Lightspeed Rescue #2. First week
-Cover concept:
Cover A: Light blue background. Planetary's logo on the upper side, over the silhouettes of Fleetfoot with a serious/neutral face and wearing a grey trench coat instead of her Wonderbolts uniform (center), Lyra widely grinning with a diesel punk-ish backpack on her back connected to a mechanical hand mounted in her right foreleg (left) and Blinkie Pie wearing a brown Quatermain hat while holding a tribal zebra shield and spear with her forelegs (right).
Cover B: Nine photos scattered over a table, showing black and white pictures of Scout (pegasus), Soldier (earth pony), Sniper (griffon) and the other six covered by the silhouettes of Celestia and Luna over the table. In every photo has imprinted the TF logo over it.
***
-Canterlot, Palace's official conference room.
A press conference. Most of the time, that would mean that Equestria just survived the last mega-disaster and avoided total annihilation. Again.
This time tough, there wasn't a sunless day, chocolate rain, changelings attacking nor lost cities from a forgotten past. Actually, besides from the incident in the cultural center, this had been one of the most peaceful weeks in Canterlot. Still, both princesses called for a total media conference. To say that the room was flooded would be the understatement of the year. Reporters from every part of Equestria and some other places were inside the room, making the usual cacophony of a massive group.
"Ladies and gentlecolts." A regal voice called. The room felt silent immediately as the Princess started to talk. "We called you to this meeting, to make a public announcement." Every single attendant got the closest they could to hear what she had to say.
"For generations, the nation of Equestria has relied on its natural blessings to subsist. The magic that allows earth ponies to bring life, pegasus to control weather and unicorns to tap into the energies that connects us all." She allowed herself a moment of silence to look back at Luna who showed her support by nodding her head.
"But now that era must come to an end." The reaction was as calm as expected. And by expected, it meant calm as an erupting volcano inside a tropical storm at the same time that meteorite was about to hit earth. Just as expected. Celestia gave them five minutes to get a hold on themselves before nodding to Luna who stepped further and inhaled deeply. The solar alicorn covered her ears for the incoming explosion.
"EVERYPONY, HALT!"
The magical enhanced shout was more than enough to make the entire room to stop dead in their tracks and remain silent.
"Thank you, sister." Celestia whispered before continuing. "Ladies and gentlecolts. Since we were conscious, my sister and I vowed to protect and preserve life in Equestria and that's exactly what we've done for more time than anypony can remember We both made mistakes and we both had to sacrifice something at some point. With that in mind, it shouldn't be a surprise that we have the clearest idea about how to do that. How to protect our beloved land."
"But the times, they are changing. The evils from the past have resurfaced to attack us once again as also new faces of evil that threatened us in our very homes. If we want to resist, and we can resist, we will need to adapt too."
"Ladies and gentlecolts. Today begins a new era for our nation and for our world. The next time that disaster strikes we will be ready. I present you the next step on safety and protection."
The curtain behind her opened to reveal a golden round shield with a blue sapphire shape inside it.
"I present you, Lightspeed."
The room detonated in an explosion of questions and flashlights.
***
FIMFiction (not so) proudly presents:
In a world changing at an alarming rate both technologically and culturally like Equus is doing, Celestia and Luna decide that is time for being more proactive. Next time a villain or a disaster strikes Equestria or any other part of the world they will not just wait for the best to happen, now they will be prepared. Welcome to a new age in protection. Welcome to...
Lightspeed Rescue
Featuring:
Planetary in Ancient history (part one)
and
Team Fortress in Together again (part one)
Written and edited by Wave (still need an editor) Blaster.
Creative consult by 5thWriter (he's awesome).
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic created by Lauren Faust (and others I suppose).
Planetary created by Warren Ellis.
Team Fortress created by Valve.
Based on concepts from almost everywhere.
Copyrights lololol.
***
-Ponyville, first Monday after the public announcement of Lightspeed.
"Lyra!"
As usually, the daily cry from Bon Bon sounded from the house she shared with her marefriend, Lyra. They really loved each other but somehow, at least once per day, Lyra managed to exasperate her companion to the shouting point. This time it was because Lyra literally fried every electrical thing in their home with a localized electromagnetic pulse.
"How, in Faust name, did you manage to shut down the entire house?!" Bon Bon asked, confused and angry at the same time.
"I'm really sorry Bon Bon, it's just that I don't have the proper equipment." A mare unicorn with her mane all messed up and a little scorched walked from the study. "Hey, at least it didn't exploded like back on the Canterlot U." She smiled innocently while giving Bon Bon the puppy eyes.
Bon Bon sighed and smiled. "If you weren't that cute after nearly destroying a house..." And hugged her. "Let's go to the bathroom to clean you off."Lyra responded by raising her eyebrow.
"Miss Drops, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" But before this lovely pair went upstairs to share a shower, a very poorly synchronized knock was heard at the door. The happy couple looked at each other. Lyra closed her eyes and shook her head indicating that she wasn't waiting any visitors. Rolling her eyes, the earth pony walked down the stairs and opened the door to find a bat pony in armor waiting outside the house, his imposing stance and black coat gave him an air of seriousness.
"Good morning madame, is this the residence of Lyra Heartstrings?" Skywarp asked in a deep voice trying to sound formal but failing and being more menacing than anything. Bon Bon backed a few steps and slightly turned her head to a side without looking away from the captain of the Night Guard.
"Lyra? Did you do something to anger a scary bat pony?" He heard that and relaxed his shoulders a little but no loosing his initial appearance.
"Oh no, it's nothing like that. I'm here to talk about official business from Canterlot. Can I come in?" Bon Bon just stepped aside allowing Skywarp to come in. He took of his helmet and left it on the coffee table. Lyra entered the living room very slowly, also scared of the bat pony. He saw her and started to talk. "Miss Heartstrings, I'm here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
Upon hearing that, Lyra's fur became pale enough to be compared to Rarity's as she frenetically tried to explain herself. "Wait, no, please. It wasn't my fault the explosion thing, it's just that nopony warned me that uranium was THAT unstable. Also I've been paying monthly for the damages since then. I'm too young to go to prison!" She cried as at the same time Bon Bon placed herself, hooves extended, between the pony that scared the ponyfeathers from her and the love of her life. It wasn't a hard decision.
"You can't take her just for a mistake. Yo-you will have to pass over me." Skywarp didn't reacted to the odd scene in front of him but calmly spoke again.
"I think that you misunderstood me ladies. I'm not here to retaliate miss Heartstrings for what the Princess declared as a sincere mistake. I'm here to offer her a job as consultant for our new R&D project." Both mares blinked dumbfounded at the statement as he simply retrieved a document from his saddlebag an handed it to Lyra. "Our Majesties were very impressed with your thesis before you left Canterlot's University. She's willing to refinance your researches in exchange of working for us as consultant from time to time when the case requires your competencies." The mint unicorn wasn't hearing anymore as she read the letter written from Celestia's very horn. At the end of the letter was mentioned that her debt with the CU was already paid along with an initial payment for agreeing.
"Wow." Was the only thing her mind could come with. "It this real? Right now." Bon Bon took the letter on her hooves and started to read, her expression quickly changing from surprise to total disbelief.
"Of course. If you agree, here's your first paycheck for whatever you may need in the future." He handed her the check. Lyra looked at the amount and almost fainted.
"All this only to retake my researches?!"
"Oh no miss Heartstrings. That's your monthly pay." Now the unicorn actually fainted as her lover took her in mid fall. After putting her in the couch, Bon Bon read the check and fainted too. Skywarp cleared his throat completely unaffected by the commotion and walked away. "Must be narcolepsy."
***
-Canterlot, Tuesday night.
The Blueblood tower. The very insignia of Equestrian modern architecture. No older than twenty years, it had been built on the Prince's father's specific design and payed with the family fortune. Meant as the extra official center of the city, every activity from economy to government had at least one phase that involved the tower for its accomplishment. Also, its penthouse served as a home for the family's black sheep. His majesty, Prince Blueblood, who lived alone in the top of the tower.
A white unicorn was sitting inside the living room, staring at the city outside his window. Besides him was a coup filled with Nightmare's Locker wine, floating at his left by a light blue aura that matched his eye color. He had a lot on his head since Celestia's announcement. Not wanting to think more about it, and apparently coming to the conclusion that alcohol wasn't helping, he turned on the TV to distract himself. Of course, every single show was talking about Lightspeed that night.
"Perfect." He muttered to himself. He changed the channels from one conversation to another; new world order, crime, meta-equines, costumed vigilantes. Nothing good. Eventually, he just stopped in any random channel passing a perfume commercial at the tune of an old song.
Suddenly, somepony kicked open the main door. The white unicorn rose from his couch, turned around and looked at his assaulter. It looked like an earth mare but covered in a black jumpsuit so he wasn't really sure. But he knew exactly why was this pony here.
"Just a matter of time I suppose." He said with a voice that only showed resignation.
"I'm afraid so." She replied. "I assume you know why I'm here."
"For sending some bits where they were needed. Where those bits gave a voice to the voiceless."
"An annoying voice. Your moral crusade caused some troubles to very powerful ponies."
"I know." He paused for a moment to draw a cigarette case from his pocket. Opening it, the stallion calmly enlightened a cigarette. "I will give you one chance."
"What?" She asked, not believing what she just heard.
"Just lay your weapons down and walk away."
"Hell no." And with that last word the assault started. She was a younger earth pony, stronger and smarter. She would have the upper hoof on the first contact and everything coming after that was planed to the last move. A quick hoof in the face followed by a grip of his head -force him against the wall!- Hold the soon-to-be-dead prince and hit his face till he's a bloody mess. Finally, give him a moment for his last words -Forgive me aunt- and throw him through the window. Make a mess out of the department and take everything of value to make the impression of a robbery. Go back to collect your payment and call it a night. It was a good plan.
But not good enough.
Before the designated first contact happened, the stallion raised his left fore hoof and clicked his watch. The white unicorn she was paid to kill disappeared right in front of her eyes. From nowhere, a different voice spoke again.
"May I make a suggestion? Run."
Go for plan B, the .22 caliber revolver, just in case. She heard the sound of static behind her and a sharp pain in her back. She never stood a chance.
"Oh dear, I've made quite a mess." Behind the lying body of a saddle-arabian assassin, a changeling appeared. He wasn't any different from another of his kind; black body, dark blue chitin, arctic blue composed eyes. The things that made this changeling different were a dark red sky mask and a business suit of the same color. Adjusting his tie he reached for the communicator on his ear an pressed it. "Your majesty, you may come in."
A section from one of the walls contracted a moved inside it, revealing a secret door from where the real Prince Blueblood walked in. He looked worried at the body's blood and took a knee to check the pulse of the mare. Sighing in relief when he found a slight beat in her neck.
"Your instructions." Spy said. "I went for the clean space between organs. She passed out from the pressure point I pressed."
"Kobra, isn't it?"
"I believe so. The tattoo on her right hoof corroborates me." The unicorn looked again at the unconscious mare, focusing on her right fore hoof. There was the tattoo of a red cobra shaped like the infinite symbol.
"Good job, D'Aramis." Blueblood replied. He was one of the very few beings alive who knew Spy's identity.
"All in a day's work, Vlad." Both smirked together as Blueblood filled a couple of glasses with more wine. He took one for him and another for Spy. "For a well done job." The mercenary raised his glass.
"For the last one." Cheered the Prince back. Both stayed silently before he spoke again. "I'm sorry Spy." His face completely apologetic. "But they discovered us." There was nothing else needed to be said, by 'they' he was referring to the Princesses.
After the Gravel Wars, Spy and his companions were outlawed in Equestria. Only leaving the country or singing in for registration and vigilance they could be clear, Spy didn't do neither of those. The guards had the order to arrest him on sight. He accepted the job as Blueblood's bodyguard with the condition of keeping his status as secret. The moment the Princesses discover them it would mean bad news for both.
"I see." He looked at his watch, the invisibility charge empty. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." Finishing his drink. "I'll be parting now before the guards come in."
"It isn't necessary, my aunt is waiting in the next room."
That's it. The end of the line. One thing was to fool the Royal Guard, but the Princess herself? Not even Spy would be able of such a feat. Blueblood looked at him and smiled one last time, the changeling smiled back at him and both walked together inside the security room. Celestia was waiting for them, sitting at her nephew's desk while reading a folder with Lightspeed's logo on it. The Prince stayed next to the door as Spy walked further.
"Ahem, your majesty." Celestia left the papers on the desk and raised her gaze. The alicorn's expression was unreadable, even to someone as trained as the changeling. He tried to use his own magic to see how angry she was but a quick scan only revealed that there was no aggression from her.
"Oh, Spy. I was reading this report from Hors Co. You got quite a history." This comment only served to tense him. By that she stated that she knew how many kills where by his hoof. "And this other report from my nephew here." Raising a single paper with the Blueblood family's escutcheon. Celestia raised from her seat and walked around the desk next to Spy. He was ready to be arrested as he allowed himself a small reflection. 'By the Princess herself, not bad.' But the arrest never happened.
Instead, Celestia put a hoof on his shoulder while looking at his eyes. "Thank you." She said. "For protecting Vladimir all this time." Well, he wasn't expecting that but he wasn't going to question. "But I think that you belong somewhere else." There it is, the bad news after the good ones. "Do you remember your old team?"
He hesitated for a moment. He wasn't expecting that either. Sure, he remembered Heavy mentioning something about university and Engineer heading to Appleloosa. He didn't know where on Equus could be the rest of them.
"Because I would like to offer you and your old teammates a new job." She said smiling warmly as Blueblood got closer to him with a casual smile.
"I know that the tradition is to give you a golden watch, but I think you will like this better." A magical aura levitated a gun with a red handle and the silhouette of a pegasus mare on it's canon. Spy took the Ambassador on his own magic. He was definitely NOT expecting THAT.
***
-Wednesday, Canterlot.
Limestone 'Blinkie' Pie arrived at the train station, not really sure of what to expect. She was still living with her parents at the old rock farm when the letter came. She reached for her saddlebag and looked at it again.
Estimated miss Pie.
We inform you that your services as archaeologist, are required by the government of Canterlot. This opportunity is completely optional. If you agree, please attend at the Palace by the date indicated at the end of this letter.
Attentively:
The Royal Bureau of Research and Development.
Planetary Project, Lightspeed Rescue.
She hadn't done that much since she graduated from college to attract the attention of the Princesses. Actually, archaeology wasn't as exiting as those Daring Do books made it looks. Sure she got some travel to a couple of interesting places but it seemed really boring in comparison. Where were the traps, the ancient treasures, the lost civilizations? Where was the emotion?!
Still, she managed to get quite some action on her short trips. Her curriculum included at least four native tribes (one zebra, two buffaloes and one ibex) to prove that. She would have liked to travel more, like that blue unicorn that worked on her parent's farm for a season. She wanted to live traveling.
But a letter from Canterlot is a letter from Canterlot. If this new Lightspeed thing wanted something with her, she couldn't say no. She was with her parents and Maud, taking a break to visit them when she saw it on the news. 'A new system for a new era' said the news announcer. Not a full day after that and a grey mailpony gave her the letter. Now there she was, just a few bits on her saddle and her old hat on her head in the big city.
By when she arrived at the Palace's main door and presented the letter to a guard, he guided her to a small room arranged like an office. Inside were a mint unicorn with golden eyes and a light blue pegasus whose mane was white as the snow and her eyes were covered by violet sunglasses. They both looked at the door when Blinkie went inside.
"You're late, seven minutes." Said the pegasus. "Miss Pie, I assume."
"Yes, I'm sorry for that. And you are?"
"Fleetfoot, Wonderbolts Squadron. She's Lyra Heartstrings." Fleetfoot walked closer to shake hooves with Blinkie while Lyra waved saying 'hi'.
"Excuse me but, why I'm here?"
"That's what I've been asking her since I got here but she insisted to wait for you first." Lyra answered. "So, Fleetfoot, why are we here?"
Fleetfoot looked at them directly in the eye before walking back to the desk and producing a jar from one of its drawers. "Do any of you know what's this?" Inside the jar was a small insect like creature, with a round body and two big eyes.
"Parasprite!" Lyra and Blinkie shouted in alarm, the unicorn taking it further by preparing a spell. Fleetfoot simply put the jar over the desk and spoke again.
"Well, apparently you actually know. Please stop that spell, the jar is magically unbreakable." Lyra obeyed but still gave the little cute bast*rd a suspicious look before listening to Fleetfoot continuing. "The problem here, is that before a couple of months ago there was no reference or mention in Canterlot's archives of what is this creature nor how dangerous can it be. Even worse, the only reference we have is an isolated attack in Ponyville."
"Because of things like this, our majesties believe that we don't know enough about our own world. So, Princess Celestia created the Planetary initiative, which means that a specially assembled team will have to do the task of investigate, find and classify everything in Equestria that isn't in our books. Any questions?" Lyra raised her hoof as she was in a classroom. "Miss Heartstrings?"
"Yeah, who is gonna do that job?" Lyra asked, oblivious to the incredulous glare from both Fleetfoot and Blinkie.
"Are you-- Are you serious?" Blinkie answered to the mint unicorn.
"Sorry but I'm not too good at concentrating. Maybe that's why everything I fabricate has a fifty-fifty chance of blowing up."
***
-Thursday's lunchtime at Manehattan
Although there were actual peace treaties being negotiated between Canterlot and the Hive Castle, Spy knew that it would be a long way before ponies would accept changelings as equal beings. The invasion to Canterlot one year ago had left some deep scars in the image of the foreign nation. This notion was confirmed to him when he discovered that all the changeling who decided to live in Manehattan were inhabiting the same neighborhood knew as the 'Suicide Slum'. This made him to go disguised as a pony around the busy streets of the never sleeping city.
After being taken out of his first impression, Celestia explained him that Equestria was going to need professionals to protect innocents from threats that magic and politics could't stop. She was more than clear about the conditions of this arrangement (she was worse than her nephew about the non killing rule) but also assured him a more stable job since this would mean he wasn't a outlaw anymore. He still couldn't believe that after years as a free lance mercenary now he was working now for the very pony that outlawed him. But he learned long ago how to cope with a job, way back while working for Redmane and Blutrot Hors.
Since Hors Co. managed to get the government military contract and now Spy himself was working at their Majesties service, his old equipment was given back to him. It felt comfortable to have his old weapon set back inside his suit. The Ambassador gun in the inner pocket, the Cloak and Dagger watch in his wrist and the classic butterfly knife under his sleeve. Although the changeling couldn't think of many realistic situations where he would need such things, for him it was better to have it and don't need it than need it and don't have it.
He gave an indirect look at his invisi watch as he finally found his destination, the Hay Pizza Restaurant. Disguised as a simple dark blue unicorn with black mane, Spy went to the counter and asked for Scout's real name. At first, the waitress asked if Scout was in trouble again but the professional sneak pony assured her that he was and old family friend and just wanted to talk with the kid. She instructed him to sit down in a table to wait and offered him a drink on the house. Half an hour later and a grayish blue pegasus with dark brown mane went to his table.
"I've heard yer lookin' for me." He said, not giving too much of a care at the unicorn in front of him while sitting down.
"Oh nothing, just a job offer." The navy blue unicorn showed a sinister grin. "Are you the once called Scout?"
That phrase made the young stallion to go very tense, only someone from his mercenary days would call him by his class name. Although Scout was legally clean after his participation in the Gravel Wars there were still various ponies who still wanted a piece of him. The inhabitants of Teufort for starters.
Faster than running from an übercharged Heavy, Scout rose from his seat. "Look pal, if you want any problems." Promptly taking his chair by the leg and ripping it out. Armed with a broken chair leg he pointed it at the intruder. "You found them."
On his side of the table, spy couldn't hold his laughter anymore. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. No Scout, I'm not looking for troubles. I have enough dating with your mother." His commentary was replied by a hit from the chair leg. "I deserve that."
"Spy!" Scout finally recognized him. "Long time no see. What's goin' on ya shapeshiftin' pal?" The running pony pulled another chair from a nearby table and sat down again. "And please drop the disguise, it gives me the creeps."
"No, I don't want to drawn more attention to us."
"Please, this is Manehattan. Nobody gives a crap about changelings, look." He put both hooves around his mouth to scream. "HEY EVERYPONY, THIS GUY IS A CHANGELING!" But nopony seemed to give to much of a think about them, except for one stallion looking at the TV who answered.
"Shut up, I'm watching the game." And not a single f*ck was given when the changeling left his disguise. With that out of the table Spy didn't lost any more time and explained Scout the situation, making a perfect exposition dialogue.
"It happens that Princess Celestia decided that politics and magic is not enough to keep an entire country, an adjacent empire and various colonies establishments overseas safe. What is more, apparently somepony actually convinced her that certain group of well trained and experienced soldiers of fortune could give a reasonably efficient aid to the hard work that implies the never ending task of protecting all the sentient living beings under her and her sister's rule. In views of this, the previous legal condition put over our line of work and its practitioners have been effectively revoked, thus enabling again our right to practice our competences. To have all of us would be Their Majesties preference." If that speech was told to Medic or Engineer or, properly translated, to Heavy, it would have been understood immediately. But in this case the meaning of Spy's words that bravely tried to get into Scout's skull barely even passed his ears, getting only a simple response.
"Eeh..." And remember people reading this at home, pic your dictionary once in a while to enrich your vocabulary.
"Ugh." Putting his hoof over his nose bridge while sighing as heavily as his lungs could, even through changelings, as every other insect, don't even have lungs. "I will put it as simple as I can without using diagrams; We're not outlawed anymore. We have new jobs on Their Majesties's service. They want the whole team back together." This time Spy got an actual response, proving that simple messages are way more effective.
"Why didn't you say so?" Spy's face felt against the table, hard. "Count me in. But first, I'll have to explain this to miss da Costa before leaving." The insect equine's head quickly rose up from the table.
"Miss da Costa? Miss Beatrice Bonilla da Costa?" Spy's black skin became very close to white under his sky mask.
"Yeah, although she likes to be called Bea and-- wait. Do you know her?"
"That depends, is she actually a dragon, about your stature or shorter, black scales with neon green spikes?"
Scout nodded. "So you do know her."
"And you too, Scout. Beatrice da Costa is--"
"SPY!" Someone shouted from the counter making Spy to duck his head and cover it with both hooves. Scout only looked back to see 'Bea' coming closer to them. The dragoness wasn't taller than a regular pony, walked on her four legs and her proportions correctly matched with the ones of an equine. But where posture and walking said 'docile herbivore' everything else was crying 'dangerous predator'. Four legs armed with razor-sharp claws. Two wings folded at her sides, big enough to successfully lift any prey in her claws. A strong long tail pointed like the edge of a spear. All of her, from head to tail, decorated with thin curved green spikes. But these features weren't the cause of Spy nervousness. It wasn't the sinister smile full of white pointy teeth nor the glowing eyes of green light gazing at him.
It was the memory of an entire fortress filled with soldiers being burned down to ashes at the rhythm of a song.
Regardless of the changeling's reaction of fear and the pegasus dumbfounded expression, the dragoness almost jumped at their table to deliver a warm hug on Spy. "Oh my Wyrm, it's been ages since I last saw you!" Suddenly, the dreaded figure of a dragon who enjoyed setting everything on fire was weakened by her friendly behavior. "How have you been? You seem thinner, want a pizza?" And thus, Spy relaxed as his heart began to pump blood again.
"I'm okay, thank you." The professional calmed down. "Scout, let me illuminate you. The dragon with you have been working all this time, she's Pyro."
"I was wondering when you would notice." Chuckled Pyro. And thus, Scout became wither than snow as his body heat dropped to a similar degree with frozen water.
"So." Pyro spoke again. "I managed to catch some of what you were saying. Is it true? We have our jobs again?" Her reptilian eyes were full of expectation.
"Actually, yes. As long as we accept, we are Lightspeed's new Task Force."
***
-Friday afternoon. The Crystal Mountains.
The helicopter was still a recent invention. A unicorn from Ponyville had the idea and created a rough prototype that didn't worked. Then another one at Baltimare saw the potential of the idea, crashed two test models and the third was safe enough to sell it. So now, Lightspeed had this brand new machine that could fly like a balloon and maneuver as a pegasus. But the fabrication and operation cost was so high that only three machines were available. One of them, a light model with just enough space for a pilot and two or three passengers, was now flying near the mountains at the west of the Crystal Empire.
So cold and so savage was the weather in that place that some ponies believed the North Wind, father of the windigos, had his castle there. Of course, it was just a legend that died when the Crystal Empire was erected right next to the dreaded place. But even with a city near, the mountains were still a mystery for most of ponies.
Until now.
"Tell me again, why are we flying in one of my old inventions over the Crystal Mountains?" Asked Lyra over the noise of the rotor.
"You invented this?" Asked Blinkie in confusion, ignoring the unicorn's question.
"Not all of this, just the prototype, but forgot to patent it." She replied. "But again, what are we doing here?"
"First mission." Fleetfoot joined to the talk. "Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance want to open a new tunnel through the mountains, so they ordered a magical scan to look for fissures or caverns." She produced a map from her trench coat. "But the scans revealed something else."
Truth to her words, the map showed a cross-section of the Storm's Eye, the largest of the mountains. Blinkie didn't knew what she was looking at, but it clearly wasn't a cave system. Instead, the diagram was showing a structure of some kind, consisting in various cube like blocks connected by what looked like tunnels. But that wasn't what amazed the earth pony. Blinkie knew the Storm's Eye mountain, twice as big as the Canterlot one. And still the structures inside it was occupying all the mountain. Whatever it was inside the rock formation, it was big. Really big.
"We're here." The pilot called from the cockpit as the helicopters landed at the feet of the mountain. She took her helmet off, showing a pair of crossed eyes.
"Ditzy?" Asked Lyra. "What are you doing here?"
"Extra hours." The mare replied. "I'll be waiting here with the chopper." And she pulled a muffin from the inside of her helmet.
"Come on, we don't have all day." Fleetfoot was already out. "The scan found an entrance up this road." As she pointed a few meters ahead them. Blinkie with Lyra jumped out of the machine and followed Fleetfoot.
When they found the entrance, it looked like a regular cavern, but as the map was showing, they found a metallic door at the end of it. At first they didn't knew how to open and it was too heavy to force it. But Lyra pulled from her saddlebag a device that looked like a plate at the end of a stick. She called it a 'metal detector'. Fleetfoot at first questioned why the mint unicorn brought such a device.
"We needed it, didn't we?" Lyra replied as she finally found a button camouflaged as a rock. As she pressed it, the metal door descended, leaving an entrance that looked like a giant hallway.
"Well miss Pie, this is where you enter. Shall we?"
Blinkie gulped before adjusting her hat and steeping first. As she did it, a sensor in the corner of the room blinked it's red light and the hallway illuminated. The place looked like made out of metal, as the path seemed to turn around a few meters in front of them. The three of them turned around to enter to a giant circular room. When they where all inside, another sensor blinked and the floor started to shake.
"The cavern! It's collapsing!" Lyra screamed before performing the traditional Ponyville contingency plan for emergencies. Run in circles and cry 'The horror' till the danger pass. but it didn't lasted long as Blinkie grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her.
"Get a hold on yourself mare."
"It's not collapsing, its descending." Fleetfoot added as Lyra noticed how the walls around her were smoothly ascending, or rather they were descending. Five or six minutes later and the elevator hit the bottom with a soft thump and they found themselves looking into another hallway of the same titanic proportions as the rest of the place.
But this hallway was radically different from the previous one. The lights were failing and twinkling if not completely shut down in some sections, scorch marks all over the place and the metal around them was all rusted and battered, as if something really big was smashed against the walls and ceiling. Lyra tried to take a sample from the walls but the metal was too dense to even scratch it. Whatever managed to damage a place like that had to be massively big or powerful to do so. Or both.
As the advanced more and more, the damage in the place became more extreme, they even found a part where the solid rock was left exposed. Fleetfoot flew to see the hole closer and discovered that it was as thick as a pony and also that it wasn't broke. It was melted.
By the end of the tunnel, they found yet another door. This one as big as the hallway, covering all the end wall. The three ponies examined it, looking for anything that could serve to open it, but the door was made of a single piece of the same metal and it's surface was completely clean except for an inscription at its center.
Blinkie recognized the language of the inscription and, after a moment of translating, she announced what she found on that single word.
"I don't know what does it means, but apart from the zee the rest is neighponese." She took a moment to put a hoof on the door. "It says 'majinga'." She took a moment to think about how to explain the next part. "The first syllable, ma, it means demon. And jin can be interpreted as god."
Lyra stepped closer to the door without taking her gaze from the inscription. "Are you saying that it says majinga zee and that half of it can be translated as demon and god?" Blinkie nodded. "What does it means?"
Fleetfoot hoovered closer to the inscription, being the only part of the door that wasn't plain metal, and scratchd it with a hoof. "I don't know, but if the Princesses trusted us to find out, the least we can do is try to open it." Without noticing, she pressed the 'Z' and it started to shine for a moment before the deafening sound of gears inundated the air. The three ponies covered their ears as the giant door started do descend slowly. Finally, the door was completely opened, revealing only a dark void.
As with the entrance, a sensor activated when the ponies stepped in. This time instead, the lights revealed something completely different.
Scattered all over the floor, where six giant statues of beings that looked like bipedal creatures made out of metal. Fleetfoot hoovered closer to one that had a cone for head and was painted navy blue. It had wings but an arm and a leg were missing. The next one was purple and considerably bigger, but its head was melted. And so the rest of them had similar damages. Lyra examined the orange at the left and discovered something.
"Girls? I think these aren't statutes." She called as Blinke and Fleetfoot walked next to her. Pushing the hand of the 'statue' with a hoof. It moved easily. She went further and moved the whole hand with her magic. It was articulated like a dragon's claw. Definitely not a statue. They inspected the other five and found that all of them were fully articulated.
"What on Equus are these things?!" Called Blinkie.
*Clank!*
The ponies jumped out of their hooves at the metallic sound and turned on its direction to see what did it. The walked further and found another of these things. Like the others, it had two legs, two arms and a head, but unlike the others it was standing on its legs, raising it arms over its head and there wasn't a single damage over it. It was black and withe, with hands and feet painted in navy blue and two red plates over its chest.
Behind the standing titan was something else, a blue and white box. As everything so far in this cave, it had really big proportions. Made out of metal except for a broken glass window on its front side, exposing gears and circuits with various degrees of damage and rust.
Blinkie walked next to it, followed by Lyra and Fleetfoot. Lyra tried to figure out what was this thing by looking at the exposed mechanism in its window, but not even in her more savages nightmares she could have thought of such a device. Still, she went closer and saw five buttons on it lower side. Without really thinking about it, she put a hoof over the central one.
"No!" Blinkie shouted, remembering doing the same in a temple in the south of Equestria and having to outrun a giant rock boulder because of that. But Lyra was already pressing the button and the machine came to life.
*bah* A sound came from the box. *bah weep* The machine sounded again. *bah weep granah weep nini bong* It started to sound less like noises and more as if was trying to talk.
"Amazing!" Lyra couldn't hold it anymore. "This-- This must be ages beyond all we know!" Her hooves and head were shacking in excitement.
"Amazing!" The machine's speaker said. "This-- This must be ages beyond all we know!" It was Lyra's voice, but distorted. By this point, the mint unicorn was about to have a cardiac arrest.
"Okay, didn't see that one coming." Fleetfoot admitted her surprise too.
"Okay, didn't see that one coming." The machine repeated.
"Why is it copying us?" Blinkie asked as the mechanism did the same.
"Why is it copying us?"
"It must be programmed to record and save, like a black box." Lyra answered, chuckling. "Only that this is blue."
"Well, we found out what we were looking for. The ponies from R&D will explode out of their heads with all of thi--"
"" Fleetfoot was interrupted by a loud noise coming out from the blue box as various click were heard inside it.
At first, only the inner gears seemed to be moving, making the screeching sound of rusted metal against metal. Then, its sides bent to the front as two new pieces from behind it replaced them. The four displaced blocks moved around the central piece, forming four limbs and making a new figure of a bipedal being. Even with the clear damages and rust all over its part, the being made an imposing view for the ponies. Finally, a blue head with a face covered by a silver plate and a glass where the eyes should be poured from between the shoulders. The red visor glowed deep red as a new kind of sound came from behind the mouth plate.
"" It was speaking in a language that none of the present ponies recognized. Too amazed to move when the head moved and the visor's light glowed over them. ""
Then, the mechanical creature rose to its feet, dust and pieces falling from it, but it managed to stand tall as a house over the surprised mares.
"I am Soundwave." It said in a perfectly neutral Equestrian.
Author's Note
Finally!
This has to be the most complex piece of anything I've ever done. There's a reference, shout-out, foreshadowing and mythology gag on almost every paragraph.
The reason of its delay was me playing hours of Team Fortress 2 as Spy, Scout and Pyro, watching hours of Transformers G1 and Animated and reading an unhealthy amount of TF comics to get the characters right. Also a little stumble detailed on this blogpost.
As usual, leave a comment. Good or bad, I like honesty so I can know if I'm doing right or something irremediable bad.
Lightspeed Rescue #1. Protect and save.
-Cover concept:
First plane of Celestia's left side of her face in the right side of the cover and Luna's right side on the left. A blue and white background with motion lines going from the center where the Lightspeed logo is placed. At the lower part, the silhouettes of a armored unicorn, a Wonderbolt and a Night Guard.
***
FIMFiction (not so) proudly presents:
In a world changing at an alarming rate both technologically and culturally like Equus is doing, Celestia and Luna decide that is time for being more proactive. Next time a villain or a disaster strikes Equestria or any other part of the world they will not just wait for the best to happen, now they will be prepared. Welcome to a new age in protection. Welcome to...
Lightspeed Rescue
in
The beginning of tomorrow.
Written and (poorly) edited by Wave 'I hate my internet connection' Blaster.
Creative consult by 5thWriter 'his story is bigger'.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic created by Lauren Faust (and others I suppose).
Based on concepts from almost everywhere.
Copyrights lololol.
***
-Canterlot, Royal Palace. Two weeks after the return of the Crystal Empire.
The Royal Palace was an imposing sight for everyone on Canterlot. Every single visitor always gazed in awe at the majesty of the building, no exceptions. Ordered by Celestia in person, after the disappearance of her sister and the fall of the first Royal Castle, it was designed by Bricklayer Freedom. Following the Princess instructions, it was made not only as a residence for the government center but also to assemble a place of refuge that ponies from everywhere could see as a home. To remind herself and everypony else that nopony should be left behind.
A thousand years later, Luna meet a place that welcomed her as a home. Even as white and gold were predominant in the outside view, Celestia surprised her sister with a whole wing dedicated to the night and the stars. It was sealed as soon as it was finished, only to be opened by its real owner. A promise of hope to see the real Princess of the Night coming back and opening it.
In the Night Chambers, two alicorns fought a silent war.
"Black queen's knight to second pawn." Announced the Princess of the day. As the ultimate irony, and against the common belief that chess was to recreate the war between day and night, Celestia always was more reactive than Luna so she always choose the black side, in standby or the white one to make the first move, which was exactly Luna's regular approach. Like day and night, always complimenting each other.
"You know sister, I've been thinking about a very important subject." She secured her bishop with a tower behind it. That was another difference, where Celestia was more talkative and openly talking her mooves, Luna was more fond to keep her snout shut and let her actions speak. But this time Luna knew that she needed to say what was on her mind. "Our defense is a little outdated." Celestia advanced her knight. "We are being to dependent on the Elements. Sombra was too close from winning."
"Nonsense, Twilight and her friends managed to save the crystal ponies and now we got a powerful ally in the Empire."
"You know that's not true, we got lucky that at least the dragon, Spike, was smart enough to not let a pony walk alone into a castle full of traps." She placed the king's knight ready to attack the queen. "And how did Sombra managed to get free in first place? You know that passing the Elements to new bearers is not enough to weak the seals made by them. The same goes for Discord." Celestia retreated her king's tower to protect the king.
"Your point?"
"My point is that every week we seem to be in some kind of danger and every month is the end of life a we know it in one way or another." Luna just advanced a pawn. "And not only the evils from the past, also the world has brought new kinds of evil that weren't here a thousand years ago. Never in my life I've heard about changelings before."
"Alright Luna, I see your point. But we have managed to keep our ponies safe at the end of the day." Luna's pawn felt under Celestia's one. "Every single time." The black pieces where at two moves of doing mate.
"What will happen the day when we can't?" She moved her bishop. "Nightmare was very close of provoking that." She shivered after saying that.
"Luna, please." Celestia tried to avoid Luna to remember the Nightmare, she knew that Luna still felt guilty about that.
"But it's true. No living soul the whole land of Equus knows you better than me and Nightmare knew everything I knew." Celestia retreated again but not fast enough to avoid Luna's knight capturing her tower. "What if you failed to predict that Twilight would find the Elements, or that she would make the exact amount of the friends to bear them." The black knight felt. "You were sealed in the sun and your ponies were in complete shock of no having their Princess for the first time in their lives." A well placed knight captured the black queen, leaving the king finally unprotected. "What could have happened if Nightmare Moon won?" Luna was winning but her expression was of complete sorrow. After all, even if Nightmare Moon and she were two separated beings, it was Luna who brought the Queen of Nightmares to existence in first place.
"Luna, you can't lost yourself thinking of what could have happened. You should be just grateful that we are finally together again and the Elements have new bearers." The Sun Princess managed to capture the white bishop, breaking the Moon one's formation. "I have no answers for what could have been nor I have for what will happen tomorrow. Neither of us know." Luna looked at her sister, the white alicorn was smiling. "But that's why I missed you too much, you always see what I don't." The mini war at the board stopped for a moment.
"That was how we used to steal Star Swirl's cookies, I watched while you took them." For a minute long moment their weren't the goddesses that rule Equestria. Instead they were two sister remembering together the goods days.
"Queen's knight to queen's bishop." Celestia interrupted the moment innocently smiling. "Now that we established that the equestrian security is relatively week I need to ask, do you have a real suggestion? Or you're just pointing out our flaws just for the sake of pointing out our flaws?"
"Actually? Yes, I got an idea." Luna moved her tower slightly to the left. "Mate. Do you remember that project I tried to run before my banishing?"
Celestia just looked down, trying to figure out how in tartarus her sister managed to drive the game to a mate. She considered what she said. "The Innocent's Protection Agency. It was only meant to repair the damages from Discord's reign. After they did that, there was no real purpose to the agency to function." Luna cooked her head to a side. "I'm sorry Luna but it have been inactive for more than seven hundred years now."
"But now we got an industrial revolution in our hooves, also whatever is happening with the magic plane. You know that is not natural when Nightmare, Discord and Sombra got free in less than three years."
"Even if the agency was active, the world already changed. There's a lot you don't understand about politics and society. You can't just retake a thousands years old idea." Celestia sighed. "And check."
After a while, Luna finally came with the only move she could made. Putting a lonely pawn to the other end of the board, exchanging it for a queen, she finally replied. "Then help me to make it work, for them." She signaled with her head to the window where the could see most of Equestria.
Celestia looked back at her sister and then at the board, both sides trapped without possible moves to progress. "Okay Lulu." She only used that name when she wanted to be closer with her sister. "Let's go to the study, there's a lot of planning to do."
***
-Royal Palace's private meeting room. Two weeks later.
Under the very foundations of the Royal Palace was a maze of chambers and rooms which purpose was only full know by Celestia herself. On these rooms was the private meeting room, or "the closet" as the ones who knew about it used to call it. In this place Celestia arranged peace treaties months before they were made public, orchestrated the rise of promising towns in key places and even prevented wars from even happening.
The room was decorated in one of the simplest possible ways. Since it use was only for small reunions celebrated mostly in secret it didn't needed to have more than the absolutely necessary. This measure was to avoid any chances of missing any artifact that could be used to magically spy the conversations inside.
Despite its confidential nature and its nickname, the private meeting room was spacious enough to let an adult dragon to stay inside without major problems, which was the case some years before the return of Luna when Celestia managed to convince the Great Wyrm to make peace between ponies and dragons in exchange for asylum for orphan eggs that couldn't survive without their parents and needed additional magic to hatch.
The only clock in the room marked the ten minutes before midnight as a bat pony walked inside. Wearing the Night Guard's Captain armor, which was like the standard one but with golden borders, Skywarp was black as the night he swore to protect and his wings were purple like his military short mane. 'Don't be nervous. But with Shining and Spit... I'm different.'
After a while he heard the door opening, which tells him that he had arrived. For his own surprise, he feels sweat at the back of his head. "Shining." He said without turning around.
"Close." An orange mare dressed in the Wonderbolts uniform entered the room. "Hi Warp." Saluted Spitfire but before any of them could say another thing a flash of light sparked on the outside. Shining Armor walked inside the place just as the clock marked the exact midnight.
"I'm not late, am I?" Spitfire and Skywarp smirked at the unicorn's precision, never a second late nor early.
"I't been a while 'Prince' Armor." The bat pony said the word 'prince' in a half mockery half affectionate way.
"Not anymore, the Princess gave me my old job back. You're talking to you equal, Captain Skywarp"
"You look like a Captain and you even talk like one, but you will have to earn it before being one again." Both stallions glared at each other till the only mare in the room walked in the middle to break their eye contact.
"Now that the 'who piss longer' competition is over. Somepony know why we're here?" Shining and Skywarp shocked their heads as Spitfire walked to a sofa next to the door. The three captains sat together, remembering since the knew each other.
Shining broke the silence. "At least this is the best place for the encounter this year."
It wasn't a common knowledge but the three heads of the Equestrian militia knew each other since fillyhood. They met in the school in Canterlot way before earning they cutie marks, the three of them shared a desire to help others since then. Shining by protecting those who couldn't do it by themselves, Spitfire by saving ponies in danger and Skywarp by bringing justice where it was needed.
Eventually they grew up, discovering their talents and going in separate ways but not before promising to each other to never give up and to encounter again every year. Every time, each one of them remembered the promise they made to their friends and never gave up. Their unbreakable friendship remembering that they weren't alone. Now the three of them were together again.
"Ahem, gentlemen and lady." The calming voice of Celestia interrupted their silent meditations as the Regal Sister desscende from the ceiling of the room. "We would like to thank you for coming." They seated at the table as Luna made appear a series of folder and left them table.
"So." Started Shinig, being the closest to the Pirncesses it was natural for him to speak for the three. "What seems to be the problem?"
"First I need you to understand something. "Luna answered. "Whatever is said in this room is only meant for your hears and whatever you see is only meant for your eyes." They nodded so Luna continued. "First thing first, the world is changing." She paused for a moment. "We have observed how technology has progressed a lot since I left and now its progress have been accelerating. Also, there seems to be a disequilibrium in the mystical plane. As you may noticed, a lot of evils from the long distant past have recently reappeared."
"What Luna is saying is that we can't just wait for the next disaster to strike us and hope for the best." Letting a sight. "I never expected to say these words but if we don't change our ways we could lost the next time." Skywarp looked down to the folders, all of them had a yellow and blue symbol on the cover and nothing else, no tittle nor label, Spitfire noticed the same.
"But you have a plan, don't you?" The captain of the Wonderbolts asked. "You always have a plan."
"Yes, we have." Celestia replied as she took one of the folders with her magic and opened it. Inside it had a series of files, all of them had a the same logo of an Equus globe under the words 'Planetary' on the upper left. Shining took the first one and started to study it silently.
"The Planetary project. Meant to find, classify and develop everything we can from mystic to technology." Luna explained to the captain of her guard. "The idea is to be fill all those gaps in our intelligence as also to have a better look on recent progress around us." She proceeded to open the others that where similarly arranged, all of them with a different logo and code name: Rescue Teams, Checkmate and Task Force.
Shining raised his look from the files. "With all the respect in the world, this is one of your famous practical jokes?" Both Princesses shared worried look and then at him. He noticed the seriousness of their gaze and sighed. "But still, where are we gonna find the ponies for this job? Only from the Planetary project I can say we will need a group of experts in almost every field."
"Not to mention this 'Task Force'. These are specialties way too specific. We will have a rough time finding the right specialist for this kind of team."
"Done." Luna replied. "We already investigated every possible candidate for the main teams and the right one are in the lat page of every folder" Skywarp went straight to the last page of 'Task Force', there was a list composed of nine names from seven different countries and an specific role for each name. A similar list was in 'Checkmate', 'Planetary' and an unfinished one in 'Rescue Teams'.
"Your duty will be to recruit the members but only if you agree to do it." Celestia said. Shining looked back at his brother and sister in arms, Skywarp barely nodded with his head as Spitfire smiled with confidence. All of them still remembering their old promise.
"Agree? This is what we already signed for. Which are our priorities?"
***
-The solar chambers. Latter that day.
"Well Luna, you won. We're doing it." Celestia sat at her bed as her sister rised the moon before joining her.
"It wasn't me who won. It was Equestria and even Equus who have gained a lot with this."
"I'm actually positive of the Rescue Teams and the Planetary project. But isn't Checkmate and the Task Force a little unnecessary?" Although Celestia let her sister to retake her old defense project and even helped her in updating its nature to modern days she still wasn't convinced about some of the most radicals ideas.
"I understand your concerns, but after what I learned from Equus history from the last thousand of years I can't help but notice that although Equestria have been mostly safe and peaceful, the other nation didn't had that luck." She levitated a newspaper to her. It was the Equestria Daily, informing about Cadance presence in the city but Luna pointed out a small article about a recent change of government in Zebrica. The article didn't let too much except that recently a military junta presided by the general August the Great, a sympathizer with the equestrian system of government, just took the power temporarily after the suicide of the former president.
"I don't see how this affects us sister. Also the general already sent us a letter explaining that he's doing everything he can to keep peace in the country." Luna rolled her eyes as she passed her another newspaper. This one written in zebrican. During the extent of her life, Celestia dedicated every spent time she had to learning everything she could about the world around her so reading it wasn't very hard.
The front page was enough to surprise her. After reading the whole paper at a speed that only an alicorn could, she was stunned by the paper's tone. It described the change of government as a true coup d'etat and the general August as a real dictator, also the reports of unfair imprisonments of civilians related to the previous government.
"Luna, where did you get this paper?" Her voice calm as usual but her thousands years old sister could see the concern in her eyes.
"A refugee that barely escaped handed it to one of my guards at the frontier. After they understood what it was the sent it to me." Celestia slowly shook her head. "You see? This is why we need something like Checkmate, to know what's happening outside of Equestria. The general just lied to you and there was nopony to contradict him."
"But what we can do? We can't just leave Equestria to its own. You said it by yourself."
"That's the reason of why we need the Task Force." The regal princesses nodded to each other. There was a lot of work to do.
Author's Note
Well, this concludes the first part of my New 3 project.
Special thanks to 5thWriter who helped me (again) to put my ideas together, he also wrote a fic that is based on the same concept of this one, here.
For the reader who ended here by the following groups: Transformers, Team Fortress, Power Rangers and DC. Just wait for the next chapter and your respective favorite concepts will appear (but certainly, all of them except for Transformers already got a nod on their participation here)
As always, thanks for reading and please leave a comment. Critics, rants, opinions, everything is welcome.
