither should grow from. I saw lipless muzzles growing from ponies chests, all bared teeth. And then there were the eyes. I don’t want to talk about the eyes. Let’s just say the numbers that I saw trotting down that stinking corridor varied from between zero and sixteen. And the placement of them seemed completely random. If Discord were to have a nightmare, I imagine it would look like the contents of this room.

I wanted to stop looking into the tanks before I had crossed even half of the room, but I just couldn’t. Each fresh horror seared itself into my mind, but I couldn’t look away. That was because at the core of it, these were still living beings. They hadn’t asked to be created. They didn’t ask to be made into what they were. Tartarus, I didn’t even know if they had a soul. They were made things. Made out of different bits of different ponies. But they were still living things. Horribly twisted and deformed, experiments of a madpony. Living things that knew only misery, if they knew anything at all.

My rage built with every step of my hooves as I made my way to the last tube on the row. Now I could hear the voices clearly. I peered around the corner, and nearly threw up on the spot.

At the end of each row there were large wooden tables. Tables with a row of nice sharp knives hanging off of them, and a hose attached to a spigot on the side of each. Only the two tables toward the center of the room were in use. This is where the smell was coming from. Past the tables in the center of the room farthest from where I came in, a loading ramp could be seen going up and out of sight. A steam truck had backed itself down the ramp and was parked with the doors open. There were two griffins working the tables. The would expertly cut up what was being brought to them, then wrap the cut pieces in thick white paper, then pack the bundles into crates, and cover them with ice that was provided from large drums that were next to each table. Then two other griffins would nail shut the crate and carry them into the back of the truck. I don’t know how long I stood there watching. Watching tubes being drained, and then watching the contents just trot itself up to the chopping block, it’s gaze vacant, like it was asleep. Then… the griffins.

I never wanted to kill any being so much in my life. And I was just about to blow my cover and do so when a pony trotted up to them. I had been so focused on my rage, that I didn’t even hear him. I recognized him immediately. It was Dr. Double Helix. He spoke to the griffins as they were finishing up and rinsing off the tables, the remaining blood washed away, and draining into drains in the floor.

“This is the last load for the night, sir.” One of the griffins, a manager by the look of him, was saying to Dr. Double.

“Good. This should keep the dogs and griffins happy for another week. I’ve noticed that requests for ‘pony’ have been dropping off lately.” Dr. Double says in a leading fashion.

“Uh, yes sir. I’m afraid so. There has been increasing pressure from the Night Watch. And last week one shipment was seized. Naturally no one would talk, and the ones that seemed iffy had… accidents.

“Excellent,” Double replied. “Their fear of the Butcher will keep them in line. And even if it didn’t, I’ve taken steps to cover our bases. Nopony will be able to track any of this back here. Nopony has any idea who I am.”

‘I do you son of a bitch’. I thought to myself, as the griffins finished loading up, and driving up the ramp. Right now I had no interest in them. Tracking them back from this end would be no problem later. No, for now all my rage was focused on the pony that had just turned to make his way back out of the room. All this time, all the ponynappings, dead end after dead end, trying to find who was behind it. Who the Butcher really was. And paying him off. Paying blood money just so I wouldn’t be taken out in the night by beings unknown. All the while, all this time, it was him.

I wanted to kill him. More than anything else, I wanted this pony dead. But no. Oh no. As agonizing as the Creeping Death spell could be, it wouldn’t give any satisfaction to the family’s of all the missing ponies. It wouldn’t redress all the suffering that he has cause to the beings in the tanks all around me.

No, this pony was going to be dragged out into the light. He was going to be held up before Luna and Celestia and everypony in Equestria. And if I know the diarchy, as well as I did. The example they would make of him would be far worse than anything I could ever do to him.

He was here, alone. There was a ramp right behind me. I was going to take him alive, make sure he couldn’t escape, and then come back and finish my mission. After that I was going to personally drag him in front of the princess’s and watch the bastard burn. Hopefully in bright solar fire.

He had not even crossed half of the room as I finalized these thoughts, and pulling out my M.I.S.P.P.L., I stepped out of the shadows to face him.

“Dr. Double Helix! You are under arrest. You have the right to sit the buck down, and shut the buck up. Anything you say can, and will, cause me to punch your teeth out. So I advise you to come quietly. I advise that, but I really, really, hope you don’t.”

Dr. Double whirls around, clearly surprised. “Johnny Appleseed? But you’re supposed to be dead!”

“Really? You mean like Disco? Because I hear that, much like myself, it’s making a comeback, and I gotta tell ya, I’m all about ‘Stayin Alive’.” I say full of smarminess, but then I get serious once more. “Now you and I are about to take a little trip. We can do this the easy way, or the really bucking hard way. Please pick the hard way, oh please say you do.”

“Ha! Hahahahaaa! Are you serious? Are you really bucking serious? Look at you, Mister grubby P.I., thinks he knows things, thinks he can do things. Thinks he can interfere with my plans. I’m the Butcher of Whinnyappleous! Parents tell their foals stories about me to scare them into line. I’m weeks away from taking over this entire city. And just who do you think YOU are?”

“I’m the pony with the gun.” I say simply.

“Oooh, a gun! That’s some scary stuff! He says, then, before I can blink, he crushes it with his magic. By the Sky Stallion, this pony was fast! Too fast. “Foolish toys. Dr. Brass wastes his time tinkering with such gadgetry.” He says in disgust. “Do you want to know the future Johnny? It’s right here. All around you.” He says with outspread arms, pointing to the tanks that surround us.

I couldn’t help myself. “This? THIS!” I yell. “These twisted abominations are what you call the future? Just how mad are you?”

“Mad? Don’t be stupid. Each one of these I grew. Each one brings me one step closer to perfection. And once I achieve it, I’m going to save the world!” He says, his eyes shining with joy.

“What? Save the world? From what? What in Equestria are you talking about?” I say, totally lost in the rantings of the clearly delusional.

“You don’t see it, because you are a part of it.” Double says bitterly. “Think Johnny, think. We have three pony races going back to the beginning of time. Three races, all with their special gifts. The earth tribes with the gift of nature, the pegasi, with their gifts of weather, and the unicorns, with their gifts of magic. All different, yet all equally special. Or so it should be. But no. Century after century the unicorns have dominated the rest of the races. Even to this very day the unicorns consider themselves royalty. They lord themselves over the other races solely on the basis of their horns and magic. The only exception? The only fly in the ointment? The alicorn. The perfect embodiment of all three races. Power, unity, perfection. Even the stuffy unicorn nobles defer to them, despite their grumblings.”

I feel compelled to point out the obvious. “Um, pardon me interrupting your rant, but this all sounds really hypocritical coming from the mouth of a unicorn such as yourself.”

“Hahahahahaaa! Unicorn? Oh no Johnny, I’m not a unicorn. I’ve never been a unicorn.” Dr Double then sheds his lab coat, and does the impossible, he unfurls his wings.

“A-alicorn?” I manage to say, my jaw falling open.

“Yes Johnny. You see now? My mother was an earth pony. My father, a pegasus, was the son of a pegasi and a unicorn. Before my mother knew she was pregnant with me, she used to work in one of the mines in Whinnyonah. She was trapped under a shaft collapse and it was half a day before they could get her out. During that time she was exposed to uranusium radiation from the collapsed debris.

I can only conclude that it was something from that radiation, that allowed the barriers between the different types of magics to erode. The result was that, when I was born, I was a true blending of all three of my heritages. A natural born alicorn.

My mother, used to the discrimination from the unicorns that she had to deal with all of her life, made my father and myself keep my true nature a secret. Since we couldn’t hide the horn, they simply told everypony that I took after my grandfather, and I wore a coat or other coverings almost every day of my life.

As I grew older, my powers in all three magics grew stronger and stronger. I was better at natural magic than an earth pony, stronger too. When I took to the skies when no pony was around, I could fly faster than anything in the air, and I could conjure a cloud with only the smallest bit of moisture. As for my unicorn magics, I have literally moved a mountain. True, it’s not the sun or the moon, but it’s still more than any unicorn could do.”

“Another alicorn.” I said, stunned. The implications of this were swirling in my mind. What would this mean for Equestria? Are you… immortal?”

“I have no idea.” He said frankly. “It’s never come up. I suppose only time will tell. But back to my point Johnny. Somehow, someway, the walls between the races fell when I was born. And what happened once by accident, I intend to do again, and again, on purpose! I devoted my life to biology and the study of genetics, and the things that affect them. Radiation, poison joke, mirror pool water, changeling d.n.a., I’ve used any and all of these things in my experiments. When that fool Brass Buttons approached me with his ridiculous schemes of taking over the city, I smiled and nodded, and played along, knowing that he would be able to provide me with the funding and resources to complete my work. But as my progress grew, and then with his acquiring of the changeling mind control device, I realized that his idea might not be so foolish after all. If we could manage to take over the city, I could expand my operations a thousand fold. What might take hundreds of years of trial and error could be completed in a matter of decades. Think Johnny, in less than your lifetime, everypony yet to be born could be an alicorn! In two hundred years this world could be a paradise of the truly equal!”

I thought about it. Yeah, I thought about it alright. I thought about hundreds of thousands of ponies created and destroyed in a madpony’s pursuit of perfection. I thought about a world where no pony had any heritage anymore, any diversity. I thought about what a world full of alicorns might decide to do with all of that power. Would any other race be able to stand against them if they decided to take over the world? And I thought about the power itself. Luna controlled the moon. Celestia controlled the sun. All that power had to come from someplace. Could the world handle an entire species with that kind of power?

I thought about all these things, but only briefly. None of it changed the fundamental fact that this pony ponynapped and killed dozens if not hundreds of ponies to get where he is now. Not to mention those poor creatures in the tanks. No, he had to go down... Hard.

Unfortunately, him being an alicorn complicated things. There was no way I could subdue him, well, not as I was, and I still had no intention of using my alpha rune unless there was no other alternative. Fortunately for me, there was.

Before he could begin his rant once more, I cast the nastiest version of my Creeping Death spell I knew. The fast acting version… right at his horn.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH! What have you DONE to me!?!” He screamed clutching in vain at his temples.

A moment later though, the magenta glow of his magic enveloped the base of his horn, it slowly made it's way upwards until it came in contact with my spell, then it extinguished it as if snuffing out a candle. But as he straightened up, I could tell that some damage had been done. The top inch of his horn had been raggedly dissolved, as well as some of the front had been eroded. I didn't know if he could regenerate the missing bits, but without them it would hamper his ability to focus his magic properly.

“You mother bucking son of a goat. How DARE you mar my perfection! HOW DARE YOU!” Double screamed, his composure shattered.

He tried to cast a spell of some sort but it scattered and fizzled across the room, sparks bouncing off the tubes nearest to him. He fell to his knees in fresh agony, clutching his temples once more. Whatever he had attempted was obviously too powerful to use with a damaged horn.

“I'll kill you! Kill you! He gestures toward his discarded lab coat, and a device flies from it's pocket directly to his outstretched hoof. Simple telekinetic magic was still within his abilities it seemed. “Now die you underdeveloped cretin!” He says pressing a button on his device, even as I strike him with a massive bolt of pure magic, staggering him back, but still not managing to knock him off of his hooves. That would be his earth pony strength and stamina.

Suddenly all around me tanks began to drain. Lots of tanks. Far too many tanks.

“Oh… buck… me.”

Freakish, horrific shapes began to emerge from the emptying tanks. Fifty… a hundred, no, more than a hundred. Add to that the deranged psychotic alicorn standing before me. The odds before me were becoming ridiculous, and I knew then what I must do…

“Why exactly are you putting a hoof to either side of your face?” Dr. Double inquires curiously. “Is that some strange cultural sign of surrender that I'm not aware of?”

For the briefest of moments I grin. “SOLAR FLARE!!!” I shout, as my horn shines a hundred times brighter than the noonday sun, causing every being that was looking at me to become blinded.

I turn quickly on my hooves and run like mad up the ramp recently vacated by the earlier steam truck. Between the higher level spells like Invisibility, Creeping Death, Mana Bolt, and the Solar Flare that I had just used, I was going to need time to get my magic back. And until I did I knew I didn't have a hope in Tartarus of surviving what was behind me.

“After him!” I heard the voice of Dr. Double shout. “Find him! Kill him! Bring me his head!”

‘No Hearthswarming card for you this year’, I think grimly as I redouble my speed. I didn't want to admit it, but I was beginning to become the tiniest bit concerned.

(Moonlight Shadow)

'Oh… buck… me.' I thought for the fifth time, as I barely managed to dodge yet another kick to my head. Stupid bucking steam powered cyber pony was fast as Tartarus. She crashed into Dr. Brass's desk as she went by me, totally demolishing it, and then got up without so much as a scratch. Those artificial limbs made her freakishly strong. Almost as strong as an alicorn. And she was attacking so quickly that I had yet to have time enough to fire a spell off, which was obviously her intention.

I had managed to put a little distance between us as she was disentangling herself from the remains of the desk, and had the beginnings of a spell forming when she pointed one of her metallic brass hoof claws at me.

Instinct was all that saved my life. I was already ducking low and to the left when I heard the now familiar chuff of M.I.S.P.P.L. fire, and then the crash of glass as the window behind me shattered outwards. Sweet Celestia, that wasn’t some hoofgun caliber weapon. She had a freakin cannon built into her hoof! A cannon! I dodged again, a split second before the section of floor I had been crouched on exploded into flying shrapnel which ping’d off of the walls in every direction. Fortunately for me some of it blew back in Mercy’s direction causing her to throw up a hoof talon to keep it from her eyes. I had a split seconds worth of time, and I wasn’t going to waste it. Time to borrow a page from Celestia’s book. Suitably modified for my own personal use of course.

“Why exactly do you have a hoof on either side of-” Mercy began, before I cut her off.

“LUNAR ECLIPSE!!!” I shouted, plunging the room into utter blackness.

“ARGHHH! I’m blind!” She screamed.

I watched her flailing around, trying to land a lucky strike. Although the entire room was filled with inky blackness, I could see just fine. Some ponies might consider this an unfair tactic to use in a fight. Those ponies can feel free to write me a letter of complaint at any time… I can always use more toilet paper.

I waited until I had an opening then darted in with a quick hard jab to the sternum. Then quickly leapt away as her return swing missed me completely. Then I clamped my muzzle shut to keep from screaming because I had nearly broken my hoof.

“That was quiet a punch.” Mercy said smugly, the effect somewhat diminished due to the fact she was facing toward the wall. “I bet that really hurt. Did you break a hoof? Here, let me put you out of your misery.” She said before swinging wildly once more.

Friggin armored, steam powered, psyco bitch mare… This was becoming annoying. She had found the wall, and put her back to it. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Suddenly she thrust out her other hoof against the wall, and began swinging it in a slow arch. I could hear the rapid chuff, chuff, and pings of impacts. Oh come on now! She had a Gatling gun in her other arm! Really?!?

I crouched low to avoid her fire, but a shot must have ricocheted off of something because I took a hit from behind in the shoulder. I let out an involuntary grunt of pain, that I quickly stifled, but it was too late. I had given her what she was after.

It took her less than a moment to bring both hooves to bear, firing from the cannon and the Gatling gun simultaneously. I threw up a bubble shield, as bullets and shrapnel began careening everywhere and what was left of the window behind me was completely obliterated. She started trotting forward, firing the entire time. I knew if I dropped the shield, even for the half second I would need to teleport away, I’d be turned into mincemeat.

Everything she knew about me told her I was still in front of her. My grunt of pain had given her my direction, and she would’ve heard the implosion of air if I had teleported out. She kept moving steadily forward, as I backed closer and closer toward the opening where the floor to ceiling window used to be.

The crunch of glass beneath my hooves caused her to grin and swing an arm blindly in my general direction, bullets bouncing off of my shield as I moved back once more. She knew I must soon be running out of room. She knew I couldn’t drop my shield. Everything was telling her that she had won.

Which is why it came as a complete surprise to her when she took that one step too far, and fell head first out of the window, splattering bits of brass and pony all across the sidewalk... Moron.

As I lowered myself back down and inside the room, I shook my head and smiled ruefully. Mercy had made me do something that ‘Moonlight Shadow’ wasn’t able to do. Impressive. I had to actually cheat to beat her. On the other hoof, no pony knows that I did it except for myself, and the pain in my shoulder told me I wasn’t going to be loosing any sleep over it. Thankfully Johnny wasn’t here. He would have most certainly noticed, and would have had questions that I would not want to answer.

I collapsed the darkness behind me as I dropped my shield, then I leaned out the window for one last look at my deceased foe. It was then I saw the unmistakable form of my partner Johnny Appleseed as he darted across the path of a streetlight, galloping faster that I had ever seen him move before. I nearly called out to him but was silenced by what I next saw. Coming out from the bottom of the building beneath me came a continuous stream of what I could only refer to as nightmares.

It was difficult to make out many details, even with my better than average vision being augmented by maigic, but what I was able to discern caused me to recoil in horror. Each of what I saw was basically pony in shape. But had apparently caught the Sky Stallion on a bad day when they were being made. None of them had the right amount of anything. Too many horns, too many wings, not enough wings, not enough eyes, FAR too many eyes, too many mouths, too many… um… stallion… bits, (ahem). And were those… tentacles? What the what? It look like a Neighponese Horror Manga had thrown up on a bunch of marathon runners. And they were all chasing Johnny with blood in their eyes. In some cases literally. (Eww).

I didn’t know what in Equestria was going on, but I knew one thing that sent a shiver of dread down my spine. Judging by the amount of creatures that were in pursuit, if they caught him, there was no possible way that Johnny could survive.

(Doctor Double Helix)

The pain had finally receded. I reached up my hoof and gingerly touched the surface of my restored horn. Healing my horn with magic that needed my horn to use was a very slow and painful process. That was a very clever unicorn to attack me there. And whatever spell he used was terrible indeed. It’s a shame there would be no way to learn it from him after he is torn to pieces. Still, given the fact that he should already be dead, I suppose I shouldn’t take any chances.

I trot over to a special row of tanks on the far right side. These are reserved not for created ponies, but augmented ones. Ponies that have pledged their services to me in exchange for the hope that I may someday be able to raise them to my level of perfection. Without preamble I open the second one I come to, and wait for the pony inside to emerge. After a moment to regain his wits, he speaks.

“Is it time? Have I been made perfect?” He asks, not knowing how short a time it has been since he was last out.

“Not even remotely.” I retort angrily. “And I am tempted to refrain from giving you any further treatments.”

“B-but why? I’ve done everything that you’ve asked of me. I’ve betrayed my princess. I’ve lied, I’ve killed, what more can you ask for?”

“What more? No Ebon Shard, I’m not asking for more. I’m asking that you finish the LAST task I assigned you with. Johnny Appleseed is still alive. He was just here, threatening me, attacking me! He dared to attempt to mar my perfection! Even now my creations are hunting him through the streets of the city. I suggest you pick up your rifle and join them, only this time make SURE that he’s dead. Because if you don’t, then the only perfection you will ever achieve is when my chef serves you medium rare at my next dinner party.”

Ebon Shard recoils in horror, as well he should. My threat as ‘The Butcher’ is not an idle one. And several of my associate ponies in the underworld, as well as myself, have acquired a bit of a taste for unicorn.

He gathers his gear and quickly departs, moments before that fool Brass Buttons emerges from his lab below. He’ll want to know what’s going on I’m sure. I’ll have to think of something to placate the old fool. At least for now. But once we have control over the city, he’ll soon find himself in a tank alongside his brother. Then this entire city will be the Butchers playground. And after that, all of Equestria!

Author's Notes:

And now we see just what the good Doctor Helix has been up to, as well as yet another hint concerning Moonlight Shadow. The next chapter will be one that I have been looking forward to ever since I wrote chapter two. People who have been paying attention to all the clues in every chapter will probably have a good idea what's about to happen, but there are still plenty of surprises left in store as we rapidly wing our way towards the conclusion of the story. Enjoy!
Mr. E.