Synthesis of the Atheist

by BlackRoseRaven

The Fortress In The Sky

Chapter Thirty Eight: The Fortress In The Sky
~BlackRoseRaven

Antares Mīrus stood in the doorway at the top of one of Canterlot Castle's towers, gazing silently out in the direction of the setting sun. Every so often, there was a quiet flicker of light, as the illusion glimmered and revealed a little of what was hiding behind the veil. Of what was floating there ominously above the city of Canterlot, every flicker of the glammer surrounding it making ponies panic as this nightmarish thing came back into existence for a moment before fading out of sight and out of mind again.

He sighed quietly, then smiled over his shoulder as Meadowlark called quietly: “Come on, Antares. You should at least try and nap... you haven't slept for two days now.”

The stallion only shook his head slowly as he turned around, adorned only in his necklace as he replied to the Pegasus resting on the side of the bed: “Honestly, Meadow, I'm just... not tired at all right now. I don't know if it's because of adrenaline or what, but... I just don't feel like sleeping right now. I feel like I should be out there...”

“You always say that, and you always feel that way, but you know as well as I do that sometimes it's better to sit still and wait things out.” Meadowlark reasoned gently, and the glossy-black unicorn shifted a little but nodded after a moment with a sigh, giving a lame smile despite himself. He approached the bed as he glanced around this beautiful room: large, spacious, a good few comfy furnishings, and this ridiculous bed that he admittedly kind of loved.

He clambered onto it, and Meadowlark smiled at him before they traded a quick kiss, then both turned and dropped down on their backs, gazing up at the cloth canopy above before a voice complained loudly from the back room: “If you two start having sex out there I'm seriously going to mess you both up. God, can we please, please, please just go and do something already?”

“Ava, I want to too, but... what are we even going to do?” Antares asked loudly without looking up, and Avalon grumbled in the back room. The stallion thought he heard Aphrodisia suggest something, but he was only too happy he couldn't hear what it was when Avalon snapped some vulgarity loudly in return.

Instead, the unicorn glanced towards Meadowlark, hesitating only a moment before he sighed and murmured: “I really don't know what to do, and it is kind of starting to drive me a little crazy, Meadow. I mean, I kind of know these ponies... I know about them, at least, even if I don't... know-them know them, you know?”

He smiled a little after a moment at her as she gazed back at him softly, then they both looked back up at the cloth ceiling of the bed above before the stallion murmured: “I mean, I know a little about these ponies, and you saw how... excited they were to have us here. How welcoming they've been, and the stories Little Luna keeps telling me about Mom, and the stories Pinkamena has too after we poked her a little to talk about the first time she was here with my parents...”

He laughed and shook his head slowly, then sighed softly and smiled faintly. “And yeah, I'm... the leader right now. Even Morning Glory is deferring to me, letting me lead, but I gotta wonder if she's doing that because she thinks I really might have what it takes to be a leader after all, or if she's just... that cruel. Because suddenly I realize that I'm basically just flailing around in the dark here, and I've even got two Princesses that are... this world's versions of the best and strongest ponies I know, asking me for advice every night, for what they should do. And so far, we haven't managed to do anything except deliver that letter my parents wrote to Little Luna. And even that I almost messed up.”

“That's not true, Antares.” Meadowlark sat up a bit, reaching over to gently touch one of his forelegs. “We've learned a little about what we're up against for one thing, right? That's important. You know how important information is, in any conflict. And you ran that survey with Avalon and the Wonderbolts... I don't think I've ever seen her so excited.”

“Yeah, and whatever that floating island is, it's completely shrouded in some kind of energy barrier. Morning Glory says it's impossible to break open, and I believe her.” Antares murmured, and then he sighed and shook his head slowly before hesitating, biting his lip. “But... but I have been thinking...”

“Well, you have to tell them, Antares, not just me.” Meadowlark said pointedly, and the stallion smiled after a moment despite himself at her, nodding embarrassedly and rubbing the back of his neck before the Pegasus mare softened, gazing at him quietly and continuing softly: “Look. I know this is hard for you, Mir. I do. But I think part of the reason you were sent on this mission isn't just because your Mom and Dad want you to know that... they do see you as an adult. It's because you do kind of need to learn to speak up about your own ideas and everything.”

Antares mumbled and shifted a little, but then he sighed quietly and nodded slowly, looking down and muttering moodily: “Yeah, except I almost wish that they were here right now, holding my hoof. I wouldn't even mind being patronized and coddled and having to hear all the stories about how when I was a baby I used to scoot around everywhere on my butt, if they were here... because... Twilight would shatter that barrier like glass, Mom would pummel that island into pieces, and Dad wouldn't let a single pony more get kidnapped... but I've already let five more disappearances happen. And those are just the ones we know about.”

Meadowlark gazed at him silently, but the young stallion sat up and shook his head quickly, saying quietly: “It's okay. I know that... sometimes, there's nothing you can do. And you're right, we do have an idea of what's doing this... Clockwork World's monsters. Except they're not acting like Clockwork World's forces usually do, which has to mean someone else is controlling them somehow.”

The Pegasus nodded slowly, then she asked quietly: “What are you going to do if we find out that Thesis is here, even if he was supposed to be in the other layer? Or even any of his other Replicants... how do we handle that?”

“I have no idea. That's why so many ponies are here with us, I think. That's why I want to do this right, and why I'm so scared of making the wrong decision. I know I won't get lucky like I did last time if I end up cornered by Protelea again.” Antares said quietly, and the crimson Pegasus smiled faintly at him before the stallion closed his eyes and shoved himself out of bed. “Yeah, I'm definitely not going to sleep now. You should rest, though. I think I'm going to go down to the castle, see who I can find there.”

“Wait wait wait, I'll come with you!” said Avalon hurriedly, and the tiny Pegasus darted out of the room and shot over to him, followed quickly by a giggling Aphrodisia. “Please, come on, I'll sleep between fights, you know I can totally do that, and I really gotta get away from Apps!”

“The only reason you're so scared is because you're so turned on.” Aphrodisia trilled cheerfully, and Avalon shuddered and glared at her before the mare winked and grinned widely. “Come on, it'll be fun! Maybe so much fun that Antares can join in too. And Meadowlark, I guess, but she's even more boring than he is.”

Avalon rolled her eyes, crossing her forelegs and saying flatly: “You're gross. And besides, I'm bored, that makes anything sound appealing.” She halted, then turned her eyes back to Antares. “So please? Please?”

“Alright, alright. Meadow, are you gonna stay here or come with us?” Antares asked with a smile, but the Pegasus only shook her head and laughed quietly, looking with entertainment at the trio.

“I'm actually a little tired, so I'm going to nap for an hour or two. You three have fun, though. Just try and stay out of trouble.” Meadowlark said mildly, and Antares made a face over his shoulder as both Avalon and Aphrodisia grinned widely.

“Yeah. That's going to happen.” Antares muttered finally, and then he sighed tiredly, resigning himself to ending up in at least a little bit of mischief, but hoping beyond hope that at the very least it wouldn't end up being anything too serious. After all, as it was, they hadn't exactly made the best impression around the castle so far.

The stallion headed to the doorway, giving Meadowlark one last smile as she flopped down in bed with a sigh of what sounded almost like relief. Then the stallion was almost shoved outside and down the spiraling stairs, wincing as Avalon and Aphrodisia both hurried him onwards, the Pegasus grumbling but the demon saying happily: “I'm really so glad we get to just take a little run around like this, Nova! It's been so long, like oodles of days since we just hung out and stuff, and Avalon's so tiny that she totally doesn't count as being here too, so it's really like it's just you and me!”

“Oh eat me, Apple Pie.” Avalon said flatly, and when the demon grinned at her, the Pegasus cleared her throat loudly and hurriedly half-hid on Antares' other side. “Okay, poor choice of words. Stop trying to infect me with your sluttiness.”

“I wasn't thinking about that at all, dirty birdy!” Aphrodisia declared, voiced filled with mock outrage that made it very clear that was precisely what she had been thinking. “I was thinking about how I could probably gobble you down whole just like a chicken! I really did that once, you know. Fluttershy got really mad at me. She's scary when she's mad.”

Antares only shook his head, smiling despite himself as they reached the bottom of the staircase and he tossed a mild look over at his cousin. “Well, I kind of remember that, Apps. Mostly because I think it gave me nightmares for weeks. You just grabbed and ate a chicken, feathers and all, right in front of me and Fluttershy and Nirvana. You kind of deserved to get yelled at.”

“Yeah, but it wasn't really yelling. It was just kind of scolding but it was really like... I dunno. She had this look in her eye. Even Mommy doesn't ever get that kind of glare in her eye. I tried to get her to teach me it later but she said I was already enough trouble as it is.” Aphrodisia said positively, looking proud of herself as they strolled down a stone pathway towards the doors leading into the castle. “Did she ever teach you that, Avalon?”

The tiny golden mare only snorted in amusement at this, shaking her head and replying mildly: “No, but I do sure as hell know what you're talking about. She gave me that look one day after I... kind of lost my temper during training. I dunno, I was having a bad day but... yeah, it definitely isn't any excuse. Fluttershy always tells me you gotta keep your mind clear.”

Antares nodded at this as his horn glowed, pushing open the doors so they could stride into the hall beyond, and the stallion smiled and nodded to a Royal Guard who bowed his head as they passed, looking at them more like they were heroes than just dumb, lucky kids. It made the unicorn feel awkward, but Aphrodisia and Avalon traded grins and both preened a little as the tiny Pegasus flitted cheerfully up to land and pose on Antares' back.

The stallion only rolled his eyes in amusement at their behavior, and then he smiled warmly as they turned a corner and looked ahead to see Morning Glory standing calmly in front of a window. Her behemoth body was armored in steel, but as it often was these days, her face was unveiled, golden-fire mane swirling slowly backwards as her gemstone necklace glinted around her neck.

She glanced towards them, the immense unicorn demon studying them as Antares nodded to her politely, and Avalon cleared her throat and half-hid while Aphrodisia bounced happily up, gazing affectionately up at the huge demon. She reached up and waved a cloven hoof wildly, until Morning Glory sighed tiredly and said drolly: “You have all your father's lusts and coltishness but lack his particular charms, child.”

“Is it a good thing or a bad thing if I have coltishness when I should probably have fillishness? Fillyness. Fillyfish...” Aphrodisia tried unsuccessfully to pronounce the word a few more times, frowning thoughtfully, and Morning Glory looked mildly at the demon before she finally simply shrugged and looked up inquisitively. “Would you like me more if I could turn into a boy? Because I'm working really hard on that, it's just not very easy to do. Polymorphs aren't my thing.”

Morning Glory only sighed and rolled her eyes, then she looked meditatively at Antares and said after a moment: “You should be resting, Antares Mīrus. You're still only a mortal, in spite of all your talent and your lineage. Your real strength has yet to surface.”

“It creeps me out when you say that. And I don't really want a creepy flowing mane like Mom or Aunt Tia. No... no offense.” Antares looked awkwardly up at Morning Glory's mane of golden fire, and the demon closed her eyes slowly, looking like she was praying for patience as the young stallion gave a lame smile. “What uh. What I mean to say is that I'm definitely just not very tired.”

“Yeah, none of us are. Sleeping when there's so much action going on is lame.” Avalon agreed, raising her head quickly...then wincing and half-ducking behind Antares when Morning Glory drew her eyes towards her moodily. “Please don't hurt me.”

“Cowardly little filly.” Morning Glory muttered, and Avalon glared and growled, but also wasn't stupid enough to jump out from behind Antares: she had already tried ramming into the demon once and it had been about as effective as an egg hitting a brick wall. And moreover, Morning Glory hadn't exactly appreciated Avalon's 'enthusiasm' and had made it a point to fling her away. Very, very far away... “At least you are finally learning your place. Ignorant little moth.”

“Yeah, it's real easy to be a bitch when you're ten times the size of everyone else and made of metal, isn't it?” Avalon muttered, and then she winced and hid behind Antares when Morning Glory scowled at her, and the glossy black-unicorn sighed tiredly, dropping his head moodily forwards. Aphrodisia, meanwhile, simply gave a giggle, looking back and forth with strange brightness: but then again, Apps had somehow convinced herself this was Morning Glory's way of showing affection for others. It was both childishly hopeful and incredibly naïve.

He looked almost pleadingly up after a moment, but before he could speak, Morning Glory cut him off by saying moodily: “I suppose that we should put your wasted time to use, then. I believe Sleipnir and Pinkamena are preparing with Tender Trust, but we can speak to the Princesses of this layer. We can be confident that the little one who's trying so hard to be like your mother will grant us an audience, after all.”

Antares gave a lame smile, nodding after a moment before he glanced over at Aphrodisia, asking quietly: “Can you go find your parents, see what they're up to? I could really use their help with thinking things out.”

“Okay, big brother! You got it!” Aphrodisia chirped happily, and then she vanished in a burst of dark smoke.

“What a waste of abilities. Using smoke to travel between rooms instead of simply walking.” Morning Glory muttered, and then she shook her head slowly before calmly turning and beginning to stride down the hallway, leading Antares onwards as Avalon looked distrustfully up from the safety of the stallion's back.

“You know, I've never seen you fast-travel, Morning Glory.” Antares said after a moment, grabbing at the first topic of conversation that came to mind in an effort to break the nervous tension.

Morning Glory turned her moody eyes to him, but she seemed almost like she was hesitating instead of simply glaring at them like usual, before finally admitting after the uneasy silence: “That is because I cannot.”

“I thought like, that was a beginner-level trick, though, and you're like... really scary.” Avalon spoke up, and then she gave a lame little smile at the flat look that Morning Glory fixed her with. “I just mean that... well, shouldn't that be child's play for you?”

“I am also more than ten tons of muscle and steel. Normal demons learn to travel as smoke so quickly and easily because of the low density of their mass. In spite of a physical form, most demons are still intensely-spiritual entities.” Morning Glory answered after a moment, and Avalon looked almost dumbfounded: not just at the answer, but at the fact that Morning Glory hadn't added some jibe or insult or threat to her statement. “Turning our flesh ethereal is a simple task for most. Turning metal to spirit takes much more effort.

“Pay attention to my words now, little girl, because this is a lesson you still haven't learned yet: sometimes the more powerful we become, then the more we lose in the process.”

Avalon was quiet for a few moments as they continued down the long corridor, and then she asked impulsively: “So like, I've always wondered, when you were alive... was everypony scared of you even then?”

“Yes.” Morning Glory answered simply, and Antares smiled a little in spite of himself as Avalon gave a wry grin, and straightened a little, looking with a bit less fear and a little more respect at Morning Glory, as she eyed the Pegasus thoughtfully in return before turning her gaze back ahead.

The trio continued through the halls of Canterlot until Morning Glory finally shoved rudely into a crowded meeting room dominated by a single enormous, round table. The Princesses were seated at this, and they both looked up with surprise, as did the several aides and advisers that were either sitting calmly or flitting worriedly around the two winged unicorns. But as one began to open his mouth, the enormous steel demon simply stomped a hoof, cracking the flooring and making a loud enough bang that everyone stopped dead before the Destroyer ordered coldly: “We have business with the Princesses. Everyone else, get out.”

Most of the room hurried for the door opposite Morning Glory as the demon glared around, and only a few stayed seated at the table: a grizzled, gray-coated Pegasus in ornate silver armor, and two unicorns, one a vainly-youthful-looking mare and the other a bearded, ancient-looking stallion with a salt-and-pepper mane and coat the faded yellow of ancient scrolls.

Morning Glory strode forwards, surveying those left behind moodily before she grunted and jerked her head at Antares, who gave a lame smile as Princess Celestia sighed quietly, then asked after a moment as tactfully as she could despite the fact all the built up stress was visibly beginning to take its toll on her: “How can we be of service, Morning Glory?”

“I uh... actually, I was hoping to see you both.” Antares said quietly, stepping forwards, and Avalon flitted off his back to hover nearby, cocking her own head interestedly as Morning Glory gave Antares a measuring look... but he thought he saw approval in her eyes, too. Or maybe he just really really hoped that was what he was seeing. “I had an idea, about how we could get to the floating fortress.”

“It can't be done.” muttered the beautiful unicorn mare, and she shook her head slowly, gemstone earrings glittering in her ear and a gorgeous, oversized diamond gleaming in a choker around her neck. Her crimson mane all but floated as it sparkled with energy, and her red eyes glowed as she continued coldly: “The Elements of Harmony didn't leave a scratch against the barrier, Discord's powers couldn't disrupt the energy flow, the Princesses themselves, even with the help of Canterlot's most talented mages, couldn't cause more than a ripple. All we can do is keep it hidden from sight and blind the fortress itself, to avoid constant panic. It's an ugly solution but the best one available.”

“Calm down, Profess.” murmured the old stallion, and the vain mare glowered but nodded all the same to him, sighing tiredly even as she clearly deferred to the venerable male. Slowly, he turned his half-blind eyes towards Antares, frowning at him as he said quietly: “You bring a new element to our fight, and the Princesses both speak very highly of your family. But the only time the barrier is lowered around the floating island is while we are under attack, and that is the only time the barrier's power source may be vulnerable. But we don't even know what to look for, and that time frame... it's tiny. The flying fortress seems unassailable.”

Antares nodded, looking down, biting his lip: this old stallion was the Archmage, Wand Elf. He was ancient, and powerful, and wise, and Antares felt uncomfortable half-telling this genius stallion that he might be wrong. He shifted from hoof-to-hoof, tilting his head back and forth, and then he finally said awkwardly: “I... I think I figured out a way in, though.”

“Please, tell us.” Princess Celestia said softly, and Little Luna nodded encouragingly, leaning forwards with a warm smile. That made Antares feel uncomfortable again, but at the same time, it gave him strength when Wand gestured at him politely to speak up as well, even if Profess rolled her eyes as if this was all just a waste of time.

“It's because... we've been putting too much effort into breaking the barrier. What if instead, we concentrate our magic on one specific area of the barrier... it'll take a lot of power, but I think if you and your sister and Morning Glory and whoever else we can get to help all work together, we can change the energy wavelength of one specific section. Weaken it enough that I can pass through with Avalon, Apps and a few others.” Antares said quietly, looking back and forth, and Profess gave him a contemptible smile... but the Archmage looked thoughtful, as the Princesses only listened intently. “I'm not the best at doing magic myself, but with my skills I should be able to quickly track down what's generating the barrier. Judging by the size and power keeping it going, there must be multiple power supplies pumping energy into it, and we probably won't have to take out even half of them to make the rest of the generators overload.”

“Oh come now! How would that even be possible?” Profess said moodily, waving a hoof irritably. “First off, attempting to modify one type of magic with another type of magic could have disastrous consequences. Secondly, how do you propose to simply 'cut a hole' in a barrier and not have it regenerate? Third, even assuming we can manage to not destroy ourselves in the process, how large do you think this hole will be and how long do you think we could even hold it?”

“Avalon, Aphrodisia, Pinkamena and myself can form the demolition team. And I'll talk to the Wonderbolts, see if any of them want to help out, they're used to fast, precise runs. If we time it right, the hole won't need to be open for more than a few seconds.” Antares replied firmly, nodding once and fighting back the feeling of embarrassment as Profess looked down at him like he was a child.

The vain-looking mare began to open her mouth again, but she choked on her own words when Princess Celestia said softly: “It's an excellent idea. I only have one concern, Antares Mīrus: during the period of time while you're inside the barrier... you'll be completely cut off from us, and the enemy will no doubt respond very quickly to your presence. What happens if you get swarmed?”

Avalon only grinned widely at this, buzzing upwards and slamming her front hooves together as she answered in the stallion's place: “Simple. We kick their flanks.”

“We'll be able to take them by surprise, and if we move fast we should be able to hit whatever's making that shield faster than they can react to us.” Antares replied quietly, nodding firmly once. “We'll concentrate on bringing down that barrier. The moment it's down...”

“Then we'll deal with the scavengers.” Morning Glory said calmly, nodding once as she stepped forwards. “The plan relies heavily on the right timing and luck, but fortune favors the bold. We should wait for the cover of full darkness, then make our attack shortly after evening sets in. Make the moon and stars bright, we'll get no advantage in the darkness against these enemies, but maybe the light will confuse them.”

Antares nodded, smiling a little despite himself: he hadn't even thought of that, how the monsters they had caught glimpses of always moved in the darkness, seemed to stay in the shadows. He looked up, but didn't speak as he saw the Princesses both thinking this over... or rather, Little Luna looking almost pleadingly up at Celestia, as the Princess of the Sun lowered her head in thought.

“This is ridiculous!” Profess shouted, leaning forwards suddenly and shaking her head angrily, and then she gestured almost desperately at the Pegasus in armor, asking sharply: “You must have an opinion, Silvergrim! You can't really be willing to take advice from a... from a little child, can you?”

Silvergrim shrugged and grunted, looking distastefully at Profess as Antares looked stung. Then the Pegasus turned his eyes towards Avalon, studying her before he said moodily: “Yesterday that little filly took out five of my top stallions in a training exercise. I don't know or care about your unicorn magic, that is not my place to speak of. All I know if that so-called 'little child' is half as strong as the filly, they should be able to handle themselves fine.”

“Then it's settled.” Princess Celestia agreed, turning her eyes to Antares and asking calmly: “How can we help? Will you need any additional armor or equipment?”

Antares hesitated, then he nodded even as he fully realized that no matter how much he trusted Avalon and Aphrodisia, he was all-too-aware that he could very well seriously regret what he was about to ask for. “Explosives of any kind would be a huge help. Powders, alchemical, magic-based, anything you can give us in that department.”

The tiny Pegasus mare grinned widely, rubbing her hooves together eagerly, and Princess Celestia turned a questioning look to Wand. The unicorn stroked his long beard thoughtfully, then he said slowly: “We have several blocks of explosive usually reserved for demolishing structures in storage. Will those do well enough?”

“If it's used for bringing down buildings it should be more than sufficient.” Antares said gratefully, and the Archmage smiled at him before the glossy-black stallion glanced over at Princess Celestia. “Can you call the Wonderbolts, then? I want to see who's willing to help.”

“Of course. General Silvergrim, will you please inform the Royal Guard to prepare to mount an assault on the floating island?” Princess Celestia asked calmly, and then she smiled slightly when Antares looked at her with surprise, and Morning Glory scowled. “This is our nation, our Equestria, and we have to learn to fight for ourselves. I'm not arrogant enough to think that we can handle battling the more powerful foes, but we can at least confuse and help take down the enemy's soldiers, and deal with freeing any trapped ponies.”

“And I will lead the attack myself.” Little Luna said firmly, nodding once, and when Princess Celestia gave her a soft look, the sapphire mare shook her head with determination. “No, I must do this, big sister, and you are always here to lead and take care of the nation... but I have to defend our people. And I have to prove, if only to myself...”

She quieted, then cleared her throat and looked across at Antares with a smile. “Please. Maybe we can't win without your help... but you don't have to do this alone, either. Let us aid you. Let us defend our own country beside you.”

Morning Glory grumbled irritably, and Avalon looked uncertainly at Antares, but after a moment the stallion sighed and nodded, saying finally: “Okay. But... you have to promise me you'll withdraw your forces if you hear the order come from one of us, and you have to promise me that if your soldiers start dying, if... there are worse things up there than the drones we've seen so far, you'll withdraw.”

“And you have to promise me you'll come back alive.” Princess Celestia said quietly, and Little Luna smiled after a moment, gazing up at her sister before nodding once, and then the Princess of the Sun sighed quietly and closed her eyes, murmuring: “Most days I can't express how glad I am that Luna Brynhild rubbed off on you so much, made you so much more... confident, little sister. But at the same time...”

“Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, Celestia.” called a wry voice, and a moment later Discord rode into the room on top of Sleipnir, his arms crossed and looking very pleased with himself as the enormous earth pony beneath him only smiled benevolently out at the gathering. Pinkamena and Aphrodisia flanked him, the older demon looking moodily at her husband, but their daughter giggling brightly as Discord added mildly: “And you see this? This is all I ever really wanted, Celestia. A friendly little horsey ride. But no, no. Just turn me to stone, why don't you? Leave me as a statue getting pooped on by birds for years and years and a lot more years. All everything could have been avoided if you'd just let me sit on your damn back, I'd be like a hat to you, miss bigger-than-almost-everyone-else-in-the-world. Sure, you freed me a few years ago, and I'm being a good little boy, but still. All could have been avoided. Your fault.”

Princess Celestia only gave a tired sigh, but Little Luna smiled brightly over at Discord before Sleipnir asked kindly: “Are we interrupting, or has the meeting come to a close? For 'tis no problem to come back later.”

“I was just sending General Silvergrim to prepare the Royal Guard... and I suppose Luna's Night Guard as well now.” Princess Celestia turned her eyes to the silver-armored stallion, who nodded curtly before he leapt into the air, flying away with surprising ease despite how rough and grayed he looked. Then she looked down to her sibling, adding quietly: “And you may be excused, little sister.”

Little Luna nodded and slipped out of her seat with a warm smile, before she glanced towards Antares and asked quickly: “While my sister gets everything organized and together... would you please come with me? I'd like to talk to you about battle strategy.”

“Oh fortunate Antares. How many ponies have such a beauty for thy mother, and how many ponies could meet her in another layer not as thy beloved maternal figure, but a wooer of thy heart?” Sleipnir said dreamily, and Discord covered his muzzle and giggled stupidly as Antares turned a horrified look on his uncle, who only looked cheerfully back at him. “Well, every time a mare has asked me to her quarters, it always ends in-”

Pinkamena punched Sleipnir firmly in the side, and he wheezed loudly, twitching a little as Little Luna blushed and turned quickly away to head out into the corridor. Antares hurried after her, ignoring the grins on the faces of Avalon and Aphrodisia as he mumbled his gratitude to Pinkamena as he passed, and he shortly managed to catch up to Little Luna, saying awkwardly: “I uh... sorry.”

“No, no. Do not worry, it's quite alright, it's just... very strange to be spoken to so freely. Often, ponies hold their words around myself and my big sister...” Little Luna smiled a bit, gazing over at Antares. “But it reminds me of Brynhild, and I like that. I like much about you and your friends, as a matter of fact.”

The young stallion smiled back at her, and they were quiet the rest of the way to her spacious, comfortable quarters: Antares wasn't surprised by the luxury of her bedroom, even if had to keep reminding himself that there would be plenty of differences between this Luna, his mother, and the one he had met on another layer.

What did catch him by surprise was the fact that she had a beautiful set of blue armor mounted on a stand across from her bed. Antares studied it with interest as the winged unicorn blushed a little, saying awkwardly: “I've only worn it a few times, and never into true battle... I originally wanted it to be modeled off your mother's, but I couldn't remember all the details, and I figured it would be better to trust in the smiths. Besides, I'm slowly learning that there is much more to being a warrior than simply fighting, isn't there?”

“And it's not just us out on the battlefield who win the war.” Antares replied softly, smiling a little before he hesitated and added in a quieter voice: “And that's why it's... I'm sure it would look great and everything for you to lead the charge, Princess Luna, but you should consider staying safely back, behind the front lines. My Mom and Dad and I, we might be on the battlefield a lot... but a lot of the people who do the thinking and planning for us stay behind, even if they can fight well themselves.”

The sapphire mare nodded a little, and then she closed her eyes and smiled a bit, replying in a soft murmur: “I appreciate the thought, Antares Mīrus, and the counsel. You are wise beyond your years and a good leader. My sister is the ruler of Equestria, though, and I... I want to experience that freedom your mother showed me, if only for a moment. And my name is not Princess Luna, Antares. It is Little Luna.”

Antares looked up at her thoughtfully, and then he glanced over at the armor, hesitating for a moment before stepping towards it and reaching up to touch the flaps of leather extending up from the wing-slots in the armor. “You should remove these. They'll help protect your wings, yeah, but they'll also make it a lot harder to fly and reduce your mobility. Being able to move is just as important as getting as much protection as you can from attacks, you have to balance the two.”

Little Luna nodded quickly a few times, smiling as her horn glowed and she stepped forwards, then she flicked it briskly to simply rip the flaps of leather free, before she asked almost too eagerly: “And what else can you see here, Antares?”

“Well... let's get it on you, and I'll do a check.” Antares smiled after a moment, and with the way the sapphire mare lit up, he couldn't help but laugh and shake his head slowly: it reminded him of... well, of himself, when Sleipnir had first given him his armor and started teaching him how to maintain it, and what every piece was called and why it was there.

Little Luna only needed a little bit of help to get her gear on, and the whole time, Antares simply let himself talk, while at the same time circling the mare thoughtfully and pointing out things here and there where the armor could be modified, or extra pieces removed, or what other improvements he thought could be made. And at the end, she was left standing with a smile in a simple breastplate, with metal bracers protecting her legs and a tight chainmail underlayering to cushion her, with a beautiful light blue and dark sapphire crown on her head.

He smiled a little as Little Luna blushed and looked back and forth at the pile of armor pieces around her, before she asked hesitantly: “But... all that... it's really okay to remove it? And the armor, it feels so much lighter...”

“The kind of armor you were wearing, Pr... Little Luna, it was basically meant to be worn by someone who's just going to stand around on the battlefield, pretty much. Yes, I think you would have been protected against getting hurt pretty well... but it's for someone who's staying back, protected by guards and soldier, not really participating in the battle. Mom calls people like that 'turtles.' Well, she calls them a lot of names, but...” Antares cleared his throat and shook his head. “That's all besides the point.”

“I do not wish to be a turtle.” Little Luna nodded in agreement, and Antares couldn't help but grin in amusement before the sapphire mare looked up and hesitated, then asked quietly: “I am excited already... but... is it okay if I am scared, Antares?”

Antares looked up at her with a small smile: this pony, who looked so much like his mother, but was looking to him for advice. Asking for his help on something that he had only really begun to understand after the long, hard conflict with Cancer, and he replied quietly: “Let me tell you a secret, Little Luna. No matter how many times I get involved in some fight or something, whether it's... just me taking on some bully or thug, or I'm part of a group going in to fight a serious fight, or... worst of all, like now, I gotta lead my friends into battling something I know for a fact is way stronger than me... I'm always scared beforehoof. Even now, after everything I've seen, and... I've seen...”

Antares looked away, thinking again of the destruction entity for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and said softly: “But what always helps me to keep going is the thought that... if I don't do anything, then more ponies are just going to get hurt. If I have the power to step in and help, I should. Even when it's a lot easier to just hide from it all.”

“You're a good pony, Antares Mīrus... I envy that, and I envy your mother even more now.” Little Luna said softly, and then she gently touched his shoulder as she leaned in to kiss his forehead quietly, and the stallion blushed and shifted awkwardly before Little Luna drew back with a smile. “Maybe one day I will have my own son, though. I hope he only grows up half as strong as I see that you already are.”

The young unicorn only smiled warmly, and then he paused and looked curiously up at her as she blushed a bit, studying her and seeing into her, seeing the way her eyes drew over him, glanced almost embarrassedly at his wings... and after a moment, Antares understood what she was too nervous to ask, and he shook his head quickly, saying quietly: “No, Mom didn't use the Centurion Enchantment on me. It was... Nightmare Moon, when I was just a baby. I don't know if you feel it as well...”

“I do. But I repress her voice... I could never call on her like your mother does.” Little Luna replied quietly, and then she smiled faintly as she stepped forwards, studying his leathery wings, and Antares smiled a little in return as he stretched them calmly open, feeling only a faint hint of pain in his back: but then again, he'd only had to put them to use for one short flight so far on this world. With what they were planning, he was sure they'd be hurting again come tomorrow. “This transmogrification was meant to modify wings that already existed, not create new ones... I... is there much pain?”

“I'm used to it.” Antares shrugged after a moment, laughing a little. “This might sound funny, but... to be honest, it's the days when I don't have the occasional ache or sore muscle that I feel weird. And besides, I... really do like flying. I think it's a fair enough trade, even if I wish sometimes it had never happened. But I wanna make the best of it.”

Little Luna nodded thoughtfully, and then she strode past Antares and gestured for him to follow as she asked: “What should I do, Antares? What is the best way for me to... to lead my soldiers into battle? And how will I hear you if you give the call to retreat?”

Antares only gave her a soft look, replying gently: “I can't tell you all the answers, Little Luna. I do wish I could, sure, and I wish that it was easy, but... it's not. And yeah, ponies are probably going to die, and a lot more are going to get hurt. You have to be prepared for that, and you have to continue to give orders and be in command even when everything around you... falls apart. Because believe me, at some point, the plan always falls apart and you have to just hope for the best and just keep pushing forwards.

“Just... do your best. Be brave, and as strong as you can be. And make sure they know that you're there with them, beside them, the whole way.” the stallion said softly, nodding once, and Little Luna smiled a bit and nodded slowly back before the glossy-black unicorn finished quietly: “Most of all, listen to your instincts. All the best people I've ever met... that's what they do. Listen to your instincts, and they'll make... the best of out even the worst situation.”

Little Luna studied him thoughtfully, but Antares only gazed forwards, hoping that he could remember his own advice during the battle ahead.

The glossy-black stallion stood quietly at the outer edge of Canterlot among many other ponies, all of them gazing up at the floating island. Evening had settled, and soldiers were positioned all throughout the city to keep an eye on things. By now, rumors and word had spread that they were staging an attack on the floating island again... that was why the island was left naked for all to see, floating ominously in the sky, surrounded by the glowing sphere of energy through which only glimpses of the shapes beyond could be caught now and then.

The moon burned in the sky, and the stars gleamed like lanterns, casting ivory radiance over the world. It added a strange beauty to the world, even to this terrible thing floating in the sky above, and made the armor protecting many of the ponies sparkle quietly, turning them into brighter beacons than the lights that glowed out of the windows of the homes and businesses and other buildings.

Antares Mīrus rolled his shoulders slowly against his armor, a simple small, round shield glinting on his back and satchels laden down with explosives at his sides. They would be easy enough to set off at least: a concentrated blast of fire or magic would provide enough of a spark to set them off, and they had an adhesive strip on one side to let them stick in place. Two were packed in each saddlebag, and almost every Pegasus coming with him would be carrying more, so they had a generous amount of explosives.

Antares was glad for it: once they took out enough generators to lower the shield, they could use the rest of the explosives to bring down any major defenses they could see, and maybe blow their way into the fortress or facility or whatever it was they had only caught glimpses of so far beneath the shield. But the stallion had already promised not to be stupid: he would wait for Sleipnir and Morning Glory at the very least before making any movement deeper into the enemy base.

A hoof touched his shoulder gently, and the glossy black unicorn glanced over with a smile at Meadowlark. Their eyes met and studied each other for a few long moments, and then she said softly: “I'll be coming too, Mir, remember that. Try to wait for me, okay?”

“I will. We all will.” Antares stopped, then looked over his shoulder at the team he had assembled to attack, studying them for a few moments with a faint smile: there were the expected faces, like Avalon and Aphrodisia and Pinkamena, but also Spitfire and Soarin' of the Wonderbolts, and Rainbow Dash, who was grinning widely despite the seriousness of the situation as she stomped her hooves eagerly up and down, dressed in a blue and yellow-lightning streaked uniform like the two ponies she clearly still looked up to.

They might not be fighters, but Antares didn't need fighters right now as much as he needed ponies who were fast, agile, and could follow orders. The confident co-captains of the Wonderbolts had agreed to do that, and even if Antares was young, when they saw the deference and respect the others treated him with, they put their faith in him. And even more trust once Celestia herself had asked them to listen to him and assist him in any possible way.

Rainbow Dash was clearly ready to do whatever it took to live up to the expectations set for her, even if she didn't like that Antares had nominated Avalon to be in lead, in spite of the fact she was wearing full armor and her own saddlebags. The other three Pegasi would fly in V-formation behind her, and the stallion would follow in their wake and do his damnedest to keep up. Lastly, Pinkamena and Aphrodisia would stay in a protective spiral: in smoke form they would be easily able to keep up to even the fastest Pegasus, although Aphrodisia still wasn't all that good at carrying objects with her while fast-traveling.

Near the back of this open, wide lookout that gazed out over the beautiful mountains that surrounded Canterlot – although right now, all attention was naturally drawn up to the spherical shape hovering ominously above – Princess Celestia stood with her armored younger sibling, the Archmage, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Twilight Sparkle. There were a few other unicorns as well, but they were a little apart, outside the natural closeness of the rest of the group.

Once Princess Celestia confirmed that everyone was in position, she would signal Antares, and he would signal back when he and his team were ready. They had already calculated the run: they would try and time it so that when Antares' team was halfway to the barrier, Princess Celestia and the ponies she had chosen to help her would blast the shield above, and cut them their tunnel, holding it hopefully for just long enough for them to get through.

Antares looked up at the floating island again, breathing slowly before Meadowlark smiled a little. “Mir... you're going to be fine, okay? I mean... your plans don't always fail, right? And no matter what happens, you're always able to think your way through things. Everyone trusts you because you do a good job as a leader. And I care about you so damn much because you take care of people, even when it puts your own health at risk and you barely know them. You'll do the right thing.”

The stallion nodded a little, and then Rainbow Dash called cheerfully: “Hey, you know kid, if you're so worried, I'll take lead. I'm a great leader.”

“No you're not.” Spitfire said mildly as she adjusted her goggles on her forehead, and Rainbow Dash blushed deep red and looked almost pleadingly at the Wonderbolt, but the golden-coated Pegasus only grinned in return, shaking out her fiery orange mane before she turned a smile to Antares. “Look, kid, if Princess Celestia believes in you, then I'll believe in you.”

Soarin' nodded in agreement, adding awkwardly: “Besides uh... I gotta say that I'd rather be flying with you in lead than... her.”

He pointed moodily at Avalon, who huffed from beneath her horned helm as she buzzed easily back and forth despite the heavy equipment she was wearing. “You shut the hell up. You're not half as cute as my gay uncle Soarin'. You're lame and probably repressed and I bet no one really even likes you all that much. Straight loser Soarin'.”

Soarin' groaned and rolled his eyes, but Spitfire laughed and shook her head, smiling amusedly between the two before she said easily: “I like this kid. I really, really do. She's got a mean mouth on her but look at her muscle power.”

Avalon preened at this, grinning widely as she posed, and Antares laughed despite himself. But just as he felt himself beginning to relax a little despite the intensity of everything that was going on around them, he heard Princess Celestia call to him, and he turned to gaze towards her, seeing her nod clearly across the sea of faces.

Sleipnir and Morning Glory both looked back from where they sat amongst the soldiers, and Pinkamena grunted moodily from where she was a little apart from the group, glancing up from sharpening her enormous battle axe. “We going then, kid?”

“Yeah. Everyone, get ready.” Antares said quietly, nodding once as he breathed slowly, then turned and shared a quick kiss with Meadowlark before she stepped away and smiled supportively. The stallion gestured for the others to get in position, and Avalon growled and spun around, dropping forwards and spreading her wings wide as she moved into a ready pose, while the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash assembled in a line behind her, the three uniformed Pegasi pulling down their goggles.

Aphrodisia giggled brightly and bounced in the lightweight breastplate she was wearing before Pinkamena called mildly over to her daughter, as the demon slipped her battle axe into place over her back: “Kid, remember to concentrate, okay? We don't want you leaving that pretty armor behind and all. You won't get to have as much fun if I gotta send you back to get it.”

“Yes, Mommy!” Aphrodisia chirped as Antares strode into place, and the stallion took a few slow breaths before smiling when he heard the demon add encouragingly, in a quieter voice: “You're going to lead us fine, Nova.”

Antares nodded after a moment, then he straightened and looked calmly up as Sleipnir called out cheerfully: “Good luck, my family, pave the way forwards with haste! Elsewise I may take it into my mind that I should simply deal with this floating island myself, and 'twould be such a waste of good sport to steal that victory out from under thee.”

“Dream on, Slippers.” Pinkamena retorted, her eyes gleaming with entertainment and conviction as she cracked her neck loudly before looking up at the floating island in the distance. “You just better hope that once we break that shell open, there's more than a few little bugs crawling around inside. Otherwise I'm going to have to kill 'em all before you even get a chance to make a nuisance of yourself.”

Sleipnir only huffed at this, and Aphrodisia giggled quietly before she promised: “Don't worry, Daddy, I'll make sure that Mommy saves something for you, okay?”

Antares shook his head slowly, but he was smiling all the same before he looked over his shoulder and rose a hoof to Princess Celestia. She nodded clearly back again, and he felt the silent wish of good luck that came from her... from all of the ponies gathered, as a matter of fact, as the stallion faced forwards and felt the tingle of magic beginning to grow behind him, before he shouted: “Everyone, get ready! On my mark, we fly... slow ascent to the halfway point, then we rush to the point where the magic is converging, move in fast, and assume escort formation!”

“We got it, Mir, let's get this show on the road already! Don't worry...” Avalon grinned widely as she looked forwards, eyes flashing as she pawed a hoof against the ground. “I'll go nice and slow so you can all keep up.”

Rainbow Dash growled, clearly taking this as a challenge, while the Wonderbolts to either side of her both refused to take the bait. But Avalon was thrumming with excitement, only waiting for the command, while Antares was taking things much slower, breathing quietly and simply letting himself feel out the right moment, his body loosening up little-by-little as he almost tasted the emotions of all the ponies around him near and far...

“Go!” Antares shouted, and his leathery wings spread and flapped once before he launched himself into the air in almost perfect, unplanned synchronization with the Pegasi ahead of him. Avalon grinned widely in the lead, her eyes burning with excitement as Aphrodisia and Pinkamena both burst into trails of smoke that followed quickly in the wake of the flying ponies.

Back on the ground, Meadowlark couldn't stop herself from cheering Antares on, and she was joined by a roar from Sleipnir; others picked up, Royal Guard adding to the din, and the Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity of this layer all yelling encouragement almost desperately up to the ponies as they began their ascent.

It added to the determination that the others felt, as Princess Celestia's horn began to glow brighter, and to either side of her, Little Luna and Twilight Sparkle rose their own horns as they lit up with their own intense auras. The Archmage and his students turned, forming a line with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, all of them calling up their magic and feeling the roar in the air filling their hearts and minds with strength and belief.

One after the other, beams of light blasted forwards, hammering into the spherical forcefield above and sending ripples over its face: but as the beams converged at the same location, the pulses of energy became broader waves, distorting the face of the shield. But that was nothing compared to what was happening where the beams were focused: there, a white bruise was rapidly forming, motes of energy peeling off this like flaking stone as electricity sparked wildly over its face-

Avalon shot upwards in a burst of speed, and the Pegasi fought to keep up with her as Antares pushed himself as hard as he dared, gritting his teeth as he forced his eyes to focus despite the wind biting at them and the world blurring by... but then he only grinned, all the pain in the world suddenly worth it as Avalon managed to spring a little ahead and between where the beams of magic were all striking in a rough, several-meter-wide ring, the tiny Pegasus smashing herself into the white wound in the barrier and shattering it like nothing more than cheap glass with a roar.

Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts were through next, followed by the demons, and last came Antares, the stallion looking back and forth in amazement at the tunnel of white energy around him. He shot upwards through it, not letting himself slow even as much as he wanted to, and he burst out the other side just before there was a geyser of electricity and energy behind him, cursing as it knocked him off-balance before the hole in the barrier sealed shut.

Then two sets of strong limbs caught him, and the stallion blinked a few times before looking up with an awkward smile at the sight of Spitfire and Soarin', while Rainbow Dash was staring in disbelief at Avalon. The tiny Pegasus was only grinning widely though, breathing hard and seemingly unaware of the electricity sparking over her metal armor as she pumped a hoof in the air. “Now that's how it's done! Yeah, none of you got nothin' on me!”

Antares began to laugh... and then his eyes roved past the excited, amazed Pegasi as the smoky demons both shot by, and his eyes locked on the floating island hovering ominously less than fifty feet away. The bottom was made of twisted metal and bent and gnarled girders and ugly claws and teeth of stone, and the stallion could see massive gears and pumping pistons and terrible machinery resting all along the stone wall that faced him, but it was covered with ugly black sludge and rust and looked like it had been long dormant, even if there was a distinct sense of terrible life coming from this awful, damned place...

“Let's remember why we're here. We still have a lot to do.” Antares flapped his wings, hovering before he shook his head and gritted his teeth: he let himself fall victim to exhilaration for a moment and he knew better than that, he knew that could cost them the entire mission. And I'm not going through that again. “Let's move quickly, not waste any more time!”

The Wonderbolts both nodded sharply and saluted, and Rainbow Dash and Avalon both nodded as one of the demons snapped past him and curled around him almost in reassurance, Antares smiling slightly and distinctly feeling Aphrodisia's presence before he flapped his wings and quickly shot upwards. He began to concentrate on the task at hoof as they flew along the wall...

But as they lifted beyond the enormous wall of the fortress that sat upon the floating island, the stallion's attention was immediately stolen by what they gazed out over. The entire island was a fortress of rock and steel, with massive pieces of machinery – some active and thrumming with insidious life, others sitting rotting and dormant – standing up like grim and grisly totems here and there, and massive, unnatural cliffs of crystal and rock curled here and there through the geometric and yet warped facility like great and petrified tidal waves.

For a moment, all the ponies could do was stare down over this grisly, awful place that pulsed with such unnatural and terrible life. Even the demons seemed to pause, swirling slowly around the ponies as they looked down over the fortress... before Antares cursed as a screaming cry ripped through the air, and he felt that all-too-familiar instinct of alarm rip through his mind: they had just been seen.

“I guess that's what we're here for, right?” Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing quickly down below, and Antares looked sharply in the direction she had indicated: stationed on a corner roof of the alien, uneven fortress, there was some kind of enormous, tube-shaped device. It was slightly-angled, supported by a steel tripod and with immense, black cables that ran along the length of the device and fed down into the floor, and enormous gemstones encircled the center of the strange machine, all of them glowing with light. But the real tell that it was what they were after was the constant stream of energy and electricity blasting up from the top of the tube and into the forcefield that surrounded the floating island.

Antares nodded sharply, then looked up with a curse as there was another scream, seeing steel shapes moving through the air towards them, thinking quickly. And then, trusting in his instincts and hoping it was the right choice, he shouted: “Dash, Spitfire, Soarin', you know what you're looking for, so go find another one of those things! Avalon, go with Apps! Pinkamena, let's hit this thing hard!”

And without waiting to see if they were going to listen to him, Antares turned and flew towards the generator that was in sight: he risked one glance over his shoulder to watch the others disperse, Avalon roaring a battle cry he could hear even over the ominous rumbling of the alien fortress below, before the stallion looked back forwards and gritted his teeth as he realized that the silver shapes near the generator weren't pieces of otherworldly architecture after all, but guards.

They looked up: or at least, they seemed to, since none of the creatures had heads. They were Dullahan, their collars looking in on black voids, their bodies protected by heavy silver plate mail that covered them from collar to hoof. Large kite shields emblazoned with the profile of a dragon's head floated at their sides, and swords were already being raised to ready positions in front of them. They were efficient, intelligent former servants of Valthrudnir and Clockwork World... and if he had to guess, they had probably allied themselves with Thesis more than willingly.

Antares readied himself, his horn beginning to glow... and then, in a streak of darkness, Pinkamena shot past him and transformed from shapeless smog into grinning, gray-pink pony, her blue eyes blazing as she let herself freefall towards the nearest before quickly reaching over her shoulder and yanking her axe off her back in a powerful overhead slash.

The axe almost tore the lead Dullahan in half before Pinkamena roared and leaned forwards, smashing her weapon outwards to send the shattered metal equine crashing and rolling past his compatriots, the demon grinning widely as her banded armor creaked loudly as her body flexed against it, her eyes glowing with supernatural aggression as she grinned sharkishly. “You get that generator. I'll play kick the can.”

“Cut her up, colts. Let's make her cry.” The unnatural voice echoed out of the gaping neck of the Dullahan on the right, and it rose its shield in front of it defensively as it glowed with a pale, poisonous aura. The second Dullahan stepped quickly into position beside the one that had spoken, taking on a more aggressive stance.

Antares shot past them, and neither creature so much as twitched in his direction... but that was because the third Dullahan, despite its horrendous wounds, was pushing itself back to its hooves even though it had been devastated by Pinkamena's axe, metal creaking and groaning as it locked quickly back into place. But without hesitation, Antares snapped his horn down with a snarl, firing a blast of white fire straight down into the monster's regenerating body.

The blast of purification blew the monster backwards with a howl, and its metallic body simply burst apart into pieces, metal hailing in all directions as ashes and black smoke burst upwards out of the shattered remains. Near-indestructible or not, Dullahan were powered by dark magic: something Antares could easily neutralize or blast out of the living suits of armor.

Even before the poisonous essence of the creature dissolved completely, Antares had already landed, flicking his horn to open one of the satchel bags and quickly yank out a brick of explosive with telekinesis. He caught it in one hoof, snagging the large tag sticking off one side of the gray block with his teeth and yanking down to tear a strip of waxy film free, and then he slammed the ugly explosive firmly into place even as he heard one of the Dullahan rasp: “Forget the demon, get the kid!”

Both Dullahan began to turn around, and Pinkamena growled as she leapt forwards, sliding her hooves up to the neck of the axe before she stabbed the handle viciously downwards, sending the butt of her weapon down the throat of one of the surprised Dullahan. It gargled, rearing back as sword and shield stuttered in the air beside it, and then Pinkamena spun around and roared as she yanked her axe through the air on a wide arc, hefting the Dullahan into the air and flinging it towards the edge of the roof as it flailed wildly.

Its sword and shield banged down one after the other, before the Dullahan itself hit the edge of the building and bounced helplessly off with a whispery howl. Pinkamena grinned widely, then spun around as she twisted her axe sideways, using the immense blade to block a hard strike of the remaining headless knight's sword before she shoved her weapon fiercely forwards.

The flat of the axe banged against the blade as the Dullahan was forced to bring up its own shield, and the undead construct grunted in effort: its weapon was sandwiched uselessly between shield and flat of the huge battle axe, and Pinkamena was grinning widely, holding the pin firmly. Even when the Dullahan stepped forwards, slamming its shoulder into the shield to add weight and physical strength to its telekinesis, the demon didn't waver before she snapped: “Are you done yet or what?”

Antares didn't answer as he finished attaching a second explosive to the generator, then he simply leapt up and flapped his wings hard, gritting his teeth as he gathered his energy and retreated quickly. The Dullahan seemed to look up in surprise, then over its shoulder with a weak curse, but it was too late: the moment it started to try and yank itself away from Pinkamena, Antares snapped his horn down and sent a blast of white fire into one of the bombs.

The stallion expected an explosion: what he didn't anticipate was the size and power of the blast, yelling in surprise as he was thrown backwards through the air as he was struck by heat and force and sound. The sheer force nearly knocked him out, hitting the ground and bouncing painfully several times as he felt energy sizzling painfully over his horn, disrupting his thoughts with a curse before he stared in disbelief at the pillar of fire and black smoke and thunder that had replaced the beam of energy.

It drilled into the barrier above, spreading dark blots through the shield that surrounded the floating island as black fire spread greedily over the roof, burning rock and metal alike as stone cracked and crumbled away around them. Antares cursed, scrambling to his hooves, his mind aching, but Pinkamena only threw her head back and laughed despite the burns that seared her body, energy sparking over the demon; the Dullahan, meanwhile, hadn't been nearly as lucky, reduced to a pile of smoldering metal in front of the grinning Devourer.

Her eyes glowed as she snapped her axe into place on her back, looking eagerly up as the pillar of foul fire and lightning finally dissolved into embers. The damage had clearly been done, though: there was only a burning hole in the rooftop where the generator had once stood, and above, veins and dark bruises were spreading slowly through the barrier like an infection, energy peeling away like burnt flesh as Pinkamena's eyes glowed. “Now we're getting somewhere! Come on, I wanna get to the fun!”

Antares rubbed at his head, then both he and Pinkamena looked quickly to the side as there was another tremendous rumble as a second explosion went up, followed shortly by a third. The others had clearly found more generators and managed to detonate them, and the stallion felt a tingle in his mind before he leapt upwards, flying quickly towards the only pillar of rising darkness he could see, spewing up from a lower rooftop a short distance away.

Pinkamena grinned and burst apart into dark smoke, following quickly after him as the stallion's eyes focused forwards. Every instinct was yelling at him to get there as fast as possible, and he forced himself to focus only on what was happening ahead even as the atmosphere around them began to change, the barrier that surrounded the floating island rippling and rapidly darkening.

Three Pegasi were shooting back and forth around the dark pillar of energy, pursued rapidly by enormous steel birds. Huge claws snatched at them as they screamed through blade-like beaks, each possessing one single, enormous eye and bodies made of glassy gemstone, filled with lightning that shocked back and forth in wild arcs inside the awful creatures. Thunderbirds: more monsters from Clockwork World.

One of the Pegasi suddenly spun around after the Thunderbird made a wild grab at the winged pony, launching towards the creature and swinging both rear hooves up to kick savagely into its vulnerable chest. The crystalline cage shattered as the Pegasus used the kick to launch itself backwards as well, but still released a cry of agony as the Thunderbird exploded with a shriek in a burst of shrapnel, electricity, and anti-magic.

The Pegasus zigzagged violently upwards, smoldering, suit torn, and Antares realized it was Spitfire as he drew in closer: the Captain of the Wonderbolts had her teeth grit and part of her uniform had been burnt away in the blast, but she was still flying gamely, and both Soarin' and Rainbow Dash were quick to fall in beside her and help steady her, even as the two remaining Thunderbirds twisted in towards the trio.

Antares flicked his horn sharply, sending a blast of white fire into one of the creatures, and the Thunderbird was knocked off course with a shriek before it twisted in midair to turn its attention to the stallion. It shot forwards, and Antares readied himself with a wince: these nasty kamikazes were too resistant for his magic to work well against them, which left attacking them physically... but thanks to the fact they exploded when killed, it was going to hurt like hell unless he did it right.

But the stallion was saved the trouble when a cloud of black smoke shot past him, wreathing upwards and twisting around the Thunderbird before solidifying into Pinkamena on its back, and the Thunderbird tilted back and forth in midair for a moment before the demon slashed her axe viciously down into one of its wings. The metallic bird screamed as the appendage was almost severed, and Pinkamena grinned as she kicked off the Thunderbird's back as it plummeted from the air to crash into the ground below, exploding in a shockwave of force and lightning that Antares felt even from where he was above.

The last Thunderbird was still pursuing the Pegasi around the dissipating column, but all three suddenly broke formation, shooting in all directions. On some instinct, perhaps, the Thunderbird turned its eyes towards Soarin': he had the worst wounds, with most of his suit charred away and one foreleg a burnt, smoldering mess. But his wings were still strong, and he pushed hard, twisting his flight path upwards as the Thunderbird pursued greedily... and then Rainbow Dash and Spitfire both slammed into the backs of its metal wings, striking with so much force that the appendages were almost torn off and the Thunderbird went into a wild spin as it fell towards the ground.

It hit the edge of the rooftop below and exploded, chunks of steel flying in all directions as the three Pegasi shot towards each other and punched their hooves together, and Antares surveyed their surroundings quickly as he flew towards them. Part of the rooftop here had caved in, and Pinkamena was loitering near the hole, calmly waiting for instructions despite the grin on her face. But the stallion could sense rising activity: whatever other forces were here were hurrying quickly up to meet them...

Antares began to open his mouth, and then he winced as he was knocked off course as a black shape darted by, before the smoky form twisted sharply downwards and hit the ground beside Pinkamena, solidifying into Aphrodisia in a moment. The stallion looked down with her at relief, before he glanced up as a golden streak shot towards him, and he was unsurprised as Avalon joined them, the mare calling to the other Pegasi: “What happened, this place too tough for you guys?”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to reply, and Antares groaned mentally, knowing he had to cut this off so they could get back on track before the enemy attacked... but then a thunderous boom ripped through the air, and the stallion looked up with surprise as he realized the tainted barrier was now pulsating with white cracks as well as dark, poisoned light. And then there was another bang, and the cracks spread wider over the face of the barrier as all eyes looked up with surprise, before a third and final, thunderous boom tore through the air.

The entire barrier rippled violently, the cracks that had spread throughout its surface shining brightly before the energy shield shattered like glass, shards of poisoned magical energy spilling downwards in a hail even as they rapidly burned away, most of them dissolving into nothingness before covering even half the distance to the ground.

Antares stared upwards as the light of the moon and the stars lit up the entirety of the fortress so much clearer than the ill light of the barrier had, and the floating island shuddered like a living thing, Aphrodisia stumbling at the tremors, but looking as excited as her mother as she yelled cheerfully up to Antares: “We did it, Nova! Now the real fun starts!”

The stallion didn't reply, letting his eyes draw down to the fortress below as he felt the pulse that ran through it, like the floating island itself was alive... and even if they had broken its shell, what he thought he felt most coming from it wasn't fear, or humiliation, or anxiety... it was rage. And if all they had done was make this sentient island or the master that gave it such terrible vitality angry... he wasn't sure he wanted to guess what was waiting for them inside.

Comments

[BlackRoseRaven]

2394950

Thesis is uh... well, yes. This is just the start: as you've probably guessed, when those pistons get pumping, then things start getting very bad. But he has some uh... other problems, as we'll see.
And you. Probably do not want to see Luna with a sword. It would not end prettily for anyone.
I probably shouldn't say anything about Twilight at this point, though. Because. Well. Because. Although for once it's a good bomb. Not a bad bomb. Mostly.

[Skydrake]

"I probably shouldn't say anything about Twilight at this point, though. Because. Well. Because. Although for once it's a good bomb. Not a bad bomb. Mostly."

A good bomb indeed, as it turns out. And consider myself blown away by it - I know I mussed once or twice on the possibility of Twilight becoming pregnant, but to have it actually happen ... I feel almost giddy about the development and all that is to come from it. You did superbly well in capturing the nervous and overflowing joy of the moment when Twilight announced the news to Scrivy and Luna, I could almost taste their emotions through the screen.

Damn, I think I am almost more excited for this development than the ongoing conflict with Thesis, which is saying a lot - I can't wait to see how others react to these news. I wonder how you will have Antares reacting to the news - on one hand, I can see him being all but giddy for the prospect and happy for Twilight from the bottom of his heart. On the other, I can almost see him being slightly jealous as well - for all him wanting to be treated like an adult (assuming he even knows what he actually means by that), he is still the little foal vying for his parents affections and acknowledgement all the same. He pretty much wants it both ways, and I think to a degree is used to being the center of his family's attention, and a new foal would take some of that attention away from him.

And of course there is the matter of Twilight's Lich-ness and Scrivy's Clockworkiness that raise a hundred questions regarding how that is going to affect the child, or even if it's going to affect it. On one hand, Twilight's body seems to be functioning normally in all biological aspects save for her absurd ability to withstand damage, so one would think nothing too drastic would come of her being a Lich. On the other hand just about anything could happen as well, and I imagine the child will have something special about him, the same way Antares does. Affinity for the darker side of magic, perhaps? Though since Twilight's alicorn-ness comes from Celestia having shared her power with her, it's not like she is a creature of darkness either. Really, she is a holiness powered Lich ... I don't even dare guess at the implications. Just about anything can become of it and still be plausible, indeed. Add to it Scrivy's condition, which may or may not impact the child in any way, or perhaps have a different impact on this child on account for Twilight being a Lich, which Luna wasn't ... yeah, definitely endless possibilities for how the child could turn out. I can hardly wait to eventually find out.

It was also nice to see the group pondering on how they would get back home, as I had been wondering on how they are going to share the Bifrost between both parties, or even know who is meant to go back home first. Opening a portal from the other end is indeed an option, though I wonder how they are supposed to 'signal' for it. Through Kvasir, perhaps, if the moody homunculus can be talked in to being a messenger and they have the means to summon him in the first place. Though on that note, seeing their business is effectively finished, shouldn't they be able to go over and help the Antares group? Or do the events in both layers happen parallel to one another?

Regarding Luna and swords, it's just that I recall her being ready to borrow some of Celestia's a while back rather than go in to battle without a weapon at all, so I imagine she is at least somewhat proficient with it ... or any sharp and bladed tools, scary as the thought might be.

Anyways, consider myself very excited for what is to come, can't wait for this to continue.

[Koekelbag]

Slip-ups:

turning them into brighter beacons that the lights that glowed out of the windows of the homes and businesses and other buildings.

Either a word is missing here... or you meant "that" as "than", works too.

Look, kid, if Princess Celestia believes if you, then I'll believe in you.”

Since I don't think this sentence was meant to be that existantial... "in you"