My Little Realities: C16 - Plotting and Planning

My Little Realities: C16 - Plotting and Planning

>you wake up
>your neck hurts
>you see Fluttershy, she's busy picking things up around the library and talking to Spike
>Rarity is fussing around Fluttershy
>Spike seems delighted just to be around Rarity, Fluttershy is almost whimpering for help
>Twilight is in the kitchen, making those weird sandwiches again
>Applejack is snoring away in a corner, stetson over her eyes
>Rainbow dash is...  Reading?
>Pinkie Pie is bouncing around the library, quietly
>how
>these goddamn ponies surprise you to no end sometimes
>as you stir, Rainbow turns and pokes at Applejack
"Hwhu?  Ah wasn't sleeping, ah was just resting mah ey- oh, Anon's up" says the orange apple pone
>the six ponies stop whatever they were doing and walk up to you, looking pretty serious
>you're a little nervous
"We got a couple things to tell you, buddy" says Dash with an...  Intimidating face, however impossible that may be
>it's like a kitten trying to look mean but you still have that "you pissed off your gf" nervous feel
>not that dash is your gf, but you know that feel
>"we've kept quiet until now, what with all the goings-on but...  We've been maighty leniant of yer little escapades, however this is gettin' silly." says Applejack
>they're all stepping close and closer, making you uneasy
>you expected them to disagree on some level with your explorations, but not really this much
"We know you're trying to help but going out like that is dangerous.  This is the second time you've left like this, who knows what could have happened."
"Anon, we were all really worried..." says Fluttershy, weakly
"Okay, okay...  I understand what you're all saying.  I didn't feel too good about just leaving you all like that, both times, but I didn't know what else to do"
"Yah should'a told us, we could'a helped!"
"Applejack is right.  When I first came to P0nyville, I was about to take on Nightmare Moon by myself.  It would have been the biggest mistake of my life, I'm glad my friends were with me" says Twilight, getting nods of approval from the other ponies
>you're starting to become a little annoyed
>they are correct, having your friends around is usually the right thing to do
>but this isn't a usual situation
"Listen, all of you.  I know what you're all saying and I can imagine how you feel.  I'll be blunt.  I will not take any of you along if I go out again.  You said it yourselves, it's dangerous"
>Twilight's ears drop and she looks away
"Anon, Princess Celestia told me we should stop you if you try to go out again.  She said you were a "valuable asset"" she says, almost wincing as she mentioned Celestia and her words
>hunh, an asset.  That's a first
>you still can't seem to quite put your finger on Twi's discomfort (or whatever negative emotion she's feeling) towards Celestia
"So I'm a prisoner now?" you sharply reply
>Twilight's head drops even more
"You know it's not like that..." Says Pinkie
"Is it?  I gotta pretty much choose between fighting you to leave P0nyville or probably seeing most of you get torn apart?"
>the pink one recoils
"Anon, what are we going to do if you go out there and don't come back?" interjects Twilight, now looking you in the eyes
>she does have a point
>you are indeed an asset to these normally peaceful ponies
>if the situation was reversed, you'd be thinking the same thing
"I...  I guess you're right..." you say after a few moments
>it has been pretty selfish of you to leave them like this
>not to mention your escape plan
>however, the escape plan might not be needed if you can pull off what you're thinking about doing
"So you're not going to try to go out at night again?" says Fluttershy, looking relieved
"I can't guarantee anything, but I'll try to stay put for now." you reply with a smirk
"Well I am glad we had this talk, Anon" says Rarity
>she didn't even say anything during the conversation, goddamn p0ny
>you want to ask Twilight about Celestia, but not in front of everyp0ny
>you hear a knock at the door
"I'll get it!" says Spike, happy to help in some way
>it's your R&D team
>YOUR ZEBRAS
"Sir, we have what you requested." the lead unicorn says after a sharp salute
>it's strange to see ponies salute, you guess they're pretty flexible
>you really have to remember their names
>Rainbow is trying to step back quietly, eyes shifting around
"Rainbow, you got your scout team set up?" you say, noticing her attempt at evasion
>it's not like she's subtle, unless you were playing hide in seek in a rainbow factory
"Uh...  Yeah...  I'll go get my team right now...  That I assembled a while ago" she says with a nervous laugh
>she rockets out of the window right after
>the other ponies resume their previous activities, shaking their heads at Dash
>fucking Dash, she probably slept as much as you did and forgot about the scout party
>in any case, these goddamn R&D pones work fucking good.  You didn't ask for a small order in any respect
"Impressive.  I have some more work lined up for you, but I gotta say, I'm very pleased with what you've all done"
>they all seem proud
>also relieved, as if you were going to punish them or something
>holy shit it's so fun to be the leader of an R&D team
>back to reality
"We just need to wait for Rainbow Dash and her team, and I can tell you what all of this is about"
>you try to make small talk with the research team, but they all seem pretty damn nervous
>almost like they're afraid of you
>you're about to ask them about it when a very winded Rainbow Dash bursts through the door, huffing and puffing
"I'm here!  *heavy breathing* I got my team" she manages to say
>they all seem ready for business, but confused
>she probably didn't even tell them what they were in for when she assembled her team five minutes ago
>procrastinating little p0ny
>Twilight walks in to see what the commotion is all about
"good, you're all here" you say
>Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack are playing a board game organized by Pinkie, but you have your key players for this plan
"we're going to put some pressure on the Roots, and hopefully disrupt their attempts at building an army this quickly.  If we do this right, we could even deal a crippling blow to their forces."
"Sir, don't you think we should be having this meeting with Princess Celestia?" says the unicorn
>you look at him seriously
"we're not having this meeting with Celestia because I don't think Celestia would approve."
>the color drains from the R&D team's face
>Twilight looks a little scared
>"I know we just had a big talk about this, but I'm gonna need to go out there alone again.  Rainbow Dash's scout team will be watching over me, if that provides any comfort.  I'm going to have to ask you all to trust me."
>rainbow dash and her scout team look at each other and turn to you
>the R&D team nod furiously, they look terrified of you now
>Twilight and Rainbow Dash look at each other
"Just want exactly do you have in mind Anon?  Why do you need to go alone again, after all this?" asks Twi
"I need to go get us some friends.  And just like Celestia, I don't think any of you would approve of the methods I'm going to use for this plan, but I've been thinking about how to protect Equestria for a while and I can't see any alternative.  That's why I need you all to trust me.  I need you all to do exactly what I tell you to do, without asking questions"
>you didn't expect this to go over well
>it didn't
>even the rest of the gang started protesting
"so you're telling us we need to pretty much commit treason against Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, that we need to send you alone AGAIN into the most dangerous corners of Equestria, in the middle of two enemy invasions?" says Twilight, fuming
"I LIKE YELLING" comments Pinkie
>you breathe in calmly
"does anyp0ny have another feasible idea to save Equestria?" you reply
>the room gets pretty quiet
"well...  If we had time, we could come up with enough flash powder and toxin to destroy the underground nest" mentions the lead R&D unicorn
"how long would it take to produce the weapons in those quantities?" you ask
>pretty straightforward, it's a good plan...
>the unicorn shrinks back into his corner
"Well sir, seeing the footage in your video-device, the size of the cavern and the population of roots...  If we can manage to even deploy that much, it would take... A ... A Few months..." he says, getting quieter with every word
>you rub your temples, you don't think Equestria will last weeks
"thanks for the suggestion..." you reply
"if we knew exactly what you were going to do, Anon..." says Twilight
"Listen, I know it's a lot to ask, but this is the best I can do.  Either I do this with your help, or I'll try to do this alone.  If you restrain me, I'll still offer my advice and help any way I can, but in my opinion, we are in big trouble.  Bigger than we can handle right now."
>the room is quiet again, not even Pinkie Pie is making noise
>well, Spike is snoring
>regardless, it's pretty clear to everyp0ny here that this is a peril they haven't really faced before
>Discord and Nightmare Moon might've been tyrannical; casting chaos, misery and darkness over the land, but they would not have simply broken into your house to rip your screaming children into bits, then turn to you and repaint the walls with your entrails as you scream, begging for a faster death
>Even the Changelings weren't that horrible, as bad as it was to be cocooned and leeched off of, like in the Matrix or something
"Wait, what about the Elements of Harmony?"
>hunh
"Yeah guys, what if we tried the Elements on the Roots?"
>is the Pinkie Pie being awesome again
>yep it is
>for a p0ny that rarely made sense and could drive a person to kthulu-levels of insanity in ten seconds flat, she could make up for it all in a few moments
"Pinkie, that just might work.  Why didn't we think of this before?  I guess we've never taken the offensive with the Elements before..." says Twilight
>the mood lightens up considerably, everyp0ny seems relieved that they don't have to go with your "plan"
>you hope those Elements are as good as these ponies think it is
>you really, really do
>there is something you need to take care of right now, seeing that you have a few minutes to spare
"Twilight, can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Yeah, what's up?" she replies
"In private..." you say
>you both step out and walk for a few minutes.
>you're satisfied that Twilight and you can talk without being interrupted when you enter a clearing behind her library
"Twilight, I've been wanting to ask you something, and I know it's probably none of my business, but I have to know...  What's going on between the Princess and you?  You seemed to like her before, and now you're upset whenever someone mentions her"
>she looks up, looking depressed
>she sits down
"Princess Celestia has been my teacher and mentor for as long as I can remember...  She's always been kind to everyp0ny..."
>you sit down next to her
"When I was small, I would study next to her, she would play little games even when she was busy running Equestria all by herself.  I would learn and study as hard as I could, because I was afraid she wouldn't think of me as her protégé if I didn't do well...  what I mean is...  I've always been afraid of disappointing Celestia.  I even freaked out once over a late friendship report..."
>you have a nagging feeling that you are starting to understand what's going on
"what I'm trying to say is...  I guess I've always been a little weary of disappointing Celestia, but ever since these Root things...  I'm...  I'm afraid of her now.  When she killed the creature that was strapped down in my library...  Her face...  I've never seen her like that"
>Twilight is on the verge of tears, shaking like a leaf
>it all made sense now
>not really knowing what to do or what to say, you hug the tiny purple p0ny
>the armored suit you're wearing probably isn't the most comforting thing to be hugged with
>surprisingly enough, it seems to calm her down
"Twilight, I don't think you should be afraid of the Princess...  I'm completely sure that she's just trying to protect you, and that seeing things that want you harm upsets her so much that she flies off the handle a little"
>Twilight looks up, smiling weakly
"maybe we should all go see her, and tell her about using the Elements offensively" says Twilight, who's cheering up a little
>you head back to the library and meet up with the rest of the gang
>they all agree
>Rainbow dash awkwardly tells her "team" to go back home, that they won't be needed right now
>you pause
"Hey, how much weight can you carry when you're flying, on average?" you ask to the scout team
"well it varies between fliers, but usually around two saddlebags full of apples"
>this might work
"how would you all like to provide air support, if needed?  Rainbow dash, if you'd like to gather some more pegasus, maybe the ones that can carry the most weight?"
>Dash nods
"Uhh Anon, what's air support?" asks Applejack
>they probably aren't familiar with the term
"it's when you have a team of flying aircraft, ponies in this case, that can drop weapons on enemies to help out ground forces"
>you get a general "ooooh" from them all
>rainbow dash talks to her scout team for a bit, giving them instructions and recommendations on who to ask for air support duty
"Okay chief, we're good to go" she finally says
>you all make way to the temporary command in P0nyville
>you see Shining Armor standing in the distance, reinforcing his protection spell
>you're escorted to the command center by guard ponies
>you ask Twilight if she want to go see her brother but she mentions something about not wanting to break his concentration
>to be honest, a big shield like that is probably pretty fucking hard to create so you say no more
>you all make your way inside
>Celestia and Luna look pretty busy, going across desks littered with parchment, each magically wielding multiple quills and giving instructions to various officers
>talk about micromanagement, fuck
>they both put down their quills and greet you all
"it's nice to see you're all well" says Celestia
"we are relieved that thou art unharmed...  We mean...  I mean we are relieved that you are all unharmed" says Luna awkwardly
"Princess Luna?" says Twilight, confused
"Ah, yes...  Celestia has mentioned to us-I mean me, that it would be to ... My ...  Advantage if I spoke like everyp0ny speaks" she explains, struggling with habits that were apparently thousands of years old
"getting back on track...  Why did you ask to meet with us, Twilight?" asks Celestia
"Well, Princess, we think we have a shot at defending Equestria from the Roots.  We think we should hit them with the Elements of Harmony as soon as possible, before they've "grown" too strong" she explains
>both Princesses pause
"we think we can defeat them before they even leave their cave" she continues
"Twilight, that seems quite risky...  Not only are the Roots a danger but now we have the Changelings at our doorstep...  It would be pretty perilous, simply walking in there..." replies Celestia
>you feel a bit more confident about this plan, seeing as all the ponies and the Alicorn princesses don't doubt the Elements' powers
“I think we should give this a try.  I think we should gather some armed troops with a squad of pegasus to drop bombs, scout out and we should just run in there and fire off the Elements before it’s too late” you say
>Celestia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath
“Prepare the first regiment and the first airborne.  You’ll be escorted by our finest troops.  Doctor Graphs, outfit the ground forces with the guns and flame units you described to me and give the flash-powder devices to the pegasus” finally says Celestia
>fucking finally, Dr. Graphs! That's his goddamn name
>you make note of the lead R&D unicorn’s name
>you will bide your time and learn the rest of your research teams' names
“You should all get some sleep now, you’ll all go in the morning”  finishes Luna
>the Echo Hotel team returns with you to the library
>on the way back, you continue to wonder why the R&D team is so nervous around you
"Uuuh Twilight?  Why is the research team so on edge around me?  I mean I try to make them comfortable but..."
"Well Anon, your little brawl with Princess Luna got told around the ranks..."
>ohhh
>right
>you'll have to talk to your R&D team about that...
>the trip to the library was pretty quiet, everyp0ny laying down in the same room, finding some comfort with their friends
>everyone stirs, finding it hard to fall asleep
>you also have a good deal of difficulty, but end up falling asleep after they all settled down