Inevitable Adaptation, Obsolete Destiny
Author's Note
Hi!
This is a contest entry for the Equestria at War Discord, for the May 2022 contest!
I'm writing an author's note to perhaps give some insight. I'm not sure what the issues with this stories could be. I'm not sure if I rushed it - nor if I took too long to perfect it. I can say that perhaps I may have messed up aspects of it, but I think that's up to you, the reader. In reality, while a writer, I barely get work finished. I have a long fic that I can't believe I started 1.5 years ago, and it's made me feel a bit insecure, which sadly seeped a bit into this work too.
An author can put any sob story into the fic - and I'd rather not do that. All I can say is, this fic had undergone a few turbulent circumstances, to simply put. I think I do not expect to get far in the competition.
What I do expect and hope at-least is that you enjoy this story. Regardless of how far up I can get, I think the aspect of having made a work that the reader can more or less enjoy is already a reward I can appreciate. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but letting me know what you enjoyed is always a nice way to stay motivated. Have a nice read, and be safe!
Inevitable Adaptation, Obsolete Destiny
"...I did it?"
"...I...I did it!?"
"...I really did it! I-I did it, I did it, I did it!"
The light-blue filly yelled with joy and happiness. Her small horn was smoking and sparking, as it had just cast the final spell needed for the most crucial moment of her life. The final exam in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. This test changed often, to prevent unicorns from cheating by focusing on mastering only one spell. Ever since some learned what Princess Twilight Sparkle's test was, many unicorns in-vain learned the spell of hatching dragon eggs. But this filly, Paradise Gem, knew better. She knew to expect an unpredictable factor.
Her final test was to take a solid block of steel, and use her magic to mold it into something "remarkable". Of course, the test instructions were vague. And this was by no means a simple test for a filly. Magic was harder to perform depending on its subject - so in this case, a block of steel was no easy task compared to clay or perhaps a lighter metal such as aluminum or copper. Yet, the filly was able to apply her magic. And this was no easy feat - she was generously given time to prepare, and she required all of it. It required the right combination of thermal-based, manipulation-based, and even imagination-based magic. Heat up the metal, make it malleable, and pick the shape you want it to be exactly and specifically - all in the flash of one magical spell. She knew there was no guarantee of it working - but disbelief would not get her to her goal.
There the filly stood - eyes fluttering in awe at the sight of what was now a small steel statue, polished fully and made to resemble that of a symbol of magic; a beautiful, detailed, and shining star. A star that sparkled under the sunlight - glistening with specks and small flashes. She grinned widely at the examiners, and they smiled back, and put check marks on their clipboards.
***
"And then, after I closed my eyes, whoosh! It became this big star!" Paradise Gem squeaked in happiness to her aunt, who's age had not allowed her to react with as much enthusiasm - but it allowed for her to contain a smile as warm as the embers of the hearth. They sat by the chimney, its fire giving the comfort needed as the filly recited the day down to every detail.
"You've done amazingly, dear." The old mare said."It wasn't an easy task - but you've made everypony proud. Princess Celestia was very proud when she heard of your success. Your parents would've been so proud too..." The woman said - slowly, but the young filly had enough patience to listen to her beloved guardian.
"Auntie Flower..." Gem frowned. "B-But, what am I gonna do next? I-I wanna learn spells, really cool spells! I can't study in Celestia's school anymore...?"
"Not to worry little one." The mare laughed softly. "No - you cannot study in her school; because your next steps will be of more greatness. Soon, you may enter a school for older unicorns, then a university, or college; where the magic you have learned will be advanced to further stages. With that, you'll not only learn how to cast spells, but maybe even create your own."
"No way! I can make my own spells!?" Grinned the filly.
"Indeed. My sweet little Paradise Gem - remember this. Your talent is clear. You're gifted at magic - and that is no secret. I'm sure that in the future, you'll be a master of magic! You're a clever, astute, and studious little filly. I'm certain it lies within your destiny to master it. And...There was a gift I had prepared for you." The old mare smiled wide, and gave the gift-wrapped object to the filly. Gem gasped, and began to read.
...
"N-No way!? T-this...was written by Princess Twilight Sparkle? And...Signed by her!?"
"The Princess of Friendship would hardly be the legendary bookworm she is known to be without at-least having written a book herself. As for the signature, I know a mare who knows a mare." Auntie Flower giggled. "This book has great detail - on spells, but also more introspective topics. The importance of friendship for an example...And of course, the importance that magic should never be used for harm."
"..." And then, Paradise Gem became quiet.
"Hm...?" Auntie Flower frowned. "What's wrong, little one?"
"...Auntie, I really want to help ponies." Paradise whispered. "But...What if maybe I fail somehow? What if there are unicorns who will be better than me? What if I can't learn the spells I need to learn? What if...Something just happens and poof - I can't use my magic anymore? W-What...What if--"
"Dear, your greatness and your goodness...They are not located here." Flower smiled, tapping the filly softy on her horn. "They are a little bit here..." She moved her hoof to softly touch her head. "But more importantly..." She moved her hoof down to touch Gem's chest, pointing at the heart. "They're mostly here."
"I-I don't get it, Auntie." Gem frowned.
Auntie Flower smiled warmly. "You will. Your drive to help ponies is the important factor. Magic or no magic, horn or no horn - if you set out to do great things, you will prevail. Never lose your will to help the vulnerable. Stay true to your heart, little Paradise Gem. If you try to improve the world even piece by piece; sand grain by sand grain - no matter how long it takes, you will make colossal strides to make Equestria better. Just like Princess Twilight Sparkle."
Gem stared blankly at her Auntie...Then at the book...
In the end, all she could do was give her Auntie the widest grin, and nod.
***
"No." Paradise Gem said with a pencil in her teeth, horn used to sift through papers and notes.
"Eeeeeh?" Her pegasus friend Tally pouted. "Seriously!? This is the last year of university and you're not even gonna try to relax? Just a bit?" She exclaimed. "We're getting all the girls for a nice evening out in a restaurant! You know, the one where you gotta book months in advance? You can't seriously be passing it up!" She exclaimed.
"I've got exams, Tally." Paradise sighed. "You know - exams that determine my future." She said past the pencil, making Tally groan and furrow her brows with frustration.
"Your future isn't determined by a few pieces of paper filled out in a few hours, Gem!" Tally cried out. "Your future is here! Right now! Gem, you've got to at-least spend some time with the others! You can't just be a hermit buried in books and papers! Just for once, get out there!"
"...Why?" Gem scoffed as she scribbled.
With this, Tally nearly erupted. "Because you have no fri--..."
Gem dropped everything, turned to Tally, and blinked. "...W-...What were you about to say?"
"...Gem, I'm sorry, I-I...I didn't mean to say it like that, I..." Tally gulped, taking steps back. With that, Gem took the pencil past her teeth, and spoke the next words colder than ice.
"...Better have no friends than "friends" like you." She sternly spoke. Wordless was the pegasus. Tally looked at her in horror...And ran out of the room sobbing.
Paradise would continue writing through her vision blurred by tears. She would pass her exams. Better than most others by a landslide. Every award and achievement was hers. Every accolade and recognition was there...
All that lacked were ponies who'd cheer for her during the graduation.
***
In her office, she stood looking at the steel star she made. She looked at every detail. She had no idea how she made it - because it had unique patterns in the metal when looked from at a certain light that she hadn't intended for. But the most fascinating was the sparkle. She could've sworn it shone and sparkled more in the past - though it still does now, and the conviction of this sparkle's existence was all she needed.
Professor Paradise Gem grew into a fine mare - young enough to have the fresh wit of youth, but older to command a level of respect and trust in her wisdom. However, she smiled less often. She smiled less because her ambitions were losing momentum - losing steam...
She became a professor at a relatively early age. Her knowledge in magic had allowed her to take upon the role despite her reaching the status of young adult quite recently. She would teach others magic - how to use it, when to use it, and how to work with it...And yet, this wasn't enough. Was she making a difference as she promised to Auntie Flower? Was she helping the vulnerable? Was she...
Was she making any change for the better in the world?
Or even any change at all?
She looked at the glasses that once belonged to Auntie Flower. She trained herself not to cry - but she almost felt that the nerve that activated tears would twitch at the sight of them. However - for tears, she had no time.
A knock came on the door.
"Come in, please." Gem stated.
Through the door came a stallion. At first, seeing his appearance didn't bother the mare much, but she remembered that the authority figures of Equestria had an overhaul of their uniforms. It went from golden and shiny armor to fatigues and battle dressing of brown, olive, and navy-blue colors for the sake of utility and camouflage. The double-take allowed her to turn to the stallion with her full attention.
"...Oh, hello sir. May I help you?" Gem asked, feeling strangely on-guard. Why would a member of the guard - or as it was called now - the military, be here?
"Professor Gem?" The soldier said, bowing slowly out of respect. "I'm Lieutenant Flint Blazer. I apologize if this is a bad time."
"Not at all." Gem lied but had to act within the courtesy standards. "What did you need, sir?"
The soldier took a step forward. "Ma'am, I wished to talk to you about the situation in Equestria. As you know, the war that begun two months ago--"
"...Stop. I'm sorry, but no - I'd rather you tell me why you came to me specifically." Gem frowned. "I don't want to hear about this carnage."
"...Very well." Blazer coughed to disguise a grunt of annoyance. "We are recruiting strong unicorns for a division of combat mages. We are in desperate need of skilled magic users - those capable of using spells such as teleportation and levitation quickly and efficiently, and more. We also need unicorns who understand the use of magical components in technology such as firearms."
"Mage divisions?" Gem asked. "I don't get it. I thought you military types had declared magic borderline obsolete." She said with a bit of a scorn to her tone.
The stallion shook his head. "Magic still has many uses ma'am. Protective shields and healing magic have saved many of our troops, and levitation and teleportation are some of the most useful spells to utilize with our tactics." He explained. "I assure you, magic is very much needed."
"...So, you're hoping to recruit me, is that it?" The mare sighed. "I'm sorry, but no."
"...Would it be allowed to ask why, ma'am?" The stallion meekly tilted his head.
Gem hesitated to speak - carefully thinking of an answer as she toyed with some objects on her desk. "I'm sorry. I love Equestria. But I have made magic my life. It is how I intend to make Equestria a better place. I want to teach other unicorns magic, and I want to make spells that will help ponies live better lives. Taking life is not something I am capable of."
"..." The soldier thought, taking a step forward. "Even-so miss, you need to understand that perhaps one of the best ways we can save lives is to fight." He admitted. "Invaders seek to push through our borders. Every mile they take, they burn farms, bomb houses, and kill civilians. We can seek to provide aid for the vulnerable - but if we do not eliminate the root of this suffering, then it will only prolong." Blazer stated.
Gem frowned. "Invading another sovereign nation is a monstrous act, this much I know. I have no respect for Equestria's enemies, and I have no respect for invaders. But as it stands, I intend to heal and protect. Either way, I do not get this train of thought. So, we're going to become monsters...to defeat monsters?"
"We would never target civilians. We would never seek to damage civilian infrastructure either." He declared. "Miss Gem, please...At-least consider joining as an instructor. We need all the hooves we can get. Talent such as yours is rare, unique..." He said. "...I will leave you a pamphlet. If you can, just think over it. Every pair of hooves helps, and especially so does a horn." He stated...
Gem heard a piece of paper placed upon the desk...and frowned. She looked at the star, and then at the map of Equestria...Then the portrait of Twilight Sparkle. She bit her lip...Maybe...
Maybe she could make some change for the better in this world.
Or at-least some change at all.
***
Eight months had passed. At first, Paradise was told her deployment would only happen in six. Then, the inability to procure equipment had pushed the deadline to ten months. Then, due to Equestrian spies intercepting news of a new mobilization of enemy forces, Equestria's third Combat Mage division was deployed with only three-fourths of their intended equipment, ponypower, and training available.
Eight months, Paradise was misled. She was preparing for this prior - but the first week had tore at her willpower. She knew so many spells - so many that would be able to do colossal damage to the enemy or help her unit. However, she was not to perform any spells without her commander's explicit instruction - the only spells she could do at will were the most basic ones - barring even teleportation. The reasoning of the army was that unicorns had to act predictably within their commander's orders. Any spell that changes his or her tactics was a violation of discipline, and Paradise endured the worst fact; that instead of becoming a battle mage capable of destroying the enemy to protect the ponies of Equestria, she had joined the rank and file of infantry. Infantry armed better and skilled more than others - but still, infantry.
And even then, when she saw what weapons were truly developed, she began to understand why she wouldn't manage it well. She lost sleep the first nights, especially after firing drills. Devices capable of dealing death hundreds of meters away? Cannons able to destroy houses beyond the horizon? Terrible flying machines that stripped the Wonderbolts of their prestige, raining hellfire upon those below?
And now - she got the chance to see it for herself. Deafening sounds of thunder, the smell of gunpowder and blood...She was pushed out of the truck she refused to get out of, and dropped onto the harsh soil. She had barely picked up her rifle, and had no idea where her commander was. She could only try and run towards the ponies she assumed to be her comrades.
Those were 31 hours of hell. She hadn't slept in this time. She had pulled the trigger many times - but closed her eyes each squeeze. She was sure she was ready to kill - to save Equestria, to stop its invaders...But then, she hoped that the magical ammunition would wound, and never kill. She knew at times however, she aimed too well, at an enemy who'd kill her otherwise if she faltered. No sleep came for these 31 hours - their lives were endangered, and sleep was not an option. Energy remained in the body, but not the eyes. She could shoot - but was too tired to even look away from her target as she used to. Her fatigue would help her forget her evil deeds. Maybe with luck, she'd forget this all entirely.
But she forgot none of this. She had a reason to remember it all in vivid, crucifying detail.
An explosion rocked her left. An explosion rocked her right. An explosion knocked her down onto her stomach, making her prone...
She looked up to the sky. Perhaps hoping to see Celestia - flying up to protect her ponies. Perhaps hoping to see an airplane delivering the same hellfire she feared to cleanse the prairie of those who wanted her dead. Perhaps hoping to see an angel take her away from this hell.
Instead; she, only for a split second, with the whistling and howling noise that accompanied it, saw the nose of a mortar shell.
***
Lilac. Not her favorite flowers. But they were placed there because the nurses had no time for this question - she had awoken finally. Everything hurt, yet she couldn't feel her body. Twitches and spasms followed - cramps and aches. She felt them like pins piercing her body. Only as her breathing became raspy did the door open.
"Ms. Paradise Gem?" Asked a male voice.
"...Where am I?" She whispered, laying on her side.
"My name is Doctor Rubyspark. You are safe now. We're in Canterlot - in the Meadowbrook Hospital for Combat Mages." The doctor said. "You were recovered from the Frontlines. A mortar shell had fallen on top of you. However, you were able to deploy a shield that protected you and your squadmates."
"...Mortar...shell?" She asked. She had forgotten these terms. The only mortar she remembered well was a mortar and pestle. She didn't need words such as "firearms" or "explosives". She needed words such as "spells", "magic"...Not this.
The doctor continued. "An explosive launched in an arch with a high explosive yield...Unicorns are instructed to group together to make a combined shield to protect against it, but you were the only unicorn in the blast radius at the time. You saved yourself and your squadmates, ma'am. You're a hero..."
"..."
...
The flowers weren't moving.
"...Miss?"
"..." She wanted to smell the flowers. So much. To cherish life that she had nearly lost - to feel that which she could've lost forever. But the flowers remained still. Stationary. Why weren't the flowers moving?
"Ma'am, please calm down. Listen, you need to understand--"
"W-Why can't I levitate the flowers?" She said, her throat faltering. Her eyes darkening. "They're...They're not...Moving...Doctor...D-Doctor Rubyspark...Where..."
"Ma'am! Please, take deep breaths! You need to--"
"Doctor..." She rose her hoof to her forehead - and felt no obstacle. She shed tears. She felt no denial of the situation, no anger - she couldn't bargain either. But she couldn't accept this yet.
"Where..." She sniffled. "Where is my horn?"
***
She sat in the hospital gown. She had broken all mirrors offered to her - her hooves bandaged accordingly. She would lash out at doctors who tried to give her the full extent of the damages, and would rip apart any papers presented to her. Yet, no reprimands came. Her situation was understood, and her reaction was not among the worst. She was told she was a war hero for saving the other soldiers - but did she care?
She tried not to care about the reality she was brought with. The seven stages of grief had run through her emotions like a well-oiled machine. Shocked at the fact, denying the truth - lashing out at those who propagated it...Begging the doctors to search for any optimistic signs, and then becoming quiet...
However, she was stuck. No acceptance would come. She would leave the hospital, wearing a hat over her forehead...To conceal the truth she could not live with.
Her horn was destroyed - and was gone from the base. Not half-way like the legendary Tempest Shadow who could perform feats of aggressive, uncontrolled, but powerful magic...
There was no longer a source of magic to take from.
She needed something to do. Something to earn with. But what was a professor without her horn? A professor so traumatized she would never be able to teach students in the topic she dedicated her whole life to?
Perhaps...
Perhaps a part-time job was in order.
***
The factory owner smiled widely as he led Paradise Gem through the floor. "We will be more than happy to have you working here! I'm very sorry about your horn, miss Gem, but I assure you that your usefulness doesn't end with the loss of your horn! We shall not let the talent of a war hero go to waste!"
"...My usefulness?" Under her breath said the mare.
"Mhm!" The stallion beamed innocently. "You'd be surprised what modern machinery can do, miss Gem! It has allowed the wingless to fly - so I'm sure it will allow the hornless to draw out their magic, one way or another!" He said. "Here we produce a wide array of metalwork, components, and small materials! It's a diverse factory plan to ensure we can adapt to the needs of our army! This offensive and support equipment allows our soldiers to be safe and combat-ready! Maybe even without a horn, you can still help our army! We need an operator for some of our machines - most of them related to metal stamping and sorting. You can learn to operate them within the hour! We'll have somepony show you the ropes. Here - I'll teach you this one myself, it's quite simple!"
They approached a machine. Gem blinked. The stallion grinned.
"Every time a sheet of metal is under this machine, just press down this lever 'till the end, let 'er go, and wait for the next! Easy as can be, eh? Here, you try!"
...So she did as she was instructed - the machine doing...something? Something to this sheet of metal? She didn't get it. She didn't understand half of this machinery. If she could instead use her magic to do whatever this entire factory was supposed to...What was the point of factories of magic existed? She did not understand.
...
She pondered this for six hours. Her hooves ached. Her job was done.
...
She went home.
...
The door had opened. The mare had dropped her saddlebag and walked to the kitchen. She went over to the window, and sat at the table...She'd look outside, but it was all dark...She wanted tea.
...
She sighed. Of course the cups wouldn't move. She didn't understand why it was dark, despite it being the early evening. Her lacking horn wouldn't help her in making a cup of tea. She stood up, and approached the cupboards...She opened them...and failed to wrap her hoof around the cup. How was it done right...? How was--
It slipped, and shattered across the floor - ceramic splintering into different directions. She sighed. Not to worry - nothing a broom could fix up real quick.
...
The broom that never came. She sighed. Of course. She would go over to the broom and drag it over...But, the sweeping...She wasn't used to standing on hind-legs, let alone having to use her hooves to hold something of such an unfamiliar shape. Normally she'd just levitate this thing - but now she was forced to use things in ways she wasn't used to...
She couldn't even sweep it all properly...And she barely had anywhere to sweep it to - she'd levitate the dustpan over. How would she get the dustpan and broom together? And still stand on her hind--
She had instead stumbled fast and violently - the broom slipping out of her hooves and her frame collapsing into cupboards. Plates and pans would slip through the doors - crashing into the floor underneath her. She tried to get up - and use her magic to remove the shards from the flo--...She stumbled over to the broom to pick it up again, and would levitate the dustpa--...She would start to sweep them towards her front door in hopes of sweeping it all outside. She had a cut on her leg from the shards, so a quick healing spell had--...
...
No more healing. No more levitation. No more teleportation. No more transfiguration. No more spells. No more magic.
She didn't let this settle in until now. She...She felt useless. She felt incapable - because she seldom learned how to act without magic. She felt...She felt...
Angry. Her broom was launched into what remaining ceramic cups and plates she had. She screamed. She was taught to bayonet charge - so might as well put it to use - she thought - at-least that was the one muscle memory she had time to develop. She waved the wooden-and-straw tool like mad, smashing into the chairs and tables to knock them over, the flower vase...Even the window had blasted as a hole was knocked into it. She screamed, a flurry of hate and fury. She couldn't use a broom like it was meant to, so why not imagine it was a gun, just to thrash and go around her apartment waving and destroying all in her path. She would run and destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy, destroy! Shove, push, knock, smash, ruin, shake, shove, push, knock, smash, ruin, shake, shove, push--!
...She stopped abruptly when she saw the glasses that were worn by Auntie Flower...Beside the book that she had gifted to her.
Dropping the broom, she collapsed out of exhaustion, regret, shame, and sadness into the pile of ruined furniture and things. These were the things that she could never touch - not under any circumstance. The glasses were all she had that belonged to Auntie Flower...And the book was all she had to remember what she prepared her whole life for.
She curled up in the shards and splinters, and sobbed to sleep until the next work day.
***
Two months had passed.
Sheet of metal under the press. Pull the lever. The lever has pressed the metal into the appropriate form. That's what she remembered. It hadn't made sense before - not she at-least knew what was done. The sheet metal needed an appropriate form for wherever it was sent, and she had discovered she was stamping gun parts only a mere week ago.
She frowned. Was she really making weapons?
The factory's owner had been vague about support equipment. It had included weapons and materials used for destroying. This...This she could not accept - but had no power to think about it. She stood like a zombie.
Paradise Gem was dead. Paradise Gem could no longer function - for now, her purpose in life...It was gone.
A mare who studied magic for years on end - reduced to pulling a level to make details for tools of warfare...How...Pathetic.
Wait...Pull. Wait...Pull. Wait...Pull. Wait...Pull--
As Paradise worked the machine - a shockwave rocked the building. Glass and splinters went flying, yells and screams followed as she stumbled and fell to take cover...The explosion didn't hit the factory as she saw no other apparent destruction...but a house neighboring the complex...She would see in the commotion a group of ponies, desperately calling in a medic as they brought in its victims into the factory so that the staff's nurses could help...
Among them, she saw a young filly - who was unable to see that the nurses were unable to revive her mother, while she herself was busy screaming in pain and terror.
She looked at the young filly. She frowned deeply and stared for too long. She saw that the filly had lost her horn, same as her...But this was worse. She was blind. Her eyes were wrapped in a bandage. She covered, hugging herself and shaking. She whispered for her mother, begged for Celestia - cried for someone to help her.
Paradise was shaking. She shook because she understood what the reality was. She lost her only family when she became an adult. She lost her horn - but that was the worst physical loss. She never lost her sight. She never lost her family and hope before she had finally become an adult.
But to lose more than she ever could - at the age where she needed it most? When Paradise lost Auntie Flower, when she lost her horn, when she lost her purpose - she had the strength to cope. She had the strength to learn how to live with it. But this girl...She lost her hope for a childhood. She had lost not only those things - but she has lost her life too. Her future would now forever be riddled with fear, terror, and confusion. Forever.
She continued shaking. She shook and shook. Why? Fear? Anger? Grief?
...She shook knowing one thing. This had to stop. This could not continue. Why was this even allowed to happen? She wanted to destroy the thing responsible. What was even responsible? Was it the enemy? Or was it her own government? Did she want to kill the leader of their foes? Did she want to kill the officer who marked the house for artillery? Did she want to kill the soldier who fired the gun? Maybe...She wanted to punish Celestia herself for letting things come to this?
She wished hatred. She wished destruction. She wished for the problem to be forcefully removed; and not solved peacefully for the sake of ensuring the future would remain better.
...No. This was a mistake. She promised that she would help. Why did she even want to join the army? Why did she foolishly agree to kill when her purpose was to help? She had made a colossal mistake - ridding her of the tool she needed desperately to provide the help she swore to...
...The last time she acted upon these feelings of hatred, she was left without her horn. No. It cannot go on like this.
She shook with pent up energy - energy that accumulated for the purpose of getting something done. Without magic however, she knew her usefulness was handicapped...
But she looked where she was. The machinery, the tools, the vast amounts of resources...She saw the components of tanks, planes, radars, rockets...Why? Why could none of this...This STUPID JUNK serve to protect lives directly - not end more lives for the sake of "protecting" lives?...
Tanks...Planes...Rockets...Devices capable of delivering death at a distance - much like artillery. Launching small contained cocktails of explosives and other mechanical components, shaped in different ways for different purposes.
Radars...Capable of detecting signatures and relaying their location...Rockets, flying at high speeds to destroy an objective...Tanks and planes utilizing technology designed to launch these weapons - but designed not to be destroyed by the same weapons.
...Of course. Of course...Yes - yes...Yes! There...There was something! It came to her as sparks - sparks that flickered - became intense, died down - and sparked brighter. Every idea she believed was impossible was then proven possible. It was mental cat-and-mouse. She had ideas; she had beliefs and questions rushing in her head. She would need to destroy every contradiction she had thought of; because her idea was intense...Her idea was difficult, and maybe impossible...But she had to remember the child that had been taken to the hospital an hour ago. The whole time she stood, eyes darting between the various things in the factory, and slowly, the painting's sketch was finalizing.
...Yes. This painting was imperfect, it had shadows that did not match the composition, and it had proportional imperfections - and perhaps this painting was sketched to be made with techniques not yet available...
But this painting was sketched.
Paradise Gem was reborn - into somepony, or perhaps something else.
***
The art of invention is not an easy one. To make a theory, concept, a vision or a sketch is somewhat easy. Practice is hard. Practice is hard with no prior knowledge. Practice takes time - but to Paradise Gem, the concept of time was dead. It had died and was instead replaced with a goal that would be accomplished no matter the sacrifices.
With that, years had already passed. Equestria had no shortage of fighting. It had intensified, and no resolution was close. Whatever peace there was, it was dissipating. New foes, new fronts, new allies - new liberated territories, new volunteer wars - it was endless, and no end was in sight.
Nobody knew where Paradise Gem went. Her employer, her colleagues, her doctor; all declared her missing. Yet - no search was sent. A note was left - demanding not to be searched for.
She was there where it all began - in Canterlot. She sought answers for her questions - and was able to get her way into certain circles and networks. There, she could present her idea.
And there - she would be laughed out. For two reasons; the first being that her design was considered impossible. A device designed with her goals in mind was considered ridiculous, and a waste of resources that could be used on weapons.
The second reason was more practical, yet it stung. She was a unicorn who learned magic all her life. Nobody would trust a unicorn versed in the occult and magical to start meddling in electronics and engineering.
She knew two things as such; the first was that she would get no funding for this project - nobody involved in the manufacturing sector had any other interests than the war. But the second fact was that she indeed would need to learn...She would need to learn more about this field.
That's why for these three years, she had done nothing other than study what she could; with how little information she could...But knowing which professors, engineers, and scientists to bribe for the sake of getting their help was a boon. These three years were tiring. She looked fatigued, having grown a few grey hairs and having bags under her eyes. She had damaged her organism somewhat, and has lost a portion of her conventional attractiveness as her unicorn grace, and has looked more as a reclusive student, having damaged her vision due to in-the-dark-reading as she had to adopt a pair of glasses upon her muzzle.
But as she managed to find the information she needed, the knowledge and research that would help her come to the conclusions she needed - to help her ideas become practical...
She needed materials. Personnel. Information. She frowned - and looked at that which she cherished since youth.
***
"You're sure about this ma'am?" The pegasus mare nervously asked. "These are very rare books...I'm no magic student, but these involve copies of Starswirl's best notes...Records of uncovered and lost spells...These encyclopedias are in perfect shape, and...This book over there is written AND signed by Princess Twilight Sparkle herself!?...A-Are you sure this is what you want?"
With that - Paradise Gem pushed the cart of books towards the mare...The gazed upon the cover of Twilight's book once more...
She wanted to cherish it. She would keep it forever - she thought. But in her desire to stay clung to the past - she understood that this wasn't the way. Auntie Flower wanted her to be a good pony - to help the world...Her efforts would remind her of Auntie Flower more than the final gift she had received from the mare who cherished and raised her. She knew that wherever Auntie was, she would be proud.
The one thing she hadn't sold, were Auntie Flower's glasses, which she adjusted upon her muzzle.
"I'm sure. Have the tools and materials sent to my address. I expect the electronics to be factory-new. Nothing recycled..."
"You've also sold a lot of other artifacts and valuables, ma'am...If any money is left over, what shall I order to be done with it?" The pegasus frowned.
"...Donate it to the hospital with the most overcrowded children's wing. Make sure the money goes to them specifically."
***
More years passed. Paradise didn't count them. Paradise in-fact thought time had barely passed. More war, more death. Cities taken and re-taken, then outright shelled to ash. Death, death, and more death; and of course the taxes she hadn't paid as even the city's government thought her to have disappeared into thin air, so who'd know? She needed every bit.
She worked and worked; but she never registered that she was working quickly. She was working with confidence...And grace. She was able to guide the ponies that she hired - assistants, engineers, anyone who was able to do the job she had not enough hooves for. She didn't have enough money to pay them for that long - so every month had to count. Yet, some were interested in the result, not the money.
She would consult professors - of other universities unrelated to magic, and would pay them for their silence more-so than for their information. Her years of non-stop studying that put her university-time to shame allowed her to identify that faults in the device, and to correct them...
But as time passed, it became painful. Engineers and workers had to be laid off - only running off on them fumes of the volunteers who were still able to work. She had procured whatever she could procure, just to make it work.
However - as she ran tests, as she checked every possible option, and as she was able to piece together the puzzle...After thousands of failed tests that spanned these years...
One success. Another hundred failures later - and another success. A few dozen failures later - and another success.
With that, was a crucial test. She observed her device...There was an explosion - a whistling sound of something falling...and another explosion.
She grinned, having to adjust her glasses from falling as she laughed. She laughed madly - because she never forgot why she worked towards this. She never forgot why she left it all behind. But she couldn't help but feel glee; for it was working, one way or another, in spite of all that took place. Now, was the next step.
Publicity.
***
The building was located on the far outskirts - not remotely close enough to any other buildings, other than those over a hill. It was still in the precinct of town, but required transport to quickly arrive at. As such, a car had indeed stopped in-front of this house in the middle of nowhere.
The stallion had approached the building that was marked on the address. This was it...
He sighed, adjusting his glasses. "All purchases lead to this address...Though, what's curious is that this address has popped up recently. All other addresses seemed to have been misleading or outright missing. Suddenly, all purchases in the last several weeks have ended up here. As if whoever is buying this stuff has given up on anonymity." He muttered to himself, using his horn to write down his own out-loud thoughts on his notepad.
He approached the door and gave it a series of soft knocks...Unsure what to expect.
It was opened by a rather...proper-looking mare. She seemed to be middle-aged, or at-least approaching that age. Her mane was nice and combed, she was wearing a jumpsuit, and a pair of vintage glasses adorned her muzzle. She hadn't felt the least surprised by the appearance of the stallion.
She smiled.
"Good morning, sir." She said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked with patience and friendliness.
"Miss Paradise Gem, correct?" The detective stepped forward. "I'm Army Detective Pattern Streak. I'd like to come in to ask some questions."
Paradise grinned...In a way that the detective immediately considered off. "Of course. Please take a seat. I shall prepare some tea." She said, and entered the darkness of her residence. The stallion entered as instructed, and immediately began to analyze his surroundings.
It smelled. Not of organic smells - but mechanical ones.. Seared metal, copper, gunpowder...It didn't seem to originate from the house itself - but the smell had a source...The detective immediately assumed the walled-off backyard - which he hadn't been able to get a closer look at yet.
"What seems to bother you, sir?" The mare smiled softy, hoofing herself and him a cup of tea as she took a seat on a sofa - as did he on another one.
"Ahem." The detective coughed. "I was sent to investigate suspicious activity that has been traced to you, miss." He said. "As you know, the war has been taking a toll on Equestrian resources and logistics - even common resources such as rubber and aluminum are in short supply. Not to mention that in this age, electronics are more and more in demand as they become more sophisticated..."
"Still the same old problems?" The mare giggled. "So from what I gather, the metal shortages were swapped in for different ones, hm? I suppose whereas once guns took painstakingly long to make, now the same is happening with airplanes and such. The more things change, they more they stay the same I suppose. All the resources in the world - and our great country can't break out of its old stagnation..."
The detective sighed - he couldn't let her keep acting like this. "Miss Paradise, I've discovered that you have been making concerning purchases and requests - for the reason that they are not only in high demand for Equestria's military, but are also key components for making military equipment."
"Which of my purchases and requests were so concerning, detective?" Gem said, no aggression in her tone.
The detective sighed, and turned his notepad a few pages back. "Several tonnes of metal and aluminum over the course of the last five years, hundreds of kilometers of wiring, several tonnes of different metals which we have estimated to be made for radars...More concerning among these are fuel, gunpowder, and explosive materials - all purchased in tonnes over the last five years."
"Yes..." Gem giggled softly. "As you can see, I certainly am not running a toy's workshop. No - detective. These are all true. I have been buying all these materials. Yet - what does truly concern the military here in this case? Are you truly worried I might...make weapons against Equestria here?"
"The accusations of you building weapons against our own aren't confirmed ma'am, but we have other concerns. The electronics you have been buying are crucial for Equestria's defense. All radar systems depend on them, as well as radios and as technology progresses, we integrate them into even more and more tools and machinery." The detective said, leaning in with eyes of concern. "As one veteran to another, I need you to understand that the equipment you have been hoarding could've been used to save the lives of our soldiers."
"...And what about the lives of civilians, Pattern?" Paradise Gem looked him in the eyes. The detective hated the silence caused by him unable to quickly answer.
"...If we defeat the enemy faster, the more civilian lives we save." He decided. Gem was displeased visibly by this answer. Still, it coaxed a faux chuckle from her.
"You sound exactly like the stallion who found the right poisoned-honey words to recruit me, Detective. You see, my service wasn't long; but it was enough for me to see enough. I still see too much even after the discharge." She said, standing up on her hooves. "My horn, you see. Or, the lack of it." She re-adjusted Auntie Flower's glasses. "A sacrifice I involuntarily made. I had intended to use my horn to help ponies. Heal the hurt. Cure the sick. Protect the vulnerable..."
"Miss Gem--" The detective tried to stand, but she turned to look him in the eye...making him quiet down.
"But I have no horn anymore, Detective." She said. "How do you think I feel right now?"
"...I suppose saddened. Angry?" The detective softly suggested.
"...Before, yes." She smiled. "Now...Now I feel nothing. I feel nothing because I have proven to myself that if I want to help ponies...I do not need the horn. I merely need ingenuity." She grinned, and beckoned him to follow as she walked to the door to the backyard.
The backyard that stood was more akin to a junkyard. Equipment, scrap - was littered through. Blast marks were seen, and so were the markings of what appeared to be shrapnel having lodged into the nearby surroundings. However, in the middle was a large shape...A large shape covered by a big waterproof cover.
Gem walked around the shape - undoing the hooks and clamps that held the thing covered. She talked as she did so. "I have been working on this little project for some time. For this reason, I have been off the grid, for I expected that my purchases would not go unnoticed. Maybe this is something you're already aware of detective, but I awaited your arrival." She spoke. "After all, none of my attempts to get someone notable to investigate my creation have gone well. Everypony's busy making the same designs that do the same thing; kill, kill, and kill some more." She said. "Equestria has deemed a good offense to be the better defense - a viable tactic to win battles, but not a viable strategy to protect its own infrastructure, let alone citizens."
"So." Gem continued. "I have been developing and testing this on my own, with some help of those I won't give away no matter how harshly you'd interrogate me. As this device has become more promising, I have decided that I would get some witnesses to its function one way or another." She said.
"After all, you are here to witness history." She smiled, and took off the cover.
"..." Pattern squinted his eyes as he tried to make heads and tails of the device. It looked like a hybrid between a radar, but also it seemed to have had installations for what seemed to be projectiles - but it was hard to discern what kind.
Gem giggled. "I do not believe I should explain what this is. A demonstration is in order, after all." She said. "Detective. If you are not convinced by anything that I have done, you have the total right to confiscate my possessions. You can arrest me, have me tried for treason, maybe even kill me if you're so inclined!" She cried out. "But when you see the results, and once you understand the gravity of my work - I expect you to forward this to the highest command you can reach with your chain."
...Gem smiled...And pulled a rope, triggering four mechanisms. Four tubes had flashed with small explosions, launching four projectiles into the air that whistled as they traveled. Pattern looked back and forth in alarm, while Gem smiled at him.
"I recommend you stay within this circle, Detective. I've not enough detergent to scrub you off the walls."
"What...What are you doing!?" Pattern exclaimed. He saw the projectiles launch into the air, and be swallowed by the clouds.
"A test is in order, detective." She declared. "This is how I lost my horn - four mortar shells. Three cornered me, so that the fourth could claim my old self's life. This is how I will not allow the same to happen to the mare I am today!"
Pattern tried to say something - but he felt something rock him from behind. A blast had came, as one of the mortars had slightly missed the target. It had blasted a hole in her house, and detonated. Glass had shattered and the earth shook. He fell onto his side, and scrambled to get up. He saw that the device had been humming - feeding off of electricity. He understood what the device was meant to do, but had no faith.
Gem!" The detective yelled. "How do you know this works!?" He shouted - his words were drowned out by another mortar that missed slightly, landing into the dirt of the empty area, but getting closer...
"..." Gem grinned. "I am owed this."
Another explosion rang nearby. Its force was terrible, enough to break a whole corner of the house, and to partially shatter the walls, bricks flying. The explosion was great enough to somewhat damage the device as the shockwave hit it, partially denting its metal and causing shrapnel to fly into it. Gem was pushed down onto the ground. She gazed up - and was not sure whether she saw the sun, moon, or clouds. All she did was whimper softly...and then, she screamed to the sky.
"Well!?" She cried. "Isn't this what you wanted!? Strike me down as you did before! I dare you! Because there are two ways this will end! Either you let me have my way, or I will come after you, and make you suffer for having the gall to take everything from me again! Strike me!" She shouted.
There, she saw the black dot...The black dot that was coming closer. It was approaching - at a rapid pace. Time had slowed down.
She looked up in the sky. She had no idea what she hoped to see. She had no time to think what "perhaps" awaited her. She could only smile. She was going to get her closure.
Came the terrible whistling of the mortar shell. She closed her eyes and waited for what was to come.
A blast came.
A blast that happened several meters into the air - far above them...The sky had become orange for a time - but she opened her eyes.
The device had detected the threat. It had detected that projectile, and deployed the countermeasures. The device had adjusted to aim at the incoming shell, and fired its own projectile into it. It had exploded the shell far above them - enough for even the shrapnel to become a negated threat.
As this negated threat showered upon them in burning and smoking flakes of shredded metal and burning steel, Gem smiled, approaching the detective as he laid on the ground stunned and disoriented. She spoke quietly - but clearly.
"After I lost my horn, I forgot everything. How I felt, what I knew - there was a strange gap in my memory. Between losing my horn, and the recent few years. I lost count, and I don't want to. When I had my horn, I spent years practicing magic. I cast away friends, cast away free time. I fought hard for the sake of my ambition. My future. Years of progress - reduced to ash..."
The detective coughed, looking at her past the dust.
"But I made a promise to the mare I owe everything to. I studied magic further - motivated by helping the vulnerable. But now, at-least for me, the era of magic is gone. Maybe for others it's gone too. But I know that magic or not, I wish to be capable of help. Of kindness. We replaced magic with technology - and we refuse to use it to help others. We start today, Pattern. Right here, right now."
She offered him a hoof.
"We live in an era of great evil, Detective." She declared. "An attack on another sovereign nation cannot be excused, one way or another. An invasion can never be excused no matter what justification may be brought up. And, bombing a country's citizens is a heinous crime. I expected all those responsible for these atrocities to be punished severely. I expect every invader to either surrender, or outright die. And while there exist those who commit wanton acts of expansion, murder, and terrorism, evil shall never disappear. However, until they are removed from positions of power, this time will not come soon."
As she lifted the detective up, she continued.
"But this, Detective..." She smiled. "This is my response to their sinister atrocity. This is how I shall choke the serpent of evil. My device will allow children to sleep without alarm, it will allow families to be together, it will keep house standing tall...And it shall not stop a single bullet from being produced to fight back the invaders." She smiled. "Magic or not, I care not. I will do what I can to bring back safety and peace to Equestria. All I ask you Detective is to help me show the power of this machine to those who can mass produce it. So that the same presses that stamp metal for weapons can be used to stamp metal for something of safety."
The detective listened to her...Franky, he would be more than happy to go back home to his family and enjoy a glass of lemonade...But now, he had a call to make. What to make of this strange Paradise Gem individual?
***
The middle-aged Lead Engineer stood in the hangar as her device was being prepared for transport. Her young assistant, a pegasus who had lost her wings, was the first to speak.
"Sooo, uhm...Boss?--"
"Gem, please."
"Right, Gem! I wanted to ask...We've gone over a lot of prototype names, but this marks the first version that will see use. Perhaps you ought to give it a name? RRb-C-D v.64 is hardly a name that the citizens of Equestria can recite when they remember what keeps their cities safe..."
"I had that accounted for." She smiled - gazing as the chassis of this device had now engraved the symbol of her childhood's old dreams. The symbol of what had started long ago - in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.
"Call it "The Star of Steel"." Gem smiled.
...
Looking at the device finished, and prepared to deploy...
She spoke softly to herself.
"...I did it?"
"...I did it."
"...I really did it."
