Manics: Thunderball

-Chapter 8-

An hour had gone by since Claymore and Oroon attacked. This hour was possibly the most stressful hour for Jordan - even more stressful than the attack itself.

During this hour, a cart had come by to take Applejack and Nurse Redheart to the clinic, dropping off Nurse Tenderheart in the process. The new nurse tended to Gunny’s injuries, even though she was unfamiliar with the anatomical difference between her average patients and her current one. Gunny wasn’t too cooperative, either; she constantly informed the nurse that she was fine and didn’t need anything for the gash on her head. She ended up sporting a bandage around her forehead. She didn’t like it, but admitted that it made her look like a badass.

0001, on the otherhoof, had changed back into a stallion and was answering questions of different sorts from Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Sparkler. Jordan was standing by, listening to what he had to say. None of the answers were news: how he can transform, copying DNA through touch… basically everything Claymore/0004 had answered. A couple of good questions showed up eventually.

“So,” Twilight said. “If those two had names, what’s yours?”

He raised a hoof to his chin in thought. “Hm… Never thought of that... I need one.”

“Well, maybe it can involve your special talent,” Sparkler suggested.

“Something involved with the same field I'm in - fashion, no doubt!” Rarity inputted.

“What makes you think that, Rarity?” Twilight asked her friend.

“His Cutie Mark, of course,” Rarity answered. “Take a look.”

0001 looked back at his flank to see a bobby pin on it. “Ah, that,” he chuckled. “It… doesn’t have anything to do with fashion, miss…?”

“Rarity, dear,” the fashionista finished. “So what is your special talent?”

“Uh,” 0001 bit his lip. “What if I told you... a bobby pin can be used to do more than one thing?”

“And that other thing is…?” Sparkler prompted.

“Let me show you,” he said quickly before changing back into a Manic with a flash.

“See this?” He drew his fingers along the zipper teeth of the sweatshirt, obviously gesturing to the sweatshirt itself, which Jordan recognized.

“Isn’t that one of my sweatshirts?”

“Yeah,” 0001 answered. “I found it in your closet.”

“But I-“ Jordan stopped as if he reached an epiphany. “-lock… my… closet- you didn’t…”

“And there you have it,” 0001 said to the mares.

“You broke into his closet?” Sparkler deadpanned.

“With a bobby pin, yeah,” he responded nonchalantly, turning back into a stallion. “Hey, that’s good…”

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked. “Burglary is not what I would label ‘good’. ‘Barbaric’ is a better word.”

“What you call ‘barbaric’ I call ‘I was cold and wet’,” he reasoned. “Besides, I would think something like that is a useful skill, wouldn’t you?”

“Given a reasonable circum-“

“Exactly, Miss Rarity,” 0001 interrupted, continuing quickly when he noted the mare’s annoyed expression. “I wasn’t referring to my actions when I said ‘that’s good’ though, I was talking about my name.”

“You’ve chosen a name!” Twilight said with a smile. “What is it?”

“Call me Bobby Pin.”

Jordan wandered off after listening to the end of the conversation, turning his attention to his new weapon. The chain-sword Claymore left behind was still able to operate, but he couldn’t figure out how it could, since there was no indication of a fuel source of any kind. He kept turning it over, examining the blade, the chain, and the hilt, all of which were the same color.

I should paint this or something, he thought as he continued examining it. He wasn’t think about the sword, but about everyone still on board Thunderball, Oroon and Claymore, Applejack and Colgate, the Gouches…

“Is that the thing he used t’ cut mah sister?” A low voice behind him said. He turned and saw the red stallion from Town Hall; the one he assumed was Applejack’s brother, and was now confirming his suspicion. The last time he saw him was when he left with his sister to the clinic. He was pulling the cart himself after relieving the other stallion that brought it. That wasn’t too long ago - about thirty minutes - so Applejack must have been alright.

“Yeah, it is,” Jordan answered, gripping it by the hilt and raising the blade up to block the sun. The edges looked like a halo was cast around them.

“Yer keepin’ it, then?” Big Mac asked.

Jordan stuck the sword tip-first into the ground. “Why not? My pipe’s gone, so I might as well.”

There was silence between the two of them for a minute. Jordan didn’t look at Big Macintosh, but focused on the hilt of the sword.

“Well,” Big Mac said, breaking the silence. “Yer gonna need somethin’ t’ carry it in. No sense in carryin’ in yer… hands all day.”

Jordan looked back at the farmer. “What are you saying?”

“He cut mah sister with it,” Big Mac said, punctuating the fact by spitting. “Ah want you t’ do me a favor, an’ use it t’ give ‘im his…” He stopped, looking for the right word. “…comippance.”

“Comeuppance,” Jordan corrected, though he honestly didn't even know what the word meant.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac shrugged. “Ah’ll be gettin’ t’ work on somethin’ you can carry it in.”

He’s gonna make me a sheath… how? You know what, I won’t question it… “Er… thanks, Mr…?”

“Big Macintosh. Call me Big Mac.”

“Well, thanks, Big Mac,” Jordan said with a smile, which faded when he realized he had something important to ask. “Um… how is she?”

“She’s gonna make it,” Big Mac said. “Mah sister’s strong like that. Ah’m worried about Apple Bloom, though. She’s takin’ it badly.”

“Apple Bloom…” Jordan repeated. “Yellow with a pink bow in her hair?”

“Eeyup.”

“I don’t know much about her friends- hell, I’ve been here for, what, eleven hours so far?” He asked rhetorically.

“Anyway,” he continued. “I would bet that her friends, like Scootaloo, can help her through it. I’ve been through absolute shit before, and my friends-“ he pointed a thumb at Gunny. “-Had my back.”

“S’pose yer right…” Big Mac agreed.

“Heh, Eeyup,” Jordan mimicked. “Anyway, don’t we have something to d-“

As if on cue, a small group of pegasi in golden armor landed close by. They panted a bit, leaving Jordan with enough time to note their ragged appearance.

Are these the Royal Guard? It looks like they’ve been through hell… wait- here come some more.

The pegasi were accompanied by a pair of unicorns in a similar armor, which looked no better than their companions. Jordan spotted several injuries on them.

“Hold this, will ya?” He shoved the sword into the ground next to Big Mac and stood up, hearing an acknowledging “eeyup” from his rather talkative partner. He took a few steps over to the group.

“You guys need help?” He asked. One of the unicorns looked up at him. As soon as they (the armor made it difficult to tell which gender this guard was) saw him, they charged their magic.

That’s not good, Jordan realized. Is he gunning for me? The answer came in the form of a glowing projectile shooting from the guard’s horn, impacting the ground behind him to his left with an explosion.

“There’s another one!” One of the pegasi shouted. “Get him! Get him!”

What?!

Two of the pegasi dove at him, one bowling into his legs and tripping him. Jordan turned over and started crawling back to Big Mac, who was watching the scene before him with a confused look. The other pegasi got on top of Jordan wrapped a foreleg around his neck, holding him in what was, essentially, a headlock.

“Big Macintosh,” Jordan choked out. “Little help?”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac stood and approached the guards. “Er… why are y’all stranglin’ him?”

Thanks for the help, Mac! WILL SOMEONE GET THEM OFF ME?!

“Stay back! This creature is dangerous!” The one on his back ordered.

“I am?” Jordan asked. It was a serious question, since Jordan knew that, if not somewhat harmless, he was barely dangerous.

“Shut up!” The one on his legs said.

“Jordan!” Gunny called out.

“Another one!” The third pegasus yelled.

“HEY!” Jordan managed to yell. “Don’t touch her!”

“What is going on here!?” A rather ticked off sounding Twilight Sparkle asked.

“This is none of your bus-“ The one on his back started.

“It IS my business- I am Twilight Sparkle!” The grip on his neck and lower body slackened. What’s important about that?

“The Bearer of the Element of Magic?” The one on his back asked. “Princess Celestia’s protégé?”

At this moment, the Princess herself approached the pile. The guards that pinned him down got off of him and bowed. Jordan kept his face in the dirt, as to avoid anymore-unwanted breaches of personal space from the guards. A peculiar sound got his attention and he looked up at the Princess, propping himself on his elbows to avoid straining his neck.

A scroll was floating before her as she read it. Jordan didn’t see how it got there, but believed that it had something to do with magic, since any other explanation was (at this moment) void.

“Your majesty?” The guard to his left said.

“This letter concerns the… incident,” the Princess stated. “It also explains why Luna will be arriving late. Jordan, I believe you should read this.” Jordan stood when his name was mentioned and the Princess floated the letter over to him. He grabbed it and began to read its contents:

Tia,

I will not be able to arrive as soon as I wished due to an incident that has occurred very recently- not half and hour ago.

A detachment of Royal Guard that I had dispatched to your location came across two of the creatures you had described in your letter- the ones called “Manics”. Unlike the impression you received from this Jordan character, these two were completely hostile. The details are extremely vague. In short, I have a lot of letters to write. The report also says that they repeatedly changed their form between the one described and the guise of a pony; their similarities to the Changelings are uncanny and some of them may be aligned with them already.

I’ll come as soon as I am finished sending the condolences.

Celestia, please be careful.

-Luna

“How many?” Jordan muttered.

“You,” the Princess directed to the guard that was previously on Jordan’s back. “What is your name?”

“Corporal Frozen Lance, your highness,” he answered dutifully.

“Corporal, where is your captain?”

“…Dead, your highness.”

No… Jordan thought. No… no… no… He sullenly raised a hand to his face.

“Is there are Sergeant or a Lieutenant among you?” She directed the question to all of the guards. The pegasus that had directed the other’s attention to Gunny stepped before her.

“I am Sergeant Clearview, your highness. I am the commanding officer since the deaths of Lieutenant Hightide and Captain Stone Curtain.”

“Are you positive that they have fallen?”

“With my own eyes,” the Sergeant was actually shaking. “I… wasn’t even sure how it happened until one of them tried to do the same to Private Artane.” At the mention of the Private, he gestured the unicorn that had not fired at Jordan. This one was, by comparison to the others, in worse shape. His helmet was damaged to the point it was falling apart, and his armor was unsalvageable.

“One of them… the two creatures like Jordan, here?” The Princess asked.

“Yes, your highness, which is why we reacted to him like a hostile,” the Sergeant nodded an apology to Jordan briefly.

“Trust me,” Jordan glowered. “They were nothing like us.” He gestured a hand between Gunny and himself.

“But, they are your kin-“

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a new voice interrupted the Sergeant; it was Bobby’s. “But they weren’t his kind. They were my kind.”

“And what the fuck. Is your kind?” Jordan spat.

“You already know, and why so hostile?” Bobby took a step back.

“Because your little buddies just killed the majority of a Royal Guard detachment.”

“It’s the first time I’m hearing about it; I thought they had only atta-“

“Shut your mouth,” Jordan said.

“I had no-“

“SHUT UP!”

“Damn it, Jordan!” Gunny shouted. “You’re pissing everyone off!”

She’s right, you know. “Like I give a shit.”

Did I just respond to Gunny in that tone of voice? Uh oh…

Jordan realized his mistake too late. Gunny’s hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, making him look at her clearly pissed-off expression. Her other hand made an appearance by slamming right into his gut, winding him and making him curl up on the ground panting.

“You…” She kicked him in the back while he was down. “DUMBASS!”

“Gunny, was that necessary?” Bobby asked, his voice laden with surprise.

“I’ve had a rough day…” Gunny grumbled as she sulked off somewhere.

The Guards, Big Macintosh, Twilight Sparkle, and the Princess simply stared as Jordan began to recover. He slowly stood up, still panting from the blow to the gut. She’s got a nasty sucker punch…

“Are you alright, Jordan?” Twilight asked.

“I’m FINE!” He shouted. “Just… fine.”

“As I was saying,” Bobby started again. “Do you want them to pay for this?”

“Yes,” Jordan growled.

“Then I will help you, they’re not my buddies anymore.” Bobby left the small gathering.

The Guards were visited by Nurse Tenderheart, and they answered Celestia’s questions as they were treated. Twilight Sparkle followed Jordan back to where he was sitting with Big Macintosh.

“So… one week?” She said, referring to when Thunderball would fall apart.

“One week,” Jordan repeated.

Silence. None of them spoke a word for what seemed like an eternity. Jordan was mulling over everything in his head. If the Thunderball was going to collapse in a week, how could he get everyone on the ship out alive and prevent an environmental disaster from a radiation leak and Gouches preying on the local wildlife? Something seemed familiar about this… but he couldn’t put a finger on it. A nagging thought on his brain kept telling him that he had heard of something like this happening before, but where?

How can I figure this out? He wondered. Then, Twilight jerked him out of his thoughts.

“I’m going to need to change today’s checklist,” she said with an embarrassed chuckle. "Won't be getting to counting my stock of quills today, I suppose."

“Checklist…?” Jordan repeated.

Big Mac leaned in. “Ah heard from mah sister that she keeps a checklist fer everythin',” he whispered.

Well, she does live in a library, he reminded himself. Makes sense that she’s got a planning OCD.

The answer hit him immediately after he finished the acronym. Planning!

“Twilight, you’re a genius,” he blurted out and jolted back up.

“What- um… thank you?” Twilight blushed.

“No, seriously, you just gave me the solution in the form of your OC-“

“Finish that acronym, and I will end you,” she stated as she suddenly developed an aura of darkness.

Jordan backed up a bit. “Um… still,” he said. “You gave me a great step to start with.”

“Oh? I did?”

“Yes!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her right in the eyes with a joyous smile. “Planning.” He started tapping her cheek with a light slap repeatedly. “Plllllaaaaaaannnnnniiiiiiiing.” On the “ing” he tapped slightly harder then broke away.

Gunny approached the group. “I heard that, Jordan. Planning? You?” She smirked in a condescending way.

“You don’t know me!” He defended. “We need a meeting place!”

“Town Hall again?” Twilight asked.

“Too far…” he stroked his imaginary beard, expecting another suggestion, only to be met with silence.

Big Mac coughed. “Well…”

“You have a suggestion, Big Macintosh?” Twilight asked.

“We could try th’ barn,” he offered. “Y’ve used it fer parties, why not meetin’s?”

“Barn…?” Gunny asked.

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Jordan informed her. “We crashed in the middle of an apple orchard-slash-general farm.”

Gunny nodded in clearance. “We’re gonna need a table, right?” She asked.

“We got a long wooden table,” said Big Mac. “We’ve used it fer Apple family reunions; no reason it cain’t be used fer a meetin’.”

“You’ll set it up?” Jordan asked.

“Eeyup, I’ll get t’ it right now,” Big Mac said before he went off to his farm to prepare.

“So, what next?” Twilight asked.

“Who should be there,” Gunny stated, rather than asked.

“Everyone who wants to,” Jordan shrugged. “As long as they’re in for the rescue itself, then they should come.”

Twilight stood with a pondering look for a moment before calling out. “Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash glided down and landed next to Gunny, who promptly had a mini spaz attack, induced by the rainbow-maned pegasus she hadn’t really noticed, somehow.

“Yeah, Twi…light?” She paused and became nonplussed when she felt Gunny’s hand start prodding her mane in a fangirl way.

“Ignore her. She gets like that sometimes, according to her sister,” Jordan said. Gunny pretended not to hear and continued to be fascinated with the uniquely colored mane, and Rainbow Dash pretended not to be at least a little bothered by the action.

“Well, okay then,” Twilight shrugged. “Rainbow, I need you to tell as many ponies as you can that there’s a meeting in the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Tell them to pass the message on and that they should only come if the are interested in the rescue operation.”

“Rescue… what?” Rainbow said, confused. “Who are we rescuing?”

“The rest of the crew, remember?” Jordan deadpanned. “That was important. Remember? One week? Ship falling apart? Crew in danger?”

“Oh… now I remember!”

The sound of a Manic and a unicorn facepalming – or facehoofing in the case of the latter – could be heard as far as Canterlot. Gunny was momentarily baffled by the density of the mind of the subject of her affection that she stopped her prodding, only to shrug it off and continue.

“Alright, guys,” Rainbow said. “I’m telling them that the meeting is at the barn and that they should only come if they want to help, right?”

“Right,” Jordan and Twilight said in unison.

“What time?”

Jordan turned to Twilight. “What time is it now?”

“It’s about… one in the afternoon,” Twilight answered.

“At three then, tell every…pony, even Applejack and that other one – Colgate, I think her name was,” Jordan told Rainbow Dash, who nodded and took off. Gunny stood up and watched her go.

“And remember to tell Pinkie that it isn’t a party!” Twilight called after her.

“She’s adorable,” Gunny sighed with a goofy smile.

“Don’t say it to her face, though,” Twilight warned her.

“So what are you going to do Twilight?” Jordan asked.

“I’ll go ask the Princess and the guards to come,” she answered before trotting off towards her mentor.

Note to self: Remember to leave the weapons at the door, Jordan thought. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention: Bobby was approaching.

“Hey Jordan, I-“ he started before Jordan interrupted.

“I’m sorry about what-“ Jordan but, but was in turn interrupted.

“Not important,” Bobby said.

Gunny laid an arm over both their shoulders. She was still holding her gun, so it was dangling next to Bobby. “Am I interrupting a bromance?” She smiled in a way that could only be described as “trollish”.

“Um…” Bobby was slightly fazed by her input, but continued without missing a beat. “I heard about the meeting just now from our rainbow friend.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna plan a course of action then,” Jordan confirmed before changing the subject. “Where did you go?”

“I was taking a look inside the ship, via Airlock 2 – the one you stumbled out of, Gunny,” he said, nodding his head towards Gunny.

“Anyway,” he continued. “I found something… that wasn’t very good… but I’ll save that for the meeting.”

Jordan was, obviously, suspicious of whatever it was that Bobby felt necessary to keep to himself. What could possibly be wrong with the inside of the ship anyway? However, he was eased by the promise of revealing whatever it was later.

Pinkie popped up from behind Gunny, essentially glomping her from behind and leaning over her head to stare at Bobby. “You have to Pinkie Pie promise now!” She said.

“Um… what?” Bobby was confused, cueing Pinkie to jump off of her perch and sit on her haunches in front of him. He, in turn, turned into his pony self and also sat down.

“Ok, repeat after me! Cross my heart…” She made a motion over her heart with her hooves.

“Cross my heart…” Bobby didn’t repeat the motion; a mistake he wouldn’t make again.

“YOU HAVE TO DO THE MOVES!” Pinkie shouted.

He was momentarily shocked by the sudden change in volume and attitude, and decided not to push it. He repeated the words and remembered the motion of crossing his heart, as well as repeated the next few motions.

“…and hope to fly…” she said.

“And hope to fly…” he repeated.

“Stick a cupcake in my eye!” She punctuated that sentence by sticking a hoof into her eye. Bobby was hesitant about that part, but repeated it anyway.

“Stick a cupcake in my- OW! Damn it!”