Chapter 20 Alicorn Magic

"Cap, I'm gonna wanna talk to you after this meeting," I told him as we entered the Cave Inn.

"I presume about me?" he snickered and held the door for me. Such a gentleman. I rolled my eyes and headed inside.

The downstairs lobby was fully converted into a hotel reception area and we passed the front desk and into the back offices. These areas were still being used as government offices, and I could see a few ponies that DD and Party had enlisted to help run things. Some ponies had already been doing this job for them longer than anypony else, and I saw some of the Double Diamond City guards decked out in their full riot gear guarding some back offices. In each one was an accountant or an official of some sort.

In the back of the building, the deepest recesses of the cave, was the Task Room. I saw Minute Hoof ponies mulling about and all chatting about one thing or another. This room was like an oval office, the meeting place for all things war related. I saw Buck with Double Diamond and Party Favor, along with a mare wearing Minute Hoof attire.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked as the two of us approached.

"He wanted to see the both of us," Capper winked.

"I need every available pony for what I'm about to say," said Buck and he looked over my shoulder to where Ashe Erza was just entering. She was no longer wearing armor, but instead her Fort formals. "Ah good, you're here."

"Indeed I am. I don't think anypony else can make it. I shall relay the proper information to Joy and Heart as soon as possible. They are willing to fight on the front lines if so deemed necessary." Ashe informed everypony.

"Sounds good to me, because we'll need all the help we can get, dudette." DD was just now rejoining the conversation after speaking with the Minute Hoof mare.

"What seems to be the issue?" asked the Colonel.

"Maybelle here was just informing us of an attack in Conquine. If the Minute Hooves can't defend the town the attack will move forward to Sanctuary." Buck said.

The aforementioned Maybelle came to the table, "That's right!" she had a thick cockney accent. "We need ponies in Sanctuary and Conquine as soon as possible. I just finished enlisting the help of these brutish DDC guards, thank all the stars." Maybelle lifted a hoof to her chest and closed her eyes for a moment.

"So, what, you're a Sanctuary representative?" I asked her.

"Oh heavens no! I could never represent Press Peirce." she murmured some insult she didn't think the rest of us heard. "No, I represent Conquine. If my town falls, so will the Minute Hooves fall."

"You hold yourself to a high standard." Ashe Erza scowled at the mare.

"Well, somepony has to. I represent traditional Minute Hoof values! I come from the very first settlement the Hooves ever created." she stamped a hoof and Erza visibly rolled her eyes. She did not like this prissy mare.

"Can somepony please get back on track and explain the problem to me?" I demanded.

"Yes, the problem," Buck turned to me, "the mare attacking Conquine is the Overmare's sister."

"What!?" Ashe Erza bellowed.

"Why is that important?" I asked.

"Priscilla Pen-Rose," Erza said in low tones, her voice going dark. "She disappeared over a year ago from the Stable, before Orange Juice even escaped, and all our sources there tell us they have no idea where she went."

"Well it appears we know now." I said.

"Yes, but according to OJ, she was the only mare in the whole Stable who ever treated him right. It makes no sense that she'd be attacking Conquine." Ashe Erza frowned.

"It would if she happened to be a Magistrate!" Piper came bursting into the Task Room.

"We tried to stop her, sir!" a guard came bustling in behind her.

Another guard said, "She's just so slippery."

"Oh can it ya weasels!" Piper stomped a hoof and the guards backed away.

"What is it, Piper?" DD was shaking his head but he had a smile on his face.

She held up a photo of the so called Priscilla, "This is Prissy before abduction." The photo depicted a light pink mare with big round blue eyes. Her mane was a light pink with blue stripes. "Here's Priscilla after." Piper turned the photo around and we all saw a Priscilla who was standing proud. But her coat was a darker pink in color and her mane had a lot more blue in it. She also wore a black padded jacket, an Institute symbol emblazoned on the front. I recognized it as Twilight's cutie mark with the outline of an eye underneath.

"What are you saying?" Buck asked.

"I'm saying the Institute nabbed her and now she's attacking innocent ponies to find the Institute's next target. She's a Magistrate, it's her job!"

"Okay, okay. We'll look into it when we send a team down there to check it out." Double Diamond said. "For now though, you really shouldn't be in here, pone." he bit his lip, looking uncomfortable as he was forced to kick Piper out.

"Oh come on DD! You of all ponies have to believe me! Your synthetic selves are out there right now doing just as much damage and Faust knows what else!" she called as two guards dragged her out.

"Sorry you all had to see that." Double Diamond said. "She's a good pony, but she can be a bit eccentric sometimes."

"I'll say. I'm kinda living proof that not all synths are bad," Capper adjusted his trenchcoat with a smile on his face.

"So, back to the matter at hoof," said Maybelle. "I do want an answer from the Fort ponies before I return through the gate to help in the efforts to defend Conquine."

"The answer is yes," said the Colonel. "We do not sit back and watch innocent ponies die. Give us some time to gather our wits about us and we will head through the gate to Sanctuary in no time at all." Ashe nodded to Maybelle who returned the nod and we all moved off.

Capper and I had returned to his windmill, where we were busily packing a few things. I had bought some apple grenades from the town's supply vendor, plus a bunch of ammo for many different guns. You could never be too prepared. Especially for my trusty revolver. I was at the workbench in the far corner of the room as Capper was busily stocking his large trenchcoat with his own supplies.

"So, what did y'all wanna talk to me about?" he asked out of the blue as I was busily filling my extra revolver mags with ammo. I felt my heart sink a little.

"Um…it's kinda complicated."

"I can do complicated." he sat down on the bed, having just put his trenchcoat back on. I turned away from the workbench in the swivel chair and faced him.

"Here's the thing. I get stressed very easily, I'm very anxious. Piper brought something up earlier that kind of scared me, but you always do your best to reassure me and I love that. So without getting mad, can you just reassure me that you're the real Capper and not just a replacement…" I bit my lip.

Capper sat up straight, inhaling a deep breath. "That's a lot to take in all at once. Here's the thing though, the recording on the temple Stable's terminal proves that Achilles and I weren't just replacement copies. I know for a fact that we went into stasis in our real bodies and woke up in our new bodies. Synthesis doesn't work the way Piper thinks it does."

"How does it work? Explain the science."

"It probably wouldn't make much sense to you," Capper sighed, fiddling with the edge of his trenchcoat where I could see a loose thread.

"You forget, I went to school for pretty much all of the above. I'm an Overseer, remember." I winked and he perked up a little.

"Okay. Well see, the process of synthesis isn't a copy. It takes the magical essence of a being out of their physical body and gives them a completely new body, a better body. The old body is disintegrated in the process, the magic is an extremely high temperature. It's based off the same technology as the megaspells."

"Alicorn magic." I nodded.

"You get it!" Capper smiled again.

I got up and went to him. "Of course I get it! Piper may be a good mare but she is a little crazy in the head." I kissed him gingerly and he giggled at my touch.

"You ain't gonna get the better of me, my friend," Capper put his hands on my back, his paws going underneath the vest.

"Oh!?" I kissed him some more and he fell backwards onto the bed. I was above him.

Only for a split second. Capper rolled and was now above me. He had his hands on either side of me and his blue hair fell a little out of its curl as he stared down at me. I poked at his bangs then put my hooves on either side of his face and brought him closer to me. He smiled and kissed me slow. I closed my eyes and fell into it. "I told you, you owed me." I smiled against his lips and he chuckled a little.

"That you did, that you did." he kissed me back and we rolled to our sides, staring deep into each others eyes as we drew away. I loved how his green eyes glowed in the dark.

"I wish we could stay here forever," I sighed against his lips.

"Unfortunately, that ain't the way this world turns." he frowned.

"Capper! Blitzfire!" came a shout from downstairs. It was Pumpkin Spice. "Where are you two?! We're leaving, with or without you and we all prefer with so please come out come out wherever you are!?" I heard her footsteps creak on the stairs.

"We're coming!" Capper shouted. "Looks like we'll have to continue this later." he smiled at me and booped me on the nose.

"See ya outside!" she called up to us and we heard her steps retreat.

Sanctuary was bustling with energy when we stepped through the gate. Ponies were darting to and fro everywhere and a light in the sky signalled something dreadful. Somepony had set off an alarm and there was noise in the air. Press galloped up to us when we came through in the town square.

"Thank Faust you're all here!" he shouted over the sound. "Conquine has fallen, this is now Broncston's last line of defense. That Magistrate is way more powerful than she looks."

"What's a Magistrate?" Orange Juice asked as we followed Press to the Community Center.

We found Surge there passing out weapons to anypony who could carry one. "Oh good, they're here." he huffed and tried to give us some guns.

"We're good," Buck rose a hoof, "we already have our own guns, but thanks for the offer."

"Surge, mind telling the little pony what a Courser Magistrate is?"

"Oh, Faust, where do I even start?" he looked up toward the cracked porch ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Let me start," said Mama Madmare.

"Mama, go home, this place is about to be under siege!" Press said to her, his voice raised and in a rush.

"Not until I put in my two sense." she lisped. "Anyway, that Courser you got coming? She ain't just any old Courser is she?"

"Well…" the Guardian looked down at OJ who was busy folding and unfolding his wings, using one hoof to scratch at himself. He looked up when he noticed all eyes on him and froze in place. "We do know her, but I was hoping to…"

"To keep the Prince in the dark on it?" Mama stomped a hoof, clack sound loud against the concrete. "What do you take me for?" she narrowed her eyes at Buck. "Should I tell him then?"

"Tell me what?" OJ looked between the old mare and his Guardian.

"The Magistrate is Priscilla Pen-Rose." Buck sighed. "We didn't want to tell you because we have to take her out."

"You don't have to do anything!" Mama stomped her hoof again.

"Okay, somepony help her get home please!" Press called to somepony in the Community Center.

"Wait, take her out as in…?" OJ watched as somepony came to Mama and tried to calmly explain that she needed to leave.

"I ain't done here!" she snapped. "Blitzfire, you know what needs to be done right?" she turned to me as the other pony continued trying to get her to leave.

"No, I don't honestly."

She finally began walking with her escort, "Just listen to Orange Juice. He knows what he's talking about more often than the rest of you!" she seemed very pissed as she left for her home.

Suddenly there was a huge crash and light from an explosion. "What in Faust's name?" Press galloped forward to the street, going to check it out. We all followed.

There in front of us was the pink mare in her black Institute jacket, but she wasn't alone. With her was a bunch of ashlings and darklings and the light from the artificial sun began to fade away. The ashlings were all smiling and Priscilla was at the head of the group. OJ stepped forward, his eyes wide.

"Prissy?"

(Footnote: The only thing I can say is that this has been a little bit sad for OJ. Prissy was the pink mare he referred to in his memories of Stable 28 in Rebel Heart. The mare who always treated him with kindness and respect. She was basically like a mom to OJ and now she's like this...It's all been leading up to the Battle of Conquine and the events that unfold next. I can't wait to get more Chapters up and I hope you guys enjoy!
P.S. I also hope I explained the synthetic process and Alicorn Magic better. I have so enjoyed transferring Fallout 4 elements to the My Little Pony universe. Okay, love ya guys!)

Brohoof /)