“Welcome back, Doctor Breath, and greetings to you as well, little sister,” spoke the half-complete robotic pony standing still as a statue in the middle of the room with a male voice that vibrated oddly. It blinked momentarily before scanning its eyes across the group before it. “Guests were not expected, however I welcome you all as well.”
“Paige, explain,” Whiterobe demanded as she moved to put her husband between herself and the unknown automaton.
Phony Paige sighed, “I suppose you could call him my elder brother,” she said, waving a hoof at the immobile metal pony, “this is Model Slip; he is the iteration of Project Blueprint before my own.”
“I was deemed a failure due to an instability with my vocal unit, and with an error in my linguistic databases that rendered me unable to speak any language other than Doggan for several hours during my first test run,” Model Slip informed statically, his eyes moving to stare forward blankly at the door they had come in. “As such I was decommissioned and confined to this room, with my emotion and personality subroutines disabled and removed for refinement and reuse in my successor, Phony Paige.”
“Since then he has been down here, plugged into our calibration and analysis mainframe,” Doctor Sewn Breath added. “I’ve been allowed-” she spat the word, “to continue working with him since Paige went public and was made a full citizen. That proclamation, and the legal documentation following it, technically applies to Model as well, and the powers that be aren’t able to just unplug him anymore.”
Luna nodded, a hoof raised to her chin in thought, “It would technically be murder, at the least mareslaughter,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I wonder what Sister would make of this? Perhaps I should send a message and get her opinion.”
Quill shook his head, “Over twenty storeys into the diabase bedrock of Canterlot Mountain? I don’t think there’s any magic that can pierce that far, even if most of the interior of CL0PTech is hollow, princess.”
“Our internal data network has a direct line to Canterlot Castle’s messenger network, through magitek communication link to both Royal Guard Internal Affairs in the case of guard misbehaviour, and an emergency line direct to a Royal Messenger by way of communication crystal, much like Royal Guard communication crystals,” Model Slip informed in a monotone drone, “currently this room does not have access to said networks for security purposes, but a computer terminal is available in the southwest corner for staff use.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, “And how would we gain access to these communication networks if said terminal is disconnected?”
Model Slip replied with, “Processing, this may take some time,” and fell silent.
“While he runs through internal protocols, there’s something I’d like to know,” Breath began, turning her attention to the lone gryphon in the room currently being sniffed at by the large shaggy form of Shuck, “Why’d you call her Softcrest?”
Saddleblaze and Snowy exchanged confused looks, though though his helmet it would be hard to tell what look Snowy Doublescoop gave anyone, “We didn’t,” Saddleblaze replied, “she told us that’s the name her mother gave her; we only adopted her a short while ago.”
“Why do you ask?” Snowy asked curiously.
Breath shook her head, “I’m not neighsaying or anything, just curious. It’s not really a traditional gryphon name. With a name like Softcrest I can only assume her mother was a pony.”
“Daddy used to call me Genevieve,” Softcrest mumbled, reaching a talon up to pet Shuck’s snout, an action the dark furred canine took to with gusto, “he used to get called mean things by other gryphons for being with mommy,” she shook and seemed to cringe a little at the memories, her talon slowing in its petting and shifted instead to paw at her missing eye, “the gryphon that mommy said was my grandmother used to call her a ‘no good pegasus bi-’”
“Enough of that,” Saddleblaze said, turning her head and nosing the chick into silence, “we don’t use that word, and you don’t need to think about them again, okay? You can choose whichever name you want, alright? It’s up to you.”
“I don’t wanna be called Genevieve;” she huffed, nuzzling into Saddleblaze’s face, “daddy left me all alone, I don’t wanna…”
“Softcrest it is, then,” Snowy said calmly.
“If I might ask, do you recall your father’s name?” Luna probed curiously with a sympathetic tone.
Feathers folding to make her look smaller, Softcrest replied with a small voice, “Giovanni, he was a cook;” her voice hitched and she shook her head, “he taught me how to dress down prey and cook meat, it’s how I knew how to cook the rats I caught when I was alone…”
Luna recoiled with her eyes wide and shouted, “Giovanni the ambassador’s chief chef?!” She stepped back a pace, shaking her head as her gaze moved to a horizon beyond the walls around them, “I knew he’d taken a pegasus wife and had had a child, but was unaware that anything had happened to their marriage beyond the introduction of a chick…”
“Perhaps something to look into upon returning to the castle, Highness?” Clank Clop suggested.
Princess Luna nodded with a hum, mentally filing the information away for later and smiling warmly, “In any case, it’s delightful that you’ve gained a new family.”
Model Slip’s monotone robotic voice cut into the conversation, “Solution found.”
“Do tell,” Luna returned as she physically turned to face the immobile automaton.
“Security Failsafe Directive PRS-221, security blockades on any internal system can and will be overridden by magical signature sampled and identified as belonging to any Alicorn or Princess with security clearance. Security clearance level of all Princesses, Imperial, supersedes that of any internal CL0PTech staff including C.E.O. Double Tap’s own level of Kepler-7-A. Samples of Princesses Celestia, Luna, Mi Amore Cadenza, and Twilight Sparkle are on file for override cross sampling.
“Messaging Service Security Override PRS-011, Princess security clearance, Imperial, shall not be impeded by any override or blockade of any internal system. Imperial Clearance messages are not to be interrupted by any internal security sweeps and are under strict confidentiality. Any CL0PTech staff found intercepting or reading Imperial Clearance messages not intended for the individual involved will be immediately fired from CL0PTech and imprisoned under Anti-Treason Act 821ANM section 21.
“Due to these contingencies and several others, Her Royal Highness Princess Luna is legally able to access any terminal within the facility, cannot be impeded by security beyond life and death safety, and any message she wishes to send to external recipients will be sent and arrive unimpeded by internal security or personnel,” he finished, his eyes and tone never leaving their flat neutrality.
“Sounds pretty robust,” muttered Clank Clop, “where’s the catch?”
“For myself, there likely isn’t one,” Luna huffed as she stepped over to the computer in the corner, “from the way things are worded and the inclusion of Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am going to hazard a guess that she reworded these rules herself to make them foolproof when she provided her magic sample for their systems.”
“I don’t imagine that Double Tap will be terribly pleased that we are circumventing security to send a message directly to Princess Celestia through a method he cannot interrupt,” muttered Paige, "especially when the message pertains to something he's been trying to keep a secret for years."
“There is a high probability that C.E.O. Double Tap is already aware of your presence and is sending a security detail to detain you all,” Model Slip intoned neutrally.
“Miss Paige, could you assist me in the use of this device?” Luna asked from the corner, “I admit I am not familiar with such new contrivances.”
Paige smiled and wandered over, “Of course, Princess, dictate in my ear and I’ll type your message; you’ll merely need to add your magic to the system when we send it, I’ll instruct you on how to do that when we get to that point.”
A speaker set into the wall next to the door they had entered through crackled to life, static buzzing relentlessly through the voice that spoke, “Specimen transfer in progress, subject U-03 in transit by elevator under Kepler-05 authority. All personnel are advised to stay clear of the specimen. Destination of subject: Need to Know basis only. This is not a drill.”
Breath shook her head, “That’s not right, no Unknown subjects are scheduled for transit today, and the warning has never listed a specimen’s destination as ‘Need to Know’.”
Luna nodded, zapping the terminal she stood before with her magic. “Perhaps this is their first move in an attempt to get us to surrender. A poor attempt to frighten us into revealing our position or simply outright leave for fear of injury.”
“We’ve only been here all of, what, ten minutes?” Whiterobe asked worriedly as her ears pinned themselves to her scalp, "how'd they manage to arrange this that quickly?"
“Kepler-05 is the clearance code for the guard captain stationed here, Cuirass,” Paige huffed, “either Double doesn’t know what he’s up to, or doesn’t want to get himself involved in any way that would trace back to him.”
Luna sighed, “Double Tap is moving on to progressively thinner ice through his actions or inactions here. Already I have been hearing unfavorable things about the goings on at this facility.”
“I can’t imagine what he thinks this will accomplish,” Clank voiced, “I mean, he can’t just attempt to threaten a Princess into doing what he wants.”
Softcrest tugged at her adoptive mother’s mane, “I need a bathroom…”
With a warm smile Breath motioned to a door near the computer, “This lab has its own lavatory for staff use when we used to spend long hours down here, feel free to use it.”
“I’ll take her,” Holly volunteered as she helped Softcrest off of her adoptive mother’s back, “what do we do if they come here anyway?”
“We resist arrest, of course,” Clank growled, “I’ve not been in the guard in years but I still remember much of the law we had drilled into our heads. We’ve broken no laws by coming here and they have no right to detain us, especially not a Princess. With Princess Luna essentially leading the group, almost anything we do can be considered by her will, giving us near carte blanche in terms of actions. We were brought here by Doctor Breath, under the authority of Princess Luna, making our presence here legal, if unwanted by the powers that be. If they think they can just threaten us into compliance they have another thing coming, we’ve a child to protect, and thus any resistance on our part falls under the statutes of child protection at the very least, and protecting royalty at worst.”
Once again the speaker crackled to life, “Princess Luna and guests, this is CL0PTech Guard Captain Cuirass speaking with the authority of Princess Celestia. You are trespassing in a restricted area and are in violation of privacy laws; you will surrender, return peacefully, and sign non-disclosure agreements or be detained until your cooperation is achieved. Sewn Breath, you are hereby terminated for facilitating this breach of privacy and will be arrested, turned over to the Royal Guard, and detained for the duration of ten years. These terms are non-negotiable.”
“Well that doesn't sound legal at all,” Saddleblaze huffed. “Kinda sounds like extortion.”
“You can respond by pushing the button beneath the speaker, Princess.” Paige advised, pointing with a hoof.
Luna growled and strode over, pushing said button, “Captain Cuirass, you have no authority to impose any of those threats and are lucky I do not currently consider this an attempted act of treason. You are to stand down immediately, by order of the Lunar Court.”
“The Lunar Court has no jurisdiction over CL0pTech's security, Princess, and by your tone you clearly have no intention of standing down as ordered; as such we shall detain you using all force afforded by law.”
Luna blinked furiously at the speaker, a crackle of magic sparking along her horn and her mane growing turbulent. She pushed the button again and spoke in a calm tone, “On your head be it, Captain.”
“What do we do, Princess, we’re not exactly what one would call a fighting force down here,” Holly fretted, returning with Softcrest and setting her back upon her mother’s back. "I mean, we're a group of townsponies, a robot, and yourself. Clank has guard training, but he's still only one stallion."
Clank shook his head, “If I may, Princess, I need a shield; I cannot protect any but myself without a wall.”
With a nod Luna’s magic reached out and ripped a steel panel larger than an adult pony off a wall, followed by the handle from the bathroom door. With a bright flash the door handle welded itself to the large steel plate, and this makeshift shield was offered to Clank Clop. “Will this suffice?”
He nodded, giving it a few experimental swings, “Bulky, but serviceable, Princess. Thank you.”
"Hopefully you won't need to lose it, Clanky..." Whiterobe muttered, giving him a worried hug.
“Clank Clop and Shuck shall be our front line,” Luna instructed, “Snowy Doublescoop, myself, Phony Paige, and Holly Seams shall back them up; Whiterobe, your ability to magically heal may be required, but I would prefer that yourself, Doctor Breath, Silent Quill, and Saddleblaze stay back to protect Softcrest."
“Are you sure, Highness?” Holly asked worriedly, glancing about as Shuck and Clank stepped closer to the door.
“As sure as ever, miss Seams. If they intend to breach the door and detain us, they will find it considerably more difficult with Clank and Shuck halting their advance, especially in conjunction with my own magic.”
Clank chortled as Shuck bumped his shoulder with his own, “If these half-rate guard dropouts think they can get past us, Holly, they’re dreamin’.”
A sharp, hard knock at the door caught their attention, and with an unsteady hoof Clank pushed the button to open it, causing it to slide aside and reveal the figure that stood in the hallway beyond.
With a wheeze he asked, “May I come in? The guards have been awfully rude and I wish only to rest.”
“Prettyboy!” Breath called from the back of the room, prompting Clank and Shuck to both raise his shield and begin to growl furiously.
Paige worriedly looked the winged beast over, “U-03 what are you doing here?”
He huffed a wheezy breath, head lowering down tiredly, “That idiot Cuirass and his cohort dragged me from my room, said something about using me to scare you into the open or some nonsense. I was at the elevator while he made his threat over the intercom. They want me to scare you out of the lab, but I don’t think he’s aware that I’m not just a stupid beast and can make up my own damned mind,” he paused to yawn widely, showing off his impressive pearly white omivorous teeth and pale gums, “held me down and drew a lot of blood, too, said some gibberish like ‘peepeehead seven one nine’ or something.”
“Doctor, do you know what he could be referring to?” Luna asked curiously.
Breath cringed, “P-Ph-719 is a potion,” she fretted, “performance enhancing subclass, commonly called Brawndo.”
“I know what that is, I did a case study on it during med school,” Whiterobe snapped angrily, “illegal performance enhancer, it was discovered some three hundred years ago that the blood of magical creatures can be used to synthesize a body enhancer, makes you stronger and faster depending on the creature the blood was drawn from. The more magical a creature, the stronger the potion.”
“To what extent, Whiterobe, I’ve never heard of before?” Luna probed worriedly.
White shook her head, “Unicorns are the bar set, and that will usually only improve the imbiber a little bit. Never tested with Alicorn blood for good reason, dragon blood is one of the most powerful versions ever concocted and it made the imbiber more than ten times stronger than usual. It was made illegal because of the obvious blood component required, and because of the self-harm caused to the consumer. The pony who tested the dragon-blood concoction snapped his own foreleg in half from the strength of his muscles flexing alone.”
“I just want to sleep,” Prettyboy groaned, “please may I come in and use your floor?”
Luna considered him warily before nodding, “Very well, Prettyboy, come in; I’m warning you, though, do not test me else I shall see how well you fly hogtied with your feathers clipped.”
A weak smile spread on the winged being’s muzzle and he stepped in, dipping his head to the Alicorn as he approached her, “Thank you,” he mumbled, “I go sleep now.”
With that he crashed to the floor and almost slammed his head against the concrete, slowed only enough to save him from a serious head injury by his left antler both cushioning his fall, and snapping off and bouncing across the room to come to rest at Luna’s hooves.
A small pool of blood oozed into being under his head as he softly snored.
Whiterobe scurried over, lifting his head to check for injures other than the obvious, “Doctor Breath, I need a first aid kit to stanch his bleeding,” she snapped before lifting his lips to check his jawline, “his gums are almost white, how much did they take? It only takes a small vial of blood to make the potion, with as anemic as they've made him they could make gallons of the stuff!”
Her mouth muffled slightly from the kit she had retrieved from under the computer terminal, Breath replied, “Enough to make him pass out, which isn’t good in itself.” The first aid kit was snapped open and gauze and a cotton pad levitated out, unwrapping themselves from their sterile packaging in Whiterobe’s magic and wrapping over the stump that remained of Prettyboy’s antler.
Luna nudged the velvet-covered bone with a hoof uncertainly as it oozed blood itself, “Well, this is an unfortunate injury,” she mumbled, “I do hope he does not become upset at its loss.”
“He sheds them every winter, Princess,” Breath informed, “and it’s not the first time he’s snapped one off prematurely either; he was very hard to control when he first came here, and he took them both off attacking the walls of his enclosure in the first week or so.”
Softcrest wiggled free of her mother’s embrace in the back left corner of the room and dawdled closer, “He’s worse at preening his wings than I am!” she laughed, “He looks silly!”
Nodding, Whiterobe gave the downed peryton a scrutinizing look over, “And that’s not his only issue, either. He looks like he’s not been grooming much at all. He smells clean, but his fur is ruffled and unkempt, not just his feathers. Does nopony care for him?”
“I don’t think he’s been allowed grooming utilities,” Breath huffed, “if anything I’d say his caretaker has been doing the bare minimum. I admit that I don't know as much as I'd like, but he's part of an entirely different wing of the facility, information like that doesn't come my way much anymore except through internal gossip.”
“Words shall be had with his caretaker then,” Luna grumbled, “once we’re done here. This is essentially neglect of a sapient being, something else I'm sure is against the law. I am finding that things are rotten in CL0PTech and I do not approve in the slightest.”
Cuirass's voice echoed down the hall, “Come out, come out wherever you are…”
Like a bolt Shuck took off, darting out the door and down the corridor towards the voice, his departure punctuated by his own snarling, and Luna calling, “Shuck, no, come back here!”
The sounds of struggling and an angry canine echoed in the door for a few moments only to grow suddenly silent, then be followed by Shuck yelping in pain and a meaty crunch and snap.
The canine was silent.
“Clank, Snowy, Paige, with me!” Luna called, hurrying out into the hall, “The rest of you, stay here and close the door behind us!”
Rushing to comply, the three called did as they had been told and followed Luna out and slapped the door button behind them, making it slide shut. Grouped in the hall a little ways away near the elevator door they could see Cuirass and his fellow guard holding formation blocking the corridor.
Cuirass threw Shuck’s limp form to Luna’s hooves, “Well, that’s one less security breach to worry about,” he said before lifting his gaze to eye Clank Clop’s shield before meeting Luna’s own, “destruction of private property as well? How disappointing to have to add that to your charges... Now, surrender; all of you.”
“It is you who shall surrender, Captain,” Luna snapped, “throw yourself to the mercy of the Night Court. This is your last chance.” She gave the canine’s corpse a sad cursory glance before levitating it over to Paige, who seemed the least perturbed by it. “Keep him safe, my dear.”
Cuirass sighed, shaking his head, “Really now, still this resistance? With Brawndo already in my veins, breaking the dog’s spine wasn’t even a challenge; I am not afraid of some wannabe princess, a robot, and some peasants. Come now, I am more than aware there are parents amongst you, would you have me make orphans?”
Clank Clop slammed the shield he held to the ground, burying one of the panel’s corners into the solid concrete, growling furiously the whole time, “Brawndo or not, I’d like to see you try you wannabe guard coward.”
Cuirass started forward, calmly closing the distance between them, “Such bravado from the civilian. You act as if you know what it is to be a guard, yet here you are disobeying one.”
“This one, Princess, is on us;” Clank stated firmly as he and Snowy stepped past her, “no-one threatens our families.”
“Are you certain?”
“With your blessing, yes. He crossed a line and I ain't having it.”
“The usual, Clank?” Snowy asked angrily.
“Show of force this time, Snow;” Clank growled, “shock and awe, make it cold. Give us a remorseless winter, I wanna see these cowards scared.”
Snowy nodded as he stopped walking and raised his right forehoof, allowing the light to reflect off of his grey-blue horseshoe and his cutie-marks started to glow. The hallway grew cold, the breath of everypony coming in wispy puffs as his gaze went from his hoof to the guards angrily, “You’ve threatened our families and made Clank and I mad,” he rumbled, “you lads bucked up.”
His hoof struck the ground.
Ice spread across the walls, floor and ceiling, filling the corridor in an instant in sheets of cold. Rime built up on the armor of the guards, icicles stretched from ceiling to floor, wall to wall, and half of the hapless guard were caught so unawares that they were frozen in place by the ice forming around them. Pinned guards groaned in agony, and those not frozen in place grabbed their heads and gave shuddering shouts of pain as the air around them turned so cold their breathing alone inflicted brain freeze.
With an angry grunt, Cuirass strode forward, face flinching as he fought off the pain in his head from every breath and the cold that soaked into his very bones. “How are you doing this? Is there a horn hidden under that ridiculous helmet?!”
“I’m as Earth Pony as they come,” Snowy stated, “surely you, a fellow Earth Pony, are aware that every generation has its outliers and purebreds. We Earth Ponies can do all kinds of things with our magic if utilized in the right manner.”
Cuirass snarled as he neared Clank and threw a punch at the stallion, hitting him square in the chest with enough force to shake the ice from the armour he wore. Clank, for his part, slid back a foot from the force before stepping forth once more and shrugging his shoulders.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself, Captain, as I think a few things have been missed,” he rumbled, “Clank Clop, former sergeant of the Solar Royal Guard, Titanium Bulwark division. Awarded for bravery during the Nightmare Moon’s return, the Discord Incident of ANM 1001, and recognized as one of a small number of ponies capable of blocking Alicorn level strength. You, like an idiot, decided to threaten my family and the family of my friends. You decided to threaten one of the only ponies who has ever seriously hurt me and walked away. I don’t need to be here to put you in your place, Princess Luna herself could twist you like a pretzel, but Tartarus damn me if I won’t humble you myself for sheer satisfaction.”
Cuirass barely had time to process this before Clank grabbed him by a forehoof, spun him like a hammer and tossed him down the corridor towards his pinned and shivering fellows. He struggled to his feet and cautiously started moving back towards his opponent, shaking out the hoof he'd been swung by.
“I was guarding Princess Celestia when Nightmare Moon returned, present when she manifested in Princess Celestia's dressing room to lock her in the sun. She punched me in the chest so hard she collapsed a lung and crushed four ribs, but still I stood my ground; your punch? I barely even felt it.”
Spinning he kicked a pillar of ice into chunks and then promptly kicked the fragments out of the air, making each one bounce off of Cuirass’ helmet with a resounding clang. Now seeing white as well as red, Cuirass dashed in close and swung a forehoof at Clank’s head, only to miss as the stallion tilted his head to one side and let his neck crack audibly.
“I work out every day and teach physical education to foals. My special talent is the fact that I'm physically built to take abuse. I meet up with the Fruit Clans at Iron Pony competitions and give them a run for their money. Those stallions are my contemporaries in strength, though I have never beaten them. You hopped up on a performance enhancing potion? You ain’t a fight, you’re practice.”
His left forehoof connected with Cuirass’ chest and the sound of abused, denting armor was accompanied by the wet crack of breaking ribs. As the abused stallion reeled, coughing and trying desperately to catch his breath, Clank only sneered.
“Snowy is an outlier, you’re an above average coward who uses potions to help him;” he snarled, “I’m a purebred.”
He spun on his hooves, reared up, and bucked Cuirass with both rear hooves, breaking his nose and sending him flying over the heads of the other guards to land noisily and heavily behind them. He huffed an angry breath as he turned back to the guards, glaring down his nose at them.
“Big Mac is going to be mighty peeved that I used his bucking technique on a pony. Maybe it's best if I don't tell him.”
Luna moved to stand next to him, peering down at the bruise that was forming on his chest. “That does not look painless, Clank Clop.”
“It stings, but I’ll live, Princess,” he huffed, “it is far from the worst I’ve ever had. White will patch me up.”
“I feel I must apologize again for nearly killing you as Nightmare Moon,” she mumbled, “it was most unbecoming of me to-”
“Princess, it’s fine, you weren’t yourself,” he chuckled amusedly, “quite literally.”
Luna chortled in response, “I suppose having ten generations of pureblooded Earth Pony assists you,” she tittered, “but what did you mean about Snowy Doublescoop being an outlier?”
“First Earth Pony born to six-generation strong pureblooded unicorns, Highness,” Snowy informed, “magic is in my blood.”
She nodded, “The ice magic, I take it?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“I suspect the Rimesteel horseshoes assist in your magical output somewhat.”
“Correct again, Princess. Uncle Slag helped to mine up and forge my horseshoes when I was younger and their magical nature, much like Mithril shoes, makes them grow over time to continue to fit my hooves. They provide me with a conduit to channel my magic.”
“So that’s the secret to your ice cream, Snow?” Clank asked cheekily.
Snowy scoffed, “Buck no, that’d be too easy.”
Clank laughed, “We’ll discover it one day.”
A wave of warmth flooded through the corridor, melting the ice coating the walls, ceiling and floor. Six royal guards in full armour hurried into view from the elevator door some meters back, surrounding the shivering local guards, Luna, Snowy and Clank, while Princess Celestia strode confidently into the corridor. She paused momentarily to look confusedly down at Cuirass passed out on the floor before shaking her head and nosing Luna into an embrace.
“Sister, ‘tis good of you to arrive.”
“We got your message, Luna,” Celestia informed airily with a calming smile on her face, “and departed post haste. It would seem that there are some things which need explaining.”
“Quite right, sister, though while we speak I would appreciate if Local Captain Curiass be arrested for quite a list of offenses of which I’m certain that Clank Clop here would be more than happy to elaborate.”
Celestia nodded and, after raising a wing for her guards to detain the comatose captain, turned her gaze expectantly to Clank Clop, wincing as she noticed the bruise on his chest.
“Extortion of private citizens, assault and battery, bloodletting without consent which led to grievous bodily harm, possession and-or use of illegal potions or substances, extortion of royalty, physically threatening royalty, ignoring royal orders…” he huffed and shook his head, “he’s been a very silly pony.”
“Several of those charges warrant prison time, these are serious accusations,” Celestia informed, “though what illegal substance are you referring to?”
“Brawndo, Highness,” Paige said, still cradling Shuck’s still form.
“I suspect, sister, that he has been using and abusing his position here to gain access to illegal potions and substances which have gone to his head. Pitaya, the dryad in their care, mentioned that at one point she grew Aurora.”
Celestia nodded and eyed the corpse of Shuck before she sighed sadly and shook her head, “And what happened to Shuck?”
Shifting uncomfortably, Luna turned her attention to the wall on her left, “He decided to try and take on Cuirass without backup or bothering to actually fight like the shadow-based creature he is and had his back broken. I usually have more sympathy for him, but he did bring it on himself this time and ignored my ordering him not to.”
“And how long does he intend to continue playing dead this time, do you think?”
Luna shook her head, “Until it either stops being funny to him or he realizes that he will traumatize and not be getting any pats from Snowy Doublescoop and Saddleblaze’s chick if he’s dead.”
At her words, Shuck’s body burst into smoke, surrounding Paige in a thick, dark as thick cloud which just as quickly sucked into a central point and reconstituted as a smaller, yet no less shaggy, canine. Despite the astonished stares from everypony except the Princesses, he scurried over to the door and started scratching at it as if begging to be let in.
“Much like a phoenix he is reborn when he dies, I just wish he would last more than a few months." Luna huffed.
"The halberd falling off the wall was not his fault, Luna, nor was that time he drowned after saving a schoolfilly from the garden pond," Celestia chided.
"I suppose we should get to the real reason I sent the missive, sister,” Luna intoned before pointing imperially at a nearby solar guard, “you, guard, fetch C.E.O. Double Tap from his office and bring him here at once;” she swung her attention next to the local guard still huddled together, “If any of you foals are still loyal, you will fetch the caretaker of Prettyboy and bring him here as well.”
Several of the huddled guards nodded and scurried off to the elevator, holding it open for their solar guard compatriot before letting it close.
Paige pushed the button to open the lab door, allowing Shuck to scurry in and throw himself bodily at Softcrest who giggled at the pup-sized shadow wolf that licked at her face, much to the confusion of everypony else present. Luna, Celestia, Clank, Snowy and Paige then filed into the room followed by two solar guards who took up positions inside the door as it closed behind them.
“Greetings, Princess Celestia,” Model Slip spoke from where he stood still as a statue, gaining her attention.
“Alright Luna,” Celestia began, sitting on her haunches and observing the half-built robot in the middle of the room,
“Explain.”