Sufficient Velocity vs. The Conversion Bureau IC

[Silvan Eldar]

"Thank you for trusting me with this, Nui-san." he responded, bowing slightly and switching away from the use of the name 'Harime'. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Click to shrink...

It may have been the sincerity with which he spoke, or perhaps the use of her given name in such a polite manner, but either way the false smile she'd been wearing for the better part of their conversation fell away leaving Nui with a blank expression, but a strangely intense look in her remaining eye. Her gaze didn't wander from the boy's own eyes, as if she was sure that if she stared at them for long enough she's pierce through whatever deception he must have been spinning. But after a good ten seconds she'd found not a single sign of deception or insincerity in his level gaze, and Nui relented, closing her eye with a bit more force than was strictly necessary before, after a few seconds of hesitation, giving the boy a slow nod as a silent reply to his statement.

For the better part of a minute she didn't make any obvious moves, nor did she attempt to speak. She merely breathed in and out, slowly relaxing her posture as the seconds ticked by. But then, at the minute mark, her expression pulled a complete reverse. Gone was the empty gaze and the slight frown, and back in it's place was that same cheerful smile, though at the moment it was a bit more of a mirthful smirk than any normal smile.

"Sooo...since I told you a secret, it's only fair that you share one too! Maybe even why you were so nervous about the rain a few days ago..."

 

[Xellos]

It may have been the sincerity with which he spoke, or perhaps the use of her given name in such a polite manner, but either way the false smile she'd been wearing for the better part of their conversation fell away leaving Nui with a blank expression, but a strangely intense look in her remaining eye. Her gaze didn't wander from the boy's own eyes, as if she was sure that if she stared at them for long enough she's pierce through whatever deception he must have been spinning. But after a good ten seconds she'd found not a single sign of deception or insincerity in his level gaze, and Nui relented, closing her eye with a bit more force than was strictly necessary before, after a few seconds of hesitation, giving the boy a slow nod as a silent reply to his statement.

Click to shrink...

Had he... had he actually gotten through to her with that? If so, that was good. Maybe with something like that, she'd be more likely to trust others, more likely to behave, less likely to make a mess on the next mission. It'd make dealing with her less scary, that was for sure.

...So why did he have a bad feeling right now?

For the better part of a minute she didn't make any obvious moves, nor did she attempt to speak. She merely breathed in and out, slowly relaxing her posture as the seconds ticked by. But then, at the minute mark, her expression pulled a complete reverse. Gone was the empty gaze and the slight frown, and back in it's place was that same cheerful smile, though at the moment it was a bit more of a mirthful smirk than any normal smile.

"Sooo...since I told you a secret, it's only fair that you share one too! Maybe even why you were so nervous about the rain a few days ago..."

Click to shrink...

Ryouga froze, mortal terror spreading across his face.

'I'm such a fool. Why didn't I run the moment she closed her eyes?! Now my doom is certain.'

"I... um..." he stammered, trying to come up with a good lie after straight denial had clearly failed earlier. Nothing came to mind.

'Maybe something else? What would she even accept right now?!'

"T-that is... you see... there's a perfectly normal reason for that..."

'Come on, think brain! There's gotta be something! Maybe that time with the koi rod- TAKING THAT ONE TO THE GRAVE.'

"B-but it's... it's really long, and really boring, so wouldn't you... wouldn't you rather..."

One look at her face told him that wasn't going to be an option. He was so close to avoiding this, he just had to-

Wait. Celestia was going to fix it within the day. He could tell her and be cured before she could take advantage!

"I turn into a piglet when splashed with cold water." he squeaked.

 

[Blackout]

"I can guarantee that you'll have whatever resources you need to build a larger version, Mr. Rythian. You've just given us the ability to strike back at the Empress and her newfoals." Trixie and Snowflake cringed. "You'll be hailed as a hero. Savior of Earth!"

"An astonishing one at that!" called a new voice, stepping into the room with the swagger of someone who was completely sure of themselves and who owned the place. He was dressed in a relaxed, tan suit and brown shirt, and had his arms spread wide. A friendly smile adorned his young, square face, freezing for a moment when his gaze swept over the two Equestrians. All of the soldiers snapped off a salute, while the woman called out "Sir!"

"Relax, everyone!" He waved them down, apparently ignoring the building panic on the woman's face as he approached. "This is a mon-u-mental occasion! Mr. Rythian, my name is Thomas Maxim, and I am the current director of the Brussels haven." He held out a hand to shake. "Come, what say we get you out of this old place and into somewhere nicer for now? We have many things to discuss, and the HLF council wants to speak with you. Your portal can be moved, yes?"

Click to shrink...

"It can."

The archmage shook the Director's hand, a little off-put by his sudden appearance. If this was the "boss" the soldiers had been referring to, and his reaction to Snowball and Trixie suggested he might well be, there might be trouble on the horizon.

"The HLF? I don't believe I've heard of them before."

 

[Cyreni]

"The HLF? I don't believe I've heard of them before."

Click to shrink...

"Really?" he said, drawing the word out as though he was pondering it. "How interesting. The Human Liberation Front is only the biggest pro-human group there is, after all! Every nation and leader still worth anything has a membership, and all of the large-scale organizing and funding of the defense and evacuation efforts is done through them. Most importantly, however, they study them and their magic." He inclined his head towards Trixie and Snowflake. "They've been working to try and figure out a way to bypass the Barrier for years now, and suddenly you come along!"

An arm extended to clap Rythian on the shoulder. "Shall we go?" he asked, grinning.

 

[Blackout]

"Really?" he said, drawing the word out as though he was pondering it. "How interesting. The Human Liberation Front is only the biggest pro-human group there is, after all! Every nation and leader still worth anything has a membership, and all of the large-scale organizing and funding of the defense and evacuation efforts is done through them. Most importantly, however, they study them and their magic." He inclined his head towards Trixie and Snowflake. "They've been working to try and figure out a way to bypass the Barrier for years now, and suddenly you come along!"

An arm extended to clap Rythian on the shoulder. "Shall we go?" he asked, grinning.

Click to shrink...

"I see, " Rythian responded as he sidestepped the clap. He'd be lying if he said he trusted the man, but as it stood he didn't see any reason to decline, and several obvious ones to accept.

"Let us go, then."

 

[Cyreni]

"I see, " Rythian responded as he sidestepped the clap. He'd be lying if he said he trusted the man, but as it stood he didn't see any reason to decline, and several obvious ones to accept.

"Let us go, then."

Click to shrink...

"Excellent! Victor, Uriah, bring the ponies along and keep an eye on them. Karen, would you kindly make a few calls to have Mr. Rythian's portal carefully moved to someplace more secure? Hernandez, make sure nobody pokes around where they shouldn't and arrest anyone who does."

Rythian got a ride in Maxim's personal vehicle, a sedan with tinted windows, while Trixie and Snowflake rode in a jeep trailing behind. Brussels was packed, though not anywhere near the level that Boston was at, and with significantly fewer firearms spread amongst the population. There weren't even any posted soldiers. "There's nothing we can do to stop anything like what happened to Boston," Maxim said between calls, "and the converters are only attacking emigrants in transit- train, highway, convoy, they have tricks for all of them."

They arrived at the parliament building, the outside lot with a number of parked cars but not as many as such a large structure might have suggested. Maxim led Rythian through and into an empty side room with a large table, and two dozen screens in a semi-circle along the wall displaying older, official-looking men and women in formal wear. "Maxim! You had better not be pulling our leg!" one of them said as soon as he stepped in.

"This is... Archmage Rythian?" a woman asked, tilting her glasses.

"Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, and I promise you that this is no joke." Maxim said, contrite. "I have four other witnesses and you can send over as many investigators as you'd like- you can even send them to investigate Equestrian soil directly, if you so desire!"

"I trust you Maxim," the first man said, "but you're giving us a miracle, and I stopped believing in miracles years ago."

Maxim put up a hand. "Hanz, I swear by all that is good and holy that I am no liar. Mr. Rythian came in a few days ago and built us a functional portal to Equestria, which leads me right into why I called this meeting to begin with." He took a seat, and gestured for Rythian to take one as well. "We are standing on the precipe of a turning point. As we all know, the Barrier has foiled every attempt at retaliation to date, but no more! We have the capability to end this war in a single, crushing blow, with minimal risk to any man! I suggest we bring down their vaunted Canterlot with the power of the sun- bring us thermonuclear weapons."

 

[Silvan Eldar]

"I turn into a piglet when splashed with cold water." he squeaked.

Click to shrink...

"That's a funny joke Ryo-chan." Nui replied, giggling at what she thought was the boy's humor.

It was, after all, pretty hard not to find that kind of joke funny after listening into so many of Lady Satsuki's silly speeches about 'Pigs in human clothing' and all that Orwell paraphrasing she got up to in them.

But after a few seconds, Nui noticed that the boy wasn't laughing. Now, she didn't have much experience with sharing jokes with humans, but from what she'd seen during her various errands for Maman she knew that humans tended to laugh at their own jokes, which implied....

"Oh! You're not joking at all, are you Ryo-chan?" She really was beaming now, not even the slightest hint of falsehood in the overly-wide smile she was wearing.

Even without waiting for confirmation her hand had already begun wandering towards a specific fold in her dress, reaching for the bottle of water she'd grabbed just in case she wanted to mess with Ryouga after giving him his new outfit. But before the boy's doom was in her hands, Nui hesitated, an almost confused look coloring her gaze even as her smile returned to its normal state of false cheer.

A few long moments passed, and after letting out a sigh Nui's hand dropped to her side. Visibly trying to give a genuine smile but not quite managing, Nui gave the boy a slight curtsy.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the outfit Ryo-chan." and with that said, the Grand Courtier spun on her heel and started walking away, a visible tension in her shoulders.

 

[Dalek Ix]

[Sunset Shimmer]

White was quite hot. Not entirely comfortable. Not at all comfortable.

"Sunset..."

Cushioned by a warm blanket of goldenrod magic Celestia reared up to wrap the flaming demon-girl in an embrace. She nuzzled in tight and drew her wings around Sunset.

"Oh dear heart. You don't, you don't make it all worse. You have such potential Sunset, and if you can't see that like I do we have to fix it along with the rest."

"The forces that have thrown us together are capricious, their candidates of...inconsistent suitability. You're right to question, but they're what we have to save our worlds with. We...I feel the same as you. This cannot continue as it has, but to change things I will need you Sunset."

Celestia squeezed tighter.

"I trust you. I value you." A tear slipped down through her shield and boiled away. "I said I'd always love you Sunset, and it hurts me that you're hurting so."

Click to shrink...

And with that, any restraint I was still holding onto completely collapses. I lean into the mare I'd always wanted to call "Mom", hugged her tight and just cried.

There's a lot I still want to say. How I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough of a student, how I miss her, how I'm scared --terrified, really-- that we'd one day go home and... And we'd find out that the Celestia I met here was another Sunset's Celestia, and the Sunset Shimmer she met was another Celestia's Sunset Shimmer, and this all would be for nothing--

No... No, not for nothing.

I squeeze her tighter. The flames cool, then dim, and then fade.

Even if this isn't the Celestia I know, and I'm not her lost student... These are still steps that both of us needed to make. And there's still a lot we need to talk about but, for now, I just... hold her.

I remember curling up at her side, her wing over me as she told me stories.

And, for a moment, I'm not some beast from Tartarus.

[Valerie von Brandenburg]

"Having Doppel starve for this long is never happening again as long as I'm still here, even if I have to feed her myself." Spark stated.

Click to shrink...

Jason looks more directly at Val at the line about "the man in the arena".

I think for a moment, then reach down to my belt. "I've seen what happens when people use The Power when they shouldn't. When they're not in a good place." I pull my morpher up and look at it. "If I'd used this, I could have really hurt Miriam." I run my thumb over its golden face before holding it up towards Val.

"Until I'm better."

Click to shrink...

"Personally, I'd say if you're willing to give up power to make sure others aren't going to be injured around you, you're probably good enough to handle said power." Spark noted.

And I wouldn't have let you hurt her seriously, anyway. Pretty sure you transformed could take enough power from me to push you off course.

Click to shrink...

<<Sir Spark is correct, Sir Jason,>> I say, <<"Be wary of the man who seeks the crown", they say. But, if it helps thine peace of mind...>>

I take the device as I would someone's sword, and slip it into a pouch at my waist.

<<Until thy deem thyself ready.>>

"Me." I say, at once declarative and resigned. "She was starving. A regular feeding wouldn't be as bad, and she'll have to take the least from me."

"And I know what's coming. I can be ready next time."

Click to shrink...

"I'll put myself on the list, if Doppel doesn't mind. You might be able to handle it, but if the drain's split between the both of us, that'll blunt the effects even more - hopefully enough that there isn't a need for a recovery time at all."

Click to shrink...

<<Sharing the burden would be better,>> I note, <<For our sake and her own. If she only had thee, Sir Jason, she may come to feel isolated from the rest of us. Or she may fear that the rest of the Company would not be so kind...>>

I may be starting to improve a bit now, but it was still nowhere near enough to get me to care about whatever was happening to Miriam right now. She'd made her choice the second she cast that spell on me. But Sunset?

No. I was supposed to be helping her get better. I'd just done the opposite. For the first time since the feeding, I feel something other than freedom and rage:

Regret.

Click to shrink...

I sigh.

<<As much as it pains her, Sunset's outburst was something that needed to happen. There's a rot in the Company, and we have until the next battle to see to it...>>

Spark winced.

Add one more on the list of things I really needed to help with and failed - helping Sunset with her emotions after that evolution. Alongside Nui, which I feel is going to be a conversation and a half about what is necessary killing and I am not looking forward to that.

He let out a deep internal sigh.

And it's not like Munna, who just got too close to the despair of all Pokékind and got in a feedback loop until me and Umbra beat it up. Or Mew.

...

Wait, what was that bit about Prometheus?

Click to shrink...

I blink, and turn towards Sir Spark.

<<Did thee hear something? I'll admit that my hearing was a bit... Overwhelmed by the emotions coming from Miss Sunset.>>

 

[Xellos]

"That's a funny joke Ryo-chan." Nui replied, giggling at what she thought was the boy's humor.

It was, after all, pretty hard not to find that kind of joke funny after listening into so many of Lady Satsuki's silly speeches about 'Pigs in human clothing' and all that Orwell paraphrasing she got up to in them.

But after a few seconds, Nui noticed that the boy wasn't laughing. Now, she didn't have much experience with sharing jokes with humans, but from what she'd seen during her various errands for Maman she knew that humans tended to laugh at their own jokes, which implied....

"Oh! You're not joking at all, are you Ryo-chan?" She really was beaming now, not even the slightest hint of falsehood in the overly-wide smile she was wearing.

Click to shrink...

'No. It's not a joke at all.'

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised it wasn't her fist thought to think that water would have a magical effect on him. Even though she seemed to be a magical being of some sort made with magical clothing stuff, her actual experience with it sometimes seemed... limited? Ponies seemed to surprise her.

So a curse that turned someone into a piglet may be weird to her. He couldn't imagine how she managed to be so sheltered though; magic just seemed to pop up whenever it would be most inconvenient in his experience.

His bad feeling was getting more intense though...

Even without waiting for confirmation her hand had already begun wandering towards a specific fold in her dress, reaching for the bottle of water she'd grabbed just in case she wanted to mess with Ryouga after giving him his new outfit. But before the boy's doom was in her hands, Nui hesitated, an almost confused look coloring her gaze even as her smile returned to its normal state of false cheer.

A few long moments passed, and after letting out a sigh Nui's hand dropped to her side. Visibly trying to give a genuine smile but not quite managing, Nui gave the boy a slight curtsy.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the outfit Ryo-chan." and with that said, the Grand Courtier spun on her heel and started walking away, a visible tension in her shoulders.

Click to shrink...

...And then vanished, as though it had never been. It's like whatever was bad that was almost certain to happen... hadn't. Huh?

Nui had taken a minute to regain her composure, but just then... she had lost it again, hadn't she? He couldn't see any obvious cause, but nothing bad seemed to have happened.

'Huh. I told her, and nothing went wrong.' he thought. 'She's not really like Azusa after all.'

At that moment, Ryouga's instinctive fear simply melted away. He would be able to deal with Nui now.

"Thank you again, Nui-san." he replied. "...See you around, I guess..." he said, quieter, moving in the other direction. Whatever happened, she pretty clearly didn't feel like talking anymore. He could probably find a place to try on this outfit. Whatever had prompted her to make it to start with, it was a nice gift. It would be a shame to not wear it.

Even if it was alive somehow.

 

[shubzilla]

"Personally, I'd say if you're willing to give up power to make sure others aren't going to be injured around you, you're probably good enough to handle said power." Spark noted.

Click to shrink...

<<Sir Spark is correct, Sir Jason,>> I say, <<"Be wary of the man who seeks the crown", they say. But, if it helps thine peace of mind...>>

I take the device as I would someone's sword, and slip it into a pouch at my waist.

<<Until thy deem thyself ready.>>

Click to shrink...

"Look, I didn't go in there to do anything but talk. Once she cast the spell on me, I reacted; nothing stopped me, nothing tried to stop me, here or here." I point to my head and heart as I finish that. "I'm giving it to you now because if later I should, I won't."

"I'll put myself on the list, if Doppel doesn't mind. You might be able to handle it, but if the drain's split between the both of us, that'll blunt the effects even more - hopefully enough that there isn't a need for a recovery time at all."

Click to shrink...

<<Sharing the burden would be better,>> I note, <<For our sake and her own. If she only had thee, Sir Jason, she may come to feel isolated from the rest of us. Or she may fear that the rest of the Company would not be so kind...>>

Click to shrink...

"Okay, you've made your points. But if you start showing problems like this, you're off the list."

<<As much as it pains her, Sunset's outburst was something that needed to happen. There's a rot in the Company, and we have until the next battle to see to it...>>

Click to shrink...

I sigh pretty deeply. "Yeah, I wish it didn't have to be shown like this, but you're right." I ball up a fist and hit the floor. "Has anyone even talked to Nui about what she did?"

 

[Umbra]

I blink, and turn towards Sir Spark.

<<Did thee hear something? I'll admit that my hearing was a bit... Overwhelmed by the emotions coming from Miss Sunset.>>

Click to shrink...

"I'm pretty sure telepathy doesn't count as hearing." Spark noted. "And, uh."

He paused for a moment, thinking.

How to explain this without having more explosions?

"It's one of the things that we really need to go over with her about." He admitted.

Like how I had to explain that our actions as a whole are looked at more than just us as individuals. And a severe dislike of that fact.

"Okay, you've made your points. But if you start showing problems like this, you're off the list."

Click to shrink...

"If it helps, I'm familiar with very similar concepts and their effects personally."

Like confusion. Or Attract and infatuation. Or being puppeted with Hypnosis. Or generally fighting Outlaw Psychics. And there was that whole Shadow Pokémon thing that's probably been suppressed by Espeon after using the Time Flute.

...

Huh.

"It's kind of a long list, come to think about it." Spark admitted.

I sigh pretty deeply. "Yeah, I wish it didn't have to be shown like this, but you're right." I ball up a fist and hit the floor. "Has anyone even talked to Nui about what she did?"

Click to shrink...

"Was planning to after my talk with Prometheus, but then the meeting happened." The Pikachu admitted. "Also kind of need to talk to everybody to set some ground expectations because like I told Clear earlier - we're all pretty much from different universes. And different universes may be pretty lenient about things that are serious in others."

He untied his scarf - and a very obvious patch of fur was missing from the throat area. "Like dying and coming back to life. Which I did last week through some really weird circumstances. And Umbra has died twice and got better through even weirder shit."

Which, thinking about it, hopefully explains Nui a bit better than just full-blown psychopath.

"Maybe where she's from, death is cheap and people come back all the time. Might explain why she regenerates so quickly if that's the norm. It could even be weaker for all we know, and that's pretty much the problem."

He shrugged, tying the scarf back. "For all we know."

 

[Mina]

I squeeze her tighter. The flames cool, then dim, and then fade.

Even if this isn't the Celestia I know, and I'm not her lost student... These are still steps that both of us needed to make. And there's still a lot we need to talk about but, for now, I just... hold her.

I remember curling up at her side, her wing over me as she told me stories.

And, for a moment, I'm not some beast from Tartarus.

Click to shrink...

She didn't have any more words. There was nothing the hug didn't say that she would, could... It was strange to think of a time when Sunset was so tiny, but Celestia did her best to comfort the towering woman. Let her cry it out. Let all the bad feelings flow away.

"Shhh...shhh..."

 

[shubzilla]

"Maybe where she's from, death is cheap and people come back all the time. Might explain why she regenerates so quickly if that's the norm. It could even be weaker for all we know, and that's pretty much the problem."

He shrugged, tying the scarf back. "For all we know."

Click to shrink...

My face shows the annoyance and disgust in my mind. "For all you know. What explains cutting up a body so you can use the parts to beat others to death? What explains enjoying it like the look on her face said she did?"

 

[Umbra]

My face shows the annoyance and disgust in my mind. "For all you know. What explains cutting up a body so you can use the parts to beat others to death? What explains enjoying it like the look on her face said she did?"

Click to shrink...

I mean, doing bodily harm with one 'mon against another is kind of fun, especially when they're Outlaws - and it's kind of necessary in a Mystery Dungeon when there's a swarm and I'm tapping out.

Spark held up a paw, frowned in thought, then thought better of it. But I certainly don't kill them like Nui did with those guards.

"Yeah, got nothing." He admitted.

 

[Xellos]

Fortunately, Ryouga managed to find a relatively out of the way and unoccupied spot on the UFO without too much hassle, in the sense that he remained in the same general area. Though he'd immediately turned around and walked right back in a different direction upon encountering Sunsrt and Celestia clearly having an emotional hugout moment. Hopefully the two hadn't noticed him seeing them doing that. It was... rude, to spy on something like that. There were also some people yelling about something, which he managed to avoid.

The real issue was avoiding just walking out of the UFO. Once, he was pretty sure he'd stepped in snow. And the UFO hadn't even landed in snow last he checked. Either he'd been lucky and made it back, or he'd wandered on to someone else's UFO. Either seemed likely.

'...Maybe I should have just sat down where I was...' he thought, contemplating the idea that any second now, an alien of some sort was going to round the corner and start yelling at him in English. Somehow they always knew English. He waited a few seconds. No extra dairokken warning, and the room he had found remained empty. Thank goodness for those door's rythian had installed before leaving, otherwise changing would have been super awkward.

In about a minute, he was out of most of his older clothes and in the 'living outfit' Nui had made him. No surge of power entered him, so clearly it wasn't quite the same thing as the battle dogi that Akane had been so upset about losing. He practiced a few punches and kicks quickly, and the uniform didn't seem to inhibit or aid his strength and speed. Good.

He tried letting off some aura and glowing. Everything seemed normal. Forming a floating ball of ki didn't seem anymore difficult. Far as he could tell, nothing really changed. It really did seem to just be armor. One last thing to try. He took off the belt that had come with it, focused his ki, and made a quick snapping motion with it.

The cloth belt simply hung limp, not stiffening in the slightest, and certainly not becoming razor sharp. Frowning, he tried again, focusing on what exactly happened when he attempted the technique.

...When he tried to reinforce the cloth with ki, that thread of life running through it greedily drank it all up. While the material didn't seem to absorb ki normally, feeding cloth energy on purpose like that was something it did respond to, and ruined the technique.

'Well.' he thought, slightly discouraged. 'That will be annoying. At least I don't use the sword that often anyway.'

He could always change just the belt, or tie his normal one around his wrist or something.

...Now, where did he leave his backpack? He'd have to put his old clothes away.

 

[Blackout]

"Excellent! Victor, Uriah, bring the ponies along and keep an eye on them. Karen, would you kindly make a few calls to have Mr. Rythian's portal carefully moved to someplace more secure? Hernandez, make sure nobody pokes around where they shouldn't and arrest anyone who does."

Rythian got a ride in Maxim's personal vehicle, a sedan with tinted windows, while Trixie and Snowflake rode in a jeep trailing behind. Brussels was packed, though not anywhere near the level that Boston was at, and with significantly fewer firearms spread amongst the population. There weren't even any posted soldiers. "There's nothing we can do to stop anything like what happened to Boston," Maxim said between calls, "and the converters are only attacking emigrants in transit- train, highway, convoy, they have tricks for all of them."

They arrived at the parliament building, the outside lot with a number of parked cars but not as many as such a large structure might have suggested. Maxim led Rythian through and into an empty side room with a large table, and two dozen screens in a semi-circle along the wall displaying older, official-looking men and women in formal wear. "Maxim! You had better not be pulling our leg!" one of them said as soon as he stepped in.

"This is... Archmage Rythian?" a woman asked, tilting her glasses.

"Yes indeed, ladies and gentlemen, and I promise you that this is no joke." Maxim said, contrite. "I have four other witnesses and you can send over as many investigators as you'd like- you can even send them to investigate Equestrian soil directly, if you so desire!"

"I trust you Maxim," the first man said, "but you're giving us a miracle, and I stopped believing in miracles years ago."

Maxim put up a hand. "Hanz, I swear by all that is good and holy that I am no liar. Mr. Rythian came in a few days ago and built us a functional portal to Equestria, which leads me right into why I called this meeting to begin with." He took a seat, and gestured for Rythian to take one as well. "We are standing on the precipe of a turning point. As we all know, the Barrier has foiled every attempt at retaliation to date, but no more! We have the capability to end this war in a single, crushing blow, with minimal risk to any man! I suggest we bring down their vaunted Canterlot with the power of the sun- bring us thermonuclear weapons."

Click to shrink...

The blood pounded in his ears. His heart thudded in his chest. His hands shook. His feet tingled. His vision disfigured, as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens. It was happening again. He'd given them the tools.

He was responsible.

He was responsible.

Rythian blinked his eyes rapidly, then several times more in quick succession. His vision cleared. The trembling abated. The electric tingling disappeared. Bile seemed to rise up his throat, but the mage pushed it back. He needed to speak.

"Nukes."

His voice was little more than a dry croak, his tongue feeling like lead in his mouth. Rythian swallowed and spoke again, louder, clearer this time.

"Nukes. You want to nuke Equestria."

Damn it all. Damn it all to the Nether. He should've known.

Everybody disappoints you eventually.

 

[Cyreni]

"Nukes."

His voice was little more than a dry croak, his tongue feeling like lead in his mouth. Rythian swallowed and spoke again, louder, clearer this time.

"Nukes. You want to nuke Equestria."

Click to shrink...

Maxim twisted his head around to look at Rythian as though he'd suddenly sprouted a second, revolting head. "The Tyrant has provoked a war of extermination against every man, woman and child on this planet, and shows no sign of stopping! Every day, thousands are subjected to a fate worse than death and millions are displaced from their homes, just to stay alive a little longer in the face of the Barrier which will eventually sweep over the entire world!"

"Archmage Rythian," said a severe woman on a screen, "while I do not share some of Maxim's more extreme views, the current state of affairs means that unless Empress Celestia and The Conversion Bureau meet a swift, crushing loss, we will all become newfoals. Absent of any other information to undermine her main asset, the Barrier, a nuclear strike is the safest, surest way to stop her."

Another man flipping through a stack of papers just handed to him spoke next. "If this portal can be duplicated and expanded, it may be theoretically possible to land counterattacks on key locations without the massive, indiscriminate loss of life that nuclear weapons incur. However, this is reliant on the Empress somehow being unable to 'change the locks,' as it were, and that we can gather the necessary intelligence to find these key locations, particularly if they are well-hidden or guarded. The existence of turncoat Equestrians is proof enough that there is a resistance that needs guarding against."

"That would also result in an extended battle in which more human lives would be lost," yet another person said. "The Empress will not take that laying down, and unlike her, we only have one man capable of creating our portals. None of the renegades have been helpful in this regard, save for a Recondite Hex before Moira went to-"

"Regardless!" Maxim called. "There is a clear consensus here! Any offense using machines or men is too risky. Any protracted battle will result in great losses of life. The bomb, placed in a strategic location, is the safest way to ensure our continued existence." He snorted. "And after all this is over, I guess we'll befriend the rest of the Equestrians eventually."

 

[Blackout]

Maxim twisted his head around to look at Rythian as though he'd suddenly sprouted a second, revolting head. "The Tyrant has provoked a war of extermination against every man, woman and child on this planet, and shows no sign of stopping! Every day, thousands are subjected to a fate worse than death and millions are displaced from their homes, just to stay alive a little longer in the face of the Barrier which will eventually sweep over the entire world!"

"Archmage Rythian," said a severe woman on a screen, "while I do not share some of Maxim's more extreme views, the current state of affairs means that unless Empress Celestia and The Conversion Bureau meet a swift, crushing loss, we will all become newfoals. Absent of any other information to undermine her main asset, the Barrier, a nuclear strike is the safest, surest way to stop her."

Another man flipping through a stack of papers just handed to him spoke next. "If this portal can be duplicated and expanded, it may be theoretically possible to land counterattacks on key locations without the massive, indiscriminate loss of life that nuclear weapons incur. However, this is reliant on the Empress somehow being unable to 'change the locks,' as it were, and that we can gather the necessary intelligence to find these key locations, particularly if they are well-hidden or guarded. The existence of turncoat Equestrians is proof enough that there is a resistance that needs guarding against."

"That would also result in an extended battle in which more human lives would be lost," yet another person said. "The Empress will not take that laying down, and unlike her, we only have one man capable of creating our portals. None of the renegades have been helpful in this regard, save for a Recondite Hex before Moira went to-"

"Regardless!" Maxim called. "There is a clear consensus here! Any offense using machines or men is too risky. Any protracted battle will result in great losses of life. The bomb, placed in a strategic location, is the safest way to ensure our continued existence." He snorted. "And after all this is over, I guess we'll befriend the rest of the Equestrians eventually."

Click to shrink...

"And your answer is mass murder."

They couldn't just-

He needed to.

But-

Then, an idea.

He grasped it like a dying man.

"It won't work."

Taking a deep breath, calming himself, Rythian continued.

"The Barrier. It won't stop just because you nuke the Equestrians."

Clasping his hands behind his back to keep them from shaking, Rythian began pacing back and forth.

"You might cripple them, but the Barrier will still come onwards, and there is nothing that can stop it. I've studied it already, and if I could stop it I would have done so. If it has controls, if there's a way to turn it off, the only place you'd find a way to stop it is in Equestria. If you nuke it, you will destroy the best chance there is at stopping the Barrier. And it will envelop the Earth. There is no possible way of building enough portals. Billions would die."

 

[Cyreni]

"You might cripple them, but the Barrier will still come onwards, and there is nothing that can stop it. I've studied it already, and if I could stop it I would have done so. If it has controls, if there's a way to turn it off, the only place you'd find a way to stop it is in Equestria. If you nuke it, you will destroy the best chance there is at stopping the Barrier. And it will envelop the Earth. There is no possible way of building enough portals. Billions would die."

Click to shrink...

"Then what do you propose, Archmage Rythian?" an asian man asked, neutrally. "If you haven't noticed, we humans would have a very difficult time infiltrating pony-filled Equestria to gather intelligence on where to strike, and if there are turncoat ponies trustworthy and capable enough to perform such acts, that would be news to me. We're pressed for options at this point."

"There are rebel groups," a woman added, "but from the information we have the majority of them are nonponies, and the ponies that have turned away from the Tyrant Sun are outlawed. We could set up communications with them, and if they can pinpoint the location of the Barrier's control device, we can surgically destroy it- but if they can't our hand will be forced, and if the Barrier can be reestablished, we'll have accomplished nothing."

"MAD has disintegrated. We can't stop them traditionally. If we could make it so the threat of nukes is always available then we could, perhaps, deal with Equestria in a mildly more conventional political way, but as it stands we cannot."

 

[Dalek Ix]

[Sunset Shimmer]

She didn't have any more words. There was nothing the hug didn't say that she would, could... It was strange to think of a time when Sunset was so tiny, but Celestia did her best to comfort the towering woman. Let her cry it out. Let all the bad feelings flow away.

"Shhh...shhh..."

Click to shrink...

"I'm s-sorry," I sob, "I'm sorry I took the c-crown! I-I'm sorry I ran through the m-mirror! I'm s-sorry I was such an awful, *hic* awful horrible brat!"

The small corner of my mind that automatically generates snark protests my inelegant blubbering. The rest of me tells it to shut up and let me cry in peace as I continue to beg forgiveness for all the slights I can remember from my time as Celestia's Worst Student. The Incident with Blueblood. The Kitchen Disaster. The Time I sent All The Maids Crying Home. The fights, the fires...

Dear Faust the fights and the fires. There were a lot of those.

And for what? After all... it wasn't my cutie mark on the Tree of Harmony.

Another corner of my mind suggests that Twilight isn't so much my replacement as I am her prototype. The one that had all the kinks that the real version would never have.

A third, tiny silver suggests that maybe I was nothing more than a "trial run" for the Princess, but I squash that thought with a vengeance, even as I voice the other one.

[Valerie von Brandenburg]

"Okay, you've made your points. But if you start showing problems like this, you're off the list."

Click to shrink...

<<Duly noted, Sir Jason.>>

I briefly wonder what manner of things a creature that feeds on emotions would do to me. And frankly, my mind draws a blank.

If anything, this will be a learning experience...

Valerie, must thou test the mercy of God?

"I'm pretty sure telepathy doesn't count as hearing." Spark noted. "And, uh."

He paused for a moment, thinking.

How to explain this without having more explosions?

"It's one of the things that we really need to go over with her about." He admitted.

Like how I had to explain that our actions as a whole are looked at more than just us as individuals. And a severe dislike of that fact.

Click to shrink...

I briefly narrow my eyes at Sir Spark, and sigh deeply. I am quite familiar with the feeling of someone trying to hide something from me; more irritating than insulting.

<<From what I can feel, it is one of several things that we need to talk to Lady Prometheus about,>> I say, placing a certain emphasis in the last word, as I copy my old master and rub where the bridge of my nose would've been, if I were human, <<She told me about the soulless creations she made in desperation for supplies... It appears that she feels great fear in being alone, and so she bonded to the Company. At some level, deeper than that of concious mind, she thinks we art her Clan. But we are not her kind... Sir Spark, what other things did thee learn about Prometheus when you talked with her? Besides what thy art very carefully not thinking about?>>

I sigh pretty deeply. "Yeah, I wish it didn't have to be shown like this, but you're right." I ball up a fist and hit the floor. "Has anyone even talked to Nui about what she did?"

Click to shrink...

"Was planning to after my talk with Prometheus, but then the meeting happened." The Pikachu admitted. "Also kind of need to talk to everybody to set some ground expectations because like I told Clear earlier - we're all pretty much from different universes. And different universes may be pretty lenient about things that are serious in others."

He untied his scarf - and a very obvious patch of fur was missing from the throat area. "Like dying and coming back to life. Which I did last week through some really weird circumstances. And Umbra has died twice and got better through even weirder shit."

Which, thinking about it, hopefully explains Nui a bit better than just full-blown psychopath.

"Maybe where she's from, death is cheap and people come back all the time. Might explain why she regenerates so quickly if that's the norm. It could even be weaker for all we know, and that's pretty much the problem."

He shrugged, tying the scarf back. "For all we know."

Click to shrink...

I shake my head with a sad smile. <<I'm sorry to tell thee this, but that is not the case with Nui,>> I tell Spark, <<I felt her mind, and found nearly a mirror; She likes pain. Physical, or other wise, she likes to see it in others.>>

I raise my hand to forestall the obvious reaction. <<That was from a mere superficial examination; I'd like to talk with the young lady. There are several ways the mind may end in that path, and most one can back out of. And even those who most would call irredeemable may find redemption doing God's work.>>

 

[shubzilla]

Spark held up a paw, frowned in thought, then thought better of it. But I certainly don't kill them like Nui did with those guards.

"Yeah, got nothing." He admitted.

Click to shrink...

"Let me guess. You like fighting; testing yourself against an obstacle that you might not be able to beat, but remembered that this went way beyond fighting?

"Sparring, weightlifting, stopping Rita's plans; they all give me a thrill, but not the deathstroke. Not the destruction of a monster. No matter how necessary it is. That's what keeps us rangers different from Rita."

<<I felt her mind, and found nearly a mirror; She likes pain. Physical, or other wise, she likes to see it in others.>>

I raise my hand to forestall the obvious reaction. <<That was from a mere superficial examination; I'd like to talk with the young lady. There are several ways the mind may end in that path, and most one can back out of. And even those who most would call irredeemable may find redemption doing God's work.>>

Click to shrink...

"And what makes me different from Nui." I pause for a moment. "If there's any chance of getting her, or Prometheus, to change, I'll do anything to help."

 

[Umbra]

"Let me guess. You like fighting; testing yourself against an obstacle that you might not be able to beat, but remembered that this went way beyond fighting?

"Sparring, weightlifting, stopping Rita's plans; they all give me a thrill, but not the deathstroke. Not the destruction of a monster. No matter how necessary it is. That's what keeps us rangers different from Rita."

Click to shrink...

"You're not wrong about me liking fights, though that's probably true of all Pokémon." Spark admitted. "But it's more because I've pulled similar stunts myself with a Fling Orb and Thunder Wave in dungeons."

...

"Just, not like that."

<<From what I can feel, it is one of several things that we need to talk to Lady Prometheus about,>> I say, placing a certain emphasis in the last word, as I copy my old master and rub where the bridge of my nose would've been, if I were human, <<She told me about the soulless creations she made in desperation for supplies... It appears that she feels great fear in being alone, and so she bonded to the Company. At some level, deeper than that of concious mind, she thinks we art her Clan. But we are not her kind... Sir Spark, what other things did thee learn about Prometheus when you talked with her? Besides what thy art very carefully not thinking about?>>

Click to shrink...

"Right, that's a bit of a list." Spark admitted. "Her words were, 'the nature of war, collateral damage, and Karma.'"

Except I'm pretty sure she means Karma as a religious value of some kind, like Arceusism or Mewism, instead of the 'talk shit, get hit' that Umbra jokes about.

"What we actually talked about was her expectations of leadership being people that can put aside their emotions for pure objectivity, that ponies have an actual connection to the concept of friendship and it's been blocked off by the Nightmare, and how her other drone is fairing."

Lovers. Either there's some time dilation going on, I have the wrong definition of lovers, or she's really forward when it comes to relationships.

I shake my head with a sad smile. <<I'm sorry to tell thee this, but that is not the case with Nui,>> I tell Spark, <<I felt her mind, and found nearly a mirror; She likes pain. Physical, or other wise, she likes to see it in others.>>

I raise my hand to forestall the obvious reaction. <<That was from a mere superficial examination; I'd like to talk with the young lady. There are several ways the mind may end in that path, and most one can back out of. And even those who most would call irredeemable may find redemption doing God's work.>>

Click to shrink...

Gurdurr, con man. Scraggy, our first Outlaw catch, and petty thief. The Pawniard Brothers, highwaymen and bandits.

And then there's Croagunk and Purugly, Salamence and Excadrill. And Munna. Attempted genocide, mass murder, and suicide, though all under outside influence.

Every single one of them are saving lives and helping others now.

Irredeemable. Not sure where that line begins for me, if I'm honest. Munna and her posse declined the invite, but there's a lot of former Outlaws in Shadowrun that turned a new leaf, and a lot more that still need help.

"And what makes me different from Nui." I pause for a moment. "If there's any chance of getting her, or Prometheus, to change, I'll do anything to help."

Click to shrink...

Spark paused.

Huh. I'm pretty sure that's him being fully in control of his faculties now. The severity of literally less than a minute ago to now? We're not even in a Mystery Dungeon for it to heal that fast.

"Glad to have your help."

You both are seriously impressive.

 

[Cyreni]

...Now, where did he leave his backpack? He'd have to put his old clothes away.

Click to shrink...

Ryouga's wanderings (eventually) lead him to where Melira was hiding out, amidst what was left of Grimlugg's shop after it had been recommissioned to serve the other members of the Company in a manner that didn't require an ork to fully grasp what was going on. Most of the random bits of machinery and scrap had been swept aside with the workbenches, while serviceable pieces had gone to those who could use it- Chirico for Scopedog, primarily. Everything that looked vaguely combustible and/or explosive was carefully locked away in a dense metal box in the far corner of the room, clearly labeled with DANGER: EXPLOSIVE, and a few simplified pictograms of someone exploding. This had freed up most of the floor space, which Melira was using to telekinetically fly water bottles around the room. Sweat matted her brow, her attention flicked from one orbit to another in rapid succession, and her arms moved as though conducting an orchestra, or being really bad at charades.

Then she spotted Ryouga stepping into the room and her eyes widened just a hair. Her concentration momentarily slipped, and the bottles slipped loose and burst against the walls and bits of scrap before she could regain control of them. One headed straight for Ryouga himself, and her expression morphed to that of pure panic in an eyeblink.

 

[Xellos]

Ryouga's wanderings (eventually) lead him to where Melira was hiding out, amidst what was left of Grimlugg's shop after it had been recommissioned to serve the other members of the Company in a manner that didn't require an ork to fully grasp what was going on. Most of the random bits of machinery and scrap had been swept aside with the workbenches, while serviceable pieces had gone to those who could use it- Chirico for Scopedog, primarily. Everything that looked vaguely combustible and/or explosive was carefully locked away in a dense metal box in the far corner of the room, clearly labeled with DANGER: EXPLOSIVE, and a few simplified pictograms of someone exploding. This had freed up most of the floor space, which Melira was using to telekinetically fly water bottles around the room. Sweat matted her brow, her attention flicked from one orbit to another in rapid succession, and her arms moved as though conducting an orchestra, or being really bad at charades.

Click to shrink...

Oh good. He could just ask Melira for help getting around. That would make everything work better. And then maybe after getting his clothes back to his pack, he could go talk to Celestia-

"Hello Abi-"

Then she spotted Ryouga stepping into the room and her eyes widened just a hair. Her concentration momentarily slipped, and the bottles slipped loose and burst against the walls and bits of scrap before she could regain control of them. One headed straight for Ryouga himself, and her expression morphed to that of pure panic in an eyeblink.

Click to shrink...

The bottle flew like a ballistic missile, the shell of it cracking open, and one nanosecond from impact, Ryouga just thought one thing.

'I thought she trained with those empty.'

There was no time to dodge. A breaking open water bottle impacted him in the face, and a splash of cold hit him. Instantly, he fell down, turning into a piglet. He didn't even try to get out of his clothes for a few seconds, just softly sulking.

'I knew it was gonna happen sometime. Should have known after Nui didn't randomly have a water bottle and did not immediately splash me with it that something would do it.'

With that thought, a tiny piglet wiggled it's way out of the pile of clothing, and looked up at the suddenly significantly taller Melira.

"Bwee." He oinked.

 

[Cyreni]

"Bwee," he oinked.

Click to shrink...

Melira put a hand to her mouth, eyes still as wide as dinnerplates. "I am so sorry Ryouga I didn't know you were coming around the corner and then I lost control and then... oops." Her fingers slid up to comb her mane backwards. They'd been hiding a wince. "I... can go get some hot water from Sunset? If all of that... mess has blown over by now?"