Chapters Author's Note
This story takes place within the same "continuity" as Anthropology JasonTheHuman .
Part 01: Startup
To look at him, no one would ever guess what it was Cole did for a living. True, on the surface he seemed like any other twenty-something trying to make his way in a hostile job market. It helped that he’d had several years of experience as a computer technician, and worked a wide variety of different jobs, from landscaping to electronics assembly. The fact that he was so nondescript as to be invisible to the casual observer helped as well. Slightly above average height, average build. Not too dark, not too light. The only “distinctive” features that could be claimed about him were his shorn skull, and trimmed mustache/soul patch combo. Those and his rectangular framed glasses completed the look of a man so bland as to fit in anywhere. Couple that with a near chameleon-level sense of fashion, and he could be literally anyone: businessman, day laborer, or blue-collar workingman.
Today he was wearing what he thought of as his “Professional” look: a black suit and white button-down shirt, unbuttoned collar, no tie. The meet was at one of the usual places, a bar and grill called “Jakes”. He’d picked the place, the prospective client, the time. She’d said she would be wearing a white dress and teal blouse. It only took a moment to spot her, seated at the left-hand corner of the moderately busy bar. Making his way to her, he cleared his throat.
“Miss Harp?”
The young woman turned, and Cole took note of her hair’s flawless dye job. A bit distinctive, but for its distinctiveness, it fit.
“Mr. Cole”?
“Just Cole.”
“Very well. My name is Lyra Michela-“
“No names.”
“I understand. I’d like to make use of your services for a transportation job.”
“Type of cargo?”
“A sealed trunk.”
“Size and weight?”
“Six by two by two, twenty kilos”
“Pickup point?”
“The ornamental overpass at the edge of town, this Friday, midnight.”
“Distance?”
“About three hundred kilometers, actual coordinates will be provided at the pickup point.”
“Timeframe?”
“Three hours, but ideally as fast as possible.”
“Ok, so a package, six by two by two, twenty kilos, three hundred kilometers, pickup at midnight, I assume stealth is essential?”
“Yes.”
“Five thousand. Half at pickup, half on delivery.”
“Reasonable.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Indeed. Thank you Mr. Cole, we’ll be in touch.”
Cole and the woman nodded to one another, and she got up to leave. As she was leaving, Cole took a seat at the bar. After a moment, the bartender, and owner, Jake stepped up.
“You want to tell me why a girl like that is negotiating a transport, Jake?”
“Nothing to tell.” The grizzled forty-something replied. A man of few words, Jake had seen action in the “sandbox” and had come back to the states with a newfound appreciation for peace and quiet. His bar and grill was one of the quieter night spots, perfect for Cole’s purposes. The two had met when Jake had needed several cases of a particularly rare brand of scotch moved under circumstances Cole didn’t ask about, and Jake never volunteered to clarify. It was often like that with Cole’s former clients, they would provide references to prospective seekers of Cole’s unique services, and Cole ended up with a clandestine network of intel all over the city he could use to vet those potential clients.
“Obviously she thought I was worth risking whatever she’s moving.”
“Obviously.”
Cole ordered a beer, and settled down to think about what equipment he might need transporting something his instincts for trouble were practically screaming about.
TWO DAYS EARLIER:
Lyra Michelakos, AKA Lyra Heartstrings, was sitting at the breakfast table of her house in Ponyville. After the excitement of several months ago, she’d gotten used to the semi-monthly trips between her parent’s home on earth, and her residence in the town where she’d settled. The princesses still wanted to keep contact with the human world to a minimum, and understandably so, but her sister’s visit had allayed several concerns about the unpredictable nature of humans. She had just lifted a forkful of her breakfast to her lips, when there was a knock at the door. As her plate of pancakes wasn't going to empty itself, she yelled for her roommate.
“BON-BON! DOOR!”
With only a brief grumble, Bon-Bon, Lyra’s roommate/best friend, got up off the couch, where she was reviewing a new candy recipe from Neighpon, and trotted over to answer the door. What greeted her eyes was not a sight she was expecting this early in the day.
“Princess Luna!”
“Greetings, Miss Bon-Bon. Is thy roommate present?”
“Yes, your highness, just a moment.”
Bon-Bon trotted back to her roommate, and poked her with a hoof. “Lyra, the princess is here!”
After hastily swallowing her mouthful, Lyra walked over to the door, and bowed. “Good morning Princess Luna.”
“Rise, Lyra Heartstrings. Art thou well this morn?”
“Yes, you highness.”
“Good, I would speak with you about a matter I am certain your unique… heritage may prove most beneficial in.”
“Certainly, your highness. How can I help?”
“Walk with me, Miss Heartstrings.”
The pair walked some distance from Lyra and Bon-Bon’s home, and down the street away from the center of Ponyville, followed at a discreet distance by the Princess’ personal guard detail. Once they reached a spot where they were far less likely to be overheard, the Princess turned to Lyra with a searching look.
“Lyra Heartstrings, what knowledge hast thou of this human creation known as “Internet”?
“Not much, your highness. I use it to look up things I need to know to fit in in the human world, and to keep track of current events, as well as communicate with my friends, but that’s pretty much it.”
“We have heard that the humans use this “Internet” as one would the advertisements found in a local newspaper as well, to advertise both goods and services.”
“I've heard that as well, your highness. My dad – my human father, has often said he buys a lot of his writing supplies from an “Online Store” called ‘Amazon’. He described it to me as the biggest general store that doesn’t actually exist.” At the slightly confused look on the princess’ face, Lyra continued, “Think of it as a massive catalog of almost anything you could want or need, and then once you’ve made your purchases, they are delivered to your house a few days later.”
“That sounds… most impressive.”
“I thought so too. After seeing it for myself, I asked, and there are several sites where businesses advertise services as well. One business he told me about was where you could have a group of persons come to your house and clean it for you. Or request a plumber or builder to come and repair damage, or perform additional construction on your house.”
“That seems… risky.”
“I agreed, but there are methods for countering that risk. Some places of advertisement have a rating system, so that workers who do good work can be sorted from those who don’t do a good job. Other places have a provision here people who've had work done by a business can comment of what they though. If the work done was good or bad, and would they go to that person or business again in the future.”
“What about services of a more… clandestine nature?”
“I'm sorry, but I don’t really understand the question, your highness.”
“Lyra Heartstrings, I would speak plainly with thou. Several days ago, a group of archaeologists from the Royal Academy of Science and Magic discovered an ancient storage cache out in the Badlands. The contents are unknown, although the cache’s sole container is heavily shielded, and there have been several… incidents since its discovery. The incidents point to changeling activity.”
“I can see how that would be a concern, your highness. If the changeling remnants get hold of whatever is in that case…”
“Exactly. It could be nothing, or it could be something we would rather they did not possess. Now, We would secure transport which is both beyond the ability for changelings to infiltrate, and above reproach. This has led Us to the possibility of using foreign assistance. Such assistance would not be aware of the politics of relationships of the region, and thus could not be bought, or threatened, much less impersonated by an infiltrator. We do not come to this decision lightly, several transport methods were proposed, but all are controlled by Our ponies, and as such are at risk of being compromised.”
“Whereas a human transporter…”
“Would be –at least provisionally– above suspicion.”
After a moment’s thought, Lyra’s face lit up. “Princess Luna, I think I know where to start looking for a solution.”
“Speak, Lyra Heartstrings.”
“My human father told me of a place on the Internet called “Craigslist…”
ONE DAY AGO
Allied Transportation Services
For such a basic ad, it was unusual that the advertisement had a live rating counter embedded. It displayed a rating of 4.89 out of 5 stars, with over 75 clients posting. Of all the other “Transportation” services listed for the given geographic area, the first four were bus companies, and the next few either personal chauffer services, or private taxi companies. It was time to check this company’s “references”. Sighing internally, Lyra picked up her phone, and dialed the number on the screen. After a few rings, the other end was picked up, and she heard a voice answer “Jakes.”
“Hello, my name is Miss Harp, and I’m looking for references about Allied Transportation Services…”
FRIDAY NIGHT
Cole sat in the driver’s seat of his 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The car, and the underground garage it was parked in, were silent, and he was mentally reviewing his equipment: Navigation system, FLIR, radar jammer, and his insurance… After a moment, his watch began to beep. Looking down, Cole saw that the time was rapidly approaching midnight. Silencing his alarm, he calmly started the engine, and fastened his seatbelt. The supercharged, fuel-injected dual-overhead-cam engine started with a rumble, and began to purr. He pulled on his leather driving gloves, straightened the lapels of his suit, and put the machine into gear. The car was a deep midnight blue, and it’s all LED illumination and angel eye headlamps made it shine in the dark like a land-bound spaceship, as Cole drove it up the ramp, and out into the cool night, lights glinting off the car’s spoiler-and-fin assemblies.
As he rolled down the silent streets, the crimson striping at the edge of the Elantra’s black seven-spoked wheels caught the light of the overhead streetlamps, and seemed to almost glow in companionship with the pinstripe that adorned each side of the car. If the light hit it just right, the black-on-blue twin stripes could be glimpsed on the left front fender…
After a few minutes, Cole arrived at the arranged meeting place, a section of the old highway that had once passed this way, but had since been re-routed. In an odd choice, the city planners had decided to keep a segment of the old highway intact, and build a park around it. The stone overpass had a shallow arch, and the top section had now been converted into a massive footbridge, with a roadway still passing underneath.
As his lights swung across the structure, Cole spotter “Miss Harp” standing to one side of the arch. He pulled up to her, and after a brief pause, the young woman climbed in. “Mr. Cole, good to see you again.”
“Likewise. Where are we headed?”
“Just through the arch, we’ll be meeting the others and the package there. I wanted to meet with you first, and ensure you didn't have any questions.”
“None so far.”
“Then let’s get going.”
With a mental shrug, Cole put the Elantra into gear, and the sedan rolled forward. As they passed under the arch, there was a brief feeling of twisting dislocation, a sense of wrongness , that was gone almost before he could register the sensation as a sensation. Then the car rolled out under a wide desert sky, liberally dusted with stars.
This was clearly not the sky over his hometown. Cole knew that, because the stars were rarely visible within the city limits due to light pollution. A brief glance in the rearview mirror showed that the remnant of old roadway was gone as well, there being a similarly shaped arch of large boulders taking its place. Clearly the not-sensations he had experienced a fraction of a second ago were not imaginary, and something major had just transpired. Cole turned his head, and gazed silently at his passenger.
Lyra Heartstrings gazed steadily back at the Transporter. For someone unfamiliar with interdimensional travel, he was taking the experience extremely well. Perhaps a bit too well. She heard the underlying tension in his voice, masked, but still evident.
”I take it we’re about to meet the individuals who commissioned this job.” The man asked.
“Indeed Mr. Cole. Let me be the first to welcome you to Equestria.”
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. “…Perhaps you’d better start from the beginning.”
Earth Mover looked across at the human and the thestral. Clearly, this was not going to end well –for her- if she didn’t start talking.
“There is a chance that the case we’re carrying is the Ark of Queens”
“That means nothing to me, you’ll need to be more specific.” Sergeant Stormcloud stated flatly.
With a resigned sigh, the changeling continued. “The Ark of Queens is an artifact from changeling lore. It contains the genealogy and history of the original seven queens, their hive locations, and territories across Equestria. It was lost over a thousand years ago, when the Princesses began to unify the land, and establish its borders. It is said that the queens allowed this because they did not wish to be revealed, and that the three races living in harmony would provide a more stable source of food.”
“You mean they’d be more easily able to replace ponies in key positions, right?”
“No! Changelings don’t normally replace ponies! That makes no sense! What would be the point? Passive emotion harvesting takes longer, but leaves more to be had later, versus directly infiltration a community by replacing someone who WILL eventually be missed, it’s just too risky.”
“Before we go any further, what emotion does your hive harvest?” Cole asked.
“Curiosity, mostly, although the idea of each hive harvesting a specific emotion is an oversimplification. We have emotions we prefer, but any strong emotion will do, especially the more positive ones. Emotions like hate or fear are powerful, but can make us sick. We need food and water too, just not as much as a pony.”
The sergeant narrowed his eyes speculatively. “You seem awfully knowledgeable for an infiltrator or drone. And your eyes are different too… You aren’t a queen, right?”
“No, not hardly. But I will be one day.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Cole broke in. “If your species is organized even a little bit like an insect-like hive, queens must be both rare and valuable. Why put someone like that at risk, sending them out into the world?”
Here Earth Mover sighed, and gave a resigned smile. “It’s mostly just a coincidence. Queens, at least potential queens in my hive, are required to serve in all the roles within the hive: Larval Tender, Digger, Soldier, Infiltrator, Scout, and so on. The first queen of our hive decreed that in order to be an effective queen, one had to experience life at all levels of the hive, so she could rule fairly and impartially. It was just a coincidence that I was learning under an infiltration specialist when the Ark was found.”
Here the sergeant made the connection: “if your hive focuses on feeding on curiosity, it makes sense you’d masquerade as a student…”
“Sergeant, if you could please pull those blades away from my thorax, I’d really be grateful.”
With a twitch of his lips, Stormcloud pulled back some. “I’m still going to keep a close eye on you.”
Here Cole took up the conversation: “I saw just now, and when you loaded the case, that your magic is yellowish-gold. The bolts we’ve been dodging were green and blue, care to explain?”
“I’d guess the changelings out there are from Chrysalis’ hive, and maybe one other. After her defeat, Queen Chrysalis has been laying pretty low, and sending her scouts and soldiers out as hired help to other hives. The ones out there were part of a group that was supposed to secure the Ark, and bring it back to either my hive, or another.”
“And when we didn't stop, they gave chase.” The human finished.
“What did you mean when you said you’d die?” The sergeant inquired.
“If what we have here is actually the Ark, and I have no reason to suspect that it isn’t, then the princesses will have a pretty good idea of where to look for other changeling hives, as well as how to detect other hive’s members. If I had to guess, when Chrysalis and her army were ejected from Canterlot, the spell that did so must have only affected changelings from her specific hive. I was there when it happened, and I was unaffected.”
“And if they know where to start looking, even after over a thousand years, it’ll make finding and rooting your fellow changelings out all the easier.”
“Are you really worried they’ll kill you on sight?” Cole asked.
Earth Mover just looked at him, then half nodded/glanced at the sergeant still poised to attack should she make a wrong move, and returned her gaze to him. Cole nodded once in understanding, and put his gun away.
“Sergeant,” he began, “I don’t think the changeling is going to attack.”
After a moment, the thestral visibly relaxed –slightly- and returned to his post beside the Ark. “Just keeping vigilant, Sir.”
As the Elantra continued to race into the night, Cole noticed the faint lights and shapes of structures in the distance. He then switched the FLIR view back to the forward camera, and the low buildings of a frontier town became visible. Turning, he regarded his insectoid passenger.
“I take it that’s Dodge Junction ahead?”
“After what I’ve told you, you still intend to carry out your assignment?”
“I agreed to transport the case back there, and I always complete my mission.”
At the clear signs that she was about to protest, Cole continued: “Not that this situation isn’t far more complicated than it first appeared. We will deliver the package, but I think the sergeant here can at least vouch for your non-hostile reactions to us, right sergeant?”
“I don’t like it, but I have to admit, she hasn’t caused trouble. I’ll need to talk to my captain, and from there my princess, but I can say for sure that she won’t be attacked on sight at least. How things go after that, remains to be seen.”
“I don’t feel comfortable with this, but I don’t think I have a choice.” Earth Mover admitted. “Things have been tense after the invasion attempt, and the queen has been worried we’ll all be discovered. How to approach the princesses, and more specifically, how to deal with the paranoid reactions of the populous, that’s a pony of a different color.”
“I’m sure they’ll at least give you the benefit of the doubt, right?” Cole asked.
“Ponies are very much herd creatures,” she countered. “No offense sergeant, but when one of you panics, the rest follow in short order.”
“Ponies might, we thestrals are a bit different. But I have to agree, the idea of accepting changelings openly is a very touchy one, even if not all changelings were responsible for the invasion attempt. I suspect its due in part to the fact that you’ve been so secretive. Ponykind in general has no idea how to react to what they don’t understand. And as a result, the usual reaction to the unknown is fear.”
As the trio continued to discuss the implications of revealing the changeling race to ponykind in a non-threatening manner, and the potential obstacles created by Chrysalis’ failed attempt to invade Canterlot, the Elantra drew closer to Dodge Junction. When Cole could see the rail line, and the dark trail it left in the surrounding desert, he spun the wheel, and the car began a gentle turn westward. Once they were lined up parallel to the rails, the ride smoothed out noticeably, and Cole took the speed up to a reasonable 160KPH.
Up ahead, near Appaloosa, a new threat was beginning to stir.
When the arrangements had been made to try and intercept the Ark before it could reach Canterlot, several contingencies had been implemented. One of which was to set up teams in both Dodge Junction, and in Appaloosa to intercept whatever means the ponies would decide on to actually move the thing. The development that they had decided to enlist the help of a human to move it had been unexpected, to say the least.
The Appaloosa team had only minutes to prepare an intercept, seeing how fast the human vehicle could move. An additional force that did not help their efforts was the fact that the vehicle made very little noise unless one was exceptionally close. It didn’t rattle like a cart or wagon, and the dust plume it threw up in its wake made a chase from directly behind a bad idea.
The brilliant beams of light that pierced the darkness as the Elantra cruised along made actually spotting the machine easy, yet they also made its approach speed deceptive, and the vehicle was on the intercepting changelings in an instant.
Cole had only the briefest impression of dark, chitinous bodies, holding what looked like a large net looming in the headlights, before the net was tossed over the vehicle, and, unsurprisingly, the Elantra swept past, completely untouched. Later analysis of what had happened would reveal that the compression wall of air pushed in front of and around the car had caused the tossed net to be lofted upwards, and then drawn down violently behind, before it was roiled and twisted in the vehicle’s wake, hopelessly tangling its would-be captors in their own net.
“Did you guys see that?!” Cole asked, startled. The entire attack had taken place, and failed, in less than two blinks.
“I did,” sergeant Stormcloud responded. “Looked like a net. You didn’t tell us there would be other attempts at capture along the way.” He said, looking suspiciously at the changeling.”
“I didn’t think they’d be necessary.” Earth Mover replied nervously. “There may have been contingency plans put in place, but this is as unexpected for me as it is for you.”
“Can’t you just contact them, tell them to call off the attack?”
“Not exactly. Changelings can communicate telepathically, but only with members of their own hive, and even then usually only between themselves and their queen. We use speech just as you do for most things.”
“And since we can’t stop and talk, since that’ll just give them a better chance to attack, we’re going to have to outrun them…”
With Appaloosa long behind, Cole focused the FLIR off into the distance, the better to spot a similar approach before things got out of hand. Before long, he hit another realization.
“You said there was a gorge that we’d have to cross, right?” he asked.
“Yes, The Ghastly Gorge is crossed by the rail line up ahead, and we can use the bridge to cross. I think if I use my magic to grip the edges of this vehicle’s wheels, it can balance atop the rails.”
“If we get on the rails now, we can hopefully get to the bridge before the pack we just passed can get word to any comrades they may have in the area…” the sergeant put in.
Earth Mover concentrated, and twin tracks of golden light appeared in front of the speeding Elantra. With a little finessing, Cole was able to steer the car onto the tracks, and in a blink, they were atop the rails, where the ride smoothed out considerably. Earth Mover scaled back her magic, concentrating it in four sparkling “shoes” of light that gripped the wheels of the human machine to the tracks, yet allowed it to roll freely.
Cole looked over at his insectoid passenger, who seemed relaxed, despite the constant minor effort of maintaining the constructs that allowed them to stay on track, made obvious by the faint glow that surrounded her horn. “Nice work.”
“Thanks.” She replied.
It was then that circumstances threw them another curveball.
Under the bridge spanning the Ghastly Gorge, the changeling in charge of placing the pulsating crystals gave his team’s handiwork one final check, and then flew off to the gorge’s far side. As soon as the lights of the vehicle they were hoping to stop crested the horizon, his horn flickered once.
With the FLIR at maximum zoom, Cole could see several miles down the track to the gorge itself, and the bridge that crossed it. Suddenly, he saw a flicker of movement in the display, and then it whited out. Beyond the windshield, the bright flash of the explosion reached them first, and then the booming rumble of the demolition rattled the Elantra’s windows.
Sergeant Stormcloud reacted instantly. “Cole, slow down.”
Surprised, the human complied, slowing the vehicle down to a near crawl as the thestral turned toward the changeling. “Earth Mover, can you create structures with your magic? Ramps, for example?”
“Sure, I guess, but why-“
“Good. Cole, here’s what we’ll need to do. Thestrals can do some of the same things Pegasi can do, so I’m going to give us a boost with a thunder burst. But you’ll need to be going a specific speed for it to work best. Can you accelerate slowly, and I’ll tell you when it feels right?”
With a curt nod, Cole began to accelerate, gradually approaching just about 142KPH, when Stormcloud told him to hold it there. As the human complied, the sergeant began to concentrate, and lightning began to crackle around the body of the car, coruscating down the sides, as the thestral began to build a thunderhead in the pocket of turbulent air immediately behind the vehicle. Once the charge had reached its peak, Stormcloud turned to Earth mover.
“Can you give me two ramps, just in front of the severed sections of track?”
“Sure,” she replied, seeing the sergeant’s plan.
Cole fully grasped the situation, and readied himself.
As the Elantra held steady at the desired speed, Stormcloud continued to feed energy into the thundercloud he was forming, until the lightning flared, and he shouted: “NOW!” and the cloud exploded with concussive violence, shoving the Elantra down the track towards the edge, as Cole mashed the accelerator to the floor.
The car picked up speed in a rush, and the residual magic from Earth mover’s efforts to keep it on the rails left twin trails of fiery discharge down the track. In a fraction of a second, the human machine had reached its top speed of almost 225KPH, hit the magically constructed ramps at the end of the truncated span, and leaped out over the empty gorge.
As the Elantra leapt into empty space, Cole found himself strangely calm. This was without a doubt the strangest job he had ever undertaken.
Moving a mysterious package that might turn out to be an ancient artifact of great value.
Being pursued by some of that artifact’s rightful owners. Racing down a set of railroad tracks.
And now, flying through empty space, to a probably painful landing.
And all of this in a world populated by pastel equines… ponies!
And sort-of-equine bugs.
If it wasn’t so very unprofessional, Cole might have begun laughing hysterically right then and there.
But there was the (rapidly) upcoming landing to consider... And if he screwed up, there would be no time to laugh, only time to die. Work now, psychotic break later.
As they soared towards their destination, Sergeant Stormcloud looked at the human in the driver’s seat of the contraption he found himself in. Clearly, this creature was not a cowardly sort. If all humans were like Cole, humanity was one very strange species indeed. Here was an individual who had trusted a mad scheme by himself and the bug without question, and was clearly determined to accomplish his assignment. That took guts, as well as a very low degree of sanity. Not to mention doing so in their world, not his own! This human would bear watching. Who knew? If he drank as well as he drove, this could be a person worth getting to know.
As the three of them and the Ark underwent the most dangerous thing Earth Mover could think of ever having attempted in her life, she took a quick look at her two companions. Clearly, the thestral was unconcerned. He must have suspected she would help them land safely, if only out of a sense of self-preservation. The human… that was a different story. She could practically taste the emotions rolling off him. There was a note of confidence, a whole lot of courage, and a healthy dose of fear in the mix, but oddly, the emotions she was picking up were muted, as if held below a simmering pot’s lid. As they drew closer to the ground, she could sense them beginning to surge, almost bursting out.
The Elantra, supremely unconcerned about the mental state of its passengers, dropped out of the sky like a flying brick. As it approached the ground on the opposite side of the gorge, there was a brief golden flare of magical energy, and the wheels thudded down. With a roar, the car skidded sideways, and came to a stop in a swirling cloud of dust. Without a sputter, the engine cut, and the lights died.
Suddenly, the driver’s side door slammed open, and Cole stumbled out. Staggering away from his vehicle, he stopped, put his hands on his knees, and breathed deeply, like a swimmer who’s just come up from a deep dive.
The door behind the driver, and the passenger side door opened as well, spilling the bright interior light across the area where the vehicle had landed, as dust swirled and eddied away from the scene.
Both Earth Mover, and the sergeant trotted over, concern on their features.
“Cole? Are you all right?” The changeling inquired.
“No,” was the curt response.
“Want to talk about it?” the sergeant added.
“No. Going to have to though, got to finish the job.”
“We can take a couple minutes,” the sergeant added. “I’ll keep my ears open.”
Even Cole had to chuckle at that one, as the sergeant swiveled his tufted ears back and forth.
“-Just not in a world filled with talking ponies.” Cole finished. “You’ve got to understand, I’ve seen things. Bad things. Things you have no basis for understanding. I kept it together. No matter what. But this… This is a whole new level.”
“I Understa-“
“-No, you don’t. It’s not your fault, but you don’t. We just jumped a car over a canyon ! Does that even sound remotely normal to you?!”
The look the insectoid pony gave Cole at that point quickly defused the human’s rising agitation. It spoke volumes, chiefly among them being the phrase: “Really? You’ve been conversing with creatures you weren’t even sure existed a week ago, and a canyon jump is what pushed you over the edge? ” In the back of his badly misfiring brain, Cole noted that the look she was giving him would have looked just as much at home on a human face as it did on hers.
And that fact alone was enough to get the human to begin to pull himself together.
“Ok,” Cole began after sucking in a deep lungful of air, and letting it out again. “That’s enough of that. We’ve still got a package to deliver, and whoever dropped the bridge will probably be along in a couple minutes to check on us. There’s no way they didn’t notice the fact that we aren’t in the bottom of the gorge.”
Earth Mover was beginning to figure out the human’s mercurial attitudes, and recognized that the fact he had a purpose was pulling him back from the brink. “I agree. I can sense a few changelings nearby. They haven’t begun to approach, but that’ll change quickly.”
“Then let’s get going.” Sergeant Stormcloud stated flatly, as he re-entered the Elantra, and slammed his door. Turning, he looked out of the brightly lit interior to gaze expectantly at the others. With another glance at Cole, Earth mover also trotted back to the Elantra, and re-entered.
As the passenger door slammed shut, Cole took a good look at his ride. The dark blue paint was dusty, but unmarred, and the four tires were intact. As he stood, gazing at the wide open driver’s door, with the door’s courtesy light pulsing a reddish orange, in counterpoint to the bright bluish white light from the dome and footwell lights, he felt a place inside himself that had come loose slowly move back into place with an almost audible ‘click’. Squaring his shoulders, the human strode back to his vehicle, and its valuable cargo.
Climbing back inside, Cole slammed his door, and turned the key. The engine started without a single chug, and the Elantra came to life around him. As he secured himself, and double checked the sensors, Cole turned to Earth Mover.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly.
The changeling ducked her head, then looked out the side window.
“Same to you,” he said over his shoulder to the thestral.
“Don’t mention it.” Was the calm reply.
With that, Cole put the car into gear, and set off for the tracks. Without being asked, a shimmering pair of ramps appeared, and the Elantra mounted the rails once more.
As they sped onward, Cole turned to address the thestral: “Sergeant, is there a rail station along our route?”
“Just up the track a ways, there’s Ponyville. Why?”
“We ought to leave a warning about the bridge.”
“Consider it done.”
The unusual trio drove on in silence, as the human vehicle flashed along at a steady 200KPH. In next to no time, they were slowing down at the Ponyville rail station.
As the car drew to a halt, sergeant Stormcloud opened his door, and exited. Flapping his leathery wings, the thestral soared up to the platform, and trotted up to the station master’s shack. Per standing orders from the Royal Guard, the shack was to be kept occupied by one guardspony at all times, and the current guard was reading by lamplight when the sergeant knocked.
With a sigh, the guardspony, a thestral himself, put his book down, and opened the door. “Can I help you?” he asked.
“Private,” the sergeant began, “I’m sergeant Stormcloud 14th scouting division. I’ve been on assignment for classified transport, and we were nearly intercepted up the line. The Ghastly Gorge Bridge is out, and I need notification passed both up and down the line.”
“Understood, Sir.” The Private replied crisply.
“Many thanks,” the sergeant replied, and turned to leave.
Looking past him, the private saw the strange, low shape of the Elantra, as well as noticed the faint rumble of its engine for the first time. “Sergeant! He called out. “What manner of train is that?”
“Sorry private, but that’s above your pay grade. If anyone other than the princesses themselves asks, you saw nothing here tonight.”
Mentally groaning at the lost chance to study the unusual machine more closely, the private nodded. “Understood, Sir.”
With an acknowledging nod, the sergeant turned, and dropped off the edge of the platform. The private saw a brief flare of light, as the sound of a door opening was heard, and then the light faded as the door closed. With an increasing rumble, the strange train moved off, accelerating rapidly, the only indication of its presence being two baleful red lights, spaced almost like eyes, which faded into the distance with great rapidity.
As they pulled out of Ponyville, Cole brought the Elantra’s speed up to a blistering 220KPH, and set the cruise control. He was taking no chances this time, and the car flashed through the night like a phantom, its deep blue coloration rendering the body nearly invisible, the only indicators something was even there being the actinic glare of the headlights, and the baleful glow of the taillights.
After blasting through a tunnel carved straight through a mountain range, the lights of Canterlot could be seen in the distance. Turning, Cole addressed his passengers. “Looks like we’re coming up on our destination. What’s the plan?”
“I’ll get out when we pass the guardpost, and head to the Secure Archives entrance.” The Sergeant began. “I can ask Princess Luna to meet us at the archive, and then we can get this situation with Earth Mover and the Ark sorted.”
The changeling in question looked back at the thestral in surprise. This was the first time he had addressed her by her actual name, and not as “the bug” or worse… Although the sergeant’s next words proved he hadn’t begun to completely trust her yet...
“Still, keep an eye on her, ok Sir?”
Well, it was a start.
“Sure thing,” the human replied. “Speaking of eyes, shouldn’t you be in disguise at this point?” he continued, directing his last comment towards the changeling.
“What? Oh, right.” In a golden blaze, Earth Mover resumed her unicorn disguise.
After a few more minutes of gradually slowing down, the Elantra drew up to the guardpost that controlled entry to the city, and Sergeant Stormcloud dismounted. With a brief wave of one wing, he trotted over to the guardpost, and spoke to the thestral on duty. After a brief converstion, the on-duty thestral gave a wave towards the car, and the sergeant took to the air.
Taking the signal for the permission-to-proceed that it was, Cole put the Elantra back in gear, and rolled through at a sedate pace. After traveling a few hundred yards, Earth Mover tapped the human on the arm.
“We can get off here, and take the streets to the Archive.” With a brief flare of power, another set of golden ramps appeared, and Cole guided his vehicle onto the cobblestone streets.
As they rolled along, Cole shut off the high beams, and the main lights, allowing the softer glow of the rings surrounding all four lights, and the banks of LEDs below them to light their way, as that was all that was needed in the city proper, what with streetlamps lighting the main thoroughfares.
Cole took the time they had left to address his last passenger. “You know, I wouldn’t blame you if you made a break for it right now,” he began, “But I have to say I’m impressed with how you’ve handled things so far.”
“The thought has crossed my mind several times since we entered the city,” Earth Mover admitted, “But then what will that mean for the Ark? At least if I stay with it, I can guarantee that the voice of its rightful owners will be heard.”
“Even though you’re putting yourself at risk?”
“Especially since I’m putting myself at risk." she replied, shedding her disguise once more. "If I can convince the princess not to use the contents of the Ark to hunt us down, maybe we can finally start to normalize changeling/pony relations.”
Hearing that phrase, and the words that followed, served to convince Cole that he was definitely in the presence of a ruler-in-training…
Princess Luna waited outside the entrance to the Secure Archives building, sergeant Stormcloud at her side. It had been a fairly uneventful night, until the sergeant had come in with his report… The fact that a changeling -and royalty at that- had infiltrated the expedition to the badlands had been distressing enough, but from the sergeant’s report, it was clear that the circumstances surrounding the infiltration, and the events that had followed, were far more complicated than first glance would make them out to be.
The human vehicle entered the courtyard in front of the Archive at a slow trot, and pulled up before the duo, before shutting down. Cole exited, and came around the hood to stand before the princess.
“Morris Cole, Ma’am,” he stated. “Here with the package you contracted for delivery.”
‘I am Princess Luna, Mister Cole. We are pleased thou hast carried out your assignment as contracted.”
The human bowed in respect, and then opened the passenger door. “May I also present to you Miss Earth Mover, of the changeling hive.”
Here Earth Mover exited the human vehicle in her natural state, and legged a bow as well. “Your Highness.”
The princess gestured simply, “Rise,” she commanded. “You are known to Us from the sergeant’s report. We would discuss matters regarding the status of our two races. Please bring the Ark of which the sergeant spoke as well. This situation may yet be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties concerned.”
As the Princess had been speaking to the changeling, Cole had taken the opportunity to open the rear passenger-side door, and remove the Ark, as well as place it on the ground beside her. As the Princess finished her speech, and the two began to walk away, Earth Mover shot Cole a grateful look, picked up the Ark, and joined the princess in their walk inside the archives.
Sergeant Stormcloud came over to stand beside the human. “So, all that, and she barely has time to say goodbye.”
“Things seem to be moving pretty quick for a job that finished in the middle of the night,” the human commented nonchalantly. “In any case, my part in this is over and done with. Between you and me, I’ll be glad to get home. This was one of the more… colorful jobs I’ve had”
“But not the most?”
“Close, but not quite.”
“Sounds like a story best told over a couple beers.”
“You’ve got that right. You should come and visit Jakes. It’s a place where I do business, and grab a beer, if you want to hear about it.” The human stated, looking down at the thestral.
“I’ll keep it on my shortlist,” the thestral responded, “But right now, I’ve got to file my report, and it looks like they’re ready for you.” Stormcloud finished, gesturing to a stone arch off on one side of the courtyard, where a blue-coated unicorn was just finishing a spell.
As the pair watched, the air within the arch rippled, and then the view through it changed to one Cole had seen a few hours before.
“Guess this is goodbye for now,” the human stated, holding out a hand. “Take care of yourself, Sergeant.”
The thestral placed a hoof in the human's grip, and the two shook. “You too, Cole.”
With that, the thestral and the human went their separate ways. As the sergeant took to the air, he heard the by now familiar rumble and growl of the human’s vehicle starting up.
As Cole closed his door, and started up, he thought back on the events of the day, and then shook his head. Nope, best wait until I have a cold one in hand before I go down that road… Putting the Elantra into gear, he drove up to the arch, and rolled his window down. “Thanks.” He said to the unicorn.
“You’re most welcome,” the nonplussed equine responded.
With a short nod, the human rolled up his window, and drove through the arch.
After returning through the portal, the end of the job had been somewhat anticlimactic. Cole had met up with Ms. Heartstrings/Micahaelakos, and received the second half of his payment. Then she had returned to her world with a wave. Before she left though, she’d given him a business card, and he’d given her his direct number, to be presented to the Princess of the night.
Now, two days later, Cole sat at Jake’s bar once more. It had been a long day, and the human was looking forward to a hot sandwich and a cold beer. Jake came over with Cole’s beer, and stuck around to chat.
“So, how’d that job for the girl with the funny hair go?”
“Fairly well, all things considered.”
“That’s it?”
“Pretty much. But I will tell you this: Fonzarelli’s boys were right.”
“So they really were in New York?”
“Indeed. And they need services like mine on occasion. Same as anybody else, I guess.”
“So you’ve got another job?”
“Nope, but they’ve got my number.”
As the two humans continued to chat amicably, one of the bar and grille’s other patrons turned her attention to the TV set on the back wall, and sipped her Long Island iced tea. The woman was tall, striking, and wore a white business suit, with a small golden sun pinned to her lapel. As she contemplated the prospects of using the services of the human at the bar, one corner of her mouth turned up in a faint smile, as she focused her violet eyes on the soccer match presented on the screen.
Author's Note
And this concludes my first fanfic: The Transporter.
Morris Cole Will Return
