//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 - The Seamstress and Her Kingdom 
// Story: Defect 
// by CroakyEngine 
//------------------------------//



Restricted Agency Archives
Old Audio Log Miss Rarity Belle

Start Log.

“Hello, Twilight. I hope this message finds you well.”

“It’s been almost twenty years since we last talked.”

“I hadn’t known what you did. Maybe I still don’t, but I do have something of an inkling, an idea. Oh my stars, you… they were gone because of you… as well as the chaos to which we returned to, the uprisings and the many tragedies. Equestria was different, not the one I… we cherished long ago. Of course, then there was what you did to… me, and our friends.

“I was… put out, darling. No, a lady doesn’t get angry, it isn’t proper. Our friends though… When I first saw you, again, I admit I was afraid, terrified even, of what you might become as well.

“I still cannot decide whether what I saw made me more fearful or just… sad. But, I didn’t make this recording to rant, as much as I would sometimes wish to. I didn’t make this for regret, or all the things I never had a chance to say to you.”

“I know you’re out there, Twilight, I can feel it in me. What you did, it broke the Elements of Harmony, but our bonds and links hadn’t shattered. I can feel your essence lingering still, as strong as all of our friends. The others told me you died in the lost city, but I refuse to believe it.

“In case you’re hearing this, Princesses knows how many years later, I just want you to know this.

“I know you’re still alive, and I swear on my existence that I will find you. After all these years, I… it was never your fault, darling. I failed you, as a friend, a companion and so much more. How could I have called myself Generosity, when I had been so selfish? Not again, never again. I never stopped searching, and I’ll search for centuries more if I have to.

“Twilight… I promise you, Twilight, I’m going to find you, and I’m going to bring you home, wherever that may be.

“And we’ll fix this. Together.”

End Log.

Start Log.

“Oh, and just one more thing, darling?

“I forgive you.”

End Log. 







“Well, I’m certainly glad you two didn’t try to blast the Timberwolves to bits,” said Bloodlust cheerfully as she cut out a swath through the crystalline jungle with a coldsteel knife-turned-machete. Close behind her followed ManeFrame and Jade with Sanguine bringing up the rear. “They have a tendency to just piece themselves back together.”

Both Jade and ManeFrame performed a double take, and Bloodlust gave a hearty laugh at their predictable reactions, without even turning around to face them. Jade’s helmet clanked loudly against the belt it was attached to when he narrowly avoided walking into a tree trunk.

“They do?!” they exclaimed before being hushed by a glare from Sanguine.

“Yep, and then you would’ve gotten them angrier and stronger. It would take the agency ages to placate them again. It would be a pain in the flank, not to mention harbouring the risk of being noticed by the Empire.” A sour expression overcame her features momentarily before it disappeared and she shook her head.

She was about to say more, but was interrupted when Sanguine stopped and held up a hoof in front of them.

“Hold up, we’re here,” stated Sanguine. Jade frowned as he glanced around, and ManeFrame copied him. She wasn’t completely certain due to night-time approaching, but seemed to be nothing unusual at all in this place.

Bloodlust nodded and shook her hoof of its dank moisture before putting it next to her lips, before making a sharp windward whistle. Several seconds later a quiet, bird-like whistle answered back.

“Alright, we’re clear,” she said, turning around to give ManeFrame and Jade a slight grin. “Hold on.”

“Hold on-” “Oh no-” ManeFrame and Jade simultaneously began.

The ground beneath them vanished, and the surface quickly disappeared from their view as darkness enveloped them.  Both ManeFrame and Jade let out a scream, contrasting against the sound of Bloodlust’s laughter and Sanguine’s stoic silence. Perhaps on some default command programmed into her, ManeFrame’s wings spread out to stop her descent, and her hoof thrusters tried to summon the last fuel within them to fire up.

Before she could do anything, though, the ground’s descent slowed suddenly until it eventually came to a stop. For a second, the only sounds were the sound of Jade panting for breath and the Bloodlust’s chuckles. Then there was a great rumbling noise that filled the air, reminding ManeFrame of the engine of Imperial Behemoths. A giant, hidden bulkhead split open, and a sliver of light filtered in, revealing that they currently resided within a cave.

“What was that?” exclaimed ManeFrame, still jittery from the sudden shock.

“Doors opening,” answered Bloodlust mirthfully. Beside her, Jade patted off the dust and dirt which had fallen onto his armour.

“Stars, I thought that was a myth!” Jade tried to restore his breathing as he stared incredulously at the other two ponies. “Is that really how you enter the Agency every single time?”

Bloodlust hummed slightly before giving him a grin. “Nope, but it’s definitely the most fun.”

Jade eyed them incredulously before he stood up in the small underground opening. For being underground, it was definitely way too bright. He trotted a few steps and disappeared around a slight bend in the walls. ManeFrame hurried up to catch him, but stopped almost immediately next to him.

“Whoa,” said Jade. ManeFrame felt inclined to agree with him.

A gargantuan cave system greeted them, at least miles long and wide, with spires reaching up to the very top. Below the rocky ceiling lay a city of white and grey architecture, with a ring of archaic-looking walls jutting out of the far bottom around it. Enormous beams of light emitters raised above the city itself, lighting up everything far brighter than the outside world could hope to accomplish.

The centerpiece, however, was undoubtedly the half-completed form of an immense crystalline castle towering over the rest of the city. What was more bizarre about it was the peaks of the same white and grey styled utilitarian architecture that seemed to erupt from its evidently incomplete and open top. It was as if the buildings were giant vines, bursting out from a great tree in a magnificent fashion.

Unknowingly, or perhaps uncaringly, to ManeFrame and Jade, Sanguine stepped beside them while Bloodlust watched a little further away.

“Welcome to Ponyville; proud home to three thousand free ponies from the peaks of Canterhorn Mountain and the Macintosh Ranges,” announced Sanguine before turning around to give ManeFrame and Jade a sardonic grin. “And also enforces a ban on all non-official long-ranged communication instruments, so no funny business.”

ManeFrame, meanwhile, only acknowledged the introduction vaguely as she nodded absentmindedly, classifying and storing it in the backlog of raw background data she receives every second. It seemed completely at odds with the logical and pure functionality of Imperial architecture. However, even this took a backseat to the location the city was built in.

A whole city…Underground?! Thought ManeFrame with excitement beyond that which machines should be able to imitate. It was crazy, but ManeFrame could definitely see a few upsides. Her eyes scanned the urban areas and quickly caught sight of a quarry. Her eyes glanced towards Sanguine and Bloodlust, both of whom looked extremely proud.

“A place where any signals are hidden by the Earth itself, hidden beneath the last place the Empire would search for a resistance while replenishing itself on the materials hidden here,” muttered Jade, mirroring ManeFrame’s thoughts. “The perfect place for a hidden city right under the nose of the Empire.”

“How was this even possible?” asked ManeFrame, her mathematical mind quickly taking in the approximate dimensions of the cavern. “This place would have taken decades to just mine out. And how do you even feed the ponies here?”

“Food enrichment facilities, and artificial plantations. As for the cavern itself, magic bypasses many impossibilities, though I suppose the mare who did this was already far beyond that limit,” said Sanguine cryptically. Jade didn’t respond, but instead gazed outwards with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“What was Sanguine talking about?” ManeFrame asked Bloodlust.

“Twilight Sparkle, of course,” said Bloodlust. “At the end of the war, when the Empire swept across Equestria like a plague, the mega-runes she implemented activated and Ponyville was hidden away. It wasn’t until the Shifting Conflicts many years later that the Agency moved within.”

ManeFrame nodded, but her curiosity still burned. However, Jade had apparently exited from his thoughts and gave her a cautionary look. It was obvious as to what he meant. Don’t ask too many questions or you will arouse suspicions.

The metallic mare looked out over the outcropping and gazed down at the bustling city below. There was a slim scaffold holding an elevator adjacent to it, leading down to the ground level where an elevated bridge led directly to the city. Around it on all sides was a black abyss, filled with dark, foreboding waters to ManeFrame’s sensors.

The city itself was a completely different story. To ManeFrame’s numerous detectors, it lit up, as if a flak gun opened up on a cold, stormy night. There were thousands of ponies in there, along with several large hotspots she guessed were generators and various power-consuming structures. The only building that didn’t give off any chemoradiation or even emit any useful magical readings was the large, bizarre structure in the centre.

Maybe it’s just a decoy, in case the Empire finds this place.

“Well let’s going then!” uttered ManeFrame, internally jumping for joy at the prospects of going into a real-life pony city for the first time.

“Wait, you can’t just walk around like that! You would produce a mass panic,” Bloodlust called urgently, tossing her a small, pulsing emerald to ManeFrame. “Here, try this on.”

“What is this?” she asked, turning around the object in her hoof. The crystalline edges were smooth and a small glow emanated from roughly the centre of it. Several unknown markings were carved onto its green surface, something which ManeFrame’s scanners eagerly memorized and stored for later investigation.

“A disguise enchantment. Anypony within the agency would see right through it, of course, but it will work for most of the others,” stated the pegasus mare matter-of-factly. “Go on, I’ll leave you by yourself to experiment with it a little.”

The mare left and ManeFrame turned the device over, finding a small magnetized ribbon. She passed a hoof over it, and was startled when a wave of passive arcane energy flowed onto her. The gemstone crawled up her forehoof, magnetising itself on her upper hoof. Luckily, her system determined that it wasn’t dangerous or threatening - at least for the moment. Her mind, though, was already on what she was seeing through her sensors.

She inspected herself with an appreciative glance; a hazel coloured coat and a magenta mane with a silver streak running through it. The disguise shimmered whenever ManeFrame poked at it, creating a rippling motion from the source. When she repeated the motion, the disguise still shimmered, but noticeably less so. By the third time, the surface barely moved, almost unnoticeable if seen with ordinary eyes.

“Fascinating, the enchantment is learning,” whispered ManeFrame.

It was then that she caught the sounds of a conversation – or rather an argument. She realized that Jade and Sanguine was nowhere to be seen. She turned around, and walked a little further along the walls. Then, behind a bend in the rocky surface, she spied Jade confronting Sanguine.

“How did you get ahold of that?” he demanded, jabbing a hoof at an enchantment device that Sanguine was holding, one that was almost identical to hers. Even from her distance, ManeFrame could see his tense face and small hints of a simpering fire behind his eyes.

“Scavenged, and we repurposed it for ourselves,” replied Sanguine, showing no sign that he noticed the hostility in the question other than the tiniest frown. He said something else, though, that ManeFrame couldn’t make out. Whatever it was, Jade didn’t respond.

“Hey, you okay, ManeFrame?” asked Bloodlust. “You seem a bit out of sorts.”

ManeFrame blinked and turned her attention back to Bloodlust.

“Yeah, I’m fine, but…” she trailed off, seeing that Jade had broken off the argument. “Nevermind, it was nothing.”

“So, do you like the disguise?” Bloodlust asked with a smile, one that ManeFrame matched with her own on her now decidedly pony-like face.

“Yeah, I do,” said ManeFrame, smiling lightly. “I really do.”

“Alright, if that’s all,” rumbled Sanguine, marching to the entrance to the elevator. After punching some numbers into the small control pad beside it, the doors slid open with a low hiss. ManeFrame, however, focused on Jade when he was within sight again.

“Jade, what’s wrong?” asked ManeFrame in a small whisper. He looked at her before quickly averting his gaze for some reason. Maybe the argument affected him more than I thought.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” he muttered, brushing past her and walking ahead. He entered the Elevator and silently stood next to Sanguine. The feeling was very much neutral as Sanguine didn’t bat a single eyelash towards Jade’s direction. Bloodlust walked up beside her, making ManeFrame give a little start. The pegasus mare raised her eyebrows inquisitively but decided not to comment on it.

“C’mon, let’s go. We’ll be waiting for a little bit until Miss Rarity will be free to see us,” asked Bloodlust. She then flashed ManeFrame a smile. “That’s not to say we have to go the shortest way. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a real, legitimate city again, ManeFrame?”

“Yeah… definitely,” replied ManeFrame, half-heartedly mustering a smile.





The main gate had a three-fold layer protection. The first and foremost was the gate, which was a simple structure, with the only thing out of the ordinary being that it was lined with coldsteel. The second was a series of bulkheads, followed by another layer of blast doors. All these entrances worked akin to clockwork, which if the slow grinding of gears and machinery was any indication, was not far off from the truth.

Once through, they were greeted by several guardsponies dressed in a uniform similar to Jade’s. When they passed her, they tensed ever so slightly, the leader narrowing his eyes and shooting a quick glance at Bloodlust and Sanguine. ManeFrame couldn’t gauge their reaction, but the guard’s shoulders slumped a little and let them pass.

“The castle in the centre there,” said Bloodlust, pointing to the gleaming white structure that rose over the city. “That’s the Agency.”

“We’re entering one of the business sectors, Miss ManeFrame,” intoned Sanguine. No sooner then he had finished speaking, they rounded a corner, and walked out onto the most colourful street ManeFrame had ever seen. “Be careful not to bump anypony, it might give away your cover.”

ManeFrame hummed in reply, no longer paying attention to what was being to her as she looked around with awe. There were electric lanterns and bright neon signs all around, most of which were advertising the wares of shops. There were stores for everything, many items of which ManeFrame had never even thought of. Restaurants, tailor shops, open markets, pubs, bakers and electronics shops were only some of a few that ManeFrame could discern, with many more hidden between other stores and alleyways.

The dozens of ponies roamed the street also fascinated ManeFrame to no end. Most in just their bare coat, but some wore dresses, skirts and even a few wore pants. Shouts, laughter and conversation permeated in the air, filling it with a welcoming warmth. What slightly baffled ManeFrame was that most of them didn’t seem to be interested in the shops and were simply enjoying each other’s company. Trotting around aimlessly seemed like a waste of time, and could be better spent doing something more productive, like reading.

She followed Bloodlust, Jade and Sanguine, who all seemed to be caught up in some sort of a conversation. ManeFrame didn’t have the mind to pay them any attention, being much more focused on her surroundings. She was still a little worried about Jade, but right now he seemed more relaxed. Once or twice, she caught him sneaking a glance at her, to which she responded with a bright smile. For some reason, he always quickly averted his gaze afterward.

As she kept walking, she came across a clothing shop that caught her attention. Her earlier worries forgotten, she trotted over to the clothing stands, looking over the numerous dresses it had on display. All of them were tagged with a small card which ManeFrame was quite sure were their prices. Her situational sensors warned her that a pony was approaching her from behind. She whirled around, ready to face a possible attacker, only to see a startled shopkeeper looking at her.

“Hello miss, that was some reaction time,” said the mare, after recovering from her slight shock. “Are you perhaps looking for a dress or two for a potential somepony? Or perhaps to spice up your romance?”

Her smile grew a little bit wider as ManeFrame cooed at the beautiful and bright garments. After a long moment of taking in everything her eyes could see, she eventually managed to tear her gaze away from the shopkeeper’s wares.

“I-I really shouldn’t, I need to follow my-uh, companions,” said ManeFrame awkwardly.

“Well, you better hurry up. They’ve already gone,” The mare, raising a hoof at where ManeFrame last saw Jade and the others. Now, there were only a sparse few ponies roaming the shops and stands, none of whom ManeFrame could identify in her memory cores.

Oh shoot.

“Thank you so much for your time but I really have to go now, Miss… uh-”

“Sun Dust,” said the mare warmly. “Go on, then. I hope you catch up to your friends. I saw them turn around the left corner at the next intersection.”

ManeFrame flashed a quick and grateful smile at Sun Dust, which felt somehow much more comfortable and natural to her knowing that her disguise was now emulating the action – correctly as a pony would. She turned around and galloped towards the pointed corner, deftly dodging through bypassing ponies.

She turned around the bend and saw an alleyway, with the exit of a bar on one of the sides adjacent to her. It was poorly lit, unlike the roads she had traversed before, and there were gathering refuse against the walls. Cautiously, she walked forward towards the other side, which opened up to another street.

They couldn’t have gone too far, right?

“Jade?” called out ManeFrame. The streets seemed pattern-less and she could find no signs of her companions. A whistle, though, came out from behind her, and she almost sighed in relief. That must be Bloodlust again. She turned around with a smile on her face, which morphed into confusion upon seeing a quartet of ponies – stallions if her analytics were correct – heading towards her direction, seeming to not have noticed her.

ManeFrame bit her lips as she considered her options. Perhaps I can ask them for directions without giving away my cover.

“Excuse me, sirs! Can you please help me with the directions?” The stallions stopped and locked onto her as she cautiously trotted towards them. A stallion stepped forward, and greeted her with a lopsided smile.

He had a dirty brown duster draped across his messy cobalt blue coat, a greasy looking mane peeked over high collars that cupped his cheeks. A used-up roll of something was being chewed upon in his mouth, emanating a sweet smell mixed with an unpleasant odour. Three other equally scruffy stallions accompanied him.

“Hello dear, I think it is us who you can help,” he said with a snort and a grim grin. “In fact, you have come at just the perfect time. My boys and I had a long, rough day.”

“Um, I think you mistake me for somepony else,” said ManeFrame, pausing in her advance. “I don’t think we’ve ever met before.”

“Oh no, honey, we know exactly who, or what you are, and what you can do for us,” insisted the stallion. If ManeFrame could pale, she would, a sliver of disgust jolting through her mind. They think I’m a… Urgh!

“Excuse me,” said ManeFrame, injecting as much confidence into it as she could, while swearing that her fake coat had grown paler. “I have somewhere else to be right now.” She proceeded to back away and turn around, but she stopped abruptly as she leaned against the cold, hard wall behind her. She gulped and turned around to face the advancing stallion, who had now drawn far too close for comfort.

“Come over here, Solder. I think we need to convince the dearie here a little bit before we start our-” The stallion paused, and licked his lips with a voracious grin. “-activities.”

“I think I should really get go-” ManeFrame didn’t know how it was possible, but the pony who had been referred to as Solder had somehow grabbed her haunches without her sensors being triggered. As soon as his hooves made contact with her metallic body, though, a small patch of her bronze plating was revealed. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked as if a part of her coat had dissolved around the tips of the stallion’s hoof.

“What the,” gasped Solder, yanking away his hooves and backing away from ManeFrame. “The Tartarus are you?!”

The leader rolled his eyes at the stallion, snorting as he turned his focus back to ManeFrame.

“Stop wetting yourself, Solder. It’s obviously just a gimmick used to scare off ponies,” sneered the Leader, chuckling. “Sorry, honey, it’s a neat trick, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately for you, it’s not gonna work here.”

“What’s not going to work?” Everypony, ManeFrame included looked up to the source of the voice and saw Bloodlust gracefully gliding down from a rooftop.

“Hey boys,” whispered Bloodlust huskily as she landed elegantly and approached the two stallions. Almost comically, the two ponies reared away from her but ended up bumping into each other’s hind sides. ManeFrame breathed a sigh of relief and watched in a slight fascination as the stallions paled significantly – even more impressive as one of them had a pure white alabaster coat. While the gang was distracted, ManeFrame also sensed two familiar ponies joining in on the conversation.

“A-Ahehe, Miss Lust,” the leader stammered, gulping as he slowly took several steps back, only to bump against the bulk of Sanguine. He looked up hesitantly to see Sanguine’s scowling face and an even angrier looking Jade. He quickly snapped his view back to Bloodlust. “M-Me and us lads were just… welcoming her to the city. Didn’t want to have her lost or something.”

“And you didn’t even think about inviting me! The others I might understand, but I expected better from you, Impulse,” Bloodlust accused, feigning offence as sauntered up to them. Beside them, the last two gang ponies looked ready to bolt at any second. “And you two, don’t think that I haven’t noticed you. Stay exactly where you are if you enjoy keeping your equipment attached to the rest of your body.”

“Now, now, I swear Miss,” begged the leader dubbed Impulse, nervously fidgeting. “We’ll just be well behaved now and won’t trouble you none. Please, we didn’t mean nothing by it.”

It was obvious that Bloodlust didn’t buy any of the pleas, but upon glancing back at ManeFrame, she apparently decided they weren’t worth the trouble.

“Report to the nearest discipline office. I’ll personally check later. Now run along while you still can,” said Bloodlust with a sickeningly sweet smile, her eyes glinting dangerously with the threat of pain and death. Once the forms of ponies had diminished sufficiently, Bloodlust’s expression morphed into one of disgust. Turning back to ManeFrame, she began to ask but was interrupted by Jade instead.

“ManeFrame, are you okay? They didn’t do anything… regrettable, did they?” he asked with a slight growl. “Those bastards, if they did…”

ManeFrame suddenly felt sheepish, and more than a little embarrassed that she had to be rescued, for a lack of better word. Meekly, she shook her head.

“I’m fine, really. Besides, they couldn’t even…” she trailed off. For a short moment, she almost forgot that she was a construct, that she was ManeFrame. She was knocked away from her train of thoughts by a grunt from Sanguine.

“A suggestion, Miss ManeFrame. Don’t get lost again,” said Sanguine as he glared at the retreating form of the gang. He snorted and motioned for both ManeFrame and Jade to follow him. “Come on, you don’t want to be late for Miss Rarity.”





“So, what is she like?” ManeFrame asked her winged companion. They were traversing the streets, which were steadily narrowing as they approached the ‘White Castle’, as Bloodlust had put it. Since her encounter with the seedy stallions, she started to notice that most ponies gave them a wide berth, or more specifically Bloodlust and Sanguine. ManeFrame couldn’t tell whether it was respect, fear, or some combination of the two.

“Miss Rarity?” asked Bloodlust, to which ManeFrame confirmed with a nod. She paused with a thoughtful look. “Ancient. That’s the first word that comes to mind.”

“Really? How old is she?” said ManeFrame. Bloodlust wagged a playful hoof in front of her face and gave a sly grin.

“Now that’s a real bomb, isn’t it? You really shouldn’t be asking a lady that, ManeFrame,” she said before her playful demeanour collapsed into a fit of giggles. “Naw, it’s alright. Just messing with you. As for how old she is, I haven’t the faintest clue. You never even think about it all that much, she’s just always there for us. Some say she’s been here to see the rise of the Equalist Empire and the fall of the Old Equestria, but that can’t possibly be true. If anything, she looks like she’s in her prime right now.”

“Huh, that must be… weird,” ManeFrame pondered aloud. She quickly realized that wasn’t the most polite thing to say, and was afraid of a reprimand when when Bloodlust gave a snort of laughter.

“I’ll say,” said Bloodlust, trying to contain her chuckling. “Us mares have tried to ask her for years - subtlety of course - but she wouldn’t tell. Everypony has their secrets, I suppose.”

“Speaking of secrets, word around is that the Equalist Empire was looking for something shortly after the battle of Neicolt. Rumour has it that they’ve lost one of their ‘experiments’ along with something else. Considering how tightly locked the information for the first was, I don’t even want to think about the second one.”

“Um, is it alright to be spreading that kind of information around,” asked ManeFrame, drawing three surprised glances from the ponies.

“Naw, the Empire already knows that we know. Doesn’t matter to us none if the Empire hears of it,” replied Bloodlust.

“How did you even manage to get the intel in the first place? I can’t imagine things like this wouldn’t be put under coldsteel lock and key,” questioned Jade, causing Sanguine to give a bemused snort.

“Trade secret, but Chief had participated in it personally,” said Bloodlust as if that had explained anything.

“That’s… significant?” asked ManeFrame.

“Hell yeah, it is. Chief almost never participate in any raids besides planning them. Some say that back when she was still in the field, the grunts would hightail it out of there in a heartbeat. She even singlehandedly retook the region we’re in right now, back when it was still in Imperial control,” said Bloodlust with a look of awe on her face. “She is living legend, right up there with the old Princess.”

“We’re here,” spoked Sanguine. ManeFrame looked ahead and saw that they were away from all the residential buildings and shops, instead on an elevated patch of ground with a cliff face between them and the Agency. A small shuddering groan, a large chunk of the rocky face evelated upwards, bits of rocks and dust falling down as it revealed a huge interior.

“Do you guys get your knocks off from secret entrance and passages?” asked Jade, smirking.

“Depends on who you ask,” Bloodlust smirked back.

When the faux cliff face was fully raised, a hangar was revealed. Intense, white lights from the high ceiling illuminated rows of elongated machines, many of which had ponies diligently maintaining and inspecting them. A quick scan and match told her exactly what they were.

“You have verticrafts here! I thought they were all destroyed!” squealed ManeFrame with a giddy grin.

The verticraft, previously consisting the majority of the resistance’s air offensive capabilities, were works of art. It had an eloquent shell that covered its length, with twin rotational turbines by its side for elevation as well as acceleration. A clear cockpit view showed a single pilot’s seat, a slew of controls and levers exposed to it. The entire design was accentuated by a blue and gold colour scheme, running along the entire outside of the aircraft. Despite multiple attempts to replicate this design, the Empire had failed to do so with efficiency.

“It seems that our efforts in sabotaging the Empire’s Intel have been more successful than we’ve been led to believe,” said a silken, feminine voice from behind them. ManeFrame spun around to see an alabaster unicorn mare with a rich, lavender mane purposefully walking towards them Each step of her hoof was deliberate and careful, almost silent. Immediately, ManeFrame was struck with a bizarre sensation, as if she was missing something so very crucial and familiar.

“Chief,” saluted both Sanguine and Bloodlust in unison.

“Come, you two. Lighten up a bit, would you?” remarked the mare cheerfully, to which the two ponies gave a small, respectful nod before assuming a more relaxed stance. The unicorn mare glanced at ManeFrame and Jade, who had stepped next to ManeFrame whilst she was distracted. “Ah, but where are my manners to our new guests.”

Smiling, she stepped in front of them and gave a small flourish with her hoof.

“Rarity, part-time seamstress and fashionista, full-time director of The Agency, at your service,” announced Rarity, dropping down to a low, elegant bow. When she rose again, she gestured to Bloodlust and Sanguine. “And of course I am certain you have already familiarized yourself with my finest agents Bloodlust and Sanguine.”

“Um, hi, I’m ManeFrame,” said ManeFrame awkwardly, trying to imitate the Rarity’s graceful bow. A muffled giggle from Bloodlust caused her to immediately return to her upright posture, a healthy blush blossoming over her disguises’ face. Rarity smiled gently and gave ManeFrame a small wink before turning to Jade.

“Captain Jade Grayling of the Resistance, Ma’am,” he greeted, nodding his head respectfully. “It’s a very nice place you have here. I haven’t ever quite seen anything like it outside of the Resistance mainland cities.”

“Please, call me Rarity – I insist. ‘Ma’am’ makes me feel like an unbearable old grump. The same goes for you, ManeFrame. And thank you, Captain. I’m glad my efforts haven’t gone to waste,” she said. “Now, please walk with me. We have a lot to talk about.”

The sounds of sparkling electricity and light conversation faded away as they reached the end of the hangar and went through a doorway. Where before it was a sterile white, the hallway they found themselves in was laid with marble, with walls reaching high up into the ceiling.

They walked down the hall in a small trio, flanked by Bloodlust and Sanguine on either side. For a while, the only sound was the sharp click-clacks of their hooves against the marble floor. It did, however, give ManeFrame time to admire the hallway they were in. It was slightly reminiscent of the ruined castle in the Everfree, but it was nowhere near as expansive and was adorned with more technologically advanced objects – electric lamps, the occasional holograms and various steel plated hatches along the walls. It felt peaceful for her, but one glance at Jade told her that he didn’t share her opinions.

His face was tense, and he observed everything with scepticism and suspicion. Whenever they came across a map or note of some sort, he would try and hide the fact that he was reading every single one. Finally, Rarity cleared her throat lightly, breaking the silence.

“Is there something on your mind, Captain?” she asked, a hint of amusement on her face.

“Well uh, it’s a pleasure meeting you Miss Rarity,” said Jade politely as he walked beside her. “I have to admit that you’re not exactly what I expected.”

“What did you expect, Captain Jade Grayling? Perhaps an aged mare dressed in slags decorated with dozens of medals?” asked Rarity, grinning. Jade opened his mouse to speak but decided against it at the last second. The group stopped in the hallway, coming to a small door. It shunted open and revealed an elevator.

A short ride later, they were in a different setting, with smaller, more compact hallways and the occasional uniformed ponies walking past them. Many of them nodded to Rarity and the two agents, almost entirely dismissing Jade and ManeFrame.

“Those are some of my other agents. Don’t mind them, they can be a little… stoic at times,” whispered Rarity with a small wink.”

“So… Rarity,” started ManeFrame. “Surely you knew all about us before we even stepped into the Agency. Why have us introducing ourselves?”

“I always believed that greeting somepony firsthoof is a good way to get a measure of their qualities and personalities,” responded Rarity, looking at ManeFrame dead in her eyes. It lingered there for a second more – as if she wanted ManeFrame to say something – before her intense gaze moved away. “You two are quite a unique pair, I must admit.”

“Thanks?” replied Jade with a questioning tone.

“Now, I had wanted to meet you two earlier and show you around, but… well, pressing matters unfortunately dominated my attention for a long time. It’s getting rather late, so I think it would be for the best if you two both get some rest for tonight,” said Rarity kindly. “We have much to discuss tomorrow.”

“I can use a soft bed,” remarked Jade while ManeFrame just simply nodded.

“Great! Bloodlust and Sanguine, sorry to be a hassle, but please escort Jade to the living quarters and show them where the dining hall is along the way. ManeFrame will be with you shortly. I just want to have a small conversation with her first,” said Rarity, to which both intelligence ponies responded with a stout ‘Yes, ma’am’.

Jade shot ManeFrame a troubled look as he passed her, one that wasn’t entirely missed by Rarity.

“So, ManeFrame, can I see you?” asked Rarity tentatively. ManeFrame faltered in her steps ever so slightly, realizing that she still had the disguise filter upon herself. In a weird way, it had almost grown comfortable to her, and she hesitated at the thought of revealing her true nature. A gentle nudge from Rarity caused ManeFrame to look at her. “It’s okay, ManeFrame. There is no one in these hallways except for us, you can trust me.”

Nodding slightly, ManeFrame found the small gemstone stuck against her hoof. She plucked it off with a small, metallic clang. Almost instantly, her hazel coat shimmered away, revealing her bronze construct plates.

“Wow,” murmured Rarity. ManeFrame turned away abashed.

“I know, I’m so-”

“Beautiful,” finished Rarity with a smile. ManeFrame turned to her in surprise. “Really, ManeFrame. The gleam, the design, the form. Darling, you’re gorgeous.”

ManeFrame shuffled slightly on the ground, glad she was no longer wearing her disguise as it would undoubtedly be blushing profusely.

“I shouldn’t bother you anymore, but I want to know one more thing before you leave,” said Rarity.

“Um, sure, what do you want to know?” said ManeFrame, still feeling a little flustered.

“You have some interesting items in your saddlebags, as well as the shotgun that was in your possession when my agents confiscated it,” commented Rarity. “I know it isn’t exactly my business but… may I know where you found them?”

“Oh, well I found the shotgun and the necklace in an old barn in a place called Ponyville,” ManeFrame recalled, internally browsing through her memory entries. “Though I suppose it’s the name of this city now, right?”

After a long pause that made ManeFrame think she said something wrong, Rarity asked “Was it… was it on the edge of the Everfree forest?”

“It was, actually. How did you know that?” said ManeFrame. She turned to Rarity when there was no reply, only to see her with a forlorn gaze, stuck in her thoughts. “Rarity? Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, I’m just lamenting my own stupidity,” she replied, chuckling a little. “And the book?”

“An abandoned ruin in the Everfree,” said ManeFrame carefully. She was sure Rarity already knew of its existence, but on the off-chance she didn’t, well, ManeFrame wanted to revisit its grandiose library sometime.

Rarity hummed for a moment.

“Here, as a sign of goodwill, you can have it back. I trust you to not use it,” said Rarity, levitating the shotgun with the familiar trio of apples printed across its stock. ManeFrame’s eyes widened, and she was about to speak when Rarity stopped her. “On one condition, though. I want to have your measurements.”

“You mean my specifications?” asked ManeFrame, hundreds of statistics of her construct form immediately brought to the forefront of her mind. “There’s a lot of them.”

“Not at all, darling, just your physical dimensions. I have a little project I’m working on that I think you will simply adore,” said Rarity slyly.





When ManeFrame entered her designated quarters, she was surprised to see Jade within, having shed most of his armour and was for the first time in his bare coat. Puzzled, she wondered why they weren’t put into separate quarters. Jade glanced at her with a raised eyebrow from within the comfortable warmth of his bed, presumably because she wasn’t wearing her disguise. Luckily, he didn’t seem to object to her presence, at least outwardly.

Slowly, she carefully placed her measly possessions, the sheathed shotgun and her saddlebags, onto an adjacent dresser table. Jade eyed them but ultimately didn’t say anything, his expression hidden by the blanket he had wormed under. She began to approach the empty bed opposite of Jade’s, but stopped when she realized that she didn’t need to sleep in a bed.

After a moment of slight indecision, she crept onto it and sunk into its soft depth, sighing. The action, even if only for what it symbolized, soothed her. It felt calm, and peaceful. An idea came to her and she took out

The origins of the Elements of Harmony have always been shrouded in history. In fact, until very recently, the Elements’ use had not been found to be documented before the first Incarceration of Discord. However, with not insignificant efforts on the part of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Elements have appeared to be in use during the height of the tribal era. Cultist and spiritual leaders of powerful unicorn tribes sometimes held up to two or even three Elements to ward against the untamed nature and sieges from other tribes. This led to a working hypothesis that while modern-day Elements are best for working together in synergy, their origins may be independent of each other…

The more ManeFrame read, the more fascinated she became with its concept. While she read, part of her construct’s chest plate uncovered to reveal the necklace she had found before. Startled, she realized she had almost forgotten about it. Now, however, it was glowing gently. Smirking, ManeFrame used some of her sensors – now more functional than they were in the forest – and started probing the strange object.

After several futile minutes of this, she huffed in annoyance. There was little she could discern from the object other than it seemed to pulsate a weird type of energy every so often. Slightly disheartened, her eyes drifted back to the open book.

From the ancient records, there have been documented side-effects to the use of the Elements of Harmony. Prime among this, is when element bearers are equally recognized in a magical binding, they develop strong connections that intertwine with their emotional functions. There has been evidence to suggest this could even be the origin of the term ‘soul-mate’ before the adoption of its more contemporary definition. Even when separated, the bearers still resonate strongly with each other, sometimes manifesting in an insatiable desire to be with one another until a new set of bearers are chosen. ManeFrame stopped reading, and rescanned the last line. A phantom shiver ran through her, but before she could dwell on this further a voice spoke up from the other side of the room.

“Come on, ManeFrame, turn that light off. I haven’t got a decent night’s sleep in weeks,” groaned Jade. ManeFrame sheepishly uttered an apology and turned off the mounted lamp, but not before re-reading the last line for one final time.

“Good night,” said ManeFrame, to which Jade replied with a snore, already fast asleep. ManeFrame smiled despite herself and laid down on her own bed. With a small exhale, she went through the same process that was gradually becoming more familiar, her systems entering into a dormant state as her metallic lids closed over her eyes.





ManeFrame woke up early as usual, feeling once again rejuvenated from her hibernation. She glanced at Jade and stifled a giggle as she saw him strewn across his blanket. She sneaked closer and lightly bopped him on the nose, to which he sleepily knocked away with a hoof and a curious mumble ‘Please… I don’t want to….”.

“Ponies are weird,” chuckled ManeFrame to herself. She stopped at the mirror to inspect herself, reactivating her disguise to attempt a few facial expressions she saw from other ponies. After a little more experimentation, she managed to turn her ‘facial’ expression into something more similar to that of other ponies. Before she could continue, though, the enchanted gem dimmed and sputtered, her disguise eventually fading away giving way to her metallic features.

Sighing, she crept onto the bed and sat on it a while longer until there came a knock on the door, causing ManeFrame to stiffen momentarily.

“Come in?” The door opened to admit Bloodlust, who looked the same cheerful self she had been yesterday, though her mane was curiously braided behind her neck this time.

“Hey, good to see you’re up. Chief wants to see you about something,” said Bloodlust. “Good luck.”

“Thanks?” responded ManeFrame with a puzzled look.

“Chief has a way of changing our perspectives when she talks to you, even if she may seem somewhat eccentric at times. So just be prepared for that.”





“I hope you had a good night’s rest, ManeFrame,” greeted Rarity, smiling warmly as ManeFrame entered what looked comparable a war room. A large, smoothed roundtable dominated the centre of the room, with a ring of twelve velvet plaided chairs circling it. Sitting at the very end of the table was Rarity, who had turned her sight towards to one of the many large, pony-sized glass windows lining the walls.

Stepping up next to Rarity, ManeFrame looked to where she was peering towards. From her elevated vantage point, she could see the small, bustling town underneath, sprawling out to all surround the Agency in the underground cavern. Beyond the limits were dark, obsidian towers, occasionally crackling with purple, arcane energy.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Rarity before glancing at ManeFrame. “Please take a seat. Oh, and even if you look at me like that for a millennium, I doubt your question would announce itself.”

ManeFrame, a little embarrassed, quickly took a seat adjacent to Rarity. Before she could lose what little courage she had, she blurted out “How old are you?”

At Rarity’s stunned expression, she quickly started to backtrack. “I’m sorry, That was- I shouldn’t have-”

A sharp, bell-like laughter from Rarity stunned ManeFrame. She had expected scorn, shock or offence from the mare, but instead she was giggling crazily.

“Oh Celestia, this is certainly the first time I’ve been asked that question so directly!” cried Rarity. She managed to retain her laughter, wiping away a tear. “Sorry about that, ManeFrame. It’s just that the girls have always tried to ask me this through the most roundabout of ways. It’s quite humorous, really. To answer your question directly, I don’t remember.”

“What do you mean?” questioned ManeFrame. “How can you not remember?”

“Simple. There have been gaps in my memory, and only after some time have I began to remember them,” Rarity smiled melancholily. “All I can say is, I have been around for a long time.”

ManeFrame wasn’t completely satisfied with the answer, but she realized it was likely the best she was going to receive. When Rarity spoke again, it was in a muted and serious tone.

“I am afraid I have been deceiving you somewhat, ManeFrame,” confessed Rarity. ManeFrame shifted uncomfortably, her eyes flicking around the room as her mind planned for the worst possible scenario. She became slightly panicked as she realized the only exit was a door, which was undoubtedly reinforced and locked. Despite her explosive munitions tray being empty, it weighed heavily on her mind.

“ManeFrame, I know what you are.”

“Uh, what do you mean? I mean, knowing what exactly? There’s a lot to be known, aheh-he,” stammered ManeFrame, chuckling nervously. Rarity smiled and placed a hoof on ManeFrame’s shoulder, though she retracted it when ManeFrame involuntarily flinched. When their eyes met, ManeFrame's shoulders sagged. “So you know. How?”

“We are an Intelligence Agency, after all, darling. Please give us a little credit,” said Rarity with a wry smile. “We’ve had information on your existence since before your ‘release’, but only in pieces, and always vague. My agents almost didn’t recognize you at first, that is until you started destroying Imperial constructs. “I tried to send you help at Neicolt but the Empire was… unwilling to cooperate, to the say the least.”

“Does… Does Bloodlust and Sanguine know?” asked ManeFrame.

“They do, and I’m sorry for their deception. It was at my insistence that they did so. Do not blame them for what they had to do,” Rarity lowered her head apologetically. “There is a great deal the Agency has to be wary of. “I had to be sure.”

“So, what now?” ManeFrame inched away ever so slightly, looking at Rarity with some wariness.

“Everything I’ve said so far is sincere. I will not treat you any worse than my own agents, provided that you oblige by our rules. Your Captain Grayling will be sent to the Resistance as he wishes to be. The same goes for you, ManeFrame, but I will ask something of both of you. Whether you accept or deny if your choice.”

ManeFrame’s ears perked up at this.

“A choice? What sort of a choice?” she asked.

“You will know it soon. Both you and Jade,” assured Rarity. “But, regardless of your decision, ManeFrame, I want you to know that you are important, very much so.”

“What do you mean?” asked ManeFrame.

“I’m… not too sure if I can explain it,” explained Rarity hesitantly, brushing a hoof across the tabletop. “But I know that you are crucial for us to win against the Empire. Of that, I have no doubt. All I want you to know right now, though, is I’m here to help. No matter our origins, we have a common goal.

“Your defection is not a coincidence. I see the same spirit inside of you as my best and brightest agents. A spirit that strives for a better future, a safe one where others may live in peace and harmony.”

“Spirit? But… I’m a machine, a construct. How can I have a spirit?”

“Be true to yourself, ManeFrame. You are so much more pony than you realize,” said Rarity. “Do you know why we fight?”

“Huh?” ManeFrame raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Well, different ideologies, I suppose, territories even…” ManeFrame trailed off. “You are enemies, and you have to fight each other to
survive.”

“But what about the ponies themselves, ManeFrame?” implored Rarity. “What about each of their individual needs. Their motivations?”

“They each follow the chain of command,” answered ManeFrame in slight confusion. “By themselves, they don’t change the course of a war.”

“And a long time ago… you were right, ManeFrame,” agreed Rarity. You’re good with statistics, so here is one. Fourteen million. What is significant about this number?”

“I…don’t know?” confessed ManeFrame. She was now more puzzled than ever before. She searched through her files, but no matches came up.

“The decade after the Empire was created, fourteen million ponies were killed. Not only Equestrians, but on both sides of the conflict.”

“The Empire once had pony soldiers?” Rarity angled her head to regard ManeFrame.

“Yes, once, a long time ago. They had pony citizens as well, they were by all means an independent pony nation bordering Equestria,” explained Rarity. “The reason those ponies fought are exactly what you said, but with one more added ingredient: greed. Soldiers were pawns under the hoof of politicians and generals, and they were sent to slaughter each other regardless of the consequences. It’s almost formulaic, devoid of any emotion. It’s easy to forget that each one of that fourteen million number was a pony, with their own lives and ambitions and family. Ultimately, it’s what destroyed Equestria.

“The war we are fighting now, ManeFrame, is different. The reason why so many ponies fight, and die, is not because they have been ordered to, or because they want conquest. It’s because they have something more to fight for, something they consider far more important than themselves. They want to protect their freedom, their families, their sense of identity,” said Rarity. “I want you to know, because it is what held us together after all these years. The war that split apart Equestria was horrible, and it must not be repeated.”

“But why are you fighting?” ManeFrame asked quietly. Rarity sighed, but gave a small grin.

“You caught on to that? I’m afraid my motivation is… different from most. Many years ago, I made a promise to a dear, old friend. I… failed that promise, and since then I’ve told myself, never again shall I do it. I cannot ask for forgiveness, but all I can ask for is that she can forgive herself.”

ManeFrame smiled slowly.

“I’m not completely sure what had happened between you two… but I think she would still be glad to call you her friend,” ManeFrame ventured.

“You have no idea how much that meant to me, darling,” murmured Rarity, her eyes shimmering. Quickly, though, she wiped it away with a hoof and a small laugh. “I am being such an old and sentimental fool. Who am I to burden you with my worries, especially with so much to worry about yourself. Oh, before I forget.”

Rarity ducked down under the roundtable and retrieved a small bag within her magic. Carefully, she lifted a mesmerising cloak from within it, its blend of silvery and grey colours coming together in a hypnotic blend. “Would you like to try this on?”

“Me?” asked ManeFrame.

“Well, of course, dear. It’s made for you after all.” Rarity levitated it over ManeFrame’s form and clasped it around her neck, the locks coming together with a quiet click. Suddenly bashful, ManeFrame twiddled with her metallic hooves.

“I can’t have this, Miss Rarity. It would be better for somepony else to have it instead.”

“Nonsense, it’s a gift for you. And what did I say about just calling me Rarity?” she said gently, before giving her a pleading look. “Come on, ManeFrame, please give it a twirl. You look just fabulous in it.”

ManeFrame smoothed over it and turned around, spinning a little awkwardly. She gasped as a small tendril of violet magic snaked around the cloak and it started to turn translucent. By the time she stopped moving, she was almost completely hidden from sight.

“It makes me go invisible?!” exclaimed ManeFrame. After a short moment, the enchantment faded off and she was once again visible.

“I may have forgotten to mention that,” remarked Rarity with a grin. Her horn shimmered briefly and ManeFrame’s eyes lit up when she saw her metallic appearance had been once again transformed into a coat. “You seemed rather attached to your disguise, so I weaved a similar enchantment onto this cloak.”

“I… I don’t know how I can thank you, Rarity,” responded ManeFrame, breathless.

“No thanks needed, ManeFrame. It’s not charity, but a gift, from one friend to another,” said Rarity.

“You think we’re friends? Even if you know that I’m… well, not pony?” asked ManeFrame, surprised. It had taken so long for Jade to give her even a small measure of trust, and here a stranger offered her friendship. Some part of ManeFrame wanted to analyse her, attempting to find any hidden clues or carefully constructed wording. However, another part can’t help but believe her, instinctively knowing it to be true.

Rarity paused and then gave ManeFrame’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

“Perhaps… not yet. But I know we will be, ManeFrame, as surely as if it had already happened,” said Rarity. They looked at each other silently, before the quiet was interrupted by a loud thud outside the door, followed by a brief but expressive bout of cussing. ManeFrame quickly identified the voice as Jade’s, albeit sounding grouchier than usual.

“Ah, that must be the others,” said Rarity, turning to give ManeFrame a conspiratorial wink. “It’s going to be business from now on, ManeFrame, but please think about what we talked about. It will mean the world to me.”

ManeFrame nodded slightly just before the large oaken doors opened to admit Bloodlust, Sanguine and Jade, with the latter looking significantly more bedraggled than the others. Rarity turned to them and stood around the main table, which was suddenly illuminated with a burst of pale blue energy.

“Is this urgent? I was-  enjoying my sleep,” grumbled Jade, stopping mid-sentence to stifle a yawn as he took a seat directly opposite of ManeFrame. Rarity smiled thinly at him.

“Quite, Captain,” said Rarity, lighting her horn in a pale blue aura.

The roundtable lit up with a matching colour, emitting a brilliant spectrum of prismatic lights that swirled together rapidly, before settling down and solidifying into shapes and objects, forming a map. Soon, a sparkling white forest filled with hundreds of small, moving flickers of light was forged on the table.

It took less than a fraction of a second for ManeFrame to realize it was a map of the Everfree forest. Eyes widening, ManeFrame quickly examined every detail of what was present, and correlated them with her own data. In her database, the statistics and figures slowly morphed into a visual layout.

“Whoa,” gasped ManeFrame. “I’ve never seen something so… colourful.”

“Glad you approve, darling. Designed it myself.” Rarity’s horn lit up and the map began to zoom out until it encompassed everything from the great eastern oceans, to the edge of the great unknown, to the tip of the dragonlands. A small trio of white diamonds focused on somewhere near the middle of the Everfree Forest.

“For the past few months, there have been… rumours of a new secret weapon being built by the Empire. It was mostly unfounded, and the source was highly unreliable. However, the prospect of it was dangerous enough for me to investigate its truthfulness,” said Rarity, a small troubled frown on her face as the map zoomed in onto a small Imperial compound. “Four nights before your assault on Neicolt, I sent a squad of my best agents to the Fillydelphian Relay Facility. They sacrificed their lives to send me an encrypted message.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” muttered Jade. “I’m sorry for the loss of your agents. I’m sure they were all good ponies.”

“They are, and I intend to honour their sacrifices,” said Rarity, her voice determined and firm. “The problem with the message, however, is that it was recovered in raw form from an Imperial database, and can only be decrypted by an Imperial Relay outpost. Before their death… my agent couldn’t tell me anything beside that it was of the utmost importance.”

“What’s the problem, then? Surely the agency has done numerous infiltrations over the years?” asked Jade cautiously.

“This isn’t just any facility,” said Sanguine, speaking up for the first time. “This is the Canterlot Region Information Relay base.”

At this, Jade sucked in a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with a forehoof. ManeFrame, puzzled as to his sudden change of mood, searched through her database for the mentioned facility. To her surprise, only a short and vague entry showed up in her locations schema. There seemed to be more there, but when she tried to dig in deeper, a piercing electrical feedback shot through her mental processors. She shook her head to disperse the last of the backfeed, but a dull ache remained behind. Holding back a small moan of discomfort, she tried to focus her attentions.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “What’s different about this base?”

“It is impossibly well defended, being on the front doors of the Canterlot Correctional Facility,” said Jade, but when he continued there was a slightly haunting quality to his voice. “It’s also where all the Imperial prisoners are all sent to be… prepared before being shipped to Canterlot.”

He turned to Rarity with a frown. “Short of sending half the Resistance into it, it’s almost invincible.”

“A headlong rush, perhaps, Captain,” said Rarity. “We here at the agency prefer a much more covert strategy. There maybe another way into the base. However, have no doubt that the mission will still be very dangerous, even for you ManeFrame.”

“Why us, then? We aren’t used to your methods, and surely you have much more experienced ponies who can handle this task. Why don’t you send them?”

“Normally, Captain, we would do that. However, in order for us to gain access into the base, we need something which we have never managed to have before – a willing collaborator from the Empire,” Rarity turned to face ManeFrame. “We found a secret passage into the Imperial base, but we need you, ManeFrame, to open the deadlock on the entrance. Only a construct can open it.”

“But ManeFrame is not-” Jade cut himself off short.

“Jade, they know,” said ManeFrame.

“You mean…” Jade started.

“We always knew. Chief insisted that we make no mention of it until she had a chance to speak with Miss ManeFrame,” interrupted Sanguine. Jade let out a slow, shuddering exhale

“So… what now?” he asked slowly.

“Nothing is going to be different. ManeFrame, while her true identity is unofficial, is still technically a defector of the Empire. The first defector of the Empire,” said Rarity simply. “And this still remains a request, not a demand. We will send you to the Resistance at the first opportunity.”

“How do you know it will work? What if it doesn’t?” Rarity pursed her lips and gave him a thoughtful look.

“We are fairly certain the Imperial interface will lock-on to her construct-specific charms and recognize her as a construct personnel,” Bloodlust informed him, and pointed at the design on ManeFrame’s flank. “That’s what those are for.”

“Fairly certain?” asked Jade, flabbergasted. “Is that the best you can do?”

“It will work,” said Rarity.

“And how do you know that?” argued Jade, and he looked to each of the three ponies as they all remained silent. He released a sigh as he settled back in again. “Alright, if you say it works then it works.”

“Thank you, Captain,” said Rarity, smiling slightly.

“I still haven’t agreed, yet,” Jade crossed his forehooves as he leaned back, an impassive mask hiding his thoughts. “What happens if I refuse?”

“Nothing. Your allegiance is not to us, Captain Grayling, you don’t have to do anything. Nor do you, ManeFrame. It is your choices completely,” admitted Rarity, giving him a small nod. “You will both be sent to the Resistance as soon as we can spare the resources.”

“Well, then-” started Jade.

“And the lives of my agents, and what they fought to retrieve would be all for naught. Whatever secret weapon the Empire sought to unleash upon us would be deployed unhindered,” interrupted Rarity. Her eyes met Jade’s, compassion and determination swimming amidst her twin orbs. “I know it is unfair of me to ask you, after all you’ve gone through, but we are in desperate times. A single, precise blow can shatter everything we care about.”

The plead drew a soft sigh from the stallion. He looked unsure, and he glanced quickly at ManeFrame – so fast that she almost missed it – before focusing his attention on Rarity with furrowed brows. He had to draw in several shaky breaths before he could speak again.

“If ManeFrame goes, I’ll go,” he decided finally, his face caught between a grimace and some other unknown expression. ManeFrame couldn’t help but glance at Jade with some shock. He responded with a shrug and that ManeFrame liked to believe meant ‘We’ve gone this far together, why not’.

“I’m surprised, Captain, but I’ll definitely respect your decision.” Rarity turned towards ManeFrame with a kind gaze. “It’s your choice, ManeFrame.”

ManeFrame mentally sucked in a breath and had to look away from Rarity’s intense gaze momentarily. No pressure at all, ManeFrame, she thought to herself. Her eyes darted towards Jade one last time, who gave a nod. The words Rarity had told her before echoed in her mind.

The reason why so many ponies fight, and die, is not because they have been ordered to, or because they want conquest. It’s because they have something more to fight for, something that they consider far more important than themselves.

Fighting for something far more important than themselves…

In the end, there really wasn’t a second choice. She made eye contact with the alabaster mare in front of her, and she knew that Rarity knew before she had to utter a single word. Despite so, she uttered it, if more so for herself than for Rarity.

“I’ll do it.”