//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - Dark Intrigue // Story: Break the Walls Down // by Super Saiyan D //------------------------------// ========================= 6:22 PM Southern edge of Equestria ========================= Trailing puffs of smoke sputtered from the Eggmobile’s torn open front, the ship jittering randomly as it floated along. The damage suffered in the final moments of the battle at Canterlot hours before had led to several hours of unsteady travel. But now its destination was at least coming into view.   The new base of the Eggman Empire—a dark metal dome stretching close to a mile across the barren landscape. Two front-positioned, red-glowing circles on its front, and curved smokestacks that stretched from underneath them and reached upwards to the sky gave resemblance to its creator's face. The metal tubes leaked noxious smoke, a smell of polluted air permeating the airspace.   The smell was of little comfort to Eggman. His ship continued its tottering descent towards the front of the base, its shadow falling over the other Badniks continuing to work around the metal structure. It got within ten feet of the entrance before the struggling engine finally gave out, giving a final sputter of smoke and sparks before it went dead, dropping fifteen feet to the ground with a crash. Snarling, Eggman pulled himself out. He glowered at the broken pod, giving it an angry kick.   Orbot and Cubot floated over to meet their creator. NEEDA trailed a few meters behind them. “Heeeeey, boss,” said Orbot. “So, how was the big conquest of the little pony’s city?” The only response from Eggman was an unintelligible grunt as he stomped past them. Cubot decided to comment after him. “You alright, boss? You look angry.”   Eggman whirled. “A BLIND, DEAF, COMATOSE LOBOTOMY PATIENT COULD SEE THAT I AM ANGRY!” The two sycophantic robots cowered, shrinking into their respective ball and cube forms. Glaring at the two for another moment, Eggman straightened and looked around the base’s airspace. “NEEDA, what’s the latest location of Flapper squadrons one and three?” he demanded as the docketing robot approached. “Traveling southeast over the flatlands, as you ordered,” the droids replied crisply. “Tracking puts them several hours away from home base.” “Both groups will rendezvous back here,” Eggman said, walking past NEEDA. “But first, find an inhabited settlement nearest their position. I don’t care which, just send them there first.” Lines of blue streaked sideways across NEEDA’s photoreceptors, acknowledging and preparing to send out the order. “And what are they to do when they reach, sir?” The command was brusque and callous: “Bomb it. Let the charred ruins show those pitiful equines the cost of their victory.” Cubot appeared surprised. “You mean that huge invasion force lost to a bunch of colorful ponies?” “I suppose they weren’t so pitiful after all,” Orbot commented. “Perhaps if you’d done a little more reconnaissance before moving—” A pair of rocks thrown by Eggman hit both chattering robots. “Blithering grease traps! When I want your opinions, I’ll hammer them out of you!” Orbot and Cubot retreated. Making bitter sounds of revulsion, Eggman turned back to his newest droid. “Continue, NEEDA.” NEEDA proceeded smoothly. “Everything is running on schedule, Lord Eggman. Construction of the new base is complete and systems are operating at full capacity. Per your orders, the entire area within fifty miles has been scanned for life forms. No significant signatures were detected.” “Good,” Eggman said gruffly. “At least something is going according to plan. I don’t need any more surprises.” As if the universe itself was determined to give the doctor no quarter today, the earth suddenly began to shake. Amid alarmed beeps and clattering metal, a crack suddenly split the ground in front of the base, growing larger and larger. A huge shape burst up from the ground. Long and snake like, covered in purple scales. The apparent creature shifted to show its head. Pink in color, with lines of jagged red trailing from its beady black eyes; eyes that observed the human and robots below with the primal anger of a predator whose territory had been trespassed upon. It was Orbot who commented: “Well… there’s a surprise.” The tatzlwurm shrieked, its three-sectioned head opening and revealing a set of brown tentacles that thrashed angrily. A sudden lash of its long body sent several Egg Pawns flying, one of them crashing the ground right next to NEEDA, narrowly missing the smaller automaton. Orbot and Cubot were the first to beeline in the opposite direction of the angry predator. The remaining Badniks around the base, unprogrammed for war, similarly fled. Eggman, by contrast, stood eerily still as his creations retreated past him. Adjusting his glasses, he walked towards the rampaging beast.   The tatzlwurm appeared to notice him, inclining its neck to fix the doctor with its black-eyed gaze. It curled its neck into an S shape, readying to strike, and loosing another roar.   Eggman decided it would be the last thing the insolent creature ever did. From somewhere on his waist he drew out a spare black and gray pistol, aimed it at the tatzlwurm’s open mouth, and pulled the trigger. Blue energy vaporized scaly hide and disintegrated flesh and sheered bone, and the tatzlwurm’s cries quieted. Smoke curled from the foot-wide hole in its gaping mouth, light shining through from the back of its head. Its body curled, head bending backwards, and the tatzlwurm collapsed with a ground-shaking thud. The doctor stood quietly, hardly noticing the light clanks of the other Badniks returning to survey the scene, studying the head of the dead creature that now lay at his feet. “NEEDA?” The tone with which his master spoke stirred a sudden caution in NEEDA’s subroutine. “Yes, Lord Eggman?” The doctor’s head half turned. “Did you not just say that the entire area was scanned for life forms?” “That’s correct, sir,” the droid responded. “However, upon consideration, all scans were directed outwards at the base’s surrounding area. I appeared to have neglected to consider below the surface.” NEEDA paused, running odds and calculating. “It is more than probable that the nearby vibrations of the Egg Gila burrowing through the ground disturbed the creature in its subterranean lair, and it followed the resulting trail back here. I assume full responsibility for the error. I am sorry.   Eggman turned fully around, towering over his new organizer. “NEEDA…”  Orbot and Cubot, who’d reappeared after the tatzlwurm’s death, had come back out to watch the aftermath. “Now he’s in for it…” quivered Cubot. “Apology accepted,” came Eggman’s surprisingly calm reply. “Just make another check below the surface as well.” He cocked his head, genuinely looking concerned. “Are your systems functioning properly? I wouldn’t expect you to miss something like that.” “Why isn’t he ever that patient with us?” Cubot complained quietly.   “They are, my lord,” said NEEDA. “But, admittedly, the intake and cataloguing of the sheer amount of data in this dimension has been a bit trying on the processors.” Eggman nodded. “Understandable. Connect directly to the servers, use more of the system’s databanks to help compensate.” NEEDA nodded. “Will do, sir. Perhaps I simply… NEEDA vacation?” Eggman stared deadpan at the droid.   “I’m so sorr—“ Another blue laser blast put a burning hole in NEEDA’s torso. The robot exploded into chunks of frayed meal, his head rolling along the ground. The barrel of Eggman’s gun leaked smoke as he slapped it back on his waistband. He put a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples. “I’m surrounded by defective circuitry…” he moaned. Then he whirled on Cubot and Orbot. “You two! Clean this up! And get that massive excuse of an eel out of my sight!” “Yes, boss!” the pair announced in unison, pulling out a broom and dustpan respectively, and floating along past him. Grumbling, Eggman stomped towards the center of his new base. The network of pipelines and chimneys on the outer regions were still in progress. But the dome had been completely finished. An animated stride through a long hallway, up an elevator, and through a giant sliding steel door brought him to the command center. At the end of a dark room, an egg-shaped chair in front of an array of lit screens awaited him. Reaching and dropping into the seat, Eggman spun to face the screens. The day had proven disastrous. Not only were his Badniks soundly defeated by a bunch of puny equines, not only was Sonic still alive, but worst of all the Chaos Emerald had been lost to the insufferable hedgehog. In this expedition to recover all seven of the miracle gems, the advantage had now clearly swung to his hated enemy.   He had to recover from this setback—post haste. Before he could further ruminate on solutions to this debacle, something cold touched the side of his neck. Eggman opened his eyes to see the curved steel of a blade extending past him on the right.  “Be still or die,” a ghostly voice said. It was male, deep and distorted.  A fresh haze of anger dropped over Eggman’s vision. His right hand twitched, feeling freshly aware of the handgun hanging at his waist. “Miserable little creature! You dare to enter the seat of the Eggman Empire uninvited?! You’ll never get out of here alive!”   “I think I will,” the voice replied, cold and even. “Otherwise the location of this base will be leaked all across Equestria.”  Eggman tensed. His own voice went low and dark. “What?”   “Your army is destroyed,” the voice continued, “as well as your ships. Anything you could create to aid in your escape will not carry you far before the princesses’ commanders reach here, and none of what remains could defeat a fully equipped Equestrian force.” The blade angled up against the doctor’s skin. “And that’s if anything were left after the hedgehog was done.” Growling with impotent rage, Eggman’s fist squeezed so hard the skin beneath his glove turned white. But loathe as he was to admit it, this figure was correct. Swallowing anger, he posed the next pressing question: “What do you want?” The voice was quiet for three seconds. “You seek to recover the relics of your home dimension. The Chaos Emeralds.” Behind his glasses, Eggman’s eyes widened. Impossible. No interloper should have that kind of knowledge. “How do you know that?” “Irrelevant,” came the voice’s dismissive answer. “Your only concern is that the rulers of Equestria and their subordinates will continue to stand in your way.” A harsh scoffed left Eggman’s mouth. “Trifles! Specks on the windshield I’ll soon sweep away.”   To which the voice said, “You deceive yourself. You will fail, just as you failed today.” Eggman’s angered sound went ignored. “You did not know your opponent. You underestimated their strength. Now your army lies in ruin, and the hedgehog has allied them to his side. Even as we speak they conspire against you. You are in the land of your enemy, without soldiers or resources. To face them now would seal your doom.”   “Spare me the dissertation,” Eggman spat. “I don’t know how you managed to track me here, but if you wanted to cut my throat, you would have done so. You know of the Chaos Emeralds, then you must also know exactly who I am. You want something.” Malice and hubris made its way into his voice. “So then, shall we get down to business?”   Silence reigned for five more seconds. Then the blade slowly withdrew from the doctor’s neck. “Pride hardly suits the defeated, human.” “Enough about me,” said Eggman, reaching a hand up to adjust his glasses. The other slid to his waist. “Let’s talk about… you!” In one swift move, he snatched a pistol from underneath the control panel, sprang from his chair and whirled—finding an empty space. The gun barrel only pointed at shadows.  “All you need know is what I offer.” The voice was like a phantom, echoing from across the entire room. “The knowledge necessary to defeat your enemies.”   Eggman hissed his teeth, looking left and right. “And by ‘I’, I assume you mean ‘we’?”   When the voice didn’t immediately respond, Eggman pushed. “Please. You expect me to believe that a singular life form in this pitiful speck of the multiverse witnessed my operations first hand, learned the most exclusive information of my home dimension, and infiltrated my base of operations single-handedly? Don’t insult my intelligence. There’s no way a flea like you could do all that on your own.” He scoffed. “So your masters sent their lapdog to parlay with the great Doctor Eggman?”   “Mind your words, human,” the voice warned, the words coming slightly clipped. “Our plans only require your mind and hands. Your tongue is disposable.” Eggman smirked in satisfaction. No shot was yet fired, but he’d clearly hit a nerve. He slowly swept the gun’s sight barrel over the shadows, looking for any trace of the intruder. “In any case, what deludes you into believing I’d trust anything you have to say?” “You doubt our sincerity,” the voice said. “Allow me to demonstrate it.”  A few feet in front of where Eggman stood, there was a sudden burst of smoke. As it cleared, a three-foot-long wooden chest sat before him. He stared at it; contemplated; then hugged and cautiously approached. Looking around the room one more time, he knelt down in front of it. Now that he was this close, an unpleasant odor suddenly tickled Eggman’s nose. Taking one hand off the pistol, he flipped the top open. What he saw inside again made his eyes widen. He straightened, as if to put distance between him and the four objects resting in the chest. “Those are the heads of the royal sisters’ agents that have been tracking you from the moment you left Canterlot,” the voice said. “Serve us well, and you will be free to conduct your affairs without their interference.” Eggman wasn’t sure whether to be impressed with this morbidly effective display, or angry at the word ‘serve’ being directed at him in any fashion. The genius Doctor Eggman, bowing to the wishes of some lower life form? The thought alone was ridiculous. However…   A protracted moment of silence was broken by Eggman’s chuckling; full-blown laughter followed. He stood, putting away his weapon. “Well, aren’t’ you amusing?” His raised a hand to adjust his glasses. “However, as you so succinctly pointed out, I am regrettably low on soldiers and resources at the moment. Enacting even my own plans for this world will take time, let alone assisting with yours.” “Then let us expedite the process.”   There was a tap behind Eggman. Turning, he saw something small and black resting on his computer panel. Frowning, he walked back over until he stood beside the chair, and saw it was a drive.   “On that you will find information on every facet of this land,” the voice said. “Terrain details, production sources, population overviews. Nearly everything you would ever need to know about Equestria. You will also find marked locations of ores and other natural resources to rebuild your armies.”   Eggman returned to the panel and picked up the drive, turning it about in his hand.   “There are also those within Equestria and beyond that may prove beneficial to your cause. We are familiar with many them, and can provide you with their whereabouts.” The voice paused. “In time.” Eggman snorted. So that was the game? A small taste of knowledge to first gain his cooperation. In this antiquated backwater of a dimension, that might even pass for cunning. “I presume you aren’t doing this out of the goodness of your heart. What exactly do you want in exchange?”   “Use of your technology for our own plans.”   Something then floated in front of Eggman’s sight from his right – another drive, orange in color. “Look at it.” Pursing his lips, Eggman plucked the drive out of the air, then sat and plugged it into his computer. Two seconds of booting up later, a window appeared on the screen showing a single file. It was titled Miracle.  Keying his computer, Eggman opened it. His eyebrows lifted at what he saw: page after page of detailed scientific readouts. Reports and analysis on pony biology, theoretical physiology, existing Equestrian potions with notes on physical attributes, and experimental chemical formulas. And if he was reading this correctly…   “What you see is our furthest progress to date,” the voice said. “But what currently exists remains unstable. Unfit for use.” “And you’re simply not smart enough to figure it out,” Eggman put in, his voice thick with hubris. “So you need my brilliance to complete your little science project.”   There was silence for two more seconds until Eggman laughed again. “Quite the wild-eyed ambitions you have there.” Steepling his fingers, he leaned back in his chair. “Before I make my decision, there’s just one small question I’d like answered.” He turned about in his chair, scanning the darkness again. “Why have you chosen to aid me?”   “Equestria is a shared enemy,” the voice said curtly. “Your success is our success.”   Eggman’s smile grew broad with grim intrigue: “Is it?” He spun the chair around, turning back to the display. “Very well. I accept your offer.”   Four seconds later, the voice spoke a final time. “I will return in a fortnite to observe your progress. Do not disappoint us.”   Eggman made what sounded like an insulted grunt. “I’ll have it completed in half the time.” He lifted an arm out to the side, flicking his hand dismissively. “Now, run along back to your master.” He paused, waiting for the inevitable retort to come; none ever did. As the moment passed, Eggman pressed a few keys on the computer console to bring up another window—an image from Canterlot, captured by the Egg Gila in its final moments. On the ledge of the castle’s uppermost plaza were six young mares. Five of them were adorned with gold necklaces, the purple one in the middle with a crown. The ones his system had tagged as the source of that unusual power. He looked across the forms of meddlers who had prevented him from destroying his hated enemy—who had cost him his victory. And the spark of his anger flickered. “I warned them… I gave them a chance to end this peacefully.” His steepled fingers interlocked, his hands gripping tightly together. “Now I’ll give them fire and blood.”