Despite the rather primitive décor, the foals’ room was nicely laid out with a toasty fireplace that had been lit, two beds on either side with a nightstand in between decorated with a lamp, a bear rug, and a closet containing a few extra blankets and pillows; there were also a couple of nests of hay, likely meant for younger griffonlets, but they were just big enough that two or three of them could fit. With so many of them in one room, they decided to make use of whatever they could sleep in; they decided to delegate each side of the room to each gender so as to not make things awkward. With the warmth of the fire keeping them calm after their narrow escape, they gathered in front of it on the rug.
“Well…..what we gonna do now? D’hey know where we are, don’t they?” Turf War said.
“It would be wise for us to make our presence unknown as quickly as possible. It is only a matter of time before they reach this place.” Zebota said.
“Yeah, but it won’t be for a good while- they probably don’t even know that the portal took us here. Princess Luna said that barely anyone even remembers them.” Spiral Galaxy said.
“I don’t know. If they manage to meet Aesir in Yodelneigh, I’m sure he’d probably know about the portals. Heck, one of them is Siegfried’s grave for crying out loud!” Tidal Wave said.
“Yeah, and Princess Twilight is one heck of a bookworm. She herself would probably know.” Fire Fight said.
“Even so, we traveled an enormous distance in mere seconds while cutting off the portals’ connection. From where they are, I’d estimate they would be able to reach within at least a full day’s time assuming they started their journey right as they saw us depart.” Quantum Tech explained.
“Then I suggest we take this moment to plan our next move for when morning rises.” Shadow Shroud said as she pulled out her map. “If we decide quickly, we might just hatch a good enough plan to execute right after Air Slash and Valkyrie finish their little contest.”
“Can’t you guys have your play date after we find a place to live?” Bullseye asked.
Air Slash chuckled. “We should not take long. If we’re both as mighty as we claim, then one of us will no doubt fall within minutes. Besides, it’ll be at high noon; we’ll have plenty of time afterwards to make any last minute preparations.”
“Could you perhaps convince her to help us find someplace afterwards?” Greensprout asked.
“I doubt it.” Air Slash answered. “Valkyrie is concerned with her people, as she should be. We interfered in her affairs enough as it is. It is not likely that our paths will cross again, unless we settle close to Griffonstone.”
“She did seem pretty bothered about having to help us.” Tidal Wave said.
“And it certainly doesn’t help that she kinda got roped into our own problems. If our parents come here and recognize her, they might harass her for an answer until she decides to just chop ‘em up.” Fire Fight said. “You’re right, Air Slash. We’ve given her enough trouble.”
“Yes. Ok, now that that’s all settled…” Shadow Shroud examined her map for a moment. “Kickback, what’s your take?” she asked as she handed the gunslinger her map.
“Well, let’s see now…” Kickback carefully examined the area around Griffonstone, which was sadly limited. “Well, the first thing Ah’d tell ya is that we shouldn’t go north if we can help it. The train station is just over yonder, and we might get cornered if we’re caught again.” He said, and then something caught his eye. “Now where do y’all s’pose this goes?” He showed them a road that led out of Griffonstone and headed southeast towards the mountains where there appeared to be a valley they could pass through according to the map.
“I bet y’all Valkyrie would know. Homie oughta ask her tomorrow af’er d’hey rumble.” Turf War said.
“It’s looking like our best candidate right now.” Quantum Tech said. “Although, if we travel a road that is already paved, it would make us easier to track.”
“Ah reckon so, but that also means that there’s something over yonder fer us to explore an’ maybe find some land where we build our homestead.” Kickback said.
“My only regret is that we may not be able to talk our differences over with the princess and those adults.” Greensprout said. “Surely they will be anticipating us to resist them again, so I please ask that we all actually take the time to have a conversation with them should we happen upon each other again.”
“And not lodge arrows in their shoulders….” Fire Fight said sternly as he looked as Bullseye.
Bullseye narrowed her eye and looked down slightly as she gritted her teeth. “You’re welcome.” She growled.
“Ms. Greensprout’s right though.” Kickback said. “We’re not gonna fend off them varmints by just runnin’ away like groundhogs when they see their shadows. We gotta have civil talk with our neighbors if were gonna come to a consensus.”
“We’ll worry about that once we properly establish our home.” Quantum said. She then sighed. “Hopefully by then they’ll have it in the right mind to recognize our sovereignty.”
“Yeah…that was scary…” Spiral muttered.
“C’mon, y’all! I know we ain’t ‘bout to let dat distract us right now!” Turf War said. “We gotta be focusin’ on our mission n’ all d’hem. We don’t got time to be wonderin’ why d’here be peeps on our flanks.”
“We won’t have much time to worry about it once they catch up though.” Shadow Shroud reminded.
“The best thing we can do at this point in time is be weary of what surrounds us. Our very survival will depend on how well we can maintain our morale.” Zebota said.
“Yeah, we got to stay strong, guys.” Fire Fight said. “Hey Quantum, did you finish that analysis of those ice golem remains yet?”
“Oh! Yes, I did! Although…..I’m not exactly sure what to conclude….” Quantum answered.
“What do you mean?” Greensprout asked.
Quantum Tech cleared her throat. “Well, it’s as if it didn’t come from the golem at all. Either that, or the golem, and by proxy the windigo we encountered were merely……how should describe this?......antibodies, as is they were acting to defend something, or perhaps eradicate us altogether. What’s even stranger is that it didn’t appear to have any form of consciousness whatsoever.”
The foals felt chills running down their spines upon hearing Quantum’s ominous explanation. “So…..they were just……drones?” Tidal Wave asked.
“And there’s a queen bee controlling them?” Spiral asked.
Quantum gulped and nervously nodded. “It would appear so, but as to the identity of whatever the entity might even be, I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea. I don’t even have any methods of tracking where this hive brain might operating. However, I did notice something rather…..peculiar.”
“Being what?” Air Slash asked.
“When I studied its magical activity, I noticed that it was emitting waves that were strikingly akin to brainwaves, particularly those associated with thoughts and feelings of anger.” Quantum explained.
“Anger?” Kickback inquired.
Quantum nodded. “Yes. It is likely they were what were influencing these anomalous creatures. Studying them more closely, I was beginning to make out a pattern of sorts. Consistently, I observed anger, resentment, deep sorrow, feelings of betrayal even. Clearly, it was somepony’s will programming those drones.”
“Tch. So somepony’s just hella pissed off at something, huh? Talk about a hissy fit.” Bullseye commented.
“But why did they come after us? What did we do to who or whatever it is?” Tidal Wave asked.
“Well, we don’t know if our cases were the only ones. They could be popping up all over Equestria for all we know.” Fire Fight said.
“Although, I’m pretty sure we would have at least heard ponies talking about such drastic events plaguing the realm.” Shroud said.
“Yeah. When I was in Yodelneigh, nopony seemed freaked out about any news of ice monsters attacking Equestria.” Tidal Wave said.
“I still think dat d’hey mighta been just some spirits guadin’ dat mountain. Bet d’hey was sizin’ us up first ‘fo d’hey decided to rumble.” Turf War said.
“But the first time, we were not anywhere close to Great Horn Summit.” Zebota said. “And I sensed the evil within them that Quantum Tech described. Those creatures are not natural; they are abominations, insults to the balance of this world. I know not where they are spawned, but I can have no doubt that it is dark, terrible place void of any respect for order. We would do well to be weary of their existence.”
With a scientific genius and an attuned mystic giving the same warning, the foals couldn’t help but to be even more chilled. Was something after them? Something they couldn’t sense? Or was it just a coincidence that they were seeing whatever this presence was start to make itself known? Either way, it seemed that Princess Luna might have been right about a coming disaster.
“O-Ok. Moving on. How about Tidal Wave’s DNA?” Spiral asked.
Quantum Tech had to take a deep breath before answering. “Ah yes, that. Well…..I’m afraid that wasn’t quite so conclusive either. I of course came across the odd ‘anti-gene’ that I mentioned before. However, I may have found the cause for it.”
Tidal Wave perked up. “Really? What?”
“For some odd reason, it seems to originate from your mother’s side of your inherited genes.” Quantum said. “From a genealogical perspective, there’s nothing wrong with you at all. What’s strange is that your mother was indeed a pony, but it begs the question of why she would carry such peculiar traits. Did you ever inquire your father on their relationship?”
Eyebrows and heads were cocked at the strange news that nopony was expecting to hear, even the colt in question himself. “W-Well….I have, but he never wanted to talk about it for some reason, so I stopped pestering him about it.” He said.
“What!? Why? She was your mother! You have every right to know.” Spiral said.
Tidal Wave looked at her and sighed. “Yeah, but she was also his wife. Who would want to be constantly asked about somepony they deeply loved that died? Besides, I….I probably remind him too much of her already.”
Spiral gently put her hoof on his. “Looks like it’ll be something to figure out together, huh?”
Tidal Wave lightly blushed at her gesture. “Yeah….I really do want to know. Maybe someday….” He managed a smile. Spiral let go of his hoof, but the two found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes for a moment. The night sky and the deep ocean seemed only inches apart with their young scions connecting them. That is until they caught themselves and broke off.
“So, uh….” Spiral stammered. “Quantum, aren’t you kinda worried that some griffon might try to steal your mech or something from it? We have most of our supplies packed in there.
“Oh, sure! As if twig face out there won’t just make a f****** snack out of anyone who’d try to touch that thing.” Bullseye said.
Quantum giggled. “Not to worry, darling! I have equipped my most prized creation with a highly effective anti-theft system.”
“GYAAAAA-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AH-AAAAHHHH!!!!!” They all heard someone outside get badly electrocuted.
“As you can see.” Quantum Tech nonchalantly finished.
The other foals looked at her in slightly amused horror. Quantum Tech wasn’t one for a lot of restraint, but they sometimes wondered if she was completely aware of that. “Damn. Glad we ain’t tried to drive dat thing when we was un’erground.” Turf War said.
Another thought then crossed Fire Fight’s mind. “Hey Shroud, who was that other Shadewalker that was in the temple with us? If I can ask, of course.”
Shroud looked at him. “I shouldn’t say. Even if I’ve opened myself up to you, the rest of my order has not. It’s not that significant anyway.”
Fire Fight knew better than to expect a straight answer, but he got the feeling she wasn’t telling him something. “Well, I’d say it’s pretty significant if he or she came to help us.”
Shroud narrowed her eyes a little bit. “If I truly knew, I’d tell you, but I don’t. We largely do our own thing. Although, I’m not sure why he’d suddenly come to our rescue.”
“So you know him?” Fire Fight inquired.
Shroud became noticeably more irate. “Look, I said it doesn’t matter, alright? We got here like we planned, and now we can go forward like we want to. What’s the problem?”
Fire Fight was started to get frustrated himself. “I think you’re keeping something from us, Shroud. Are they starting to come after us now? Are you in trouble? What’s this gonna mean for the Battle Foals? Are you gonna have to go back soon?”
“Just shut up, Fire Fight!” Shadow Shroud interjected, somewhat startling everypony. The look on her face was one of irritation, but looking into her eyes, Fire Fight could tell that something was gnawing at her, and she wouldn’t say what. After a few seconds, her expression completely softened into a sorrowful one. “S-Sorry…..I-I……didn’t mean to get angry.” Before anypony could say anything, she got up and jumped onto the girl’s bed and laid down. “A lot happened today, and I think we’re all just really tired, so……let’s just go to bed, ok?” she said sorrowfully.
“U-Umm….ok.” Fire Fight wanted to help his friend, but it didn’t seem like she was in the mood for talking, and everypony could see that. That, and she was indeed right about them being bushed, so with some unease, they set their belongings aside and climbed into bed.
Fire Fight let the other colts decide on who all would share their bed and who would sleep on the floor while he nestled himself in the hay nest. As he laid down, his eyes went to Shadow Shroud, who was practically against the wall as she laid in the bed and faced it, clearly unwilling to interact with the others. It was the only thing that dared to keep him awake as he slowly drifted off to sleep………with the warm, fuzzy embrace of the hay suddenly reminding him of being held by his mother.