//------------------------------// // Changing Loyalties // Story: For Want of a Dawn // by Ciroton //------------------------------// Points of yellow speckled against the utter blackness, beads of light shimmering softly beyond the veil of grime and neglect. The gentle patter of rain echoed as the clouds above glowed in luminescent orange from the multitude of lights, its clean scent wafting through the cracks in the window's frame. There was still a subtle beauty in the world, despite the shadow which lingered overhead, threatening to devour everything with malice and greed. Pinkamena sighed to herself as she pressed her muzzle against the dirty glass, her hot breath mixing with the cool air outside, fogging it up. It was almost as if the world itself were weeping for the lives lost, that it actually cared for the busy little ponies that barely paid it any heed. The skyscrapers beyond only proved the pony ambition to better their own selfish lives at the cost of anyone or anything else. She was doing the world a favour by trying to destroy such a callous city. But why was she looking at it wistfully, a tear developing in her eye as she imagined thousands of ponies burning to death? The world had already shunned their species: how else could such a nasty and evil mare take control? The only thing left was to burn it all and let the survivors, if any, start anew. A seed of hope spared by the cleansing flames of judgement. It still did not explain why she felt so sad. Pushing away from the window, the pink mare turned herself around and wandered back to another window she had been watching. The abandoned factory proved to be the perfect place to assemble the tool of their purification. It was discreet, but near enough to the heart of the city that it would burn like the black, wretched creature it was! Ponies who shared her vision busied themselves with their various tasks to reassemble the device as their pink mistress watched overhead. All that there was left for her to do was to wait and flip the switch to begin the revival of the world. Granted, that day was still a ways off and there would be plenty of other towns to cleanse. The Ponyville fire had taught her that sometimes the best solution to a problem was to destroy the problem entirely. It was a shame that Twilight Sparkle had come home with remorse; she could have used such great destructive potential in order to save the world. I don't want to do this, cried a voice in her head. I want to party and laugh with my friends! Remember the good times instead of the bad while playing pin the tail on the pony and eating lots and lots of cake! But not too much, or else it will be like the time I ate all the cake in the store and the Cakes got really, really mad at me because they were for the customers and- The pink make slammed her head against an inoperative console in the room, blood running down her face as her forehead hit a corner. "No!" she growled to herself. "There's nothing left to party about, PINKIE. All that is left is pain and heartache! We have to save the world... by destroying it!" Be quiet, meanie-mean-pants! Just because you have lost faith in pony kind does not mean I have! As long as we have friends, there will always be something to celebrate and laugh about and every pony is our friend, so we always have a reason to party! "SHUT UP!" she cried out with her hooves pressed against her ears. "We don't have any friends! We don't NEED any friends! What kind of friends plot against each other and... and die on us!?" Memories of one of her bestest best friends and number one pranking buddy crossed her mind, letting more tears slip out as she remembered those days were now over. "You know she didn't want to," the voice countered, using her own mouth to speak. "She did it because she thought it would help us and maybe even get rid of the queen! Dashie was reckless, but she'd never let herself die unless she went down swinging. She was... is... one of our best friends." "I just told you, WE DON'T NEED ANY SO-CALLED FRIENDS!" the mare shouted at herself through gritted teeth. "There is ONLY Pinkamena Diane Pie! No other stupid ponies allowed!" She pushed herself up onto her hind legs, using the console as a support as her chest heaved in heavy breaths. Closing her eyes, she tried to use her mind to suppress the stupid, foolish voice from telling her what to do. Tears continued to slip out from behind her blue eyes, regardless of the anger burning in her heart. She wanted a pony to come and see her, any pony. If they did, she could kill them and be rid of the nagging voice that rung the same phrase over in her mind a dozen times a minute: 'All I really need is a smile, smile, smile: fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine!' I can keep this up all day! Oooh! Let's make a game out of it! See how many times I can sing the whole song in an hour, and then try and beat the record! "ARGH!" she cried out. "If you do that, so help me, Celestia I'll blow my bucking BRAINS out! Then we will see who's smiling!" Reaching into the desk they brought from Trottingham, she pulled out a simple revolver with her hoof and pointed it at her head. "Go ahead! Make my bucking day!" Okay, okay, the voice relinquished. Sheesh! You don't need to be so violent, Ms. Bossy-Mean-Pants. "Don't you forget," she seethed as she slammed the weapon back into the drawer. "YOU let me out, Pinkie!" As soon as it came, the torrent of conflicting emotions was gone, wiped out by the underlying desire to destroy everything around her. A grin spread on her face as she trotted back to the window. Her magnum opus was taking shape in a beautiful symphony of erratic noise and grinding metal, and the day it finally whirled to life would be a reason to smile, if she ever knew one. ~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~ The eerie silence of the forest was only broken by the occasional snapping of twigs as the group of ponies carefully and silently made their way across the bush. Even with a baby dragon at their side, the Everfree Forest was not something to ever be taken lightly. One wrong turn, and they could find themselves face-to-face with a hungry Manticore, or something far worse! Trixie mulled over Twilight's motivations for having the three of them go after the yellow Pegasus first. Of the three other mares, Fluttershy would be both the most likely to lose her conviction and the most helpful in bringing the other former Elements of Harmony onto her side. It still did not change the fact that she was utterly insane and had an army of irate beasts at her disposal. If push came to shove, however, they were equipped to hold them off for a while. Meanwhile, the white unicorn began to come to terms with her situation and decision. Getting away from Queen Eos meant she HAD to get dirty, no matter what she did. Although she had stopped verbally complaining with some... encouragement (her cheek still hurt), she kept fuming under the surface. Stupid, ungrateful mare! How dare she make me travel through the muck like this! Nevertheless, she would rather be dirty than put up with that tyrannical horse anymore. Taking the lead for once, Spike pushed through the undergrowth as quietly as possible. Scouting ahead for hostile creatures may not have been his specialty, but with his draconian eyesight and sense of smell, he stood a better chance at catching something ahead of time than the two ponies he traveled with. It felt good to be needed. Eventually, as the sunlight faded, they came across the obvious clearing and small wooden cottage in the middle of it. However, contrary to Twilight's story, there were no creatures forming a perimeter around the building. It was curious, to be sure, so he signaled to the ponies to hold short. There was the possibility Fluttershy expected somepony to come waltzing up to her, so she set up a trap to get them for it. Summoning his courage, he stepped out into the field and ran for the shack. He lifted his head ever so slightly and looked into the window. The yellow Pegasus had her back to it, humming as she cut up some carrots into a stew. Feeling it was safe, he signaled to the others to come forward, turning back to watch as they silently galloped to join him. "Okay," Trixie whispered. "Charge up your strongest restraining spell and on the count of three, we'll burst in there and catch them by surprise." Charging up her horn, the blue unicorn counted down to three and suddenly burst down the door before anyone could voice their objections. She quickly fired out a shot towards the yellow blur in the centre in the room as she came charging in. "What the mmph!" the Pegasus cried out before being silenced by the spell with her wings and hooves bound together by an invisible force. Her eyes went wide as the two ponies and baby dragon entered her hut and shut the door behind them, rage and confusion suddenly turning to sorrow and relief in her teal pools. "Sorry about that, Fluttershy," Spike apologized. "Trixie can be a bit... gung-ho. Can you let her go?" "Why? So she can summon those little devils of hers!?" the showmare spat. "Twilight did tell you she wanted to TALK to her, not roughhouse her, correct?" the white unicorn added as she shut the curtains inside the hut. "Besides, if I were her, I'd be less inclined to listen if I were being FORCED to." "Sorry, Trixie, but you're outvoted. I'm sure Twilight would say the same." "Fine! Just don't cry to Trixie when your faces are being gnawed off by a Timber Wolf!" With a tug of her will, the binds on the Pegasus came loose, allowing her freedom once more. Fluttershy got to her hooves a little shaky, her eyes fastened on only one pony in the room. "R-Rarity!?" she breathed in awe, much like she had when she saw she had wings. "Is... Is that really you!?" "Yes, darling, it's me," she spoke softly as she embraced the Pegasus. "But, um... no offence, but you could REALLY use a trip to the spa, Fluttershy. Is... is that a NEST in your mane!? Oh, sweet Celestia, it is! You've got split ends galore, your coat is all matted and... well... I DO like a good challenge." A smile and small line of tears graced her face, a little bit of dirt from the Pegasus mare's coat sticking to her cheek. "Oh, Rarity! I missed you," she replied, reluctantly breaking off their friendly hug with a blush. "I... I am SO sorry I helped vote you out of the Crusaders. Had I known things would have come to this, I would have..." "Shh," the white mare replied, putting her hoof to her lips to silence her. "I'm well past that, darling. There is nothing to apologize for." "But-" "Nothing." A weak smile crept across the butter-coloured pony's face. She let out a breath she did not know she was holding. "Oh! Spike, Trixie! Do come in," she smiled to the others as if suddenly becoming aware of their existence. The shift in the mood of the room was dramatic as it was sudden. Once foreign invaders had become welcome guests, sitting up to the table as the yellow mare poured them some of the carrot soup she had been making. "S-sorry if the chairs are small... I... I haven't entertained a pony since... since Twilight and... she was more a hostage than a guest..." she trailed off in shame at her actions. "Actually," Trixie spoke after sipping some soup (after checking for poison, of course.) "We're here because of Twilight. You see, she is going after the one common denominator of all the movements, Party Poppers included. If at all possible, she seeks to kill Queen Eos once and for all, and then settle the whole matter of government afterwards. As long as Eos is in charge, Equestria is in danger." "Yes," the mare nodded as she joined the others at the small table. "I've heard that from some of my little spies and... I've been thinking about this for a long while. I see her point in wanting to get rid of Eos first, but... well, I just can't. I still have my own goals and I can't just abandon them. Not when I am so close to achieving my most important one." "Which one is that?" Spike asked carefully. "Destroying the new weather factory that Eos is making," she replied after eating some stew herself. "I've only really delayed it, but if it is destroyed outright... well... I might be able to let the forest do what it does best." ~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~ I don't want to open my eyes. I just want to lay here and sleep, hopefully I'll wake up and this whole nightmare will be over, Twilight thought as she lay on the ground. After being flung into the portal back to Equestria, her world had become a void of purple before it faded into black. The next thing she knew, she could hear the gentle call of birds, squirrels and other woodland creatures. It was just too much for her to process. Rainbow Dash... she sacrificed herself to save me, she thought as a cool breath of breeze played over her body. This is a pretty poor way to show my gratitude though, isn't it? As much as she wanted to dwell on her fate, the phrase 'just keep moving' played across her mind once more. With a heavy sigh, the lavender alicorn got off of her side and opened her eyes. As expected, she could see birds of different colours nesting in the trees around her, the gentle rustling of the leaves ticking her ears as another gust played across her fur. Taking in a deep breath, the air smelled sweeter than she remembered. In fact, the air even looked cleaner. If she had a clear shot, she probably could have seen for miles! The stupid shoes she had fought so hard for lay in the grass near the edge of the clearing, sparkling in the light of the morning sun. It was not until she stood up and flared her wings that she remembered that her own Eos still had her transformed into an alicorn. "Okay, Eos. Thank you very much for your help. You can turn me back," she spoke to herself. She stood there for a good couple of minutes, but she could not feel anything happening. Looking to her hooves, she was still much farther above the ground than she should have been. "Any minute now!" I... I can't, the voice admitted meekly. I've been trying, but I just can't. It's... possible the lava destroyed your mortal body because I couldn't change you in time. I'd just... go with an illusion or transformation spell. "WHAT!?" Twilight cried out in anger. "Argh! This is the LAST thing I need! Now, I look like HER! How am I going to help my friends? They'll KNOW it's a disguise, and think I'm the queen herself! ...Unless I use Blueprint." It would probably be safer to use that disguise anyway. She was sure after her flight from Canterlot, Queen Eos would probably want her head on a silver platter and her eyes stuffed with diamonds. Twilight channeled her magic into her horn to prepare just that very disguise when her ears became assaulted by the sound of hollow, raspy breath from somewhere behind her. Her blood ran cold as she identified that it was a pony making the noise, meaning she had been spotted. Ponyfeathers, she swore to herself as the breathing only grew louder. "Your majesty," spoke a calm and even voice from behind. Twilight slowly turned on the spot to face him and was surprised, to say the least, by what she saw. It was a pony, but then it was not a pony at the same time. A pang of empathy washed over her as she realized she was looking at a golem, and a familiar one at that. His body was as brown as clay and he wore a dark suit with a sapphire blue tie. On his back sat two brown and simple saddle bags with standard clasps as he did not have a mark on his flank. He possessed a brown mane that was played with by the wind, meaning he was advanced. It was his cold, calculating eyes that gave him away. "It is a surprise, to say the least, to see you here. Especially after your actions last week," he added with even calm, although a hint of indignation in his words. He reminded her very much of Celestia. "Have you come to 'educate' the citizens of Ponyville further?" "Educate?" she repeated with a measure of surprise. "Executing a married and mated couple before half the town does little to assist in your public image, your highness." Twilight's blood ran cold, unable to help her jaw drop for just a second before remembering he thought she was the queen. She... Eos had publicly executed two ponies? What did they do? Why would she do something so extreme? Oh no! He was beginning to give her a look...! "I... I was... not having a good day, I am ashamed to say," she lied. "I have... regretted my actions of that day since it happened, and you are correct. Do you mind if I slip into a disguise..." What was his name again!? What did Dinky call him? "... Ironhead?" A tiny, almost unnoticeable smile crept across his face. "I don't mind at all, my queen. In fact, I would encourage it. If you will pardon my language, I have had a hell of a time trying to keep an all-out riot from happening since." He nodded his head and took a step back, being only a couple of pony lengths away from the false monarch. Twilight resumed channeling her magic into her horn, focusing hard on her disguise. Magical warmth swept over her, ticking her inside and out. It felt strange to feel her stature shrink and it was another matter still to feel her horn and wings disappear. Once the spell was done, a white earth pony with an emerald green mane and eyes stood before the governor of Ponyville. Traveling like this, with the golem by her side, she might not make friends, but she would not be harassed by guards. "Very good, your majesty," the golem pony nodded to what he thought was his liege. "Would you like to come with me to my office? We have a lot to discuss, I am afraid." "How about the library?" the imposter suggested. "I would honestly feel more comfortable there, as it is closer to the woods than the centre of town. In case my disguise is blown and, as you say, a riot breaks out, I would want to be able to leave as quickly and quietly as possible. Too much blood has been spilled here already." "That is a very wise choice, my queen. I believe we can accommodate you, as we have been watching the library as per your order. No pony has been in or out since the order was given. I expect you wish us to secure an item that you are about to retrieve?" "Not necessarily," she spoke. Wandering to the edge of the clearing, she picked up the four shoes in her mouth and gave them to the golem, who placed them in his saddlebags without any prompting. If he had no idea why Eos would make him guard the library, than she was not about to make him assume anything either. "Although I would like to put these shoes into the library for safe keeping, my further reasons for guarding that building are my own. I hope you trust that," she added as they began the trot into town. "Of course, your highness," he replied automatically as he followed one stride behind and to the right side. ~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~ Stars twinkled in the velvet indigo sky, the moon sitting near its apex as the crown jewel of the night. It was forever at peace: the plights and activities of the ponies below went unseen and uncared for by the eternal lights. Down in Equestria, however, things were still in motion as ponies stirred to further their own designs under the sparkling tapestry above. Just south of the Everfree Forest, nestled between the hostile wood and a small range of mountains that broke off from Canterlot, a towering mass of iron sat dormant. Skeletal frames of steel stood exposed to the cool air of the night next to towering claws of smokestacks and cranes. During the night, despite the lights that littered the site, work could not continue on the new Equestria Weather Factory, for fear of the beasts that dwelled to the north. Unlike the old one in Cloudsdale, the steel titan slowly rising from the ground was not designed to be aesthetically pleasing, but to be completed as soon as possible. In fact, the reactor would be going online in a few weeks according to a certain yellow Pegasus. From the edge of the forest, two ponies and one baby dragon stood and watched the slumbering giant from behind the bushes. Damn that stubborn mule, the azure unicorn thought in spite. We're pressed for time, and she unloads this garbage on our backs! Why can't she do her own dirty work? After hours of struggling with Fluttershy, while trying to come to a compromise, it became apparent that she would not fold. So, reluctantly, the only way she would consider joining them was for them to play ball and destroy the new factory. "What are you planning, Twilight?" she wondered to herself out loud with a sigh. "So... what's the plan, Trixie?" Rarity asked after a couple of minutes of silence. "Trixie doesn't have a bucking clue," the showmare confessed. "We know nothing about the interior, or if the reactor can be turned on so we can overload it. We also don't have enough charges to bring down the main building, Trixie can tell you that much. Plus, it is likely under heavy guard due to all the animal attacks and the sensitive nature of the equipment." "It looks all so... practical. So sterile; nothing at all like what Twilight told me the Cloudsdale factory looked like," Spike mused. "If Queen Eos designed the building, than... well, it would be as efficient as possible. We might not know the layout, but if we think it through logically, than we can progress with some sense of where we are going." "Do you have any better ideas, Rarity?" Trixie asked after hearing the purple dragon out. "No. No, I suppose I don't," she sighed "So, we go in and see if the reactor can be turned on. If it can, we'll overload it. If not, we place charges in key locations. Does that sound about right?" "Yes, that sounds about right to Trixie." "Alright, so give us the signal and we'll move out!" the baby dragon chirped. "Not so fast there, Spike. Magic and dragons don't really mix. If Trixie were to perform an invisibility spell, you would still be out in the open. We need you out here in case reinforcements arrive." the blue pony replied. With a wave of her soft blue magic, a pair of gemstones appeared, one draped around her neck, and the other in the dragon's claws. "Plus, that magic stone will let Trixie teleport outside of line-of-sight. If we need to get out in a hurry, you will be our exit point, so stay safe." "Right," he said, nodding. With a quick wave of magic, the two unicorns faded from sight and blended into the flora around them almost perfectly. The only hint to their whereabouts would be the occasional shimmer of the edge of their bodies when they moved too quickly. Although he knew Trixie was right about his scales being naturally resistant to magic, it still bugged him that he had to be left on the sidelines again, while the ponies risked their lives. "Do I really have to go with you, Trixie? I could... I don't know... stay behind while you and Spike go in," the fashion designer squeaked as they started towards the compound. "Besides, I don't feel comfortable with the whole sneaking around thing. Somepony could get hurt, or even killed if we took a wrong step." "Rarity," the other unicorn snapped. "This is a WAR. I know it has been a cakewalk for you in the bucking gilded cage, but you knew what you were getting into when you had Twilight bust you out, so either SUCK IT UP, or go back to Canterlot and get killed! Either way, you're a headache I don't need right now if you keep whining!" "I am NOT whining," she hissed. "I am complaining. You do NOT want to hear me WHINE, Trixie. The Diamond Dogs can attest to that." "Diamond Dogs would not break your jaw, now would they? So, SHUT UP!" Trixie was not even trying to hide her distaste for the white unicorn. The only reason she brought her along was to make sure she did not get scared and run off if a bug landed on her, or something. The fence around the new weather factory reached at least fifteen feet high and carried hundreds of warning signs to advertise that it was, indeed, electrified. Even if Trixie were blind, the hum of electricity coursing through the metal would have tipped her off. Unfortunately, while she possessed a teleportation spell, she did not have the magical reserves to pull it off multiple times like her sister. Detecting no other magic on the fence, a light blue beam of magic sprouted from the show mare's horn, cutting through the thin steel like a hoof through a spider's web. Her invisibility spell flickered sporadically, causing a sparking noise to sound through the quiet night air above the gentle hum of her magic. Once a big enough hole was cut into the fence, the beam of magic stopped and the spell keeping them out of sight stopped flickering. Being hidden under the one spell, both unicorns could see the other while they moved. Trixie took the lead, being careful not to touch the metal of the fence. Rarity, meanwhile, delayed. She knew the horrors of war based off of Eos' stories during her fittings. So, it was not like she could plead she had no idea. As the azure unicorn's flank began to disappear into the darkness, a phantom kick in her side spurred her on to move forward into the compound. The bases of large cranes, lumber, metal, and boxes filled with supplies littered the ground around the emerging factory building. Its white stone facade glimmered in the moonlight as the soft, reflected light hit the hard surface. Flashbacks of the queen talking about the structure drifted into Rarity's mind, making her recall how she urged her to go for a more grandiose exterior, even if the inside would be bland. Of course, the hurtful alicorn rebuffed her. Well, she thought to herself as she ducked behind a crate with Trixie. I suppose I can call this payback for being forced to conform to her bleak standards! When she thought about the assault like that, suddenly the idea of destroying the factory became less of a chore and more of a joy! In fact, if she pushed herself, she could almost see it as a work of art: but with fire and explosions! Receiving a tap on the shoulder, the two mares quickly cantered over towards a door in the side of the building. Pausing to make sure there were no alarm spells on the door, they ripped the twin steel blocks open and silently slammed them shut. After a quick check to see if there were any magical observation stones lying around, the azure mare dispelled the illusion. The halls of the facility were a sterile white, interrupted only by the exposed steel framework of future rooms and other halls. Lights, both installed and mobile work lights illuminated the incomplete interior in a pale glow of electricity. Shadows played out across walls and floor alike, causing the two mares to stop dead as they saw what looked like the silhouette of a pony come into view, only for it to be revealed as an awkwardly stacked pile of construction material. Eventually, the two mares found themselves in a wide, three-story hall that spanned from one end of the rectangular building to the other. A mosaic of tiles formed a picture of Pegasus ponies congregated around the old weather factory with the names of those that perished in the explosion as a memorial. Glass railings lined the balconies on the upper floors: obviously offices for the higher-ups who would be in charge of the facility. "Have these ponies never heard of a night guard before?" Rarity asked as they quietly followed a sign pointing towards the reactor core. "Other than Fluttershy and her critters, who else in their right mind would want to destroy the weather factory?" Trixie replied. "Pinkie Pie," the white unicorn added flatly as they quietly made their way down the corridor. "I said 'in their right mind,'" she rebuffed. Unable to respond to that, the white mare continued following her down the hall in silence. About halfway, they made a sudden turn to the left and into a smaller hall. However, after only a couple of minutes of walking, Trixie suddenly shoved the snowy mare in a door, perplexing her at first until the sound of hoof steps echoed across their ears. "Hey, did you go to the game last night?" sounded the voice of a gruff, older stallion. "Of course not," his younger sounding partner replied as they strode past the door. "That kid of mine has been driving me wild. Oh, and keep it down. Somepony could hear us coming and hide." The banter continued after the older pony laughed, telling him to stop being so serious for once in his life, to which the younger countered with his elder not being serious enough. If there was a time to laugh at circumstance, it would be then, if they were not busy hiding in the shadows to avoid the two guards. Well, at least they are not total morons, Trixie mused. Their relative incompetence had bought them some time, but depending on the ponies ahead, it would either be easier or harder. Nodding to her partner once the sounds of the stallions faded into the darkness, the two mares were off once more into the depths of the facility. The hall signs lead them to a ramp made of wood, reinforced with steel bars. Metal studs outlined where the future walls would be, so it was not hard to guess that a set of stairs would replace the ramp in the future. The hollow thuds of their hooves against the wood echoed through the building as they climbed, making the hairs on their back stand as they risked getting discovered. Thankfully, no pony was there to greet them by the time they reached the top of the ramp. But, as they turned a corner, the blue unicorn came to a sudden stop, making her white counterpart softly exclaim in surprise. "Shh. Guards," the showmare whispered as quietly as she could. Looking around the corner, she could see four guards in front of a set of glass double doors wearing the green armour characteristic of the army. "Even without the signs, I would bet my last bit that the reactor core was beyond those doors." Rarity pondered over the situation. There were too many guards to distract since at least two would remain behind while another went to check. Sleeping spells took a while to charge and she was fairly confident that Trixie did not know any that could be used en masse. Plus, with a giant red button there, it was likely they could get to the alarm in just under a second, so whatever they did had to be done extremely quickly. However, as all hope seemed lost, the ground began to quake, followed by a large crash. Red lights flashed and alarms blared. "Security breach! Security breach," the magical stallion voice chimed. "Outer perimeter compromised due to large creature. Species verified as: Ursa Minor. All hooves proceed to sector three to repel threat! Repeat: outer perimeter..." "You heard it, boys!" cried out one of the stallion guards. "Get your flanks in gear!" With a whip of his tail, they were off, abandoning their post to pursue the large threat of a small star bear. Surprised at their luck, the two mares pressed forward towards the doors as another loud crash shook the facility. Beyond the door lay two walls of glass, the passage a bridge between the main facility and the reactor housing. Obviously, Eos had learned to separate them, somewhat. "Wait. Look," Rarity paused with her hoof on Trixie's shoulder. Looking to their right, through the field of beams and unfinished outer walls, a mass of blue speckled with stars could be seen. "It looks like Fluttershy sent us a little help." The blue mare gave her a look. "...sorry for the holdup." Sure, the Ursa was a distraction, but once they found out somepony was messing with the reactor, they would be coming after them. With no time to spare, the two mares galloped across the bridge and through the door into the small building ahead. Before them was a circular elevator made of glass and white steel surrounded by three rails attached to the car like a compass, save one that would be in the way of the door. Trotting inside, the doors shut behind them with a hiss, the car moving down with an airy moan as it rapidly sped to the bottom of the shaft. Lights flew past the car as the elevator moved, casting shadows on the two ponies before they were gone in a flash. "So, where did you get those explosives, Trixie?" Rarity asked in curiosity to help pass the time. Now that they were in the elevator, they were all but safe until they arrived at the bottom. "Trixie made them herself using some stuff lying around the forest and things she keeps on hoof for any situation," she replied with a smirk. "Trixie likes to make sure she always has fireworks on hoof in case of an impromptu performance." As she finished speaking, the quiet whirl of the elevator slowed down as the elevator came to a stop before a slab of iron. The glass doors moved aside with a gentle hiss and the iron ones shortly after with a dull thud. Beyond, there was a long hallway which reached towards a window made of glass at least one pony-length thick. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as the smell of fresh paint wafted across their muzzles. Beyond the glass, the reactor floated magically in the centre of a room filled with water, encased in more glass to protect the fragile and volatile machinery that processed raw rainbow juice. It was obvious Eos had gone to extremes in order to protect the facility from any external threats, but the two unicorns would not be deterred. Concentrating as hard as they could, the two mares bore into the glass with their magic. It was hard at first, but as the glass heated up they found themselves making more progress while keeping their ears peeled for an alarm or approaching guards. Working together, the hole they bore approached the size of a hoof in the thick glass, about the size needed to stuff the bombs inside. "Are you sure the glass won't blow out?" Rarity asked as they got close to the other side. "It's blast glass, so not likely. Just don't stand in front of the hole when we break through." Sure enough, the moment they fully penetrated the glass a massive torrent of water gushed forth with a roar that equaled that of a dragon in the hall. With a hole in the teleport-resistant glass, the bombs in her bag flashed and appeared on the ball surrounding the reactor. "Once the water drains and the bombs are exposed to air, they'll go off, so let's get the buck out of here!" "No need to be vulgar, Trixie!" she shouted over the din of the rapidly draining water. Reaching her hoof over the cutting stream of liquid she touched the unicorn on her shoulder as her horn blazed blue. In a bright flash, the two were suddenly back out in the cool night air with the sound of the baby dragon fretting over the woozy and faint showmare. "Are you girls okay!?" Spike half yelled. "This Ursa came out of nowhere and started attacking the building and then the guard ponies started pouring out and attacked it! I was worried you two would be hurt or something!" Before he could take another breath, a loud thud echoed through the forest, causing birds to take off in fright as the ground shook. Dust blew out the lower level windows of the factory followed by a raging ball of technicolor fire. While its location deep in the ground prevented another Cloudsdale, the effects on the building were still substantial as the colourful fire quickly began to engulf the building, blowing tanks of propane and other explosive materials. Ponies scrambled from the now raging inferno, no doubt wondering what had went wrong. "Come on, let's go tell Fluttershy," Rarity spoke as she helped Trixie walk deeper into the woods. ~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~ Ponyville was, mostly, exactly as she remembered it being when she first emerged from the Everfree Forest: sorrowful with an undercurrent of fear. She could see why, what with a war and ruler that no pony wanted and an ousted mayor that every pony loved. However, there now flowed an even greater current of resentment and anger: a powder keg waiting for just the most fleeting kiss from a flame to detonate. Not long after beginning her trek with the governor through the heart of town, Twilight suggested he walk beside her casually rather than the brisk, properly formed trot to avoid suspicion. Although ponies stared at their procession, their lingering glares rested on the golem at her side. Chancing a glance, although she told him to walk casually, he remained behind her face. Obviously, Eos had made him very proper about the laws and etiquette surrounding royalty. Distasteful murmurs drifted to her ears upon the summer's winds, speaking of the queen and her crimes, as well as those in the army or in the guard. Even as ponies yelled obscenities and taunted him as they walked through the town square, his look of calm stoicism never faltered for even a second. There was definitely some bit of Celestia inside of this golem, whether Eos knew it or not. Eventually, the welcomed sight of the library came into view, its leaves rustling in the light breeze. As promised, two stallion guards stood outside of the library door with all of the windows shimmering in a barrier spell. They tensed up visibly in their blue vests as Ironhead and the white pony beside him approached. "Gentlecolts," spoke the golem as he stopped in front of them. "We have new orders from her majesty. Myself and my companion, miss..." "Blueprint," Twilight added for him. "I apologize for the lack of introduction, Mr. Governor." "Miss Blueprint and I are hereby allowed into the Books and Branches Library unconditionally until further notice." The two guards exchanged looks with each other for a quick second and nodded before taking a step to the side each. "Yes, sir!" they cried out obediently with a salute. Reaching out with a hoof, the clay pony opened the door and stepped inside. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief to see that the library had not been ransacked and, in fact, was undisturbed from her stress-induced cleanup spree when she came back to Ponyville. "Now, your majesty, I am afraid we need to have a talk," the golem shut the door behind him with a soft click, wasting no time getting to the rather grim subject matter at hoof. "I have no idea what has been going on, but I think I speak for all of the regional governors when I say that matters have taken a sudden and drastic turn for the worse, not just for national security, but the economy and stipends for each governor based on population size. Half of them misspend the reserves on their own personal gains, though I will not name names." Twilight quirked a smile at the end of his speech, "That was a good half-rhyme," she added. "Thank you, your highness," he replied with a raspy breath. "Unfortunately, your little visit did little to improve matters both here and around the nation. As you desired at the time, news has spread far and wide of the executions, although identities vary depending on the location. As well, I have received reports that you have ignored reports from my kin for quite some time now, my own included. I just want to know what is going on so that I may plan properly, be it for war or economic preservation." "That is very rational of you, Ironhead," Twilight replied while doing her best to imitate her doppelganger. "Unfortunately, the drastic turns of which you speak are the result of Twilight Sparkle and the mental state set by her return on the populace as well as the resistance movements. I have made catching her top priority with internal affairs, but the mare is surprisingly slippery." "I suppose that would explain the new posters stating she is wanted dead or alive, I suppose?" "Yes. You could say that." An awkward silence filled the library as both sides contemplated how the conversation would turn from there. All the while, the golem refused to take his eyes off of the disguised double of the queen. He seemed to buy what she was saying, but she could not shake the feeling that there was some doubt left in his mind. "I uh... also wanted to explain my actions. About the... the uh... executions." "I'm listening, your highness." "You see, Twilight Sparkle had escaped from the castle just the night before..." she paused, waiting to see if her assumption was wrong. However, after seeing no quirk of his eyebrows or questions about the validity of her statement, she continued. "So, I was aggravated and stressed out from my failure to retain her, so I took it out on those ponies. I should have been a little more merciful. Who were they, again?" "The deceased in question are Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup Cake, your highness. You ordered their establishment burned after you discovered the Crusader base hidden there based on a report," he answered automatically. If she did not know for certain that he had no emotions, she would have been taken aback by his matter-of-fact account of the situation. Her stomach turned over for a second as the parallels began to form in her mind: Sugarcube Corner being destroyed twice and at her own hooves, no less. "Their survivors have been placed into the care of their uncle in Los Pegasus. Naturally, they are quite upset as well as the community. I do not mean to complain or criticise, but by doing so, you made my job almost a hundred-fold harder, your highness." "Survivors?" Twilight asked in mild confusion. "The mated pair in question had two foals; twins, to be exact. A Pegasus colt named Pound and a unicorn filly named Pumpkin, if memory serves me correctly, aged eight." Suddenly, her turned stomach was joined by a return of ice in her veins as the idea of Eos orphaning two foals with little or no knowledge, regard, or care for the matter surfaced in her waking thoughts. If she had resorted to doing something as extreme as that, then there was not a lot of time for her to defeat the tyrant. "Please place those shoes I put in your bags in the upstairs library in a closet. Make sure they are hidden well. I need to inspect the ruins of the building." "Are you sure that is a good idea, my queen?" he asked with a slight tilt of his head to the side. "No, it is not. However, I have to see it for myself," she replied. Leaving him no room to object, she cantered to the door and left him in the library with the shoes. She was confident that, if he thought she was the queen, he would do as she asked. At worst, he would take them to his office at town hall and she would have to retake them. Without the governor in tow, the town suddenly seemed a shade brighter and more cheery, even if the ponies were still saddened by the untimely deaths of two of the town's most popular citizens. Looks of suspicion met her gaze as she was a new pony in town and by then the rumour mills had probably spread the news she worked for the crown. She was not likely to meet any friendly ponies, but she did not care about that. Sugarcube Corner was not very far from her library, only a couple of minutes trot down the road from the large tree. It also made it easy to see from nearly the very beginning that the structure was destroyed, even if the blackened outer frames remained stubbornly in place. A series of yellow tape surrounded the remains of the building, although there were no guards to be found. Twilight quickly disregarded the tape by ducking her head under it and proceeded into the ruins of the bakery. The smell of charcoal still wafted from the beams and into her muzzle, bringing to mind memories of camping trips she would go on with the other foals at Celestia's school during the late spring. The happy memory worked its way around her brain like a healing salve, reminding her that there was still good in the world left fighting for. The hidden ramp down to the base stood in the middle of the floor, perfectly exposed as the magic hiding it had been blasted away by a stronger magical force. She ducked her head as she came to the lip of the hole after walking onto the ramp down. The air was no longer cold and moist as she descended; the heat of the fire lingered long after the flames had died. If it were not for her experience in the Hells, she would have thrown up at the smell of burning flesh passing across her muzzle. Obviously, they had left the bodies of the dead when Eos ordered the facility and building attached to it be burned. Channeling some magic into a miniature sun, her disguise flickered, the white coat turning a shade of off-white purple before falling in line once more. At the bottom of the ramp, scorch marks from the fire coated both walls and ceilings. Several of the neatly laid stone bricks had actually melted from the captured heat, distorting or creating holes into other rooms. Puddles of water could be found all around the charred remains of guards and crusaders alike as the ground water seeped in unchecked, soon to flood the base completely and make it inaccessible. Curiosity and anxiety pushed her on down the once familiar halls, past blown out or burned doors of wood and iron. She needed to know what happened to the girls: she needed closure or be left forever wondering about their fate. However, navigating became more difficult the deeper she went. While the upper level was mostly dry, the lower level had water already half way up her legs, making the sound of sloshing water echo painfully in her ears as she trotted as best she could. Once the mess hall door frame came into view, the disguised mare quickly gained a bearing on her surroundings. Inside, the tables and chairs were scattered in the water, making little islands out of piles in the blackened depths. However, she could not linger, for she was not sure if the structure was safe anymore between the effects of the raging fire and the seeping water on the outer walls. For all she knew, it could collapse at any second. Approaching the conference room, the water subsided to just barely coating the floor, as it sat higher than the rest of the lower level of the base. The doors into the room were gone from the heat of the flames and the metal frames had melted onto the floor. From the position of the mangled metal, she determined that the door had been opened when the fire raged, but her mind quickly left that point when she got a good look inside. The conference table lay shattered against a cracked part of wall, the black stone spared from the wrath of the flames. Only great physical or magical force could lift it up and throw it like that; it could only be the direct work of Queen Eos. Looking around, three bodies in various states of condition littered the room. For a fleeting moment, Twilight assumed the worst as she cautiously approached them. However, upon closer examination, she was relieved to find that they were not any of the four girls she knew. That just left the one decapitated body left. Holding her breath, she quietly approached the charred ball that she believed to be the head of one of the deceased. It was nigh unidentifiable upon closer inspection; warped and burned by the hot flames. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye as she examined the head. In all the blackness, a different colour against the inky backdrop stood out like a sore hoof. Drawn by curiosity, she approached the brown shape wedged between the stone table and the wall. She gasped in realization as the object instantly became identifiable. Using what magic she could, she freed the item and held it close to be certain. It was a brown, tattered and slightly charred Stetson hat that had seen better days. The brim dripped with water as the fake leather repelled the liquid like the hide of a cow. "Oh, Applebloom," the mare spoke softly to herself as she pulled the hat close. Nothing short of death itself could keep the young mare away from the sweet memories of her older sister. Sighing to herself, she put the hat on her head gently and nodded to their bodies in grief before deciding that she had enough. ~*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*~ With a bit of guesswork on her part, Twilight surmised she had arrived in Ponyville just a day before their appointed reunion. In that day, she took some time to relax and keep her mind off of both horrors old and fresh. There was simply too much that needed to be accomplished before she could allow herself the luxury of slipping into a stress-induced coma. She could not deny that it felt good to spend the night in her own bed for once though, as she was afforded a long, dreamless rest. But, she had to be up with the sun and gather some things into a spare set of saddlebags she had, all before leaving for the meeting and hope she was not late. They had agreed to meet each other outside of Fluttershy's old home on the edge of town, and if they failed to see each other, they would head on back to the Appleloosan Plains in order to find and hopefully recruit Applejack. So, she sat outside of the old cottage in her Blueprint disguise. Trixie would recognize it, even if they were hesitant to approach at first. The early morning chill in the air made her shiver a little bit, but it was nothing next to the piercing cold she had experienced recently. She tried to remain awake, even as the lingering caress of sleep tried to coax her into nodding off for a quick nap at the dilapidated doorstep. "Hey, Twilight!" shouted a familiar male voice from somewhere in the woods a few hours after . She really wanted to shout at him for using her real name so loudly, but she decided to retain her disguise by ignoring him, just in case anypony was around. He seemed to get the hint, as the next time he addressed her by the proper name. "Blueprint! Hey! Over here!" Finally, he gets it, she thought to herself as she got to her hooves and strode towards the edge of the forest. Waiting for her at the edge was the purple dragon who quickly embraced her in a tight hug. "Hey, Spike," she greeted with a hoof around his back. Looking over his shoulder, she could see her two fellow unicorns and the butter yellow Pegasus who hung in the back with her face hidden behind her pink mane. "Girls," she smiled to them in turn. Trixie took a couple of steps forward and slapped her hard across the cheek, making the disguised alicorn recoil slightly. "That is for leaving Trixie and Spike without so much as a note, Twilight Sparkle!" she snapped in indignation, "You could have TOLD us you were planning to be kidnapped!" "Did you get what you were looking for, darling?" Rarity asked in curiosity. "I tried to tell them that you were rather 'mum' on the subject, but they refused to believe me." "It's a long story, Rarity," she replied with a nod of her head. "Let's just say that it is safely locked up at the library." "Um... T-Twilight?" the small, timid voice of her Pegasus friend peeped. "I... I'm REALLY sorry about how I treated you. I wasn't... well, myself. Can you ever forgive me?" Breaking off her hug with her number one assistant, the disguised unicorn came upon the frightened mare and gave her a gentle hug in return. "I forgive you. It's what good friends do, after all," she soothed. Fluttershy managed a timid smile and hugged her back a little harder. Although Twilight was curious how they managed to get Fluttershy to join them, the new member of the group held out some hope for her to grasp. If she could get her to agree that they first needed to kill Queen Eos, than the other two would be a little easier to deal with, since she already had two of their other friends on her side. "So, how do you plan to get Applejack to see reason, for once?" Trixie asked sincerely. "You've seen how stubborn she is, and I doubt we can really find her now that she's been run out of Appleloosa. Nothing short of a miracle could get her to see that we have to set aside the petty politics and hurt feelings and just kill Eos!" Twilight broke off her hug with Fluttershy with a sigh, knowing well that she had something that could turn her around, but she was relying on her isolation to make sure that she would not already know. "I have something in my bags that will take care of that. Unfortunately." "What do you mean by 'unfortunately' darling?" Rarity asked with a blink of her eyes. "It's the Crusaders. Queen Eos found out where they had their base and... Well, does 'Coltsberg' come to mind? Because that place is better off than the Ponyville base," she replied solemnly. "Oh, sweet Celestia," Trixie whispered with a touch of horror to her voice. "Coltsberg was... was my base when I was a Crusader. We... we only got a few minutes of warning before the guards came and... What happened to the girls?" "I don't know for sure, but Eos executed Mr and Mrs Cake publicly." Crushing, heavy silence filled the air, only broken when the muted sniffles of the white unicorn escaped from her mouth. Her eyes had become enlarged, and glistened with tear that began to stream down her cheeks. "Is... Is my sister dead?" she whispered, a hint of desperation seeping from below. "I don't know, Rarity. I heard that she, Dinky and Scootaloo were captured and taken to Canterlot. I would say time is of the essence now. The longer we stand here talking, the less time we have until Equestria faces complete destruction, and the more likely the rest of the girls end up dead." "Yeah, but that still doesn't tell us where we go from here, Twi!" Spike added. "There's another town in the Appleloosan Plain. It's smaller but has access to the railroad and is closer to the capital, so it would be logically likely for her to go there. We're heading to Dodge Junction." Considering it was the only lead that they had, and far better than nothing at all, the five friends walked deeper into the forest, as it would be the fastest route to the town.