//------------------------------//
// CHAPTER 19 
// Story: A Thousand Voices 
// by SpartanD014 
//------------------------------//

CHAPTER 19


"Data is shared between geth. All viewpoints are considered. Consensus is achieved as data is disseminated."




Twilight Sparkle tiredly lumbered into the dining hall of Canterlot castle, her eyes just barely managing to stay open. Behind her was Cadance who was in much the same state. They both slowly moved to their chairs and sat down, not paying any mind to the ponies already present in the room. 

“Uh, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked, concerned. “Cadance? Are you two okay?” Forcing her eyes to remain open, Twilight looked across the table at the pegasus and forced a grin. 

“We’re fine, Dash,” she said, stifling a yawn. “Just… had to raise the moon again…” Although she was playing it off as no big deal, Twilight knew that she would not be able to keep it up. Raising the sun this morning had restricted her to a chair for several hours as she regained enough energy to move, and raising the moon just now had actually caused her to pass out for several minutes. Thankfully she had had the foresight to request that a guard watch over them to make sure that they were not hurt. 

It had been a full day now since Legion returned from the hive, and still Luna was unconscious. Granted it had only been about twenty hours since the cybernetics had been implanted, but Twilight had hoped they would be done by now. Even if they were finished, it would still be another full day until Luna would be able to use her magic, which meant that Twilight was going to have to raise the sun and moon one more time each. She shivered at the thought of it, frowning. 

“Twilight Sparkle, are you unwell?” Legion asked from one end of the table. Twilight tiredly swung her head to face the geth, surprised to find him here. Unlike the rest of the ponies there was no plate of food in front of him, but the waiters had still given him a glass of water, which remained untouched. 

“I’m fine, Legion,” Twilight answered. “Just… Not sure how much longer I’ll be able to raise the sun and moon…” 

“Princess Luna will be awake in no more than six hours, possibly sooner,” Legion said. “Very soon she will be able to take over that duty for you.”

“Finish that story you were telling us, Legion!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. Twilight tilted her head, confused. Story? she wondered. Legion nodded and sat up straight in his chair. 

“Very well, Rainbow Dash,” he said. “After Shepard-Commander and Tali’Zorah returned from the Migrant Fleet, we accessed the data that Shepard had recovered. It revealed to us that creators were running weapon tests on geth hardware, attempting to find weaknesses. Taking this as a threat, we copied the data and attempted to send it to the geth consensus. However, we were discovered by Creator Tali’Zorah.”

“And then what happened?” Fluttershy asked, beginning to grow worried. 

“She held us at gunpoint, prepared to destroy us. Fortunately, Shepard-Commander intervened and worked out a compromise. To ensure unit cohesion, we agreed not to send the data. In return, Creator Tali’Zorah offered non-classified data for us to send.”

“Well that was nice a’ her!” Applejack said happily. “Sounds like she doesn’t hate all geth, like the rest of them quarians.”

“There are small groups of geth sympathizers in the quarian fleet,” Legion said. “They are an extreme minority, but with proper guidance, perhaps peace can one day be achieved.” There was silence around the table as they all contemplated what the geth had said. Their story was certainly an unfortunate one, and nopony in the galaxy was willing to hear it because they were terrified of the geth. Maybe somehow the ponies could help, after the collectors were gone of course. Before anypony else could say anything, the door burst open and Healthy Heart ran in, panting. 

“Legion!” she cried, trying to regulate her breathing. “Luna… she’s awake!” Legion jumped from his chair, as did Twilight’s friends. Twilight herself, along with Cadance, slowly stood and attempted to follow the geth. She made it all of five steps before collapsing on the ground, her eyes closing. Twilight felt a pair of hooves wrap beneath her, and a moment later she was being carried down the hall. Her eyes were still mostly closed, but Twilight assumed Cadance was being carried as well. 

In her fatigue, Twilight completely lost her sense of time. Even though it was probably several minutes, it felt like only seconds later that she was being lowered back to the ground. Slowly, Twilight came to her hooves and blinked several times, then looked up to find that they were in one of several rooms of the royal hospital. 

It was smaller than the surgical suite, but looked far more inviting. A large window dominated one wall, and pale beams of moonlight shined through, illuminating the white tiled floor. The walls were a pale blue, and were barren on all sides except for a painting of Canterlot, which was placed above a bed. The bed itself was on one of the walls adjacent to the door, and in it was a very exhausted looking Princess Luna. The mint green blanket came up to her waist, leaving her bandaged chest entirely exposed. Her mane was lacking its ethereal qualities, instead resembling the mane that Twilight had first seen when she freed Luna from Nightmare Moon. In her right foreleg was a needle connected to an IV, and on a bedside table was a small display that was clearly not pony technology. On the display was a diagram of Luna’s spine, which was showing the cybernetics as they worked on correcting everything. Legion approached the display while the eight ponies all surrounded Luna’s bed and looked at the princess, relieved. 

“Hello, everypony,” Luna said, smiling weakly as she blinked away her fatigue. “What… what happened?”

“There was an explosion, Luna,” Twilight explained. “We still don’t know exactly what caused it, but the effects were devastating. Most of the team stationed up there is dead, there are only eight survivors.” Luna’s face fell as she filled with sadness, and she looked down at her blanket. She looked back up and peered over the heads of her pony visitors, looking out of the window. 

“How long have I been out?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. 

“A little over three days, Luna,” Cadance said.

“Three days…” Luna repeated. “Who raised the sun and moon in my stead?” Twilight and Cadance shared a stare, then looked back to the princess. 

“We did, princess,” Twilight said.” 

“Really?” Luna asked, surprised. “Well done, I am proud of both of you. But I can see how exhausted you are. Do not worry, I will be able to take it from here.”

“Not quite, Princess Luna,” Legion said, stepping away from the display. “You sustained extensive damage from the explosion. Even though we have repaired most of the damage, your cybernetics still need time to finish. You will not be able to use your magic for at least twenty four hours.”

“Cybernetics?” Luna asked, confused. “What are those? How badly hurt was I?”

“Damage to your body was critical,” Legion began. “A punctured lung, all ribs broken, several sources of internal bleeding, and more were among the less critical injuries. The main injury was your spine. It was bent and twisted from the force of the explosion, and a large piece of debris caused damage to the spinal cord itself. Were it not for the cybernetics now within you, you would have died yesterday.”

“I do not understand, what are cybernetics?” Luna repeated. 

“They’re small machines,” Twilight said, stepping forward. “They can be created to perform almost any task, but the ones that Legion implanted into you are gripping your spine. Over the past day, they have been restoring the orientation. Only now did they get to a point where you could wake up. They’re going to continue working over the course of a month to get it all perfect again.”

“A month… then how long am I confined to this rather uncomfortable bed?” Luna asked, looking behind her at the thin bed. 

“You are restricted from moving for one week,” Legion answered. “It is during this first week that most of the repairs will be made. By walking, you could halt their progress and cause further damage. After this week has passed, you will be able to resume your duties.” Yawning, the princess nodded.

“I see,” she said. “And what about the changelings? Did anything happen regarding them while I was out?” Sighing, Twilight nodded and blinked several times.

“We think Chrysalis might be dead,” the lavender alicorn said quickly, causing Luna to raise an eyebrow. Twilight began to recount the tale of what had occurred while Luna was unconscious, starting with the arrival of the imposter Healthy Heart. She explained why Legion went to the hive, and the story of how he had escaped. When she was finished, Luna looked down thoughtfully.

“Chrysalis’s death may not be as good a thing as it sounds…” Luna observed. “If she’s really dead, that is. But if she’s gone, then the changelings are effectively slaves. While Chrysalis had some power she would have had some say in their actions, but now, the collectors have all the power.”

“This unit has been planning ahead, Princess Luna,” Legion said. “We will not allow anything bad to occur to you or your ponies.”

“Thank you, Legion…” Luna said quietly. “But now I think I should get some rest. I know I’ve been out for three days, but that has surprisingly left me quite fatigued. When I wake up I shall call for you again.”

“Very well, Auntie,” Cadance said, turning to the rest of the ponies. “Let’s go everypony. It’s starting to get late anyway.” Nodding in agreement, the ponies and geth all turned and exited the room, leaving the princess of the night alone to sleep. 




The collector captain stood over a bright green hologram, watching the real-time status updates of their device. The simultaneous dissolving of over a thousand ponies had advanced their progress dramatically, but still it was not enough. If the device was to reach the power levels that they needed, then thousands more would have to be kidnapped, perhaps even millions. It was no problem for the captain. They were not short on space; this network of hives was larger than the collector base beyond the Omega Four Relay, and they certainly were not lacking in pods. There were only around two thousand manufactured, but as long as ponies kept dissolving then they could be reused. 

“Captain,” a voice said from behind the collector. The captain slowly turned his head, finding a collector drone in his peripheral vision. “You summoned me?”

“Yes,” the captain said, turning to fully face the drone. “Command Chrysalis to inform her changelings that it is time for the infections to continue. There are eight samples for Manehattan, and I have a map of deployment areas. Make sure that the changelings get these items, and send them off at once.”

“Yes, captain,” the collector said, nodding his head. He turned and left the room, leaving the captain to continue looking over the feed of the device. Already most of the frame was built, constructed of alloys made of metals found on this planet. The ponies were a primitive species, and had no idea just how rich this world was. An entire fleet could be built from it alone, but a fleet was not what the collectors wanted. No, all they wanted was the pony’s magic. It would make their device a formidable weapon, capable of striking fear in any foe. Even theirs.




Princess Luna’s eyelids slowly spread open, revealing to the bright room her light blue eyes. As they detected the light, her pupils shrunk and she squinted against the bright rays of sun. Holding a hoof up, Luna was about to draw the blinds with her magic when she remembered that she still had the rest of this day before she could use it. 

The fact that the sun was up was good: it meant that Twilight and Cadance were still able to raise it. Their ability to do so had been suspect when Luna had seen them last night, as they were both clearly very weak. They may have been alicorns, but they were both far younger than her and Celestia. It would be hundreds of years before they would be able to manipulate celestial bodies with ease. 

Looking around, Luna found no signs of life in her room. The room was depressingly barren, occupied only by her bed and medical equipment. The only decoration was a painting directly above her. Because she still could not walk, Luna began looking for a way to contact somepony. On a small table next to her bed, Luna found a button. Curiously, she stuck a hoof out and pressed it in, then quickly pulled her hoof back. Frowning, Luna puzzled over the button. It had not done anything when she touched it, but it had to serve some kind of purpose. A moment later the wooden door to her room opened and a white-coated unicorn nurse walked in.

“You called, highness?” she asked, bowing. Confused, Luna looked to the nurse, then back to the button. It must be a signal for the nurses, she thought.

“Yes,” Luna croaked. Before she could speak again, a glass of water was lifted to her mouth by the nurse. Grateful, Luna accepted the gift and downed the entire cup, sighing in satisfaction. “Thank you. Would you please tell Princesses Twilight and Cadance to come here? I must speak with them.”

“At once, princess,” the nurse said, bowing once more. She turned around and closed the door, her hoofsteps echoing down the hallway as she went to fulfill Luna’s request. The princess leaned back in her bed, rubbing a hoof against her temple. The last few days had not been what she was expecting, and with her unconscious for three days, that gave the collectors even more time to plan. As soon as she could use magic again, Luna knew that she was going to need to get to work. The collectors were more powerful than the ponies, and they knew that. And with only Equestria’s major cities remaining, the collectors would be planning out how to infect them even now. Time was not on Equestria’s side. 

The door to her room opened once again, though the ponies who entered was not who she was expecting. Instead of Twilight and Cadance, in walked Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who was hovering a few feet off the ground. 

“Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash,” Luna greeted, nodding to them. “It is good to see you. But where are Twilight and Cadance?”

“Oh, sorry princess, but…” Fluttershy started. 

“They’re sleeping, princess,” Rainbow Dash finished for her quiet friend. “Raising the sun this morning really took a lot out of them. They’re okay, they just need a little shut-eye.” 

“I see…” Luna said sadly. She regretted that Twilight and Cadance were having to do her job for her. She did not want to bring them any pain. “Well, as long as they can raise the moon once more, I will be able to take over for them tomorrow.”

“Is there anything we can do for you, princess?” Fluttershy asked softly, looking at the princess from behind her mane. 

“Well, with Twilight and Cadance resting, could you please tell Legion I would like to speak with him?” 

“Sure thing, princess!” Rainbow Dash said loudly, saluting. She zipped out of the room, while Fluttershy simply trotted out after her, closing the door behind her. Once again Luna was alone in her room. Yawning, she sat back against her pillow, wishing she could be back in her own bedroom. It was, at least to her, far more inviting than this bland recovery room. While some may have scoffed at how a princess let her own room get so disorganized and cluttered, to Luna it just made it all the more comfortable. This room was the exact opposite, and the princess did not feel too keen on spending an entire week here. At least the food at the royal hospital was good.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Luna turned her head to the sound of the door opening once again. Legion stepped inside and approached the princess, looking down at her.

“You requested our presence, Princess Luna?” he asked, receiving a nod from Luna.

“Yes,” the princess said. “Thank you for coming. I’d offer you a seat, but this room doesn’t seem to have any extra chairs in it.”

“We do not feel fatigue. We are satisfied with standing.”

“Right,” Luna said, smiling. “Well, the reason I asked for you to come here is to request your assistance in planning something. An attack, to be precise.”

“We assume that you are referring to an attack on the changeling hive,” Legion correctly guessed. “If so, we are more than willing to provide all data we have collected so far.”

“Thank you, you are correct,” Luna confirmed. “Over a thousand ponies have been kidnapped so far, and more are being taken as we speak. We are completely powerless to stop them from taking my ponies, as anyone who is sent to an affected area will immediately become infected as well.”

“We have no evidence suggesting that the disease affects anyone other than ponies,” the geth began. “Could an alliance be worked out with another species on this world?”

“Not likely,” Luna said, shaking her head. “The zebra are close friends to us, but they are lacking militarily. They wouldn’t stand a chance at protecting one of our towns against the changelings, let alone the major cities. The griffons would likely see some success, but we’re not exactly on the best of terms right now. Aside from those two, the only other species are the diamond dogs and the dragons, and they’re hostile to just about everyone.”

“Could an agreement be reached between your kind and the griffons?” Legion asked. 

“I suppose it’s possible,” Luna answered. “But we would have to offer something substantial. I’m not the greatest negotiator, Celestia was always better at that than I. Even if I was good, the griffons are fairly mad.”

“Why are they mad?”

“It’s their stupid pride,” the princess started to explain. “About two hundred years ago, obviously before my return, there was a small feud between Equestria and Gryphonia. It was over some trivial matter – a pony ambassador accidentally offended a griffon, the griffon retaliated by ripping the pony’s arms off, and it just escalated from there. They were too proud to admit that the pony ambassador was only joking, so they declared war. But, technologically speaking, they were quite a ways behind us. We had developed more powerful devices of war, not to mention we have magic on our side. It lasted eight months, and the griffons surrendered unconditionally. Since then relations have improved, but they’re still mad and embarrassed.”

“If they are, as you say, embarrassed, then you requesting their assistance would be a positive thing, would it not?” Legion asked. “They may see it as a chance to redeem themselves.”

“Perhaps,” Luna said. “This is all assuming that the disease does not affect them either. I doubt that the griffon prime minister would be willing to risk the lives of his people against a disease that they might be immune to.” 

“That is an understandable concern,” Legion said. “Perhaps if he was offered something of value? A new technology or development, perhaps. You did say that they were behind you.”

“Yes, I said that they were behind us,” the princess said. “We’re still ahead in most industries, but after the war the griffons devoted most of their resources to weapons R&D. They don’t have magic, but they’re beyond us now.” 

“We may have something to offer them,” said the geth, activating his omni-tool. “Nothing too valuable. We would not risk giving anything from our armory to a pre-spaceflight species. Do you know of anything they may want?”

“No, I don’t,” Luna said. “But I’d recommend talking to the pony ambassador to Gryphonia. He’s not due back there until after the New Year, so he’s still got a day in Canterlot.”

“Acknowledged,” Legion said, lowering his arm as the omni-tool flickered off. “We will speak with him immediately, and return once we learn something.” He turned and began walking for the door.

“Legion!” Luna called, stalling the geth’s exit. Legion turned around and faced the princess, the flaps around his face expanding slightly. “Just… before you go… I have one more question.”

“Specify.”

“You’re doing all of this for us, but… if you found that element, and it was enough to power the Mass Relay… Would you go?” Legion stared at the princess quizzically.

“Please elaborate,” he requested. 

“If your ship detected some element zero, would you just take it and go?” Luna asked once again. “Or would you stay and continue to help?” Legion was quiet for a moment as the machine contemplated Luna’s question. A moment later he turned back around to face the door.

“… No data available,” he said as he walked out. The door slammed shut behind the geth, leaving Luna alone to think about his answer. 




Ambassador Silver Pen sighed wearily, lowering his glasses and rubbing his eyes with a hoof. A mountain of paperwork sat on the desk before him, consisting of various deals and agreements with Gryphonia that were expiring soon. It was his duty to read through each and every one, and determine if the deal was worth renewing. Considering just how many deals existed between Equestria and Gryphonia, that created a lot of work for the ambassador.

A knock sounded at the door, and the brown-coated unicorn looked up, temporarily distracted from his work. He smiled, glad that something was coming to break the monotony of his task. Even though a distraction would only add time to his job, the stallion was willing to accept that in return for something out of the ordinary.

“Come in!” the ambassador said, looking down at the contents of the desk. Immediately before him, next to the large stack of parchment, was a deal signed several years ago concerning the trade of produce. As the door opened, Silver Pen placed the parchment on his “renew” pile, trying to look busy. “Yes, how can I--”

When the ambassador looked up, he froze. Standing in the doorway was a very tall individual, the top of its head nearly scratching the door frame. Its bright blue eye looked down on the pony, not betraying any emotions whatsoever. Silver Pen’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. 

“Ambassador Silver Pen?” the machine asked, stepping up to the stallion’s desk. “We have an inquiry.”

“Y-y-you’re…” the pony struggled to speak. “T-the… geth?”

“Correct.” The ambassador continued staring at the geth, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find his words. 

“I… I see,” he finally said. “I am Silver Pen, ambassador to Gryphonia. How can I be of service?” The pony extended his hoof across the desk to shake, which Legion politely accepted. 

“We understand that you are to return to Gryphonia shortly,” Legion said. 

“That’s right,” Silver Pen replied, nodding. “I’m leaving tomorrow to begin negotiations for the new year.”

“We have an inquiry regarding the griffons,” Legion continued. “Are you aware of any technologies the griffons are trying to develop?”

“Hmm, new technologies…” the ambassador said, leaning back in his leather chair. “Well, all governments are trying to develop new technologies. Were you wondering about something specific?”

“Are they attempting to develop any new types of weapons, to your knowledge?” Legion elaborated. “It is important.” 

“Hmm, let me think…” Silver Pen said, closing his eyes. He searched his memories of the past few years, trying to think of anything relating to weapons. “Well, a few months ago I heard something about them trying to develop more efficient catapults. Something about increasing range, but weapon R&D is not something that is often discussed openly.” 

“Acknowledged, thank you ambassador,” Legion said, nodding its head. It turned away from the stallion and walked out of the office, closing the door behind it. Silver Pen watched where it had been, an eyebrow raised. 

Why was the geth wondering about that? he thought. Shrugging, the ambassador turned his attention back to the “unread” pile on his desk. It consisted of several hundred more documents, which Silver Pen regarded with a frown. Sighing once again, the ambassador retrieved the next document, and continued his task...


 

Legion navigated back through the corridors of the castle, walking the memorized route to the royal hospital. In its mind, the geth was considering what it could do to assist the griffons with their catapult technology. Catapults were a very ancient organic weapon, and were phased out once cannons became easier to mass-produce. Legion did not know where the griffons currently stood on catapult technology, but the innovation ceiling for catapults was fairly low. There was not much the geth would be able to offer to help them.

As it walked, Legion contemplated the question that Luna had asked it. It had come out of nowhere, nothing the princess had said previously had led up to it being asked. In the question, Legion had sensed a trace of fear. Luna likely knew that all hope of eliminating the nanovirus and the collectors relied on Legion remaining their ally, and if it left then they would be doomed. 

When it had been asked, Legion had delayed its answer. Not because it wanted to hide anything from Luna, but because Legion truly did not know if it would leave, given the chance. No element zero had yet been discovered, but surface scans of the planet had been delayed by several events. The ship was barely through scanning the northern regions of Equestria, leaving the majority of the continent left to map. Even if it did find the element, Legion was still unsure if it would leave. 

The creators were going to attack, that much was clear, and the Reapers were a real threat. But would Legion leave these ponies, who were helpless to fight the collectors, to return to the geth? There was not enough data at this time for the programs within Legion to achieve consensus. Choosing to file the thought away for later, Legion instead continued to focus on returning to Luna. It had just passed the threshold to the royal hospital and was now walking down the hallway of recovery rooms. Stepping up to the door belonging to Luna, Legion knocked and stepped back. 

“Come in!” the voice of Luna called from behind the door. Legion turned the doorknob and ducked down to enter the room, stepping up to Luna’s bed. 

“Oh, Legion,” she said, smiling. “I assume you have spoken with the ambassador?”

“Yes,” the geth replied. “Apparently the griffons are attempting to advance their catapult technology. Because of our more advanced knowledge of physics, we should be able to develop something for them.”

“Excellent, thank you Legion,” Luna said. “As soon as I can use magic I will write a letter, and have Ambassador Silver Pen deliver it for me when he leaves tomorrow. In the meantime… we need to discuss the changeling hive.”

“As we have previously stated, we are willing to give all information we have on the hive to you,” Legion offered. “During our time there, we generated a 3D map of the tunnels that we have explored. However, based on all of the possible routes we saw, our map represents merely a fraction of the hives.”

“I’m sure it will be very useful,” the princess said, smiling once again. “But while you were speaking with the ambassador, I was thinking… Even if the griffons will agree to help us, it would only work temporarily. The collectors would likely see it as a minor obstacle, and adapt the nanovirus to infect both ponies and griffons. If we can gain their support, we will need to attack while the griffons are still immune.”

“The collectors work quickly,” Legion observed. “We saw this with the electromagnetic pulse. It did not take them long to adapt the nanovirus to overcome both it and your magical wards.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Luna agreed, nodding. “I’d give it maybe two days before they were able to infect griffons as well, and that’s if we’re lucky. We would need to attack almost immediately after the griffons moved in. Once we attack, I suppose that the plan would be to destroy all samples of the virus, destroy all collector equipment, kill the collector in charge, and free our ponies. Easier said than done, no doubt.”

“More planning will be required before we commit to anything, Princess Luna,” Legion advised. “This is all going off of the assumption that the griffons will assist us. They may not, especially once they learn that the nanovirus could be adapted.”

“Agreed,” Luna said. “Well hopefully we’ll know more soon enough.” Nodding, Legion turned around and began to leave the room. Before it could, Luna stuck a hoof out to the geth. “Wait! Would you mind stopping by Twilight and Cadance’s bedrooms to see if they’re awake yet? I need to speak with them.”

“Yes,” Legion replied, nodding. 

“Thank you,” Luna said as the geth left the room. As it exited, it reached an arm back and softly closed the door, then began to head for the guest rooms…




Twilight’s eyes slowly opened at the sound of a knock upon her door. In her blurry vision, she saw a small purple blob cross the room to the door and open it, revealing a towering blur of dark gray. Rubbing her eyes, Twilight sat up in her bed and looked across the room at the geth who was entering. Spike stood at the door, holding it open for Legion, while still eyeing him curiously. 

“Legion?” she asked weakly, holding a hoof to her pounding head. “Oh, what happened…?”

“You passed out, Twilight,” Spike said, closing the door and hopping up on the bed with his friend. “Raising the sun really took a toll on you. You’ve been out for a little over an hour.” 

“Yeah, no kidding…” Twilight whispered, struggling to come to her hooves. Her head felt like it was constantly being struck by hammers, and as she stood up her limbs threatened to give out from under her. “Ow…”

“If this is a bad time, we can come back later,” Legion said, staring at Twilight. 

“No,” Twilight said rubbing her temples. “No, I’ll just get some more coffee and I should be fine. What’s going on?” 

“Princess Luna has requested your presence,” the geth explained. “She did not tell us why.”

“Alright, I’ll see her now,” Twilight said, struggling to move forward. Her progress was halted as Spike ran in front of her and put his hands on her chest. 

“Wait, Twilight!” he cried, concerned. “You’re exhausted! You need rest.”

“Please, Spike,” Twilight scoffed, pushing past the dragon. “I’m fine. Just get me some coffee from the kitchens and I’ll have it when I get back.” Spike frowned, but did not stop his friend from exiting the bedroom with Legion. Legion closed the door as the two exited, and patiently led the exhausted Twilight through the hallways to the royal hospital. She plodded along, walking excruciatingly slow. Had Legion been an organic, he probably would have simply abandoned Twilight. When they finally reached the end of the guest room hallway, Legion turned to the young princess. 

“Continue to the royal hospital,” he said. “We must retrieve Princess Cadance as well.” Nodding, Twilight continued walking while Legion went up a flight of stairs to the second level of the guest quarters. Her exhaustion prevented her from moving quickly, and she was only to the end of the second hallway by the time Legion rejoined her, this time with Cadance in tow. Cadance was clearly tired as well, but she had been an alicorn for far longer than Twilight, and her ability to regenerate energy was much more refined. 

“Hello, Twilight,” she said, nodding her head. Twilight nodded back, too tired to respond. As she continued walking, the lavender alicorn gradually felt her energy starting to return. She still felt the desire to sleep, but Twilight was able to overcome it.

Finally, the trio arrived outside the royal hospital. The doors opened and the three stepped inside, following Legion through another door to the recovery rooms. Legion walked down several of the doors, finally stopping at one mid-way down the hall. He knocked, then stepped back as the two princesses took up positions beside him. 

“Enter!” Princess Luna called from inside. Legion opened the door and stepped aside, allowing the two younger princesses to enter first. Once they were inside Legion entered behind them and closed the door. 

“Twilight, Cadance, it is good to see you both,” the princess of the night said, smiling warmly at them. Her sapphire eyes passed over Legion, and her warm gaze faded away slightly. “Legion, would you mind giving me a few minutes alone with the princesses here?” Legion did not answer. Instead, he simply turned and left the room. As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded away, Luna turned her attention back to the two young mares before her. 

“I thank you for coming,” she said apologetically. “I know how exhausted you two must be, having to raise the sun and moon for me and all… I am very sorry that you have to keep doing it in my stead. If I had never gotten hurt, we’d all be okay…”

“You had no control over your injuries, auntie,” Cadance said, smiling weakly. “We’re fine, and we’re both happy that you’re safe.” Luna smiled and closed her eyes. When they reopened, her stare was far more grave.

“I am sure you both are wondering why I requested your presence,” she started. “I have already begun talking with Legion about it, but there are some far more… sensitive… matters that must be discussed between us.

“Of course I am referring to the collectors and their nanovirus. Legion and I have discussed an assault on the changeling hive itself, as well as a temporary alliance with the griffons.”

“Why the griffons?” Twilight asked curiously. Her last run-in with a griffon had made them appear to be less-than-desirable beings, and she was confused as to why Luna would want their help.

“As far as we know, the nanovirus only affects ponies,” Luna explained. “If we can convince the griffons to defend our cities for us while we plan the assault on the hive itself, it would give us a great advantage. The changelings would be unable to kidnap anypony else, at least for a short while, and we would be safe to attack.”

“It makes sense, but why would they support us?” Cadance asked. “The griffons are still a bit angry about two hundred years ago…”

“Legion and I are working on that,” Luna continued. “But that is not why I called you here. As long as I am confined to this bed, I cannot effectively run Equestria. You two need to keep ponies calm, and try to keep the disease on the down-low. Westrock and Appleloosa were easy enough to cover up, as they’re remote towns, but Ponyville and Trottingham are big. Ponyville is a massive hub for trade, and its quarantine has already hit Equestria’s economy hard. We can work around that, Celestia has dozens of contingency plans for dealing with depressions. But what we cannot work around is pony suspicion. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already, but soon enough somepony is going to ask about the true purpose of the quarantine. We’ve already revealed that it’s a disease, but other than that, there has been no elaboration whatsoever. And if – or when – the disease hits Manehattan or Fillydelphia, I will be powerless to delay the press. It falls to you two to keep everypony calm, understand?”

“Yes, princess,” Twilight said, gulping nervously. It sounded easy in theory, but Twilight knew that it was going to be anything but. Ponies were naturally very curious, and they would look into the issue. 

“When in doubt, just do what Celestia and I do,” Luna advised. “Play it off as no big deal. Act as if you are in full control of the situation, even though we are not. Just hearing you say ‘it’s under control’ will help to put minds at ease, at least for a short while.” Twilight nodded, but did not really feel any better. 

“Is there anything else, Luna?” Cadance asked, stifling a yawn.

“No, that is all,” the princess replied. “Now go, get some rest. You can start working on this tomorrow, when raising the sun and moon is no longer your responsibility.”

“If you need anything else, just let us know,” Twilight said, turning around and opening the door. She stepped out, followed by Cadance, who closed the door behind them. They walked down the hallway in silence, only speaking once they were out of the hospital.

“Cadance…?” Twilight asked quietly. 

“Yes, Twilight?” the pink princess responded.

“Do you think that we’re a bit in over our heads here?” she asked. “I mean, this is an alien race with an alien disease. Their technology puts our most advanced devices to shame. Even if we can secure a griffon alliance, how are we supposed to attack the changeling hive?”

“There’s always a way, Twilight,” Cadance said, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “And when the collectors first hatched their plan, they didn’t count on us having a geth for a friend.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Twilight said. “We’ll just have to see, I guess.” The pair ended their short trip back to the guest quarters in front of Twilight’s door, which Twilight opened and stepped into. “We should rest. If we’re going to raise the moon, we’ll need the energy.”

“I’ll see you this evening, then,” Cadance said, turning around and walking down the hall. Twilight closed the door to her room and wandered over to the bed, completely missing Spike standing with a tray in his hands.

“Twilight?” the dragon asked, lowering his arms slightly. “I got you some coffee from the kitchens. The cook says it’ll give you plenty of energy!” Stopping in her tracks, Twilight turned around and trotted over to the dragon. She patted him on the head affectionately and took the tray in her mouth. Once the tray was safely put on a table, she turned her head.

“Thanks, Spike!” she said. Twilight immediately picked up the cup in her hooves and took a sip of the rejuvenating liquid, eager to gain as much energy as possible. This would be the last time she had to raise the moon. She did not want it to end badly.

As soon as the cup was devoid of coffee, Twilight leaned back and sighed, satisfied. 

“Whoever discovered coffee should be given every award,” she said slowly, moving to the bed. “Alright, wake me before the moon needs to come up, Spike.”

“Will do,” the young dragon said, settling into a corner with a comic book. “Good, uh… almost-noon?” Laughing, Twilight pulled the covers up over her torso.

“Good almost-noon to you too, Spike,” she said, closing her eyes. A moment later sleep washed over her, and she fell into a dreamless rest…




Legion sat next to the bed in Luna’s recovery room, holding a tablet in its hand so that both it and the princess could see what was being displayed on the screen. Downloaded onto the tablet was the 3D map that Legion had generated of the hive, which the geth was scrolling through, showing places of interest to Luna. 

“This is the collector lab where we downloaded the data containing their logs,” it said, zooming in on a room. “It likely contains nothing else of interest. However, we may be able to use the signatures of the computer to detect other ones scattered throughout the hive.”

“That would certainly be useful,” Luna observed. “But there could be dozens. How do we pin down which has the data on the virus?”

“We cannot,” Legion said. “We would have to be extremely lucky to locate the main lab on our first attempt.”

“Perhaps more reconnaissance is required…” the princess of the night suggested. “Now that you have a back-door into their hive, you could try shadowing the collector captain for a little while to see where he goes and what he does.”

“That is a possibility,” the geth agreed, nodding. It placed a finger on the display and dragged away from the lab, stopping once it reached a very tall cylindrical room. “This is the main chamber. It is where your ponies are being held… and Princess Celestia…”

“Hmm… I only see a few entrances, and they’re all near the bottom,” Luna said. “But it looks like you didn’t map out the top of the chamber. Could there be another entrance up there?”

“Unknown, we were unable to get up there,” Legion answered. “Though it seems counterproductive for the changelings to take all incapacitated ponies in through the lower entrances. It would be much more time-efficient if there was a larger entrance near the top.” Luna nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps we can ask our prisoner, not that he’d answer…” she said. “From what the guards tell me, he’s not speaking at all. I think the news that Chrysalis may be dead has hit him quite hard.”

“They are a hive-based insectoid species, and he did have a mental connection to her,” Legion began. “It may be that he is losing brain function from her loss, and is becoming feral.” 

“Maybe, but changelings are—“

Luna was interrupted as the door to her recovery room flew open and Healthy Heart ran in, her eyes wide. Panting, she walked up to the princess.

“Your highness!” she said quickly. “We have a problem!”




The collector captain scrolled through the computer, watching the real-time status updates on the device. The main structure of the device was complete, and the amount of energy available to it was steadily growing as more and more dissolved ponies were pumped into it. Very soon they would be able to test it.

“Captain,” a neutral female voice said from behind the collector. The captain turned around and found Chrysalis standing in the doorway, her unblinking gaze centered on the collector. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“My changelings are reporting in,” she began. “The disease has been planted at Manehattan. As simulations showed, the rate of infection has nearly quadrupled thanks to the evolved nanomachines. The city will be fully infected in mere days.”

“Excellent,” the captain said. “Prepare your hunters. They will need to move quickly in order to get all of the ponies. And… have more pods built.”

“At once,” Chrysalis said as she exited the room. The captain watched her go, still feeling regret that she had to be controlled. He knew it was necessary, and would not undo it, but seeing her as an empty shell, a tool to be used… it reminded him of his own kind. 

Whatever they once were was gone. Redemption was out of the question, but they could still make an impact. But in order to make that impact, the weapon had to work, and the only way to ensure that was to test it. But where? Opening up a map of the continent, the collector began looking at possible sites. A location in the badlands would be low-key, and would not damage the planet. However, somewhere civilized would send quite the message… The captain closed the map as he chose his location. It would leave the ponies alive to be used in the weapon, but still exert his dominance over this world. It was… perfect…




“I don’t understand, how did this happen?” Twilight asked tiredly, still upset that she had only gotten in an hour of sleep before being woken up.

“They’ve been planning this for a while,” Healthy Heart said, holding a letter in her telekinetic grip. “According to my friend in Manehattan, forty-six ponies are already showing signs of the nanovirus. It’s spreading faster than we’ve seen in the previous towns and cities. In a few days, there won’t be very many ponies left in Manehattan.”

“If this griffon alliance is going to happen, it needs to happen soon,” Cadance said, her expression grave. “Luna, how soon can we get into contact with them?”

“Our ambassador returns to Gryphonia tomorrow morning,” Luna replied. “I will write a letter tonight, once I have my magic back, and will send it with him. But I cannot negotiate as long as I am confined to this bed. Either the griffons would have to come here, or I’d have to send somepony in my stead.”

“Who else is a possible candidate?” Legion asked, looking around the room. “Twilight Sparkle and Cadance will be too weak to perform negotiations. They will need at least a few days before returning to standard operations. And you cannot leave here for one week.”

“I’ll ask if they can come here, but in my stead, we may have to send them regardless,” Luna said. “The griffons would see it as an insult if anypony less than a princess attended the negotiations. Additionally, Twilight and Cadance, you two know exactly what’s at stake. I know that you won’t settle for a ‘no’.”

“We’re flattered, auntie,” Cadance began. “But if we’re in Gryphonia, then how can we help keep ponies calm, like you were telling us to do earlier? Especially now that Manehattan has been hit, we need to keep the peace.” 

“That is true…” Luna said thoughtfully, looking down in consideration. “Perhaps only one of you could go. Cadance, you have more experience with ruling, so I’d rather have you stay here. Twilight, Celestia always spoke highly of you as a very bright little pony. I’m sure that you’ll do fine in negotiations.” Blushing, Twilight looked down at her hooves. 

“I’ll do my best,” she said quietly.

“Of course this is only if they do not come here, which I doubt they will,” Luna continued. “Truthfully, I don’t really want them to see me in this state… I have an international image to maintain, you know.” She laughed softly, and looked apologetically at the two princesses. “You’ll do fine. I know you will.”

“Thank you,” they both said. 

“Now go, you need to rest,” Luna ordered. “You two have a big night and day ahead of you.” Nodding, the two princesses left, leaving Luna alone with Legion and Healthy Heart. 

“Ms. Heart, thank you for bringing this to my attention so quickly,” the princess said. The mare bowed her head, then exited the room as Luna turned her gaze to the geth. “Legion, tomorrow I would like for you to return to the hive. Just for a quick day trip to observe the captain and try to find their main lab. Also, see what they’re up to… Any clues you can find regarding this ‘plan’ of theirs will help.”

“Acknowledged,” he answered. “We will make preparations to leave first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Luna said as the geth exited the room. Sighing, Luna closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her hooves against the sides of her head. She had only woken up last night, and already things were looking even worse than when she had been knocked out. The changelings and collectors were moving quickly. Manehattan would fall soon, and other cities would quickly follow. Fillydelphia, the Crystal Empire, even Canterlot wasn’t safe. There were a few things Luna could do to keep the changelings out of the uninfected cities, but they always got in eventually…

Opening her eyes, Luna fell back onto her pillow and let out a sigh. Thinking over the events of the past days, she wished that Celestia were here. Everypony in Equestria adored her, and she always had everything under control… But now she was in the custody of the collectors, who could be doing unspeakable things to her, and Luna was powerless to stop them. The collectors were leaving little room to fight back. If Equestria was to survive, they had to mobilize soon. Their ability to do that hinged entirely on the griffons choosing to help them. 

Closing her eyes to get some rest, Luna began to think about what she would say in her letter to them. Legion had come up with the idea to help on developing their weapon technology, which Luna was hesitant to do. The griffons were already a massive military force, and helping them become even more advanced could come back to negatively affect them later. But Luna didn’t have much of a choice; if she was unable to stall the kidnappings, then they would never get a window to attack the changeling hive. At this point she was willing to do anything to gain their support. 

Yawning, Luna decided to push the thoughts away until later. She wouldn’t be able to make any progress if she was exhausted, and Equestria needed her to be at one-hundred percent. Slowly, the rejuvenating presence of sleep fell over the fatigued princess of the night and delivered her to her rest…