The Transporter: Second Gear

Chapters

Part 01: Ignition
Part 02: Brake
Part 03: Clutch
Part 04: Gearshift
Part 05: Driveshaft
Part 06: Clutch Plate
Part 07: Crankcase
Part 08: Torque Converter
Part 09: CV Joint
Part 11: Spindle
Part 12: Rotor
Part 13: Caliper
Part 14: Idler
Part 15: Fuse
Part 16: Injector
Part 17: Manifold
Part 18: Horsepower
Part 10: Bearing Race

Part 01: Ignition

Two weeks. It had been two solid weeks since Morris Cole had gone on an unexpected adventure in the land of the pastel equines. True, he’d agreed to go, if only because he’d though that the assignment was a simple transportation job… After all, that was his main source of income, the transport of items from one place to another, as quickly and covertly as possible.

Although the job had gone off reasonably smoothly, despite the unforeseen events that had transpired, Cole’s vehicle hadn’t come through completely unscathed. His vehicle, a 2008 Hyundai Elantra, had sustained some moderate to severe damage, which Cole was even now in the process of repairing.

The first thing to be taken care of was the rear suspension. The hard landing from an unexpected flight over the Ghastly Gorge had damaged the upper shock mounts, causing their press fittings to come loose. The rotors for all four brakes, and their attendant brake pads, had also seen violent use. And lastly, the bearing assembly for the left rear wheel had not fared well. All in all, a costly set of repairs, but well within Cole’s budget.

The second thing, and actually far more noticeable, were the cosmetic damages. Although the vehicle had avoided direct damage, several of the polychromatic energy blots that had been fired at the vehicle during its mad race across the desert had scorched the paint or the Elantra’s trunk, with one bolt melting a hole right through the tail fin, and a second one punching into the rear bumper. A third bolt had fried the GPS antenna that sat on the vehicle’s roof, leading to several swear-filled minutes figuring out how to replace that particular piece of equipment.

Fortunately, the Internet was a wonderful place to acquire all the replacement parts Cole needed. And, thanks to quick shipping, he had received, and mounted all the new equipment himself, taking the time to make a few upgrades along the way.

Now, his ride sported Stage 2 slotted and drilled brake rotors, and ceramic pads, plus a few other performance upgrades. The additional parts had improved the Elantra’s stopping distance by 25%, and initial acceleration by 30%. The switch from standard shocks to coilovers had also enhanced the vehicle’s turning response to a significant degree. Additional frame strengthening wouldn’t provide enough of an improvement to make a difference in the long run, so Cole decided to hold off on a full frame overhaul. And, of course, there was the loss of ride smoothing to consider…

A new set of RT tires completed the repairs and impromptu upgrades. With this last addition, the Elantra would be able to outperform anything else in its size class on the road, as well as provide a shock to any challenger vehicles it faced.

Now, with visions of a 5.5 second 0-60 time dancing in his head, Cole continued the somewhat involved task of replacing the bearing assembly of the Elantra’s left-side rear wheel. Cole’s modest, two-story dwelling was on the outskirts of the city, and was more akin to a split-level, considering that it sat mostly above its one-and-a-half car garage. A garage Cole had heavily modified into a full mechanic’s bay, complete with H-frame lift, dyno, and other pieces of automotive diagnostic and repair equipment.

As he withdrew the last bolt from the bearing assembly anchor plate, and backed it out of its housing, he heard the sharp rap of heels on the pavement outside. As he had left the garage door open to take advantage of the nice day outside, it was a simple matter to turn to his right, and look for the source of the noise.

The woman standing in the driveway, peering into the artificial light of the garage looked fairly nondescript. Tall, slender, deeply tanned, and wearing a sharp navy blue pantsuit, she cut a striking figure. Cole appraised her without outward concern.

“How can I help you, Miss?” he began.

Princess Luna Solaris, co-regent of the nation of Equestria, paused in her approach, and appraised the somewhat greasy human before her. He was tall, muscular, and had an air of competence about him. The human was wearing a pair of scuffed, yet serviceable footwear, coupled with the durable canvas trousers called “Blue Jeans” on his lower half. His upper half was clad in a bluish gray short sleeved shirt with a pocket, and there were a pair of glasses on his face. The lights of the interior of his workspace glinted off his bald head. The fact that she was seeing him in a much better-lit setting this time allowed her to assess him more closely, as he opened his mouth.

After Cole’s initial question, the woman in front of him replied in an instantly familiar voice.

“We are Princess Luna Solaris of Equestria.” She began. “And thou art Mister Morris Cole, art thou not?”
With that first phrase, Cole ran through the events of a couple weeks ago in a flash, and recognized just who it was that stood before him.

“Princess.” He replied, inclining his head. “You’ve caught me at an awkward moment, but I have some time. What can I do for you?”

As he said this, Cole placed the bearing assembly off to one side, and began wiping his hands on a cotton rag. “Can I offer you anything to drink?” he continued, making his way to a battered, but clean Keurig unit on the end of his workbench. “I have some tea, coffee, and I think one more capsule of hot chocolate.”

The princess followed the human with her gaze, but glanced back at what he’d been working on. “What manner of device wert thou working upon?” she inquired, as she took a seat on a proffered shop stool, while Cole busied himself with cleaning his hands before anything else.

“Just replacing part of the workings of my vehicle.” Cole explained. “Parts wear out over time, and so must be replaced to keep the whole machine functioning well.”

“I see. And thou art good at this maintenance?”

“Fairly good, I suppose.” Cole replied, as he pulled two clean mugs out of a nearby cupboard, and set about fixing drinks. “Which did you say you wanted?”

“Ah, We will have tea, thank thou.”

After the drinks were ready, (Tea for the princess, and coffee for Cole), the human brought the mugs over, and handed the princess of the night her mug. It was a plain white, without any adornment, though the one Cole held had a seal of a large bird against a blue background, surrounded by a golden border with words embossed in it.

Cole scrutinized where the princess was looking as he sat on a second shop stool, and gestured slightly with the mug. “Yeah, it’s genuine. Can’t talk about where I got it though.”

“We… see.” Although the princess clearly did not see, she was also too polite to inquire further.

After sampling her drink, and finding it acceptable, the princess continued. “We have another task for thou, Morris Cole, if thou art willing to accept.”

“Another job moving an item?” the human replied, as he shifted to a comfortable seating position. “Not a problem, your highness. When and where?”

The princess was pleased by the human’s ready acceptance of a new assignment, but she had a feeling her next words would be received somewhat differently.

“Allow Us to clarify. This assignment will not be one which requires your considerable skill at transport. We must begin with a brief history lesson:”

“Over the course of Equestrian history, there have been couriers. These brave ponies transported letters, items, and other objects, both openly, and clandestinely. Over time, they began to be collectively known as the “Pony Express”. However, at the same time, those who wished to intercept, or otherwise capture what these ponies carried, arose as well. Griffins, Minotaurs, mercenaries of various other races, even other ponies, have sought to take what these brave couriers have carried. And sometimes, they succeeded.”

“Those successes have grown much further apart in recent years, but the assignment thou undertook for Us underscores the fact that unless We and others who wish to transport sensitive objects in the future resort to heavily armed, and thus slow, and noticeable convoys, the era of swift, invisible, or at least difficult to intercept couriers is coming to an end quickly.”

“We have considered the possibility of heavily guarded teleportation spells as an option. However, there are some objects which simply cannot, or must not be exposed to the level of magic required for such an method, not to mention the inherent risk of interception such a method poses.”

“This is why We come to thou this day, Morris Cole. We wish to acquire your services in the capacity of teaching Our couriers how to transport items as thou dost.”

At first, Cole was confused by the princess’ pronouncement. What did she mean, “As thou dost?”

Then it hit him. “Excuse me, Princess, but are you saying what I think you’re saying? You want me to teach ponies how to drive?”

“That is exactly what We wish.” The diarch confirmed.

“… And… How exactly am I supposed to do this, your highness? I have the one vehicle you see behind me, and no offense to your couriers, but they aren’t exactly… suited to the requirements for operating a motor vehicle.”

“That has been addressed. The individuals We have chosen will be given forms suitable to operation of your human machines. Also, We wish to learn as well.”

This would definitely be something… Different. Challenging, and most certainly Dangerous. Things Morris Cole prided himself on being able to take in stride.

There was only one appropriate response.

“When do we start?”

Part 02: Brake

“When do we start?”

As soon as those words left the human’s mouth, Princess Luna found herself at a loss. Surely the prospect of leavings one’s home, no, universe for several weeks, and traveling to an unfamiliar place, to interact with beings very different from oneself would give a normal creature pause…

“Thou art sure? We do not ask this lightly, nor do We expect an answer made in jest.”

“You said it yourself, your highness.” Cole replied. “You need to transport items quickly and effectively, and you intend to use human technology to assist you in that effort. I would guess that I made an impression with my performance on the last assignment I was commissioned for, or we would not be conversing right now.”

Here, the lunar diarch had to agree, and with a nod, she bade him to continue.

“And finally, you came yourself to make this request. That’s not something that happens too often in my line of work. The usual procedure when a client needs a job done is for them to send a negotiator or facilitator, not to come themselves. That is a clear sign you need this done soon, am I right?”

“You are indeed correct, Morris Cole. It is Our wish that these royal Couriers be brought up to measure as soon as is reasonable.”

“I understand, your highness, and I will do my best to ensure that these persons will be the best transporters they can be.”

“Very well, Morris Cole. We will leave you to finish your work here, and arrange for your passage to the Royal Training Stables forthwith. One of the Royal Magicians will be along to set up a portal in two days time. Until then, We bid thee good day.”

And just like that, the interview was over. The princess placed her mostly empty mug on the workbench, stood, and inclined her head. Cole did the same, and bowed. After a beat, the princess turned to the open garage entrance, and strode briskly out of sight.

Cole took a moment to process what had just happened, and felt his insides give a brief lurch. True, the prospect of travel was exciting, in a novel sort of way. But there were a whole series of logistical concerns to account for. Clearly, time moved at about the same rate over there as it did here, so that meant he’d need to lock his house down, shut off the utilities he wouldn’t be using, and pay any outstanding bills in advance.

Fortunately, Cole bought his electricity, internet, and other utilities in month-long blocks, and could suspend them easily. That left the issue of any upcoming jobs, the mail, and other considerations. He figured on at least three to four months of training before the recruits would be able to adapt what they learned into their own unique driving styles, but that hinged on whether or not ponies were fast/good learners…

Then there was the whole physiology difference to consider… Cole didn’t know what the princess had meant by “They will be given forms to suit”, but he could safely assume that it meant exactly what she said it meant. The only real thing to be concerned about was whether or not the trainee’s “new forms” would be able to fit in a five-point-harness…

With a brief mental shake, Cole picked up the bearing assembly, and returned to the Elantra.

TWO DAYS LATER

After a couple of day of packing, cleaning, and other prep work, Cole stood outside his front door, and locked it. Descending to the curb, he took one last look at his house. Things looked well-secured, and he had set up automatic timers on some of the lights, as well as paid Jake a few bucks to swing by and take a look at the place every few days.

At the curb, the Elantra gleamed, freshly washed, and the attached custom trailer shone as well, with its matching cobalt blue paint, and red pinstripe. The trailer contained all the supplies Cole figured he’d need, from some basic repair materials, to a full toolkit, including laptop, batteries, miniature hydroelectric/solar plant, and several other esoteric pieces of equipment. The addition of MRE’s had been a last-minute choice, but Cole figured that although he probably wouldn’t need them, it still didn’t hurt to be prepared.

As he opened the door, and sat in the driver’s seat, Cole once again mentally took stock of the enormity of his decision. He’d basically decided to leave his entire world, save for what he brought with him, behind. Even if it was only on a temporary basis, it was nothing to take lightly. Unbidden, the whole mad sequence of events from his previous adventure replayed in his mind. Cole took a deep breath, and started the engine.

The smooth rumble of the Elantra helped Cole to keep his thoughts focused, as he drove slowly across town to the spot where his last adventure had also begun. As he drove, the human began a mental inventory of the supplies he’d packed, and the potential uses of the equipment he was bringing along.

One Hydroelectric/Solar Power plant
One APS unit
One VR/Driving simulator
One video projection kit
Seven laptops, plus his own rig
One full automotive toolkit, including basic spares.
Nine quarts of motor oil, and filters
Seventy Five MRE’s
Assorted equipment/supplies
One Towel

Finally, Cole arrived at the arch in the park at the edge of the city, just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. The warm tones of the sunset washed over the gray concrete, turning it a golden hue. Standing off to one side, was a unicorn. Cole took in the sight of the creature with his ususal aplomb, and rolled down his window.

“Are you my escort?” the human asked calmly.

“You must be Mr. Cole.” The powder-blue equine replied, revealing that she had been waiting for him.

“Just a moment,” the unicorn continued, “I’ll let the other side know you’re here.”

With that, she turned, and walked through the arch, seeming to vanish into empty space as she did so.

As the last of her silver white tail flicked out of existence, Cole ran a hand down his face. “Never going to get used to that.” He muttered.

After a few minutes, the unicorn re-emerged from the portal, and trotted over to the passenger side of the Elantra. As she arrived, Cole reached across, and unlatched the door. As he pushed it open, he saw the unicorn step back a pace, taking in the interior of the vehicle. After a moment, she climbed in, and, after looking at where the human’s right arm was positioned, correctly intuited how to close the door, which she shut with a solid ‘thunk’.

“So, you’re the human that will be teaching us how to “transport” I think it’s called?” She began.

After a beat, where Cole found himself by turns put off by her direct demeanor, and impressed that she had gotten the terminology correct, he replied. “Yes, I’ll be trying to do just that, Miss?”

“Lulamoon. But just call me Trixie.”

With a raised eyebrow at the mare’s name, Cole reached down, and threw the Elantra into gear. As the machine rolled through the arch, Cole was ready for the twisting sensation of a trans-dimensional shift. It was sunset on the other side as well, and that helped ease the transition somewhat. Traking a look around, Cole noted that the area they had arrived in resembled a courtyard of some sort, complete with a fountain in the middle. To his left and right, walls extended, with the left one turning to parallel their current direction, and being interrupted by a gate, while the right did the same, just with no gate. Across the courtyard were several stalls, which, had he been anywhere else, Cole would have mistaken for garages. With that thought in mind, the human drove around the fountain, and into the first “garage”.

After doing so, it was immediately apparent that this had been a stable at one point, but had been converted recently. The interior was completely empty, and the cobblestone floor had only a few traces of straw still visible. In fact, the interior of the building resembled a small hangar, with one wall being comprised of the openings, which now were revealed to have doors which opened inwards.

After a few moments of looking around, Cole drove the Elantra forward until he was near the farthest entryway, and closest to the exit gate, where he then proceeded to pull the vehicle forward, and then back it up so that it was lined up with that “bay”. Throwing the car into park, and shutting down, he looked across at his equine companion.

“Where to from here?”

“Well, the others are waiting in the offices in another part of this building. We’re actually in the old coach stables attached to the Ministry of Transportation. They’ve long since moved to another building, since this one was too small.”

“I take it this is all one facility?”

“Yes,” the unicorn responded, as she concentrated on the door latch on her side, and sprung it without difficulty.

Cole exited his side of the Elantra as well, and the two continued to converse as they left the vehicle, and headed for a door in the rear wall of the stable.

“Originally, this was a warehouse, and stable, where palace workers could place orders for goods from elsewhere in Equestria, or receive packages from abroad, but as the staff for the princesses grew, there was a need for a bigger place to keep all the things that would come in on a daily basis, and store all the packages that went out each day.”

“So I take it that this building is going to be our classroom, and training ground?”

“That’s the plan, yes. I‘m surprised that the princesses chose a human to teach, though. You have no magic, and the controls of your machine seemed simple enough to learn… We could have simply bought our own.”

Here Cole was almost insulted by the mare’s matter-of-fact questioning, but instead of taking offense, he decided to reason on the point. “I’m sure you could have, but that’s not really why I’m here. Are you familiar with the concept of learning by doing?”

“Of course. I learned all of the original spells for my act by watching my teacher, and doing them my – Oh…”

“Exactly,” the human continued. “I’m sure you could, as you said, learn to operate my vehicle on your own. But that’s only half the problem. What about maintenance? And these vehicles require fuel, air, and other consumables you have no way of manufacturing here. And there’s the matter of learning to operate a car well. Not “good enough” but well enough to evade or outrun pursuers, get to a destination without using up all your fuel, avoiding things that could damage or destroy not just your vehicle, but also whatever cargo you’re carrying, and so on. That’s what I’m here to teach you.”

“I see, so it’s like learning not just to ride a train, but control it too?”

While Cole hadn’t actually seen any trains the last time he’d been in Equestria, the fact that he and his companions had traveled on tracks for almost a third of that high-speed run hadn’t escaped him.

“Something like that,” he replied, as the two of them walked through the large warehouse space (also empty) on the other side of the stable door, and came to a set of offices set into one wall.

Here, there were signs of recent remodeling, with one office being set apart as what was clearly intended to be living space, and the others joined together into what could only be a sort of classroom.

“Well, here we are,” Trixie said, as she knocked on the wooden door with a forehoof.

“Enter.” A familiar voice called from inside.

As the door swung open, one thought crossed the human's mind:

"Here we go."

Part 03: Clutch

As the door to the classroom swung open, and Cole followed Trixie inside, the human couldn’t help but wonder who exactly he would be teaching…

The fact that the unicorn mare in front of him didn’t seem inclined to leave meant that she was probably going to be one of his students. That left the others. How big would the class be? Who would they be? He got his answers in a few seconds, as Trixie stood off to one side, and introduced him.

“Ok everypony, here’s our instructor. As you can see, he’s a human. He’ll be helping us learn to drive human vehicles, and use them to transport things for the princess.”

After that somewhat awkward introduction, she turned to Cole, and tossed her head slightly. Taking the gesture as his cue, Cole regarded the room’s occupants for a fraction of a second, and then began to speak. As he did so, Trixie excused herself, and went to report to the Princess that the contracted instructor had arrived safely.

“Good evening, my name is Morris Cole, and I’ll be your practical driving and mechanics instructor,” as his eyes swept across the four other occupants of the room, sitting behind wooden desks, Cole recognized one of the room’s occupants immediately, and a second a moment later. “It seems I’ve met some of you before,” he continued, as he felt himself begin to relax. “why don’t you all introduce yourselves, and we can get acquainted.”

After a beat, the thestral in the back row raised a foreleg, and spoke. “Sergeant Stormcloud, Night Guard, on detached duty to this provisional Courier Division.”

As the sergeant lowered his foreleg, the grey Pegasus in the seat in front of him repeated the gesture, and introduced herself. “Ditzy Doo, mailmare, I want to do a better job with special packages.”

After her, the yellowish-orange unicorn seated to her left disappeared in a burst of golden fire, revealing herself to be a changeling. She raised one holey foreleg. “Ambassador Earth Mover, Amber hive, here as part of my cross-cultural training.”

Cole had to smile, albeit slightly at that.

Next, the brown earth pony seated in front of her raised his hoof. “Balance Wheel, Royal Clockmakers, I’m hoping to gain the knowledge needed to maintain these human machines.”

Here Cole appreciated the princess’ obvious forethought. Training a mechanic along with the drivers made good sense. Then and there, Cole decided to adjust his still nebulous lesson plan.

Then, Trixie, who had silently returned from her errand, introduced herself as she sat in the last front seat. “Trixie Lulamoon, former travelling magician. I’m still not sure how I got in here, but I’ll do my best.”

And last, Cole himself addressed his fledgling class. “Morris Cole, electronic and mechanical systems engineer, professional Transporter. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you.”

The “class” that day was a brief one, with Cole mostly asking questions of his “students” regarding the condition of the local roads, and outdoor terrain.

After some time, the human determined that the land of Equestria, while crisscrossed by many roads, both large and small, had almost none of the innovations humans had made to their road networks. First, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of drainage. According to Ms. Doo, the local roads outside most towns tended to flood after heavy downpour, and since almost all packages, save the heaviest ones, were transported by air, there hadn’t been a need to maintain the local roads beyond ensuring they didn’t become overgrown.

It was here that Cole got his first chance to do some teaching. Trixie Lulamoon was the one who provided the opportunity. “So, Mr. Cole,” She began. “Tell us, what are human roads like? You seem to be asking quite a few questions about ours.”

After taking a moment to get his words straight, Cole replied. “Well, Ms. Lulamoon, for humans, roads represent one of the roots of our civilization. Since ancient times, humans have fought one another, primarily over resources. We don’t do so as often as we used to, but fighting your neighbors tends to mean moving an army and their supplies from place to place as quickly as possible. We didn’t always have self-propelled vehicles like the one you saw me arrive in, but they and modern roads influenced each other as the two technologies developed and matured. And so, in order to move armies, and in peacetime, merchandise quickly and safely across long distances, humans created what would become the modern road.”

“We started with simply following the paths animals would make in their migrations, but soon, we started clearing brush, and making paths of our own. Later on, early forms of paving came into being. Paving is the process of placing gravel, stones and mortar, or special substances on top of a path, to create a smooth surface to travel on, and to prevent vegetation from overgrowing the cleared space. One of the oldest roads in my world is over four thousand years old.”

“A modern road typically has a cleared and leveled path, upon which sand is layered. On top of this are a layer of crushed gravel, and then a layer of aggregate. The final layer is a substance called “asphalt”, which provides the smooth, easy to grip surface modern vehicles operate best on. Modern roads also are slightly raised, or cambered in the middle, which makes water run off them, and there are special drainage structures buried under and around the road to carry water away.”

“Construction of a modern road is a very labor intensive process, and takes a lot of time and resources to complete. Because of that basic fact, I will not be training you to operate vehicles like mine, since it is mainly intended to be used on human roads. Instead, I’ve requested that you be given vehicles which can handle multiple surfaces, and will work well on the roads you do have.”

After that somewhat long lecture, Balance Wheel raised a hoof. “Mr. Cole, may we see your vehicle?”

“Certainly” the human replied.

After leaving the classroom, and making their way back to the Elantra and its trailer, Balnce Wheel, Ditzy Doo, and Trixie took some time to trot around the vehicle, inspecting it from every angle. Earth Mover, Sergeant Stormcloud, and Cole stood back, and let the three who were unfamiliar with the machine get used to it. Earth Mover did take a closer look, since the last time she had been near the Elantra, it had been a dark night. After letting the ponies look at the machine from every angle, Cole approached, and cleared his throat.

“Much of the time, you may hear me refer to this machine as a “Car” The term is actually a shortened form of this type of vehicle’s original name: a “Horseless Carriage”. Since there are so many of these machines manufactured every year, and by so many companies, cars typically have three names. The first is their year of production. The second is the manufactures of the car, and the last is the model of car. There may also be other letters or a name that provides information on how powerful the vehicle is, or whether or not it has been equipped with special parts.”

“For example, this car is a 2008 Hyundai Elantra GLS. Most cars also come in various sizes. Subcompact, Compact, Midsize, and Full Size. All that means is basically how much interior space each size class has. This one is a mid-size. “

“What does the ‘Gee Ell Ess’ stand for?” Ditzy Doo asked.

“Nobody knows,” was the human’s reply.

At the quizzical look he received, the human elaborated. “Actually, it probably means “Grand Luxury Sport” or something like that. Those last few letters usually indicate the type of extras a car may have. For example, an “SE” may mean “Special Edition” or “Sport Edition” which actually are two different things. But since each manufacturer makes up their own letters, and what those letters may mean the best thing to do is ignore it, and look at a list of the vehicle in question’s features, and let those tell you about the car.”

After this explanation, the wall-eyed mare looked even more confused, and then a look of understanding crossed her face. “So we just need to look at what the car can do, instead of making an assumption based on its name?”

Cole was impressed with her reasoning. “Pretty much,” was his short reply.

Here Trixie asked another question: “Mr. Cole, how fast can this ‘car’ go?”

Cole answered the obviously eager mare cautiously. “This one will go almost 220 KPH” At the somewhat nonplussed look he got after that response, the human continued. “It’s pretty fast”

“Oh”.

Balance Wheel posed the next question: “Mr. Cole, may we see the engine of this vehicle?”

“Just a moment.”

Walking over to the driver’s side, Cole opened the door, and pulled the hood release. After closing the door again, he made his way to the front of the Elantra, and opened the hood. The earth pony reared up, and took a look inside.

“I… have no idea where to begin with this…” He admitted.

“Don’t worry about it, the human replied, clapping him on the shoulder, “We’ll go over what everything you’re looking at is, and how it works, I promise.”

“Thanks.. Looks like this is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought, though.”

“Not really,” Cole countered, removing the remote to the car from his pocket. “Want to see it start?”

“I’d like that.” Balance Wheel replied, staring intently at the Elantra’s engine.

With a brief signal, there was a click, and the Elantra started with a whirring rumble. The Apprentice clockmaker almost let go of his spot looking into the engine compartment, but after a beat, began to look eagerly around at the spinning parts of the now awake engine.

“I hear a rapid ticking, is there a clock in here?” he asked.

“No, what you’re hearing is the spark plugs firing.” Cole replied. “Good ear, though. Most persons don’t even notice.”

As the others also took their places around Cole, and gazed at the running engine, Ditzy Doo began pointing to various parts of the engine, and asking the human what they were.”

“What’s that?”

“Intake Manifold.”

“And That?”

“Exhaust Manifold.”

And on it went.

“Intake.”

“Filter Box.”

“Battery.”

“Coil Pack.”

“Radiator.”

“Throttle Body.”

“Serpentine Belt.”

“Alternator.”

“A/C Compressor.”

“Water Pump.”

“Coolant Reservoir.”

After almost three minutes of this, Cole felt the need to stop before the other’s got any more confused.

“All right, why don’t we break here for the day. Ms. Doo, thank you for your curiosity, but we’ll get into exactly what all these parts are, and what they do starting tomorrow. If you all don’t mind, I still need to unpack, and get an idea of how I’m going to actually teach you all.”

“Oh,” the Pegasus said, looking crestfallen. “Am I being annoying again?”

“Nothing like that. I appreciate your enthusiasm, really I do, but we need to go at a pace everyone else can keep up with, all right?”

“Ok. Will I get to drive this tomorrow?”

“Maybe not tomorrow, but soon.”

“All right!” Here the gray mare gave the human an enthusiastic hug. “I’ll bring muffins for everyone!”

“…Sounds good.” Cole finished, a bit nonplussed by the pegasus’ rapidly shifting moods.

Here Earth Mover came to the human’s rescue. “Come on, everypony, let’s help Mr. Cole get his stuff, and get settled in.” With Balance Wheel, and Ditzy Doo in tow, and Trixie reluctantly following along, the changeling led the way to the Elantra’s trailer, and expertly opened its access with a brief burst of magic. Under her direction, she and the others began removing packages and bundles, and carrying them off to the room Cole had noticed when Trixie had walked him in.

While all this was going on, Cole shut the Elantra down, and closed the hood. Sergeant Stormcloud stood at his side, and spoke for the first time.

“So, still glad you took the job?”

The human and the thestral shared a look, and Cole looked off into the distance for a long second.

“You know, I think I am.”

Part 04: Gearshift

The next morning started early for Cole. The human got up with the sun, and spent the first fifteen minutes cleaning up, and eating a brief snack, before he put on a blue track suit, and cross-trainers, then exited the training facility for his customary morning run. The princess’ had thoughtfully given Trixie a map of Canterlot to pass on to Cole, and the human had memorized it before going to bed the previous evening.

Now, with his rubber-soled feet lightly thumping on the cobblestoned streets, Cole felt his blood begin to pump harder, as he settled into a rhythm that let him eat up distance, and settle his mind on his intended lesson plan. Today, he would teach his class the basics of an Internal Combustion Engine, and why understanding how it worked was beneficial.

As the human continued his run, he heard the clatter of hooves approaching from behind. Sparing a glance over one shoulder, he saw a familiar blue coated unicorn rapidly catching up. Trixie was breathing hard, but still managed to ask the human what was up.

“Cole, what are you doing this early in the morning?”

“Going for a run, why do you ask?”

“A run? What for?”

“Humans need to maintain a certain level of physical fitness in order to remain healthy,” the human explained. “I run for a couple kilometers every other day to keep my heart and lungs healthy. I do physical exercise on the opposite days.”

It took the mare a moment to figure out why the human would need to exercise on a regular basis, but then the answer became obvious. “I get it! Because you have cars to go everywhere, you don’t need to walk all that much, so you have to exercise to stay healthy.”

“That’s part of it, yes,” Cole replied. “I also exercise because I like to. Being healthy means I have all the strength and energy I need to do my job well.”

The human and the unicorn ran on in silence for a few more minutes, until they came in sight of the converted stables again. Taking a breath, the human increased his speed. Trixie found herself falling behind, and struggled to keep up, but Cole steadily pulled away, transitioning from a loping run to a flat-out sprint. By the time she arrived at the gates, Cole was wiping sweat from his face with a towel he had left there for the purpose. The unicorn could barely speak when she finally arrived.

“How… did you… do that..?”

“Years of practice,” Cole replied, breathing hard, but much more easily than his panting running mate.

“Huh…?”

“You know how if you do something you get stronger, right? Same principal. That last part where we ran is called the “Kick”. Running like that helps increase stamina as well. It’s good for your body, and mind.”

“If you… say so…”

“Better go clean up, class starts in an hour,” Cole finished.

“…Right…”

With that, Trixie left, and went home to take a shower. Cole draped his towel over his neck, and made his way to his rooms to do the same. After cleaning up, the human set up his equipment in the classroom, a laptop and projector rig, for the day’s lesson.

Over the next 45 minutes, the other members of Cole’s class filtered in. Ditzy Doo landed first, toting a box of muffins, which Cole accepted with good grace, and set on a corner table in the classroom. Next came Balance wheel and Sergeant Stormcloud, followed closely by Earth Mover. Trixie arrived last, freshly scrubbed, but visibly still tired.

Standing up from his spot at the front of the room, Cole cleared his throat.

“Good morning, today we’ll begin the first in a series of lectures on automotive technology, and why understanding it will improve your ability to operate the vehicles you’ll be assigned later.”

Here Balance Wheel raised a hoof. “Am I to understand that we will be assigned vehicles like yours?”

“Not exactly,” Cole replied. “Your vehicles will be better suited to Equestrian terrain, and the existing roads. Later today, I’ll be taking you all for a ride in my vehicle, to get you used to the forces involved.”

With that somewhat ominous promise, Cole continued the lecture. Turning on the projector rig, he brought up a Video displaying the internals of an inline-4 engine. “Here we see the 4 phases of combustion:"

As the video played, Cole described what the class was seeing:

INTAKE STROKE
The piston starts at the top of the cylinder and begins to move downwards. Meanwhile, valves in the top of the cylinder (the cylinder head), called intake valves, are opened. The downward motion of the piston creates a vacuum, sucking in a mixture of gas and air through the intake valves. (We’ll talk about how the gas and air get there in a moment.)

COMPRESSION STROKE
When the piston gets to the bottom of the cylinder, the intake valves close. The piston moves upwards, compressing the fuel-air mixture and making it hotter and more volatile.

POWER STROKE
As the piston reaches the top of the cylinder, a spark plug, which is screwed into the top of the cylinder head, produces an electric spark. This ignites the fuel-air mixture, causing it to burn and expand and driving the piston downwards.

EXHAUST STROKE
When the piston reaches the bottom, another set of valves, called exhaust valves, are opened. The piston moves upward, pushing the spent exhaust gases out of the cylinder.
When the piston reaches the top, the exhaust valves close, the intake valves open, and the cycle starts again.

After letting the animation run to the end, Cole turned to the class. “So, does everyone understand so far?”

Surprisingly, sergeant Stormcloud was the first to raise a hoof. “I get it, but how can explosions that slow produce the power we used to escape the changelings last time? Looking at that video, I’d say you could only develop power as quickly as one of the local steam engines.”

“Good catch,” Cole replied, unsurprised at the thestral’s perception. “The animation you just saw has been massively slowed down. Each full cycle one of the cylinders completes is known as a “revolution”, and at its lowest idle, an internal combustion engine averages about 250-300 of these per cylinder, per minute.”

Here Balance Wheel raised a hoof. “I can see how that kind of power would make a vehicle it was built into go very fast,” he began. “But how would you keep that power in check? Wouldn’t the vehicle start moving the moment you started it up?”

“But it didn’t move when he started it up yesterday,” Ditzy Doo commented in puzzlement.

“An excellent observation,” Cole continued. “Basically, the large wheel you saw in the animation is called a clutch plate. It connects, or is a small distance from a second wheel of sorts, inside a case known as a “transaxle”. They’re not actually wheels, but the description fits. The case where these two wheels are located is filled with a special oil, and when the clutch plate moves very fast, the fluid drags on the second wheel, and makes it begin to spin as well. That motion is then transferred to the transmission, a series of gears that rotate at a set speed, and from there to the drive shafts, and on to the drive wheels.”
“When you press the accelerator pedal, the engine’s speed increases, and the two wheels move closer together, and more power is transferred. When you press on the brake, the two wheels are forced apart, and the engine slows down. All engines have an idle speed, and if the transmission is not in gear, the car will not move. The transmission contains several different gear sizes, or ratios. If you configure it one way, the car will go forwards. In a different way, it will go in reverse. If you set it to neutral, it won’t go anywhere, and in park, the transmission is locked.”
“If the car is in gear, it will move, just very slowly when the engine is at idle. Keep in mind that this is a massive oversimplification, we’ll go over diagrams for how this all actually works in detail later on.” Cole concluded.

“If I understand this, you’re saying the gear ratios automatically adjust when the car is in forward motion?” Balance Gear asked. “I mean, it only makes sense for them to, if only to prevent reaching the theoretical limit of the engine’s revolutions per minute too quickly.”

”It’s exactly as you say,” Cole confirmed. “As the vehicle accelerates, the speed the gears are turning will cause the next set of gears in a preset sequence to mesh, thereby allowing the same amount of power to produce a higher speed. Obviously, to keep the size down, and use fuel the most efficiently, your average 4-cylinder engine has only four forward gears, and one reverse gear. Along with the gear settings for neutral and park, this assembly is known as a 4-speed transmission.”

“How many speeds can a transmission have?” Earth Mover asked.

“How big of an engine do you have?” Cole replied. “On average, some large engines can have 10 or 12 forward gears, and 2 or 3 reverse gears, but these are found on very large engines. These kinds of gearing systems are used to haul very heavy loads.”

As the morning progressed, the ponies asked their instructor many more questions about how engines and transmissions worked. It was clear to Cole from the outset that his students were very intuitive, and they all asked intelligent questions. Later, around midday, the human called for a one hour lunch break.

As the class broke up, and the sergeant, Earth Mover, and Balance Wheel went out to their favorite eateries, Ditzy Doo and Trixie stayed behind with Cole, as the human went about preparing his lunch.

Cole had made a sandwich the night before, and simply went to his living spaces, and retrieved it from the solar-powered refrigerator he had set up the previous day. After that, it was a simple matter to return to the classroom, and set out his lunch at his desk.

Meanwhile, Ditzy Doo had set out her lunch, which she had brought along, and Trixie pulled an apple out of her saddlebags.

“So,” the unicorn asked the human. “When do we get to ride in the car?”

“Hold your- Just be patient,” Cole replied. “I had been planning to give those of you who haven’t ridden with me before a chance to ride along today after lunch.”

“Really?” Ditzy Doo asked eagerly. “I can’t wait!”

Cole had to internally cringe a little bit at the sheer eagerness the walleyed Pegasus displayed. “I have a question,” the human replied. “If I’m not being too forward, why would a person who can fly want to learn to drive? I mean, you have to be familiar with the fact that rapid movement through any medium requires …” Here the human trailed off, and gestured, not wanting to offend the mare.

“Depth perception?” The Pegasus finished.

Cole nodded uncomfortably. “I don’t mean to offend you, Miss Doo, but misjudging distances in a car can spell the difference between a close call, and the lives of you and your passengers/cargo.”

“I understand,” the Pegasus replied slowly. “My strabismus is pretty obvious, and it makes looking at things a little hard, but if I concentrate, I can keep both eyes on target, so it’s not really an issue. Plus, I’ve learned to be able to read two things at once!”

“…Ok, then,” Cole replied with a small amount of nervousness at the mare’s casual reply. “I apologize if I’ve offended you by bringing it up.”

“It’s OK, you’re just doing your job.” Ditzy reassured him. “And you were much nicer about asking than my old flight school instructors were, so thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome,” the human finished.

Trixie had busied herself with a textbook through the entire awkward exchange, and flicked an ear towards the stable entrance, as the sounds of the others returning began to filter in.

“Looks like the others are back,” she commented briskly.

“Ok then,” Cole responded, dusting crumbs off his shirt, and wadding up his trash, before tossing it into a trashcan by his desk. “Next up, more on the inner workings of a typical car, and your first practical driving experience”

Part 05: Driveshaft

As the other ponies re-entered the classroom, Balance Wheel called out to Cole.

“Mr. Cole, I have a question: How does the engine keep from getting too hot if several hundred, or even several thousand of those small explosions are taking place inside it all the time that it is running?”

The human smiled at the pony’s perception. “Liquid cooling.” There are chambers and spaces around the cylinders, and all through the solid piece of metal those pieces sit inside. Liquid is pumped through those spaces continuously, and sent through a radiator that lets a lot of the heat dissipate.”

Cole continued to explain as the rest of the class sat down. “Actually, combustion engines like these are designed to run at a certain temperature, so that the parts all work as smoothly as possible. The lower parts of the pistons, and a lot of the other engine pieces as well, are immersed in, or constantly coated by a supply of oil as well.”

“But, wouldn’t the oil catch fire?” Earth Mover asked.

“You might think so, but this is a special synthetic oil, with a high ignition temperature.” The human continued. “Both the oil and the coolant circulate at a high rate, so they never get hot enough to boil, or catch fire, but instead carry heat away from the places where it collects.”

“You said that the engine also has an ignition system,” Trixie asked. “Where does the electricity come from?”

Cole proceeded to bring up another schematic of an engine on the projector screen.

“Here,” he stated, pointing to the part in question. “This is an Alternator. It provides electrical power to the coil pack, and from there to the sparkplugs. It also provides energy to the other electronic sensors, and the control computer. The whole process is started off by the battery, located here.”

With each part he named, Cole indicated it on the diagram, and proceeded to explain how it interacted with all the others.

“Counting all of the attendant systems, the average internal combustion engine of this type has about 350 parts. The entire vehicle is composed of about 30,000 parts.”

For a moment, there was dead silence. Then, in a shaking voice, Balance Wheel voiced the thought on every pony’s mind: “Th-Thirty THOUSAND?”

Here Ditzy Doo asked the next logical question: “How can you build One car, let alone More?”

The human smiled. “We have a technique called “Mass Production”, where a group of humans, with assistance from a large amount of specialized machines, can produce several hundred cars a day. Let me show you.”

After the last video, there was a moment of silence. Then every pony started talking at once.

“Did you see.”

“I can’t believe.”

“That’s impossible, but I still see it.”

“Why would they need so many cars?”

“Those engines…”

Cole let them wind down, and then took a breath. “Any questions?”

After a moment the ponies looked at one another, and then back to Cole. Balance wheel tentatively raised a hoof. “Well, I can definitely see how you make so many cars so fast… But why so many?”

“Well, cars don’t last forever,” Cole began. “Over time, parts wear out, and must be replaced, and the frame and other large parts may deteriorate to the point where the vehicle is no longer safe to drive. When that happens, the owner must purchase another either new or used vehicle, and the old one must be disposed of. Nowadays we try to recycle, or re-use a lot of the parts from old vehicles, from the metal in the frame and engine, to the rubber from the tires. But there are several billion humans on my world, and a very large number of them own a vehicle of some kind. Also, there are vehicles that are not cars, which are built for specific purposes, such as trucks, and construction and military vehicles.”

Here, sergeant Stormcloud perked up. “What kind of military vehicles do humans use?”

Cole smiled slightly, and began to explain. “Well, humans can’t fly, or run all that fast, or move things with magic, or carry very heavy loads, so we’ve built vehicles that do those things for us. In the military, one of the most common vehicles is the Infantry Fighting Vehicle. There are many different types, but most are built around a frame of six or eight wheels, and an armored body, usually with a big gun, or smaller guns on the roof. The other most common vehicle is the transport truck. It’s used to move soldiers, supplies, weapons, and specialized fighting machines from place to place. Some of the specialized vehicles include things like Tanks, a vehicle with a large cannon, and a tracked movement system, and the self-propelled artillery unit, which also has a large cannon, but less armor.”

Ditzy Doo raised a hoof. “Mr. Cole, how do humans fly without wings?”

“Actually, we have vehicles for that too. We build large tubes with wings and seats inside, that allow small groups of humans to travel long distances, sort of like an extra-long train car with wings.”

As the human continued to field questions and answers from his increasingly nonplussed audience, another presence made themselves known.

With a discreet cough, a white unicorn mare with a pink mane, and a severe pair of glasses asked another question, from an unexpected direction: “Sorry to interrupt, Mister Cole, but what purpose would a ground courier service provide, compared to a completely air-based, or magical transport system?”

Everyone else in the room stopped talking, and turned to regard the newcomer. Cole was first to speak.

“I’m glad you brought that up, Miss?”

“Sunny Skies.”

“Well, Miss Skies, First of all. You are right; an air-based secure transportation system would make sense on the surface, given a lot of the concerns with secure object movement your leaders are focusing on. At the same time, however, that’s exactly the method that those who would wish to intercept such items would be expecting. Any increase in airborne activity, or shipping would raise suspicion. Plus, in a land where over a third of the population can fly, it’s nowhere near as secure a proposition as it might look at the outset.”

“But, would it not be more secure than your proposed system?”

“On the surface, yes, but if you read the report concerning my first entry into your world, you would have seen that the system does in fact have merit.”

“And how could you possibly know that I would have access to that information, Mister Cole?”

“Basic inference. First, you’re present at a meeting that, I assume, is confidential, seeing as my method of entry into this world was treated with a certain degree of, shall we say, discretion? Second, I would assume that all of you were read into this program?” Cole finished, directing the latter part of his statement to the room at large.

“That’s pretty much spot-on,” Sergeant Stormcloud confirmed. “Although we don’t refer to it as “reading someone in”, if I’m getting your reference right. We were ‘recruited’ for lack of a better term, from a list of ponies who’d had the relevant technical, social, or circumstantial experience to be able to adjust to new ideas, and interact with new races easily.”

“Indeed,” Sunny Skies confirmed. “And as the Royal Auditor assigned to this program, I wish to see that the resources of the Crown are being put to the best use.”

“Well, Miss Skies, I can assure you that this is indeed the case,” Cole replied.

“I hope you don’t mind me sitting in on your classes every so often, Mister Cole?”

The way the mare phrased the words, Cole could clearly tell that it wasn’t a question.

“Be my guest,” the human replied.

“Thank you. In fact, I think I’ll sit in on the rest of this class,” Sunny Skies concluded.

Throughout the entire exchange, Earth Mover had been observing the auditor’s behavior. There was something… familiar? About her actions, almost as if she knew far more than she was letting on. There was also the faint tingle of transformation, or disguise magic in the ether. It was well concealed, and far too faint for the other unicorn in the room to pick up on it, but the changeling princess was certain that “Sunny Skies" was a lot more than she appeared to be… The level of trace was faint enough for Earth Mover to almost suspect that the spell residue she detected was simply a hair or coat color changing spell, or something else of a cosmetic nature. Unicorns were known to use their innate magic to make themselves look their best, after all. Still, it was well known in the changeling hive that a well-crafted disguise spell could be ‘tuned’ to give off a reside that would fool a casual observer into thinking that it was only a cosmetic spell, and not one that transformed the caster’s whole body… In any case, the changeling put the thought, and what she had sensed on the back burner, and focused on the current goings-on.

At the moment, all Ditzy Doo could think of was that the human’s “Cars” were amazing, and even though they couldn’t fly, she was looking forward to racing along in one. And the fact that humans could fly without wings! And what was she going to bake for tomorrow? Muffins? Cupcakes? Muffins, definitely muffins. Maybe cinnamon raisin, maybe carrot cake, she’d decide when she got home for the evening. Speaking of amazing, the auditor’s mane was really amazing, almost shimmery, in fact. Oh well, none of her business, although Dinky might want to learn how to do that spell in a few years…

Trixie and Balance wheel had been having a whispered conversation of their own while Sunny Skies and Cole had been talking. Balance wheel had been convinced that humanity had worked out a few advances in metallurgy that would take even the best minds in the kingdom several years to work out. Trixie herself had been paying attention to all the clever gadgets the humans used to manufacture mass quantities of goods at once. The only thing that even a skilled unicorn mage could come up with that came close was a series of ‘come-to-life’ spells working in concert with one another. But that many spells cast almost simultaneously would overwhelm the thaumatological constant of the local area… This was almost one of those problems the Princess’ protégé’ would be better off trying to solve…

Sergeant Stormcloud was almost dead certain he knew exactly who it was that had graced their class with her presence. But, as a member of the Royal Guard, even if he was on Night Shift, he was obligated not to blow his bosses’ cover. Still, it was interesting that she had chosen to focus on the practicality of the program, and not its overall feasibility, especially considering how the human’s vehicle was designed for a specific species of occupant. Oh well, it wasn’t a soldier’s duty to question, at least not most of the time. The sergeant was a firm believer in the responsibility of soldiers to uphold their sworn, lawful duty, and this disguised visit was well outside his area of responsibility. Still, it was nice to know that she kept an eye on all the projects and programs under her command, even the odd ones…

As the unicorn mare took a seat at an empty desk at the rear of the classroom, Cole returned to his spot at the front.

“So, that about covers the basic of the basics. Now, I’d like to adjourn to the garage, so we can take a hands-on, excuse me hooves-on look at a real-life example of a car. I know you all took a look at it yesterday, but today we’ll be getting into the vehicle, and going for a few laps.”

With that, the human, and the ponies made their way out to the area where the Elentra sat waiting.

Part 06: Clutch Plate

As the group made their way out to the garage, Ditzy Doo asked an, in hindsight, obvious question:

“Mr. Cole, why is it called a ‘Garage’?”

It took the human a second to parse the pegasus’ question.

“Oh, well… I think it’s from a French word meaning ‘To Shelter’. So in this case, it means a structure that protects a vehicle from the weather.”

“Okay.” With that odd comment, Ditzy flew ahead to where the Elantra waited.

As Sunny Skies approached the human machine, she sensed no magic, nothing at all that would seem to indicate that it could move with the speed and purpose the reports on Mr. Cole’s first entry into her world had described. It sat, or maybe “crouched” was a better word. The overall shape was like a squared-off water droplet, with the middle humping up to indicate where the passengers and cargo would sit. It had four wheels of a type she had never seen, a spoked metal center with a rubber ring surrounding it like a donut. The construct’s darkened glass windows seemed blank, featureless, and the crimson stripe on its side served to emphasize the thing’s sloped stance, making which end was the front very clear. At the front, a blank space covered in a grating gave the impression of a large nose, while the space below seemed to resemble an underslung mouth, and the four rings in groups to two on either side of the “nose” looked like eyes. Subconsciously, she edged around it, giving the machine a wide berth.

Smiling slightly at the unicorn mare’s reactions, Cole silently thumbed the remote in his pocket. Sergeant Stormcloud noticed the human’s subtle movement, and hid a smirk. Earth Mover had sensed the human’s intention almost as he moved his hand, and hid her own reactions as well.

With a sound almost like a winding sneeze, followed by a roaring growl, the thing before Sunny Skies, Came to life. There was no better way to describe exactly what she was witnessing. It had started with the rings surrounding those ‘eyes’, as well as the silver lines below them, flashing to life. That alone had been unsettling, but the click and hum that followed were even more ominous, the awakening had proceeded almost too fast to fully grasp. Within a few scant seconds, the inert conglomeration of metal, rubber, and glass had gone from a dormant thing, to a very much alive one. The growl faded down into a quiet rumble, almost like the purr of some large beast, and Sunny Skies took a moment to compose herself.

“Mr. Cole,” she began, turning to sternly regard the human who stood behind her, and off to one side with an innocent look on his face. “Please refrain from startling the unprepared with your machine. It gives an unprofessional impression.”

“Thank you for the advice, Miss Skies,” the human replied smoothly, not missing a beat. “I’ll be certain to keep that in mind.”

“So,” the human continued, now addressing the entire contingent. “Who wants to ride first?”

Trixie Lulamoon and Balance Wheel had been conversing about the intricacies of mass production when the Elantra had rumbled to life, but both ponies paused as they took in Sunny Skies reaction.

“Well, seems our guest wasn’t expecting that.” Balance Wheel commented offhoofedly.

“I’ll say,” Trixie agreed, as the human asked the group who wanted to ride first. Trotting forward, the unicorn mare raised a forehoof. “I’d like to go, Mr. Cole.”

The human grinned, “Well, walk around to the passenger side, and we’ll get started.”

After taking a moment to explain which side was the passenger side, and getting Trixie strapped in, Cole took his place behind the wheel, and closed his door. With a press of a button, the human lowered his window, and called out to Earth Mover: “Earth Mover, would you open the doors, please?”

The changeling disguised-as-a-unicorn gave a brief nod, and trotted over to the large carriage style doors. As the others moved back, Cole reached down with his right hand, and threw the Elantra into gear. After a glance at his passenger, he eased off the brake, and let the vehicle ease into motion.

Trixie was more than a bit nervous, but her time as a showmare had made her more than capable of masking any trepidation she felt as the machine she found herself strapped into rolled smoothly out of its resting place, and into the mid-afternoon sunlight. The area in front of the converted stable had once served as a guard exercise and training yard, nearly a thousand strides square. Now that they were out in the open, Trixie could see what some of the equipment in the trailer Cole had brought with him had been. Laid out in a discernable pattern were a series of orange cones. They formed a lane that ran around the outer edge of the yard on two sides, and then doubled back on itself at one corner, to describe a series of, from her perspective, a jumbled mass. Trixie could guess that they formed a set of curving paths that would have been obvious if she had seen them from above. There were also clear start and end points clearly marked, and large arrowheads at each turn indicating which direction the driver should go.

As they approached the start of the course, Cole turned to his sole passenger, and asked: “Slow, or fast?” The unicorn mare in the seat across from him looked at the course, then back at him.

“Medium.”

The human smiled thinly, and pressed the pedal gently.

The 2.0 liter inline-4 cylinder engine responded with a growl, and the Elantra surged forward smoothly. 10, 20, 30 KPH, and the machine continued to accelerate, until it was rolling along at a relatively sedate 45KPH.

As Trixie looked out the windows, she saw her surroundings moving by at about the same speed as an average pony running flat out. The cones passed by either side of the vehicle at a relatively steady pace, but she could sense that the human’s machine had a lot more power Cole could call upon. Turning, she regarded the human for a moment.

“Can this thing go any faster?” She asked, with a slight challenge in her voice.

“Do you want me to floor it?” Came the steady reply.

“Not ‘floor it’, but a little faster than this. I thought you said this machine of yours had close to 200 horsepower?”

“Faster it is,” was the human’s reply, and Cole pressed the accelerator down.

To the outside observers, the Elantra growled loudly, and smoothly picked up speed, quickly going from the speed of a full gallop, to something no living creature on four legs could match, doubling it’s speed by the time it reached the first corner. As it turned, it seemed to slide for a brief second, before straightening out, and racing along the far wall. As it reached the next, far sharper corner, it slid across the cobblestones, causing a howling scream to erupt from the rubber tires.

Sergeant Stormcloud’s sharp eyes picked up the fact that the back wheels stopped abruptly for a brief second, causing the rear to swing wide, before resuming spinning. He surmised that Cole had done this to force the back end to turn faster than normal, and that this seeming loss of control was intentuional.

Balance Wheel also took note of the human vehicle’s seemingly out-of-control manuvers, but when he glanced over at Ditzy Doo, the Pegasus was studying the speeding machine with intensity, and not concern. Clearly, the vehicle’s movements were not out of control, but by design.

Ditzy Doo, with her slightly higher vantage point -being that she was hovering nearly 25 hoofs off the ground- could clearly see why Mr. Cole’s vehicle was moving the way it was. The human was keeping it dead center between the two rows of cones that marked his intended path. Twice as fast as an earthbound pony could run, and it clung to the ground, inscribing a clear path almost as if it were a train running on a track. Even the sliding turns it was making stayed between those two rows of cones. It was right then that the Ditzy Knew that she wanted to drive like that. It wasn’t even close to the same degree of freedom as flight, but to be able to move like that, in two dimensions, was still impressive. Flight had never been Ditzy’s strong suit, her strabismus making gauging distance, speed, and direction in three dimensions difficult. Corrective lenses would help, but a set of goggles that would fit, and not be lost during high-speed maneuvers were hard to come by. But moving at near flight speeds, inside an enclosed environment, she could just wear ordinary glasses… Below, the human machine executed a pirouette around a ball on a pole in the center of a ring of cones, before exiting into the yard proper, and smoothly coming to a halt.

Trixie put one hoof on her chest, to try to slow her racing heart, as Cole brought the Elantra to a stop. The past few minutes had been… Intense. The human’s thin smile hadn’t left his face, as he expertly used the two pedals, a lever, and the knob in the center console, moving them in precise measures as he spun the wheel under his left hand, and virtually hurled his machine through the rest of the course. She had been securely strapped in, but the anticipated, but unexpectedly violent maneuvers had left her slightly dizzy. As she got her breathing under control, she heard the human beside her take a deep breath.

“So, fast enough for you?”

“…Yes. Yes, I think it was.” It took the unicorn mare a couple seconds to form another sentence. “I enjoyed it. It almost made me lose my breakfast, but it was almost like a good roller coaster.”

The human eyed her strangely, and then nodded slowly. “Yes, I can see how you would compare it to that…”

“What? Didn’t think we ponies would have roller coasters?”

“The thought hadn’t crossed my mind, no. But now that you mention it, I suppose you would.”

With that brief conversation over, the human exited the vehicle, and went around to the opposite side to allow his passenger to exit. Once there, Cole found that Trixie had already undone her restraints, and was waiting us he swung the door open. Once out, and on solid ground again, the pair walked back to the waiting members of their group.

Earth Mover was the first to address them. “So, what did you think, Trixie?”

“It was… something. I’d try and describe it more, but it’s almost something you need to experience for yourself to understand it properly.”

As Cole walked up, he addressed the entire group: “So, that’s one down, who wants to go next?”

“Please wait, Mr. Cole,” Ditzy Doo called, as she fluttered in for a landing. “Let’s see if Trixie will be ok.”

“Good idea,” the human agreed, as he saw the unicorn in question sit down. Subtly, he positioned himself to act if his student showed any signs of distress. The thestral sergeant had also taken note of Trixie’s state, and moved a little closer as well.

Meanwhile, Sunny Skies, seemingly ignored by everyone else, had taken a long look at the calmly idling Elantra. The human machine’s speed had been surprising, especially the way it had accelerated. It had also shown itself to be highly maneuverable. It seemed this matter regarding the feasibility of the proposed courier service might just be something worth the investment. Quiclky, the unicorn mare trotted back to the group, and listened as Trixie began to describe her experience.

Balance Wheel listened intently, as Trixie described the sensation of being held in place in her seat, but feeling the entire vehicle move around her. He was especially surprised at how Engaged Cole seemed to be in the actual controlling of the machine, almost as if it were a physical extension of himself. The earth pony looked forward to seeing this in action when he got a turn to ride.

As the conversation wound down, Ditzy Doo put a forehoof in the air, and addressed Cole directly: “Mr. Cole, I’d like to ride next.”

Part 07: Crankcase

“Mr. Cole, I’d like to ride next.”

The comment wasn’t unexpected, but still, Cole had figured that the Pegasus with the eye issue would probably not want to ride in enclosed box for an extended period. But, he was glad that someone had volunteered, it made things easier. Even though both the Sergeant, and Earth Mover had rode with him before, the rest of the class wasn’t privy to that fact, and so he had actually been trying to think of who to invite along next.

Balance Wheel had the good grace to hide his disappointment, but also perked up at the thought of finding out what a Pegasus, a notoriously open-space loving group, would think of the experience. As the human and pony made their way over to the still purring Elantra, the earth pony put his mind to figuring out just how the ‘transmission’ the human had showed them in the presentation earlier worked in practice…

As they stepped closer to the Elantra, Cole turned his head, and looked at his new passenger. Although he couldn’t read the Equestrian’s emotions as easily as he could a human’s, Cole could tell the mailmare was both excited, and a bit nervous.

With a few brief movements, the human demonstrated how to board the vehicle, and get strapped in. As Ditzy Doo settled herself in, she looked across to the human driver.

“It’s bigger on the inside than I thought.”

The human looked down and smiled, “Actually, this vehicle is on the smaller side. Its size and relatively low weight make it pretty maneuverable, compared to larger machines.”

“You mean like how a small, powerful flier is more maneuverable than a powerful, but large flyer?”

“Pretty much… ”

Without further ado, the human took a look around to ensure their path was clear, and then regarded his passenger once more.

“Ready?” After a short nod from Ditzy, Cole threw the Elantra into gear, and they were off.

Ditzy had to admit, the human knew his way around his machine, wielding it with the same instinctive control she used with her own wings. The sudden jolts when the machine turned were easy to anticipate, since as a flyer, she was used to similar events when flying. As the all-too-brief ride came to a close, Ditzy vowed to take her little muffin along for a ride someday.

As they pulled back into the starting position, Ditzy turned to Cole, and thanked him warmly.

“I hope I can take my Dinky for a ride in one of these someday,” she said, excitement clear in her voice.

The human regarded her silently, and then nodded. “I’m sure she would find it a lot of fun.”

After the Pegasus dismounted, Balance wheel got his turn, Sunny Skies also took the opportunity to inform the group she wished to ride as well, “For research”. Cole could tell she was more nervous than she let on, but the human kept his counsel, and didn’t press the issue.

Almost before he was strapped in, Balance Wheel began asking questions.

“Mr. Cole, does this vehicle have any extra safety systems?”

The human was impressed at the clockmaker’s observational skill, and let it show on his face.

“Yes, this vehicle is equipped with an airbag system. Basically, that means that if we hit something hard enough, large cushions will inflate, and protect us from the impact.”

“How hard, exactly?”

“Far harder than crashing into something at a full run could account for.”

“I see. This is a pretty sophisticated system…” Here the earth pony began looking around the Elantra’s interior, in an effort to locate the hidden airbags. With a small grin, Cole pointed them out to Balance Wheel. After inspecting the panels with ‘SRS’ embossed on them, the earth pony regarded the human. “Shall we?”

“Let’s.” The human put the Elantra into gear, and the machine moved off.

As they sped through the course, Balance Wheel found himself pushed against his straps, and could feel his organs shift a little each time the Elantra cornered. His vision slewed from left to right, and he had to fight inertia just to keep his head and eyes focused on which direction the vehicle was headed. The entire experience was intense. Between the roaring of the engine, and the scraping and squealing of the tires, it was all Balance Wheel could do to avoid panicking. At the same time, the sheer newness, and novelty of the experience caused him to be unable to wipe an exhilarated grin from his face.

As the human machine accelerated, braked, and turned, the clockmaker listened intently to the noises the engine and transmission made. It was clear that while the engine itself produced a predictable range of power, the transmission of that power involved a very complex system. The images of a torque converter the class had seen earlier only gave a hint of what was going on under the hood, but Balance wheel’s special talent was all things mechanical, so he could practically feel how the Elantra behaved under Cole’s deft touch. The human was skilled, no doubt about it. But Balance wheel was convinced that if he had a chance to get his hooves on a human engine, he could make it sing.

Outside the car, the observers took note of how Cole threw his machine into the corners of the obstacle course, practically turning the machine sideways in some of the tighter corners.

Sergeant Stormcloud noted how the course roughly emulated the evasion pattern Cole had used to escape the changeling swarm back when the human had first come to Equestria. The seemingly wild swerving ensured that the vehicle’s path of travel was always in a forward direction, yet very difficult to track, especially when seen from the air.

Earth Mover thought back to that first frantic chase, and thought that things had turned out pretty well, all things considered. Still, the wild maneuvers the human vehicle was making made it pretty clear, at least from the outside, that it would have been very difficult to stop the human and his machine that night.

After a few more screeching turns, Cole brought the Elantra to a halt back where it had started. As residual dust from the trip around the track wafted past, the human dismounted from the vehicle, and helped his passenger out as well.

“That was… Quite a ride,” the earth pony was a little unsteady on his hooves, but recovered quickly. “Cole, does this machine use multiple clutches in its transmission?”

The human paused for a moment, then recalled what he had read up on Cutie Marks, and what that meant for their owners. Clearly, Balance Wheel’s special talent allowed him an advantage when it came to engines.

“Actually, it’s not so much multiple clutches as it is a multi-plate clutch, but I think you get the general idea.” The pair continued to discuss this as they returned to the group.

The Sergeant, and Earth Mover’s trips around the course passed without incident, with both ponies keeping their familiarity with the Elantra, and what it could do to themselves, and expressing appropriate sentiments when they shared their experiences after their respective runs.

Finally, it was Sunny Skies’ turn.

The unicorn looked up at Cole as he approached, and gave herself a mental shake.

“So, Mr. Cole, I trust you will treat this just like the previous runs?” She asked, working to mask her nervousness.

The human chuckled, seeing her attempt at bravado for what it was, and not pushing too hard. “We can go slower, if you like.”

“No, Mr. Cole, I insist you provider the same experience for me you have for your students. If I am to provide a full and accurate report to my superiors, I wish to have the same experience they do.”

The human regarded her for a beat, and then raised his estimate of her a notch. “All right then, Miss Skies. I’ll make sure your boss had a good account to review.”

They took their seats inside the machine, and Cole adjusted a setting on this control panel. Outside, the Elantra settled almost a full inch. Turning, the human regarded his passenger. “I took it easy on the class since this is their first day riding in a machine like this, but if you want, I can really put on a show.” The unspoken question lingered between them.

“Mr. Cole, impress me.”

The human gave a curt nod, and flexed his hands on the steering wheel. “Yes ma’am.”

Cole took a moment to think about how he would attack the course with the Elantra’s new configuration, and then mashed the accelerator to the floor.

With a mighty roar, the machine took off like a scalded cat, startling the onlookers before what the human intended sank in. As the ponies looked on in amazement, Cole hurled the Elantra through the course, faster than he had before, and causing the tires to howl in protest. As the machine swung around the corners, it was practically sideways in a few spots, smoke curling off the front tires as they clawed at the paving stones. After the first lap, which was over in far less time, the machine swung out onto the course for a second lap.

In the passenger seat for this experience, Sunny Skies took note of the harsh, yet graceful maneuvers the human was putting this machine through. He was composed, even though the demands placed on his concentration were significant. She took especial note of how his eyes were in constant motion, swiveling from the instruments, to the course, and back again. He moved his alien limbs with great dexterity, and precision, calling upon his machine’s abilities as though they were his own. One thing became clear in that moment: The human was a master at his chosen profession. She could almost forget the stresses the vehicle’s passage was having on her body, and instead observe how the machine and the human’s movements synced up.

As they came around the last corner for the second time, Cole threw the Elantra into a slide that let them come to a stop exactly in front of the class. Turning, he regarded his passenger.

“So, Miss Skies, how did you enjoy your hot lap?”

The unicorn regarded the human evenly. “Mr. Cole, I enjoyed it very much. The Crown will be looking on your class’ accomplishments with great interest.”

With a slow mental shake of his head at his passenger’s calm, collected demeanor, Cole nodded his thanks, and unstrapped, making his way to the other side of the Elantra to let his passenger out. As he approached, he saw her just finishing opening her door in a sparkle of golden magic. “Thank you, Mr. Cole, but I think I can do at least this much,” the mare stated, as she closed the door, and walked beside him, as the human changed course, and they made their way back to the class.

As they approached, Ditzy Doo was the first to comment on what they had witnessed: “That was Awesome!” The others chimed in, and made their own observations.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to go quite that fast, but good show,” the Sergeant commented.

“How exactly did you do that last maneuver?” Balance Wheel asked.

“I knew you were keeping a few things up your sleeve, but now you’re just showing off!” Trixie commented.

The human offered the ponies a small smile. “Guilty as charged,” he replied. “I knew the machine could do it, and I think our visitor was suitably impressed.”

“Indeed,” Sunny Skies confirmed. “It appears this program will be well worth the resources allotted to it. You can expect regular visits from me, and possibly other observers in the future. As I already stated to Mr. Cole, the Crown will be following the activities of this program with great interest. And now, I must take my leave, as I have a report to file.”

And with that, their unexpected visitor took her leave.

As Sunny Skies made her way out of sight, Cole turned to regard the class. “So, let’s begin going over your individual impressions, and observations.”

Part 08: Torque Converter

After the events of the previous day, as well as the group discussion of their individual impressions, Ditzy Doo had found it very difficult to sleep. When she had gotten back to her home in Ponyville, she had wanted to tell Dinky all about her day, but the current restrictions on who was privy to just what she was taking part in had made that impossible, for the moment.

So she had instead told her daughter that today had been a very good day, and the two had spent the early evening making a special batch of carrot cake muffins, with cream cheese frosting. It had been a little harder than usual to carry the muffins to class today, since she had to keep them from falling over in the box, and losing that frosting, but the extra effort had been worth it, as she entered the classroom, dropped off her delicious cargo, and set up at her desk.

As she was doing so, Earth Mover walked in, spotted the muffins, and snagged one as she completed a similar ritual.

“So, Ditzy,” the disguised changeling royal asked. “Are you excited to learn how to drive like Cole?”

“I think so…” the Pegasus replied slowly, “But at the same time, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep all the other parts of the job straight. I mean, don’t get me wrong, actual driving looks pretty simple, and the controls are easy, but all the other stuff, the maintenance, and repairs, those don’t look too easy.”

“I agree. It’s interesting how such a mechanically complex creation is so simple to make move.”

“You two are overthinking things, I think.” Sergeant Stormcloud broke in. The thestral had been setting up his own desk when the others had begun their conversation, and had silently made his way over. “If you ask me, it’s really no different than Guard training. Day or Night shift, there are a lot of things to remember. Between regs, protocol for visiting dignitaries, and security bulletins, the level of overall complexity is pretty similar. It’s just the type of information that’s different.”

The two mares regarded the Sergeant for a beat. He was normally a stallion of few words, so this was quite the speech for him.

“Tell me, Sergeant,” Earth Mover stated slowly. “Could it be that you’re actually excited?”

“Not as such, no. But I am interested in the possibilities this technology offers. Have been since I first rode in it.”

The impromptu trio continued to discuss things, as first Balance Wheel, and finally Trixie made their way in, and also set up for another day of learning.

It was a few minutes further on, when the Sergeant paused. “Hold on a moment. Where’s Cole?” Oddly, the human hadn’t been there when they had arrived, nor had he come in while they had gotten absorbed in their conversation. Almost as the words left his mouth, however, the human in question walked in, holding a sheet of paper in one hand, wearing a neutral expression. He sat down at his desk, and studied it closely, then removed a blank piece of paper from the desk, and a pencil, then began scribbling notes.

All the while, all the equines in the room had noticed the human’s odd behavior, and quieted down. Balance Wheel was the first to speak.

“Mister Cole, is something wrong?”

“Not particularly,” The human replied distractedly. “Just finishing up today’s lesson. It’ll be a bit of a departure from where I was planning on going today, but it’s appropriate.” Finishing, Cole stood, took the paper in hand, and began to write on the blackboard.

“Good morning everyone. Today, we’ll be discussing proper protocol for transport of secure cargo, and hazardous goods.”

“I assume this has something to do with yesterday’s performance?” Sergeant Stormcloud asked.

“Actually, in a way, yes. It looks like our guest was impressed enough that the experimental Transport Division has been given its first assignment. In short, we are being assigned to transport a piece of cargo from the Royal Archive to a secure facility out in the Badlands. The details are few, and we won’t receive the actual destination until we’re underway, but it should be a short trip.”

Here the human finished writing on the blackboard, and turned to the class.

On the blackboard, Cole had written three topics, and underlined them:

Communication
Movement
Coordination

“Ok, Sergeant, you will know the most about this, but I’ll summarize for the others. Secure transportation works a lot like small unit tactics in warfare. It comes down to communication, movement, and coordination. Now, who can add some details to each of these topics?”

One by one, the ponies added relevant details, and Cole wrote them down under each main topic.

“Speaking to the fewest amount of people possible”
“Moving under cover of night, or when nopony will look for you”
“Having both parties involved know when the package will arrive”
“Secret Codes”
“Not attracting attention”
“Moving fast enough not to be caught”
“Making sure the sender and receiver give you a way to identify them”
“Watching out for obstacles”
“Having a way to call for help, just in case”

After a bit, the blackboard was full of comments on each topic, which Cole then summarized for the class. “So, Secure transportation involves things like making sure the sender and the receiver have coordinated on what is to be sent, and who will be moving it. The transporter themselves has to make sure they can move the item quickly, quietly, and safely. And there need to be methods of securing the item against being stolen during transport.”

Here, Cole then consulted the sheet of paper in his hand. “So, how would you transport a pony-sized object out of a capitol city, and across a few thousand furlongs of both inhabited, and uninhabited territory, and do so whilst attracting the absolute minimum of attention, while in broad daylight?”

As the class turned and began to converse, the human smiled to himself. They were a class barely a week old, and they had already learned to consult on a problem to work towards a solution.

Pretty soon, Trixie had raised a hoof, and summarized. Unsurprisingly, the solution involved input from all of the ponies.

“Mr. Cole, I think we’ve got something. First, it would make sense to conceal a vehicle like yours on one of the regular trains out of the city. From what Earth Mover said, you came in on the rails, thanks to her magic, but that was at night. If we hid your vehicle in one of the cargo cars, then rolled it off in a town like Dodge Junction, out the side of the train not facing the station, we could basically get a free ride for almost half the trip.”

“Hmm, a good start, the human commented. “But how would you keep the vehicle from being attacked while on the train? We can’t exactly just drive off while the train is in motion…”

Here Ditzy Doo provided the solution. “We could try hiding it inside a large box. Only it’s not a box, see. Instead, it’s a wood frame, with brown paper sides and top.”

“Well done, I assume we would have prior clearance from the Guard to even be on the train?” At the pegasus’ nod, Cole motioned for them to continue.

Balance Wheel added his comments. “It would be simple to rig the “box” with a mechanism to allow the Elantra to exit concealment like what Miss Doo describes. And the railroad already possesses cargo cars for heavy items, so no one would suspect something like, say, an unusually reinforced train car. They even have hinged ramps for easy loading and unloading.”

Over the next few hours the class worked out a complete mission profile for an Equestrian transport job. In the end, it was decided that, since Earth Mover and Trixie both had magic, they would provide most of the security. Sergeant Stormcloud would provide their interface with the local Guard at each point along the trip, and both Ditzy Doo and Balance wheel would handle the logistics. Once the plan was completed, Cole sent a report back to the Royal Courier assigned to liaise with the experimental division.

Soon after, word came back that the item for transport would be a standard shipping container, almost exactly the size and weight as a pony. While their final destination would be given only to Earth Mover, they would be given access to a heavy lift freight car, and special clearance to attach it to whichever train they decided to use.

Meanwhile, Cole took the time to give his vehicle a once-over. Accompanied by Balance Wheel, and Trixie, the human made a thorough inspection of all components, especially the wheels and suspension. The tires had taken a beating the previous day, but were in overall good condition, and the brakes and suspension was also tracking well. There were a few things that could have stood to be tweaked, and the fluids were topped off at the same time.

Trixie took the time to apply a spell to the vehicle’s frame that allowed it to match the ambient background of the surrounding environment. To hear her tell it: “Since your vehicle is not from this world, it stands out as a sort of ‘magic hole’, which makes it easy to detect. This way, it’ll blend in, and be a lot harder to spot with a magic scan, or pulse.” Not knowing what either of those were, Cole deferred to the unicorn’s expertise, but made a mental note to read up on just what sort of detection methods, like radar, sonar, infrared, and magnetic, existed in Equestria.

Just to be sure, Cole tested the Elantra’s electronics as well, to be sure the spell hadn’t done anything to the vehicle that might come back to bite them later.

In order to minimize the possibility of interception, but also to avoid standing out by commandeering a special train, the Elantra, cargo, and passengers were loaded onto the last outbound train from Canterlot, a task made easier by driving into their designated freight car while the train was still in the switchyard.

The Guard stationed for security had been briefed on their arrival beforehand, and thus were conspicuously absent when the Elantra rolled aboard the train. When they came back to inspect all loaded cargo, the only object noted was the large crate sitting in the third freight car. From the outside, Ditzy Doo had decided to paint on slats, making the entire crate appear to be wood, and thus far too heavy to move. With a Royal seal, and several ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ stickers placed on the outside, the Elantra, its cargo, and passengers were unmolested.

Cole was not nervous, and his calm demeanor served to calm the unicorns, when their transportation finally jerked into motion. The sergeant was, as always, unfazed.

The trip out of the capitol was uneventful, and the human took the opportunity to take a nap on the long ride out to Dodge Junction. With the sun slipping low on the horizon, the train pulled into the station, and began to offload passengers.

Meanwhile, on the far side of the train from the station, the ramp of freight car three swung down, and touched the ground with a soft thud. The succeeding noises of the Elantra starting up, and the concealing crate swinging open were drowned out by the naturally noisy processes associated with unloading a steam powered train, along with the hisses and clanks of the engine itself.

Nopony saw them go, and it was a simple matter to keep their speed to a bare minimum until they were behind the outcroppings across from the town, where Cole opened the throttle, and sent the Elantra whipping over the desert floor. Turning, he directed a question to Earth Mover, who was seated in the back.

“So, what’s our destination?”

Part 09: CV Joint

Pain.

Cole awoke to pain.

Not the sharp, searing agony of a flesh wound, or even the nauseating, gut-twisting wrongness of an internal injury, but the faded pain of injuries that were either mostly healed, or were being held at bay by heavy duty painkillers.

This was not good.

What had he been doing that had gotten himself this hurt?

He couldn’t remember.

It was right there, on the edge of his mind, but attempting to grasp the details, and bring them forth brought a wave of nausea.

So, for the moment, Cole lay in the darkness, inventorying what he could. There was a presence, like what is sensed when someone is standing behind you and your eyes are closed, but it felt indistinct.

If he focused, he could hear voices.

“How is he, Physician?”

“Not good, your highness, but he’ll heal. It’s fortunate our abilities work on him.”

“According to this, he has awakened, yes?”

“Not completely, ma’am. I don’t think even he could be awake now, not with what he’s been through.”

“We must determine what happened, may we attempt contact?”

“You may, Princess, but these readings – his physiology is just too different, so I’d like to wait until he’s completely stable.”

“I understand your concern, but he has information that we are in dire need of. I assure you, this is not the first time we - I have touched the mind of an injured being.”

“Understood, your highness. I would insist, however, that I remain, to assess his condition while you work.”

“I would not have it otherwise. If you would, please ensure we are undisturbed.”

“Of course.”

The voices spoke some more, but Cole was already slipping out of consciousness once more.

But, rather than the comforting darkness of oblivion, there was a sudden… pull, and Cole could feel a world of sorts beginning to be built up in his mind. Details traced themselves on his consciousness, hazy at first, but becoming more distinct with time.

There was grass beneath his feet, and a night sky overhead. Looking down, Cole found himself wearing two piece hospital pajamas, and standing on a hilltop, with the night sky stretched above like an immense canopy. Taking a deep breath, he felt crisp, cool night air filling his lungs. As he began to inspect his surroundings, the human heard a discreet cough to his left.

Turning, Cole saw an unusually tall, dark blue Pegasus – wait, that wasn’t right, the Pegasus had a horn… Alicorn? Yes, that was the correct word.

The Alicorn spoke in a cool, clear voice. “Mr. Cole, can you understand me?”

“…Yes… Am I dreaming? I must be…”

“Indeed you are, but this is also quite real. I am Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, Princess of the Night, and in charge of the Special Operations Division your experimental Transportation Division is a part of.”

Here, Cole displayed a moment’s confusion, before bowing respectfully. “I see, it is good to meet you again, your highness.”

“And I you, Mr. Cole, but we have little time for much in the way of formalities. Currently, your physical body resides in the Royal Infirmary. You sustained severe physical injuries, in addition to jump shock from a long-range teleport. We are communicating in a shared dreamspace created within your unconscious mind. At the same time, the royal Physicians are healing your injuries. As you can surmise, I have come to receive your report on how this came to be.”

There was a beat, where Cole processed this information. Then, the human’s features smoothed, and he skipped into the easy professionalism expected of him.

“Understood. In that case, your highness, I must apologize, but my memories of the events that led to this are more than a bit fragmented. I can remember starting my day, receiving the orders to transport a package, and working up a plan with the class. I had set it up as a lesson plan, and a real-life example.” Here, the human paused, and the look on his face grew grim. “Your highness, how did I get here? And did anyone else make it back with me?”

The Princess of the Night recognized the look. It was one she had seen on those who served with her many times. “You were found in the converted stable where you stored your vehicle. Miss Lulamoon was the one who brought you both back here. She also mentioned Sergeant Stormcloud insisted she transport only you and herself, since you have no magic of your own. The sergeant himself arrived only minutes ago, and is being treated for injuries as well.” Now, The Princess grew serious. “Mr. Cole, there is a way to help you remember, but it is not without risks. I would ask your permission to attempt this, but you may find it highly intrusive, as I am not sure of your species’ customs. At the same time, we must know what has occurred.”

The human nodded once. “I understand. I’m missing one of my students, and the package, so I also wish to know what happened.”

“Very well,” the Princess stated, approaching, and lighting her horn. “Let us begin.” As her eyes began to glow, Cole felt the haze begin to lift from his mind, as gentle mental fingers pushed back the mist, and the events from a few hours ago played out as if on a movie screen.

“So, what’s our destination?”

The disguised Royal looked back at Cole with a look that held a small amount of distaste. “We’re bringing the Ark of Queens to a remote outpost for Hive Mantis. They are considered a neutral third party, since both the hive which first encountered the ark, and Hive Chrysalis are disputing who should take custody of it, while the contents are analyzed, and the results shared among the hives.”

It was clear what the disguised changeling thought of the arrangement.

Seated beside her, Sergeant Stormcloud was forced to agree. “I don’t like it. It sounds like a power grab by our favorite changeling Royal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the queen tries the same stunt she did last time.”

As the Sergeant finshed, Cole noted the look of confusion on the face of the one person in the Elantra who hadn’t been present of their first adventure transporting the Ark.

“Don’t worry Miss Lulamoon, As I’m sure you read in the initial report, the last time an attempt was made on the item we’re transporting, it took place at night, and was planned in advance. As we discussed in class, the unscheduled nature of this move ought to buy us a measure of protection.”

The blue and silver unicorn nodded, and the wrinkled her muzzle in distaste. “I know we’re supposedly on friendly terms with some of them, but changelings still give me the creeps. It’s the holes, you know? How can something with that many holes still be alive? The fangs, ok, a little weird, but dragons and manticores have those.” Here, Trixie turned to include the two in the back seat in the conversation. “I just hope I never run into one of them unexpectedly. I’m trying to be a little nicer to different people, but I’m going to need to prepare to meet a changeling face-to-face.”

If he hadn’t been looking directly at her, Cole would have missed the brief expression that flitted across Earth Mover’s face. It was a mix of slightly pained anticipation at how the unicorn would react when she discovered she had not only met a changeling, but had been classmates with one since the beginning, but also a measure of relief that at least her reaction hadn’t been a virulently distasteful one.

Then Cole reassessed the fact that he was getting good at reading the emotions on alien faces, and silently let the matter drop.

As they rolled along, the sun continued to sink on the horizon, and most of the conversation shifted to more mundane topics, along with the occasional commentary on various sights seen as they continued out into the badlands.

After rolling past a particularly oddly shaped outcropping, the Elantra’s radar bleeped, and dots flickered into view. In the rear view, several of the dots revealed themselves to be flying changelings, who opened fire the instant they had visual.

Cole wordlessly slammed the throttle to the floor, and the Elantra’s supercharged engine roared in response, and the vehicle shot across the ground like a scalded cat.

Without being prompted, Earth Mover and Trixie immediately lit their horns, and began to scan the surrounding area.

“Cole, to the right!” Trixie shouted, gesturing at a rock formation fast approaching.

Instantly, the human hauled on the wheel, and the Elantra swept to the left, giving the structure a wide berth, as a large net flew over the top of it, and landed where the vehicle would have been had it swept past on its previous course.

Since the perspective of the playing memory was, naturally in the first person, all the two observers could do was guess at what happened next.

There was a sound from the right, “Cole, LOOK OUT!” in Earth Mover’s voice, and then the entire perspective shifted violently forwards and down, as the rear of the vehicle was apparently blasted into the air.

What followed was the dizzying perspective of rapidly tumbling end over end, as the airbags deployed immediately, and sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass were muted by a persistent high pitched whine, the visual perspective blacked out. Almost immediately after the tumbling stopped, vision returned, along with the whine, and the perspective revealed the vehicle was resting on its roof, pointing back along the path of travel.

Here the Princess stopped the “playback”, and looked across at Cole, who was wincing, and holding his arms close, as if protecting injured ribs.

“Are you well, Mr. Cole?”

“No, but I need to know what happens next.”

With a silent nod, the Princess turned back to the visual, and the playback continued.

One of Cole’s hands came into his visual field, covered in blood. With a shift, it dropped out of sight, and came back with a seatbelt cutter. An instant later, the perspective dropped, as Cole fell onto the ceiling of the now wrecked Elantra, and painfully rolled over.

All the Elantra’s windows had blown out in the crash, and all 6 airbags had deployed, the side curtain units shielding the occupants from the worst of the glass shrapnel. Beside him, Cole could see Trixie, a faint magical glow around her seat harness indicating she had gotten knocked around, but had survived. Her face had impacted the airbag, and a trickle of blood was coming from her left nostril.

Of the others, there was no sign.

Faintly at first, then a bit louder, sounds began to make themselves apparent to Cole’s battered eardrums. The crackle of a fire, the ping of cooling metal, the tinkle of settling glass. And another sound, the snap-hiss of discharging magic, and the buzz of changeling wings.

Cole reached over, and lightly slapped the side of Trixie’s face. “Hey, hey, wake up!”

With a groan, and then a gasp, the unicorn snapped awake. “Where – wait, did we? No, hang on.” With a surprising display of clarity, even when injured, Trixie undid her harness, and unceremoniously dropped to the roof. Rising unsteadily to her hooves, she looked at Cole blearily. “We’ve crashed.”

“Looks like they set off some kind of explosive”, the human agreed, as he started to drag himself outside.

It was clear the human was hurt, but Trixie followed along On the way out, Cole grabbed his trusty Glock 18c from its door holster, and belly crawled out under the overhang created by the Elantra’s wreckage. Trixie crawled out after him, and the two cautiously looked around the side of the wreck towards the fighting.

Now that they could see the source of the noise, it was clear the Sergeant was outnumbered, but the thestral was putting up an intense fight. As the pair looked on, the Sergeant delivered a flying reverse spin kick to the face of an oncoming changeling drone, and if the several collapsed bodies on the ground were anything to go by, this was the tail end of a much longer fight than anticipated, meaning Cole had been unconscious for a disconcertingly long time.

Trixie gasped at what she saw on the ground directly beneath the thestral. Huddled protectively over the Ark was another changeling, but this one had gold highlight and eyes, instead of the blues and greens of the attackers. Besides the color of the magic she was blasting back, the shape of her face made the fact that this was Earth Mover obvious. The scrapes and gashes along her chitinous body, and the awkward angle her left rear leg was bent at revealed that she hadn’t escaped the crash unscathed.

In a split second, the sergeant assessed the new arrivals, and came up with a plan. “Get to cover!” he shouted, as he knocked another attacker for a loop. “Lulamoon, prepare a long-distance jump, and get the others and the ark out of here!”

Cole didn’t hesitate, and brought his weapon up, firing at the next attacker attempting to ambush Earth Mover, and winging the changeling in the right foreleg. The unexpected sound of the Glock’s bark, and the screech of the injured changeling briefly halted the attacker’s momentum, before a group surged towards the human and unicorn.

Cole went to automatic, and targeted the oncoming changelings legs and wings, blasting away as the attackers erected shields to deflect his fire. The forceful impact of the bullets would shatter a shield, but they could rebuild as fast as the human could fire, so bullets that penetrated would only bruise, or glance off, instead of penetrating. In too short a time, the magazine was empty, and the human could feel his blood loss catching up with him.

As his vision faded out again, Cole could hear Trixie shout his name, before a group of drones tackled the temporarily distracted Earth Mover, and the telltale sound of a unicorn’s magic at full power filled his ears.

Part 11: Spindle

“I’m not sure it’s such a good idea for you to come along on this excursion, your highness.”

“Sergeant, I am fully capable of handling any potential threats a simple trip to the human’s world may entail.”

“I appreciate that your highness, but is it really necessary to make such a trip in light of the recent incident?”

“Your concern is noted, sergeant, but I insist on accompanying Mr. Cole. He has need of a new vehicle, and some additional equipment. It is my duty to ensure that any additional items he procures will not prove detrimental to Equestria at large. We must keep interactions between their world and ours to a minimum, for now at least, and I suspect that Mr. Cole’s equipment will be of a uniquely disruptive nature.”

“I… can’t disagree with that, Ma’am. I would ask that I be allowed to accompany you both.”

“I would suspect you of neglecting your duties if you didn’t, sergeant. You are permitted to do so.”

“Thank you, your highness.”

Princess Luna and Sergeant Stormcloud had been traveling up the corridor from the Transport Division’s main spaces, leaving the wreck of the Elantra behind, and heading directly for the transport arch. While not its official designation, or intended use, the structure which had once served as a decorative entry to a small side garden had now been carefully moved to its current location, a small open area just off the main outdoor walkways of the outbuildings where the Transport Division had been established.

After leaving Trixie Lulamoon and Balance Wheel to begin extracting the mechanical heart of Cole’s vehicle, the pair were awaiting the third member of the improvised team, the human in question having taken some time to collect his thoughts, fresh clothes, and grab a much-needed snack.

The human in question appeared shortly after the Princess began the process of energizing the arch, and shaping the resultant energies into the world- spanning gate that would link the two worlds once again.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time Cole had seen the actual process that made travel between his and the ponies’ worlds possible. The stone arch was ablaze with bluish white light, and as he watched, the central space took on an appearance like disturbed water, before smoothing out into a mirrorlike shimmer. Taking a breath, and studiously ignoring the shiver that raced up his spine at the sight and sound, the human approached.

“Hello Princess, Sergeant, are things going well?”

The princess took a moment to ensure the gate was stable, and then nodded. “Yes, the gate is stable, and we ought to embark immediately. Energy consumption of this magnitude is no small feat, and the sooner we traverse the better.”

“Understood, your highness, the human returned, and strode forward until he was just in front of the gateway. Turning, he gestured deferentially to the Equestrian royal. “After you?”

With a brief not, the alicorn led the way through the gate, her presence disrupting the glassy surface with hardly a ripple. “I’ll take the drag, if you don’t mind.” Sergeant Stormcloud said, taking one last look around the courtyard.

Cole gave a brief nod, and then turned, and vanished after the Princess. After one last glance, the Sergeant brought up the rear, and the active gate vanished a few scant seconds later, leaving behind an empty arch, as the background hum of an active portal faded away.

It felt like she had been asleep for a week, but it had to have only been a few hours, a day at most, when Earth Mover’s eyes snapped open.

The twinging ache in her leg had faded considerably, and it actually felt like she could put weight on it now. A brief test proved this to be the case, and now that she was no longer distracted by the pain in that limb, she could work towards shoring up her mental defenses. A few painful knocks against the bars later, and she’d managed to shatter the worst of the resin covering her horn as well, the process having left the sensitive organ sore, but no worse for wear.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been all that hungry the entire time she’d been stuck in this cell… Strange... In any event, she immediately took the opportunity to try out a partial transformation she’d been practicing back in Canterlot when no one was looking.

A brief wave of amber fire slid across her body, and she felt herself change. Mostly, the change kept itself to her torso, neck, and forelimbs, as the changeling princess carefully reworked her body’s layout from a quadruped stance, to a bipedal one. At the same time, she felt the unfamiliar sensation of her front hooves splitting into a far more sensitive, but also far more dexterous set of digits. Only three fingers, and an opposing thumb, but more than enough for what she intended.

With her new limbs, it was far easier to pick the remaining bits of resin off her horn, and feel out just how far along in the healing process her leg was. After pulling off all of the resin on the limb, she briefly reshaped her legs as well, widening the hooves slightly, and lengthening them overall, even though the injured leg protested this. Then, it was a simple matter to secrete some resin of her own, and re encase the limb.

With that matter handled, Earth Mover steeled herself mentally, and then levered herself upright. Fortunately, the cell had a high ceiling, and her horn was well clear. After taking a moment to get a better sense of how her changed body would react to this new stance, the changeling took a few tentative steps, using her wings to catch her when she overbalanced. It was now obvious why bipeds had several advantages. The lack of inherent stability was more than compensated for by having two free limbs to manipulate tools, and, naturally, weapons. In this case, it would make escaping the cell, while not easy, certainly less difficult.

Mentally, and physically gritting her teeth, Earth Mover took a look across the space she was confined in. “Okay, let’s see just how well I can use this.” She whispered, as she began to practice walking in earnest.

Unfortunately, or perhaps not, Earth Mover’s efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed. Just off to the side of the cell block entrance, in a darkened part of the connecting corridor, a pair of teal eyes observed the captive’s movements, along with her unexpected transformation, and testing of her modified form. The owner of the eyes hadn’t wanted this boring job, but Mother had insisted, and as always, Mother got her way. But now, things weren’t so boring…

Back on earth, the underpass in the park sparked to life, and a shimmering portal formed. Fortunately, the only inhabitants of the park at this hour were squirrels, and the sun was just beginning its climb into the sky. After a beat, Princess Luna strode out of the portal, followed closely by Cole, and Sergeant Stormcloud. The trio took a moment to breathe deeply, the two Equestrians snorting slightly, as unfamiliar scents made themselves known, the human re-familiarizing himself with the smells of home.

The Princess took this moment to closely observe the human. Cole had been… brittle these past few hours after he had awoken, speaking in short sentences, carrying an almost visible tension, a Need to do Something about what had happened. She had seen it many times over the centuries, those accustomed to Getting Things Done, finding themselves in situations beyond their control, reverted to the most basic of behaviors, until they found their equilibrium again. It had been clear after the first incident that this human was exceptional, with a mind capable of remaining on task, even when his emotions threatened his internal stability, and seeing how he reacted upon returning to his world decreased her misgivings about allowing him to voice his input on how to resolve the current situation.

Cole took another breath. In… and out… He was home. Now, the real work began, and he could feel his mind settling back into familiar patterns. First, secure supplies, then assess the mission objectives, as approved by higher authority, of course, then… Well, that was for another time in the indeterminate future. Here and now, the first order would be securing transportation to the warehouse.

Reaching into a pocket of his jacket, the human extracted a piece of equipment that had seen little use in Equestria – his cell phone. After powering up the device, it was the work of a few short swipes and taps to get a Lyft dispatched to their current location. He was just about to relay this tidbit of information to his traveling companions, when the Princess beat him to it.

“Mr. Cole, while we have arrived safely, I suspect your residence and equipment are some distance from our current location. What direction should we proceed in?”

“Actually, your highness, I just finished getting us a ride.”

“Really? How was this done?’

Here the human held up his phone. “I used this. It’s an electronic communication device, essentially a small computer. It has several applications which allow me to do things like order food, purchase goods, and have them delivered, and secure transport. In this case, I requested a vehicle that can seat us comfortably, and specified our current location. It should arrive in about 15-20 minutes.”

Sergeant Stormcloud joined in. “So it’s a lot like calling for a taxi?”

“Pretty much, although the vehicles provided are privately owned. Essentially, if someone has a clean driving record, and a well-maintained vehicle, they can choose to work for a company that connects those needing transport with those willing to provide it. The riders pay a fee, which is divided between the company, and the drivers, and since the vehicles are not centrally owned and maintained, costs can be much lower than a taxi service.”

“And this is a common practice?” The Princess asked.

“Recently, yes. Taxis are not as well maintained, often not very clean, and expensive. This is a nicer alternative. Also, we need to get to the facility quickly, and a taxi would not come out here at this time of day.”

“I see. In any case, I would assume we will need to look a bit less conspicuous, correct?”

Here Cole was grateful that he hadn’t needed to bring up the fact that the Princess and the Sergeant were definitely noticeable, now that they had arrived in his world. Truthfully, he’d had no idea how exactly he was going to broach the subject…

With a brief nod, the human indicated his assent. Here, the Princess turned to the thestral beside her. “Sergeant, I shall now go about altering our appearances. Do you have any preferences?”

“No ma’am, I’m sure things will be fine.”

And with that, the Princess lit her horn, and set to work, enclosing both herself and the Sergeant in glowing spheres of light. Cole took a look around, and double checked that there were no security cameras, or vagrants around to witness the event, and returned his attention to the pair as the light faded away, revealing the changed ponies.

Princess Luna had taken the form of a young woman in her late thirties, with a fit build, and a height just shy of six feet. Her skin was dusky, but lighter than Cole’s own, and she was wearing a dark blue pantsuit, flat shoes, and a dark indigo/purple blouse, with her raven hair done up in a ponytail. A shining crescent moon pin glittered on one lapel.

Sergeant Stormcloud was a relatively short man, slightly past his prime, but still fit, standing at about 5’7”, with a lean, muscular build, and clad in a full set of Army fatigues in a dusty tan that was close to his natural coat color. His skin was pale, but a healthy weathered in the way of persons who spend long hours out of doors. The cap on his head sported Sergeant Stripes, as did his sleeves. The nametag on his shirt simply read “STORM”, and his duty boots were desert tan.

The two ponies took a moment to look themselves over, and take a few tentative steps. The Sergeant looked down at his new hands, and flexed them a couple times, before hooking his thumbs in his pockets, and eyeing Cole.

“What, you’ve never seen a transformation spell before?” He asked, half in jest.

“Actually, no, not like this,” the human answered, “but I have to say, you look an awful lot like one of the guys in my old unit, so I think you’ll fit right in.”

The Sergeant gave a brief nod, and then deferred to the Princess, as she commented as well. “And myself, Mr. Cole?”

Here the human paused, and weighed what he was going to say. “You’ll fit right in as well, ma’am. Although, truthfully, a group of persons dressed in our individual styles will definitely raise an eyebrow or two when seen as a group, I don’t think we’ll attract too much attention. And with that, our ride is here.” He finished, just as a Tesla P85D pulled silently into view.

Part 12: Rotor

As the human vehicle pulled silently into view, the first thought through Sergeant Stormcloud’s head was that he regretted not being in his natural form. He should have been able to hear the human machine coming from a good distance away… But then he realized that the only sound he could hear was the gravel crunching under the machine’s tires. There was nothing to hear… Perhaps it used a different engine than Cole’s machine? Or an effective sound suppression spell? Strange, but worth noting.

The ride was a pleasant one, Princess Luna noted, although after observing Mr. Cole’s vehicle, it was different in several respects. First, it was larger, with plenty of room in the rear seats for herself, and Sergeant Stormcloud. Second, there was little noise, mainly the hum of the vehicle’s rubber tires on the pavement. Lastly - and most interestingly - was that the instruments at the driver’s position, when compared to Mr. Cole’s vehicle, were largely absent, with several flat panels providing most of the visual display. She couldn’t be certain, but it appeared that they had more in common with the little device the human had displayed earlier, than with traditional gauges…

For Cole, the ride was a reminder that his own transport - at least the vehicle he had started this job with – had been utterly destroyed. It hurt, losing a machine he had put a lot of time, money, and loving care into making his own. In the end, it had saved his and his passenger’s lives, and it would serve as a teaching tool for a people just coming into their own when it came to technology, so even in its death, it had served well, which was something.

The driver of the Tesla noted that his passengers, while well dressed, said little, other than a few basic greetings. It was clear they were tired, so he didn’t pry, especially since the two men had been clearly in a serious frame of mind. Whoever these people were, they clearly meant business.

After several minutes of driving, they arrived at their destination, which the Sergeant noted was in what appeared to be a warehouse district, near a harbor or shipping port. All in all, the place felt a lot like the Manehattan docks, albeit a lot less noisy, with the long, colorful boxes he glimpsed in stacks and rows clearly cargo crates of some kind, but crates big enough to each require a vehicle of their own to move! The building was a warehouse, that much was obvious, with the typical large main doors, and a smaller door off to the right, lit by an overhead lamp.

As they exited, Cole took the time to thank the driver, and rate their trip well, to which the driver responded with a friendly wave, and departed. Makin his way to the warehouse door, Cole removed his phone from his pocket, and brought up another app. Pressing it to a flat patch of the wall next to the door, he was rewarded with a faint click, and the door opened slightly. Turning to his two associates, the human pulled it open, and gestured to now open doorway.

“Shall we?”

“You can’t escape, you know”

The voice, which sounded bored, and a little sullen, in that way teenagers often are - regardless of their species – startled Earth Mover, as she completed a more confident “lap” – if you could call pacing back and forth a lap – of her cell. The changeling princess looked toward the source of the statement as she carefully turned around, noting that with her bipedal stance, it was much easier to track potential threats without turning her whole body.

The voice had come from a female drone, clearly not fully grown, but no longer a nymph, standing outside her cell. Her eyes were the usual blue of this particular hive, and her overall attitude matched her voice, sullen, but confident she had the advantage.

“What makes you think I’m trying to escape?”

“I saw you try to change into… Whatever it is you’re trying to change into. If you can’t even get whatever you’re trying to be right, I don’t see why I’m even down here.”

Clearly, this drone thought she was still addled from the crash, and couldn’t transform properly… Here she had two options: A: Convince the drone she was trying to change into something that could escape, and couldn’t get it right (yet), or B: Tell her what she was actually working on, and buy time…

“Who says I’m trying to change into anything?”

“Why else would you start and then stop halfway between your true form, and… whatever that is?”

“Maybe I like this form. It’s pretty versatile, don’t you think?” Earth Mover asked, as she bent down and picked up a chunk of resin, tossing it in one hand a couple times.

Here the drone backed up, and lit her horn. “If you throw that at me, I’m calling the guards. They’ll stun you before you can break out.”

Regarding the item in her three-fingered grip, Earth Mover shrugged, and tossed it off to one side. “Wasn’t planning on it, because of exactly what you described.”

Here a look of recognition flitted across the drone’s face. “You’re altering your base form…Creating an alt form with features similar to something else…” Here the recognition took on a tinge of disgust. “Your hive truly has strayed far, if this is something you choose to do immediately on capture. It must be nice to be so decadent that you can spend energy altering your forms at will.”

Earth Mover bristled at that last remark, but remained calm. “Yes, my hive does practice unique forms. Is that a problem?”

It was clear that of all the defensive reactions the drone had been expecting, this wasn’t one of them. “What do you mean? Of course it’s a problem! ‘Wastage of energy on personal alterations is not permitted. All energy is to be used for the Hive.’ How could you not know this?”

“In your hive, perhaps. But in mine, we seek knowledge of many things, and sometimes the best sources of knowledge are found through self-discovery.”

Here the drone revealed more of her age, choosing to respond with a sullen “It’s weird,” and looking away.

Here was an opportunity – one Earth Mover could capitalize on. She could keep this drone occupied by showing off her body’s abilities, and at the same time, gain some information on where she was being held.

“Oh, and how is ‘this’ weird?’ She asked, picking up the chunk of resin from earlier, softening it up with her magic, and drawing and twisting the softened lump of material in her hands, turning it into a latticework, which she then solidified, before crouching, and placing the abstract sculpture on the floor of her cell.

The drone had been watching her work with ill-concealed fascination, and now regarded the object with naked curiosity. “What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing much, I’m just trying these” – here she wiggled her fingers – “out”.

It was clear that her jailer was having an internal struggle, trying to seem aloof, but finding her brief project fascinating, but also trying to keep in mind that she was a prisoner.

“Do you want to see me do it again?”

As they entered the warehouse, the first thing Princess Luna saw was that they were in an atrium of sorts, with a set of coat hooks, and assorted items along one wall. Soft lighting had switched on the moment they had entered, and Cole had shut the door behind them. Making his way to the door at the end of the atrium, he placed the flat of his hand on another flat patch, this one a green rectangle next to the door. A green line swept down his hand, and then the door opened. Here the human again gestured for them to precede him into the room beyond.

Upon entering the cavernous interior of the warehouse proper, a series of hidden lights snapped on, their diffuse illumination coming up slowly enough to avoid dazzling the entrants. What lay revealed was clearly a storage facility/workshop:

The far wall was taken up by a workbench, and an entire wall of tools, ranging from ones that could be clearly recognized like hammers, pliers, and what looked like a blacksmith’s anvil, to several mysterious boxes connected to tall tanks of some kind of stored liquid or gas.

The near wall to their right backed a small kitchen and food prep area, with a sink, refrigerator, cabinets, and other sundries.

The back wall held what appeared to be narrow cages with what looked like weapons, armor, and other supplies of a far more dangerous nature.

In the center of the space, sat a cloth-covered object, with crates neatly arranged in clusters to either side. The labels were easy enough to decipher, with the symbols for “Explosive” and “Flammable” visible on some.

Her gaze drawn back to the object that was in the center of the room, the Princess asked the obvious question: “Is this our new vehicle?”

Here Cole paused. He had been intending to get his guests settled in, and then begin assembling what he’d need for a hostage rescue mission, from infiltration, to search, and finally exfiltration, and he was still mulling over the pros and cons of going in quiet vs going in loud/lethal force vs non-lethal...

“Yes Ma’am, it is, but first I have some questions for you and the Sergeant: How do you want to proceed? Should we go in quiet, or loud? Should we use lethal, or non-lethal force? Your world, and your kingdom in particular, seem to value avoiding bloodshed if at all possible, so I’m willing to be flexible. I am trained in hostage extraction, but our primary focus was securing the principal, and protecting ourselves, so we tended not to concern ourselves with the welfare of hostiles too much.”

Here the Sergeant took up the thread of the discussion: “If I’m interpreting your words right, Cole, you mean should we try to sneak into the hive where Earth Mover is being held, or should we fight our way in, and should we incapacitate any threats, or simply kill them. I think I stand with the Princess in that I don’t think we’ll be helping ourselves, or any future negotiations if we simply kill the bugs indiscriminately. That having been said, changelings have a very good sense of their hive, and especially when something is out of place, so sneaking in won’t work for long. We need to be able to move quietly, but also have enough force at our disposal to be able to incapacitate any resistance short of killing. Although, to be fair, if it comes down to a confrontation where it’s them or us, I’d rather it was us who walk away.”

“I concur with the Sergeant’s assessment,” the Princess commented. “Although my sister is the consummate diplomat, I will be handling negotiations, such as they are, with the hive holding Earth Mover. Although it will mostly be a holding action, as I suspect whomever the hive sends will be stalling for time, whilst they attempt to open the archive they took. Naturally, recovery of the archive, and Earth Mover would be preferred. Both mine sister and myself take a rather dim view of thieves, no matter their justification.”

“All right, that’s something I can work with. Thank you both for laying things out so clearly,” Cole said. “You would not believe just how many times we were tasked with retrieving a person or item, and were then saddled with truly unreasonable restrictions.”

Here, the human began walking towards the weapons area, and opening the cages, pulling out several large duffel bags, and setting them on a worktable. Next, he removed an “L” shaped object about the size of a large banana, and put it down, as well as several cylindrical objects about the size of his fist.

“These are Airsoft weapons. They look identical to real firearms, but instead launch a small plastic pellet, or, in the case of these grenades, explode, and release a spray of pellets over a wide area. They won’t kill you, but they sting a Lot. I’ll keep a real weapon on me, but only as a last resort.”

Rapidly, Cole began assembling his arsenal, pointing out each piece, how it functioned, and how to load, charge, fire, safe, and maintain it. The two ponies-turned-humans were impressed by the sheer variety of “fake” weapons that clearly had far more lethal counterparts. It was readily apparent that humanity were well-versed in the art of war.

Part 13: Caliper

“I’m still not convinced you aren’t planning to escape,” the drone said for the second time, as Earth Mover completed her latest creation: a boomerang. The two changelings had each gotten closer to their respective sides of the cell’s bars, and Earth Mover was contemplating whether she could reach through them fast enough to bounce her watcher’s head off them. Thanks to their chitin, it wouldn’t stun her captor for long, but it might be long enough for her to blast a bar or two out with her now fully recovered magic, and then slip away into the depths of the hive.

“I could try to convince you otherwise, but we both know that the first duty of a prisoner is to escape.”

“If you do escape, they’ll drain me completely.”

“Are things really that desperate that they’ll take all of your love as punishment?”

Here the young drone bristled, realizing she’d been lulled into giving up some information. “Look, I didn’t want this stupid job, all right? Mother wants us to take back what’s ours, and the price of failure is extermination!”

“Are you sure about that? From where I’m sitting, if you’d stayed hidden, you could have harvested all the love you wanted. We were happy with remaining in the schools and libraries of Equestria. I’m still puzzled about why the invasion was even attempted…”

The drone hesitated, reluctant to give up any more info than she already had. But, it was a chance to vent to someone who didn’t think that since she was young, she didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Look, I’m a first-year harvester, OK? I go where the infiltrators tell me, copy who I’m told to copy, or make up a disguise, and blend in. I had a good thing going in this suburb of Canterlot. It wasn’t love, but I had friends, and I brought in my quota every week. Then we get orders to report back, and take extra training from the soldiers. I ask why we’re changing what works, and do you know what my superior tells me? ‘Orders from the top’. Orders from the top? Why? Are we running, have we been discovered, what’s going on? Then they tell me we’re invading…”

It was here that Earth Mover noted several things: First, her captor had a problem with authority, and was venting to likely the worst possible person she could. Second, in the process of venting, she was getting emotional, causing what looked like a secondary disguise to begin to flicker. Thirdly, her captor was traumatized. Not a full-blown case of PTSD, but she was not as stable as she’d been pretending to be.

She's just a nymph, and they put her on the front lines? What was her Queen thinking?

“…And then the day comes. I’ve burned all my bridges, I’m on top of this big shield bubble, hammering at it with the rest, and then it hits me: ‘What am I doing here? I can’t fight, I’ve been barely trained how! And then we’re through, and it’s chaos. I never got even close to the center of the fighting, but I’ve got this one colt cornered, he’s maybe a couple years younger than me, and he actually attacks. Attacks something he thinks is scary! And then I see he’s protecting a foal. His little brother, probably, and then the horseshoe drops, and I’m airborne with the rest, hurled away so fast my wings shatter. And then it’s sky and ground…”

Here the drone stopped, realized her disguise was flickering, gave a sort of mental shake, and let it drop the rest of the way, revealing that her eyes were like Earth Mover’s, except for the coloration, a bluish green. The change also revealed shoulder-length teal hair, and a set of undersized wings, clearly regrowth.

“It must have been hard, to be swept up in something you have next to no control over,” the older changeling remarked.

Here the – clearly not drone, more proto-queen gave a bitter chuckle. “How often do you think a mother throws her own daughter into the fire? I was commanded to train as a drone would, and to not reveal myself. To be her eyes within the lower ranks. I accepted that I’d face everything they did. But none of us were ready for what we faced. The soldiers, maybe, they’re trained for it. But not us, not the foragers, harvesters, tenders, none of us had any idea how to invade anything. And so we were told to be as threatening as possible, that the ponies’ would submit. And now I’m probably in some kid’s nightmares”

It was clear that this changeling was feeling sorry for herself. But it was also clear she felt guilt for what she’d been a part of.

“Look, I can’t promise that I’ll take you with me or anything when my team comes for me, but, if you decide you need someplace to go, asking for asylum is always an option. You wouldn’t be the first, and likely won’t be the last.”

“Is that what you did?”

“Yes. My situation wasn’t anything like yours, but it worked out well enough.”

“Do your friends know what you are?”

Here Earth Mover hesitated. Cole knew. The sergeant knew, since they’d both been there on that first adventure. The Princess' knew, obviously. But some of her classmates didn’t. She hadn’t thought about it, but that could be a problem down the road…

“Some of them.”

“Is it worth it?”

“That’s something you’ll need to decide for yourself.”

In the warehouse, Cole took up one of the “L” shaped objects, which Princess Luna now knew to be an “Advanced Training Pistol”, and briefly demonstrated how to load the device’s magazine, and charge its gas reservoir. Next, he took up a stance, aimed at a paper target he had tacked to the far wall, inside a netted box, intended to trap spent pellets, and began to speak.

“OK Ma'am, this pistol is loaded with .45 gram BBs, and charged with Black Gas. I need some way of knowing how it will affect changeling chitin at this distance.”

“Your measurement systems are unfamiliar to me, but if I conjure up a replica of a typical drone, will tat suffice?”

“Yes, I think that will do nicely, thanks.”

After a moment’s concentration, the Princess thrust out one hand, and a haze of blue aether swirled around her fingertips. An instant later, a full size replica of a changeling drone faded into view. It stood motionless, as Cole squeezed the trigger, and sent several bursts into it. The construct didn’t react, but the Princess was able to assess what the bursts had done.

“It would seem your equipment will prove sufficient, Mr. Cole.” She began. “The impacts I detected against the construct would surely produce a painful reaction, but would not pierce a typical changeling’s outer chitin. A direct hit to an eye would be inadvisable, as from this distance, the force would crack, or even puncture the organ. You stated that with the current ammunition, a hit would raise a painful welt on an unprotected human, at range, and break the skin, producing a shallow wound at close range, and I suspect the same of a changeling. While their chitin is tough, it is mainly intended to reduce damage from blunt impact, not piercing impact.”

However, after a moment’s further deliberation, the Princess made her decision.

“Mister Cole.”

“Yes, you’re Highness?”

“I believe your current ammunition may be insufficient to safely stop a changeling soldier. Their natural armor would make these ‘plastic’ pellets only marginally effective, even with the amount of force behind them these weapons of yours are capable of producing.”

“You’d be right,” the human agreed, stroking his chin, as he contemplated the .45g BBs in front of him.

“Perhaps if her Highness were to imbue something like a lightning spell into them?” Sergeant Stormcloud supplied.

“Actually, do you have something that could transmit shock, heat, and pressure? Not enough to kill, but definitely enough to incapacitate?” Cole asked.

“Indeed, there are several spells which could suffice. Perhaps something like a standard heavy stun bolt?”

“That would work, yes,” the human agreed, rubbing his hands together.

And so, over the next few hours, the trio tested variations of the stun bolt spell on the BBs, a grenade, and even some slingshot ammo, reasoning that if the human’s more complex weapons were disabled, perhaps by changeling spit, that a simple muscle-powered weapon packing a spell-driven punch could still give them an advantage.

It was early in the morning when they finished, and the human member of the team was feeling exhausted.

“With your highness permission, I’d like to take a break before we proceed to the next phase. It’s fairly mechanically intensive, and I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“Agreed, Mr. Cole.” The lunar princess replied. “I myself am finding this body is tired as well.”

With a silent confirmation from the sergeant, Cole led the two others to the corner of the warehouse he had set up as a sort of prep area, washing the accumulated grime from his hands and face, before removing camping mattresses and sheets for everyone. After demonstrating how to inflate the mattresses, everyone removed shoes, jackets, and pretty much dropped, the two ponies’ turned humans falling asleep surprisingly quickly. Cole remained awake for a few minutes, arming the warehouse security system, and placing a parts order from a spare phone, before placing his glasses to one side, and quickly dropping off to sleep as well.

Princess Luna awoke to the sound of low voices, and the faint clank of tools. The alicorn-turned-human sat up, and rubbed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, as she felt her mind and body come back from the dormancy of slumber. Her sleep had been dreamless, odd, but explainable, as she was not in Equestria at the moment.

Rising, the princess slipped on the shoes she had removed to rest, and folded up her blanket, placing it atop the mattress before making her way back into the main work area, where Cole and the Sergeant were working on the object that had been covered up the previous night.

It bore a very close resemblance to the previous vehicle, the Elantra, but was a metallic silver-tan, instead of the more agreeable (to her) deep blue of the previous machine. The dark tint, red stripe, and other small design choices were the same, though, and this machine was clearly bigger, and sat atop a mechanism that brought all four of its wheels of the warehouse floor, allowing greater access to its underside, which was where Cole was now, the human’s legs clearly visible, as bright lights shone on what he was currently mounting to the undercarriage. The entire vehicle was surrounded by tools, sitting neatly in their cases, and small groupings of supplies, or the remains of packaging for supplies.

“Good morning, your Highness,” Stormcloud began.

“Greetings, Sergeant,” the princess returned. “I trust all is well?”

“As well as can be expected. Cole is installing some “extras” that he thinks may be useful.”

“So far, I’ve got smoke bomblets in dispensers at the rear and the sides, the horn has been modified for extra loudness and range. We have a full-coverage laser dazzler array, and the headlamps are set up to be extra blinding. All the steel body panels were removed, and replaced with reaction bonded boron carbide plates, and all windows are tinted aluminum oxynitride. The frame has been reinforced with a titanium and carbon fiber weave, with the passenger and cargo restraints modified accordingly. The aluminum wheels are now a titanium alloy, with reinforced tires. All external lighting, mirrors, and optical heads are now lensed with sapphire. The engine features a triple-scroll turbo, with nitrous injection, and we have active suspension for superior ride quality. Sensors include FlIR, RADAR, LiDAR, and ultrasonic, for combined lightless imaging…”

Here Cole trailed off, as he realized neither of his two companions understood much of that.

“Long story short, it’s armored like a cragodile, and faster than a Pegasus.”

“Oh. Well, carry on, Mr. Cole.” The Princess said, mentally processing all of the features of the seemingly innocuous machine.

“Wait, how do you know what a cragodile is?” asked the Sergeant.

“I try to read up on any place I may find myself in the near future.” The human explained. “I’m surprised just how many monsters actually lurk in the Equestrian countryside, reminds me a bit of Australia.”

"Don't you mean Hosstralia - wait, right..."

It was here that the princess interrupted: “How soon until we can leave, Mr. Cole? We are doubtless running short of time, and I am not sure how much longer miss Earth Mover may have.”

“My thoughts exactly, your Highness. With any luck, I’ll be done here in an hour or two, less, if I have help.”

“Then let us assist you as we are able,” the Princess declared, rolling up her sleeves.

Over the next hour and a half, the trio worked diligently, finishing up the remaining work on the new vehicle’s suspension, steering, and safety systems. The moment when Cole first fired up the engine being a particular highlight.

When asked about its make and model, the human referred to it as an “Optima”. Not the fastest, or strongest of Earth’s vehicles, but common enough to escape notice, and with enough space within its frame and body to allow for extensive modifications not readily apparent from the outside, perfect for the human’s usual line of work.

When asked about the clearly exotic nature of the Optima’s protections, Cole would only reply that “some previous clients wanted to show their appreciation”, and then promptly change the subject.

Soon, it was time to leave, and after loading the gear, the trio boarded the Optima, and exited Cole’s warehouse. As he closed the main doors by remote, Cole looked back at his base in the rearview mirror, and sighed to himself. For a quick jaunt home, things had not gone slowly. He was grateful that all the supplied they’d needed had been things he kept around anyways, as taking his passengers shopping would have been an experience…

Part 14: Idler

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Lullamoon, but that is the current situation.”

“But Princess, why would your sister, Mr. Cole, and the Sergeant just leave us?”

“Now, you and I both know that is not the case. Actually, they went to Mr. Cole’s world, in order to pick up another one of Mr. Cole’s machines, and supplies to help retrieve Miss Earth Mover.”

Here the unicorn in question sat back on her haunches, and folded her forelegs, looking off to one side huffily. “I wanted to go too…” she said quietly. “I don’t have many friends, and now one is kidnapped, two are doing ‘research’, and the rest have gone on a trip without me!”

Here the Princess of the day stopped and thought for a moment. It had taken Trixie several hours to obtain even this brief audience, and there had to be some practical thing she could do that would not only take her mind off the situation, but would also be a help to the others when they returned…

Personally, Princess Celestia held out hope that the situation could be resolved without the intervention of the human, or her sister’s more “vigorous” ideas of diplomacy. But, she hadn’t ruled for over a millennium solely on her good looks, and winning personality, although the latter had definitely helped resolve tensions in some past circumstances. Sadly, this was shaping up to be one of those situations that would need to be resolved in a more direct manner, if the latest unproductive attempt to reach some form of dialog with the hive in question was any indication…

“I am hoping we can bring about a diplomatic solution to this, before things become volatile,” the Princess continued. “But, should things not turn out that way, we will need a viable plan to retrieve both Miss Earth Mover, and the Ark of Queens. Miss Lullamoon, can you think of any measures you can contribute, if the situation deteriorates to that point? I’m sure with your talent for the stage, you can contribute to their mission.”

“You know, you’re right… Thanks your Highness!”

With an abruptness that showed her rekindled determination, Trixie left the throne room at a gallop, nearly colliding with the door as she exited. The princess’ secretary, Raven, came up and offered comment.

“Was it wise to set her on such a path, your Majesty?”

“I’m confident Trixie will bring something to the group. She always has a unique perspective on things that may inspire innovation in the others.”

“Speaking of which, your sister, Mr. Cole, and Sergeant Stormcloud have just returned.”

“This is welcome news. Tell me, what of the scouting unit we sent to the site of the original incident?”

“They have reported detecting changeling activity in a nearby cave complex, within one of the mesas. It seems that the hive offering shelter to Chrysalis’ remnants, and holding both Earth Mover and the Ark, is located there. The complex appears to be semi-permanent, with both temporary, or rarely used areas, and more permanent deeper structures, which, of course, or scouting party was unable to confirm, but they have been able to take scans of the surface of the complex.”

“I see. Please keep me informed of any developments, and as soon as you are able, bring my sister, and Mr. Cole up to date as well.”

“Understood, your highness.”

After returning from Earth, Cole wanted nothing more than to either start planning in earnest, or just sleep for several hours. His last nap hadn’t been a restful one, and the next part of the plan was beginning to rear its ugly head: Site Planning. With nothing to go on thus far, it was going to be a tough job getting teams in place to figure out how the place Earth Mover had been taken to was laid out, where any weak points might be, and any concentrations of soldier to be avoided were. The human was still trying to work out whether or not the whole op should go in quietly, or simply kick the front door in, when a voice broke into his musings.

“Mr. Cole!” Trixie’s voice cut through his dark musings like a knife. “There you are, I have some things we can use.”

Cole looked up to see the blue unicorn in question trotting towards him. As they were out by the classrooms, Cole was unsurprised to see several scrolls floating along behind her in her magical grip.

“What do you have, Miss Lullamoon?”

“Well, you need a layout of the hive where she’s being held, right? I get layouts for the stages I perform on, so in that respect, the two are fairly similar… Anyways, the Princess was kind enough to share these with us.”

Here, Trixie unfurled one of the scrolls, revealing it to be a charcoal drawing of a mesa. As Cole looked closer, however, he could see that the drawing was actually a cutaway view, with several locations marked out in the ponies’ flowing script.

“This is… Exactly what we need. Thank you, Miss Lullamoon, this is the missing piece.”

“So, here’s the plan – as it stands right now.” Cole began. After going over the diagrams – which he now knew were from a Royal Force Reconnaissance team - the human, the unicorn, and Sergeant Stormcloud, had broken down all the elements of a basic assault and asset recovery mission. Balance Wheel and Ditzy Doo had returned from studying the Elantra’s engine, and also provided input. The plan would be broken down into four stages.

First, Cole, Stormcloud, and Trixie would approach in the Optima towards the eastern face of the mesa that housed the hive holding Earth Mover and the Ark. On Stormcloud’s signal, Trixie would then begin to charge up several “magic missile” spells, designed to penetrate the wall of the hive, and then pulverize it. Once the spells were ready to fire, Cole would then accelerate at full throttle towards the wall. The timing was crucial – too early, and the vehicle would collide with the mesa, too late, and enough changeling guards would be able to respond that the next two steps of the plan would be over before they even began.

The next step would be a resonance spell. Over the next night, Princess Luna would contact Earth Mover in the dream realm, and tach her a specific “pulse” type of spell, as a locator for Trixie, who would begin to send out the counterspell as soon as the wall came apart. Earth Mover would be responsible for breaking herself out if she could, and if not, the team could easily locate her.

The following step would be the most difficult: Finding the Ark of Queens. In theory, Earth mover, being a changeling proto-queen, could find it herself, especially since she had actually laid hooves on it. Here the plan had two options: Either the team would fight their way to Earth Mover, break her out, and then fight to the Ark, and escape with both, or break in, and head straight for the Ark, assuming Earth Mover could find it, and communicate that info to Trixie. While one team went for the Ark, Earth Mover would break out, and cause as much chaos on the opposite side of the hive as she could, before meeting up with the team after they had secured the Ark, at which point they would all escape together.

The final step, Escape, seemed fairly straightforward, but there were several points where the whole thing could go belly-up fast. The first issue was infiltrators. If any part of the plan were discovered, it would be a big issue if a changeling managed to make it back to the Optima, and gained access to it while everyone was away from the vehicle. Cole had solved this one initially by demonstrating that he could lock the vehicle’s doors remotely, and engage several anti-intrusion measures. By that same token, there was no guarantee that an enemy guard couldn’t simply destroy one of the vehicle’s tires, rendering it immovable. Here Balance Wheel supplied a solution: he could apply reinforcement spells to the exposed parts of the wheels and undercarriage, protecting them from damage.

Even assuming the team was able to execute all stages of the plan successfully, escape would still involve running away from the hive at very high speed, while likely being chased by hundreds of angry changelings. Once they made the rail line at Dodge Junction, it would be a straight shot back to Canterlot, but the intervening desert would provide several potential ambush points along the way. Hopefully, Earth Mover could provide enough of a distraction for their escape to be relatively chaos-free…

The changeling in questions was currently sitting atop a basic stool she had constructed from a combination of both resin and rocky debris from her cell. Sitting was an odd experience, particularly in the bipedal form she had assumed. But, it was better than constantly standing or pacing, and it put her “jailer” at ease, even though both of them knew the term was more of a formality at this point.

The proto-queen who had been assigned to her had finally given her name: “Gossamer”, although she didn’t particular care for it, instead preferring to just be called “Goss”. Currently, Goss was trying to imitate Earth Mover’s form, and to Tartarus with energy expenditure.

“Don’t take this as a sign I’m going to just let you escape or anything, she huffed, trying to balance of her rear hooves. “I’m just figuring out why you seem so eager to change into something so different, and why it might be useful.”

“I told you before, it can be useful in all kinds of situations. But you probably shouldn’t try to copy my current form exactly, I’m more muscular than you, and your midsection is more slender than mine.”

“Look, I know that… How exactly Did you end up so strong anyways? We don’t exactly build muscle the way the ponies do, after all.”

“Well, I was an archaeologist. A real one, not just playing a role. And that involves a level of activity that will leave even earth ponies exhausted after a long day, so I had to adapt. Eating solid food will do that as well. With the right spells, we can process it into extra muscle, and stronger bones.”

“Are you sure about that? There was never a spell for that in the hive’s archives.”

“Maybe not your hive, but we’ve had physical enhancement training as far back as I can remember at home.”

”I guess that makes a sort of sense… Your hive members were expected to live out long stretches in pony society, right?”

“And in mostly academic, or infrastructure positions, yes. Places where unusual magic would definitely be noticed, so if you had to lift something heavy, it was better to be able to really lift it, versus cheating with a covert spell or two.”

“Ok, how’s this?” Goss asked, abruptly curtailing their conversation. The proto-queen had managed to get the proportions for her body shape correct, and was now standing easily in a form that closely resembled Earth Mover’s. Except she was almost a hoof taller, and slender across her limbs and torso, where Earth Mover had a more solid appearance, while her wings stood up behind her shoulders, due to their smaller size.

Standing, Earth Mover approached the cell’s bars, and looked over Goss’ form critically. “Well, you’ve gotten it right, as far as I can tell. Although, you went with three fingers, instead of two…”

“Well, I thought it would make for better dexterity, even if it’s a little harder to control them.”

“You’re right, it does. I was initially thinking of just using this form to escape, but you’re thinking about using it for other applications, right?”

“Well… Maybe.”

“Like what?” Earth mover asked, as her own hands glowed, transforming to give her three fingers and a thumb as well.

“Well… I’m not sure, exactly.”

“Are you sure you want to leave on your own?”

“Look, let’s just say I’m using it to keep you from easily escaping for now, OK?”

“Ok, no need to get upset,” Earth Mover said, raising her hands to forestall further argument.

Here Goss sighed, and looked at the floor. “Look, I’m still not sure how I feel about this, OK? I’m not happy here, I know that much. But if I leave, can I even make it out? And if I help you escape when/if your friends come for you, Can I make it on my own, or should I try to find a place in a pony city? I still have… well, not friends, but fellow ‘lings I don’t dislike here, so can I help them leave as well? Should I even try?”

“Sounds like you have a lot to think about.”

Part 15: Fuse

Earth Mover’s sleep was surprisingly calm. She had been given a burlap sack filled with straw to sleep on, and an apologetic look from Goss that told her the proto-queen was becoming more of a not-quite-but-maybe friend. Still, it was far better than sleeping on the bare floor of her cell, at least.

She had just drifted off, with her head cradled on her forelegs, having returned to her regular form to conserve energy, even though holding a specific form didn’t use much - less if she had a reliable intake of food, or magic – she had a suspicion that she would need every erg when the time came to escape.

It had felt almost strange, reverting to four legs, after spending so many hours on only two, but when her “prisoner” had returned to her native form to sleep, Gossamer had reverted as well. Now the foreign princess was sleeping, and Goss felt her own eyelids growing heavy. There would be no relief, only a guard on rounds who would check in occasionally, and he wasn’t due by for another few hours at least. Over the past few days, it had become an almost-game to make sure they both were back in their native forms when a guard did come by. The action had drawn the two of them closer as maybe-friends, but it had also increased Goss’ sense of isolation more. She hadn’t fitted in very well even before the whole invasion mess, and this new role, and the stress of pretending to be an ordinary drone around the others hadn’t helped. And now, with the almost certainty that ponies would be coming to break Earth Mover out, one part of her had wanted to just report the possibility to her superiors, and let things happen as they would. Another, more insistent part, had insisted she just wait, not act in either direction, and follow Earth Mover out when she escaped/was rescued…

“Can you hear me?”

Earth Mover felt herself awaken with a start, looking around however, let her know she wasn’t truly awake… She was laying on a flat, featureless expanse, with little to differentiate it from the starry sky overhead.

Looking to one side, she saw the shadowy form of a tall Pegasus mare, except – wait, was that a horn? Yes, it was. Now she knew for sure what was going on.

“Greetings, your highness.” she greeted, rising to her legs, and dipping her head.

“Greetings to you, princess Earth Mover,” the diarch returned. “I would ask more details of how you fare, but time is short. I trust you are in good health?”

“As well as can be expected, I suppose. I had injuries to one hoof, but they are mostly recovered, nothing that could slow me down in a pinch.”

“This is good news. I trust you know the reason for my contacting you, so I will be succinct. There will be an attempt to rescue both yourself, and the ark in the next day. I will be teaching you a locator spell, as well as some basic offensive magic.”

“Thank you, your highness, but I am versed in some basic offensive spells. I am grateful for the locator spell, though.”

“I am gratified to hear that, is there anything you can tell me about the place you are being held in, and any details which can be used to aid your rescuers?”

“Yes, I am currently being held in a cell below ground level, towards the outer walls of this hive. It is constructed as a series of nested rings, but the ring I am in is two or three rings in. I have one dedicated… well, I’m not really sure what to call her. She’s not friendly, but not hostile either. If I make a break for it, she may either help or hinder, depending on how I play it. There is a guard rotation, but it is hourly, and the guard on rotation usually consults with my minder. The cell construction is metal bars embedded into the wall structure, so I can break it if I try. The main objective here is the ark. Recovering it should be the main priority.”

“It makes me proud to hear you say that, Earth Mover. However, you are a valued companion to your classmates, and an honored guest of Equestria. Taking you has resulted in a diplomatic incident for the Equestrian Diplomatic Corps, and the Crown. We are not pleased.”

Here, the Princess of the Night’s frown spoke more than mere words could convey, and Earth Mover felt almost sorry for those who had caused this whole mess. Almost.

“Now,” the princess continued, “let us begin with the locator spell. I trust you can modify it to locate the Ark as well?”

HOURS LATER

The ride out to Dodge Junction had been a noisy, and uncomfortable repeat of the start to the previous ill-fated mission. But this time, there was an almost grim sense of purpose. Cole, Sergeant Stormcloud, and Trixie were all prepared for the upcoming excitement, with Cole decked out in full tactical gear, consisting of tactical pants, shirt, vest, gloves, and holsters for an airsoft MP7, and ATP, with a reserve pistol across his ribs, all spell enhanced for nonlethal impact. The gear he wore was also sporting reinforced elbows and knees, and he had opted for a tactical helmet and shooting glasses.

The Sergeant was similarly equipped, with knee and elbow protection, reinforced horseshoes, and a tactical vest/pannier assembly, plus a helmet similar to Cole’s own.

Trixie had opted for just a vest and helmet, while keeping a set of saddlebags for smoke bombs, and other tricks.

Their helmets had radios equipped, and Cole also carried a spare helmet and vest for their intended rescue, as their vests had protective magics added to them, including anti-stun, and impact absorption enchantments.

The train pulled into the station with a squeal of brakes, and hissing steam, which worked well to cover up the purring growl of the Optima’s engine starting. With a brief nod from Cole, Trixie’s horn flared, and hidden bolts on the side of the crate they were concealed in unscrewed, and the entire wall facing away from the station swung down. Cole then eased the larger vehicle down the concealed ramp, and onto the desert floor. Once they had idled away from the station, and away from prying eyes, Cole took the machine up to a moderate pace, and turned towards the intended staging point.

Royal Force Reconnaissance teams had ensured the area was free of changelings the night before, and had subtly reinforced the grounds surrounding the initial point, clearing away debris as well all the way to the side of the hidden hive wall. Now, all they had to do was wait for the signal, and begin the mission.

As they waited, the atmosphere within the vehicle was… Charged. Cole was doing his usual pre-mission meditations, going through each of the steps of the current plan in his mind, and mentally visualizing how he would execute each movement. He suspected that the Sergeant, seated beside him, was doing the same.

In the backseat, Trixie was going over her part of the plan as well, mentally reinforcing the pathways she’d need to immediately charge up and fire the wall destroying magic missiles, and pulling as much mana into her reserves as possible. Currently, her breathing was deepening, as her heart rate slowed, and the world grew quiet.

On the Optima’s dashboard, one of the displays was silently counting down, the hundredths of seconds falling like water, as the trio prepared for action.

Cole cast his mind back towards the final meeting the rescue team, Balance Wheel, and Ditzy. The others had wanted to come along, but had understood that there would be limited space, and that only those with combat experience, or high magical ability would be going. Princess Luna herself had wanted to come, but in the interests of diplomacy, and to keep at least a semblance of nongovernmental involvement, had necessarily stayed out.

“There are only three of us going in, but hopefully, four of us will be returning.” He had begun. “I’m not good at speeches, so I’ll keep this brief. When I was first asked to teach you all, I realized something: That I was missing the excitement of a challenge. Truly, this has been an experience I would do over again in a heartbeat, and it has been my privilege to teach you.”

“Don’t make it too heavy, Cole,” Sergeant Stormcloud had admonished, “We’re coming back. All of us.”

“Right, sorry.” He had replied, but then Ditzy had reared up, and placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“We get it, Cole, really, we do. I promise there will be muffins for everyone when you get back.” She had then allowed her lazy eye to roll a bit, before winking at him. The human unbent enough to pat her head as she let herself back down to her hooves.

“I promise not to blow myself up trying to figure out the engine you gave us while you’re away, teacher,” Balance Wheel had said, raising a hoof. Cole had crouched don, and bumped it in reply, and the others had also said what they had to before both groups went their separate ways, and Cole’s team had boarded the train.

And now, here they were, outside the enemy castle, scant moments from storming the walls, to bring their classmate home. The countdown reached 00:00:00, and a faint beep sounded. All that remained to be said had been, and now it was time to act.

The team’s eyes all met, and with a faint nod, they all set to work. Cole started toe Optima’s engine with a muted rumble, and Trixie began charging her magic. The Sergeant’s wings began to crackle, and he tightened his harness.

Outside the Optima, the morning calm was shattered by the chiming crackle of crystallizing mana, as six ethereal projectiles began to condense. The rumbling human machine began to roll forward, picking up speed steadily, until it was rolling along at a decent clip, the projectiles pacing it at precise intervals.

Inside the cabin, Trixie spoke up: ‘It’s ready. Go.”

The Optima surged forwards, speed climbing as they approached the outer wall 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80KPH, and climbing. The dust kicked up by the wheels of the charging machine whipped into vortices and a turbulent wake. The pacing projectiles glowed steadily brighter, scavenging kinetic energy from their momentum, glowing ever brighter.

Along the top of the mesa the hidden hive resided in, a lone sentry’s ears twitched in response to the roar of the incoming vehicle. Turning, he saw the rising cloud of dust, and the glowing projectile’s at its tip. Turning, he sprinted to the nearest vocal tube, and drew in a breath to loose the chittering alarm of an invasion alarm. As soon as he had begun to exhale, there was an explosion of noise, and he was knocked off his hooves. Immediately following, his position was covered in a choking cloud of dust.

SECONDS EARLIER:

The interior of the Optima was now filled with noise, the human vehicle now at 100KPH, with the engine at full bellow, but in Cole’s opinion, it felt like they were moving almost sluggishly. If the flaring of Trixie’s horn was anything to go by, the plan was working so far, as the unicorn siphoned their inertia into the projectiles she was manifesting. All that remained was to loose those projectiles at the precise moment, and shunt their remaining inertia into them, while also bringing the Optima to a safe halt. A dicey proposition, even if they had practiced for it, but there had been no time. Sergeant Stormcloud read out the range as the seemingly impenetrable wall of the mesa rapidly grew bigger in their vision. “500, 400, 300, 200, 100 -”

At the precise moment, Trixie’s horn flared with power, and the pacing projectiles streaked across the remaining distance faster than a blink, splintering into an evenly spaced pattern just wide and tall enough for the Optima. It was then that several things happened at once, with Cole yanking the wheel hard, turning their headlong rush into a slide, as the wall ahead, and now to their left exploded with a thunderous roar.

Part 16: Injector

Earth Mover had been alert for at least the past hour, when she’d felt the tingle of the mana surge she had been told to look for. Since then she’d been almost meditating in her cell, crouched on her sleeping pad, silently readying for the inevitable.

Gossamer had noticed the change in her assigned charge as well, and knew it was time to make a decision. There was no longer any time to think about it. If she decided one way, she would sever all ties with the only home she had ever known, and plunge headlong into a new world, one where the future was uncertain, and aside from the fragile relationship she had forged, all the rest was an unknown.

Or, she could betray that friendship, and remain loyal to her hive, and her queen. A person who had time and again put her own needs ahead of those of the hive as a whole, using the changelings as extensions of her own will, instead of leading them as a people…

It was not a comforting position to be in, to say the least, but if she was being honest, at the very least, her survival on the outside could be counted on more than just her new fingers…

She was turning the options over in her mind again, when the walls of the cellblock shuddered, and there was a tremendous explosion, mixed with the sounds of falling rock, and a screech that set her teeth on edge.

In the cell across from her, Earth Mover was suddenly enclosed in golden fire, as she transformed, and rose to her rear hooves in her full bipedal form. “It’s time.”

There was an instant where Goss tried to do too many things at once. It was a split second of deciding whether to charge her magic, summon the guards, or transform into her own bipedal form, and attempt to restrain Earth Mover on her own. The moment passed, and she made her choice.

Earth Mover was not exactly surprised, but she was grateful when her former jailer sent several blasts from her horn at the points in the front of the cell where the metal bars were bored into the surrounding rock. As the rock fractured, she kicked outwards, balancing awkwardly on one leg, as the now dislodged front of her cell crashed to the ground.

As she exited the cell, Gossamer rose to her own rear hooves, the younger changeling’s bipedal mode being slightly taller, but more slender than her own. There was a pause, and Goss gripped her shoulder with a three-fingered grip. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

“I can’t promise you won’t, but I will try.” Was all she could say, before she turned, and began to trot up the curved corridor, away from the direction the explosion, and now sharp, staccato sounds, punctuated by deeper blasts, were coming from.

“Wait, that’s the wrong way-“

“I know, but I have to retrieve the Ark first.”

“If you can find it, should I go with you, or just try and…”

“You should head towards the team sent to get me. It’ll make it clear you aren’t a threat, and it should make your leaving here less awkward.”

“This is going to turn into a mess, isn’t it?” the proto-queen commented dismally.

“Quite possibly,” Earth Mover said, taking a deep breath. “But I have to at least try.”

With that, there really wasn’t anything more to say, and so the two went their separate ways.

The way the Optima had slammed through the outer wall into the enemy hive couldn’t be described as anything less than “Dynamic”. If anyling had been unfortunate enough to be standing right in front of the point where the human vehicle entered, they would have been violently blasted across the open space in a shower of pulverized rock and dust.

As the wave of debris settled, the Optima’s doors swung open, and Cole and the others exited. The human had his MP7 out, and swept it across the space the team found themselves in. “Clear”, he announced curtly. After a beat, Trixie sent out a pulse from her horn, and turned to her left. “This way.” With that, the trio set off towards where Trixie’s pulse had reacted.

Before they set off, Cole took a moment to lock the vehicle down, and the Optima responded with a blink of its running lights, as the locks engaged with an audible “thunk”.

The first two corridors and cross passages were mercifully clear of any changelings, but their luck ran out at the third T-junction. The approaching changelings didn’t hesitate, as it was obvious the approaching trio were not friendly. As the two groups approached, Cole spoke up. “We’re only here to retrieve the prisoner. We don’t need to make this difficult.”

The changelings didn’t respond, simply charged their horns, and broke into a run. Sergeant Stormcloud didn’t hesitate. “Contact front!” As the first changelings arrived, the sergeant sprang into the air, as Cole took a knee, and opened fire. He had set the MP7 to single-shot mode, and as the first round left the barrel, there was an almost frozen moment where he watched the softly glowing pellet travel across the intervening space, and slam into the chest of the lead changeling. The reaction was profound, almost as if the creature had run into a chest high pole, it’s forward momentum violently arrested, and sending it tumbling backwards, to lie in a crumpled heap. Only the movement of its flanks indicated it was still alive. And just like that, the moment was gone, and the true chaos of CQC began.

At the same time, Trixie had charged up and deployed a curved shield, giving Cole something to crouch behind. Her hooves glowed as well, as she anchored them to the corridor floor, and the semiconscious body of one of the oncoming changelings slammed into her shield. “Not the way I’d hoped this would go,” she ground out. “Well, at least it hasn’t been as intense as we’d anticipated,” the human replied.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Sergeant Stormcloud, who had flown around the far end of the corridor, came winging back. “We’ve got incoming, at least twenty!” Trixie didn’t bother to glance back, but Cole could practically feel the words: you just had to go and say it… Thinking quickly, he reached down into a vest pouch, and extracted a grenade. After pulling the pin, Cole kept a grip on the spoon with one hand, and gestured the Sergeant over. “OK, just keep a grip on the handle, and drop this on them,” he quickly explained. The sergeant’s eyes lit up, and he nodded once. Taking the now primed device, the Pegasus winged over the shield, dropped the device, and made it back just as it detonated within the first ranks of the oncoming attackers. The resulting detonation sent glowing pellets ricocheting all around the corridor, rapidly stunning the entire group into submission, the violent SLAP of the grenade’s detonation echoing off the stone walls.

Moving rapidly on two legs was something Gossamer was still getting used to. Add that to having to hide or transform anytime a group of guards ran past, she found herself approaching the action. The noise from up ahead was especially violent, with sharp cracking sounds, the whine and hiss of released magic bolts, and what sounded like Pegasus wings. After a particularly loud crashing sound, things went silent, and she edged cautiously around the corner.

Gossamer felt a sense of sick dread at the sight of her fellow changelings strewn across the corridor before her. After a second look, it was clear none of the injured changelings were dead, only unconscious, but some of the injuries were fairly severe looking, mainly cracked chitin, and shredded wings. She was almost tempted to stop and help, but the memory of how these changelings had treated those of different classes than themselves gave her pause.

The sight of the three beings responsible for the current state of chaos was somehow unsurprising as well: A bipedal creature, obviously the inspiration behind Earth Mover’s new form, and now her own. A Unicorn, and a Pegasus. All three were equipped with what was obviously military gear, and the being she couldn’t identify was obviously holding a weapon of some kind. As she eased back around the corner, the Unicorn’s head snapped in her direction. “Got another one!” Instantly, the Pegasus launched into the air, and the other being began to advance. It was now or never. Run? Or reveal herself?

As Sergeant Stormcloud rounded the corner, he got his first good look at the changeling that had retreated as soon as Trixie had spotted it. What he found led him to backwing in confusion, before preparing to rush once again. In that brief span the changeling began to speak, and that got him to pause, and settle into a hover.

“Wait, Earth Mover sent me!” she said in a rush. “She went to go find the Ark, but I went to meet up with you.”

“That’s not exactly a normal look for one of you,” the Sergeant commented. “Were you hoping to replace Cole?”

“Who’s Cole? No, I was… I’m not sure what I wanted to do. All I know is that I can’t stay here, not anymore. I don’t… fit in. There are so many who think that what was done in Canterlot was the right thing, but there are more of us who had doubts. And then we were forced to go along with a plan that made no sense!” Gossamer realized she was babbling, trying for anything that would keep the Pegasus in front of her from laying her out like the other changelings she had seen behind him.

Here the Sergeant took charge. “Look, you clearly don’t want to fight. Just stay out of our way, and we’ll forget we saw you. You said Earth Mover went to find the Ark?”

“I want… take me with you.”

“Look, we aren’t really set up for passengers…”

It was at this point that Cole and Trixie arrived. The first thing the human did was look the odd changeling in front of him up and down. “Is this supposed to be a new technique?” The changeling looked back with a combination of embarrassment, frustration, and defiance that could only mean it was a young one, likely younger than even the changeling they had been sent to retrieve. Cole had seen that look before, had worn it often enough himself when he was young. The look of: “will someone PLEASE listen to me!” with fists clenched, and on the verge of shouting, crying, or both.

“Look, I just want out of here. I’m like this because Earth Mover said it would make it easier to escape. She’s gone to find the Ark, and I want to come with you.”

He didn’t understand everything that had happened, but there was no time. Clearly, Earth Mover had made an impression of this (female) changeling, and now she wanted to leave with them. It could be a trick, but the odd bipedal form she had taken made that less likely than he’d first suspected. Equally clearly, Earth Mover had sent this changeling to meet up with them, or given her the option to decide to do so on her own. Either way, they now had another person to extract, and their original objective still needed to be completed.

Trixie spoke up: “Are you sure we can trust her?”

“Listen, my name is Gossamer. You can scan me for mind magic. You unicorns can do that, right?”

“I can, hold still.” Trixie’s curt reply as punctuated by a sweeping ray from her horn, as she swept Gossamer from top to bottom. After not detecting a negative reaction, the unicorn visibly relaxed, and the two males took their cue from that, and focused more of their attention outwards.

“She’s clean,” Trixie pronounced. “Sorry for being a little cold earlier.”

“I can’t really blame you, I guess,” Goss replied. “I’m sure I would have done the same. We need to hurry. If the guards I ran into are any indication, the main force is still either in confusion, or focused on securing both Earth Mover, and the Ark. If whomever was sent to check on her finds she’s gone, the main focus will be on the Ark first, and you all last.”

Hearing this, Cole made a snap decision. “OK, back to the Optima.” Sergeant Stormcloud looked at the human for a second, then glanced at the size of the corridors they had been running through, and made the same connection. “Gotcha,” he replied, and swung into a slow speed flight back the way they’d come, checking the junctions, and finding them clear, gesturing behind himself for the others to follow, as they hustled back up the passageway.

Part 17: Manifold

As they hustled back up the surprisingly well-lit passageway, Trixie took the rear position, and began a conversation with their new companion. It wasn’t quite right to call her a friend – not yet, but the strange changeling hadn’t proven to be hostile, so that was a point in her favor. As they drew near to the Optima, Cole retrieved his remote, and unlocked the doors. At the same time, Gossamer found herself questioning the strange machine, but having quickly figured out its purpose, kept her questions to herself. As they opened the doors, both the ponies took a moment to check for any damage, but the entire area was strangely deserted. At the same time, Cole retrieved a master key from the trunk of the Optima, and placed it in a scabbard behind the driver’s seat.

“Is that some kind of magic tool?” was the first question out of their new companion’s mouth.

“No,” Cole replied. “It’s just a tool. Maybe one you’re not familiar with, but anyone can learn to use it.”

“Planning on showing off a little?” Sergeant Stormcloud asked, indicating the master key.

“Not really, but if the Ark is where I think it is, we’ll probably need it, and like my captain used to say-“

“It’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, right?”

“Glad to see that particular bit of advice transcends worlds.”

Trixie had been watching the exchange with what Gossamer sensed was a sort of long-suffering familiarity. “Hmph, why am I not surprised…”

“Does this happen often?” the Changeling asked.

“Not really, but the two of them seem to bond over the strangest of things.”

“I’m Gossmer, by the way. But just call me Goss.”

“Trixie Lullamoon. But just Trixie is fine.”

“I sensed a pulse earlier, was that search magic from you?”

“Yes, I use a mapping spell, and scanning spell at the same time. It’s a variation of my own design.”

As the Changeling and the Unicorn got acquainted, Cole had taken his seat, and started the engine. Goss jumped slightly when the rumble began, but she expected this strange carriage to have some form of self-propulsion, if the black streaks that led directly to the conveyance’s wheels were any indication, and Trixie took the opportunity to send several more pulses out ahead of them down the corridor the Optima was facing. She moved up between the front seats, and pointed out the front windshield, and slightly to the left. “That way.” The human and the Pegasus shared a look, and nodded. After closing the doors, Cole threw the Optima into gear, and they made their way up the passage at a rapid pace.

Goss found herself practically glued to the window on her side as the corridor walls of the hive blurred past. Cole had both kept the Optima’s headlamps off, and made it a point to avoid going so fast that he couldn’t corner, but they raced past several groups of Changeling patrols, all of who opened fire, but barely managed to even warm the Optima’s armored shell, as they were simply moving too fast.

Trixie had used the pulses she had sent out earlier to project a partial map of sorts of the surrounding corridors, and placed a dot on the map where the Ark was relative to their current location. It pulses a cheery green, as the blue arrowhead indicating their vehicle drew steadily closer. The industrious magician had even colored all the changeling responses her spell had revealed an angry red, and it was clear that the squads they had passed were rapidly filling in the surrounding passages. Goss found herself fascinated by the softly glowing map, and the other lit instrument and screens that partially surrounded the human’s driving position.

“Well, it’s clear they know what we’re after.” Sergeant Stormcloud commented, after observing the groups of guards they had passed regroup, and take off on hoof and in the air after the speeding vehicle. “Miss Gossamer, what did Earth Mover tell you when she escaped?”

“She said she was going for the Ark, and wanted you to pick both her and it up, I’d guess.”

“I assume you were assigned to watch her?”

Here the Changeling looked away, embarrassed. “I was wrong. I thought that we -my queen and my hive- were in the right. I had a life in the pony lands, and I liked it, I was happy. But this, I supposed it was duty, so I returned, and did as I was told. And then, I wasn’t, it wasn’t the same! I’m not expecting to be immediately trusted, but still, it hurt to be seen as a burden, all because I didn’t take part in the queen’s earlier scheme, and maintained my cover – despite that plan having failed…”

“Can’t really say I blame you,” The Pegasus replied. “It’s one thing to follow orders. It’s quite another when they’re bad orders, and will cost your unit, and your commander.”

Cole offered his own input; “I won’t pretend to understand what’s going on inside your head, but I do know that rejection is a stressful thing, and your actions today were a tough decision. I can tell you want to come back with us, so I won’t object. Are you sure you can face your former comrades if it comes down to that?”

“I guess I’ll have to…” came the shaky reply.

Trixie gave Cole a look, and then took a breath as she realized what the human was doing.

All too soon, the corridor ahead of them stopped at another T junction, one side of which led toward the hive outer passages, and the other at a set of sturdy looking doors. There was a brief discussion as Cole pulled around the corner and slowed the vehicle, while the three invaders considered whether or not they should pull the same kinetic ramming trick as they had used to obtain entry to the hive in the first place, but the human vetoed the idea, saying the inner walls likely couldn’t handle the force, and since they couldn’t know what was on the other side for sure, It’d likely do more harm than good… The Optima’s speed had bought them roughly four minutes, so the decision was made to dismount, force the doors, and retrieve both Earth Mover, and the Ark, as Trixie had sensed the other proto-queen’s presence, and added her to the map as a golden dot, also converging on the green dot of their intended target.

"We're here," the unicorn announced.

As Cole brought the Optima to a halt, he left the running lights on, but shut down the engine, while everyone dismounted, and Cole retrieved the master key. Sergeant Stormcloud was the first to notice the bulky device.

“So, what’s with the weird shotgun?”

“The shells in this are loaded with powdered aluminum, and the muzzle attachment makes sure the barrel is always the correct distance off the door.” The human explained as he closed his door, and hefted the weapon. Goss looked at the weapon askance, surprised at the switch from nonlethal weapons the human and his companions had used before, to something considerably less so.

“That’s only for doors, right?”

“Absolutely,” Cole replied, racking it with a sharp Ka-KLACK. “I doubt it could do more than scrape up a changeling’s chitin at more than a few feet away anyways…”

As Trixie watched their backs, Goss watched the human approach the door, press the end of the master key to the closest hinge, and pull the trigger. The weapon turned tool barked sharply, and the hinge disintegrated, as the blast of powdered metal chewed a fist-sized bite out of the door and frame. Moving quickly, Cole shifted to the second and third hinges, and finally the central lock and latch, obliterating each in a single blast. Once the last mechanism disintegrated, the human spun away from the door, and the Pegasus sergeant swooped down, and slammed his hooves off the door, knocking it inwards.

As the door flew into the room beyond, Cole had switched back to his MP7, and darted diagonally across the room, sweeping for targets. The lone changeling in the room had been watching the door while off to the side of where the door had flown, and as she saw the human, lit her horn in a golden glow.

“Cole, over here!” Earth Mover called.

The human looked her way, and allowed himself the briefest of grins, before he spoke. “Glad you could make it, I was worried we’d need to track you down.”

“Really, Cole, that’s the best you could come up with?” Sergeant Stormcloud asked, as he swooped past the human, and landed to one side of the bipedal changeling. “You have any issues getting here?”

“Not too many, actually… This room isn’t a commonly used one. To be honest, I’m actually surprised the Ark is even here, the passage I took to get in has a hidden door on its far side… I’d have figured they would have at least put a guard on it, like they did me…”

The conversation trailed off as the trio approached the objective of their mission, the Ark of Queens. The chest had been placed on a side table, and was surrounded by various other objects of either artwork, or moderately ornate furniture. The room was also well lit, with lanterns containing a sort of glowing stone set into the ceiling, the same as the corridor they had drove here was outfitted with. In the steady light, the unassuming onyx construction seemed to almost glow faintly.

Out in the corridor, Trixie had taken the time to levitate the rear of the Optima, and drag it to one side, then levitate the front end, and repeat the process. After a few more back and forth evolutions, the unicorn had rotated the vehicle so that it faced back the way they had come, and the corridor they would use to escape. Panting slightly, she looked over at the changeling who had stayed with her, and raised any eyebrow.

“Any idea what’s on the other end of this passage?”

“If we’re where I think we are, the passage ends at the outer wall, and at ground level… We’ve been ascending slightly this entire time, but the passage drops back to ground level, since all the outer ring passages are at ground level, in case the hive needs to be evacuated-“

There was a susurration coming from the side passage they had exited, and Gossamer took a step backwards. “Trixie… we need to go. Now.”

The unicorn erected a shield across the passage without a second though, and the changeling sprinted awkwardly to the destroyed door.

“Everyone, we need to go now!”

Cole and sergeant Stormcloud shared a glance, and the Pegasus headed back towards the Optima. The human, meanwhile, got a solid grip on the Ark, and lifted. The artifact was surprisingly light, and Earth Mover lit her horn, and followed him out of the room. Outside, the far passage was filling with black forms, glowing eyes staring unblinkingly at the lit up human vehicle. All four doors were open, and Trixie was crouched behind the passenger side door, maintaining the barrier she had erected. The Sergeant and Gossamer had opened the rear doors, and assembled a transport cradle for the Ark. It had been a few moments for the Pegasus to show the changeling how it was supposed to fit together, and her fingers, while clumsy, had made the job go much faster than if he had attempted it on his own.

As Cole approached at a fast walk, Earth Mover stopped him with a tap on one arm, and gestured Gossamer over. The two changelings took either side of the Ark, and eased it into the rear seat cradle, as Cole took his position in the driver’s seat, and closed his door.

Making an effort to move quietly and deliberately wasn’t easy, but the two changelings got the Ark secured, and closed their doors with a turn of speed that suggested they could have only gotten faster if they had practiced. Lastly, Trixie slowly backed into the passenger seat, and slammed her door, maintaining the barrier as she did so. As it shut, Cole engaged the locks with a “thunk”, and reached for the keys.

It was the work of an instant, and the Changelings at the end of the passage startled visibly when the Optima growled to life. Cole grinned tightly, and revved the engine a few times. “Seatbelts”, he stated sharply.

Earth Mover and Gossamer buckled in immediately, their positions on either side of the Ark allowing them to use the side belts, with the younger changeling only struggling with the mechanism for an instant. Up front, Trixie and the Sergeant shared a look, shrugged, and pulled the passenger seat belt across the both of them. It was cramped, but it would have to do. Meanwhile, Cole also belted himself in, and took a firm grip on the steering wheel, as he put the Optima in gear, and put a foot on the brake, while resting a finger on the high beam control, and taking a deep breath. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Yeah?”

“All set.”

“Let’s Go.”

And in a smooth motion, the human pressed the accelerator until the engine began to howl, and released the brake, while simultaneously flicking the high beams on full, and pressing down on the horn. The tires broke free from the floor, and began to scream, as the vehicle began to accelerate, horn blaring and lights searing the passageway in an actinic glare.

Part 18: Horsepower

The changeling forces arrayed at the end of the short corridor had been confident they could stop these intruders, no matter what strangely effective weapons and techniques they had brought with them. After all, they had completely wrecked the previous machine, and with several explosive trap spells being prepped even now, there was no way this new one would fare any better. Even the assault of light and sound had been anticipated, at least partially, but the sudden acceleration had not.

As the machine, for that was what it had to be, leaped towards them, an unholy scream coming from its black wheels, the unicorn-generated barrier in front of them blinked out, and the changelings in the front ranks opened fire. In a shocking turn of events, the incoming magical bolts didn’t punch through the surface if the machine, or even break its windows, instead glancing off the body and windshield, leaving faint streaks of carbon.

The Optima leapt forwards, having gone from a dead stop to nearly 200KPH in the scant tens of meters between it and the forces arrayed to stop it. As its acceleration reached maximum, a new barrier flickered into being, this one a fiery orange, with a wedge-like prow shape. The shielded vehicle plowed into the massed changelings like a cannonball, it’s wedge shape allowing it to deflect the insectile creatures in a wave to either side. An added benefit to this was that by deflecting them, rather than colliding with them, the vehicle lost no momentum, and anyling caught in the vehicles path was forcefully shoved up and away, instead of crushed.

Still, Gossamer couldn’t help but feel guilty seeing her former fellows being tossed violently aside as they swept past. Earth Mover caught her gaze, and gestured to her horn. “I added a friction and impact reducing effect to my shield. They’ll be fine. Bruised, but fine.”

“I’m not sure I deserve you going out of your way like that…”

“I did it because it was the right thing to do. I’d say the majority of the ones we ran into today were given as little of a choice as you were.”

“…Still… Thanks.”

As the Optima continued to accelerate, Cole kept a course headed outwards, fortunately, that meant he had only one screaming sideways skid to make, before they were headed straight for the outer wall of the hive, and Trixie’s horn began to glow again, as she readied a familiar set of kinetically energized projectiles.

From the outside of the mesa, Celestia’s sun had just broken the horizon, and the surrounding desert was beginning to lighten considerably from the predawn it had been under a few minutes before. The mesa wall was featureless, solid, until an arch or glowing blue spikes abruptly punched through the sandstone, flashing brightly before exploding. The resulting hole was almost immediately filled with the speeding Optima, as the human machine tore out of the unicorn-generated exit in a blast of sound and fury.

Cole kept his foot to the floor, as the team, package, and passengers made their escape. The sensors on his instrument panel showed the same thing his eyes had: a clear, flat desert hardpan, marked with the occasional rock, or desert plant. Still, that was what he had seen the first time they’d been running from a changeling pursuit across the desert as well… On the rear camera, their pursuers filled the sky like a kicked hornet’s nest, which quickly began to sparkle, as magic bolts then began to rain down.

Fortunately, Earth Mover was up to providing extra shielding, as the stray bolts that did end up on-target were deflected easily by momentary shields that flashed into being in the fractions of a second before impact.

“How soon until we’re clear?” Sergeant Stormcloud called over the din of impacting energy bolts.

“As soon as I can find a flat stretch of ground.” the human called back.

Cole’s silent prayers were answered when the ground smoothed out, and he was able to put his foot all the way to the floor. The Optima leapt forward, and kicked up a wake of dust and sand for a good distance behind it as the group made their escape.

It was getting towards evening when they rolled back into the station at Appaloosa. From there, it was a simple matter to use the clearance they’d initially received to roll the human’s vehicle aboard its specialized railcar, and from there to ride back to Canterlot, and the Transportation Division’s de facto headquarters, where an unexpected visitor awaited them.

“I thought ‘twould be appropriate that I greet you upon your return, Cole, Sergeant.”

Princess Luna had wasted no time in reaching the Transport Division stables once she’d spotted the train pulling in, and after grabbing two of her regular guard detail, had eagerly awaited their return.

“And greetings to you as well Miss Lullamoon, Princess Earth Mover, and I see we have a new arrival?”

“Gossamer, your highness.” The changeling in question said, before retreating behind Earth Mover as well as she was able.

“There is no need for you to fear, young changeling. We are not so impolite as to immediately ascribe wrong motives to your kind upon mere sight alone.”

“That’s… good… your highness.”

“Still, it is not beyond the realm of sanity to insist you accompany Us for a simple vetting.”

At Earth Mover’s silent assurance, Gossamer looked between the group she’d attached herself to, and the calm presence of the princess of the Night.

At the assuring nod from the Pegasus sergeant, the newest changeling to join their group of irregulars trotted over to the two night guards, and awkwardly saluted.

“No need for that, Miss.” One of them said calmly, “Just need you to come with us, and get checked into the grounds. You can rejoin the others in a bit.”

With a last look over her shoulder, Gossamer allowed herself to be escorted to the security division’s offices.

As the trio made their way out of sight, the Princess nodded firmly, and returned her attention to the others. “And were you successful in your other mission?”

A grin crossed Earth Mover’s tired face, and she gestured into the still open door of the Optima at the package that had finally arrived at its intended destination.

“Indeed we were, your highness. Princess Luna, please allow me, as an ambassador of the Changeling race, to present to you, the artifact known as the Ark of Queens. Its contents have been lost to time, but may provide a foundation to bridge the gap between our two species.”

As Earth Mover had made her impromptu presentation, Cole and the others had silently stood off to one side, and let their rescue direct the conversation. Once she’d detected a suitable break, Trixie walked up to the two princesses, and asked the question that had been burning in her mind since the rescue.

“Please excuse the interruption Princess, but I have a question for Earth Mover.”

Sensing what the question would be, the princess raised an eyebrow, and then gave a silent almost-chuckle. “I am curious as to the answer as well. Go ahead, Miss Lullamoon.”

“Earth Mover, when exactly were you going to fill us in on the fact that you were a changeling?”

Part 10: Bearing Race

As the memory ended, the Princess filled in the blanks.
“As I stated earlier, Mr. Cole, you and Miss Lulamoon arrived at the Transport Division stable, and from there were taken to the castle infirmary. Your injuries are on the mend, and I have dispatched a team to recover your vehicle.”

The human took a few breaths, the memories beginning to integrate themselves with his consciousness, and the adrenaline rush he’d experienced seeing them again for the first time slowly faded.

“Princess, I cannot be 100% sure without seeing it firsthand, but I highly doubt I will be able repair my vehicle, let alone use it to retrieve both Earth Mover, and the package.”

Princess Luna hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. “No, Mr. Cole, I suppose you could not. I do appreciate your desire to rescue Earth Mover, but this has now become an international incident. A citizen of another nation has been taken hostage while under the protection of Equestria, and materials formally given to the Equestrian Crown have been stolen. An incident like this will be resolved through either diplomatic, or other means.”

Here the human reacted by taking a deep breath, and squaring his shoulders. “Ma’am,” Cole began, “I am obligated to inform you that I am well versed in the “other means” you have just spoken of. I was a member of a team that pursued similar operations in my world, and I believe an unconventional approach may prove effective.” Taking another breath, he continued. “I also feel a personal responsibility in this. Firstly, my student was taken, and secondly, I always deliver a package to its intended destination. I’ve never failed in this last item, and I do not intend to break that record.”

The Alicorn and the human regarded one another for a brief moment, before the Princess sighed, and relented. “Mr. Cole, I am beginning to see that dealing with your species will be both fascinating, and frustrating, I suspect in equal proportions. Very well, you will be permitted to assist the operation to retrieve the hostage, and the items, but you will be second to local authority, as assigned by Myself. Is this acceptable?”

The human drew himself up in a formal manner, and brought a rigid right hand to his brow in a manner the princess immediately recognized as a formal salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am. And thank you.”

The Princess tipped her head in acknowledgement. “You are most welcome, Mr. Cole And now, I believe it is time for us both to wake up.”

As the princess uttered those words, Cole felt the dream reality around him begin to dissolve, giving way to a comfortable darkness.
After a moment, the human felt himself back in his body, and began to rouse. It was slow, thanks to the full body ache he was currently feeling, but there was, thankfully, no pain.

As the human awoke, he shifted his eyes to where he had sensed a presence before he had passed out. Unsurprisingly, there stood Princess Luna.
“Greetings once more, Mr. Cole. As you no doubt surmise, time is short, and we will need as much of it as we can to prepare.”

The human took a moment to take a deep breath, and then rose smoothly. “I understand, ma’am. What’s our first move?”

“Firstly, we need to assess the damage to your equipment, and determine how to procure additional supplies. Then we proceed with mounting a rescue.”

“I think I can help with the supply end of things,” Cole began. “I have a workshop with all the materials I will need, and some gear that can be adapted for anyone you assign to the mission.”

The Princess took a moment to consider, the nodded. “Very well, I will assign you to Sergeant Stormcloud, effective immediately. I will accompany you both to your workshop, and assist you in putting together what you need. My current duties are such that I can set aside ample time for such an endeavor. I will also have my staff begin drawing up documentation for a formal grievance regarding this incident with the changeling hives.”

As they continued to discuss the mission particulars, Cole had taken the opportunity to don his shoes (his other clothing having been destroyed between the crash and the infirmary), and was subsequently cleared to leave the infirmary. From there, it was a long walk across the palace proper, to the exterior stables.

Along the path they took, the Princess had paused in their discussions to point out come artifacts on display, and some of the architectural features of the castle itself. Cole had remarked on the anachronistic nature of some of the design choices, especially the contrast between the large widows, airy open corridors, and the distinct lack of defensive choke points, as compared to the structure of the building itself.

Princess Luna was pleased that the human had noticed many of the same things she had. Even having brought herself up to speed on the current peaceful state of Equestria, her heart still clung to some of the ideas of a thousand years ago, and the open nature of Canterlot castle still felt odd, open, and far too vulnerable. In light of the recent changeling invasion, it seemed her concerns were not without merit.

Along the way, they collected Sergeant Stormcloud, and the trio then took a look at what the recovery team had managed to bring back from the crash site. Balance Wheel, and Trixie Lullamoon also met them down in the area the Elantra had been parked.

The human stood before what was left of his vehicle, and sighed, running a hand across his head, and tugging on his chin. Turning, he regarded the clockmaker. “Balance Wheel, I’m going to leave the engine of this vehicle to you. I think you’ll be able to get the most out of it. As for the rest, Princess, I’ll leave it to your science and technology experts. I think they’ll be able to get a few insights into materials technology by studying it. Aside from the contents of the equipment bays, the rest of this machine is a total loss. If you all will excuse me, I need to put on some better clothes for our trip.”

After that short, awkward speech, the human nodded to the Princess, and took his leave. The others stood in silence for a bit, until the sergeant spoke. “Well, that was a bit abrupt, huh?”

“Agreed,” the Princess replied, looking thoughtful. “He hides it well, but our human friend is quite upset.”

“He told me once that in his world, vehicles like this one are cared for with great pride, and respect,” Trixie stated slowly. “I think he’s hiding a lot of how he’s feeling, considering how I would feel if someone did something like this“ -here, she gestured to the wreck- “to my wagon.”

The vehicle had been savaged in the crash, with all four tires flattened, all windows except for the smaller ones in the rear blown out, and the metal of the body crumpled and warped. It seemed surprising that the passenger area had held up as well as it had, until Balance Wheel used an X-ray spell, which revealed the tubular steel frame inside the body that protected the interior. The hood had been crumpled like a potato chip, and the trunk was crushed, but the engine was surprisingly intact, as were the transmission, and other mechanical components.

The Princess took the opportunity to inspect the wreck herself, wrinkling her nose slightly at the blood on the airbags, which hung down like misshapen curtains from the interior. It was clear that the human machine had a high level of safety built into it, and although it moved at great speed, if the reports on her desk were to be believed, it also was designed to protect its occupants well. She was sad she had not gotten a closer look at it when it was intact.

Morris Cole stood in front of the mirror in his room, adjacent to the classrooms and utility spaces of the stable. He had changed out of the hospital pajamas he’d awoken in, and now sported a pair of blue jeans, a t-shirt, windbreaker, and web belt. He had switched from his driving shoes to a pair of tactical boots, and was contemplating the day’s events. There were now three clear objective in mind: First, he had to assemble the equipment he’d need to complete the next two objectives, and that meant finishing it. The project he’d been putting off all this time. After getting it assembled, next was convincing his team leader they would need it. And finally, they would need to break into the fortress, and rescue the princess.

No pressure.

Earth Mover groaned in her sleep, and then snapped awake. The last thing she remembered was firing blasts at an attacking changeling swarm, and then taking a stun spell to the face. Being flung out of Cole’s vehicle had hurt, and she remembered the awful sound as her left rear leg had shattered. A quick mental check revealed that the limb was achy, but lacked the sharp pain of an unset fracture. As slowly turned to look at it, she realized it had been set, and immobilized in a cast of changeling resin. A side benefit of having holes in your lower extremities was that it made fixing injuries in place with this method much easier.

She took a deep breath, and struggled to rise, groaning again when she had gotten her legs under herself, and took a moment to get her bearings. Her balance was a little wobbly, but mostly intact. She was bruised and scraped, but thankfully she’d managed to transform back to her natural state before hitting the ground, so she’d sustained far fewer injuries than she might have. Which, considering where she’d ended up, was a very good thing. It was obvious she was in some kind of holding cell, if the bare rock walls, recessed lumifungus pockets, and metal bars across the front of the room she found herself in were any indication. The single drone staring balefully at her from the other side of the bars was a pretty good indicator as well.

“You have awakened, this is good,” the drone stated flatly.

“Where is this place? Why have you taken the royalty of another hive hostage in this manner?” She asked.

“You are one of those who discovered the ark, yes? You are one who knows how to open it, and your presence will ensure the compliance of the ponies.”

“I don’t follow… You seem to think I’ll just give up information like that willingly. You have to know they will come for me.”

“My queen knows this. She is counting on it. You will be fed, and tended. You are valuable.”

With this last, the drone turned, and opening its wings, it buzzed away.

Earth Mover took a moment to process that exchange. Firstly, it was clear that this drone’s hive, whoever his queen was, did not value individuality all that much. At least, that was what it looked like. The drone was intelligent enough to relay basic information, and carry out simple commands, but not too much beyond that. In sharp contrast, the drones of her own hive were positively loquacious when spoken to. It could be a control spell, but it was more likely they were bred to have such a strong connection to their queen that they just didn’t need to think independently.

And this was bad. That meant the queen of this hive was exceptionally strong at mind control. Even with the natural defense of being a royal of a different hive, Earth Mover was uniquely vulnerable to the kind of pressure a full queen could exert, even one not of her hive. Thinking quickly, the changeling attempted to light he horn, and felt the telltale stinging emptiness of hardened suppressor gel on her horn.

This was going to take a bit more work than she’d initially assumed.