Striving for Perfection

POV Ahirata

Calmness. Satisfaction. Heat. The quiet sighs of my companion. A rare bubbling of lava and light emanating from it. Everything is fine, but it's time to work. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked around. Over the past few days, I have been able to settle down well near the lava lake. Using my magic and the power of my native eyes, I managed to create a large hill that covers the entire lake along with a significant piece of land. Inside the hill is absolutely empty. The ignorant damned will never know about my presence. The only downside is slightly labored breathing because the only source of air is a couple of tiny holes. But if a free creature does not complain, then I certainly have no right to do so.

Slowly getting up on two legs, I looked at the free man and realizing that he was sleeping, I focused on my business while the lava lit up my face. In order to create a good enough body for myself, I have already assembled one component. In fact, I need skin, a vessel for my soul and muscles with all the organs and skeleton. If it were an ordinary golem, it would be possible to stop at the first two points. Alas, the damned, and especially the one who freed me, will hardly allow me to take my native body without a fight. So I have to create a new body that can at least accept my native eyes.

Sighing, I sharpened my gaze at the corner where I put everything I managed to get, that is, the skin. I made a decision that as a skin, the chishuya of dragons is best suited. Well, it's like I don't have any other materials under my claws Now there is a vessel for the soul in the form of crystals and meat. Fortunately, I managed to dig out a crystal nearby at a shallow depth, which I inserted into a dead dragon. Now he has to look for the crystals and as soon as he finds them, come back to me. I hope the magic I put into it will be enough to work long enough.

Wait. . . how do we know he's back?

As soon as this thought occurred to me, my eyes opened wide for a moment before I calmed down. Just direct the magic into the ground. As soon as I feel the vibrations, I will make a small hole in the hill. The main thing is that the dragon has enough strength to get to me.

With a newfound confidence, I nodded to myself and grabbed the staff that was leaning on the wall. Taking a deep breath, I began to channel magic into my staff and out of it into the ground. Despite the growing pain in different parts of the body, the magic continued to flow into the ground and spread to the sides until it occupied a large territory. Now you just have to wait and hold on.

However, with every second it became harder and harder to keep such volumes of magic in the ground, not to mention the growing pain in many parts of the body. Chest, arms and temples. But fortunately for me, I felt something fall right on the hill. Sighing, I stopped holding the magic and it began to dissipate quickly.

After taking a few deep breaths, I went to the wall and began to concentrate magic in it. Sweat ran down my forehead as the magic pushed the rocks and dirt aside to create a passage. In the end, a corridor formed a little more than the width of my shoulders. Sighing, I began to walk cautiously through the corridor, examining my body along the way. In many places, large areas have already formed that are completely charred. So far, half of the chest and about a third of each arm have been charred. At this rate, this body will completely burn up. We need to hurry.

In the end, I went out into the blinding sunlight and covered my eyes with my left hand and looked around. Next to me lay a dragon with a faintly glowing crystal sticking out of its head. The magic was barely enough. The dragon himself lost half of his wing, but he held a decent handful of crystals in his hands. Eh, how nice it must be to be free from the curse. Don't thank me, creature. Then I heard the loud flapping of huge wings from afar. Raising my head towards the sound, I was dumbfounded. A huge dragon is flying right here. Adult.

As always, the mind as the most terrible curse created only problems. And even the artificial intelligence given by me turned out to be the same curse.

Sighing, I quickly took away from my dragon all the crystals that he had found during his short service. Deciding to hide all traces, I tore out the crystal that was in the dragon's head and the next moment he stopped breathing. Finally, I looked at the approaching dragon and quickly ran back to my shelter. Immediately after entering the corridor, I began to close it behind me, not forgetting to continue walking forward. Of course, such an action took a lot of effort and made it slow down.

In the end, I returned to the lava lake again and completely closed the corridor behind me. In the next moment, loud trampling and even blows on the ground were heard from above. Fortunately, I made the hill strong enough. I didn't waste so much magic for nothing. Sighing, I carefully put all the crystals in a corner, next to the nonsense of dragons. My gaze quickly filled with frustration and irritation. All the crystals that my dragon brought were, to put it mildly, not very good. All of them were either cracked or very small or a combination of the two. This will not be able to contain my soul.

Slowly my gaze went up where the dragon was still trampling around as if looking for something. And then the realization dawned on me. Now I am weakened as never before and my strength is just pathetic, especially considering the goal of liberation. I'm not sure I can create a temporary body out of pure magic. Although I'm not sure that this is possible at all. And if this dragon somehow manages to break through the hill and get here. . .

My millennial existence will be over. Even when I was chained to the throne and slowly rotted, I knew that I would not die. But this is a completely different case.

Swallowing, I slowly shook my head and walked over to the place where the free man was sleeping. Because of the noise from above, he had already stopped sleeping and looked up. I slowly walked up to him and bent down and gently took him by the hand. Slightly hissing, the free man looked at me in response to which I scratched him on the head and said: "Free, there's not much left. In the near future, I will relieve you of my presence. Simply . . . just give me some time okay?"

As a response, the snake made a momentary barely audible hiss and stared at me. Taking this as a yes, I looked again at the crystals that my dragon had brought before his release. None of them will be able to fulfill the task of a vessel for my soul. My gaze slowly shifted towards the lava lake. But I can fuse them into a single substance.

But then the vessel will turn out to be too big and along with this, the whole body will have to do more. The stock of high-quality crystals remained in Tartarus, which should definitely be under observation now. There are no other options left. We'll have to take risks.

Assuming what consequences this would lead to in the future, I approached the crystals and began to concentrate magic under them. Slowly, the stone began to turn into something vaguely similar to a bucket with a long handle. With difficulty, I picked up the instrument along with all the crystals and carefully brought it to the lava. What if I make a mistake? What if all the crystals just evaporate? What will they even do in response to such a temperature?

"Always remember that all the troubles in the world are because of the curse. And unfortunately I can't afford to be released right now. "I muttered to myself before slowly lowering the ladle into the lava until all the crystals disappeared into it. After a few moments, despite my fear, I raised the bucket slightly and saw that the crystals had not yet shown any reaction. Well, it's better than their disappearance.

Sighing, I lowered the bucket into the lava again and began to think about what to do next. Even if it turns out to fuse all the crystals into one large one, a new problem will arise - an increase in the size of the new body. I already don't know where to find good muscles, skeleton and organs, and now I need to find larger versions. In my current state, an adult dragon will be too much for me. I'm not sure that even by combining all the magic I can create a long enough spike. Plus, some parts of the young dragons' bodies just won't fit. For example, the lungs where there is always a department to generate fire.

Shaking my head slightly, I pulled the bucket out of the lava and saw that many crystals had taken on a red hue, as if they were preparing to start melting. Nodding slowly, I returned the bucket to the lava and continued to ponder. In addition to the muscle problem, I have a problem with nonsense. I am not sure that it will be enough to create a new body if it is too big. Of course, I could replace weak areas with a stone that I know how to control. But then I will have to direct additional efforts to ensure that the body exists at all. And I'm already in for a tough fight. Trouble.

Sighing, I once again pulled the bucket out of the lava and saw a very pleasant picture. Many crystals began to melt and form a single mixture. However, there were some instances that either did not react so strongly to the lava or did not react at all. Well, it's better than nothing. After the bucket returned to the lava, I heard a hiss right next to my right ear. Reacting to the sound, it twitched slightly and my eyes focused on the source. A snake, a free creature, climbed right onto my shoulder and wrapped around me, trying to borrow. Have I earned his favor?

No, it can't be. I have no right to waste the time of a free being.

Sighing, I lightly scratched the snake on the head with my claw in response to which he closed his eyes. Before I could smile, I felt the bucket slipping out of my paws and quickly connected my other hand before pulling on myself. Unfortunately, I overdid it a little, and the crystal alloy fell out of the bucket, collided with the wall behind me and finally landed on the ground. The crystals that did not become a single whole just hit the wall and finally split. Well, that's something.

Suddenly I realized that my eyes were wide open. If I remember correctly, after something is melted, it is watered with water. But I'm in the wasteland. The nearest reservoir is located at a great distance from here. Thank you for at least having it. In search of a quick solution, I put one hand to my ear and listened carefully. Not a single sound, everything is quiet. I hope my dragon hasn't been moved anywhere. Because his blood is the only thing that can be found nearby.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully removed the free creature from my shoulder and apologetically gently put it on the ground. After making sure that both hands were free, I closed my eyes and concentrated the magic in the staff before directing it into the stones. In the direction where the corpse of my dragon lay, a stone spike headed. The next moment, I felt a thorn pierce through something and released a lot of blood into the air. Swallowing, I transformed the spike into a small tube that was directed clearly to the crystal alloy. Now we can only hope that everything turned out right.

Sighing, I took my other hand off the staff and grabbed my chest. It's getting more and more painful. Could it be that the wounds left by the cursed creature are reopening? Trembling slightly, I removed my hand from my chest and looked at the place that had previously been pierced through. There was still the stone I had distorted. It's okay, it's okay.

I will definitely survive. I won't die until everyone is released. I can't die.

Suddenly, there was a loud hissing sound and a tiny cloud formed. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw how blood slowly began to drip from the pipe created by me. And to my own surprise, it dripped directly onto the crystal alloy. But it will be too little. At this rate, the alloy will never harden.

Fortunately, after a few drops, a small waterfall began to go on the rafting, which created a lot of steam and noise. It looks like most of the blood has just started to reach. Focusing my gaze on the alloy, I noticed that very slowly it began to lose its heat and began to look more and more solid. In the end, the alloy left behind a bright orange light, but already began to look solid. I hope that such an alloy will be able to store my soul in a new body.

Sighing, I looked at my companion before focusing on the pipe through which the steam was slowly leaving the room. I'm almost ready, but there's a problem. To find a good skeleton, a lot of muscles and working organs, I will need a lot of creatures. Go even further southwest to the dragons? No, I can't beat even one adult. I'll have to go back to where I ran from. To the pony. I can't afford any more secrecy. The loss of the population of an entire village will not be left unnoticed. Although maybe I will have a couple of days before the active search begins.

I will be moving out tomorrow to restore at least a little strength. Time is not playing in my favor. With each passing second, this body is becoming less adapted to combat. The free one will support us.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and said: "It's time to attack."

POV Daniel

Finally, everything went according to plan. And do you know why this happened, crybaby? Because you listened to me in everything. We've had only one setback in the last week. Luna's workouts were ineffective, to put it mildly. Well. it looks like she has nothing to teach us anymore.

I smiled a little and leaned back in my chair. At the moment, I was sitting in my room and waiting for the happy news. Probably need to remember what was done in the last week. Well, first I sent my soldiers into the mountains and collected money. After careful recalculation, it turned out that the dragon had plundered himself for a total of forty thousand bits. So I have exactly the amount that will allow me to pay for the work of the FSF. How I will pay for the tanks is unclear.

At the last thought, a grin appeared on my face. A few days ago, I went with an improved drawing to the Cheap victory factory and was able to agree on payment in the future. In the bright future, when I will have money to pay for the production of two tanks and thirty shells for them. Oh, I almost forgot. There are eight more walkie-talkies on top for communication between soldiers.

"Let's make two tanks, Mr. Ctumer. One with thick armor and a good radio station. The second with thin armor and no radio at all. We'll see what's better. Great offer, idiots." I muttered, remembering Flim and Flam's suggestion. Perhaps my rejection of Starlight for her ideological views this time came out sideways to me. Unlike the two brothers, she persistently offered to make several tanks at once almost without armor but with walkie-talkies. Although no, it's too expensive.

You know, it's expensive to do where you can save money, this is generally a feature of fascists and especially Nazis. Eh, the rat that was supposed to devour all the steel of the Reich is just beautiful. It's a pity that they didn't build it.

Grinning, I opened the top drawer in the desk. Before heading to the factory with the tank drawing, I asked the FSF to draw me a copy. What for? Well, it looks nice, though very strange. Pulling out a copy of the drawing from a drawer in the desk, I put it on the table and began to admire it from the bottom up.

The first significant detail that has been replaced is the wheels, whose place has now been taken from the tracks. To my surprise, there are already crawler tractors in Equestria. How could I not give priority to such an option? The question is rhetorical.

The next part was the steam engine in the back, which completely replaced all the silver poles with crystal ones that Starlight offered. To my great pleasure, there will not be a separate person sitting in the tank who will throw coal. Starlight came up with a small device in the form of a pipe and a pair of crystals that react to heat. As she herself explained, at the moment when the temperature drops, the pipe will open and throw coal. Despite the fact that Flim and Flam noted that the coal would run out very quickly in the pipe, I agreed to Starlight's offer.

Then my gaze moved to the main body where there were two question marks and a hatch on top. I think there is no need to talk about the hatch. How else should soldiers enter the tank? Exactly. Question marks are more difficult. Starlight insisted on an almost complete lack of armor, but at the same time a walkie-talkie. Two brothers offered a diametrically opposite option with thick armor and without a walkie-talkie. Well, I decided to mix their ideas and see what would be better. Or I just wanted to annoy them. It's hard to remember considering that I can't sleep again.

The fact that you can't do it is even good. Look how much you've achieved just by not sleeping the last week. Isn't that a success?

Sighing, I nodded to myself and drew attention to both the best and the worst parts of the tank. That's the thing. I decided not to experiment and just take the concept of the projectile from Starlight, but replace the crystals with gunpowder. Trite cheaper. This is the best part of the tank in my opinion. But there is a small nuance. The engine in the back of the tank is huge and heavy. So that the tank would not be envied back, it was necessary to somehow increase the weight in front. And the FSF did not come up with anything better than just giving the tank a long, sharp nose. I hope that he will be able to drive at least over a small hill.

Hoping for the best, I looked away from the drawing and looked away. Before going to the factory, I was given a condition for the FSF. They have to pick up the tanks themselves, find a place where to test them, how to do it and send a letter to me before starting. Yes, I took off all the logistics work and am proud of it. Ahem. Of course, they were not left unattended by a couple of soldiers who eagerly wanted to observe. Well, mostly Flying and a couple of people I ordered to accompany.

Stretching slightly, I suddenly stopped when I remembered one detail. When I went with Rising to get dragon gold, he asked how I knew about this place and why there was no dragon nearby. And instead of a normal answer, I said to ask in a couple of days. The question is what period of time the thestral will perceive as a couple of days.

What's the difference? If he asks, just tell him you killed the dragon. If he asks why you did it, answer as is. You just really wanted to kill.

Shaking my head, I adjusted my glasses and glanced towards the door. Don't want. I just don't want to. The thought of me telling Rising about such and such a way of me . . . not happy. Even saddens. As if his reaction would really matter. As if his gaze directed at me and filled with disgust would cause me real harm.

"This is wrong." I muttered, putting one hand to my forehead and leaning over the table. Where did this idea come from at all? Logically speaking, what will disgust from one particular person do to me? Nothing, absolutely nothing. In the case of Rising, he probably won't even dare to voice his disgust. The maximum that he can do is get away from my command. Objectively speaking, this is not critical.

That's enough, crybaby. The more you think about such nonsense, the worse. Besides, they're coming to us.

My eyes widened slightly when I felt the rapid movement of the lines. Looks like one of the princesses is coming. Or both, which would be the most undesirable option. Sighing, I got up from my chair and with magical tentacles grabbed the coat that was lying on the bed. Quickly putting on my coat and making sure that the Chrysalis amulet is not visible to the outside eye, I went to the door and stood a couple of steps away from it.

After a few seconds of waiting, the door opened and I saw Luna, who was looking a little higher in advance, as if she expected me to stand right in front of the door. Not hearing a single word from me, she rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, yes. As always, you won't say hello, so let's get down to business. I came to train you, you follow me into the garden."

After that, Luna moved away from the door to my room and walked down the corridor. Grinning, I quickly caught up with her and slightly adjusting my glasses said: "What happened to you? You're kind of unhappy for no reason. And as you know, everything around is my business. "

As soon as she turned her head to me to answer, I saw that she had big bags under her eyes. We should stand together in front of the mirror to find out who has more. Anyway, she sighed and asked, " What the Tartarus are you not sleeping for?"

Hearing the question, I tilted my head to the side. I've slept three times in the last week. An incredible result, no kidding. An obvious sign that I've finally started doing everything right. If she really knows how to get into the dreams that I saw, then why is she asking this question?

Most often dreams occur in the fast phase. But you, as a real businessman and a pretender to Perfection, are limited only to the slow phase. That's all.

Chuckling, I waved my hand and finally answered the question: "I just haven't been able to sleep lately. But your question is worded incorrectly. I've slept three times in the last week. So your ability to penetrate dreams is in doubt."

Luna growled slightly, but decided not to answer anything and just continue moving forward. Deciding to take advantage of the initiative, I put my hands in my pockets and said: "Well, can you arrange a normal workout today? For the last week, all I've been doing under your guidance is practicing invisibility. And I would like to move on to something more interesting. "

She gave me an annoyed look before taking a deep breath and calmly replying, " This will happen as soon as you start to control your magic normally. " And this will happen? I asked, glaring at Luna. Where did the local ponies get such an annoying habit of not finishing a sentence?

"Judging by the success you've been showing lately, about never. I don't know how, but no matter how many times you repeat the long-proven and effective magic control training, you still don't develop anything. A real miracle. " Luna replied with annoyance in her voice. It's as if my lack of success pisses her off. How strange.

Probably wanted to use you as an excuse to brag. Because she herself has nothing.

Shaking my head slightly, I was silent for a few seconds before asking, "I still don't quite understand why you can't teach me something other than invisibility."

Luna sighed irritably and replied: "Because everything that happens after invisibility will be just an impossible task for you. Complex attacking spells, weather changes, teleportation, and the like simply require a large amount of magic in one rune. So you won't even be able to finish creating the rune. "

" She herself said that using nature in the rune allows you to spend less magic. In other words, if I do teleportation using blood, then I will have to concentrate less magic. What's the problem? " I instantly retorted, looking at Luna in a puzzled way.

The problem is that she is interested in you as a toy that she can brag about and not as a possible threat. Under her guidance, you will never become stronger than her.

Before I could chuckle, Luna sighed again and answered: "You just won't let up and will continue to demand learning something new as a child a beautiful toy, right?"

Frowning slightly because of her analogy, I reluctantly nodded and she abruptly suggested: "Let's have a sparring match. Just like in the good old days. Only this time I'll be a little more serious. If you win, I will make concessions so that you can see your failure for yourself. But if you lose, we close this topic forever. You're not scared, are you?"

You shouldn't have said that now, friend. I've already thought through millions of options for your defeat. And in each of them you didn't have a single chance to win. You will fall before Perfection.

I laughed a little and answered with anticipation: "Finally we speak the same language! I will not refuse such an offer in any case. So you can already get ready to teach me teleportation. Preferably over long distances."

With a little giggle, Luna calmly and with restrained anticipation replied: "Don't be so self-confident, Daniel. All our past sparrings you lost outrageously, and I held back very much. This time the fight will end a moment after the start. "

Rolling my eyes, I adjusted my glasses again and focusing on the road ahead said: " We still have to look at this. You should have noticed a long time ago that I don't tend to stand still. Besides, I have a cube with me. "

" Until we talk about controlling magic. You can use the cube, it won't help you anyway. " Luna corrected instantly. Frowning slightly, I looked at her face trying to get some kind of information. Fortunately, unlike her sister, she showed at least some emotions. To be specific, there was a small smile on her lips. It's like she's waiting for an opportunity to fight.

She wants to blow off steam on you and nothing more, crybaby. In her understanding, you don't have a single chance. Right now, all she has in her head is the pleasure of winning and nothing more. Remember that she is primarily your competitor. And she thinks the same way. Sooner or later, one of you will eliminate the other. And you want to live, don't you, crybaby?

With a slight nod, I continued walking alongside Luna until we reached the garden. Also, as always, the snow was a frozen pond that reflected the moonlight and there were various statues. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at the statue of Discord and felt that I was being looked back at. Shaking my head slightly, I accelerated to overtake Luna and stood right in front of the frozen pond and said: "I chose my place. So you can get up and start counting down to three."

Luna was silent for a few moments before taking a few steps back and throwing the snow away from her position. Taking a deep breath, she slowly began to count down: "One."

I took a deep breath and stood in a fighting stance while Luna continued to stand and said, "Two."

My eyes focused on Luna's whole body trying to figure out what she would do. The wings are folded, she will not fly. There is no semblance of a rack, it will not defeat me in close combat. No magic around the horn is concentrated, no spells. In the end she said: "Three"

First we'll dodge and then . . .

Interrupting my thoughts, Luna instantly took off and the next second it dawned on me that she was a few feet away from me. So fast, I didn't even notice the start of the jerk. But it looks like she's lost some of her original speed. Gritting my teeth, I raised my right hand and instantly brought it down on her head. Just so that there was an outbreak and it disappeared. Yeah. Moreover, the lines returned to normal as if Luna had never been here.

Feeling the lines start moving again from a point above my head, I quickly turned around and lifting my head up, I saw that Luna was diving at me from above. And it's only picking up speed every moment. Holding the glasses in my left hand, I jumped back and grabbed the cube out of my pocket before starting to charge it. Of course, it's just sparring.

But for the sake of victory, you can become a little more serious.

As soon as Luna was a couple of feet away from hitting the ground, there was a flash, and she disappeared again. Hearing the crunch of snow behind me, I quickly turned around, putting a cube charged with magic in front of me and saw Luna make a dash to me again and was a couple of feet away from me. Grinning, I activated the rune and the next moment a swarm of arrows flew out of the cube aimed directly at Luna's face.

Her eyes widened slightly and with another flash she disappeared. I felt the lines slowly begin to diverge away from the point behind me. Right after I turned around, there was a flash and Luna appeared in front of me with a hoof aimed at my face.

You won't be able to block it. Dodge too. We will hit back.

My left hand quickly went up from the bottom towards Luna's jaw while her hoof flew straight into my jaw. Wanting to keep the glasses intact, I turned my head to the side in the last moments so that the blow fell on the temple. Then I felt an anvil-heavy blow to my temple, followed by an unpleasant buzzing in my ears. But to my delight, I felt my own fist reach Luna's jaw. And judging by the buzzing of my knuckles, my blow turned out to be at least not weak.

After this exchange, Luna and I recoiled from each other a few steps. Lightly rubbing the place where the blow was struck, I looked at my opponent. To my own surprise, I saw a small scratch on Luna's cheek, from which a drop of blood was coming. Could one of the arrows have hit her? Great. Even better, she rubs her jaw as if I blow turned out to be really significant.

Just look at the way she's rubbing her jaw. She's in pain. Crush her. Destroy it here. Now!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, I made a dash from the spot with my fist thrust forward in response to which Luna instantly ducked and activated her horn. Will he shoot? Assuming the worst, I tried to kick the crouching Luna, but I didn't have time and she just teleported away. Well, it's better than what could have happened. Feeling the next movement of the lines behind me, I turned around and the next moment Luna appeared out of the air with a hoof already flying at me. And the most annoying thing was that a grin remained on her face, as if she already considered herself a winner. Although she had already seen the ineffectiveness of this technique.

I took my right hand far back and slightly bent down and put my face forward. If it works out, I'll probably break her morale. If it doesn't work out, I'll get a brain creation. Before I could take a breath, Luna's hoof overcame the remaining distance and hit my forehead. Gritting my teeth, I quickly grabbed Luna by the back of her head with my right hand and directed her head to my knee, which also began to move. Eventually her head and my knee collided with each other somewhere in the middle.

Luna quickly teleported, and after a few moments I felt her appear behind me at a distance of ten feet. Turning around, I saw that she had lowered her head down and was feeling her nose. To my surprise and, of course, pleasure, I was able to notice a thin strip of blood. There is another breakout. Alas, Luna quickly raised her head and said, piercing me with an angry look: "Daniel, I suggest you admit the threshold now. Otherwise, I'll really get serious."

Don't back down, crybaby. Even if she breaks all your bones, you will have information. We will be engaged in exploration.

Grinning, I took a fighting stance again and, despite the headache, said: "No, no, no, Luna. I came here to win. Besides, we didn't agree on what counts as a defeat, so we'll fight until someone sits down. Cute isn't it?"

In response, Luna laughed a little and concentrating magic in her horn said: "Yes, very cute. For me."

As soon as she finished speaking, a curved sword similar to a sickle appeared in a flash. Wait, really? Slightly adjusting my glasses, I looked at the sword again. Yes, this is the same sickle that I mined on her behalf many months ago. Only this time it is polished to a shine and devoid of any rust. Well, this is a more productive activity, something that Celestia usually does.

Before I could chuckle, Luna flew into the air and began to dive down with a sword in a magical grip. Rolling my eyes from such a readable attack, I jumped back a few steps and adjusted my glasses. To my surprise, instead of another teleportation, Luna made her sword glow before plunging it into the ground. A blue glow passed over the surface, and I felt the cube in my hand trying to fly into the air, which was stopped by me. But what I didn't stop was the snow that flew into the air a few feet before randomly falling to the ground.

Antigravity? Lunar gravity?

Luna grinned and straightened up and said: "I'm sorry for this farce. I haven't fought seriously for a long time and I need to remember some techniques. Are you still confident in your choice?"

After seeing me get into a fighting stance again, Luna briefly laughed before teleporting again. As always, she appeared behind me and turning around, I saw that she was swinging her sword from left to right. Grunting, I ducked and dropped the cube to the ground and pulled out something better. Knife. My eyes noticed how Luna opened her wings as if she was waiting for the footboard. But instead, I grabbed her by the neck with my left hand and, applying my weight, dropped her to the ground. Sitting on top of her, I quickly put the knife to her neck and muttered: "The victory is mine. As it should be."

For a moment Luna looked surprised and even shocked, but it quickly passed and she asked with a grin: "Are you so sure about this? Then maybe you should take a better look?"

Cold steel on the left side. One good jerk and the stomach, pancreas, along with the intestines and kidney will be damaged if not destroyed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I looked towards my left side in the hope that it has been just my imagination. But no, it was there, exactly in the area where the kidney is located, that the Luna sword was placed. Damn. Reluctantly, I focused on Luna again and noticed one thing instead of a question. The deep scratch that I left with the arrow and the nasal bleeding disappeared. She completely repaired the damage. With a disappointed sigh, I said, "My knife is at your neck. One swing and your breath is over."

Luna grinned and replied, "My moon sickle is at your side. One swipe and you'll decompose like a house of cards, bleeding profusely."

"I'm on top. If necessary, I can kick you with my feet. And you won't even have time to get up. "

" I'm from below. If necessary, I can beat you with my hind hooves. And you won't even be able to see them from your position. "" A draw? " I asked irritably, assuming that she simply wouldn't recognize my victory.

"Yes, it's quite fair considering that you were able to catch me off guard. Now get off me." Luna replied with a slight nod and a look filled with some strange emotion. Some kind of incomprehensible emotion. indescribable. But as soon as I focused on her, that look disappeared. Maybe it's messed up? It doesn't matter, though. It's time to get up from it.

Not so fast, crybaby. This is a good opportunity to show her who is in charge. Come on, show a useless woman how you can dominate!

No, no, this is some kind of nonsense. Shaking my head slightly, I returned the knife in my pocket and climbed down to Luna. While she was getting up, my eyes were trying to find my cube among the white canvas. Not finding it, I lightly patted Luna on the head to attract her attention and asked: "Didn't you notice there's a cube here? I dropped it before I picked up the knife."

In response, Luna snorted loudly and made her horn glow. The next moment, the same radiance enveloped a small piece of snow before my cube rose into the air. Luna threw the cube in my direction and seeing that I caught it, said: "Here it is, the mole. Now stop touching our mane."

Rolling my eyes, I obeyed her order and returned the cube to my pocket. : "A mole? Of all the nicknames that you could choose, did you choose this one?"

Yes, this is copyright infringement. The nickname mole can only be used by me.

Luna covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled softly, "What other nickname should a captain of the guard have who has the worst eyesight of all his colleagues?"

"In general or from the living?" I asked, hoping for a second answer. I can't be the worst in terms of vision among other captains, right? Right?

"If my memory does not fail me, then in general. Congratulations, Daniel. You have the worst eyesight of any guard captain I can remember. Luna replied with a grin after a couple of seconds of silence.

Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my glasses slightly and muttered: "Great, now my desire to kill Ahirata is even greater. I don't even know whether to thank you or not."

For a moment I felt Luna looking at me with her head bowed. But as soon as my gaze focused on her again, she straightened up. Obviously, he does not want to show that he is lying about his knowledge. She has never met him and does not know his abilities. The corpses of soldiers are somewhere and they will be found.

Why strive to find ton of tasteless and already rotten pony meat?

Before I could breathe, I noticed that Luna's ear jerked sharply and she turned around on the spot. My eyebrow rose reflexively, and I asked: "What happened?"

She didn't answer and I was about to repeat my question, but suddenly I heard a sound. I put my hand to my ear, listened and was able to understand that it was the clatter of hooves on the floor. Someone is coming here. It's good that it is now and not a little earlier.

No, on the contrary. It would be better if someone came here right in the middle of a fight. That would be a reason for you not to back down, crybaby. And you always need it.

Shaking my head, I looked in the same direction as Luna and started waiting for someone to come. The sound of hoofbeats got closer and closer, and eventually I saw who had come here. My eyes widened when I discovered that the newcomer was Rising, who was holding a letter in the wing. How was he able to detect me? And even more so, how could he get here?

Noticing me, Rising started running towards me quickly, but when there were only a couple of feet left, he stopped to catch his breath. After a few seconds of shortness of breath, he took a deep breath and said, handing me the letter: "Sir, Sir. Some unicorn asked me to give this to you. She said it was urgent."

She's a fascist. I wonder how she got the right to write a letter and hand it over? And of course the most important question is why Rising agreed.

Shaking my head slightly, I took the letter with two fingers and quickly tore open the envelope and began to read the contents to myself.

Good day, Mr. Ctumer/Daniel/Captain (or how to address you better)

I take upon myself, as the most responsible person in the team, the honor to inform you that all the preparations have been completed. The machines, the original drawing of which was invented by me, are ready and placed on the plain right under Canterlot. This decision was made because I thought it would be preferable for you to learn about the abilities of the prototypes as early as possible and even attend the tests. We will be waiting for you or a response from you under Canterlot. It will be easy to find us, there is a continuous plain and I built a fire. I hope that you will come as soon as possible.

With impatience and devotion to you, Starlight Glimmer.

Loyalty. This in itself is a vile word, but from the mouth of a fascist it is even worse. Remember, the cooperation will be finished soon. Possibly with fatal results.

Chuckling, I turned the letter in my hands a little before tearing it into two parts. Then two parts for two more. And once again, to restore the letter was as difficult as possible. While my hands were busy with this, I could feel worried and puzzled looks from both sides. In the end, Luna grinned and asked: "Bad news?"

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow and replied, "Hmm? No, no. I would even say that the news is great. Everything was done exactly as I wanted."

Luna looked at me puzzled and asked: "Then then you started tearing up the letter?"

Really. What for?

For a few seconds I just stared at the tiny pieces of paper in my hands. Then he glanced briefly at the blackened fingers on his right hand. In the end, I slowly shook my head and said: "I don't know. But it doesn't matter. I have great news. So great that I suggest you come with me to see everything in person. It's not far, right under Canterlot. "

For a while Luna just stared at me with incomprehension before slowly nodding and saying, " Okay, I'll trust you. Lead me. Although if it's very important, then you need to wait for Celestia wake up. "

" Or we can just do important things right now. Let's go. Rising, you're coming with me too. I want you to see it too. " I said, already starting to walk and beckoning with a wave of my hand. Fortunately, neither of them needed any additional orders to start following. A grin appeared on my face. Tank, tank, tank. I will look at the first tank on this planet with my own eyes. Yes, what can I say, if it wasn't for my decision, tanks would never have appeared on this planet.

A place in the history textbook has already been reserved. Now we need to pick up a few more places for ourselves. By a few, I mean all the places.

Grinning, I continued to make my way through the castle at a brisk pace. It seemed that the whole body, along with every organ, was aware of the importance of the moment. My legs perfectly remembered the route and led me away from the castle. The eyes themselves ran from side to side. and the brain came up with all possible words describing this event and the tank itself. A triumph. Victory. Unsurpassed. Completely. It's devastating.

When I got out on the snowy night street Luna suddenly asked: "You've always taken the train to Canterlot, haven't you?"

Without stopping, I continued to walk forward and nodded and asked in response: "Well, yes. Why are you asking this?"

"Have you thought about the fact that in order to get to the plain under Canterlot you need another way?" Luna asked, confusing me and forcing me to stop. From what I remember and saw, the nearest train station to Canterlot is in Ponyville. And trains don't have the property of stopping in the middle of the field. Yeah.

Quickly turning around on the spot, I saw that Luna had stopped for a long time and Risng was standing a couple of steps away from me. Well, at least someone is loyal. Quickly shaking my head, I focused on Luna again and shouted: "What are you waiting for? Show me where it's going!"

In response, she snorted loudly and calmly turned in the opposite direction from me. At what she did it so slowly and calmly, as if she specifically wanted to piss me off. Gritting my teeth, I quickly ran up to her before slowing down. As a result, there was a distance of a few feet between us.

After a few minutes of a boring walk during which absolutely nothing happened, we stopped in front of the stairs. She can't be serious. Turning to Luna, I pointed to the long staircase down and asked: "So you mean to say that in order to go down to the plain, under Canterlot, you need to overcome this ladder?"

She nodded in response to which I groaned. Judging by the appearance of this staircase, no one has used it for the last decades. What is there to talk about if this staircase doesn't have a railing? Noticing my annoyance, Luna supplemented herself: "You can still go down the carriage road. But it will take a lot of time and judging by your expression, you want to get down as soon as possible."

Wings. Your two companions have them.

Turning to the Rising and quickly examining him from head to toe, I firmly ordered: "Take off your armor. Completely. Quickly."

Fearing my anger, Rising quickly took off his helmet and awkwardly reared up and threw off the main plate. Chuckling, I examined him again and said: "As always, you do everything well, Rising. Now fly into the air and put your hooves forward. You will carry me. "

" What? " Asked Luna and Rising at the same time. Is it really not clear? The stairs are long and dangerous. It's out of my interest if it collapses and someone falls.

What the hell are you talking about, Plaska? the collapse of the stairs is in your best interest. If Luna dies, then the real competitors will end. And Rising? Well, a pawn for a queen is a profitable exchange.

Shaking my head quickly, I pointed to the stairs and said: "Do you see the distance to the ground here? Huge! And I want to get down as quickly and easily as possible. So I don't see any problem in Rising carrying me while he plans down. Considering that I haven't been eating much lately, I don't think I'll weigh much more armor. "

Luna stared at me incredulously as if my idea was the stupidest thing in general. But Rising instead looked down as if he was thinking it over carefully. In the end, he flapped his wings and, once in the air, stretched out two hooves to me with the words: " Grab on, Mr. Sir boss. I'm sure you don't weigh much more than armor. "

Grinning, I gently grabbed his hooves and tucked my knees to my chest. To my own surprise, Rising only slightly dropped the height, but quickly returned it. Solemnly looking at Luna, I said, pressing one hand to my chest: " See? My ideas are always clearly thought out and simply doomed to success."

Luna rolled her eyes before flapping her wings and being in the air to answer: "Yes, yes. Let's just go down and see what happened and I'll get back to my duties."

I was about to answer something, but Rising muttered with tension in his voice: "Captain, in no way do I want to distract you or order you. But I'm uncomfortable when you hold on with only one hand. The balance is shifted. "Grunting, I grabbed his other hoof again and answered: " Okay, I hope it's more convenient for you. Now it's time to go down."

Luna reluctantly nodded and began to slowly plan down. After a few seconds during which Rising gathered his strength, he began to flap his wings faster and plan ahead. Seeing the complete absence of land under my feet, my heart instinctively began to beat faster. If you think about it, falling from such a height would be painful. Hmm, if I hadn't thought about it, I wouldn't even have started to worry.

Just don't look down. Or try to distract yourself with something specific.

Sighing, I glanced towards Luna and opened my mouth but didn't say anything. What is there to talk about now in such a situation? Nothing to talk about. In addition, it is better to keep quiet so that Rising can focus on the flight. Shaking my head slightly, I looked at the ground below trying to find the FSF and tanks. After a few moments I could see smoke and fire in the darkness of the night.

Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat loudly and asked, "Luna, do you see the fire? We're going there. So adjust your flight somehow."

She didn't answer anything, but fortunately she listened to me and slightly adjusted the route. After that, I heard even more active flapping of wings and raised my head up. There my eyes noticed that the veins on Rising's neck were swollen and he clenched his teeth. Obviously, I'm a little heavier than the armor.

You need to eat less and work harder.

I focused on the fire again, but quickly realized another unpleasant thing. I'm hundreds of feet above the ground, both my hands busy holding onto the hooves of Rising. What will I do if my glasses accidentally fall off?

As if to punish my thoughtlessness, my glasses began to slowly slide off my face. My eyes began to quickly run from side to side in search of any solution. The earth is slowly approaching. Too slow for me to grab the glasses with my other hand and not shake the falling Rising. If he starts falling like a stone down, there's not much I can do to help.

The extra glasses fell off my face and started falling. My hands are busy, if I catch with my feet I can break it. Hmm. Suddenly, a single idea came to my head. Jaw. I quickly shifted so that my mouth was at the level of the falling glasses and to my own surprise was able to catch them. And judging by the absence of any crackling, I did it quite accurately.

Unfortunately, because of my movement, Rising swayed slightly in the air and asked through puffing: "Sir, what are you doing there?"

Drop your glasses down and answer. An object in the teeth is not a reason to ignore the interlocutor.

I slowly shook my head and tried to mumble something. But I quickly realized something was not an option. Taking a deep breath, I tightened my grip on one of Rising's hooves, which caused him to let out a painful real sigh. Then he lowered his head and seeing my position said, "Oh, I see."

I just nodded back and tried to do something similar with a smile. I'm not sure that this is even possible considering the object between the teeth. Slowly shaking my head, I lowered my head down and focused on the earth, which seemed not so far away. Maybe fifty feet. Or even less. In any case, from this distance I could already make out the blurry outlines of the pony.

Eventually Rising approached the ground and immediately after I jumped off it, it collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, I quickly put on my glasses and got down on one knee in front of the lying Rising asked: "Are you feeling okay? Can you walk by yourself? Should I carry you?"

After a few moments Rising nodded and lightly waved his hoof said: "I'm fine, Mr. Sir Boss. It's fine."

I squinted at the thestral, whose fur was completely covered with sweat from the flight and dirt along with snow from a recent fall. Sighing, I lightly brushed the snow off his head and said: "Okay. In that case, get up and follow me."

In response, he quickly nodded and struggled up on all four hooves. Barely noticeable shaking my head, I turned around on the spot and saw Luna smiling behind which there was a bonfire at some distance. Sighing, I put both hands in my pockets and headed forward completely ignoring Luna's fun. Fortunately, she decided not to say anything.

After a few minutes, the three of us reached the campfire, next to which the FSF and several soldiers stood. And behind them were two tanks whose metal armor glistened slightly in the night light. I stopped a few steps away from the two tanks and asked with my hands on my hips: "Well, that's it. Is everything ready for the test?"

There was a cheerful silence in the air for a few seconds, as if no one had thought about who would give the answer. Eventually a hoarse voice raised Flying: "Yes, everything is ready. If anything, the walkie-talkies were left inside the second wagon. "

A good solution. It would be inconvenient to carry as many as six walkie-talkies on humps. Just need to come up with a normal name. Well, or just take the usual name.

Chuckling, I turned towards Flying and asked: "The second tank is the one with more armor, right?"

He shrugged his shoulders and raising an embarrassed eyebrow asked: "A tank? "

I smiled broadly and replied, "Yes, tank. I think this name is the most optimal and familiar. It will be inconvenient if everyone calls the same device in their own way."

Flying chuckled softly and said, "Whatever you say, madman."

Great nickname. Much better than boring.

Rolling my eyes, I focused my attention on Starlight and the two brothers before asking: "Good. I want to get some information that was not specified in the drawing."

All three of them started to clear their throats, and I quickly supplemented myself: "Let Starlight do the talking. You brought this fate upon yourself, Flim and Flam. "

Starlight cheekily smiled at the two brothers before saying, " Well, Captain, during a small experiment we concluded that the number of ponies in the crew varies from two to three. Two people in case there is no radio in the tank. That is, the driver and the loader. Otherwise, the pony responsible for the walkie-talkie is added."

They didn't think about the commander. And about the gunner. Although I'm not sure about the second one.

I tilted my head to the side and asked: "And who do you think will aim the weapon at the target?"

Starlight briefly grinned and keeping a wide smile replied: "He doesn't need to be guided. Me and my, uh, colleagues were thinking about making the weapon mobile. But they quickly realized that the recoil from the shot would be too strong. So we decided to make it a fixed part of the structure."

What else were you hoping for? The towers have not yet been invented so that the tank can shoot strictly in front of itself.

I was about to answer, but I felt something. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luna standing far away from the tank. Her face darkened and she lowered her head down. It must be unpleasant to see my triumph. I grinned and said: "Okay. Let's start the test. To begin with, let the tank drive a little and make a shot."

Starlight only smiled wider and said, "You don't have to tell me that. This should be said to the tank crew. "

My eyes widened and I asked cautiously: " And who is sitting in the tank? "

Instead of answering, I heard a loud creaking of the hatch, from which a few seconds later a thestral in armor climbed out, who cheerfully said: " We, captain!"

Hold on. They just took and retrained in tankers? It smacks of insubordination. I think we need to have a preventive conversation. With a tire iron and tying to a chair, of course.

I grinned and asked: "Can you at least drive? And why did you decide to do it anyway?"

"Well, we trained all day in the ride to show you the highest class and I roughly understood how everything works here. And to answer your second question, Captain. I just thought that the bow is a bit inefficient. Well, I decided to change the direction. To be honest, I myself wonder what will happen if I use this long thing."

"What will happen." Hmm, it looks like they haven't tried shooting yet before you came. Correctly considering the limited number of shells.

Chuckling, I waved one hand and said: "Okay, let's see what you could do. Make a small circle and shoot. Then repeat the same with the second tank. And then I'd like to check the armor."

The Thestral quickly saluted and climbed into the tank, closing the hatch behind him. For a few seconds, nothing happened except for some unintelligible conversations that I could hear from the tank. But eventually there was a loud series of clicks and a sound as if something had fallen. Then silence. And silence.

Well, that's it. No tank exercises today

I turned to Starlight and asked: "Is this how it should be?"

In response, she shrugged her shoulders and reluctantly tilted her head towards the two brothers as if saying, "Such questions to them."

Flim and Flam just smiled and the first one said: "The steam engine needs time for the water to boil. "

Then Flam continued: " Then the water evaporates and the resulting steam begins to perform its function in the mechanism. We have to admit that Ms. Glimmer made some decisions to speed up this process."

Sighing, I reluctantly nodded and focused on the tank. After what seemed like an eternity, quiet gurgling sounds began to be heard. Then it became more active and louder. And in the end, the tank's caterpillar moved slightly forward, pushing the snow back. Then the tracks began to work and the tank drove forward. I couldn't help but smile at the way it moved and the way its long nose was shoveling snow. And to my surprise, the tank continued to gain speed even after it reached walking speed.

Everything is right. This tank's armor is so thin that it doesn't seem to exist. Weight less = speed more. Let's see how he can accelerate.

Grunting, I carefully watched as the tank moved away and developed more and more speed. Then it began to turn extremely slowly in an extremely wide arc. But in the end, the car, releasing a bunch of smoke into the air was able to make a U-turn and start driving towards me. As he approached, Starlight came closer to me and said, "I recommend you to close your ears. It will be loud."

I waved my hand dismissively and didn't answer anything. She muttered something but decided not to insist. The tank drove forward at its maximum speed, scattering snow to the sides and eventually made a loud shot. My ears were blocked by such a sound, but despite this, I smiled broadly and looked at where the tank was aiming. Slightly wiping my glasses with my coat, I was able to see how the cast-iron core reflected the moonlight and pierced into the mountain, leaving a bunch of cracks. Amazing.

With a solemn expression on my face, I turned to Luna and was about to brag. But suddenly she hit the ground hard with her hoof and shouted furiously: "QUICKLY, EVERYONE STOP!"

My ears only hurt more as the tank behind me slowly slowed down. Enduring the pain, I asked irritably: "What happened? We actually need to check the second tank. And armor..."

Luna instantly appeared right in front of me and grabbed me by the front of my coat and continued to shout: " You can't even imagine what you've done! Believe me, this is the biggest mistake you've ever made in your life. If I had my way, I would EXECUTE you right on the spot!"

Rolling my eyes, I tried to remove her hoof from my coat. But I couldn't move him an inch. Hmm. Sighing, I looked into her eyes and asked: "Now don't yell and tell me exactly what happened."

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she removed her hooves and said: "Something terrible has happened. Let me tell you this as simply as possible. A thousand years ago, an agreement was concluded on the non-use of gunpowder in weapons. Although I advocated the complete destruction of this terrible substance from history. Do you already understand what this means, or do I need to hammer understanding into your skull?"

Let's omit the phrase about a thousand years and get to the heart of the matter. It seems that on this planet, firearms were equated with nuclear weapons. In other words, we can say that the fact of this tank is a crime against everything. Cool, right? Although a thousand and one questions remain. Why didn't anyone know about it at all? Or, for example, why the factory agreed to produce weapons that are considered banned all over the world. Maybe they knew some kind of loophole?

I looked irritably at Luna and asked: "If it was banned all over the world, then not one plant would not agree to production. This is the first. Secondly, why does none of those who developed the tank knows about it?"

"I have heard that if something is forbidden to a child, he will only want to get it more. That is why this contract is not talked about everywhere and always. So that no one even thinks what this creature of Tartarus is capable of. Moreover, I'm almost sure that you didn't bother to tell the factory where the weapons would be used. They might well have thought it was a mini ship." Luna replied coldly, continuing to look at me with fury.

No, I didn't say that. I just showed the head of the plant a drawing of the tank, asked if it could be done together with the shells and he answered yes. All.

"That is, no one knows about the ancient treaty, but everyone must abide by it? Don't you feel the absurdity yourself? Logically, if you blame it on the factory that produced the weapon. Or on the FSF. But I like the first option better. " I suggested putting my hand on my chest. Come on, the fair world, show your real face. I know you!

"Daniel, don't throw off the responsibility. In a good way, you should have asked me or my sister before starting production. So the only one to blame is you. And for violating a contract of this level, I'm not going to stand on ceremony with you for a long time. " Luna replied harshly, squinting.

Sighing, I looked at the tanks again and cautiously asked: "Do you have an agreement stating the prohibition of gunpowder in weapons? I'd like to read it."

The next moment there was a flash and a piece of parchment that looked extremely ancient levitated in the air in front of me. Hmm, how helpful. I carefully took the parchment and unfolded it and went through the contract. The basic message is very simple. The use of gunpowder in weapons is prohibited all over the world. However, the exception is ships. All. No more, no less. And a tank doesn't really look like a ship.

I carefully folded the parchment and said: "Can you give me a day or two to think about it? Maybe I can find some loophole?"

"Of course you can do it, Daniel! Why are you asking? There is only one condition. You can ponder the treaty as much as you want, but before that you must dismantle this creation of Tartarus. It's very simple." Luna replied firmly and restraining her anger.

You know what it's going to be, crybaby. We'll have to compromise.

"Maybe, just maybe we'll limit ourselves to the fact that I'll take off the guns and take the shells somewhere? And the car itself will remain for transporting soldiers? I politely suggested pointing with one hand at both tanks.

Luna stared at me intently in response to which I awkwardly smiled. After a few tense seconds, she snorted and said, " Okay. Only you will do it in front of me. Right now. "

I nodded slowly and gave her the parchment for safekeeping. Then my eyes started wandering in search of Rising. When my eyes fixed on him, he looked upset and very scared. It was as if he was ready to turn around and run away from here in tears. Sighing, I waved my hand at him and said, " Rising, help me. At least morally."

He nodded quickly and ran up to me as if he was afraid of every second of being next to Luna. Sighing again, I slowly walked to the tank and looked at the promising assistants. All the soldiers and the FSF were trembling slightly with fear. However, there was one exception. Flying that held very tight. I waved my hand at him and said: "You too, Flying. Since you've been watching them throughout the whole process, you should have an idea of how to remove the gun. "

Fortunately, he didn't say anything and just ran up to me before starting to follow. In the end, I walked straight up to the tank and saw two theatres leaning out of the hatch looking at me. I reluctantly nodded and said, " Lick it off. We'll have to do the dismantling. "

They slowly saluted and jumped off the roof of the tank. I put my palm on the cold metal of the tank and closed my eyes. If I'd just agreed to Starlight's offer. If I had just decided not to save everything would have been much better. if the owner of the factory would just refuse me. Well, why. Why absolutely no one from my entourage knew about such a ban!? Or did they all know and not trust me? They want to set me up, bitches!

I took a deep breath calming myself and before I started thinking about how to remove the gun, one thought occurred to me.

There must be a loophole in the contract. Just need to find it. Just find and win.