Warning: this chapter will contain [Dark]. The battle will happen. The story gains Dark tag.
In the morning, Twilight told the Maintainers that she wanted to go to the complex, or at least outside to get any information to acquire. Their apartments had comfortable furniture, which was good, but no other things. They decided that Twilight will go to the building, Dash will go with her to protect her, and the others will go to the market or elsewhere to buy accessories.
The complex was a big circular building with a dome and a cone-shaped antenna tower in its center. When they came to the main door, they were stopped by several six-legged robots, and they were asked if the ponies really want to go inside. They waited for approval for rather long time after they showed their pass, and then the robots accompanied them through the corridor. That interior was looking strange, too dark and even cold for Twilight's concept of libraries or public labs. The walls were not decorated if not counting the ugly isolation tiles, there were too much tubes and wires hanging under the ceiling, and so were a few lightbulbs. Dash was not used to this kind of places, to the point that her control of her motors was slightly wavering. They were led into a side room with white walls, where a tall silver unicorn wearing a brown cloak was sitting on the throne-shaped soft chair. Robots were still standing in the doorway.
"I want to welcome you in this facility,"- the pony said coldly, "I hope we can provide what you're seeking here. Let me introduce myself, I am Count Antifreeze."
"I am Twilight Sparkle, this is Rainbow Dash, we came from Ponyville and Queen Celestia recommended us to go here. Can we go to Celestia's library? She said she's keeping it here."
"Yes, follow me. Pegasus, you stay here."
"Can I go to the library? We were seeking for..."
"No, that information is restricted to unicorns." - Count said, unnerved, - "Twilight Sparkle, let's go."
"Why?" - Rainbow whispered to herself.
"Because we wouldn't want random useless ponies snooping here. This is a rather restricted place, after all."
"What could that even mean? We're working on the same chipset with her! I have qualification to work for the Queen, type 'A'."
"Yet you were outside of it, and even haven't bought a horn. I need not to take lectures from common ponies. But seeing how much you want to be here, I'm arresting you for disrespect, so you can be here all you want."
"What did... there is no such law."
"As a case of action threatening order in the kingdom."
"I'm not threatening anything!"
"Don't make me mad. Just give up for good!"
"Let Twilight go! What do you need her for!"
"I know that this pony was assembled by Princess Condenser, and she was recently arrested for treason," - Antifreeze said, - "that is why you both will come with me for interrogations."
The corridor made some turns, and after the visitors went through a gateway, they came to a room with blue reinforced metal walls, and that was obviously a torture room. Whole rows of damaged ponies and service robots were hanging on three big constructs stretching across the hall. Some of them were laying in corners, partially disassembled. Among them was Princess Condenser herself, offline, her both wings and lids on one side removed. In the other side of the room, there was a robot assembly stand, a laser spider bot occupying the assembly cell. "He's going to assemble military bots from us", Twilight thought, worried, "and Condenser could never betray the kingdom... What is this destroyer planning? ...I see. He's a rogue it seems. He's the threat. Probably a rebel, too."
"So do you have anything to say that I don't know? Because I need any information I want. I tried so hard to be a good librarian you know why? Because information is power. And I want it all!" He was grinning, seeing the ponies began to process their chances. "Tie them up!" - he commanded to the robots. "Even if you won't talk, I'll use the..."
A flash suddenly happened in the room, blinding everypony, and a portal opened. A purple pony appeared behind it, and was terrified thinking that the war is going on there, because she made a portal to escape with her friends from another war... Still, not waiting till the opportunity passes, she made a war cry and jumped to the portal, preparing her trusted cannon spell to attack the spider monsters. The other Twilight also attacked one. With two spider bots knocked out, another two were already preparing their cannons.
"You'll pay for this!" - roared Antifreeze, preparing a mind control script in his horn. "Rebel ruffians, the order can never be shattered!" He overpowered robot Twilight and summoned her against the other one. His veil fell on its own, and revealed two huge pink wings. The alicorn took off and began flying in circles through the room, which was not too convenient for flight. The ponies who came through the portal, though, now knew who is their enemy. A white pony, the other universe Rarity, who dragged a rusty machine gun, began firing, but the gun was too slow. The other universe Rainbow Dash, who was an earth pony, though, with Wonderbolt suit, a cotton cap and bulky flight goggles, was trying to break another spider's cannon while riding it. Their Fluttershy was a battlefield medic, and tried to drag tied Dash through the portal to protect her from the gunfire, while Applejack tried to attack the bots from behind. Antifreeze, though, was attacking them from the air by cursing violently. At some point, the last bot made a mistake and fired an ion charge at robot Twilight. Her battery instantly failed, and she fell to the floor. Having deactivated the bots, military Dash threw a lying piece of cable into Count's face. He was provoked and flew into her, but Applejack caught his leg and tried to tie the cable around it. She failed, releasing the cable when the leg moved. Dash then hit him with something heavy, then he turned to kick her. Rarity leapt at him with the gun, and broke the lid and the cooling tube inside, making blue liquid spill on the floor. "No! My cooling system!" - he shouted, trying to escape to the corner and throw equipment into them, "stay away from me, ignorant peasants!" -as they tried to close in, while Pinkie in the other corner was busy setting a flag with wheat ears and reeds. "I... full of victory..." - Antifreeze whispered. Then, his power went off.
Robot Dash was already trying to help Twilight. As far as she knew, the ion charges could do massive damage to central circuits and internal programs inside the parts, she could only pray thanks that the charge wasn't to the head. But she wouldn't pray, because she blamed Celestia now. First thing she could do was to remove the lid and disconnect the discharged battery. In this disaster area though, she was afraid that she will lose it. Twilight needed to be repaired by a serious specialist. She wasn't even listening to Rarity trying to silence Pinkie shouting about this room was conquered by proletariat. She tried to open the door, or find a way to break it. It was reinforced, though. She was addressed to by Twilight.
"Hello, I'm sorry, can I help?"
"She needs help, seriously so. But the door is armored." - Pause, "It seems some other ponies were tortured in this room. They still can be saved. ...Celestia must not have any idea what's happening in he Domain if she let this happen."
Pinkie tried to grab Dash, Twilight gesturing for her to stop, as well as to alert the others. "On whose side you are, huh?" - Pinkie shouted.
Dash thought and pointed to robot Twilight: "I'm on her side."
Twilight explained: "In our universe, Celestia is a tyrant, though most ponies don't realize it. I was leading the party of neighsayers, which was protecting the rights and interests of workers and villagers."
"It seems your agenda caused you to take part in a middle of a war.. But, then why are you here, if you wanted to protect them?" - Dash tried to understand.
"We seem to have failed. Some of us still have hope. I'd say it's over, we lost. All because our ponies were humble, and they used everything they could against us." - Twilight seemed to go lost in her thoughts, others knew when that was happening and needed to distract her.
"Think of cake, Twilight, think of the cake!" - Pinkie shouted.
"So I'll need to forget that happened," - Twilight said, "and I may need your world to do that and start a new life". "Are you still with me in this?" - she said to her soldiers. They nodded, Pinkie thought for a bit and nodded, too.