Marks of Babylon
Chapter 6
Italian Stallion & Armored Harmer
"-ZZ- all landing links, check in -ZZ-"
"-ZZ- sigma up and running. Raider, Sawbones and Kitten.destroyer, you are clear for come down, over -ZZ-"
""-ZZ- double copy, VXZ, we have platforms 2, 3 and 5 ready in sight. -ZZ-"
Many radio communications were shared over the com. lines somewhere in the storm riddled sky above.
In what one could make out of the fog, something big, hot and metal was approaching something in the sky. Suddenly, the fog was pierced and three fighter jets made their way to an aircraft carrier in the Babylon sky.
"-ZZ- VXZ we are prepared for landing, clear any and all threats approaching. Over -ZZ-"
"-ZZ- Nothing on the radar, boss. Over -ZZ-"
"Alright baby, let's do this!" Called their apparently boss. He charged into full gear and landed on the carrier drifting on the deck.
Before the jet had even fully stopped, he deployed the hatch and jumped right out onto the deck boards. He proceeded to walk on letting the engines cool down, not caring about the safety of the plane, or how it landed at all.
He continued walking to the main base.
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As soon as he was in sight, every single pony instantly metaphorically and literally dropped what it was they were doing and began applauding the young stallion.
The stallion was green with a black tail that looked as though it hadn't been so much as touched in the last 8 years. He was wearing a golden, soft, cold pilots jacket zipped up over his black vest with regular kids shorts. He was also wearing a pair of golden/yellow/beige shades over his eyes, which could only just be seen under his pilot helmet.
He only continued to smile smugly as he chewed his gum and walked on through the corridors.
"Spanner!!" He called.
"A'up Cal, mate!" A British working stallion in overalls replied as "Cal" walked up to him and bro hoofed him.
"Right bro, I'm heading down Ant's, grabbing a sharp split in 10. You wanna rev out with me?"
"Aye, getting me new piston for me back wing, in all."
"Right arrivederci lad!" Cal finished up and proceeded to walk into his main room. There he got a surprise.
"H-Hey amico, doin' alright?"
"I trust you have only now returned." A deeper posh voice facing the wall replied.
"Yeah ragazzo ricco! So what cha need from me?"
He slowly turned round to face him.
"Calsuricxs. Have you ever heard of the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash?"
Calsuricxs went over to a small fridge and got out a bottle of *insert bottle name here*. He smashed the top of it against the edge of a table as a quarter of it leaked out and some of the glass shattered over the floor.
"Nah, she don't ring a bell. Why?" He drank some from the broken lid which he held in his deployed wing.
"Dear friend, we've been over this discussion so many times. Our plan of ridding the world of these "villains" Phoxjes constantly mentions."
"Erm... Know what, I might have 'bout them guys."
"...They're girls. What do you have then?"
"'S in the cupboard. The keys for it's the box. Cupboard, bottom draw."
He then turned around to see a metal cupboard behind the eight pizza boxes and several sport mags.
Illiux cringed, as he barely found it in him to slowly reach through what he considered a dump that Calsuricxs calls a room, and levitated a small bronze key.
After that he unlocked the cupboard door and all at once the few thousand unread, discarded and/or improperly stored files of paper flew out onto Illiux's face as his eyes widened at what he already expected.
"Ya found it?" Asked Calsuricxs.
Illiux slowly appeared from the scattered clutter, not amused.
"Yes, I found it(!)"
"Oh that's good; thought I might've needed to help ya, pal."
"Allow me to explain. But you have to listen to me."
Calsuricxs slouched down onto his practically broken couch.
"Right... So I'm supposed to listen to what the mark of mistrust is telling me about some random kid I've only now been told about... Illiux, I'm not following you."
Illiux looked back at him, after he climbed out of the mountain of trash.
Calsuricxs then pulled out a dark gold heptagonal pendent with a green jewel shaped like an eye in the center and proceeded to put it on.
"Hmm... I didn't really expect you to."
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"Will you relax, Twilight?" Asked her lazy cyan colored friend lying on a cloud hammock.
"Spike... What have they done to you?" Twilight looked to the sky. "You were my best friend. And maybe you still can be."
"C'mon Twilight, Spike and that, er, Sandy girl was 3 days ago. We haven't heard anything about them since."
"Rainbow dash! He's like my brother, I couldn't live without him. It doesn't matter how long ago it was. I JUST WANT HIM BACK!"
Rainbow Dash slowly backed off, knowing that has just offended her friend greatly.
"I'm sorry, Twi."
"No, I should be sorry."
Just then, a dark green light started to come out of Rainbow Dash's chest and flew up above them.
"Girls, girls, you're both sorry." The two mares turned to see a young stallion swinging on a cloud above them.
He was definitely physically younger than the two of them, but looked older than Scootaloo. He flipped round to see them.
"But try as you might, you'll never be..."
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!!!" Twilight was just about ready to turn to her Rapidash form at the sight of him.
"Ooo, the princess was feeling grumpy today." He playfully replied.
"WHERE'S SPIKE!?!? ANSWER ME NOW!!!"
"Well he's not here." He laughed.
"THAT'S NOT HELPING!!"
He laughed harder at her outburst.
"I guess I could help you "find" him. If..."
She started to calm down now.
"If... What?"
"I'm looking for this chick... Um, Rainbow something. Tell me where she is and have 'er race me."
"Ha! A kid wants to race against me!? This is a joke!" She laughed.
"Eh! Don't chu laugh at me, kid! I'm the fastest in the center of the world! And I'm 3900 years old!" The Italian Pegasus flew down.
"Sorry, A grandpa wants to race me then!" She chortled.
"Forget about it! I'm still the second youngest in my Babylon." He argued, as he readied his (first) two wings.
"Fine if you wanna lose to a pro, bring it on." Rainbow looked at him in a determined expression.
"A pro? Where?" He looked around, jokingly.
"Hold on." Twilight interrupted. "You're a Babylonian, right?"
"Is your brother a big, white softy?" He answered back.
"So if you lose, I want you to tell me everything that happened, and where Spike is!"
"Stakes? Yeah, now you're speaking my language."
"Well?" Rainbow dash back off a little so they could start. "What do you say?"
"Hmm." He put his hoof to his chin and rubbed it for a second. "Alright, cool. But if I win..." He pointed at Rainbow slowly. "You have to go on a-" he stopped himself.
"Yeah? On a what?" She still looked mad.
"Uh, nothing, it don't matter."
"...Right."
"Now let's do this!"
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"So you two have to race from here to Ourtown, to back here. Is that clear?"
"Yeah." Rainbow replied, concentrating on this race.
"Let's do this!" The masked green over-haired colt shouted, eager to start.
"Are you two ready!?" The princess of friendship asked the two competitors.
"As always, Twilight!" Her friend replied.
"Bada bing, I were born ready!" Her enemy replied.
"Then on your marks!" The two readied their legs.
"May the fastest Pegasus win." He said as he looked at her.
"Get set!" They then bent forwards slightly.
"Sure." she looked at him, then back to looking straight forward.
Tension built up.
"...Go!"
There was a loud rush of wind soaring past Twilight, as a green and multicolored zoom charged directly past her.
"Augh!!" She screamed as she tried her hardest to stay in place, fighting the strong wind force.
The two of them started their race both wanting to get ahead from the start.
They constantly changed positions in the race, one second in front, and the next behind.
This went on for a few seconds, until Rainbow had an idea from a dark cloud she saw on the right in the distance.
She stopped in her own tracks and went straight for it.
Calsuricxs became confused by this and decided to follow her, catching up a decent enough speed.
"Hey, ya know Starlight and her friends are THAT way!?!" He shouted to her, pointing in the other direction.
"Yeah, I know that!!" She shouted back, picking up the thundercloud, then making a U-turn so she was facing him with it.
"But YOUR stop is here!" She kicked the cloud and fired the lighting directly at him.
"Ahh!! He screamed as he was about to become electrified, but suddenly his pendent began to light up yellow, and it absorbed the lightning completely.
"Ha!" He pointed at her and continued the race to Ourtown.
"Hey!" She called as she followed him.
The two of them still tried to advance ahead of each other, avoiding every tree, mountain, hill, anything. Eventually Rainbow caught up to him, trailing just slightly behind.
"I gotta say, I'm impressed you've kept up so far!!" She complemented him, preparing to tackle him to the ground.
"Unfortunately, this part of the race isn't available to kids like you!!" That was when she charged down from above in an attempt to slam him onto the ground.
However, as she did, she noticed his back moving slightly behind his wings and something came out from under his black vest, and he then accelerated further without a problem, dodging her slam.
"What the?" Rainbow wondered as she flew back into the race in the right direction.
"Yeah well, I'd be more worried about yourself, grandma!!" He laughed back at her, turning around and flying backwards, and he was still ahead of her.
"Hey, how did you-" she noticed that there was something else flapping underneath his wings, which looked exactly like another pair of wings.
"You have four wings!?!?!" Rainbow dash asked with her jaw agape.
"Nope! I have six!" He smiled and turned the right way again.
"No, that's cheating!!" She called in a childish manor.
A record-scratching sound effect was heard as he stopped in midair, allowing her to pass, and then he continued flying to be right next to her.
"You fly me off course, fire lightning at me, try to body slam me, and I'M cheating!? Hello pot, this is kettle: you're black!"
"Grrr. Kettle THIS!" Rainbow dash said as she squinted her eyes and flew even faster, trying to touch him.
He looked at that and flew slightly upwards to the left just as she was about to make contact.
"OK, that didn't even make sense." He then flew even higher and descended right onto her, wrapping his hooves around here and began smiling. "If you're gonna taunt me, at least do it right!"
"Let go! Let go! LET GO!!" Rainbow screamed as she squirmed.
"Okay~" Calsuricxs released her and threw her across the sky.
"Whaaahaa!" She cried, as she spun in the air. regaining her aerial balance, she noticed that that competition was getting ahead again.
"Later!" He spun around and looked at her, before he flew further. Rainbow noticed that Starlight's old home was currently in sight as were they.
"Oh no you don't!" She then pursued him.
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"Ya know, it's been a lot more lively after receiving our cutie marks. Again." Double Diamond commented whilst polishing his skis, as Sugar Belle was bringing out the muffins she had made to him.
"I know, but we've heard what Starlight had to say and why she did it, and she apologized." She replied to him.
"Yeah, I know. But all I'm saying is we seem to be using our special talents a lot more now that we're even more grateful for having them."
Suddenly, right next to Double Diamond, a small explosion of balloons and confetti, as well as 'surprise' music appeared and out came their blue unicorn friend.
"And if it weren't for Twilight and her friends..."
"Gahh!!" Double Diamond fell off the bench.
"...We'd still would've had our marks in the vault."
"Party favor..." Double Diamond got up. "You said you'd stop doing that."
"Heh heh heh heh heh heh." Favor laughed it off.
"Hey guys!" Night Glider flew down onto the ground and greeted her friends. "Look who I found!" She turned around and pointed in the sky at Rainbow dash in the distance.
"Is that!?" Sugar Belle stepped forward to see her better.
"I think so!" Diamond exclaimed, standing on a bench.
"Hey Rainbow Dash!" Night Glider shouted to her.
Party favor then pulled out some balloons, blew them up and twisted them into the shape of a telescope.
"Look! She's waving at us!" Party waved back to her, noticing her hoof motions which were shaking about near them and pointing above them.
Diamond's smile slowly faded as he came to a realization.
"Uh, guys? I don't think she's waving..."
The other three then caught onto this as well.
"In fact, I think she's trying to warn us about something. But what do you think-"
"Watch out!" Night Glider tackled him to move him out of the way in the nick of time, as a green blur impacted the bench he was just on, crushing it and creating a cloud of dust with a loud boom.
"Thanks." Double Diamond got up again and helped her up as well.
"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Night Glider asked the blur at the broken table.
All they could here was the sound of uncontrollable laughter.
"That was cool!" Calsuricxs laughed as he caught his breath.
"Who are you!?" Sugar Belle asked the laughing colt.
"Awesome." The pegasus said as he got back up and on all fours again.
"She asked you a question, tough guy!" Night Glider said, flying above him and looking mad.
"Later!" Was all he said as he then charged off into the distance in the opposite direction.
"Come back here you!" Rainbow Dash called as she raced him back to Ponyville.
The two of them had vanished into the landscape barely a moment later.
"...Well, that was..." Sugar Belle broke the silence.
"Who and what was that?" Diamond questioned.
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"Hmmmhmmhmmhmhmhmhmmhmmhmhm" Calsuricxs hummed out loud, while flying upside down, with Rainbow slightly trailing.
However, when he got up, he saw that she was catching up, so he turned round and flew normally, allowing her to catch up.
"I gotta say, I'm kinda disappointed, bambino." Calsuricxs was looking at Rainbow Dash whilst flying backwards with his fore hooves behind his head in a relaxed manor.
"What did you just call me!?" Rainbow yelled back trying to advance ahead of him.
"I mean you're meant to be the fastest, but so far I've either been ahead or next to you this whole race. Are you even trying, or is this a test?"
By this point Rainbow had enough of him, so she decided to show him something incredible.
"Fine! You want me to try!?" She stopped in the air right where she was, causing him to do the same thing in confusion.
She began to fly straight up higher into the air. Seconds later she was almost as high as a mountain.
"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked, thankful he was wearing his mask as the sun would've blinded him otherwise.
"You're about to find out!" She then began to fly down directly towards him at supersonic speed.
About halfway down from her descent a large circular rainbow blast exploded in the sky where she was, and her signature rainbow trail intensified.
"Whoa whoa whoa!!" He cried as he just figured out she was aiming for him.
She made impact seconds before he could fly out if the way, knocking him onto the ground below.
She was about to finish this competition between the two, until a final thought came to her head.
Was she about to feel bad about that?
As he was still laying there, she began to question whether or not using the Sonic Rainboom was a bit excessive.
She WAS the element of loyalty after all, so she couldn't just leave him here injured. Plus, in comparison, he did seem a little bit nicer than the other marks of Babylon so far.
On the other hoof, he was still a Babylonian; he still wanted to invade Equestria.
Her angel and devil both fought for her choice. The difference of what's right and what's easy is never a simple one.
What to do? That question still rested on her shoulders.
"Ughh..." She heard him groan in slight pain.
"Heh heh. Uh sorry..." She laughed off. While she didn't want to admit it, she was actually having fun in this race. Meeting another pony who could keep up with her, and find a way around her strategies.
"That. Was. Awesome." He managed to stand up. "Think you can teach me how to do that sometime?"
"Hah! No way! You're just a kid, this takes years of practicing and talent to do." She turned round and began to fly back to the finish line, until a stream of lightning struck her in the plot.
"Ahhh!!" She squealed as she was electrocuted down there.
After covering it with a slight blush she looked behind her to see him flying again with his pendent lit up in the lightning yellow color again.
It must have been the same lightning she fired a while ago.
"How's THAT for practice?" He asked as he began flying to Twilight again. "C'mon, we ain't done yet!"
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Twilight was still waiting at the finish line for at least one of the two to actually show up.
She sighed.
"Where are they?" She wondered. "The two of them were fast at the beginning, so how come they haven't shown up yet? I mean Ourtown isn't THAT far away."
Just as she was about to find them herself, she heard the sound of wind breaking though in the distance.
"Huh?" Her ears perked up at the sound.
After squinted her eyes, she could just about see a rainbow and green trail approaching her direction.
"Oh no, not again." She whispered to herself and her horn lit up.
With the speed the two of them were travelling, she wanted to teleport out of there as soon as possible.
Her instinct was correct, and she teleported behind the trails as they literally just hit the spot were she just was, breaking the earth beneath them.
"Are you two alright!?" Twilight ran over to them in the ground.
"I'm good." Rainbow Dash then climbed to her hooves.
"Far out." Cal got up as well.
"Good. So who won? Rainbow, please tell me it was you." Twilight's expression turned from one of relief to desperation.
"Dunno. Looked pretty tight." She replied, looking unsure.
"It's a tie then." He smiled.
"No. It can't be. It just can't." Twilight became more depressed by the second.
Calsuricxs saw her face, and began to fly back onto the same cloud he was lying on when they first spoke, even though it was quite a way away by now. Once there, he appeared to pick up something and circle his way back down in front of her.
"Here." He smiled, as he handed something to Twilight when she turned to look at him. "Should tell you a bit."
It was a book. A very old, beaten, worn, dated documentary.
The title was 'Babylonian History. Vol.17. Kingdom Connections.'
"Thank you." Twilight looked shocked at his gift. "But what about you?"
"Eh, I got what I wanted already." He looked at Rainbow.
"Oh...oh." Twilight came to a realization, and it made her giggle a small bit.
"Just don't tell her, yeah?" He whispered.
"I won't." She whispered back.
"And don't worry about Spike; we ain't hurting him. In fact, we've given him something you honestly couldn't have done by yourself."
"And what would that be?"
"His fam-" He was cut off by his mask glowing green and a strong wind heading in his direction.
"Uh, sorry, gotta get goin." He began flying again and headed to the north. "Arrivederci!" He called as he flew away.
Twilight simply looked at the book.
"Goodbye." She said, opening the book.
"Oh great(!)" rainbow said, catching her breath and standing back up to look at it as well. "Exercise followed by storytime."
The pair looked over the documentary, with Twilight clearly the more invested one out of the two.
"So... What is it?"
"It's a history documentary about Babylon and it's past relations with new kingdoms. But what's this got to do wit-"
She stopped herself midsentence and looked closer at the top of the book. There was something sticking out. In was another piece of paper, this one looking new and crisp white. Obviously, it had been left there as some kind of bookmark.
"What's this leading to?" Twilight asked herself, turning the pages to see where it lead.
"Another page?" Rainbow sarcastically answered.
"I don't get it. It looked like someone speaking with another king, but there's nothing..."
Once again, Twilight had stopped herself.
""Nothing"...?" Rainbow urged her to continue.
Nothing came from the Alicorn still.
"Twilight?"
Still nothing.
"Twilight, what are you..."
As she peered her head to observe what had stunned her, she could see why. Taking up most of page 173 was a black and white photograph of a king standing in a large throne room, with some obvious Babylonians speaking with him.
What was hard to decide as more surprising was either the room that they were in, or who one of the Babylonians was.
"Isn't that...?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"It looks like him... But what's he doing in the Crystal Empire!?"
"This just doesn't make sense! How can he be there all that time ago, and still be alive today?"
"I'm not sure, but maybe Cadence does. If he's somehow old enough to be alive then and in the present day, then there might be a connection."
"We don't even know if she was there when this happened. Heck, we don't even know if that definitely IS him. for all we know, it could be a doppelganger or just a lookalike, like his dad or something."
"It's worth a try! Go tell the girls, and pack your bags; we're going on a little trip to the Crystal Empire."