//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Infiltration // Story: Defect // by CroakyEngine //------------------------------// ManeFrame jerked awake. She scrambled upright, drawing glances from both Rarity and Bloodlust who were sitting beside her. She held a hoof to her chest as she tried to recall… the dream? Was that the right way to describe it? Or was it just some nonsensical error or malfunction in her system? She tried to recall the memory but already it was becoming vague and incomprehensible. Something… purple… white, blue, pink, yellow, orange? Shapes… they were merging-no, No. They were separate entities- talking? Crying? Argh…why can’t I remember? She tried to focus onto the details of what she had seen in her dormant state, but the images became no clearer. She scanned over her system logs to see if perhaps it had originated from there, though she knew deep inside that it was a futile effort. Even the little she had managed to grasp was fading from memory… “Are you alright, ManeFrame?” came Rarity’s voice, pulling ManeFrame out of her thoughts. Unlike when she first saw her in the Agency, she was now dressed in a patterned tactical outfit. Every so often, the patterns would shift slightly to match the background. A small muzzle shaped breathing mask hung loosely around her neck, an assortment of tubes running from valves on its side. Her normally grandiose and lavish mane was now tied back into a bun, with two limp strands of her mane falling down the side of her face. “Yeah, just had a… bad dream, I suppose?” said ManeFrame, though in truth the statement felt more for herself than for Rarity. She slumped back into the seat and internally checked the time and their estimated location. There wasn’t long until they reached their destination, so she had dismissed the option of going back to hibernation and instead began idly inspecting her surroundings. They were within a Tactical All-Terrain Transporter, also known as the TATT – a special enchanted armoured vehicle that shielded itself from most conventional means of detection. Closer up, though, it was a lumbering land vehicle that could pass over any rocky formations and could drive at a near-vertical angle on land. From ManeFrame’s database, she knew that the Empire was not particularly keen on sending their patrols over land, mainly due to possible ambushes on the ground level. This vehicle, it seemed, had somewhat validated that concern. It travelled at a consistent speed, and from what ManeFrame could tell it was armed to the teeth with missiles, machine guns, a cannon and other sorts of weaponry. The low rumbling of the transport felt like a subdued growl, threatening yet controlled. It tempted to lull her into a hypnotic state, but the lingering anxiety at the back of her mind kept her sharp and alert. A light, barely visible shimmer was the only hint that another TATT was present, and ManeFrame could just slightly make out the ripple caused by the other TATT as she glanced out of a port view. There were roughly eleven ponies on this mission: Rarity, ManeFrame herself, Jade, Bloodlust, Sanguine, two other agents and two drivers for each of the rovers. The one she found herself in housed Rarity and Bloodlust and a unicorn agent called Languish. The transporter was large enough to comfortably fit ten ponies (excluding the drivers) at any one time, though ManeFrame estimated up to ten more could likely fit into the interior. There were ten seats, as well as an entire assortment of electrical instruments lining the walls, mainly radio and communication controls as well as numerous gun controls. There were also hooks and hangers everywhere, some holding small arms weapons while others held utility items such as binoculars and ration packs. The seats provided gave them a comfortable amount of space, and ManeFrame leaned back, closing her eyes again. She didn’t bring her saddlebags and left it at the Agency as well as her book and necklace. With her only possessions so far away, she wondered whether she would see them again, or that perhaps it was all just a big mistake. She uttered a small sigh, and tried to drain the cocktail of nervousness and anxiousness stirring within her by moving her thoughts onto other matters. Eventually, her mind strayed to Jade, and she wondered what he was feeling. Fear? Excitement? Maybe even… revenge? A small arrow shaped icon flashed in the corner of her eyes appeared, alerting ManeFrame that they were nearing their destination. She mustered her concentration as the vehicle began to slow down, until finally it rolled to a calm stop, uttering a low hiss of air. “We’re at the rendezvous point, Chief,” spoke one of the drivers. Rarity gave a small word of thanks and stood up to address everyone inside. “Are you all ready to go?” she asked, receiving a round of nods, including one from ManeFrame herself. She flicked a switch on the board of radio control panels, which turned on with a short burst of static. “This is Alpha, we have reached the safe line. Prepare to disembark hard and fast. Repeat- Prepare to disembark hard and fast. It’s shadow protocols from here on out until we regroup on target.” “Copy that, alpha. This is beta, over,” came a voice from the other side, one which ManeFrame instantly recognized as Sanguine’s. The transmission stopped, and the only sounds from then on was the quiet static. “Then on my count of three, we move out. Enforce radio silence thereafter. Three… two… one… go.” With that, Rarity flung open the door with a mighty shove of her magic. She leapt outside and into the tall frost grass, followed immediately by Bloodlust and Languish. After a second of hesitation, ManeFrame jumped out behind them. Her mind was already plotting a map from what Rarity had shown her before her hooves even touched the ground. As soon as she was out, the door slammed shut after her, and the invisibility field enveloped it again as it drove off. Dashing through the tall grass, she soon came upon a small grove of trees. Through her scanners, she could barely make out the disturbances made by the three other ponies ahead of her. If not for her specifically looking, she would have never noticed them. She slowed down as she approached the target Rarity had told her to regroup at. They were within a small grove of trees that was somewhat similar to the ones in the Everfree. Instead of crystalline leaves, though, they had glistering leaves half frozen with frost. The atmosphere, gloomy as ever, felt tense to ManeFrame, as if there was an invisible layer in the air that bogged down everything around it with tension and anxiety. A small tingling reached through her metallic shell and seemed to permeate her very inner workings. During the days ManeFrame and Jade had spent in the Everfree, they had never travelled near Sundown, for obvious reasons. As the last vestiges of light started to fade to amber, she imagined it would look something like the small forest she traversed now. Turning her head away from the view, she ran faster, pumping her mechanical hooves. When she finally reached the clearing they were instructed to meet at, she saw that she was one of the first ones there, with only Rarity and Bloodlust present. Soon, though, the rest began to arrive. They all took a few moments to catch their breath and orientate themselves. “Alright everypony, are we all here?” said Rarity as she surveyed the group. Everypony except for ManeFrame and Jade was wearing a camouflaging outfit similar to Rarity. ManeFrame herself was wearing the cloak she had gifted her, with her hazel-coated disguise faintly shimmering beneath it. Jade had chosen to wear his original powered armour, though it was slimmed down and modified to be stealthier. “Agents, check your munitions and weapons,” rumbled Sanguine, followed by him pulling out his own weapon, a silenced submachine gun, and inspecting it. The other agents and Jade mostly had rifles and shotguns along with an assortment of coldsteel swords and EMP knives. Of course, ManeFrame herself chose to remain using her shotgun with the apple insignia, though she stocked up fully on rockets and various other explosives. The only one of them who didn’t have any visible weapons was Rarity, though she likely hid them beneath her camouflaged suit. ManeFrame moved towards Jade, but before she could talk Rarity approached the both of them. “Our departure had been hasty, as there is only a short time when the Imperial base will be refreshing its troop instalments. As such, I haven’t had the time to properly introduce you two to my two other agents. Languish is our long-range specialist, a sniper if you will, and Starry is our stealth agent: cloaking, invisibility, espionage, you name it.” Rarity gestured to both of the two agents, and ManeFrame took careful note of them. “Well, those should come in pretty handy,” said Jade as he checked over his weapons a final time. “I should hope so, Captain,” Rarity responded wryly. She stood up and looked over the group one last time. “Is everypony ready?” Rarity called out. A few sharp clicks of hooves hitting the ejector along with a number of ‘yeses’ replied back. “Good, we don’t have a lot of time, so we move out now.” They all kept quiet as they neared the base. The light was steadily fading away, but instead of pure darkness, ManeFrame could see the spotlights from their target patrolling the sky in the distance. Though they couldn’t see anything above the tree line, ManeFrame could imagine the tall walls around the base standing imposingly against anypony that dared to intrude. “This is the place,” said Rarity, standing over an unassuming patch of vegetation. Bloodlust and Sanguine uncovered the foliage, revealing an old sewer maintenance point. The aged metal hatch was rusted and weathered with small blades of frost grass threatening to close in from around its edges. The door was hard to move at first, but several solid bucks to it weakened it enough to be opened. ManeFrame peered over the entrance, but all she saw was darkness. Luckily, her sensors assured her that it wasn’t deep. “Well, this is it,” uttered Rarity. “There’s no turning back after this point onwards. Are you sure you want to do this, ManeFrame, Jade?” ManeFrame glanced at Jade, who gave her a small nod, before turning back to Rarity. “We’re sure. Let’s go.” Rarity obliged her with a tight smile and slowly descended into the hole. Sanguine was next to go, though he had pulled out his submachine gun, readying it as he followed Rarity. ManeFrame watched intensely as they both disappeared down under. Bloodlust stepped next to ManeFrame and placed a gentle hoof on her withers. “Got a little pre-mission jitter?” she asked with a knowing smile. “No,” ManeFrame said quickly, before slowly admitting, “Maybe just a little.” “It’s going to be okay, everypony - and I suppose AI - gets them as well. I’ll be here to help you, and so will Chief and handsome over there,” said Bloodlust, giving ManeFrame a knowing little smirk. “H-Handsome?” stuttered ManeFrame a little. She could feel the blush on her disguises’ face blossoming. Bloodlust rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m talking about Captain Jade Grayling over there. You know, the one who enjoys being moody and edgy all the time,” said Bloodlust, with said stallion climbing into the ponyhole after the two other agents. “Now come on, we’ve got a schedule to keep. I wanna kick these Equalists’ flanks and be home by dinner.” With that, Bloodlust herself descended into the pitch black. ManeFrame followed closely behind her, feeling more confident than before. When she was most of the way in, she closed the hatch above her, sealing them into the abyss as she lowered herself. She turned her in-built flashlights on, the twin beams piercing into the gloom around her. Similar rays of light appeared below her. Swallowing her apprehension, ManeFrame followed the others further down. ManeFrame landed with an echoing thud. “These sewers haven’t been in use since the last great war. Really, it’s a testament to pony engineering that it is still intact today,” commented Rarity as ManeFrame looked around. The air was dank and stank of mildew. Around her, there were small pieces of rubble, and occasionally there were parts of the wall that had caved in. “Why haven’t the Empire sealed this place off? Or at least secure it better. It seems pretty detrimental to them,” Jade questioned curiously. “During the last great war, the Equalists used these tunnels and passageways extensively, but when Equestria fell, there was little reason to practice espionage anymore. Over time even they must’ve forgotten about them.” The sewer itself was flooded, though fortunately it only went up to their knees and didn’t bother any of ManeFrame’s waterproof systems. “Why not just send a lot of ponies through here? Storm the base?” “A smaller team might go unnoticed, but not a large mass of ponies. Some sensors above ground will still detect the mass of ponies moving underneath.” The rest of the journey stayed relatively silent, with the agents constantly alert. When turning around a corner or crossing intersections, they came across large stenciled marks and letters labelling the sector of the drainage systems. ManeFrame dutifully made note of them whenever they happened upon one. Once or twice, ManeFrame heard a small thud behind her, and her sensors called out that there was some sort of disturbance behind her. She ignored it, though, as she sensed one of the two new agents close the distance between them. “So… are you really a machine? Like an AI?” asked the navy-coated pony ManeFrame remembered was named Starry. Her voice sounded a little giddy, almost reminding ManeFrame a little bit of Bloodlust, but more curious than playful. “Uh… yeah? I suppose,” said ManeFrame, slightly taken aback by the mare’s forwardness. “Don’t mind her. She gets a little… enthusiastic when she comes across new things,” said the other orange coloured mare, Languish. Since their time together, it was the first time she had spoken to ManeFrame. From her stoic nature, ManeFrame expected her voice to be gruff and stern, but instead she was rather soft-spoken, gentle in fact. “No offense included.” “Are you two partners?” asked ManeFrame. Languish gave a small sigh. “I guess you can say that,” she said. “Personally, I call it ‘undeserved punishment.’” “She just says that,” chuckled Starry. Languish stuck her hoof to Starry’s chest, causing her to give an exaggerated sharp exhale of air. “Alright, maybe we’ll talk later, after the mission?” ManeFrame smiled. “Sure.” After the two mares drifted further away, ManeFrame was left to her own devices again. She was at the tail-end of the group, and the decaying sewers around her could only be studied so much. As her thoughts strayed to the reaches of her imagination, the sound from before returned. Her ears straightening, she looked behind her. There was nothing there, visually or otherwise. ManeFrame dismissed it - her sensors were creating fake data or sensing some errors so she continued to ignore them. Then, she sensed the movement again along with sounds. She switched to her life form sensors, but it came up empty except for the occasional blimps that tended to rapidly appear and disappear. She dismissed it as being small, nonsensical information her sensors were feeding her. There was a light shuffle that was barely audible to her right. Wondering whether her system was developing a glitch, ManeFrame broke the silence. “Rarity, is there anything else down here? Maybe old patrol units or something?” asked ManeFrame. Rarity stopped in her movements and looked around with with narrowed eyes. “Sanguine, Bloodlust, did you hear anything?” she asked. “No, chief. It’s dead silent in here,” she replied, slightly puzzled. There was a small lull before Rarity spoke again. “It’s nothing important, ManeFrame, probably just some wildlife. But we still shouldn’t linger here any longer than necessary.” Rarity turned her sight to the front again and moved at a slightly faster pace. It was obvious even to ManeFrame that she wasn’t being completely truthful, but even her meticulous programming wavered on whether she wanted to know what it was. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn’t notice the rest of the entourage had halted in front of her. She found herself face to face with the blackened skull of a long-dead pony, its soulless eyes peering back at her. Startled, she flinched back and barely held in a sharp yelp. Luckily, it seemed like none of them had noticed her reaction as they were busily looking ahead. Beyond the skeleton slumped against the foot of the wall was a metal-forged gate, with a circular blast door dominating its centre. Another series of numbers was present, but instead of being written upon a wall, it was instead marked upon the banner of the gate. ManeFrame gave a quick scan of the structure, and let out a small gasp to find it just shy of two hundred years old. However, the skeleton, to her surprise, was at most a few years old. “Looks like this is it,” said Bloodlust. The blast door was not fully shut, and there was a considerable gap between the two plates of metal of the door. Sanguine stepped up, and with a low grunt slowly wrenched open the door with the assistance of Rarity’s magic. When it was opened fully, there lay a pentagonal passageway on the other side. The grey walls gave an impression that it was pure white once, but the colour had since deteriorated. The floor was made of numerous panels, and the passageway itself was dotted by dozens of flickering red lights. As they approached, though, a spark snapped across the ground, causing them all to flinch back. The electricity quickly filled the floor, as lethal as it was enthralling. “Everypony, when we are crossing this area, you must breathe into your masks. The gas released is highly poisonous so doing otherwise will kill you,” Rarity stressed. A semi-circle of nods answered her. A light, translucent pulse spread out from the device, and almost instantly the blinking lights along the walls faded to black. The arcs of electricity racing on the ground followed next, fizzing out one by one until none were left. A dark, blue mist began to fall and settle in the chamber beyond, ominously reaching out towards the group slowly. Rarity motioned for everyone to follow her as she yanked up her mask to her muzzle, the tubes attached to it supplying her with oxygen. Cautiously at first, they advanced down the aisle until they came across a chasm that divided two parts of the corridor, a gap revealing a cavern around it. Rarity nodded to Languish and Starry, who both took out ropes and fixed it to the end of the break-off. They threw off the ends of the ropes, which landed a short distance down. ManeFrame and Bloodlust, both having wings, gently glided down to the ground below while the others climbed down the attached ropes. When they reached the ground level, they moved forward through another corridor similar to the first, but this one was completely out of power and in a desolate state. The ground was littered with old, broken constructs and ancient armour, some accompanied by fascinating weaponry that ManeFrame had never seen before. In a quiet voice, Rarity said, “We are now directly underneath the Base. Fortunately for us, their scanners are made to look up and around, not down.” ManeFrame’s own scanners confirmed what Rarity said, and she was surprised to see a vast network of infrastructure for the base. Up ahead, they found a metal door, almost smothered behind a pile of rubble and rocks. “This is it,” breathed Rarity. Together, they removed the build-up, until the door in its entirety was revealed to them. A set of still-illuminated lights were presented beside the hatch, and a small port that ManeFrame recognized, though it was obviously outdated. Rarity turned to ManeFrame with an encouraging look. “Are you ready?” “Yeah.” ManeFrame didn’t say anymore as she moved in front of the small panel, and a small, bronze coated arm extended from a small opening that appeared on her shoulder. Almost hesitantly, it moved over the receiver, before plugging itself in. For a second or so, ManeFrame received nothing but backfeed. Then, something clicked, and ManeFrame lurched upward as her eyes shone a bright purple, lines of code displaying within her synthetic pupils. >>>>>>ACCESS POINT Z<<<<<< INTERFACE CONFIRMED DESIGNATION MANEFRAME RECOGNIZED SYSTEMS INTERFACING… REROUTING PERMISSION TO ADMIN… REROUTING TO CANTERLOT FACILITY VER-ERROR YEAR 1276-2-11-~(ERROR) PERMISSIONS OUTDATED. VERIFYING DATABASE… ManeFrame blinked, and for a brief second the glow disappeared from her eyes as she began to panic. The access to the door was utterly disconnected from the Imperial system and was still trying to recall its former commanders from an era long past. The programming, sensing its obsoleteness, was trying to contact the closest Imperial signals – the Canterlot Relay Base being the closest one. She considered it a stroke of luck already that the system had somehow recognized her as ManeFrame. Her mind racing for solutions, she dove into the code again. DESIGNATION RE-ASSIGNING ADMIN: IMPERIAL MANEFRAME >>>>>>ACCESS DENIED<<<<<< Manual.Exceptions.Override System.Override.Execution {Fatal Error, retry; 0, 0, 2, 1]; System.Compiler(“Access Override”); CANCEL RELAY EFFORT? >YES GATE.Controller(“Open); System.Override.Execution {Success, verifying access- >>>>>>INTRUDER ALERT<<<<<< YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO ENTER THIS AREA ACCESS DENIED ManeFrame gasped as an agonizing migraine shot through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as she resisted the urge to cry out in pain. “ManeFrame, what’s happening?” ManeFrame barely heard Rarity’s voice, but she was aware that there was an alarm going out all around her. The lights previously deactivated in the corridor began to glow again, and the agents formed a protective semicircle around them. However, she ignored it all, and used the last trick she had up her sleeves. Her connector crackled as energy flowed through it violently. System.Override.Execution(“MANUAL OVERLOAD”); >>>>>>DANGER, ALL PERSONNEL EVACUATE<<<<<< SAFETY PROTOCOLS – LOCKDOWN MODE ACTIVATED SECURING NEAREST ADMIN- >>>>ERROR: NONE FOUND<<<< >>>TRANSFERRING ADMIN PRIVILEGES – ELEVATING PERMISSION- ManeFrame.System.Command = Admin Privileges; Prompt(“Acquire Privileges”); Operation Readout(“Success, Admin Privileges Secured”); System.Execute(“Disable Security.exe” “GATE.Controller = open”); DO YOU WISH TO DEACTIVATE SECURITY MEASURES? >Yes ACCESS GRANTED ManeFrame blacked out, her connector limply falling away from the sparking port and retracting itself back into her shoulder plates. When ManeFrame ‘rebooted’, somepony was calling her name. It sounded desperate, in a way that she had never felt directed towards her before, yet it was so familiar that she felt she had to have experienced it before. She checked her internal timer, relieved to find that only seconds have passed. She slowly rose up, and was immediately embraced by none other than Rarity, shocking her into silence. “Oh, thank Celestia you are alright, ManeFrame!” she exclaimed. Even the other agents looked slightly stunned. Quickly, she realized what she had done, and hastily moved away, clearing her throat lightly. Still, she graced ManeFrame with a smile. “I’m glad you are sound, darling. And… excellent job.” “That was a close call, but hey, you did it,” said Jade with a small smile. ManeFrame smiled back, but cringed slightly on the inside. You have no idea… “Starry, I want you to scan ahead,” said Rarity. “On it, chief,” said agent replied sharply, taking out a small rectangular scanner and spearheading the group. Past the opened gate, a series of small caverns greeted them. They found themselves moving at a slightly upward slope until a dead end greeted them. What was special about it, however, was that it was very obviously synthetic, and ManeFrame could definitely sense objects on the other side. She made a quick calculation, and confirmed her theory that they were directly under the base. “Starry, is there anything on the other side?” asked Rarity, staring at the barrier in front of them. “Enclosed space. No constructs or surveillance on the other side that I can detect,” she replied, holding her scanner against the wall. This was all the cue that Sanguine needed, and he rotated to give a mighty buck with his stompers. The thin wall gave in and was branded with a new hole. Several more bucks later, a sizable hole was made, big enough for them to comfortably fit through. Emerging from the hole in the wall, they appeared inside a spartan basement of sorts, with crates and pallets piling up along its sides. The lights glowed dimly, casting jagged shadows upon the bare, concrete walls. The storage containers within the basement were simple, with a few markings on each, mostly containing raw iron and steel according to ManeFrame’s sensors. “We’re in,” said Jade in wonderment, almost disbelief. “Where exactly are we?” “One of the storage warehouses in the base, I presume.” Rarity summoned a small holopad. “What are we going to do with any Imperial grunts we come across?” “Hopefully, we avoid them all. Imperial Equalists have an obsession with schedules and checklists. Their soldiers follow these to the T. There will be almost no variations in their patrol routes,” assured Rarity. “All we need to make sure is to time our movements correctly.” “There aren’t any guards here, curious.” “They must not have seen any reason to guard this place,” said Rarity. “This area will be our fall-back point.” They walked to the far end of the basement, and came upon a door. Starry walked forward and pulled out a small, hoof sized chip, jamming it into the access panel beside the door. The door hissed open and revealed a hallway with a flight of stairs at the end. Starry sneaked a glance from the doorway, and fired a small, silenced bolt at the corner of the hallway. A crackle of electricity later, the automated camera there fizzled to a stop. “That should do it,” she said. They ascended the concrete stairs, alert and wary of anything that may surprise them. A muffled and slightly feminine voice seemed to reverberate from above, sounding similar to a broadcast. The muted and voice gradually became louder and more familiar. ManeFrame had to refrain herself from gasping when she finally recognized it. That voice… it’s the same as the one I heard when I was in the Imperial Behemoth! “…in sameness there will be peace. Difference breeds conflict. Your current form is a prison. Conversion will be a release. Exceptionalism is not tolerated…” ManeFrame tried to block it all out, feeling herself becoming frustrated just like she had done so before. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Jade give a small shudder. Maybe the voice is getting to him as well. They broached the surface, slowly peeking out from the slightly ajar door. Fortunately, there were dozens of metallic crates and containers between them and the open. The dark of the night helped, though ManeFrame doubted many of the Imperial sensors would be obstructed by darkness. The loudspeaker overhead rang loudly as they slowly sneaked out towards the edge of their cover. “Compliance will be rewarded. Resistance will be punished. Submit yourself to the will of the Empire and become one with the Equalist.” “Damn bastards, when I get my hooves on whoever wrote that propaganda,” Bloodlust muttered darkly. “Oh cra- we’ve got incoming.” They quickly moved and hid behind the nearest containers as no less than a dozen constructs passed by, their headlights shining blindly onto their preprogrammed path. One of the constructs, though, was a type that ManeFrame had encountered physically for the first time. Fortunately, she soon realized it was well-documented in her database under the name HeavyIWC-six, or ‘Tankers’. It had a similar build to normal grunts, but lacked wings and was much thicker around the barrel with batteries attached to its sides to accommodate for its explosive arsenal. Aside from its different design, its armour plating was striped with streaks of vibrant crimson lights along with a pair of eyes of the same hue that made it stand out in the dark of the night. Armed with a light machine gun and two heavy rocket launchers, ManeFrame’s system warned her not to stray into their sights. They let the patrolling squad pass, and then waited for some time after, before they cautiously stood up and inspected their surroundings. They were on the edge of the base, with the tall, secure walls that ringed the base only a stone’s throw away. Their position was slightly elevated, giving a relatively unobstructed view of most of the base. Rarity pulled out her holopad and rotated it to peer through an eyepiece at the end of an elongated barrel. After squinting through it for a few seconds, she lowered it and addressed them all. “We stick to the plan,” said Rarity. “Starry, keep watch here in case we need to make a quick escape through here again. Maintain radio contact.” Starry, her previously cheerful nature replaced by a disciplined one, gave a sharp nod and went back to the way they came. “Sanguine, Bloodlust and Languish, I need you three to go ahead and scout out the main facility. We will need as much information as possible..” The three agents complied silently as Rarity finally turned to Jade and ManeFrame. “As for us, we’re going to be talking to the prisoners, and hopefully get some useful information. Any questions?” Both Jade and ManeFrame shook their heads. “Good, let’s get going,” said Rarity, leading the way towards a large, grey concrete compound. As they moved out, the broadcast behind blared again in its cold and chilling tone, indifferent to anything that existed in the plane of the living. “Conformity will set you free. Accept your limitations, and happiness will follow. You are no better than your comrades. Join us, and we shall all become equal…” “There must be dozens of ponies here,” remarked ManeFrame in a whisper as they quietly watched the compounds. Exiting the warehouse, they found themselves on a small, elevated slope above the area the compound rested within. Only a few lonely structures shared the area with the prisons, with a single large building that looked like a headquarter of sorts. Towers with giant, gleaming spotlights that swivelled every-so-often dotted the place. “We’re going to have to go in and try to get some information from the prisoners,” said Rarity. “Won’t we get caught?” ManeFrame looked at the prison compound with worry. Even from where they were, she could already spy a squad of patrolling Imperial constructs. Luckily, though, they were patrolling the far side, away from them. “It will have to be a necessary risk that we take. Jade, do you want to come with us-” “No. I’ll take the overwatch,” interrupted Jade quickly as he separated from the group, not making eye contact with any of them. Rarity looked at ManeFrame questioningly, but she could only shrug in response. Slowly, using the occasional building as cover, they made their way down to the compound. The front entrance was completely sealed and shut off. With that route impassable, they circled the building until they came across a much lighter door. There, they found two constructs standing guard, each of them so motionless that they could’ve been easily mistaken as metallic statues. Silently, Rarity sneaked towards the first construct, her camouflage suit on full activation, allowing her to almost blend in perfectly into the background. So quickly that even ManeFrame could’ve missed it, she whipped out something white from her suit and swung it into the head of the construct, and carried on into the next one. It blurred through them, almost seemingly phasing through both their bodies instead of actually making contact with their joints. There was no sound whatsoever as the two heads of the now-destroyed grunts tilted slightly before falling sideways towards the ground. Almost daintily, she put whatever she had used away and gently caught both severed heads and placed them on the dirt. She gave a small smile at ManeFrame and slowly turned to the door. There was a port just like at the entrance underground. She motioned for ManeFrame to try and open it. She complied, though still a little awed by what she had just seen. After a quick override using her newly-gained privileges, the door opened. Cautiously, they both crept inside. Immediately, it struck ManeFrame how simplistic everything was. It looked more akin to a repurposed storage silo than anything like a proper prison. There were only a few systems embedded within the place, one for the gates and one for security. As they sneaked towards the main prison areas, several times they spied automated turrets and defence systems watching over the prison cells. When they finally found the prisoners, however, the conditions shocked ManeFrame. There was no way that this place was viable for keeping prisoners for any length of time. Rows along rows of bunks were visible, each behind bars of steel and iron. The scent of sweat and blood wafted in the air, prompting ManeFrame to block out the smells. Rarity, though, didn’t seem to mind it the slightest. The sound of snoring filled the air, along with disturbing whimpers and small cries from some prisoners. ManeFrame tried to pinpoint their source, but she realized there was little she could do. Meanwhile, Rarity had reached one of the main security cameras, and attached a small chip to its side. “Ok, we should be undetected for now. Those cameras would be seeing repeated footage, but we should still keep our voices down,” she whispered. “ManeFrame, can you open the prisons without outright destroying them?” “Not from here, but if can find a way into their systems, I can gain control of the prisons.” ManeFrame looked around locked gates, noting their designated numbers and the occasional panel of pulsating lights. A loud bang startled them both, and they saw a brown coloured stallion in his bare coat jump forward to their right, slamming himself against the bars loudly. His coat and mane were covered with mud and dirt, with scars and sealed cuts rampant on his body. “How did you two managed to escape? I’ve never seen you before, who in Tartarus are you?” the stallion hissed. With a subdued glow around her horn, she magically clamped his mouth shut, causing him to attempt to lash out in panic. “Agency,” Rarity said in a low voice. The soldier’s eyes widened significantly. “Don’t be so loud. We don’t want to alert the grunts or awaken your fellow ponies.” Fortunately, when Rarity let go of him, he obliged and uttered quietly, “Are-… you’re the Agency? As in, the Agency?” “There weren’t any other the last we checked,” said Rarity with a mirthless grin. It quickly disappeared, though, and she gestured to both herself and ManeFrame as she spoke again. “You may refer to me as Miss Rarity, and this is Sunset Radiance. Who might you be?” “I suppose there’s no point in not telling you… Miss Rarity. My name’s Alpha Striker, Lieutenant Striker that is. Or it used to be. I was an officer at the siege of Neicolt,” he answered. ManeFrame was a little surprised at Rarity lying for her, but she realized it was necessary to make it clear to him that she was on their side. “Neicolt? Do you know of a Captain Grayling? He was also one of the officers there,” asked Rarity. ManeFrame shifted closer as well to listen to him. The memories of the battle of Neicolt was still crystal clear within her archives. “The name sounds familiar… but I can’t recall much. Most of us came from Captain Falcon’s battalion in the west divisions at Neicolt. The east divisions were supposed to relieve us, but they never came. One of them was captured with us. According to what he said they must’ve been overwhelmed by the bastards just like us,” said the Lieutenant. “Can you get us out of here? I’ve heard of the things the Agency have done for the resistance…” “We will, that I can assure you,” Rarity told him. “But first, we came here because of something very important and crucial for the resistance cause.” “Something special? In this hellhole?” he snorted, but it quickly devolved into a cough. “Alright, what do you need?” “Is there any sort of master blueprint of this entire base?” “Master copy, huh? You’re right in luck. There’s an office next to here that should have one. I took a glance at it when we were being escorted by it. Right there in the open. Guess they didn’t expect anypony to get in without being alerted to it,” said the Lieutenant Strike with a small chuckle. “You won’t be coming across too many guards, especially not right now.” “Why’s that?” asked ManeFrame. The prisoner looked surprised to hear her speak, but answered it nonetheless. “Every few days, most of the guards not assigned to the outer securities are called away to somewhere else, maybe to get upgraded, or even cleaned. Tartarus if I know why.” “Interesting. At the very least, that makes our job much easier,” said Rarity, humming slightly. “One last thing. Besides the guards all going away, have you seen anything else extremely questionable?” “Well… maybe,” he replied, brushing a hoof over his unkempt mane. “Some of the prisoners were once sent down to some basement in the inner part of the base for some reason. Only one of ‘em came back, and he’s been batshit crazy ever since. Keeps raving on about some giant beast the Empire’s cooking up. But… nopony believed him, so he doesn’t talk much anymore and just sits there all the time.” The stallion gestured a hoof towards said pony, slumped in a cell further down the walkway, silently staring at the ground. He leaned in towards Rarity, lowering his voice even further. “But… if you ask me, I think he might be onto something. A few times in the middle of the night, when the others are asleep, I can hear this low rumbling that he mentioned. It feels somewhat alive if you ask me.” He leaned back and gave her a meaningful look. “Thank you, Lieutenant Strike. Your information is very helpful.” The stallion nodded back. “As much as I hate asking for help… I hope you can find a way to get us out soon, and not get captured yourself.” “So do I, Lieutenant.” Rarity’s eyes flicked to the others who were still sleeping. “When we see each other again, it will be in a better circumstance, I can promise you that.” The stallion’s eyes lit up and he pressed himself close to the bars. “Will there be a signal? Is there anything I should look out for?” he asked, almost pleadingly. “You’ll know when it happens. In the meantime, quietly spread the message to the other prisoners as soon as possible, and make sure they are ready.” Rarity stood up and walked away with ManeFrame in tow, to the lone stallion at the far corner. The radio attached to Rarity’s suit chirped out a burst of static, and eventually Sanguine’s voice came through. “Chief, we’ve learnt all we can. Withdrawing from the location now,” he reported. “Good. Jade is acting as overwatch south of the prison. Go and rendezvous with him. We’ll be there shortly,” said Rarity. She clicked the radio shut and looked around her, making sure she didn’t alert anyone. They continued on after that with slightly more haste. When they got to the cell of the lone prisoner, he was still in the same position as before, staring motionlessly at the floor. “Hello?” said Rarity. After several more attempts at trying to get his attention, and confirming that he was indeed alive, she gave up. Before they left him, ManeFrame gave him one last glance, and thought that she saw his gaze move towards her ever-so-slightly. When she blinked, the small movement was gone and he was as still as ever before. When they quietly exited the prison compound, they made a quick pit stop at the nearby office. It was just as the Lieutenant had told them, barely guarded and right there in the open. They sneaked past a patrolling squad and went inside, where they found a roll of paper-made blueprints. “Why is it in paper?” asked ManeFrame as she quickly scanned its contents. “Paper cannot be hacked,” said Rarity with a small smirk. “A shame that it doesn’t prevent carelessness.” With what they came for secured, they went up the small hill. They found Jade exactly where they left him, along with the three other agents, all of whom looked in no worse condition than ManeFrame had seen them before. “How did it go, chief?” asked Bloodlust, taking a small sip of water from her canteen. “We have what we needed,” she said, unravelling the blueprint she and ManeFrame had taken. She pointed to the centre of the architectural map, at the large hexagonal shape there with the letters G.E.M printed beside it. “The Empire appears to have some sort of a weapon hidden here, in a central facility they call the GEM. It may even be the exact same weapon we came here for. We need to destroy it along with the plans. Judging from what a dear Lieutenant told us, it is right underneath the main building.” “What should we do next?” asked ManeFrame. “What we need to retrieve is locked inside that facility, I’m sure of it,” said Rarity, examining the stolen blueprint. “There doesn’t seem to be any ways in besides the front entrance.” “What was it you said was your style? Subtlety?” Jade commented dryly. “This will utterly blow our cover and have the entire compound’s worth of constructs on us.” “There can be a certain element of subtlety even in abrasiveness, Captain,” commented Rarity with a small smirk. “They will know we’re here, but on our terms, not theirs. But first, what’s the situation at the main Facility?” “Well, by our count, there are at least half a battalion’s worth of grunts active there, along with an assortment of Imperial batteries and turrets. Patrols everywhere, with at least two tankers each. There are no access ports to the entrance. Everything is controlled from within,” said Sanguine. When he continued, he frowned a little. “There are very few constructs everywhere else. They are almost all concentrated in the main Facility, the GEM. It’s as if they’re there to guard something, because most of the batteries are aimed inwards.” “Stars,” muttered Jade. “So that’s where the constructs are going… and this confirms our fears that there is something within this base that is dangerous… even to the Equalists themselves. “It’s time for our contingency plan, then,” said Rarity. “Take out the backup satchel charges.” A pile of grey-bagged packages was produced. ManeFrame’s eyes widened when she scanned their contents. Each of them was filled with high-concentration and compact explosives, enough that it could level half of the base around them. A name came up in her database, Ignisitine, that identified the ingredients of the explosive – a rare and highly potent material. “You need to place the backup satchel charges on these places. Prime the timer for exactly an hour.” She passed the map to them and pointed to several locations on it “ManeFrame, Jade and I will handle the rest.” To ManeFrame’s surprise, it was Sanguine, the normally stoic stallion, who looked unsure this time. “Are you sure about this, chief?” “Very.” ManeFrame placed the charge she had been given on the frame of the door, and after inspecting it was properly set, she primed the timer. They were currently within one of the many buildings, the room as spartan as any other that they have come across. There wasn’t a window of any sort, with the only source of illumination being the overhead lights. They were, however, right next to a giant industrial chamber that was in the process of making electronic chips. ManeFrame figured that with so many on-site constructs, they needed to manufacture some of their own backup units in case shipments from their supplier didn’t come in a timely manner. Hence why Rarity had insisted this be one of the places they targeted. She looked at the others, and noticed that they have all finished doing so as well. She looked into the bag that held the charges, and found none left within. Rarity came over and quickly came to the same conclusion. “Looks like those were the last ones,” she said. She turned around just in time for the blast door behind them to open, revealing a squad of Imperial constructs. For a fraction of a second, none of them moved an inch. It felt a little surreal how quiet and anticlimactic their encounter was. Out of the three of them, ManeFrame was the first to respond with her quick reflexes. She decided to forgo arming herself with her shotgun and instead slammed into the first construct with her. Before it could put up struggles, she downed it with a well-directed smash to its head. Jade had also pulled out his rifle, unloading half a magazine into the grunt closest to him. ManeFrame moved to assist him when she yelped as she was thrown across the room. She quickly recovered and searched for her attacker. A Tanker construct stepped out in front of her, the barrels of its miniguns already spinning. ManeFrame readied her rockets but she realized they were a fraction too late. However, the construct took another step, before halting in its advance. Almost comically, the construct fell forward onto the ground, the light fading away from its crimson-red eyes and its striped veins. Rarity stepped over it from behind and brushed away her fallen mane with a hoof. Two more destroyed grunts lay on the floor behind her. She was about to open her mouth and speak when a shrill alarm was blasted into the air. The whole base was lit up, with high-powered spotlights illuminating the very sky itself. Not a second later, Sanguine’s voice came through the radio, sounding slightly winded. In the background there was a burst of gunfire. “They found our way in, chief,” uttered Sanguine. He paused for a moment to catch his breath before he continued. “We met up with Starry, and then we were nearly intercepted by a squad of Equalist grunts. They know we’re here. There are going to be a lot more active patrols now.” “Yes, we just happened across one,” replied Rarity. “Have the charges been set?” “Yes, the timer has been primed.” “Very well. It looks like we have to speed things up, and get reinforcements,” she said firmly, before turning to ManeFrame. “You said you can hack the systems and gain control of the prisons, right? Can you open all the prisons?” “I’m sure I can, but it would take a while to hack through the securities,” replied ManeFrame hesitantly. “But it has to be done through the prison access control point.” “We can make a distraction, buy you some time,” said another voice through the radio, this time belonging to Bloodlust. “We can’t guarantee it will last, though. You’ll have to make the best of it.” “I’ll go with you,” said Jade. She gave Jade a grateful smile as Rarity spoke up. “Good, then I think it’s time we all split up. When all is said and done, we’ll rendezvous at point Sanctum.” Sanguine and Bloodlust voiced their agreements and the radio cut off. Rarity levitated six gleaming, alabaster gemstones from a pouch on her suit, and they produced a small spark as they started to rotate in her magic. ManeFrame immediately recognized them as what Rarity used to destroy the two constructs at the prison compound.  She couldn’t help but find herself mesmerized by the sight. “Split up? Where are you going?” asked Jade. “Some preparation for a little… surprise for our dear Imperial friends,” she responded as the gemstones snapped together to form a sword, a devious grin beginning to break out across her muzzle. “It looks all clear.” Jade pressed forward and around the corner. ManeFrame made to follow but he quickly returned, pressing her against the wall with a hoof. They stayed there as the pitfalls of metallic hooves came closer and closer. Two Imperial grunts marched towards them, no sign that they had at all noticed anything amiss. Right as they were about to turn the corner and find them, they suddenly ceased all movements. Almost a split second later, a thunderous blast detonated somewhere outside. The two grunts quickly turned around and galloped off into the opposite direction. The ensuing shockwave passed them, and the alarms around them rang louder. Sighing in relief, they were slightly unprepared for the second explosion, this one even more intense than the first. Sporadic gunfire followed. The sounds were nerve-racking to ManeFrame, her processors trying to keep track of the source of each one, in case one came an Imperial grunt who came happened to come across them. “Well, sounds like they’re busy,” muttered Jade as they turned the corner into the now-clear hallway. “And I hope they’re keeping the grunts busy as well.” Ahead of them, they saw a steel set of doors, a single circular door held in place by a heavy metal cylinder positioned over the centre of the door. ManeFrame briefly scanned the structure, tracing the controls to the door to far, far away. “This door’s deadlocked. Is this the only way through?” asked ManeFrame. Jade fiddled with the holopad for a second and nodded. “Yeah, all of the other routes would take time that we don’t have,” he replied. “Okay, give me a second,” said ManeFrame. She gestured for Jade to stand well away. Her rocket launchers extended from within her construct body, and a singular rocket was launched into the door. It was instantly demolished into a thousand little pieces of metal shards, some of which harmlessly bounced off of her construct body. Jade inhaled sharply and glanced at ManeFrame as her launcher retracted into her body. “Let’s hope none of the Imperials heard that or notices it.” “Well, it’s a bit too late to worry about that now -” ManeFrame stopped speaking as they stumbled into the next room. There on the ground were half-opened boxes full of mechanical parts, almost all of them bronze or bronze coated. However, that wasn’t what shocked her. The components looked eerily familiar to the ones in ManeFrame’s specifications. Almost instinctively, she came closer, and found that even the style of the armour plating was near identical, though each had some form of tiny variations on the design. These were not isolated cases, and in the boxes all around them, she spied the same components, many exact replications of each other. Before she could document everything, Jade urgently tugged on her shoulders. “Come on, ManeFrame. We need to get moving. We don’t have much time,” he urged. ManeFrame managed to tear her gaze away, but their afterimage remained even long after her eyes had moved on. Just what are those for? She almost didn’t realize that Jade was dragging her away with them. It took a little while before she could stop thinking about the parts. They stayed silent throughout the rest of their trip to the control room. The radio strapped onto Jade’s armour uttered a small burst of static, breaking the repetition of the sound of alarms. Soon after, Rarity’s voice came through. ManeFrame locked onto the signal and listened in on the conversation. “Jade, are you and ManeFrame proceeding unobstructed?” “Yes, we’re almost there,” he replied. “We’re coming up on the control room now, according to the map.” “Good. I’ll see you both soon. Good luck.” With that, the radio went silent. “This should be a good place to put this down,” said Jade as he pulled out a ‘signal disrupter’ Rarity had given him, an egg-like object mounted onto a metallic prism. He carefully placed it onto the ground and pressed one of the switches. Immediately, it’s bud-like frame opening up to reveal a small, light blue beacon. A wave of light blue washed over them as the device beeped three times before going silent. ManeFrame’s communications system went silent. “Looks like it’s working,” said Jade. “Too bad it works both ways. We won’t be receiving any transmissions from Rarity or the others for a while.” He looked like he was going to say more, but was interrupted when a soft, rhythmic clanging sound came from the door they came from, steadily becoming louder. ManeFrame and Jade shared a brief glance. A metallic masculine voice that rumbled later confirmed their fears. “Intruders detected. Cease resistance and submit to the will of the Equalist Empire!” ManeFrame rushed to the access panel and slammed down on the switch, shutting the door just as the Imperial constructs arrived. She proceeded to unsheathe her shotgun and expelled a scatter shot at the access panel, destroying it completely and sending sparks flying everywhere. The sounds on the other side of the door ceased, but then initiated again along with a bright molten spot on the blast door. “Horseapples, they’re cutting through it,” swore Jade, reaching for his holstered rifle. “Quickly, find a way into that room.” ManeFrame found the control panel and found a network access point with a small red beacon flashing on top of it. Once again, her small connector wire shot out from within the hatch on her right shoulder, striking the receiver. Like before, her eyes turned bright purple. This time, it barely took a second before she managed to gain access. She shook her head slightly just as the beacon turned green, and pushed the button on the panel. The blast door slid open to reveal a small control room beyond. The chamber was breached with a loud clang, as the severed door fell to the ground and three grunts stepped through. Their arrival was punctuated by a massive spray of bullets from the Imperial grunts. Both ManeFrame and Jade were forced to duck into cover behind metal cabinets. The gunfire wavered briefly and Jade took the opportunity to dive out of cover and down the first two constructs in the doorway. The first two constructs were downed, but the third had evade his Jade’s gunfire and flanked him. The grunt leapt onto him and slammed its forehooves into his chest with a horrendous snapping sound. ManeFrame could hear his gasp even through his helmet and he proceeded to violently wrestle with the Imperial construct. Another loud explosion rocked the ground, almost causing Jade to lose balance. He shouted to ManeFrame, “Go! I’ll hold them back!” She only managed to peer back at him one last time before she jumped inside the control room. Sensing danger, the blast door automatically closed again, the sound of Jade’s rifle fire becoming muffled as it fully shut. Some part of her mind worried about Jade’s safety and wanted nothing more than to help him, but other parts reminded her of the priorities, keeping her focused on the task at hoof. Half of the wall was covered in one-way glass, tilted at a downwards angle to oversee the courtyard below. Every so often, there would be an explosion in some obscure place on the ground, scrambling any constructs that were nearby. She searched through the numerous controls, her scanners checking each and every port before she found the one – the master override. The sound of an assault rifle firing accompanied ManeFrame as her connector made contact with the access point. Almost instantly, ManeFrame felt it was different. The sounds all faded away. ManeFrame was surprised to see itself floating in a blue world, its sky made up of millions of rapid streams of data, interconnecting each other to form an enormous grid. She herself had an ethereal form, and she could command her limbs with a thought. She looked around, marvelling at the world she found herself in, before spying something in the distance. Her consciousness swam deeper as tendrils and lines appeared, gently drifting around her. Her ghostly form manipulated the cybernetic strings she was seeing. There was a pattern, that she was sure off. The functionality and efficiency of the grid and lines had a sense of elegance and beauty all to itself. Despite of those who made it, she felt drawn to it. Her lingering hoof settled onto one of the tendrils, and she guided herself along. A vague, almost inaudible voice whispered in the void. It took several moments of concentrating for ManeFrame to understand its meaning. “Come on, ManeFrame, I hope you can hurry it up a bit in there!” The voice was faint, but ManeFrame easily identified it as Jade’s. ManeFrame stopped her idyllic wanderings and focused her attention, her friend being at stake. She flew forward until a giant three-dimensional object appeared before her. It was similar to what her database described as the pony brain, albeit much more grid-like and organized. She looked at the design laid out before her. Hovering over one of the brightest points on the circuit-like pattern, she pressed one of her ethereal hooves against it. Her eyes lighting up, she felt that it was the headquarters controlling the prisons. With a flick of her hoof, the light dimmed and went out. She glided over to another point of light – this one being the doors of the main prison block. Flick. Another one out. Click. Another one. A few automated defences were reprogrammed, some doors were deadlocked, and prisons opened. One after another, she manipulated the systems, either shorting out the power their or even turning some of them against the Imperial capturers. However, she dove deeper still, until she found a light in the very room she was in. There, she sensed two constructs attacking Jade. Reaching into it, she switched the light off. Soon, she felt her link with this ethereal world fall apart, becoming dimmer until eventually all she could see was darkness. ManeFrame opened her eyes, and saw that she solid. Her environment felt real now, more substantial. All of her senses flooded back into her, filling up the data void that had been there only a moment ago. And ManeFrame rejoiced – even if just a little – at the feeling. Still, though, it felt different than before, and ManeFrame couldn’t figure out why. Then, she realized that the broadcasts were no longer playing. A light shuffle to her right directed ManeFrame’s attention. “You did it,” breathed Jade, leaning there against a wall near the entrance as he drew in ragged breaths. ManeFrame nodded hesitantly. The chaotic sounds outside had tripled in intensity, and ManeFrame could hear multiple shouts of ponies. A sort of calm settled over her, and she allowed her disguised self to give a little smile. Without power, the side-exit opened willingly when ManeFrame pressed against it. When she stepped outside, her metallic hooves dug into the ground as she gazed upon the encampment. Everywhere, there were Resistance soldiers dressed in ragged clothing and armour escaping their prisons, attacking the Imperial grunts with whatever weapons and can find and salvage. A triumphant cheer echoed throughout the ponies as they took out their remaining captors. Even though more was sure to be on the way, the soldiers had regained a measure of their morale and confidence. Jade stepped up next to her. “Come on, they probably need our help,” he said, grasping his rifle and started to traverse down towards the newly formed battlefield. “Yeah, let’s,” agreed ManeFrame as she readied herself and followed him. Somewhere a little distance away, a huge explosion echoed through the air. The multitude of Imperial alarms that were raised was drowned out by another resounding cheer. The fight was on.