Blushing like love-struck schoolfilly, I leave my stall. The restroom is quite packed now. Desert Shade, Lyam, Rolled Scroll, and Strong Back are here along with Flora and Nicolai Irongrip himself who nods to me after shoving my unconscious "customer" into an empty stall closing the door.
"I was wondering whether Desert Shade snapped or was working with somepony to get information out of me when she said you just appeared out of thin air and freed her, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised about anything connected to you anymore, Blazing Light."
I nod.
"You'll get used to it. Trust me, I know only a little more than you about my survival, and most of it is guesswork anyway. Speaking of unexplained things, why the hay is Flora here?" I raise my eyebrow, "I thought you were just a grunt in Drachenberg, not someone working with the big boss himself."
Flora just shrugs.
"You know, an epic escape like that forms a bond between griffons."
"Plus, she's a pretty good sniper," Nicolai butts in, "And this war situation requires me to travel a lot. Someone to watch my back is always appreciated."
"How did you get out of the desert anyway?" I ask.
"My plan worked, and the Intelligence Service airship landed at the abandoned outpost after dark. The agents cleared out the group Legius left behind and flew us straight to the Holy City and my brother. I later heard some rumors about what happened to the forces following you. Legius had to sort a lot of stuff out before returning, and my brother already knew everything from me when that happened."
"I guess it didn't work out all that well, considering that I heard something about civil war from Bucket."
"Bucket?"
"Silver Sun robot in Manehattan."
"Oh that Bucket, now I remember," Nicolai shakes his head and scowls, "No, it didn't go well. Cassius wanted to execute Legius, but he recieved a massive pushback from some noble families, which should have been our first clue. However, due to the survival of our agents, Des, and me, we got him at the trial as well, and he was sent to prison to await execution."
"Which failed how?" I ask.
"That bitch Veronica happened," Desert Shade takes speaker spot, kicking a trash can, "I've always though she was just a mercenary from high nobility, but the reason why she was after your bounty was to earn renown for taking down an alicorn and getting a ton of cash in the process, thus gaining a shot at becoming the head of the Redtalon family. As it turned out, she's been working with Legius for a while already. Well, she rallied the families supposed to attend the public execution, each with a personal guard. In the end, the execution was stopped by those united forces who held against the Imperial Guard long enough for Legius to escape."
"And the war?"
Des nods to Nicolai who speaks out again.
"No one knew how much influence Veronica got over the years, and with Legius' help she managed to assassinate her way through the Redtalon succession including her father. The other eastern Empire families saw her quick rise to power, and when she started using Legius' corruption weapons to fend off my and my brother's armies they quickly joined out of fear."
"Alright, that's just politics. How did you got involved further, Des?"
"The royal brothers offered us a looooooooooot of money to share our experience concerning travel through Corrupted territories. We've been teaching the royal forces, and finding routes in the new territories. You see, Legius has no issues with using his corrupting weapons, which means there are now a LOT of places in the Empire which look like Equestria. It's a ton of work, but we're hella LOADED now."
"Ehm," Nicolai coughs, "My agents have tracked Legius' movements to this city and discovered the largest bomb production facility we have ever seen. There are many more scattered around the Empire, but we have to strike a blow whenever possible because the more places Legius corrupts, the easier he can get test subjects for further research. Our attempt to put it out of business didn't go well though."
"I see, that's how you ended in the dungeons," I nod, "Des said someone was coming to get you."
"Undoubtedly. We've been locked up for four days, so whoever is coming must be close. Unfortunately, as important as it is, shutting the facility down is out of the question now. While we got caught shortly after entering the city and still away from the factory, I have no doubts someone in charge put two and two together and the place is locked tight now."
"Des said you had more agents with you," I look around to indicate that other than the party members I already know, there is no one else around.
Nicolai scowls and shakes his head.
"Dead. Executed in front of me to make me talk," he says bitterly.
I don't press the issue, and look at Flora standing behind her boss.
"How come you're still around then?"
She shrugs.
"Someone probably described the caught group to the big bosses themselves, and they remembered me from the previous escape. I think it's Veronica's decision. I guess I should engrave a 'thank you' on the bullet I'll put through her head eventually."
"Alright, I'm about as caught up on the events as I care to be," stretch my legs and tentacles, "What's the plan?"
Everyone looks at Nicolai who sighs.
"Our primary objective is unavailable now. The best thing we can do is repeat what we did last time we met, which is getting a message out and waiting for assistance. Tapping into some transmitters on a roof somewhere is the best idea I could come up with without any real scouting. We'll spread out in the sky not to attract attention."
"Crap..." my legs are trembling already, "Any... ground-based plans? Something involving me, Rolled Scroll, and Strong Back?"
"Scroll and Back will be using magic to fly with us. Umm," Des realizes my problem, both concerning magic resistance which isn't working properly now, my corrupted nature screwing with flying, and my personal torturous fear of heights, "You can wait for us here if you want."
I look towards the corner stall.
"I'd rather not become a local attraction. Plus, who knows when my knocked out 'customer' wakes up," an idea comes to mind, "I could check out the factory if the security is as crazy as you think. Maybe you're overestmating the local force. I'd just need some clothes... do you still have the GIL armor we took from the soldiers?"
Lyam pulls the whole suit from one of his large bags. That guy must have had a mule somewhere in his ancestry.
After some testing, I grunt in annoyance. The armor fits somewhat if I arrange my back tentacles to create the illusion of folded wings under it. The size is off, but not by too much because my body is a little malleable. The real problem is the helmet. There is no way I can pass for a GIL patrol with a pony head. Not even making my horn disappear is enough.
"Alright," Strong Back circles around me, "Scroll, soundproof the room."
The unicorn just nods, and soon I feel the unnatural calmness spread through the bathroom. In the meantime, Strong Back has pulled out a hammer and some stick with a glowing point I have never seen before.
"Strip," she orders.
"Should I do a sexy dance?" I ask while quickly tossing her all bits of the armor.
"Amusing. Now be quiet and let me work."
With the stick shooting fire held in her mouth, she puts on black glasses and hammers few pieces of the armor into shape. She's done in less than five minutes, working with practiced precision, and in the end she gives me the reforged pieces back.
Hey, I can take a deep breath now. Very nice.
"Great job. Didn't know you were such a good blacksmith."
Strong Back just shrugs.
"It's my talent. That's why Des originally hired me."
"Blazing?" Des offers me a piece of cloth which upon closer examination proves to be a white cowl covering the entire head, "Griffons use these to travel in the desert so it'll be out of place here up north, but you'll just look like a GIL soldier on a business trip in the dark."
"Thanks," I put it on. Without my horn the equipment should make me look like a griffon to any casual observer. I don't have the control to shift my body completely like a Corruptor, so this will have to do, "Where do we meet up, back here?"
Des shakes her head.
"The griffon is sure to cause trouble when he wakes up. Let's get back together in... what about the Hayburger near the city walls north from here? If someone comes to get us they won't want to enter the city, I'm sure about that, and if worst comes to worst we'll have another escape through the wild ahead of us."
"What? A Hayburger in the Empire? Are there even vegetarian griffons?"
Everyone looks at me as if I was crazy. Then Des rolls her eyes.
"Riiight, two-hudred year difference. It's just a name now, it's a normal fast food chain in the Empire, and I think they're returning to Equestria soon. Anyway, is THAT your main concern at this point in time?"
"Well, ehm, no..."
Damn, I'm hungry.
After a short description of the factory, the Hayburger, and repeated directions, I leave the still planning group behind in the restroom.
***
The sky is pitch black when I reach the factory complex. Granted, the main streets are lit with rows of lamps which make my trip a lot easier.
Holy...
"That's... big."
I was expecing a big building from Des' description, one possibly surrounded by chain link fence and connected with a warehouse of sorts. Not...
"A complex taking a fifth of the entire city?"
Yeah. I remember factories being different, not a city within a city.
"Griffon Empire has always been at the forefront of industry, but I guess this is the face of the future."
Fine, fine, let's not stand here gawking. All the size means is that it'll be more difficult to find us. Any ideas?
"Perhaps checking if there are guard towers or something by the fence?"
Alright, let's scout out these few city blocks.
Over an hour later, I sit down in a dark alley to have a rest. The results of my walking around the perimeter are more confusing than disheartening.
First of all, there are periodic gates and checkpoints on most major streets leading into the complex. They ones I saw were usually staffed by two extremely bored security griffons who only gave me a passing glance even when I came closer.
I clutch my stomach.
"Owww... damn!"
"What's going on?"
I'm an idiot as usual, that's what's going on. I asked them about dumb stuff I don't really care about, but I didn't ask if they had something to eat.
"Well-"
I do this every time. Every damn freaking time! Instead of focusing on what's important, I get distracted and put everyone in danger.
"Blazing, everypony makes mistakes under pressure. Only machines can perform their tasks forever over and over."
Heavy, when I make a mistake ponies die. I never wanted to be in this position. A pony like me never should be in this position, but here I am. Void chose me to do something big, and I can't even get my fucking priorities right and remember to eat something when Hayburger is mentioned. What if I disappear in five minutes?
Celestia's solar plot, why me...?
"Blazing, we've been through this. There's a point after which I have nothing more to say to help you, and we've passed it. I don't know what to do when words stop being enough, I don't have anything else right now. So just calm down, please. Don't sweat the small mistakes, don't keep kicking yourself for the tiny things. Past is in the past."
The sheer silliness of that last statement snaps me out of it, and my sarcastic side shines through the veil of panic attack and self-pity..
Past is in the past, eh? Do I have to remind you why we are here, Heavy? The past is trying to kill me, the past is the only 'place' where I can find peace and love, the past is where what little I achieved is. Now, now I'm just a pony running away from... the past, because there is nothing good for me in the future.
"No hope?"
Hope is dead, Heavy.
With the shocked silence of my ethereal companion growing longer and longer, I stand up. Hope is gone, but blind hope can suck my tentacles. Guiding and Cromach, two loose ends I have to tie up. No amount of believing that something good may one day come my way will do that for me. Two reasons to keep going, and I keep shaming Guiding's century of insanity by breaking down on weekly basis.
Well, it's not like I've ever been somepony for my 'foal' to look up to.
That's all there is. No morale, no way out. I will continue this struggle until they are out of my reach or I drop.
*Guuuurgle*
Shut up, stomach.
"Blazing?"
Yes?
"I'm really sorry."
Don't be. Just give me a moment to rest and we'll head to the meeting place. There's no way we can do anything about this factory. Its sheer size makes it impossible. We've already saved everyone's asses.
"Alright, Blazing. Just remember - I chose the wrong side once before, and I will not do it again. I know you better than anypony else."
Hmm? Better than Crom or Chokey?
"Have they ever been inside you?"
Ummm, is that a trick question? Because-
"Oh be quiet, perv."
Heheh. Thanks, I might have said it before, but you're the only reason I'm not lying on the ground in fetal position and crying.
Heavy doesn't say anything, so I just rest my back against the wall. Accompanied by the distant noises of nighttime city and my deep breathing, I relax.
...help...
I don't sense words as such, only confused feeling of despair reaching towards me.
A mind?
It's like that of a tainted pony bordering on full Corrupted, but so weak. Focusing on the feeling, I try to connect with it.
My world blurs.
Suddenly, I'm standing in a lush green park in broad daylight, with Heavy next to me.
"I don't recall ever being here before, but I heard stories," he says, looking into the distance where shattered skyscrapers form the horizon.
Ah yes, the broken ruins of Manehattan, the world inside my head.
"Yep, it's about as comfy as I remember the place," I nod, "But why the hay are we here? I remember feeling some Corrupted reaching out to me and then this."
Like after a deep breath, the park moves, and greenery darkens. Black tendrils grow through the trees, bushes, and still well-kept grass. The dusty pond nearby turns to oil, and the gravel road Heavy and I are standing on turns to sticky obsidian.
I blink, and when my eyes open again, we're surrounded by hundreds of pony figures. All of them are pitch black, featureless like ponnequins, slick, and are noiselessly opening and closing their mouths.
"Oh shi-eeesh," Heavy chokes down the curse, clearly as shocked as I am, "Do we run?"
Strange, I don't feel in danger.
"Have a look around, Heavy."
His blue mane swishes as he quickly turns his head from side to side and realizes we are in the middle of the huge crowd.
I reach out towards the closest figure which allows me to touch it, its surface yielding to my tentacle foreleg.
They feel like Suitie, but... small, incomplete?
"These are Corruptors, I think," I shake my head, still feeling my analysis is wrong, "No, these are... corruption. Pockets of corruption from which Corruptors spawn. A natural corrupting force, but without the will and mind fully fledged Corrupted possess."
"Ooookay?" Heavy stands still, not daring to touch the hundreds of... Corruptor embryos, foetuses? The word doesn't describe their physical form, but rather their completeness, "Any good explanation why they are here?"
"They... aren't," I finally realize what's going on, "At least in physical sense. These are the bombs Legius is using. He is mass producing Corruptors who are prevented from developing. They are a form and a terrified, suppressed will unable to comprehend what's going on. I can feel them... they are based on ponies and griffons. Separated before birth..."
My stomach revolves. How could anyone do this to his kin?
"Blazing? Are you okay?" Heavy asks in response to my ragged breathing as all the feelings and semi-broken memories flood into me.
Thankfully, being used to having Void's memories and those of the gods themselves before, I am not completely drowned in the sea of images and feelings.
"Yes. Yes. They kidnap females, chick and mares, and force the Corrupted to mate with them, then they take the corrupted foals shortly after they start growing within their mothers. But the hive mind isn't tied to a real body like pony mind, that's why they remember. They absorb corruption, but are then cut off and used... as a material. Unstable material. They gather thousands. Heavy..."
"Y-yes?"
"The bomb production thing isn't just a factory. It's a breeding stall."
And just like that I'm back in the dark alley, gasping for breath.
"That is monstrous. How could somepony do this?"
Thirst for power, something I will never understand.
"Oh?"
I have the need for power. Two completely different things.
Touching the agitated minds of the living wave of corruption again, I know now what I can do. They are carrying within them the rage of their mothers as the little liquid black blobs were taken away from them, all that and their own. Confusion, hatred, chaos, all artificially calmed down so that it doesn't spill over, all needing just a little push to blow. I know what I might have to do. But that's not my choice, not yet.
It's Nicolai's.
I rush through the shadowy streets, avoiding lamps and griffons, towards the Hayburger meeting place. As I enter the lit building filled with eating griffons, a young chubby chick pushing a trolley with messy trays smiles at me.
I nod back and head straight towards the bathrooms.
"Aww, none with a hole this time."
Here in Hayburger? You don't want to know how someone who eats greasy food a lot tastes. Ewww...
"Ever had a changeling's?"
Yeah, good old Chryssie herself few times. Like mint mixed with honey.
"And Cromach?"
Now look who's full of personal questions.
"I'm just asking to pass time, honestly. Being an ethereal creature in the real world is kind of boring."
Sweet.
"It's not that great."
I mean Cromach. He loved fruit, a lot for a griffon. So he tasted sweet. And bacon. When we used to live together in Canterlot, every morning was like waking up in a burning barn.
"I've tried meat once or twice with Tio. I could live without it."
I like chicken, to be honest.
"Oh the Cromach-based innuendos in my head right now."
It's not so effective when I openly admit it.
"Sadly, true."
Sitting in a stall, I eventually hear the door open in about a minute intervals without anypony leaving, and peek out only to face Lyam's back.
"Did you bring me some hay fries? I'm starving," I ask jokingly and watch him spin around, startled.
To my surprise, a small, delicious-smelling package with yellow tips is presented by the griffon. I don't even bother chewing.
"Now that's what I call hungry," Lyam comments.
Oops, I ate even the paper package. Meh, it all becomes black goo in the end.
Philosophical.
"Did you find out anything interesting?" asks Desert Shade.
"Yes," I nod, "but that'll have to wait for Nicolai. Where is he?"
"He and Flora went ahead. An airship will sneak under the radars, land by the north city walls and extract us. They wanted to check the situation out first."
"Okay, do we just leave?"
"I guess so," Des shrugs, "Scroll put a disinterest spell on us which until now has kept us safe. If we're not too conspicuous we should just leave one by one, exactly like we arrived."
"Useful, how did you get caught with something this cool in your arsenal?"
"Subtle spells which don't trigger magical sensors like that don't have much force behind them," explains Rolled Scroll, "I could protect only the few of us, and lord Nicolai's agents got caught first. When the soldiers knew something was up, the spell didn't work that well anymore."
Good to know.
"Really?"
Yeah, my talent is unraveling magic, Learning about spell specifics is kind of crucial towards that. Who knows when I'll have someone or something trailing me using this sort of magic?
"I've never thought about it like that. I built up my magic resistance by being repeatedly hit with huge balls of fire."
And the huge balls of a changeling. HAH!
"Hmph!"
"Any planned order?" I ask.
"You're going last," Des nods towards the door.
Five minutes later, we're rushing through the streets like a long snake, every single one of us within sight of the one following him. As Scroll said, the spell doesn't work well on groups, but a long line of solitary figures serves us well.
We're almost out. Just through this unlit alley and we should be right by the city walls.
I hear a click next to my head.
Not waiting for anything, I bend my neck forward and spawn a clump of tentacles from the ground which swallow the ambusher.
"Mmmmmphphmh!"
The tentacles peel off like the petals of a venus flytrap to reveal the head of...
...Flora frowning at me.
"Could you please let me go?" she whispers, "I've had my fill of tentacles in Drachenberg."
"You could have ended far worse than this," I growl, and the tentacles retract back into the black pool on the concrete road, "Be more careful next time, please."
"What do you think I was doing? A GIL soldier following the group we're about to meet? That's how we got into this mess in the first place. Anyway, I thought it was you, otherwise I would have shot you instead of coming close. Now come on, our ride will be here any minute now."
"Right, right."
The next dark alley is a dead end one because it reaches the high wall surrounding the city itself. Behind two dumpsters forming an L preventing anyone walking by on the main street from seeing us, Nicolai greets me again and goes straight to business:
"We can't get out through any of the city gates nearby, there's ten soldiers on each one with machine guns and all ready. That means that while the city isn't on high alert, the soldiers and guards clearly know someone might try to get out. We can't just fly over right now because there are sensors which will trip alarms instantly. However, if we're lucky, the Black Ops airship will arrive unnoticed, and when it's here we'll just ignore the alarms, get inside, and fly off before the soldiers can react."
"When is it coming?" I ask, "Oh, and when we're inside, I need to talk to you immediately, Nicolai."
He raises an eyebrow, but nods.
*Beep beep.*
Nicolai takes a short-range transmitter from his belt and pushes a button.
"We're on the coordinates."
[Clear the area, Nicolai. I'm about to show them what happens to those who threaten my family.]
The griffon's beak- jaw- something drops as the commanding voice from the transmitter goes quiet.
"Oh on the talons of the Great Hawk, it's the Grand Cross. The idiot's here in person."
"Eh, what's going on?" asks Flora after hearing Nicolai's worried tone.
"We need to get out of this alley, immediately!"
The humming from the sky as we rush out back onto the main street grows louder, and a dark hexagon elongated on two sides grows, outlined against the stars.
I notice Nicolai shoving his talons into his ears and closing his eyes, and everyone else following his example.
The sound like strings of an out of tune guitar breaks the silence, and the inside of my eyelids turns bright yellow for a moment. When I open my eyes, the alley is no more, the block of city wall is no more, and there's a circular chunk cut clean out of the two houses which used to form our hiding place. Through the smoldering crater, I can clearly see the land outside and the hexagonal airship landing within our line of sight.
"Go go go!" orders Nicolai, grabs Strong Back, and flies off towards our rescuers.
Flora takes Rolled Scroll on her back, and I jump onto Lyam's. Everyone is let go as we clear the stretch of molten rock, mortar, and bricks, and a wide ramp slides out of the bottom of the hovering ship.
Two GIGANTIC metal quardupeds stomp out, each carrying what has to be some sort of a gun looking like six long barrels inside a slowly spinning thick metal pipe. Both are aimed at me. They have to either be robots, or griffons inside some thick metal armor which gently hisses as they walk.
Nicolai waves at them.
"At ease, he's with us."
"Scanners are showing twenty-two hostiles from the east. GIL soldiers," says one of the big armors in a distorted voice. Not like Bucket's, but like a living being speaking into a transmitter.
"Everyone get inside," Nicolai nods to the ramp.
I freeze, though, as the armored soldier's weapon starts spinning so fast it blurs, sending out projectlies with blinding speed. Within seconds, griffons drop from the dark sky where I didn't even see them before.
"Area clear," he says.
We run up the ramp, followed by the two armors, and the ramp closes, leaving us in what seems like a loading bay of a ferry. Come to think of it, that's probably what it is.
"I've flown on Icy Gaze's Hailstorm, and that was a mirror world airship, only modified for speed. This thing... is huuuuge."
I have to agree. The loading bay itself is the size of Canterlot castle throne room minus the height. About a dozen griffons are flying around, moving crates, or watching us.
I shuffle over to Desert Shade and poke her side.
"What are those?" I point a back tentacle to the walking metal hulks.
"The Imperial Guards. They are griffons wearing power armors. You don't want to get on their bad side."
"And the guns?"
"Miniguns."
"MINI? Those things are enormous!"
"I have no clue who invented them, but that's apparently the joke."
"ATTEEEEN-TION!" I hear one of the Imperial Guards proclaim loudly, and every single griffon in the vicinity stands up straight, saluting. Everyone but Nicolai who just waves.
From across the room, a tall and muscular griffon followed by a smaller chick holding a notepad strides towards us. His coat is moss green, his head feathers steel-grey just like his eyes, there's a scar crossing his face, and while the only thing he's wearing is a gold-rimmed dark purple coat, he commands respect and fear at first sight.
Ignoring everyone else, he hugs Nicolai who smiles and pats his back.
"Good to see you too, Cassius. Though I was hoping we could get out without alerting the entire city to us."
"They've gone too far, Nicolai," Cassius' voice is calm and firm, "I was ready to pay my throne's weight in diamonds for your ransom, but not to have to arrange your funeral."
I really hate to interrupt the reunion of the two most powerful griffons of the Empire, especially not when surrounded by more arriving Imperial Guards, but there's something which needs to be taken care of before we fly too far away from the city.
"Ehm," I clear my throat, "I need to talk to you, Nicolai, and, I guess, to you too, Emperor."
"Call him Cassius, he just looks scary," Nicolai winks at me.
"What is it, Corrupted?" asks Cassius.
I tell them my theory concerning the growth of biological weapons Legius is using. From time to time I hear a quiet sigh or a curse both from the guards and everyone else listening.
"-and... I think I can make them go off from here. It would likely end the whole city, but the 'factory' too. It's not my choice, though. It's yours."
Nicolai opens his beak, but Cassius stops him by raising his foreleg.
"What will you do if we say it is up to you?"
"Blow everyone up," I admit. I've been thinking about it since the vision of the incomplete Corruptors. It is... necessary.
I think.
I hope.
I don't know.
"And what if we tell you not to do it?"
"Then I won't. You might have a plan or something regarding your subjects. You might be able to save them. You have the resources. I don't. All I can do is slow down the catastrophe."
Cassius and Nicolai exchange glances. Apparently, they deal with choices like these every day. They are used to the burden of their decisions. They are each a half of the imperial rulership, no matter how casual one of them seems.
"Do it."
"Do it."
Walking over to the glass observation pane at the back of the rising Grand Cross, I give one last look to the city lights growing smaller and smaller, and tap into the chaotic proto-minds of the incomplete Corruptors. Whatever chemicals are being used to keep their essence pacified stop being enough when I enter their world, and embrace their boiling need to taint everything.
A black cloud originating from the factory district covers everything, making the street lamps go dark.
I feel hundreds of thousands of minds join the ranks of the Corrupted within moments, and while I can keep lying to myself that it was Nicolai and Cassius who decided to wipe a city full of their subjects out, I know that I gave them the option, and I made it come true.
I'm just meant to cause pain no matter my intentions. I wish I could delude myself this is somepony else's fault, but...
This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me.
"Blazing?"
This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me. This one's on me.