The group arrived back at Hope's Point in the early evening, this time aboard a smaller vessel known as the Southern Sun, a cargo/passenger combination vessel that could barely hold their entire party in one trip but was supposedly much faster than most other ships in the fleet.
Considering how quickly they managed to get from Newhaven to Hope's Point, Twilight was inclined to agree, though she was beginning to wonder why all of the ships in Hope's Point's fleet were unique like this instead of uniform. Was it to provide a sense of freedom and individuality?
Nevertheless, the arrival of the queen back at Hope's Point was not met with a lot of fanfare, as Twilight knew she herself would have to expect and deal with were she in Blackburn's position. Twilight was beginning to envy Her Majesty's control over such things; if she didn't want a grand entrance, there wasn't one; if she wanted to be left alone, she was; if she wanted everypony in her employ to give her information now, they would.
There were no silly traditions or laws or guidelines to work around; Blackburn just asked—not demanded—and it was done. Twilight guessed that was just the benefit of the city being so young and Blackburn only being the third generation ruler. Maybe in a thousand years Hope's Point would be different; maybe in a thousand years, her own Equestria would be different too.
There was only one pony actually waiting for them who was of any importance: Havoc. Other than her it was just workers waiting to help unload cargo off of the Southern Sun.
Havoc looked stressed, to put it in a word; she was tapping her hoof anxiously on the floor while waiting for everyone to disembark. Otherwise she was still the same Havoc that they'd left behind, which was a good sign, Twilight hoped.
"Havoc," Blackburn acknowledged, stepping forward to shake the other mare's hoof. "Wasn't expecting welcome party; asked Council to give me an hour to situate guests."
"Yeah, well, I'm not part of your Council, Queen Bee, I don't gotta listen to ya," Havoc said simply with a coy grin. "Besides, I've got news to deliver, and yeah, okay, it can wait, but I figured that you're all gonna wanna hear this so why not just rip the bandaid off now, right?"
"Hmm. Unpleasant news, obviously. Good news can always wait." Blackburn gestured for the others to follow towards the elevator at the end of the hangar corridor. "Come, will arrange meeting." She turned to Gadget. "Where to, Gadget?"
"Meeting Chamber Seven is open at the moment," Gadget said, tapping the side of her goggles. "It oughta be spacious enough for us."
"Good, book it."
As they were walking towards the elevator, and eventually boarding it and riding it up, Havoc asked, "So, I take it things worked out down south, right? I mean, obviously we got word that it did, but I dunno, I'd like to hear it directly from you. You won't skimp on details face-to-face."
"All negotiations successful," Blackburn said with a firm nod. "Harmonia prepared to depower Beacon, prepared to deal with Nihila if she tries to escape into Dreaming. Zebras on board with allowing Gilderoy to shut down Beacon; Gilderoy en route to Zeb'ra'den now aboard the Astral Hurricane, fastest small transport in the fleet. Will deactivate southern Beacon tomorrow night; our teams must be in place by then."
"I heard it was Gray that worked things out with the zebras?" Havoc asked, tilting her head to look at her sister with a curious grin. "How'd you make that happen, sis? Like I said, the details were pretty slim."
"I put everything on the line and challenged the biggest, baddest zebra in the room to a fight," Gray said simply, staring straight forward but with a little grin on her lips. "Then I proceeded to kick his ass."
Havoc's grin turned into a smile. "No way, that's awesome. How big was he?"
Gray held her hoof up just a few inches above her own head. "About that tall and built to match."
"Holy shit, I didn't know they built 'em that high." Havoc turned to Zircon and Zyra. "Is that normal? I don't know much about zebras and stuff, but I know that Gray's kinda freakishly big for a pegasus, so I figured I'd ask if this guy was freaky big for your people too."
Zircon chuckled. "Warlord Ziggurat hath a reputation as one of the largest of our kind, mayhap the largest of this generation, though I knowest not for certain. 'Tis possible that one of the common folk is larger, but I hath never met such an individual." He nodded at Gray. "Ambassador Gray didst fight valiantly; much respect was garnered for her, and thus for New Pandemonium."
"Not that I was really doing it for New Pandemonium," Gray noted with a shrug. "I just wanted to get our plan moving along, and I kinda wanted to smack the attitude off of the guy's face."
Blackburn smirked. "Forgetting something?"
Gray blinked, then snorted and shook her head. "I don't think that that's important."
"Disagree. Havoc would find amusing."
Havoc raised an eyebrow. "Oh, now you gotta tell me."
Gray sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Ziggurat proposed to me after he recovered. Well, not proposed, 'cause he's already married, but offered me one of those things like what Rarity wears. Said I was the first mare he'd ever met that had ever 'lit such a fire in his gut' before."
Havoc blinked, then laughed.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, shortstack. I'm just glad I had the immediate excuse that I'm already married on hoof. Would've be awkward trying to come up with something else."
"Aye, 'tis the simplest method of dissuading a potential suitor," Zircon agreed.
Havoc, still laughing, managed to squeeze in a question. "So this big dude wanted to, what, make giant foals with you or somethin'? 'Cause that's where my first thought goes."
Gray grumbled something under her breath, then nodded. "I believe his exact words were, 'our foals wouldst conquer the world'."
"Pffft!"
Flathoof sighed and shook his head. "I'm just glad I didn't have to fight the guy off for my wife's hoof or something. I'd have done it in a heartbeat, but thankfully he just accepted it and dropped the issue entirely."
Gray gave Flathoof a smile and patted his cheek. "Aww, babe, it's cute that you think you would've needed to handle him by yourself."
When the elevator reached the palace, everyone disembarked and made a beeline for the meeting room that Blackburn had arranged, which turned out to be a cozy fit with everyone seated around a table; not a single chair was left empty, but nobody had to remain standing.
"Alright Havoc, updates," Blackburn said, steepling her hooves and leaning towards the smaller pegasus.
Havoc took a breath and set down a datapad that she'd been carrying with her, which she tapped a few times to create some holographic displays that everyone in the room would be able to see. The first image looked like some sort of outpost or base camp of some kind; even in Twilight's own Equestria, they had such things, though they were typically smaller these days and operated by only a few guards at best. Nor did they look so advanced, obviously.
"Curaçao's been busting her ass getting a forward camp set up near the Redblade Mountains to the west of New Pandemonium," Havoc noted, staring at the image on display. "The camp was finally established about five days ago and immediately began running scouting missions using AMP Troopers; they're cheap, disposable, and they don't complain when we send 'em flying around volcanoes."
"Good use of them," Blackburn agreed, squinting her eyes at the image.
"And it was working out pretty well, too, at least until the whole damn place started spewing out smoke and ash and shit," Havoc grunted.
She swiped her hoof along her datapad screen, and the image of the base zoomed out to show an image of the volcanoes behind it, which were just pouring smoke out into the sky above.
"The entire mountain range?" asked Gray, tilting her head. "You mean all of the volcanoes are active right now?"
"Volcanoes always active," Blackburn clarified. "However, usually in a perpetual 'flow' state. This is different, unnerving. Change in volcanic activity could mean eruptions; eruptions along entire range, disastrous for both northern cities." She tilted her head. "How long ago was this?"
"The smoke started about two days ago," Havoc noted with a nod. "And it's been getting worse. By tomorrow you'll be able to see the smoke from here in Hope's Point. It's mostly spewing out from the central and eastern sides, luckily; Hope's Point itself isn't seeing this from the west just yet."
"Concentrated, implies that it serves a purpose," Blackburn hummed.
"I think it pretty much confirms Curaçao's theory that Nihila's cultists fled into the volcanic regions," Gray said, gesturing at the image. "Maybe they're responsible for this and are trying to hide. Seeing a bunch of AMPs flying around might've spooked 'em."
"That's exactly what Curie said," Havoc agreed. "A few hours before this all started, the AMPs spotted what looked like some sort of encampment around one of the big volcanoes in the central region. The biggest one, actually, if the data's accurate. Curie thinks that's where they're gathering the material they used to make the dagger that nearly killed Velvet."
Blackburn leaned back and rapped her hoof on the table. "Have heard little about this 'material'. Curaçao keeps details secret. Why?"
"She did tell me a few things about the stuff, but for the most part it's just specifics about what it can do. I'll send the file your way after we're done here so you can read up about it."
Twilight vaguely remembered something about this strange "material" that Havoc and Blackburn were talking about; Gray had mentioned the attempt on Velvet's life during their journey together in the south, if only because it all seemed connected to Nihila and everyone was trying their best to get all their information out in the open.
Some sort of obsidian-like substance that was not just magic-proof, but had managed to disabled Velvet's magical powers? The very concept of it disturbed Twilight greatly; anti-magic materials were excessively rare and expensive in her world, and from what she could gather, the same applied to this world too. This dagger sounded quite dangerous; Twilight was glad it was nowhere near her.
"That's not the last of it either," Havoc continued, swiping her screen again to update the picture; the smoke in the sky was now glowing with fire. "A few hours ago, I got the last report from the NPAF camp before they packed up and fucked off outta there. They reported movement in the smoke."
"Movement?" Blackburn asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yup. With all the smoke they can't get a clear picture, but there's a lot of movement in there. The current thought is that these cultists managed to put together airships of their own and are hiding them in the smoke."
Blackburn hummed and rapped her hoof on the table again. "Sensible theory, logical choice of action: need airships to combat the NPAF and Hope's Point. Preparing for an attack, know we're coming? Perhaps. Lack of information troubling, don't know enemy's capabilities." She took a breath. "Problematic."
"I guess this means it's a good thing we're planning on moving forward with our own agenda right away," Twilight said with a nod. "It looks to me like Nihila's forces are preparing to make a move. Whatever it is, we'll be ready for them."
Blackburn nodded as well. "Gilderoy will deactivate southern Beacon tomorrow night at sundown in New Pandamonium time zone; Pandemonia will be at northern Beacon doing the same, simultaneously." She looked at Havoc. "Understand Dawn worked with your father, made adjustments to Beacon for Pandemonia?"
"Yeah, Dawn says that they got that all settled up and the Beacon will be ready to deactivate. Pandemonia just needs to start the process."
"Excellent. Fleets are coordinated, ready to work together?"
Havoc smiled and saluted. "Damn straight, Queen Bee. Fleet Master Highwind and Admiral Jetstream might as well be brothers with how well they're working in tandem. They're already putting together fleet patterns for an attack on whatever the hell these cultists are hiding in the smoke."
"Also excellent. Beacon shutdown coordinated, large-scale strategy coordinated. Will fly at head of the Hope's Point fleet myself; Wyvern prepared, wants payback. Will avenge Briarthorn."
Rarity balked. "You're planning on partaking in the fighting yourself, dear? Are you certain that's the right thing to do?"
"Never backed down from challenge before, not the sort to stay home, let others do the work." Blackburn shook her head, then gave Rarity a little smile. "Don't worry about me. Supposedly best pilot in the fleet."
"Be that as it may—"
Lockwood set his hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "Blackburn knows what she's doing. The fleet will fight better if they know their queen is right there with them on the front lines. I know you're worried; I'm worried too. But you and I both know that Blackburn doesn't let anypony push her around, not even some evil alien goddess of death, or whatever Nihila actually is."
"I know, I just…" Rarity sighed. "I'm just going to be worried sick, that's all." She turned to Lockwood. "You're not putting yourself in harm's way too, are you, love? I know that you have a bad habit."
"No, not this time. I'll be staying here in Hope's Point to keep our citizens calm and to coordinate rescue efforts if they're needed. We didn't even know Nihila was actually planning anything at all, and we don't know what she's planning, so somepony needs to be here in case something happens."
Rarity let out a breath, then patted her hoof on his and nodded. "Good. At the very least I can know that one of you is keeping safe." She gave Blackburn a firm look, eyes narrowed. "You'd better come back to us, you hear me?"
Blackburn smiled. "Wouldn't dream of doing elsewise."
Gray nudged Flathoof in the ribs. "You're staying with your brother and the kids, by the way."
Flathoof blinked. "What? But I thought—"
"Nah. You're staying, that's that. Don't make me explain it."
He paused for a moment, mouth slightly open, then gulped, nodded and clasped his hooves together. "I get it. Somepony's gotta keep an eye on my idiot brother besides just Crossfire, if only to make sure he doesn't do something stupid and put himself in harm's way, as he sometimes likes to do."
Lockwood scoffed in mock offense. "Flathoof, I'm hurt. Why does everypony keep suggesting that, hmm? When have I ever done anything stupid that put me in harm's way?"
Flathoof grunted, then looked at Pattycake. "Probably best if I keep an eye on you, too, sis."
"Psh, me? Why?" Pattycake grunted. "I'm not gonna go running off to do something stupid like our galiant brother."
"True, but when you tell Mom what you and Crossfire cooked up down south, she's gonna be all over you like white on rice. You're gonna need somepony to make sure you don't get suffocated with all that 'grandkid' business."
Pattycake hummed and nodded. "Fair."
"Everyone else heads north to New Pandemonium," Blackburn said, looking around the room at those who weren't staying here. "Dawn and Curaçao arranging matters with Beacon, other plans to combat Nihila." She nodded at Twilight. "Fighting superpowered evil face-to-face, not my specialty. Sounds more suited to you."
Twilight shook her head and sighed. "I guess if we're all being honest here, I do have an awful lot of experience fighting against powerful, evil villains face-to-face. I wish that I didn't, but I do." She looked at her friends from her own world and smiled. "We all do, in a sense."
"That's right!" Rainbow said, pumping her hoof. "If anypony knows how to take down bad guys out to conquer the world, it's us! And about time, too, 'cause I've been itching for a chance to show off and kick some butt."
"Me too!" Pinkie said, hoofbumping Dash. "I've got some big plans for how to really kick some baddie booty, y'know?" She turned to Fluttershy. "You ready, Shyshy? You ready to kick some tail?!"
Fluttershy blinked, looked at the others, then twirled her hoof around in the air slowly. "Um… woo hoo?"
"Flight arranged to leave at dawn tomorrow morning," Blackburn said, rising from her seat; everyone else in the room did the same. "Tonight, rest, or whatever else you feel should be done. Prepare for fight ahead, whatever that might be." She took a breath and nodded to herself. "Have confidence in success, but failure… still possible. Make use of time."
"Everyone's rooms are still set up exactly as they were before we left," Lockwood continued with a grin. "So, y'know, go ahead and unpack, unwind, whatever you want. If you're hungry, room service is available as always, or if anypony wants to go out to dinner that's fine too. You all know the drill by now, I think."
There was a general murmur around the room as everypony went off to go do whatever they wanted to do with whomever they wanted to do it with. Twilight didn't really pay much attention to who was going with who and where and what, because really she didn't want to know any details; everypony was going to find a way to enjoy themselves and relax.
Blackburn was absolutely right: as confident as they all were that this was all going to work out, there was no guarantee that they'd all make it. They didn't know what they were up against, and Nihila wasn't out to conquer and take prisoners.
What Twilight did know was who she was spending her time with right now: Winter Glow. As she and Winter headed back towards their rooms to put their suitcases away, she started thinking about what they could do together now that they were back in the north and not on the road anymore.
"I was thinking we could maybe go get dinner together," Twilight suggested, her face just a little red. "Y'know, like a… a date? We didn't really have much of a chance to do anything like that down south. They don't exactly have any romantic restaurants on the road, y'know?"
"No, I guess we didn't," Winter replied. "I've never been on a date before, actually. Have you?"
"Oh, goodness, no," Twilight chuckled. "I mean, not like a… a romantic date, anyway. Lunch dates with my friends don't count. I've been single pretty much my entire life, actually. Heh…" She cleared her throat. "But I read books about what kind of things ponies do on dates, so I think I can figure something out for us.
"First is choosing a location together! I know that you happen to like hayburgers and hayfries, so I could look up some of the highest-rated joints in the city and we can take our pick. I also figure that we should find one that serves beer, because I know you like to drink while you're eating, and—"
Winter rubbed her temple. "Twilight, did you seriously read a book to learn how to go on a date?"
"Um… yes. Yes I did."
"Crikey, you are such a nerd."
Twilight blushed and rubbed her neck. "Aha… y-yeah, I guess I am…"
Winter smirked and used her magic to pull on the collar of Twilight's sweater so they were face-to-face. "But you're my nerd," she said, pecking Twilight on the lips.
Twilight hummed out a laugh; it came dangerously close to a giggle.
"So, out of curiosity, what did those books of yours say about what comes after the date?" Winter asked with a sultry little grin. "'Cause I'll be honest, I'd rather we just skip to that part tonight."
"After the date?" Twilight repeated, blinking. She paused a moment, and then the gears clicked in place; her face suddenly felt very warm. "Oh. Oh. Um… w-well, I mean… isn't it a little soon for us to be—"
"Twilight?" Winter huffed.
"Yeah?"
"On the off chance that things don't work out tomorrow, I'd rather not die a virgin, ya get me?" She tilted her head towards the door behind her; Twilight hadn't even realized they'd stopped outside Winter's room. "So forget the date. We'll do that lovey-dovey stuff together after everything's said and done, when we'll have all the time in the world to debate over restaurants and schedules and all that.
"But now? Right now? I want you to follow me into my room—" She used her magic to twist the doorknob. "I want you to throw me onto my bed—" She pushed the door open. "And I want you to fuck me until I can't walk straight." She pulled Twilight closer again so that their noses were touching. "Is that clear?"
Twilight paused for about… half a second before scooping Winter up in her magic and carrying her into Winter's room, slamming the door behind her.
*****
Applejack stretched her legs and rolled her shoulders, and tried not to look like she was watching Zircon do the same. It was hard to do, actually; when he put on the training uniform here at the militia's gym, she could swear that he'd been poured straight into it. His muscles just pressed against the material so hard that they looked like they could burst out at any moment, even though she knew it wouldn't rip or tear from something so simple.
Nobody'd blame her for admiring the sight. She just didn't want to get caught.
She'd invited Zircon here tonight for one last spar before tomorrow; this was their final chance to get in some last-minute training and exercise. None of them knew what they'd be getting into or what they'd be required to do, or where they'd need to go, or if they'd even need to fight at all, but that didn't mean that they could just sit back, relax, and hope for the best. That might sit well with some of the others, but not for her, and not for him.
The sparring contest went as it always did, of course, which was to say that, after several days of training with Zircon both in his style and in her own, she'd learned enough to match him blow-for-blow. She considered this a huge accomplishment, as he was a seasoned warrior who trained his body every single day and who fought against beastly things frequently; she was just a farmer who learned how to buck as part of being an apple farmer, and who'd learned how to apply it in a fight from her brother.
So when she went in for a kick, she knew that he'd block it, but that didn't matter; what mattered was that he'd had to put effort in to resist the force of her kick, that he'd had to watch carefully where where she was aiming, that he'd need to react to the timing. If he was just a little off in any sense, she'd knock him out cold.
It also meant that when he would push for a counter, she was ready to defend herself and either blocked it if she could, or avoided it if she couldn't. There were much fewer glancing blows on her end than there had been when they were starting out, and steadily more on his; it wasn't difficult for either of them to avoid hurting one another while still giving it their all, but it still hurt sometimes.
And of course grapple holds were a thing, just a natural part of fighting hoof-to-hoof and apparently common with the fighting style Zircon was versed in and was training her in. She didn't mind how close they had to get to grapple one another, since that was just a normal part of it; it never got weird or distracting when she wrestled with Big Mac, so she didn't let it get that way with Zircon either.
But this time, there was something different. She'd been growing stronger over the last couple of weeks thanks to the intense training regimen she was being put through, but she didn't realize it until tonight.
At the moment, she was locked into a half-nelson/hammerlock combo which had her effectively pinned to the floor. Typically she would take a few attempts to get out of hold, and she had to do it quickly; the pressure it put into her neck was intense, and most of the time she had to tap out of it. She usually tried not to get locked into it in the first place, but Zircon was quick.
But when she made her first attempt to use her hind legs to kick against the floor to give herself some leverage, she found that it worked better than it usually did; either he hadn't finished getting into the proper position, or she just happened to hit a hard-enough spot in the floor to kick off of. Or, maybe, she was just that strong now.
In any case, the extra leverage was such that she was able to lift herself, and him, off of the floor enough to roll him over so that he was the one being pinned. While he still had a hold on her, he no longer had any leverage with which to put the pressure on, which gave her the opportunity to shift her body and legs around to clamp his head into a scissor lock.
He tried to kick with his hind legs to get out of it, but she was pressing down on his upper body with too much weight for him to move anywhere. His forelegs tried their damndest to pull her legs apart enough so that he could escape, but more than a decade of apple bucking gave her the strength to keep that from happening.
So he tapped out, and she released him. They took a moment to breathe before standing upright, and he gave her a proud little grin and clapped her shoulder. "'Twas a fine reversal," he breathed, taking a few seconds before he tried speaking again. "Thou art… getting stronger. 'Twas not… an easy hold… for you… to escape."
"Yeah, well… I had a… good teacher," she breathed back. She stepped over to her bag and grabbed a water bottle, took a drink, then passed it over to him so that he could do the same, then took a few more moments to catch her breath. "Hoo doggie, I think that's the first time I've ever gotten ya ta tap out, ain't it?"
"Aye, 'twas a mighty grip that thou didst place me in," he said with a nod. "Thou art a fearsome warrior now, Applejack. Thy presence shalt striketh fear into the hearts of thine enemies."
"Shucks, you're just sayin' that."
"Nay, 'tis the truth. Thou art fearsome and inspiring." He eyed her up and down, then hummed and nodded. "Aye, if thou didst don the armor of my people, thou wouldst inspire thy brethren to charge into any hellscape thou couldst imagine." With a grin, he added, "'Tis why I am here. Even without the armor, I wouldst follow thee into battle against any foe."
She bit her lip and nodded. "You're not so bad yerself, sugar. Sorry if I ain't got the same way wit' words that y'all do, but, uh… yeah."
He laughed one of those wonderfully mirthful laughs he had whenever she cracked a joke.
"C'mon, let's go get cleaned up a bit," she said, sealing up her gym bag and slapping his shoulder. "Figure we might as well call it fer the evenin', right?"
"Aye, 'twould be a wise idea. We hath much work ahead of us; 'tis to our benefit to relax some before we taketh to the battlefield."
She led him to the locker room and, as always, they stripped down and put their training gear into their locker before grabbing a large white towel each as well as shampoo. They then made their way towards the shower room at the back of the locker room, which was equipped with a number of private shower stalls, each one spacious enough for a pony to feel comfortable while they cleaned themselves.
Zircon headed into the first empty stall they found and closed the curtain behind him, and Applejack entered into the empty stall next to his…
Or rather, she made it look like that was what she was doing, while she checked to make sure nopony was looking. She knew that she likely only had one shot at this, and dammit, she was gonna take it. Satisfied that nopony would see her, she instead pulled open the curtain to Zircon's stall and scooted inside before anypony spotted her.
It was cramped with two of them in here. Oh well.
Zircon, who had just turned on the water, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Applejack? What art thou—"
"Shut up, Mister Thou," she said, a sultry grin on her lips, before sealing the curtain behind her.
*****
The next morning, right at the crack of dawn, everyone who was going north was expected to meet in the hangar bay, not just to head out, but to say their temporary farewells to their friends and family who were staying here in Hope's Point. Blackburn and Gray Skies had the hardest time doing it, from what Twilight could tell. She supposed that that was because the two were mothers who… may or may not come home to their children.
Twilight had to admit that she herself was rather nervous; she didn't want to think the worst, but there was always a part of her brain that told her to consider all the possibilities, usually the bad ones.
But she pushed those thoughts out of her head. This was no time for doubts, no time for second-thoughts. This was the time for confidence, for leadership, and she'd already sworn to herself that nothing was going to stop her from making sure that everyone came out of this a-okay. So this wasn't goodbye that she was saying to Lockwood and Flathoof and Blackburn at all.
It was just "see you when this is all over". And that was a promise she intended to keep, no matter what.
Not everypony else seemed to look at it exactly the same way; confident though they might be, they were a little more… emotional about what was happening.
"Promise me that you'll take care of her," Rarity said to Gadget, almost in tears as she held the smaller mare's hooves. "Promise me that you won't let anything happen to my queen, please please please."
Gadget chuckled. "Golly, Rarity, you don't need to ask me to do that. My life is sworn to Blackburn as her bodyguard, my life is sworn to hers as her co-pilot, and my life is tied to hers as her best friend. I'd die before I let anything happen to her."
Rarity sniffed and shook her head before pulling Gadget in for a tight hug. "Ohh, don't say it like that. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt or worse trying to protect her, either. Keep both of you safe. Alright?"
"I will, Rarity. And hey, you make sure you stay safe too, okay?" Gadget glanced at Zyra. "You got that, Z? If there's a single scratch on her head or a single hair out of place on her mane, you know who's gonna take you to task for it, and I don't just mean me."
Zyra smirked. "No harm shall come to Lady Rarity so long as I still draw breath, Gadget. I am her sword and shield."
Rarity let out a wail. "Ohhh, stop talking like that! Nobody's going to get hurt and that's final!"
Blackburn chuckled and pulled Rarity in for a hug. "Don't worry, marshmallow. Everything will be okay."
Lockwood joined in the hug. "There's a bright future ahead for all of us, I'm sure of it. Being worried is okay, but there's no need for waterworks."
Gray, in her goodbye to Flathoof, was a lot less emotional, which was to be expected. "We'll take care of all of this lickity-split, and then we'll be back in time for a late dinner, just you watch."
"You don't have to pretend with me, honey. I know you're worried," Flathoof said. "I am too. We all are. But you don't need to hide it."
"Psh, I'm not worried. Do I look worried?" Gray snorted.
"No, but do you know how I can tell that you're worried even though you're trying to hide it?" he asked as he pulled her in for a hug.
"How?"
"You said 'lickity-split'."
Gray blinked, then sighed and shook her head as she returned the hug. "Yeah, okay, you caught me. I know we're gonna make this all work, but there's a part of me that's just worried about everything that's gonna happen."
He smiled and tightened the hug. "It's alright. I have faith in you. In everyone. This isn't the last we're all gonna see of each other, so don't start thinking that it is."
"Right." Gray turned to Green Guard and tilted her head towards the airship. "You're sure you wanna come with me, squirt?"
"Yeah," Green said, nodding firmly. "I might live here with you and Dad now, but… I was born alongside Sunspire and Serendipity. They're my friends. I don't know if there's anything we can do to help, or if Miss Velvet would even allow us to, but I want to be somewhere where I might be useful."
"You'll do great, kiddo," Flathoof said, tousling the colt's mane. "And remember, even if you're not a part of the action, I'm proud of you for standing up and offering."
Green smiled. "Thanks, Dad."
Twilight and the others all boarded the Lunar Spear once they'd all said their, again, temporary goodbyes, and everyone got themselves situated in the passenger cabin and ready to relax, eat some breakfast—the ship was supposedly a luxury liner that provided that kind of service—and prepare themselves however they could for what was to come.
As the ship was disembarking, making its way through the underwater tunnel before heading to the ocean surface, Twilight broke away from the others to head up to the cockpit. "Excuse me, Captain?" she asked; she hadn't gotten the captain's name yet. "Could I ask you a favor?"
The captain, locked in the glass tube in the center of the cockpit, just as Captain Ember Heart had been in the Comet Chaser, turned her attention to her just enough to stay on course. "Yes, Princess Twilight?" she asked.
"I wanted to make one stop before we go to New Pandemonium City: the Goldridge Checkpoint. I have a friend there who I want to see."
The captain considered that for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine with me, Princess. Just don't take too long, okay? We're not on a strict timetable or anything, but it's best if we don't dawdle."
"I won't take long, I promise."
It was a short trip to the Checkpoint from Hope's Point, only about an hour of flying at what the captain called a "cruising" speed, since the Lunar Spear wasn't equipped for supersonic flight. Twilight recognized the building from up here as she looked out the passenger cabin's windows, and the airship landed exactly in the same spot that Twilight had boarded another airship weeks ago to leave.
Twilight turned to her friends as she headed to the boarding ramp to disembark. "If anyone wants to come with me, I asked the captain to make a stop at the Checkpoint so that I could visit Aculeata. You don't have to come if you don't want to, and… actually, I think it's best if there's not too many of us. She might not like a big crowd."
Fluttershy raised her hoof. "Um, I'd like to meet her, if that's okay?"
"Sure! I was hoping you'd want to come along." Twilight looked to the others. "Anyone else?"
Only Winter, Hourglass, Sunspire, and Applejack volunteered; the others who hadn't met the Gargantuan queen yet were understandably wary of forming a big crowd, as Twilight had said, or maybe they just legitimately didn't have too much of an interest right this moment, which Twilight could respect. There was a lot going on right now; meeting new creatures and going through that many introductions would be distracting.
As the ship landed and the group disembarked, they were greeted by Pewter coming out of the Checkpoint building proper. The stallion was wearing a smile and his usual jacket, waving the group over. "Hey! Long time no see!" he shouted over the dying engine noises of the airship. "What're you guys doing here?"
"We're on our way up north to New Pandemonium," Twilight said, giving him a small smile of her own. "I wanted to drop by and see Aculeata beforehand, if I could. Is she still here?"
He nodded. "Oh, she is. In fact, I'm sure the airship probably attracted her attention. She might be around here some—"
There was a loud rumbling sound from the huge dirt pile nearby that Twilight was positive hadn't been there when they'd left. Out of said pile leaped the familiar figure of the Gargantuan queen; or rather, more accurately, the unfamiliar familiar figure, as the queen had clearly gone through another moulting since Twilight had last seen her.
Aculeata was still taller than Twilight, but now she of a much less monstrous height; actually, she was roughly the same size as Queen Chrysalis was, an easy comparison to make since Twilight had her statue in the palace gardens, after all.
Her wings were on full display at last but now resembled a dragonfly's instead of a wasp's. The membranous substance along her head and neck now properly resembled a mane, reddish-pink in color, but it wasn't terribly long yet. Her eyes now fully resembled those of Queen Chrysalis as well, only orange instead of green. Her body and especially her legs were now significantly more equine in shape; the latter were punctuated with holes and ended in sharp tips.
Her tail was still scorpion-esque. She also still had mandibles protruding from the sides of her mouth, and yes, she had an actual mouth now that was plain and easy to see now that the oversized mandibles no longer blocked it. Her horn was much shorter than before and lacked the orifice from which she could supposedly discharge acid, though it was sharp and crooked with odd angles.
Seeing her like this reminded Twilight too much of Queen Chrysalis for it to be a coincidence. A significantly more deadly and dangerous version of Chrysalis, if one could believe it, but there was one key difference:
She was friendly.
Very friendly in fact, as she cleared the distance to Twilight from the dirt pile in only about a second and… hugged her. Twilight was so surprised that she took a second or two to even register what was happening, at which point she returned the hug. She even giggled when the queen tickled her mane with her mandibles.
"My goodness! Aculeata, look at you!" Twilight said, gesturing at the queen as she pulled ever-so-slightly away from the hug. "You've certainly changed a lot since I last saw you."
Aculeata nodded and… smiled; her two razor-sharp rows of teeth were only slightly scary. "Yes. Changed much, Friend Twilight."
Twilight's eyes widened with delight. "You can talk now?!"
"Am still… learning," the queen said with another nod. She pointed at Pewter. "Friend Pewter teach. Learn good." A pause, and she clicked her mandibles a few times. "I am… learning… well…?" She looked to Pewter for approval.
Pewter smiled and nodded. "Yes, she's learning well. Though she lapses a bit sometimes when she's excited, as you can tell. I haven't seen her so energetic since you left, come to think of it."
"I am happy to see Friend Twilight again," Aculeata said, her horn glowing green; she smiled wide as it did so. "Friend Twilight is happy too. I can feel it."
Twilight nodded excitedly. "So your horn does react to emotional stimuli in the nearby environment. Amazing!" She turned to Winter. "I think this pretty much confirms it, don't you think? Aculeata's 'evolved' into this world's version of changelings! She's the first one!"
Winter nodded, stroking her chin in thought. "Just about, yeah. Don't get too excited, though. Don't changelings have shapeshifting abilities?"
"Ah… good point."
Pewter tilted his head. "I don't know what all this talk about 'changelings' is, but did I hear you say something about shapeshifting? 'Cause Aculeata can do that."
Twilight's eyes widened again. "She can?" She looked at Aculeata. "Can you change your shape?"
Aculeata clicked her mandibles in thought. "I can… change, yes. Does Friend Twilight want to see?"
"Very much, yes."
Aculeata nodded and closed her eyes, as if concentrating. Her horn glowed a dull orange for a moment, and then her wings completely changed shape from that of a dragonfly's to that of a wasp's, and then back again.
The queen let out a breath afterwards. "See? I can change, yes?"
Pewter stepped forward and set his hoof on Aculeata's side. "She's getting better at it, but it's a long way off from being anything more significant than that. I'm not exactly the best guide in this case."
"It's okay, Pewter, she did just fine," Twilight said with a grin. "I know someone that might be able to help her with this new ability of hers, if she wants to learn."
Aculeata smiled and nodded. "I like to learn new things. I like to talk and change. It is… fun." She looked amongst the others who were present and smiled at them as well. "Friend Twilight brought her brood with her. I will try to remember names…"
She pointed at Applejack and said her name, then did the same for Hourglass, both without a lot of aplomb but it was clear that she was enjoying herself and the fact that she could remember Twilight's other friends; Twilight was a little perplexed that the queen called them part of her brood, but that was likely the terminology she was accustomed to from an instinctual perspective.
After she got to Winter and did the same, Winter gave Twilight a little smile. "I take back anythin' I might have said about ya bein' crazy for tryin' to make friends with her. This is quite a sight to see, eh?"
Aculeata tilted her head as she looked at Winter, then at Twilight; her horn was glowing bright pink. "Oh. I can feel the Pink glow again from Friend Twilight and Winter one."
"The… pink glow?" asked Twilight. "What does that one mean?"
"It is a new glow. I have only felt it with Friend Twilight and Winter one, before the flying shell took them away. I can feel it again now, but it is brighter. It is like the Green glow, like happy, but different." She leaned towards Twilight and clicked her mandibles, tilting her head as if searching for something. "Oh! I know it now. Friend Twilight and Winter one are mates."
Twilight's face reddened. "Wh-what? What do you mean 'mates'?"
"Friend Twilight has claimed Winter one as her mate." Aculeata shook her head. "It is strange to me, because Friend Twilight is female, and Winter one is also female. Friend Twilight cannot breed this way. Winter one cannot fertilize—"
Winter loudly cleared her throat; her face was red too, though Twilight's was redder by far. "Ooookay, that's enough of that conversation."
Twilight nodded rapidly. "Yes, thank you, I think that we got the picture, Aculeata. I think the pink glow from your horn must indicate 'love', because, um… Winter and I love each other… romantically. We're in love, not… not mated or anything like that. Like you said, we're both female."
Aculeata tilted her head. "Friend Twilight has the smell of Winter one on her, though, like the marking scent of a mate. It is faint and covered with… other smells. But I can still smell it. It was recent. The mating was within the past day?"
Twilight didn't think her face could get any redder. "Oh geez, oh wow… um, this is all… very complicated. I think it would be best if I sat down with you sometime soon and talked about this stuff you're feeling because, uh… I want to make sure we're all cleared up, that's all. Another time, though, not now."
Aculeata clicked her mandibles, then nodded. "Yes. I would like to talk with Friend Twilight about 'love' and why it is different from mating."
The queen then turned and looked at an amused-looking Sunspire, tilting her head in the process. "This one… I do not know his name. I know him though. He was in the old nest, sneaking along with Winter one and Hourglass one."
Sunspire adjusted his goggles and nodded. "Th-that's right! I was really frightened of you before, but you don't seem so scary now."
"You touched his butt," giggled Hourglass.
"Uh… that's right, you did," he said with an anxious chuckle. "Um, why did you do that?"
"I could sense the Black glow from this one. Fear," Aculeata said, her long tongue raking her teeth like she was trying to get some disgusting taste out of her mouth. "Fear does not taste good. I do not like it. So I pushed this one away, hoping the fear would go with him."
"Do you like the way other glows 'taste'?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes. Green, happy, tastes good. Blue, sad, does not. Red, anger, sometimes tastes good, sometimes tastes bad." She paused, tilting her head and licking her lips again. "New Pink glow, 'love', tastes very good. I like it a lot."
Twilight shared a brief knowing look with Fluttershy; if there was anything that could confirm that Aculeata was a changeling now, this was the last straw.
Speaking of Fluttershy, Aculeata looked at her next, tilting her head like a curious animal. "This one I do not know at all."
"I'm Fluttershy," the sweet pegasus said with an equally sweet smile. "It's really nice to meet you, Aculeata. Twilight's told me a lot about you."
"Fluttershy one is part of Friend Twilight's brood?"
"Um… yes, I am. I've known her for a long time."
"Fluttershy one has a strange smell. I do not smell it on others, even Friend Twilight. I like the smell, but it is not the Green glow, it does not feed me. But it does make me feel happy." She got close to Fluttershy and clicked her mandibles again. "It smells like many things I knew in my old life, like the smell of mating and of children. Together it is strange, but nice." She clicked again. "Very nice."
"Oh… um… w-well, I'm glad you like it?" Fluttershy said with a nervous smile.
Twilight wondered what this "smell" was that Fluttershy had. None of them could smell anything different about her, and it wasn't as if Fluttershy was using perfume or a weird shampoo or anything. The only thought that Twilight could think of was that, perhaps, Aculeata was just vocalizing why animals tended to trust Fluttershy? After all, Aculeata used to be an animal herself, so she would still be able to recognize it. Maybe?
Another talk for another day.
"It was wonderful having a chance to see you again, Aculeata," Twilight said, stepping forward to hug her changeling friend. "I wish that I didn't have to go again so soon, but my, um, brood and I have some very important work to do."
Aculeata returned the hug, then tilted her head as they pulled apart. "Friend Twilight is leaving again?"
"Yes, I'm sorry. I really am. But once my friends and I finish with this important task that we have to deal with, I'll come back for you. I have all sorts of other friends and creatures to introduce you to, and maybe even new places to see. But I can't do it until I deal with the problem that I have to deal with."
Aculeata clicked her mandibles. "Friend Twilight… is in trouble? She must fix a problem?"
Twilight sighed and nodded. "Yes, a very big problem. If we don't fix it, well… a lot of creatures are going to die."
"Will Friend Twilight be in danger?"
"No. No, I'll be quite alright, Aculeata. You don't have to worry about me. Okay?" Twilight stroked the side of her friend's face. "Trust me, I'm going to be fine. You just worry about yourself and Pewter, okay? If anyone comes here to try to hurt either of you, I want you to stay safe and protect each other."
Aculeata paused and looked at Twilight a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Friend Twilight. I will stay safe and keep Friend Pewter safe."
"Thank you. I'll see you again when this is all over, okay?"
"Okay. Goodbye Friend Twilight. Friend Twilight will stay safe too and keep her brood safe, and she will protect her mate?"
Twilight felt her tongue catch in her throat briefly as she glanced at Winter again, then she nodded. "I will."
*****
When the Lunar Spear landed at the New Pandemonium City Airport, Twilight honestly didn't know what to expect. Obviously the place was different from the hangars at Hope's Point, and in fact was very similar to the airport at Newhaven, but that was only on a surface level comparison.
It wasn't nearly as clean and neat despite the clear efforts to keep it clean and neat, and it just didn't seem as friendly. There weren't any ponies present to greet them, for one thing. Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was one pony there to greet them: Golden Dawn. But that was it.
"Greetings, to all of you," Dawn said as she approached the group. "I trust that your flight was a satisfactory experience?"
"It was very pleasant, yes, thanks for asking," Twilight said with a grin; whatever had been bugging Dawn the last time she'd seen her clearly wasn't bugging her now. "I wasn't expecting anypony to greet us here, actually, at least not so quickly."
"I was under the impression that your flight would arrive earlier. Was there a cause for this delay?"
"Oh, right," Twilight said with a tight-lipped grin. "Um, we made a small stop at the Checkpoint before we came here. I wanted to see Aculeata again before all this went down, mostly to make sure that she was okay and wouldn't get frightened if anything bad started to happen."
"Aculeata… the Gargantuan queen, if I am not mistaken? You never mentioned her to me personally, but I have taken efforts to be abreast of the goings-on over the past month that I might not have been partial to before. I trust that there were no unfortunate complications?"
"No, she's fine. She's actually developed quite a lot since I last saw her, including the ability to speak! Though, um… if I ever introduce you two, you may need to tone down your vocabulary. I don't think she'd understand you, eh heh."
Dawn tilted her head. "Quite understandable." She then turned to Gray. "Gray, sister, I am delighted to see that you are in good health. Her Majesty informed me of the southern developments. Your solution to the issue could certainly be considered unorthodox at best, but it solved the issue marvelously. I predicted that you would serve admirably in your role."
Gray blinked several times, then gulped and nodded. "Uh, yeah. Thanks, sis." She turned to Havoc. "Has she been like this since I left?"
Havoc smirked and nodded. "Ohhh yeah. It's like a whole new little sister just popped out of nowhere." A pause. "Well, not whole new. She's still a brat, but like, she's the kind of brat I don't mind calling a sister. Y'know, like she used to be back when Pops was still here here and not a god or whatever."
"Huh. Right on, then."
Dawn cleared her throat. "If I might interject, perhaps it would be of benefit to continue these discussions at the tower proper? All ponies of interest have gathered there to prepare for the scenario ahead, though I must warn you that Curaçao has been quite adamant that we do not discuss the plans at all within the tower for some unforeseen reason, at least until she permits us to do so."
"She has?" Twilight asked, looking between Havoc and Dawn. "Then how do you all know what the plan is?"
"Curaçao's been talking with me when she's outside the tower," Havoc said with a shrug. "I passed it along to Queen Bee and all of you guys yesterday literally like an hour after she told me."
"She also did not impart the plans to myself or to the others while within the confines of Pandora Tower," Dawn continued, adjusting her glasses. "As a point of fact, I only learned of the full details of the plan when Curaçao communicated it to Havoc. Until that point I only knew small aspects of it, all of which were incidentally revealed to me once outside of the tower."
"So you don't have any clue why Curie's acting all weird either?" Havoc asked.
Dawn shook her head. "I am afraid that I have no theories as to why she is performing her duties with such subterfuge. She was exceedingly forthcoming with me and with you regarding the NPAF's scouting missions, to the point of providing me with various details that I honestly did not feel were of any valid use to me."
"Huh. She didn't do that with me. She just gave me real basic info, the kinda stuff you could probably see on the news, which I mean, yeah, we don't get NPC news down in Hope's Point."
Twilight tilted her head. She didn't know Curaçao well at all—they'd only ever met twice, both of which were seven years ago—but she knew from how everypony talked about her that she was incredibly smart and crafty. This whole conversation screamed of some secret plan that she was cooking up, but what?"
"At any rate, let us sojourn to Pandora Tower. Is everyone… hmm." Dawn tilted her head and looked amongst the crowd. "Where is Pandemonia?"
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? She didn't come with us."
"Yeah, she's already here in NPC with you, isn't she?" Havoc asked.
"Not that I am aware of," Dawn said, shaking her head. "As another point of fact, discussing Pandemonia is another topic that Curaçao has expressly forbidden me from mentioning to anypony in the tower. She and I are, as far as I am aware, the only ponies in the city that are even aware of her existence."
Havoc scratched her head. "But Curaçao told me that she was here. I saw her get on an airship and everything."
Gray interjected, looking at Dawn. "When she's traveling around Hope's Point, she does so in a disguised form so that nopony knows that she's an alicorn. A unicorn mare that goes by the name Puzzle Box. Maybe you've seen her?"
Dawn shook her head again. "I am unaware of any such pony." She tapped her chin. "Perhaps Curaçao would be more informed on this matter. She has taken it upon herself to utilize her 'big sister' authority on a significant number of issues as of late, and she refuses to elaborate on such things to me even outside of the confines of the tower. This must be one of them."
"Huh…" Gray muttered. "Well, whatever. We'll ask her when we get there."
"Indeed." Dawn stepped into the center of the group. "As a fair warning, if this is your first experience with teleportation of a great distance, then you might experience some discomfort and nausea."
She lit up her horn, and then with a flash and a pop, the entire group vanished from the airport.
They now found themselves in what looked like a lounge of some sort, clearly in Pandora Tower judging by the windows which gazed out onto the city from a significant height. All of the furniture had been rearranged, apparently, to clear a space for Dawn to perform her teleportation; there was more than enough space, and Dawn was extraordinarily accurate with teleportation even with a group this large.
Twilight, who had become more and more accustomed to teleportation over the years, had to acknowledge that Dawn was still better than her at it. It was hard to tell unless one was used to the act themselves, but that was the point: Twilight was quite accustomed to teleportation, and she knew an expert when she saw one.
Still, even an expert couldn't remove the first-time effects of teleportation on inexperienced individuals, and as Zircon and Zyra had never teleported before—and apparently lacked Green Guard's constitution, as he hadn't experienced any problems yesterday—they were immediately beset with the nausea and dizziness that was all too common.
Of course, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy weren't terribly accustomed to it either, so they appeared just a little woozy.
Twilight noticed that Curaçao was already waiting for them right by what looked like an elevator. "Before anyone says anything, I trust that Dawn has already told you that there are certain topics that are not to be discussed at the moment, oui?" She looked to the group as they nodded in relative unison. "Bien. Then we shall keep it that way for now. Apologies, as I must get right into business.
"The Redblade Mountains are acting up, as Havoc has no doubt informed you all by now," she continued. "We are expecting something to happen there later tonight, though at the moment we do not know what it is. The NPAF fleet and Hope's Point's fleets are already coordinating themselves to prepare for a strike.
"For now, the rest of you are safe here within Pandora Tower, and we can discuss our own evening plans after some lunch, hmm?" She smiled and clasped her hooves together. "I know that some of you have already sampled some of the fine cuisine from the tower's chef, Crème Brûlée, but if you haven't, you are in for a treat."
Twilight was sure that she was just as confused as the others; Curaçao was definitely up to something, and even her sisters didn't know what it was, including Dawn herself. But then, Twilight had gotten a chance to speak with Lockwood and Rarity about the kind of mare that Blackburn was, and if Blackburn was trustworthy, then so was Curaçao; they were very much alike.
The elevator wasn't big enough for the entire group at once, so they had to make two trips, which Twilight found amusing to a degree. For all the similarities that Pandora Tower had to the royal palace in Hope's Point, and for its sheer difference in size so that it could include facilities that the palace didn't have, it was constrained by keeping itself around the northern Beacon and as such felt so much smaller.
The young Shadows—Sunspire, Serendipity, and Green Guard—did not go with the adults, however; they were sent down to the Shadow facility on a different floor, presumably so that they could reunite with their friends and classmates. Dawn teleported them there herself and no words were shared in the process, but Twilight trusted that everything was okay.
Twilight recognized the dining room, of course, as she'd seen it seven years ago shortly after the first time Nihila was defeated, just before Silvertongue and Winter sent her and her friends back home to their own Equestria. It was hard to forget the place, really, since it was very much a typical sort of dining room just like the one that she had at her own palace, only less colorful.
Shadows played across the massive expanse of the dining room floor, seeping into the corners and blanketing the walls. A series of dim lights, flickering in and out softly, did little beyond casting a faint glow across the central table. A solid black tablecloth covered the table, obscuring it in the darkness and giving the illusion that the rows of thin, wax candles floated in their golden holders. Plates, bowls, glasses, forks and spoons; the table was set for sixteen.
As for the lunch spread, there was a lot on display here for everyone to partake in. Twilight wasn't particularly well-versed in recognizing specific foods at a glance, but there was a cheesy pasta with squiggly noodles; a red soup with no vegetables floating in it; grilled cheese sandwiches, the gourmet kind, since Twilight could see that the bread wasn't just plain white and that there were multiple cheeses; a huge salad with all the trimmings and a variety of dressings in little boats; and, off to the side, a large pie of some sort, blueberry maybe?
Besides Dawn and Curaçao, Velvet and Insipid were also here. Velvet's reaction to seeing everypony again was relatively subdued; she was Pinkie's clone but lacked Pinkie's overenthusiastic spunk.
Insipid's reaction, however, was not subdued at all. Well, it was for the group as a whole, but it was not subdued for Rarity. Twilight had never seen a unicorn move quite so fast as Insipid did when she got out of her seat to run around the entire length of the table towards her friend.
"Rarity!" the fashionable charcoal-colored unicorn exclaimed as she scooped the fashionable alabaster unicorn up in a hug. "Oh my stars I haven't seen you in so long! And I've heard all about how awesome you've been all these years but then I still didn't get to see you! And now you're here! Yes! Yes yes yes!"
Rarity chuckled; her whole body was locked in the hug so she couldn't hug back even if she wanted. "Insipid, darling, it is simply wonderful to see you again. I'd say you have no idea, but obviously you do. You said exactly what I was going to say, only more… your way of saying it."
Insipid broke the hug and bounced in place as she looked over Rarity's current ensemble, which was a coffee-colored jacket over a lovely black dress that Rarity had said was designed for "class, comfort, and if necessary, combat". Insipid hummed and nodded as she eyed every single detail.
"Is this what's, like, 'in' in Hope's Point right now?" Insipid asked, hoof tapping over her mouth in thought.
Rarity nodded. "Indeed it is. Jackets and coats are very much in style at the moment regardless of what's underneath, if anything at all. As for the color, well, earthy colors are all the rage down there. I'm fond of the coffee tone myself; mocha is a little too brown, and tan is a little too… tan."
Insipid nodded back. "It's gorgeous! I love it!" She hugged Rarity again, pressing their cheeks together excitedly. "Oooh! I have so much to tell you! C'mon, let's go sit! We can get all caught up!"
After that little display, everypony did indeed sit so that they could eat and talk and relax; it seemed so odd to Twilight that they were doing so when the fate of the world was likely just a few hours away, but if Curaçao knew something that they didn't and was trying to keep it a secret, then Twilight was just going to continue biting her tongue for now. She hoped that they'd find out what it was soon, though.
Twilight caught a few snippets of conversations here and there—there were a lot of them going around—but two in particular attracted her attention both because the ponies involved were those she hadn't seen in, well, seven years: Velvet and Insipid. Apart from Rainbow and Pinkie, none of the group had seen either of those two, or Curaçao for that matter, but Curaçao was an enigma as it was and was keeping very quiet.
"So, Insipid, I hear that you're one of the top models in the entire city now?" Rarity asked as she sipped from some of the provided tea.
"Yup!" Insipid replied, proudly sticking her nose in the air. "There's not, like, a ranking system or anything like that, but like, if there was? I'd totally be in the top five."
"And you're still working for Lace and Lapel at Lovers' Lane, I take it?"
"Uh-huh, though these days I'm much more of an independent contractor and junk. I exclusively model for them when, like, fashion lines are concerned, but I'm allowed to model for all sorts of other stuff whenever I want."
"Like what?"
Insipid bit her tongue and started counting off: "I'm the model for a perfume line, I've been in ads for two different soda brands, and they're even using my likeness for a character in a video game. And those are just the things that popped up this year!"
"Wow, you really are spreading your wings and making a name for yourself, aren't you?" Rarity reached over and put her hoof on Insipid's. "I'm so very proud of you, darling. I knew you had a spark of potential in you, and no, it's not just because you're some… other me. You're special in your own way."
"Awww, thanks Rarity," Insipid said with a wide grin. "See? That's why I love ya so dang much." A pause. "But not, like, love ya love ya. I mean, you're super duper gorgeous and junk, but I think that'd be, like, a little weird, don'tcha think?"
"I imagine so," Rarity tittered. "Besides the fact that you and I share a few important qualities, I don't think I'm really your type, or vice versa."
Insipid giggled. "Ohhh ho ho, no, I'd have no problem at all with you if you weren't, like, Original Flavor Me, or whatever. I mean, once I figured things out about me I realized that I might have maybe sorta kinda had a little thing for you. Heh. Awkward."
Rarity tilted her head. "Hmm? I… don't understand. 'Figured out' what?"
"That I like mares, duh," Insipid replied, as if it were totally obvious. "Y'know, like like. I mean, like, it took me a long time to figure it out and junk, and I'm still coming to terms with it, but like, yeah, I'm a lesbian. I hope that's not weird."
"Not at all, dear, not at all," Rarity said, patting Insipid's hoof. "But really? A lesbian? I honestly never would've guessed. When we were working together, you always seemed so interested in stallions. We used to… ahem, observe quite a few of them from time to time? Casually, of course."
"Oh. Yeah. Well I mean, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that, like, I was just copying you 'cause that's all I knew how to do: copy you. I mean, even today I still take after you in a lot of things and junk, but like, I didn't realize that I was dead wrong about one of them."
Rarity leaned back, genuinely surprised by all this. "Huh. Well, how about that. How did you figure it out, dear?"
Insipid pointed at Rainbow. "Dash helped me out with that."
Rainbow nearly choked a bite of the sandwich she was eating.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Really? Do tell."
Insipid nodded happily. "Oh yeah, she helped me figure out that the reason my romantic relationships with stallions have always ended up so lame was because I was just looking at guys when I should've been looking at girls. I'm still friends with some guys, but that's about it."
"I see."
"Yup! Y'know, I was a little nervous at first when I realized it, but Dash and Pinkie really came through for me that night—"
Rainbow nearly leapt across the table to put her hoof over Insipid's mouth. "Yup! We helped! Aren't we just the nicest ponies ever? We helped and that's allll we did. Aha haaa."
Rarity narrowed her eyes at Rainbow, who had one of the worst fake grins on her face that anypony had ever seen; she also glanced over at Pinkie, who just watched the whole display with a mouthful of food and a smile. But then Rarity just sighed, shook her head, and went back to sipping her tea; apparently, whatever that last part of the conversation had been about, Rarity decided it wasn't worth it.
Twilight's ears then took her over to the conversation that Velvet and, surprisingly, Applejack were having; what those two had in common, Twilight didn't know, but there was no denying that a conversation was happening.
"So, AJ," Velvet said, idly stirring her fork in her pasta while her focus was more on Zircon than Applejack herself. "Your coltfriend's pretty hot."
Applejack dropped her sandwich into her soup, taken aback. "Say wha?
"Your coltfriend, the zebra. He's hot." She leaned over to whisper, though not quietly enough that Twilight couldn't hear: "So hey, tell me, I've heard a lot of rumors about zebras being particularly… gifted if y'know what I mean. Is that true?"
Applejack paused for a good, long moment. "I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout, Red," she said flatly.
"Uh-huh. Okay, fine, I get it, you don't wanna talk about it. My lips are sealed." Velvet traced her hoof over her lips, nodded, then returned to her pasta. "So since that didn't go anywhere—spoilsport—I've got something to tell you that you might get a kick out of."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Wellll, I figured that you'd be pretty keen on knowing how well your old warehouse crew was doing, y'know? Seeing as you made friends with all of 'em and it's been seven years and then some since you last saw 'em?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "I mean… yeah, I'd actually like ta know how they're doin', now that ya mention it. I never really gave it that much thought before."
"Well, I'll keep it short and sweet and tell you that they're all doing very well for themselves," Velvet said through a mouthful of pasta. "They're all still working at the warehouse on the same crew, still working under the same boss—and no, sorry, I don't know how he's doing—and making a little better pay these days thanks to some of Dawn's regulation changes. So, y'know. Good times."
"Well shucks, that sure is good ta hear. Them fellas were a good bunch once ya got used to 'em, I tell ya what. They ain't gettin' inta any trouble or nothin', are they?"
"Nope. All of 'em are in a good place, I think. That's just my opinion of course, but it seems that way to me."
Applejack smirked. "That's just great. Thanks, Red, I appreciate the info." A pause. "But why're y'all the one tellin' me this? I mean obviously ya got the info from yer sister or somethin' an' you're just passin' it along—"
Velvet shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm still good friends with all of 'em. I haven't checked in with 'em in a few months, but we keep in touch. Not as much as we used to, of course, but hey"
"Wait. You keep tabs on 'em? What? Why?" A pause as she stared at Velvet, who was just casually chewing another mouthful of pasta. "Nooo…"
"Yup."
Applejack smiled and slapped Velvet's shoulder. "Naw, fer real? You're messin' wit' me, c'mon."
"Nope," Velvet said, utterly no-nonsense.
"All of 'em?"
"Uh huh."
"All twelve of 'em?
"Yup. In a row this one time," Velvet replied with a proud smile. "Hammer Toss is a regular. And lemme tell ya, that stud is packin'."
Applejack set her hoof to the bridge of her nose. "Land sakes, girl…"
"Y'know, a few years back I asked him to—"
Twilight had heard the entire conversation and, while she knew it was rude to butt in and ask, she was desperately curious what the heck they were talking about. She was shaken out of that thought, though, when Insipid very loudly exclaimed, "You're pregnant?! From Lockwood?!" at the top of her lungs, silencing the entire room in one fell swoop.
Oh well, Twilight thought. She could ask Applejack another time.
*****
It was now early evening, and everyone had gathered together in the tower's lounge to finally discuss the plan that was in place. So far, all that Twilight knew was that Pandemonia was going to drain the Beacon's energy and that the two cities' fleets were gathering for an attack on the Redblade Mountains. That by itself didn't seem like enough of a plan to really accomplish everything that they needed to do.
Only Dawn wasn't here, which Twilight found a little strange.
Curaçao, who had apparently formulated the rest of the details of the plan entirely herself, took charge of the conversation almost immediately after everyone was seated. "D'accord. So, our plan is to begin in roughly one hour from now," she said, glancing at a clock on the nearby wall. "As such, once we put our plans into motion, there is nothing that can be done to prevent us from moving forward."
Twilight hesitantly raised her hoof. "If I may, Curaçao, shouldn't Dawn be here for this discussion?"
"Yeah, where is she?" Havoc asked.
They were answered, with seemingly perfect timing, by Dawn teleporting into the room in a spot that Curaçao had asked for everyone to keep clear of. By Dawn's side was Puzzle Box, otherwise known as Pandemonia in her unicorn disguise.
"Voilà," Curaçao said with a smile. "And look, she has brought our other guest with her. Bienvenue!"
Puzzle looked at the others present, then nodded at Curaçao. "I must assume that we are ready to begin?"
"Oui. We are ready." Curaçao turned to the group and gave them a little smile. "I know that most of you are wondering where Pandemonia has been, oui? I was very discreet in putting her up in a hotel for the past few days, far from the tower."
"I was wondering why I was sent to some seemingly random location to retrieve her," Dawn said, adjusting her glasses. "Why was she not assigned to a room here at the tower?"
"For the same reason that I have forbidden any mention of her from being uttered in this building, and for the same reason that I have forbidden discussion of any aspects of our plan, or of our knowledge of the state of the world, until now. Now, there is no need to hide it; as I was saying to the others, now there is nothing that can be done to stop us from what we're planning to do."
Velvet tilted her head. "And that reason is…?"
Curaçao sighed and shook her head. "Velvet, I will answer your question with a question: when you took Caramel and Marée out to the arcade, who knew about that plan?"
"Oh, um… apart from us, I also asked some of the other students if they wanted to come, and I told Pedi what I was doing, and I asked a couple of the staff members who work outside the tower if any of them knew more about the arcade." Velvet shrugged. "Why?"
"Did you ask anypony who was not in the tower? Or rather, did you ask anypony about any of this while you weren't physically in the tower? Could anypony have overheard you at, say, a restaurant or a bar?"
Velvet paused, then shook her head. "No, I only ever asked the ponies who work here while they were here." She blinked. "You don't think one of them told somepony, do you?"
Curaçao shook her head. "Non, I interviewed them all myself, and they did not. And even if any of them did spill information, they only knew that you asked questions about the arcade, nothing more. And yet, those attackers—obviously cultists of Nihila, I might add—were able to find out exactly when you were going, and with whom."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right. They knew way more about the trip than I told anypony else except Pedi, and I know that he wouldn't do anything to hurt me or the kids."
"Exactly. So how did they get that information, I wonder?" Curaçao then turned to Dawn. "In a similar vein, Dawn, who knew about the arrival of Queen Blackburn and her family the day of the Chameleon attack? Who had knowledge of their exact schedule and flight plan?"
"Just myself, you, Havoc, and the members of the Committee," Dawn replied. "And I personally confirmed that neither Taskmaster Concrete nor Treasurer Vendetta were involved in the attack on the day that it happened."
"Oui, and I double-checked your results, as well as confirmed that Secretary Quill was not involved. So, how did the Chameleon know exactly where to be and at what time to be there so that they could spring their ambush?"
"I have been wondering that for weeks now, sister."
"Yo, Curie, enough with the twenty questions," Havoc grunted. "You obviously know something, so just come out and say it."
Gray nudged Havoc slightly. "Obviously there's a leak somewhere. Weird thing is, there isn't anypony who was in both those groups that could be a suspect."
Curaçao smiled at Gray and nodded. "Oui. After these two events, I had a suspicion that there was somehow a security leak and that somepony was somehow getting information to Nihla's cultists without our knowledge. I decided to perform one last test over the past week, using our NPAF camp in Redblade as bait.
"To Dawn, I provided detailed information about the project while I was in her office. I spoke to her openly, without our telepathic bond." Curaçao then gestured at Havoc. "To you, however, I provided other details, some of which differed from what I told Dawn, and I shared all of this information with you while I was outside the tower, via our telepathic bond."
"And you otherwise only shared all of those details with me, specifically?" Dawn asked, tilting her head.
"Oui. Commander Jetstream provided me with all of the details personally while I was not in the tower, and as we ensured that all of the information collected by the AMP Troopers was delivered straight to him, nopony else knows the same details."
"So wait, you shared incorrect information with me?" Havoc asked. "Why?"
Curaçao smirked. "Non, Havoc, the other way around. I shared incorrect information with Dawn and forbade her from sharing it with anypony else, to test a theory. J'avais raison—I was correct: we do have a security leak in the tower." She turned to Dawn and gestured towards her and their other sisters. "And we are the security leak. Nihila has been spying on us, and only us, and only while we're here in the tower."
Dawn blinked. "What? How?"
"No doubt because of her role in giving us life and her connection with the Beacon," Curaçao replied with a shrug. "Hence why I have expressly forbidden any of you from discussing our plans and knowledge with anypony while inside the tower."
"Which would explain why nothing ever happened to Insipid in all these years," Gray muttered, eyes wide. "I always thought it was weird that those guys attacked Red but not Insipid. She doesn't have guards and stuff like the tower does; she'd be easy pickings."
"Cha. Yeah right," Insipid scoffed. "I'm not 'easy pickings' for, like, anypony."
"It is also why no information that you and only you came into contact with has been discovered, Gray," Curaçao added. "You've lived in Hope's Point for all these years."
"While Nihila was using me," Puzzle Box interjected, "she would have possessed all of my power, which includes a limited omniscience. While in this physical form, I lack that omniscience entirely. It would be fair to say that, while in between a physical form and whatever form she may be in now, she still possesses some level of awareness."
"Oui, that was my theory. And Nihila proved it to me when her cultists reacted only to the incorrect information that I was providing to Dawn. Many of the AMPs we lost scouting the volcanoes were due to the cultists shooting them down in areas where I specifically told Dawn that I would be searching." Curaçao turned to Havoc. "But none of the AMPs in areas where I told you I was sending them were in any danger."
Dawn let out a small laugh. "Sister, that was quite an ingenious ploy. Father would be proud of you; you managed to deceive Nihila."
"Hmm." Curaçao shrugged and moved on. "So, now you all know why I have been keeping everything close to the chest lately. I have even had to ensure that I did not think about our plans while here in the tower. I put everything together elsewhere, but I can discuss it with you now. Nihila cannot rally her forces in time to preemptively stop us."
"So let's hear this big plan of yours," Rainbow said.
"You must know some other things that we don't, which is why you've been keeping it all from us," Twilight noted. "So that means your plan is something new that we couldn't predict without that knowledge. Is it any different from what we already have planned? Is anything changing?"
"Non," Curaçao said. "The parts of the plan that you all already know are still in place: the two cities' fleets are moving into position to defend against whatever force the cultists might be hiding—the smoke prevents me from learning more—and Pandemonia will proceed to the top of Pandora Tower to drain the energy of the Beacon directly."
"Father has informed me that he has already made the necessary adjustments to the Beacon itself so that Pandemonia can accomplish the same task that Harmonia is undertaking in the south with Gilderoy's help," Dawn said with a nod. "He performed these adjustments last night, taking control of my physical form while I was asleep. He insisted that we do it that way, and now I am aware of the reason."
"You mean Dad figured out that Nihila was watching us too?" Gray asked.
"That certainly does seem to be the logical conclusion, yes. He never informed me of this fact, however." Dawn turned to Curaçao. "Sister, did you discuss this with him somehow?"
"Non," Curaçao replied, "but Papa is intelligent and possesses power and knowledge that we do not. It might be the case that he has known for a while, perhaps longer than I have, but could not express it to you without risking Nihila learning of it. If she did, then we would not be able to hide any plans from her, as we are now."
"So we're just talking about this all out in the open now for… what reason?" asked Havoc. "'Cause if you're right, can't Nihila hear all of this?"
"Oui, she can. That is the point."
Havoc blinked, then smirked. "Ohhh, I get it. You're taunting her. Good shit, sis. I like it." She shouted up at the ceiling, "You hear that, you stupid cunt?! We're coming for ya!"
Dawn rubbed her temple and shook her head. "That was unnecessary…"
"So, Pandemonia's going up to the roof to deactivate the Beacon," Twilight interjected. "What about the rest of us?"
"Nihila herself is naturally the biggest danger," Curaçao said. "Our AMP scouts have located the cultist base in the volcanic region, and it is my suspicion that the smoke from the mountains serves a double purpose: it is hiding whatever the cultists have made to serve as a weapon, and it is a signal that Nihila might be there."
"A sensible deduction," Dawn said. "The amount of magical power needed to activate so many volcanoes in such a way is tremendous. I doubt that even Twilight or myself could perform such a feat on the scale we have witnessed in the time frame that it has occurred."
"It would take the power of a goddess," Puzzle Box said with a nod. "Nihila may yet still have tremendous power, though how she has hidden it from Lord Silvertongue, I do not know."
"If she originally came from the Void, it could be that she's been hidin' there as she did before," Winter noted. "And she's workin' with her cultists the same way she worked with Malygnes in Athenos."
"Which means… do you think that her cultists are trying to summon her as they did before?" Twilight muttered, worried. "The first time that Nihila entered this world, she sank a huge island into the ocean. Igniting a bunch of volcanoes sounds like something she would be able to do and would want to do."
"My thoughts exactly," Curaçao said. "Which means that we need an equally powerful force to go there and ensure that that does not happen. Either prevent whatever ritual is being performed to summon her, or destroy her before she can do any real damage. Once the Beacons are deactivated, Harmonia will be able to destroy any trace of Nihila that tries to escape."
Dawn nodded and looked at Twilight. "If it is power that we need, then naturally it follows that Twilight and myself would be best suited to this task. She and I are the most powerful spellcasters present apart from Pandemonia, and her presence is required here."
"I agree," Twilight said with a nod to Dawn. "Over the past month, I've encountered so many creatures who call this world home. I know that I cannot save this world itself, but if destroying Nihila will let me bring them to my world and save them that way, then I will use every ounce of my power to do just that."
"I'm goin' with you," Winter said firmly.
"Winter, no," Twilight said, shaking her head. "I can't let you put yourself in danger—"
"Fuck off with that shit. Look, you two might be super powerful, but neither of ya have ever been to the volcanoes before. I have; I've shut down Void rfits there more than once, so I know the terrain. Not to mention, if this ritual requires these cultist fucks to draw Nihila out of the Void, then I'd think I'd be pretty fuckin' useful."
Twilight balked, then smiled and nodded slowly. "That's actually a pretty good point. Okay then, Winter, you can come along."
"What about the rest of us?" Rainbow asked.
Havoc grunted. "Yeah, we're not just gonna sit here on our asses, are we?"
Curaçao shook her head. "Oui et non. Everyone here apart from Twilight, Dawn, and Winter will remain in the tower for one purpose: protecting Pandemonia. Nihila has cultists here in the city, that much we know. Now that they know our plans, they will try to stop us. This is good, because then we can wipe out their cult once and for all."
"Why are we trying to wipe them out?" Gray asked. "If Dawn's group takes out Nihila, then what good are they?"
"They are violent individuals who want nothing more than to kill in the name of their false goddess," Curaçao grunted. "I will spare you all the details, but I was contacted this morning by Director Underhoof. As Dawn will confirm, our city has been plagued with a substantial increase in missing pony cases for several years now."
Dawn's eyes widened. "Did Underhoof finally uncover something?"
Curaçao let out a heavy breath; she was clearly disturbed and disgusted. "Oui. Almost all of the missing ponies have been found in underground bunkers beneath the city. Underhoof told me that there is significant electronic interference down there, as well as magical interference, hence why nopony has found them until now."
"How did she find them?" asked Velvet.
"An anonymous tip was sent this morning to her office, which revealed the location of each and every one of these bunker hideouts, which we found completely abandoned with no clues as to any potential whereabouts."
"What about the missing ponies?"
Curaçao shook her head. "Dead. All of them. That is all I will say on the matter; I have seen the crime scene images, and they are… déplaisant. I will not share them with anyone at the moment, if ever."
"Why would the cultists allow us to discover their hideouts?" Dawn asked, rubbing her chin.
"Because they wanted us to find them. They want us to know that they're coming."
"But I thought they didn't know about our plan until now?" asked Gray.
"Oui, but I gathered from Velvet's report on the ponies who attacked her that they wanted revenge on us for our role in Nihila's prior defeat. They are no doubt coming for the tower, and given the timing of their reveal and the activity in the Redblade Mountains, I have no doubt that they are coming for us tonight.
"Pandora Tower's armed guards are defending the perimeter as we speak, so we will get an advance warning if and when the cultists arrive. Those of us still here in the tower will defend it; now that Nihila knows our plans, she may likely have communicated to her cultists that there is a new, clear target. This is good, as it allows us to funnel them to us so that we can defeat them."
Rainbow held up her hooves. "Whoa whoa whoa, hang on, I hope you're not expecting us to kill anypony, are ya?"
"Yeah, I'm all about kickin' some bad guy keister," said Applejack, "but I ain't no killer, even if they're rotten folk."
Curaçao shook her head. "Non. If you don't want to kill them, then don't; just subdue them so that we can take them into custody and we will deal with them later so that you don't have to bloody your hooves. Just be warned: they will definitely be out to kill you."
"Um… what about those of us that can't really help in… in a fight like that?" asked Fluttershy, more than a little bit anxiously.
"If you do not wish to participate in the fighting, then I would suggest that you head down to the Shadow Facility floors. The children are sheltered there, as are other noncombatants, such as my wife and daughter."
Winter nodded and set her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Hourglass is already down there too, so she could use some company watching over all the kids, eh?"
Fluttershy took a breath and nodded. "Okay, that sounds… that's something that I can do, yes. Keep all the little ones calm. I can do that."
Curaçao turned to Rarity. "And Rarity, as for you, I'm having you go to the top of the tower with Pandemonia."
Rarity blinked. "Really? Why?"
"Your 'superpower' as I understand it allows you to empower others' strengths. Pandemonia is not as powerful as Harmonia is in her current state, and so it will take more time for her to disable our Beacon than it will down south. You can help her speed that process along, oui?"
"I see, yes, that sounds like a fine idea. The faster Pandemonia disables the Beacon, the sooner that Harmonia can help us destroy Nihila, right? Rarity nodded firmly. "I can do that."
Zyra stepped up alongside her. "And I shall ensure that you are not in any danger, My Lady."
"Thank you, darling."
Curaçao looked amongst the group. "Everypony else, divide yourselves up as you see fit on the upper floors of the tower; the cultists will attempt to take the elevators up, but the elevators do not go all the way to the roof. A private lounge above Dawn's office is the highest that they can go. After that, they will need to take the stairs."
"So, shouldn't we all be on that floor?" asked Rainbow.
"It's too cramped to fight with this many ponies," Gray said. "Best to just keep a few of us per floor and hold off as many as we can. If these guys are really after Pandemonia then they're gonna just keep going up. Any of them that slip away from one group can be caught by the next group, and so on."
"Exactly," said Havoc with a big grin. "I'll take the outside of the tower with Gray and Dash, just in case these chumps have any pegasi that want to try flying straight up to the top of the tower."
Curaçao nodded. "Oui, a wise idea. Everypony else, as I said, divvy up as you see fit. We have a war to win."
*****
Underneath Pandora Tower, there was a tunnel. It was a new tunnel, actually, one that wasn't supposed to be here, and it carved straight through the metal and cement that made up the tower's base. It had taken years of work for the digging teams to finally get it here, years of careful efforts to dig, dig, dig underneath the most secure location in the entire city without anypony knowing about it.
That was what Power Flux loved about having friends in high places. As he watched the workers carefully using a laser drill to take chunk after chunk of material out of the ceiling above them, he set his hoof onto the shoulder of the stallion next to him.
"This is it, Brother Jackhammer," he said with pride. "Our Dark Lady shall have Her revenge at long last. Ash and blood, Brother. That is all that will remain of this pathetic city when She is done with it."
"And though we may fall in battle," replied Jackhammer, "I do not fear death, for in dying I will become one with the Dark Lady and will only make Her stronger. Long may She reign."
"We could not have done so well without your services, Brother. Without you, we would not know just where to dig without alerting our enemies to our presence and we would not have been able to hide for so long. To have the Taskmaster's favorite engineer in our ranks is quite a boon to our Dark Lady's cause. There will be a seat for your by Her side in the end times."
"I am happy to serve Her in any way I can, Brother."
Flux was about to reply, but then he felt a burning sensation in his head. He clutched his temples in pain as a vision burned itself into his skull:
The top of the tower. The top of the tower. There is a dark light at the top of the tower. Destroy it. Destroy it. The top of the tower. Destroy it. Kill any who stand in the way. The top of the tower.
"Brother Flux!" Jackhammer shouted, shaking Flux out of his stupor. "Are you alright? What's all this about the top of the tower? Is there something that we should know?"
Flux grunted and staggered to his hooves. "I… I have received a vision from our Dark Lady. There is something on the top of Pandora Tower that we must destroy, a dark light. We are to kill any who stand in our way, but that is the priority: the top of the tower must be reached at all costs."
Jackhammer balked. "But… but what of the Traitors? I thought that we were here to kill them?"
"If they are in the way, then we will still kill them, naturally, but they are not the priority any longer. All that matters is making it to the top of the tower and destroying whatever we find there."
"And what of the empowered children? Are we still to capture them for Her?"
Flux paused for a moment, then nodded. "She has made it clear that She wants the children alive, but if they put up a fight and stall us, kill them. All that matters to Her right now is whatever is at the top of the tower. Whatever the cost, we will give our Dark Lady what She desires."
"Very well. Long may She reign, Brother," Jackhammer said, thumping his chest.
"Long may She reign indeed."
One of the workers walked over to the two and gave a little salute. "Brother Flux, we're through."
Flux's lips curled in a sinister grin. "Then the Hour of Reckoning is upon us."
He turned to the substantial number of other ponies behind him in the tunnel; cramped though they might be, they were all armed with the best equipment they could steal from the NPAF, armored with new suits made of an alloy of steel and the strange obsidian the Leaders had sent from the volcanoes, and filled with spirits just waiting to carry out their glorious purpose.
None would stand in their way.