//------------------------------// // Tomorrow // Story: Pony Fortress 2: A Worthy Cause // by The Usurper //------------------------------// The Administrator's Base, 4:29:12 AM The morning air was still. The moon hung high in the sky, casting an unnaturally harsh light through the sole window of RED Team's dormitory. Two double-decker beds - and an uncomfortably tall triple-decker - were arrayed in a line just beyond the reach of the moonlight. The last double-decker was positioned just nicely such that both occupants suffered from the glare. Twilight groaned inaudibly and rolled over. I get the feeling the Administrator did this to us on purpose. "Hey Twilight." It was soft, but she just managed to make out Rainbow's voice. "Yeah?" She whispered back. "Did you get any sleep?" "Maybe..." She stifled a yawn. "... Maybe an hour." "Lucky. I got half." A brief silence settled between the two. "Hey, Twi." "Yes, Rainbow?" "What time is it now?" "Ah..." Twilight glanced around, looking for a clock. She found one at the far end of the dorm. It was located most inconveniently above the window, just out of the light. "I think it's... it's..." All of a sudden, the door flew open with a bang. "Pony up, mercenaries! It's half past four in the morning!" "... Half past four." She finished lamely. Ician stood in the doorway, his stern gaze sweeping across the room. "I did say I would be giving a wake-up call at four-thirty, didn't I? Why are you all still asleep?" "I thought," Twilight groaned as she rolled out of bed, "that wake-up calls were for waking ponies up." "Everypony knows that when the commanding officer gives a time for an event, he means you should be ten minutes early." "Gosh," Twilight snapped sarcastically, "I guess we aren't part of 'everypony' then." "Evidently, you aren't." Ician replied with a smile. "Come on, the changelings are going to attack any time now." "What?!" Twilight shot upright. "Any time?!" "Well," he began dryly, "if you're looking out of the window you'll see a gathering cloud of black over Canterlot Mountain." "Huh?" She spared the window a brief glance. "Oh... We need to get moving." "Woah!" Rainbow's eyes, fixed on the rapidly growing cloud, widened. "That's a lot of them!" "At least a thousand. So get ready. And fast." Ician said. "We move out now." "But we just woke up!" Applejack, from her position at the furthest bunk, protested. "So did I. But that didn't stop me from rushing over here and waking you up." "Come on, team." Twilight grumbled. "Let's go get ready." Any hint of protest vanished. Various mutterings of "Okay, Twilight" followed. "Excellent." Ician rapped his right hoof impatiently on the floor. "Please get going quickly. I need to give a short briefing before we fight." "But you already briefed us yesterday." Twilight said. "Ah... there's something new. The Administrator's orders." She sighed. "It's bad news, isn't it?" "I'm afraid so." Ician gave her a conciliatory smile. "My apologies." "No, it's not your fault." Twilight fixed him with a stare. "But don't forget what I said about him manipulating you." "If he were trying to manipulate me he'd make it seem like the bad news is completely my fault, so I think I'm in the clear for now." "He can be quite devious." She warned. "Don't let your guard down." "Again, don't worry about me." Ician said. "But really, your team needs to hurry up. Last I checked BLU was almost ready." "Almost ready? But... it's still twenty minutes early!" "Yes, but they understand army code. They got up at fifteen minutes past four." "Oh ponyfeathers... Let's go, RED! We can't let BLU team beat us!" "Beat you at what?" Ician asked with feigned innocence. "Is there a competition?" Twilight huffed. "Don't you have to get ready too?" "Strictly speaking, I'm already prepared. But..." He examined his cloak. "Perhaps I should change into my armour." "Extra insurance is always good." Twilight said. "Yes, yes." He murmured. "See you all later." He swept around dramatically - He has a love of drama, I see. Twilight observed - and strode away. "Goodbye." She called after him. "And don't forget to shut the door. We're changing here." "You don't normally wear clothes." "Close it anyway!" "Fine." The door slid shut with a gentle click. Twilight exhaled. "Okay, he's gone. Anything anypony wants to say?" "I don't like him." Rainbow grumbled. "I can't say that much myself... but I don't trust him, at least." "You know, darling, you could always remove him." Rarity offered. "I could... but he seems smart. And that leg... I have my suspicions." "About what?" Applejack asked. "He might be a descendant of Master Mind." "Master... who now?" "History lesson, Applejack." Twilight reminded her. "Did ya think I was listening in class?" "The genius tactician? Remember?" "I think the rest of us understand." Rarity interjected. "Well... you know why I'm suspicious. It's his leg." "Master Mind's leg?" "And Ician's. They both suffer from the same genetic disease." "... Ah, I see what you mean." "So you're saying that Ician's some kind of super-commander?" Rainbow cocked her head. "I dunno... what are the odds?" "Well, he even has the bird on his shoulder. Granted, Master Mind's was a phoenix, and Ician's is a vulture, but still... the similarities are there." "The passing of genetics, one can expect." Zecora began. "But passing of avians? Quite incorrect." "No, it's more like Ician is trying to emulate Mind." Twilight mused. "Perhaps he aspires to be like his ancestor of old?" "Let's hope it's not the genocidal part." Rarity muttered. "Uh, ah hate to interrupt," Applejack said reluctantly, "but we got less than ten minutes left." "We do?" Twilight looked at the clock. "That's not good. Are we ready yet?" "Uh..." A catastrophic crash caught her attention. "Ow, my head... and hooves... and body..." "Rainbow?" "Um... just a minute." Twilight facehooved. "Ugh." It was cold and dark outside. Not totally dark and unbearably cold, but cold and dark nonetheless. Pinkie hated it. It didn't suit her. She liked the warmth and light of a fire, the kind that brought her comfort, serenity... and security, for the flames would light her path and keep her eternal RED nemeses at bay. The fire would kill them before they got to her. And that made her feel safe. But for now, the peace it promised had been denied. "Pleeeeease?" Pinkie pleaded. She didn't care that the rest of her teammates - and Ician's vulture, too - were staring at her with eyes one would use for a three-year-old foal. "Sorry, Pinkie, but you already know my answer." Ician shook his head, hard as it was to do with his movement-restrictive armour, in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. "It's too risky to light a fire - we don't want to let Chrysalis know that you mercenaries are here." "But... I'm cold." "Don't worry, you'll get your fire soon. In the meantime you've just got to tough it out." "Okay..." She pouted. Pinkie! Diana scolded. You're supposed to be better than that. You're the Pyro, for Luna's sake! For once, I agree with her. Pinkamena growled. You can't just show weakness like that! We are - or at least I am - the apex predator! "It's just complaining." Pinkie argued under her breath. Not just complaining, Pinkie. Diana explained. You're complaining to Ician. "So?" We can't reveal any information to him. He's the enemy. "But isn't he on our side?" For now. But his aims aren't the same as the Administrator's - and that means we can't trust him. "Oh..." And for goodness sake, if you're cold then wear your mask. Pinkamena told her. "It's uncomfortable." Pinkie groused. You're used to it by now. No excuses. "And... I don't like what it turns me into." How could you not like me? Pinkamena sneered internally. Everypony loves me. Quiet. Diana ordered. Ician's talking. "Pinkie? Pinkie, are you okay?" "Huh?" She felt as if she'd just emerged from a dream. "What?" "You've been staring into blank space for a full minute." Ician examined her carefully. "Is something wrong?" "Ah... no, just thinking." Don't ask what it was about, don't ask what it was about... "Thinking? About what?" Damnit. "Uh... the... battle soon. Yeah." "Oh." Ician gazed at the growing black cloud in the distance, deep in thought. "Yes, the outcome is... unclear. I'm not certain of the extent of their commander's competence. The most I can hope for is that she's as brash, overconfident, and unconcerned with the welfare of the troops under her command as I've been led to believe." "I don't care how tired you are, officer! You're going to move faster, and now! I have a battle to win!" "However, until I can confirm it myself, it's just wishful thinking." Ician concluded. "I have to labour under the assumption that I'm dealing with a master strategist." "But... if she does turns out to be that good, can we win?" "If she's on my level? Obviously not." Ician said cheerfully. "But I haven't yet met anypony who could match me in a fair battle." Pinkie eyed the cloud. "What about an unfair one?" "That depends." He admitted. "But I think we can win this." "Uh, Pinkie?" Fluttershy's soft voice muttered, "I hate to interrupt, but, uh, RED Team's here." "We are." The RED Sniper announced with a hint of contempt. She glared at Pinkie. Pinkie glared back. Then the RED Scout, following dutifully behind the Sniper, shot her a dirty look. Pinkie's resistance crumbled to dust. It was all she could do to return it half-heartedly. Her feelings refused to lend their support to the expression. You know what you have to do. Diana warned. Don't let your emotions get in the way. "I know." Pinkie sighed. With all the hate she could muster, she took a deep breath and prepared herself. When they opened again, she gave the Scout a look of such venom that she recoiled in shock. It left a bad taste in Pinkie's mouth. "Now that we're all comfortable with each other," Ician smiled with faux pleasantness, "let's begin the briefing, shall we?" "Do let's." The Sniper said in an impossible mix of deadpan and frost, with a slight sprinkle of sarcasm on the top. "We're ready." Pinkie added. "In that case, would you like to hear the good news or the bad news first?" "Uh..." Pinkie exchanged looks with the Sniper. "... the good news?" "Ah... there's no good news, sorry." "Oh." The Sniper shook her head. "Of course. Then what's the bad news?" "Well..." Ician paused, then continued, "the Administrator has initiated a team scramble." "A... team scramble?" Pinkie asked. "He abolished the team system." Ician explained, eliciting gasps of horror from his audience. "And you will all be reallocated to the newly created Squads A and B." The colour drained from Pinkie's face. "No more BLU Team?" "And no more RED?" The Sniper's face had turned a similar ashen hue. "Correct. But the allocation is random, meaning that some REDs..." He glanced meaningfully at the Sniper. "... will have to share squads with some BLUs." And then he fixed his eyes on Pinkie. "No..." She despaired. Ician spared her a sympathetic shrug. "These are the arrangements, I'm afraid. Squad A will have the BLU Scout, Demomare, Engineer, Sniper and Spy, along with the RED Soldier, Pyro, Heavy and Medic. The rest of you are in Squad B." Pinkie's heart settled into its new home at the base of her stomach. A turbulent storm of anger, misery and frustration battered the worn walls of her mind. Treachery! Diana hissed. Squad B has all the mercenaries I interviewed! The Administrator is up to something, but what? "And why didn't he tell me?" Pinkie whispered. The Sniper stared at her balefully and bit out, "Squadmates with her?" The Scout grimaced. "Just great." Pinkie snapped back without thinking. "I'm not any happier about this than you are, okay?" She regretted it an instant later. The Scout scowled at her and turned away. "Operationally," Ician continued as if nothing had happened, "you will all report to me. I have several remote communication devices that I will distribute to you in due course." Pinkie stared at him blankly. "I'm going to give you all walkie-talkies." "... Oh." "I'll issue orders occasionally, but otherwise just fight like you always do, with one exception." Ician gestured at the growing cloud. "I know that your tactics are usually fluid, but I'm afraid that I'm going to need you to hold your position up front." "That's impossible." The Sniper protested. "Even with respawn points, we'll be overrun with time." "There's no doubt about that." He agreed. "You will have to fall back. But only when I tell you to." "What's your plan?" "That's... ah..." Ician cast his suspicious gaze upon the monolithic, shadowed structure that was the Administrator's base. "... confidential." "From whom?" The Sniper challenged. "From the Administrator." He replied, and stared purposefully at a spot on the wall. He's looking at one of the pinhole cameras. Diana noted. How does he know that it's there? "I don't know." Pinkie whispered. Ician's vulture turned to her, and for a moment she was afraid that she'd spoken too loudly. But the bird merely fixed her with a steely glare. "... Although, I'm beginning to get an idea." So am I. "Alright, I think I've said enough for now." Ician nodded dismissively. "It's time I show you the highlight of this briefing. Come, follow me." And with that, he trotted off. "Trail him." The Sniper murmured thoughtfully. Her ex-teammates fell into step behind her. "After him." Pinkie ordered. A brief moment later, she noticed its predatory undertones and hurriedly amended, "Uh, I mean, don't let him out of your sights." She stopped herself before she could be misunderstood any further. "Just follow him." A short journey was all it took. Ician led them to a small wooden shed at the edge of the Administrator's base. He stopped at a discoloured panel, which Twilight assumed was the door, and carefully examined the outline. "What are you looking for?" The BLU Pyro asked. "The button." Ician hovered at a little indentation on the wall and smiled. "Ah, here we go." With an almighty groan and an ear-piercing screech, the panel slid open, scraping across the floor. Having spent a fair bit of time in the dark, the light from within blinded Twilight momentarily. She blinked once; twice; and then her eyes readjusted. With a gasp, her jaw dropped. "It... looks bigger on the inside." She managed. "Yes." Ician's eyes sparkled. "Yes, it does." "How?" "Illusion magic and well-placed lighting." The floor space inside was easily triple that of what it seemed from the outside. The wooden planks of the exterior had been replaced by rows upon rows of cast iron tiles on the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. A rectangular hole in the wall opened up into a little counter and a workspace behind it, with assorted tools and newspaper articles strewn across the floor. A large bank of computers, each with its own display of the soon-to-be battlefield, occupied a large portion of the floor. Twilight stepped forward, and the rest of the old RED Team followed suit. She could almost hear Applejack wincing as her hoof chafed against the floor. Shaking her head in displeasure, she asked, "What is this place?" "My headquarters." Ician pointed to the workspace. "I'll be in there, and so will Trixie once she decides she's gotten enough beauty sleep." "What?!" Rainbow flared up. "We have to wake up at four-thirty and Trixie gets to sleep in?!" "Hush, Rainbow." Twilight ordered. "I'm sure she has her reasons." "I hope she does, because she certainly hasn't told me." Ician frowned briefly. "But she'll be here before the battle begins, I guarantee it." "She'd better be." Rainbow growled. "Anyway, whenever you accumulate enough exoskeletons, send your Scouts to bring them here and I'll take care of the upgrades." "Actually..." Twilight began. "I was wondering: What kinds of upgrades do you have anyway?" "I'm glad you asked." He nodded in approval. "They come in two kinds, armour upgrades and weapon upgrades." "What do they do?" "Armour gives you damage resistance, extra speed, innate self-healing abilities, and... higher jumps, should you ever want that." "Sounds good. What about weapon upgrades?" "Ah, those are more complex." Ician straightened his posture. Twilight recognized it as the poise of a lecturer. "My weapon upgrades make use of a multitude of spells, including localized space-distortion and time-manipulation magic which will, on the whole, improve the efficiency of ammunition storage, dramatically and immediately increasing the average damage output of your various weapons, reduce the hassle of constant reloading inherent on every battlefield, and overall cause a net improvement in the quality of your weapons." There was a brief silence. "What?" The BLU Pyro asked. Ician paused and considered what to say next. "Your weapons can hold more ammo, you can shoot and reload faster, and some special effects can be boosted." "What kind of special effects?" Twilight asked. "Well, airblasts can be strengthened, for one." "Anything else?" "The blast radius of rockets can be increased, minigun bullets can be tweaked to destroy incoming explosives in mid-air, the potency of mediguns can be increased, arrows can inflict additional wounds, and successful headshots with the sniper rifle can be empowered to cause damage in an area of effect." "Wait, hold on." Twilight had almost missed what he said. "'Damage in an area of effect'?" "When the bullet comes into contact with cranial fluid, it triggers a small explosion." Ician explained. "Also, make sure everypony keeps out of the way of the explosion. Friendly fire is... a real danger." "But there's no such thing as friendly fire." She pointed out. "Good point." He mused. "BLU mercenaries can't be considered your friends, can they?" "Oh... Now I understand." Twilight glared at the BLU Pyro. "I understand completely." She glared back, with a little bit of extra acid in her eyes. Twilight shook her head, exasperated, and turned her attention to Ician. "But can I continue using my Huntsman?" He shrugged. "You can, but I wouldn't advise it. The area-of-effect explosion is a rifle barrel upgrade, not an ammunition upgrade, so the Huntsman wouldn't be as potent." "Oh..." She furrowed her brow, considering her options. "Well, I've just been using the Huntsman for practice, but..." Removing the bow from her back, she hugged it close to her chest. "I've gotten a little attached to it." "So you won't be switching to a rifle?" Ician asked. "Of course I'll be switching." Twilight raised her eyebrow indignantly. "I can't let emotions get in the way of practicality." He smiled widely. "My thoughts exactly." "I should probably go and get the rifle now, so..." "There's no need for that." Ician nodded to his vulture, who flew into the workspace with a hurried hiss. "The Hitmare's Heatmaker, correct?" The unnervingly accurate predictions no longer surprised Twilight. "You even know the name of my Sniper rifle?" "Of course I do." He turned to the counter. "Under the desk." The vulture reappeared, clutching the rifle between its talons. "Give it to her, please, Faye." "Thank you... Faye." Twilight's horn glowed, and a lavender aura levitated the weapon over to her waiting hooves. "And you too, Ician." "You're welcome." The vulture settled back down onto his shoulder. He turned to the BLU Sniper. "I assume you won't have any problems?" "No, I'm used to the rifle already. And I brought my sniper rifle with me in anticipation of the hordes we'll have to fight." "Excellent." Ician smiled. "Anypony else want to change their weapons?" Silence. "Very well, then." Ician moved over to the counter. "It's time to give out the remote communi- I mean, the walkie-talkies." He reached his hoof into the workspace and nodded at Twilight. "If I may request your help?" "Sure." She stepped forward as Ician swept a collection of circular devices onto the table. Her eyes closed, concentrating her immense arcane might into her horn, and with a unsatisfyingly anticlimactic poof every device disappeared into thin air. Each of them reappeared, one by one, beside the mercenaries, dropping to the floor with a light clink. The BLU Pyro's device flew at her with the speed of an arrow, but she deftly caught it in the hardened sole of her hoof. Ician frowned. "Twilight, really, I would have thought you more mature than that." "Sorry, a little magic overload there." She grinned maliciously at the Pyro. "It won't happen again." "You two are on the same team now." He reminded them, an unexpected edge in his voice. "You share the same objective. Twilight, you said just a minute ago that you couldn't let emotions get in the way of practicality. Don't tell me you can't put past grudges behind you for the sake of Equestria." Twilight opened her mouth, prepared to snap back at him, and then it hit her. He was right. I've been behaving so immaturely. She realized. And when she turned to the side, the Pyro's angry scowl met her gaze. I know what I have to do. "Pyro- No, Pinkie..." Twilight stepped forward and offered her hoof to her. "I'm sorry for what I did. It was childish of me. Can we start over?" She eyed the proffered hoof critically. "I can't do that so easily." "Pinkie Pie. BLU Pyro." Ician snapped. "Listen to me, and listen closely." "What?" He took a deep breath. "'When you have a friend, you'll be happy for a while. Maybe you'll even have the time of your life. But when their job is to hurt you as badly as they can, eventually they'll hurt you more than you can take.'" Pinkie froze. "How did you... I... we..." "Their jobs aren't to hurt you any more, Pinkie. Their jobs are to watch your back. And you, in turn, are to watch theirs." His tone softened. "You can make friends again. Relish the joy." Deep in thought, Pinkie gazed, slack-jawed, at Ician. Slowly, she turned her gaze to Twilight, and finally her outstretched hoof. Seconds ticked by. It seemed like an eternity. At last, her leg rose, bit by bit, like a lead weight, towards Twilight's. And with a motion so quick that it surprised even Rainbow, she clasped it and shook it heartily. "Fine. We'll start over... Twilight." Twilight released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you." "And... I'm sorry for what I did too." Pinkie confessed. "To you, and the Medic, and Engin... Applejack, and Rarity, and... Rainbow..." She gulped. "I'm sorry. Can you all forgive me?" "I will." Twilight volunteered quickly. They should get the hint, I hope... "But, Twilight..." Rainbow protested. "That's Princess Twilight to you." She said cuttingly. At last, she caught her drift. "Yes, Pinkie." She muttered through gritted teeth. "I forgive you." "As do I." Rarity inclined her head respectfully. "If Twi says ya'll are okay, ah'll have to trust her." "I, um... alright." "Thank you." Pinkie smiled gratefully. "Our pleasure." Twilight returned the smile, softening her set of her jaw. "And we- I mean, RED Team- are also sorry to all of you on BLU. For all the things we've done to you over the years..." "Not more than we've done." Pinkie persisted. "We can just put it behind us." "But, Pinkie-" The BLU Heavy began. "Yes, Big Mac?" "Ah... uh..." "Yes?" Her voice was heavy with implied threats. He swallowed. "Ah... never mind, it was nothing." "Then everything's forgiven." Pinkie laughed good-naturedly. "Likewise." Twilight nodded. Slowly, she became dimly aware of somepony clopping their hooves on the floor. "Bravo." "What... Ician?" "Well done, Twilight, well done." Ician wore a massive grin, the likes of which Twilight had never seen before. It stretched from ear to ear. A sparkle of glee danced in his eyes. "I thought you capable of forgiveness, but this... this is on a whole new level." "What do you mean?" "I didn't expect you to let everything go so quickly." He said. "And to lead your team in the absolution of Pinkie's guilt... truly magnanimous." "Oh..." Twilight was taken aback. "Ah... thank you." "And you too, Pinkie." Ician nodded. "I knew you would welcome Twilight's apology, but never in a million years would I have anticipated you to make amends for your past misdeeds so quickly..." Pinkie said nothing. She just smiled gently. "Perhaps..." He murmured. "... No, it can't be. You are just exceptions, that's all. But exemplary exceptions nonetheless." "Exceptions?" Twilight asked. "Exceptions from what?" "From a world of selfishness and greed." Ician answered simply. "A very refreshing exception, if I do say so myself." "A world of..." She frowned. "Ician, I don't think everypony is as bad as you make them out to be." "When you've spent enough time in battle and the royal court, you learn that they are often worse." He chuckled. "But enough of that. It's time for me to wrap up this briefing... before we're up to our necks in changelings." Pinkie's smile disappeared. With a dramatic whoosh of air, her mane and tail deflated, leaving straightened strands of hair cascading down her cheeks. Her eyes hardened imperceptibly and a thin frown manifested itself on her face. When she spoke up, her cheer had all but gone from her voice. "Do we know how many of them there are?" "About two thousand, it seems..." Ician narrowed his eyes. "... Diana." "There are only eighteen of us. What strategy do you have in mind?" "You're to... no, I shouldn't tell you yet." "Oh?" Diana raised her eyebrow. "Why not?" "A few reasons. One, if you're captured before the battle ends, I don't want you to give away the information that could compromise this operation." "Assuming, of course, that we will be captured." She snorted. "And really, we've been doing our jobs as mercenaries for years. We're tougher than you're making us out to be." "And you're underestimating the persuasiveness of the torture they can inflict upon you." Ician countered. "But more than that, if you knew what I was planning, I wouldn't be able to see what you thought I was planning." "... What?" "Call it a talent development exercise, if you must." He turned to Twilight. "I want you all to try and guess what I have in mind. Formulate theories, produce hypotheses, anything. I want to see how you think, why you think that way, and how you can improve." "Why?" Diana asked. "Why are you doing that?" "So," Ician explained patiently, "if I'm ever unavailable for whatever reason - ill, injured, dead, the like - there'll be another eighteen ponies... and dragons and zebras... ready to take up the mantle of the commander of the United Equestrian Army." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Speaking of a United Equestria; Twilight, the diplomatic meeting between the Empire and the Republic is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. We need to get all the conditions set and approved - military cooperation, pooling of resources, and all that. I'm trusting you to help me with it." "Of course..." She trailed off. "Hey, wait! Help you? When was I ever on your side?" "Never. I am on your side." The corners of his mouth curved upwards in a smile. "... Princess." "Then... why did you say..." "I meant that you would help me to bring the plan for Equestrian unity to fruition. It has nothing to do with personal gain." His smile grew. "And that's why I want you to try and guess what I have in mind. I want you all to understand the way I think, the way I act, and then you'll eventually realize what my real motives are. And then you'll finally trust me." "You could just tell us what they are." Twilight remarked drily. "But then you wouldn't believe me, would you?" Ician challenged. "You'd assume I have some ulterior purpose, some endgame in mind, and then you'll keep your distance from me and wonder what I'm really planning... isn't that right?" Twilight opened her mouth. She was about to say No when a little part of her whispered that Ician had hit the bulls-eye. She sighed. "Fine, fine. Don't tell us." "I won't." He grinned triumphantly. "But I assure you, you'll have a lot of time to think about it on the way to the front lines." "Not for me, I won't." Rainbow said. "No, no, you too. I had the Administrator cast a gravity spell on the area, so you can't fly." "What?!" Her mouth hung open. "Why?!" "Because, if we didn't do that, every last changeling in that horde will be able to fly right over your heads." He said calmly. "I don't suppose you want that?" "Oh..." All of a sudden, a realization hit Twilight. "Hold on a second." "Yes?" "You said it was just the eighteen of us against the changelings, right?" "I did. Why?" "What about the Administrator?" Ician paused. "Ah, yes, about him... well..." "Well?" "He's... currently... indisposed." "Oh. Is he sick?" "No, just unwilling to help." He motioned to the computer screens in his workspace. "I didn't manage to get a camera into his room, but from what I gathered during our conversation yesterday he's watching his screens right now, waiting for the battle to begin. With a bag of popcorn in his hands." Beside him, Diana gritted her teeth. "I'm beginning to get a feel of your motives already." "Oh, really?" He asked with mock curiosity. "Do tell me, what is it?" "Badmouthing the Administrator means that your goals... are not in line with his." Twilight could tell, from the look on her face, that she was expecting some sort of denial. Instead, Ician erupted in uproarious laughter. "What's so funny?" "Not... in line with his!" He almost choked. "Oh... that's the understatement of the millennium, Diana." "W- What?" She stuttered in confusion. "You... agree?" "Of course I do!" He chortled. "It's true! Not to mention incredibly obvious!" "Incredibly obvious?" Diana demanded. "What do you mean?" "Look, he wants to get his paws on the Elements of Harmony. The same Elements that he knows are capable of defeating him." Twilight was struggling to keep up. "The Elements of Harmony? But... Celestia and Luna have them." "Why do you think he was playing them against each other?" Ician replied. "You might think that nothing's changed in the thousand years since the mercenaries took over the civil war, but that's only because the Administrator has been blinding you, clouding the big picture." "The big picture?" "Let ask you this: Do you know how much property damage both sides have collectively suffered in the past thousand years?" "How much?" "Five hundred trillion bits." He donned a smug grin. "And do you know how many lives were lost as part of collateral damage?" "... How?" "One hundred and fifty million. Excluding the destruction of Ponyville." "Oh my Celestia." Twilight gasped. "He's been wearing both sides down over time, waiting until they were too weak to stop him from seizing the Elements. Then..." He stopped. Frowning, he turned to Diana, who was doubled over in laughter. "What's so funny?" "Wow, déjà vu!" She laughed even harder. "I demand that you tell me..." He closed his eyes and breathed in. When he opened them again, his face was expressionless. "Please, enlighten me: what is so funny?" "No, for a moment there I thought you knew what the Administrator was planning. But it turns out you're just as clueless as the rest of them." "Clueless?" Ician was shocked. His face contorted in bewilderment. "Me?" "I think I can recommend your appointment to Supreme Commander of the United Equestrian Army now. I was afraid you were a little too smart... but it seems you're only good at strategy." She snickered. "Actually, I'm not even sure of that last part." "Impossible. It... It can't be... I can't be wrong." "Obviously, you can." Diana mocked. "Wait, no, I see it now." As much as he was trying to cover it up, he was still shaken; Twilight could see that much. "Reverse psychology. I got it right, but you're pretending that it's wrong." "I tell you what." She jabbed her hoof at Ician's chest. "You say he wants the Elements so badly, right?" "Yes..." "And the Republic still has the other three?" "... Yes..." "Then you can keep them." His eyes boggled. "But... he can't possibly allow that!" "He can. And he just did." "You just did, not him." "I know his goals. I know his aims. And I know he'll be fine with letting you have the Elements." "No..." Ician ground his teeth. His sweat-drenched hair fell into his narrowed eyes. He swept it away in a single violent motion. "This is a trick. A plot. A web of deception!" "Believe whatever you want. But at the end of the day... I know the truth." She sneered at him. "And you don't." Ician stood stock-still, breathing heavily as he stared, wide-eyed, at Diana. His legs trembled, his eyes twitched, and even the vulture was now looking at him with apparent concern. Twilight knew she had to step in. "Ician, the invasion's going to happen any time now." He didn't take his eyes off of Diana. "So it is." "We should be going now." "You should." Diana smirked at him. "Yes, we should." Almost imperceptibly, Ician's lips quivered in anger. His vulture planted a calming wing around his neck. "Is there anything else we should know?" Twilight asked. He steadied himself and, taking a moment to rearrange his expression, smiled a hollow smile. "... One more thing." "Go on." "The Administrator helped me to put up several defensive structures around the place with what we salvaged from BLU's temporary Canterlot base. You could hole yourselves up there for the defence. It has good sniper and sentry spots." "Oh. Okay, then." "Now..." He gestured at the door. "Please leave. I do believe that we have a battle to win." "Right." She waved goodbye. "See you." "Good luck." He said, but his heart wasn't behind it. Twilight moved over to the door. It was only then that she realized that she had no idea how to open it. "It's motion-sensitive from the inside." Ician said absently. "Thanks." She strode up to it, the rest of the mercenaries following close behind her, and the door opened with all its screeching and noise. "Twilight... One more thing." She turned around. "Yes?" "Don't hold that against Pinkie. It's not her fault." "How could that not be her fault?" Ician hesitated. "She's... not herself. I'll explain later. Just don't let this get in the way of your friendship." "We aren't already friends." Twilight glanced at Diana. "Not quite yet." "Then, please, make it soon." "I'll try." With a brief nod of goodbye, She trotted out into the dawn. As the door scraped shut, Rainbow scurried forward and matched her pace beside Twilight. "Hey... Twilight?" "Yes, Rainbow?" "I know I said that I didn't like Ician... well, I still don't like him, but he looked pretty bad in there." "I... suppose he did." "And I'm not halfway through figuring out what's going on with Pinkie, but even though she was pretty rude it's not like she really said anything that rude." "No." Twilight began to ponder. "She didn't. Not really." "So why was he so upset?" "Hm..." One phrase came to her mind. "Impossible. It... It can't be... I can't be wrong." "I think," she said quietly, "that I'm beginning to get an idea." With a grunt, Ician slumped down onto the floor. Faye glared at him. "You handled that badly. Very badly. What's gotten into you?" "I... didn't expect that." A weary tone pervaded his speech. "Things got out of hoof." "No doubt about that. Why were you so off back there?" "I... she insulted my intelligence." "That's hardly anything." "But she took it a step further." He whispered. "She proved herself right. And me wrong." "... What?" "That act she pulled with the Elements. She just showed me that everything I'd thought was false!" "I don't see what the problem is. Just pick yourself up and start making a new theory." "That's just it. Can I still trust myself to be right after I turned out to be so horribly wrong?" Faye sighed and, with a gentle twitch of her wings, brushed them comfortingly over Ician's armour-coated back. "I know your confidence has been shaken, but the way I see it, we have two options now. One; you pick yourself up, right now, and get back to work. Ignore what happened in the past, accept that you aren't perfect and that you don't have to be, and move on. Or two; you give up and let the Administrator and Chrysalis win." "Obviously it's the former." Ician said bitterly. "But it's always easier said than done." "Okay, I understand. You need time to wallow." "To think." He corrected. "Right, to think. But you can do that after the battle." "I know..." "And, in case you weren't paying attention, you agreed to explain Pinkie's behaviour to Twilight 'later', right?" "I did... why?" "You can have a meeting once the battle ends. Talk about Pinkie, and the Administrator, and his spell." "And even though I'm not certain of his overall plan there are still some things I do know." He nodded thoughtfully. "I can twist that to my advantage." "Expose the Administrator for the sham he is." Faye agreed. "Besides, you know just how cathartic being in command of the situation can be." "Both in battle and out." He murmured. "Thanks, Faye. You've been a great help." "Your victory is mine." She reminded him. "So it is." He stood up straight, raising his head with determination. "Come on, we have some changelings to defeat." "One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight... one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine... two thousand!" The officer at the head of the massive cloud of fully armed changelings called out, fatigued. "They're all here, Commander!" "Finally!" Protea exclaimed. "Are we ready to leave?" "We can move out at any time." "Then go!" She snapped. "We can't afford to lose any more time!" "At once!" The officer, despite his exhaustion, still managed to pull off a smart salute. "You heard the Commander, troops! Move out!" The buzzing of four thousand wings heralded the departure of the army. Protea smiled thinly. "At last..." Fal frowned, his eyes grim. "I really hope you aren't making a mistake here, Protea." "I'm not. Trust me." "Whatever you say." He said. "Just remember: if anything goes wrong it's your responsibility, not ours." "And when everything goes right it's my victory, not yours." Protea retorted. An excited grin was painted across her face. "Now, please try to keep up."