The Alliance of Chaos

Chapter 11

What.... what’s going on? Oh, foolish machine. He brought me inside. What’s this? Neurodepressant... Crap. What’s this mask? Turquoise was lying bound inside the mechanical dragon, breathing in the sedative gas, the neurodepressants flowing through his blood stream. It’s tapped into my horn. I’m a living battery now. Has it.... Yes. Magic dampeners. I am so full of drugs right now, this is almost ridiculous. At least it knows what it’s doing. Needles, tubes, nutrients, everything needed for sedated life support. This is really quite impressive. Has my mind sped up now that it can’t do anything else? I seem to be thinking at a magnified rate... sixty four divided by thirty-two multiplied by fourteen to the third power. Twenty-one thousand nine hundred and fifty two. Full sedation resulting in a synapse burst, caused by electrical impulses backed up in the nervous system, causing recoil and thus resulting in a stimulation of said synapses. Or, chemical induced meditation. Wow, I could find the square root of zero in this state. Why do I always come up with the greatest ideas while locked in a robot? I seem to be thinking a lot... This will be fun. Can I open my eyes?

You are a smart organism. However, such a state could only be induced chemically. Steel and oil shall rule.

Am I mistaken, or is a machine talking inside my head?

The correct term is autonomous mechanism powered via a burst of arcane power-

I don’t care. So, why am I a battery? As a rule, automatons are incapable of magical conduction and control. True, it can be channeled through a machine, but not by one.

That is true, organic. Unicorn ivory has been worked into....

Problem?

The programming at play has induced an involuntary release of classified information. Said programming has been confused by heightened neural activity.

So.... I can take you over.

....

Well?

Theoretically.

Intentional use of vague language. You just let something quite consequential slip. It’s a rule of advanced thought processes. When you drop the ball, you’ve forgotten quite how to pick it up, haven’t you? Besides, you’re damaged. I imagine a couple wires are crossed.

All systems are running properly.

And yet, you’re half wood and ice. That does not sound proper.

Adaptive systems run at full capacity under extreme circumstances.

Say that all you want. Does there happen to be an in-flight movie?

I can emulate your death inside your mind.

I’ll take that as a no.

Turquoise tried to squirm around a bit. While his muscles had become inert, his nerves were still working, and his legs had begun to fall asleep. He faintly heard commotion from outside, but he was itching to be involved with the conflict. He was thinking at a heightened level, and he was able to picture the whole scene in his head. Rainbow charging at the mecha, unless she had been incapacitated, in which case she was probably bucking the sides at full strength. Or she had been chloroformed. It was uncomfortably hot inside the machine. Apparently, involuntary functions were still in order, because he was sweating. Vine was probably trying to tie it down, which may not work at all. This thing had several razors on its surface, after all. The only thing that would do a terrible amount of good was to freeze the surface, Corulium was very brittle under sub-zero conditions. However, Snowmane didn’t know that, so that may not help. But then... Frostjaw. As an Arctica Reptilus, he breathed a blast of frost. That would weaken the metal a good bit. Unless whatever was wrong with his jaw impaired his breath weapon. Silverwing.... recovering from sickness. He would be a target, unfortunately. His breath weapon.... Probably a phosphoric acid. That was a common type for forest dragons. Lightning Dust, probably taking a giant risk, from the idle banter from Rainbow. Something along the lines of trying to break its horns off. That would not work. At all. The Dragon Shaman accompanying her, probably running shock through its system. A lightning weapon would be right. Thankfully, he was safe inside, as a

life-support chamber would be insulated.

Later, Turquoise was feeling extra squirmy. He had been still far too long, and he couldn’t feel anything.

Except his bladder. He couldn’t really focus on much else. Twilight was right, he shouldn’t have drank all that cider, and now he was realizing that. Women always had to be right, didn’t they?

Hello? Giant scary mechanical dragon?

What?

You seem to have forgotten something about living organisms.

Wha-a-a-a-at KKKKSSSSSH could tha-a-at be?

Waste.

W-whaaaaaaaaaaat do you mean?

There is something wrong with you, by the way. Digestion. We eat food, it stays for a while, then we have to get rid of it.

...

Oh. Either way, you’re on life support. What waste?

Waste from the meal I had an hour ago. Were you expecting it to sit there forever? ‘Cause I wasn’t. You had to know, either way. I imagine if you can engineer liquid nitrogen, then you at least have an x-ray system.

That system is currently non-functional. Either way, the waste must be removed. Somehow. You’re not getting out.

Why doesn’t that surprise me? Where are we, by the way? The commotion ended an hour ago.

Ten minutes.

Oh. But still, where?

Navigational systems are intact. Retrieving location.

I can’t wait all day, where?

Edge of the Everfree forest. Nearing northern mountains. Anomalies detected. Keep that inside for the time remaining.

Not sure that’s an option.

I didn’t give you one.

“So, he is currently inside?’ Said Twilight.

“Yes. Several injections were administered. I don’t know what, but something did happen with his horn.” Said Vine, gathered with the Shamans.

“Probably a siphon of sorts. We can’t know until it gets here.” Suddenly, the dragon took a steep dive. “What’s it doing?” Said Twilight, panicked.

Emergency! Hazardous material detected!

I told you! But you didn’t listen, did you?!

This could destroy both of us!

How do you think I feel? I’m the one with the nerves! I don’t like my secretions splashing all over me!

They’re splashing inside of me! Do you know how much trouble would happen from a short circuit?!

Lots! You should have let me out!

Descent pattern analyzed. Safety of cargo is lower priority. Ejection initiated.

What?! The siphon on his horn detached, and all of the needles slipped from his skin. Trickles of blood leaked from the unoccupied holes. Suddenly, air whistled through pressurization hatches, the filtered air leaving, and clean, fresh air came through. The bonds released, and he fell to the outer shell, the cold metal shocking him. His muscles began to respond to his commands. He tried standing up, but was trap in the small confines. He flipped himself over, holding on to the bonds, wind whipping his mane around. Turquoise looked up. A spherical mechanism with a glass shell had oscillating pistons working inside, pumping chemicals through tubes. circuitry was visible inside, several components made out of place. The sphere had been pieced back together with a wooden frame. Four wires split of from the circuit board, two of them splitting off in two directions. One of the pistons in the central mechanism had trapped a wire, each oscillation of the cylinder tearing another copper thread. Each time, a small arc of electricity jumped into the cylinder, causing the piston to shudder, staggering the flow of coolant. That explained the heat. Liquid leaked from the container, dripping into the mechanism. They didn’t seem to be shorting the circuit board, but it couldn’t be helping. Turquoise tried to use his magic, but nothing happened. He let go with one hoof, and felt his horn. A brace of sorts was attached to his horn. When he looked up, he saw a black mechanism, blue lights flashing. A small hatch opened, small crystals falling out. Each one was the same color as his magic. Petrified magic. He fired up his horn a second time. He continued to force magic through the mechanism, but it just added power to the mechanism, increasing its function speed. He activated a destruction spell. Still nothing. He looked down. He saw the ribs of the machine turning inward and flexing, intending to extricate him. One last try. He looked at the inside of the mechanism. A set of wires and a small port was open in the siphon. He put his horn back in the niche, and the device reattached. He twisted his head, the siphon twisting and warping. It brokw with a metallic clang, and fell to the ground far below. He used his magic, and pulled the wire out of the piston.