Once Crystal Silicon was separated from the Ethereal Queen through the draining effects of Sigmund’s Epitaph Cannon, the battle quickly began to wind down.
Fayt and his friends were fighting monster after monster and were slowly growing tired from the endless fighting. Every now and then he had to encourage his friends to keep going as his faith in his childhood friend, Sophia, spurred him on.
All of a sudden the monsters stopped moving once they heard a distant scream. Fayt and his friends were confused at first at the monsters’ sudden change in behavior until they saw the monsters slowly disintegrate into particles of light. The vast number of monsters disintegrating all at once created a beautiful display of light particles falling like snow. The particles fell through the platform and down toward the forest below.
As the party looked downward, the lights began to fade away as they neared the canopy. The beauty of such a sight filled them with a sense of contentment. Fayt walked over to Maria, who continued to stare in awe at the wonderful display. The boy, without thinking, wrapped his arm over Maria’s shoulder which snapped her out of her daze. However, seeing who was next to her, she decided to allow it this time.
Of course, all good things must come to an end as they were filled with a new sense of danger as Nel warned everyone that the platform was beginning to disintegrate as well.
With the moment over, the party ran to each other to regroup. Lyra was carrying Crystal’s unconscious form. Once everyone was gathered, Twilight, Midnight and Sweetie combined their magics to create a mass teleportation circle. The circle took a few moments to form as the edge of the shrinking platform drew closer to the party. Most of those who couldn’t fly, like Fayt and his friends, grew nervous as there was nearly no platform left to stand on.
Just in the nick of time, the alicorns activated the magic circle and teleported back to floor two eleven of the Sphere building.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief for a moment until they began to feel the tower begin to rock a little. They all knew what was happening. They knew that the damage they and the monsters did to the tower would not be without consequence.
Running quickly, the party quickly reached the elevator and one by one they entered the elevator and transported to the first floor.
Mere moments later, the sound of rumbling could be heard above them before the security cameras showed part of the top of the tower breaking off from the structure and falling into the Everfree Forest. A loud crash was heard thirty seconds later followed by the cacophony of birds whose nesting places had been crushed by rubble.
Cautiously, everyone waited for something else to happen before that caution turned into relief. As everyone began to relax, Azure Lazer approached the group. Her face revealed a mix of gratitude and exasperation at the same time.
Azure sighed, “This is going to be expensive; not only the cleanup but also the costs to rebuild the tower.”
Cliff chuckled awkwardly, “Yeah, guess we did get a little too rowdy up there.”
“Well, Princess Celestia will likely hoof the bill to House Platinum,” Azure figured. “The costs will likely be more than she can afford, given that the research facility nearly blew the national budget when it was built. The nobles protested its construction at first, but that was until Princess Luna gave them a little push in their dreams. Turns out the nobles were fearful of the technologically savvy commoners referring to them as savages, so most of the houses contributed the funds in exchange for being the first to receive whatever new products were turned out by the facility.”
“Quite the effective manipulation,” Maria said.
“It becomes a necessity to do so when the houses are set in their ways and behave like a bunch of spoiled foals wanting to use the national treasury for their own selfish luxury,” Twilight explained.
“If such tactics are necessary, shouldn’t Celestia be taking action to punish them if they intend on behaving like children?” Maria inquired.
“They’re tied to many major industries throughout Equestria. If Princess Celestia made them upset enough, the nobles would pull their funding from the industries and cause businesses to fail. It would devastate our economy.”
“So you’re saying that if the financial advantage were to turn away from the houses, Celestia could make them fall in line?” Sigmund asked.
“Possibly, but since the nobles together hold sixty percent of Equestria’s overall wealth, with the treasury holding thirty percent, we won’t be able to do that, especially since the houses will work together against Princess Celestia if threatened.”
“I see, then perhaps if my proposal were to be accepted by Celestia, I might be able to give her an opportunity to regain control over the houses.”
“Do you have a plan?” Twilight asked.
“I think so, but first I need her permission to open a franchise before I can consider the finer details of my plan.”
The party exited the building out the front door and proceeded to the nearby pylon warp conduit. Twilight informed them that they were headed directly for Canterlot. Once a chain of physical contact was made, Twilight activated the pylon and they were quickly wrapped in a giant bubble that traveled at the speed of light through the conduit network. The trip lasted a few seconds before they found themselves in front of the entrance to Canterlot.
A pair of pony zealots observed the incoming group and saw Princess Twilight and Princess Sweetie among them. They were confused about the third alicorn in the group who bore a slight resemblance to Twilight, but they let it slide as stranger things have happened before. The guards moved aside to allow the party into the city.
The Elicoorians stared in awe at the technological sights before them. While they had been among technology for a few days, the sight of flying vehicles traveling through lanes of airspace with flying creatures in lanes beside the vehicle routes was unlike anything they could have imagined. Adray nearly went into culture shock when he saw the marvels, but Fayt and Mirage helped keep him calm and told him to focus on the path ahead.
Over a thousand years, Canterlot castle changed quite a bit but much of it also remained the same. The towering ornate white spires housed a number of defense crystals to ward off invaders, A large lot near the castle was dedicated to a Zerg hive cluster.
As they walked toward the castle entrance to report to Celestia, the party noticed a pair of lesser Zerg Queens entering the castle. The guards moved aside to let them in.
“Kinda strange that they let those critters inside,” Cliff said.
“I did mention that we employ the more intelligent Zerg for positions like the strategic division or the intelligence agency,” Lyra said.
“Queens make for good relays since their minions can scout around and report what they see through the hive mind,” Sweetie added. “It’ll be up to them to interpret the scout’s sightings though.”
“Makes sense,” Cliff shrugged.
The party continued into the castle. Some of the party took a look at one of the guards who was wearing golden armor that was designed with layers of golden plating with blue crystals on the chest, shoulders and hips. On his wrists were a pair of focusers for the deployment of energy blades at a moment’s notice. Though the pony was a pegasus, the crystals on his armor worked around the psionic requirements of using the blades. Slung on his back was a large rifle that looked like it could hold a lot of rounds.
“So how long is this one going to be out?” Lyra asked, pointing at Crystal.
“I’m not sure,” Sophia answered. “It was my first time using such an ability, but I’m hoping the charge will only last a few hours at most. I can wake her up if necessary.”
“Nah, let’s bring her before Princess Celestia before we wake her.”
Twilight escorted everyone to the throne room where Celestia and Luna, who appeared to have missed her midday coffee as she looked like a mess, sat on their thrones. Celestia didn’t comment on that as she wanted to tease her about that later. Thankfully, one of the maids brought a tray with Luna’s coffee. Luna quickly shatched the mug of ambrosia and downed it fast enough to impress Sophia. With caffeine in her system, Luna did her best to make herself look presentable, even though everyone was staring at her.
As they approached the throne, Celestia stood from her seat. “Greetings, denizens of the Eternal Sphere and esteemed members of the Craft family. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria and mistress of the sun.”
Luna then hastily stood from her place once she was presentable. “And I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria, mistress of the moon, and guardian of dreams.” Nobody commented on her awkward behavior.
“Allow me to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your efforts in capturing this dangerous criminal and saving Equestria from her wrath.” Celestia said. “I also apologize for not being there for the final battle. When Crystal broadcasted the fight, many ponies began to panic so Luna and I had to focus on keeping our ponies calm. You put on a good show though, my favorite part was when Sophia and Thanatas double teamed her. I had to shake Luna awake just to show her that double elbow drop.”
Fayt moved forward and knelt before Celestia. “My name is Fayt Leingod, your majesty. No thanks are necessary, I only wish we could have stopped her before she gained control over Project Valkyrie.” The others soon joined in the introductions.
Celestia gave a faint smile, “There is no need to dwell on the past, young Fayt. It serves to guide our future actions as long as we learn from them. Besides, that project was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. If the goddess prototypes can manifest in our world, then who knows what else may come from the Eternal Sphere. Rather, this should serve as a lesson to us all that we need to be more vigilant. Since the Equestrian Liberation Front has gained the technology to manifest data into our world, there’s no telling what they will be capable of in the future.”
A groan was heard among the group. Everyone turned toward Lyra to find that their captive was waking up. Lyra gently placed Crystal on the floor while Celestia narrowed her eyes at her. “Speaking of them…”
Crystal Silicon sat up and began rubbing the back of her head, groaning as if she had just woken up on the cheapest mattress in Equestria. It took a minute for the memories of recent events to come flooding back to her. She then looked around to see those who defeated her standing around her. Beyond the people, she recognized the familiar architecture of Canterlot castle and figured that she was in the throne room with most of the alicorns staring at her right now. She chuckled mirthlessly.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Crystal Silicon?” Celestia demanded.
Crystal continued to chuckle which turned into empty laughter. Everyone waited patiently for her to get her act together before she spoke, “Judge me all you want, Xel’naga, I will see the end of your reign someday. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but we of the Equestrian Liberation Front shall use everything in our power to see you dead or departed from this world. One day we shall claim the power you have kept from us since Equestria’s founding! And of course, I will have my vengeance for Prince Blueblood!”
That was when Crystal took a deep breath and loudly declared, “The name of the leader of the Equestrian Liberation Front is…” In one moment, a magic circle appeared around her neck, the next, her head fell off her body and rolled toward Celestia. When the head stopped before the steps to Celestia’s throne, the alicorn heard a series of beeps coming from the head. The beeps grew more rapid with each second. Sophia knew what those beeps usually meant so she rushed for the head and delivered a powerful kick that sent it flying out a window. Mere moments after that act, a loud explosion was heard that shattered the rest of the windows on that side of the throne room.
Luna looked at the scene in confusion while everyone else was getting over the shock. “Was she about to tell us the name of her leader?”
“I’m pretty sure she said that to trigger some sort of suicide spell to escape capture,” Sophia said.
Luna’s confusion increased as she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “I cannot make sense out of what you just said. She killed herself to escape capture? Isn’t she dead now?”
“According to one of my agents’ reports, the E.L.F. have access to cloning technology and at some point they stole the Soul Anchor spell from the forbidden section of the archives,” Sweetie explained. “This tells me that they have a way to cheat death and as long as they have the resources, they can make as many clones of themselves as they wish. In the event of the death of one of their members, or at least one of their main members, their soul will be drawn to another body that had been prepared for them.”
“I see,” Celestia mumbled. “It would appear that we need to send the dark templar to scour Equestria for any sign of their hideout, maybe the entire planet.”
“I will ask the Protoss to help us search for them on other worlds,” Lyra offered.
“My swarm will help as well,” Sweetie added.
Celestia nodded, “Please do, but we also must consider that they might be hiding somewhere in the Eternal Sphere. We cannot leave anything to chance.”
“I will have Azure working with the other Eternal Sphere admins to monitor the universe for any possible leads on their whereabouts,” Twilight offered.
Celestia nodded again, “Good, but remember that we cannot let this hunt take precedence over our lives. We need to be vigilant of them, but we cannot let that turn to obsession. For now, continue with your projects and make sure the admins are still monitoring player activity.”
With nothing else to say, the party left the throne room, with the exception of Sophia, Thanatas and Sigmund. Celestia stared at the trio, “Is there another matter you wish to discuss?”
“There is,” Sophia said. “However, it has nothing to do with the E.L.F. My brother here came to claim the bounty and use it to open a franchise that sells multiverse wares in Equestria.”
“Mostly it will be harmless wares that could be used as paperweights or ancient relics that have no magical properties in them. I intend on selling the expensive stuff to the nobles who have an itch for collecting things that they need to scratch,” Sigmund explained.
Celestia sighed, “As if they don’t have enough things to show off in their houses.”
“That’s just phase one: enter the Equestrian economy. I still need to do some research on the major industries held by the nobles, but for phase two, I do intend on buying up shares of those companies to build up my Equestrian stock portfolio. Beyond that, I simply need to trick the nobles into giving away bits of their shares at a time until they realize they are down to forty-nine percent ownership or lower while I claim the magical number fifty one.”
Celestia gasped, “You plan to buy ownership of their holdings right from under their hooves?”
Sigmund smirked, “Once I have ownership of the nobles’ holdings, then we begin phase three. You can pressure the houses to focus their wealth toward the betterment of Equestria, even at the cost of some of their luxuries. Those who are already doing so, I salute them. Those on the fence will be swayed to your way of thinking one way or another and those who refuse will threaten to close down the businesses they think they own, not knowing that they sold that right to me. It should make them easier to control, at least.”
“And what about you?” Celestia asked. “While I believe that it is quite a sound and legal plan, I have only just met you and you plan to take controlling interest in our major industries.”
“I would only intend to hold the shares long enough for the houses to get their acts together. But if you wish for it to be in writing, I am willing to write out a contract with full transparency. I prefer to be upfront with my associates who are not trying to pull a fast one on me.”
Celestia gave a serene smile, “I do not believe that will be necessary, Sigmund. As long as you do not intend harm on my little ponies, I will extend a degree of trust to you. Also, you might need this.” She lit her horn and a plastic card emerged from the cushion of her throne and flew to her hand. She then handed the card to Sigmund. “This card contains the agreed upon amount for the bounty for Crystal Silicon. She may be at large again, but you did bring her to me alive so I will let it count.” A playful smile appeared on her face.
Sigmund accepted the card and placed it in a pocket that wasn’t imbued with spatial magic. “Thank you, Celestia, it was a pleasure doing business with you.” With that, he walked out of the throne room. Sophia and Thanatas followed.
A few hours later, Sophia and Thanatas were sitting atop the peak of Mount Canterhorn observing the city that was hovering near the mountain because of anti-gravity generators. The two of them could see much of the surrounding area, including Ponyville and the Sphere tower.
“So, what do you think?” Thanatas asked.
Sophia figured that Thanatas was referring to what she was thinking about. She would be lying to herself if she believed that there wasn’t something strange with this universe. “Have you ever been to a universe that appeared to feature content from numerous different universes?”
“Yeah, dealing with crossover universes can be very complicated. This isn’t like guiding the protagonist to their destiny like in a typical assignment. But this is even more complicated than that. I’ve read up on one of these things in the family archive, but I’ve never experienced one of these before, if it is what I think it is. Now that I think about it though, I believe my father patrols one such place.”
“What do you suspect it is?” Sophia asked, not bothering to read the undead’s mind.
“We call it a multiverse cluster. It’s basically one universe that contains multiple smaller universes. This one, however, only meets that characteristic through the Eternal Sphere. At the same time, this world seems to have its reality fused with another universe at the same time; it coexists with the Koprulu Sector.” Thanatas sighed. “As much as we will likely need the family for the events to come, I know that some of them are considering retiring to some distant place in the omniverse, Gerald included.
“Just to spite him, I’m gonna tell you something he doesn’t want you to know yet. Once you see him again, he’s probably going to dump all of his responsibilities on you and scram once he conducts some passing-of-the-torch ceremony. I suspect my grandmother will follow suit.”
“So the family business will fall on us? What about your father?” Sophia asked.
Thanatas chuckled, “I doubt Marra has reached his limits yet. He collects magical weapons from fallen warriors and makes them his own, taking on the spirit of the weapons’ former wielders. He seems to favor thirteen weapons that originate from that multiverse cluster he patrols, but I know he can use many more if push comes to shove.”
“So who else is still active in the family?”
“Not many, Gerald’s brother still wants to stick around until a new family member is born who can handle his vast arcane knowledge. I also have a younger sister who is still trying to discover her powers. My father told me a few months ago that I’m going to have another sister soon, but he also told me that he was going to stop there.”
“Huh, so I guess it'll be up to us and my brother to get the next generation started.”
Thanatas chuckled mirthlessly, “I hope I can give birth to a child. I am undead so that would be quite a hurdle for me to overcome. I may have to get assistance from another insane scientific mind for that. But that is a matter for another time.”
“I see, anyway, back to the matter of this universe,” Sophia said to change the topic. “I think it would be a good idea to help out the ponies here for a while. If the E.L.F. are going to send more unfairly invincible monsters like that hacked prototype in the future, they will need our help. Besides, it’ll be fun.”
“If we’re going to be sticking around for a while, you should at least collect your inheritance first and see what you can do to improve it before the problems of this universe rears its ugly head again.”
Sophia shrugged, “Good point.” She then turned her attention to the Sphere building. “For now, we might as well see what Fayt and the others have decided.”
“Ah, right, the decision on whether they stay here or go home and get reformatted.”
“Hold on to me,” Sophia said as she pulled out a crystal shard from her pocket that she picked up on her way up the mountain. The shard fell off a pylon conduit that was being constructed at the time by a Protoss craftsman.
Sophia channeled some of her psionic power into the shard and just as she hoped, she was able to enter the transport network. With the tiny shard, the ride was tumultuous since the small amount of power was hardly enough to create an adequate shield so the warp stream threw the duo about a little. In the end though, they still reached their destination outside the Sphere building.
Sophia made a mental note to experiment with the conduits later.