=== Chapter 12: The Sound of Thunder ===
Heart pounding, Korn rolled over to stare towards where the other opening was, waiting for the archway in the inner drum to come into alignment. It's all over now; there was never any hope. In a breath, a razor sliver of light appeared, rapidly expanded as the apertures coalesced. The resulting opening was filled with a heavy-set gryphon, a silhouette large enough to block out most of the glare from the brightly lit room beyond. What difference would it make? Even a chick could kill this one. The thought was fleeting, overwhelmed with panic as the creature took one step and stood over him, head lowered and beak almost touching his muzzle.
Yellow eyes the size of an outstretched paw regarded him intently, then a set of blunted talons gently touched one cheek, carefully moving his head from one side to the other. "That is going to hurt for a while, young Master," the gryphon, a reddish-brown creature with at least some buzzard in its genome, rumbled. "I am going to move you into the main room. We have no medical supplies, but at least there is water."
"You are going to help that monster?" The voice was higher pitched, very nearly a screech. "Bring him here; I want to show him that my loyalty to his race extends just as far as his does to mine!"
The first wheeled about, still in the opening of the lock, his tail lashing. "Does it look like he's from the Board, Svartr? This is the first chance we've had to get any idea of what's happening out there. I don't know about you, but that's a little more important to me than a few seconds of revenge. In any case, your collar--"
"It will last a lot longer than a few seconds, you can count on it!" The voice had calmed a little, subsiding to a hiss that sounded like it was the embodiment of cold fury.
"That's enough, Svartr. We'll talk to the dogboy... for now, at least." The third voice was quiet, but this 'Svartr' seemed to be paying attention, because some of the tension went out of the buzzard's tawny hindquarters.
"Is the Agent still outside?" Korn croaked.
The buzzard-gryphon's head twitched, then he turned back around. "Yes. What does she want?"
"To see this one suffer and then die. Korn crossed paths with Salrath a megasecond ago; she bears a grudge like no Person this one has ever met."
The gryphon’s derisive snort riffled Korn’s fur. "Hive Security always seems to have the worst examples of gryphonkind you could imagine... why should it be different among the dogboys?" he muttered, eyes narrowing in thought. "What does she think we were going to do -- eat you?"
"She said--" Korn broke off, breathing fast, then nodded carefully, not trusting himself to speak.
"I know her sort; there are always a few like that, those who think we're nothing more than trained animals." He hissed, a quiet, angry sound, then appeared to reach a decision. A set of talons, large enough to wrap themselves around Korn's head, reached up and gently touched the thick, white collar that nestled in the feathers of his throat. He paused, great yellow eyes unreadable, then shrugged. The talons flashed out and gripped Korn's blooded equipment vest, curling around into a tight fist that pulled him up off the floor. The gryphon's alien gaze abruptly changed to one of predatory intent, sending shrieking messages to Korn's barely functional legs. "Still, if you treat someone like an animal, perhaps that is what you get."
The gryphon backed out of the lock on his other three legs, wings flicking out for balance. "No!" Korn gasped, his arms flailing as he tried to grip the edge of the lock's opening, but it was hopeless. Even without the beating Salrath had administered, he would never have been a match for the creature. Frantically clawing at the floor, he managed to dig his fingers into one of the padded sleeping sections and, in that single, motionless moment, caught a glimpse of the Agent's grinning face through the glass.
The other gryphons looked startled as his captor entered their room, one, a grey feathered female with eyes so dark as to be featureless black orbs, touched her collar in exactly the same way as the first one had. His gryphon paused, leaning carefully on the claws bunched in Korn's equipment harness, his other talons flashing in a quick, abbreviated pattern. The whole set of motions were over so fast that Korn thought it might have been no more than the gryphon shifting his grip on an awkward burden.
There was a sudden shift in the demeanour of the grey female; eyes narrowing, her beak half opened and she made a threatening hiss. "Bring that Master to me; we'll show it the price of betrayal." That was the same voice as before; the one the buzzard gryphon had called Svartr.
His gryphon grunted and pulled convulsively, near throwing Korn along the floor so that he came to rest at Svartr's talons. She looked down, an expression of delight so apparent in her eyes that even he could read it. In moments she was joined by the other female, also dark grey, although with more pronounced banding on her pale underside than Svartr, and eyes the bright orange of the setting sun. The buzzard-gryphon sat on his haunches between Korn and the glass wall, turning his head to look over his shoulder. Beak gaping in threat, he hissed loudly in Salrath's direction, then flared his wings, blocking the view.
Completely surrounded, Korn looked up into those hard, unsympathetic eyes and tried to crawl away. Talons clamped down on his arms and legs, pinning him to the floor, then the buzzard's head dipped, his beak fastening on the front of Korn's equipment vest. With a sudden jerking motion the gryphon pulled back, ripping the bloody synthetic fabric and tossing it away with a flick of the head. The scant protection gone, Korn's breath hitched and he tensed, waiting for the first bite of those fearsome beaks.
"She's still watching," the second grey one said, beak barely moving. "Hold still."
Korn froze as her head went down toward his, the hard edges of her beak stropping along the top of his head. He gasped at the sudden pain, but there was no ripping of flesh. Instead, she just winked, then moved to stare over buzzard's shoulder, the harsh overhead lights glistening off the blood smeared along the edges of her beak. The feathers of her crest rose and she made the now-familiar gape, luminous orange eyes glaring at the window. She held this position for a long moment, head turning minutely as if tracking a moving object.
Finally her crest relaxed and she lowered her head, hiding behind the outstretched wings of the buzzard. "We're clear. Better stay put for a bit... can't trust an Agent at the best of times."
"You've worked with them, Elsif," buzzard said, gently flexing his wings. "Korn, wasn't it?" He looked down studying the wound on the Student's head. "Injuries like that are always messy; you'll live. My name is Alfgir; you've already met Svartr and Elsif. Over there--" He indicated the final gryphon, an older male who just lay in his sleeping pad and glowered at the group. "--is Kalfi." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Stay out of his way; he's not happy with the rest of us."
"How did we even manage this?" Svartr demanded, reaching up to tap her collar. "Are the cameras off?"
"Must be, or zap happy--" Here Alfgir gestured to the ceiling with one black claw that was nearly the length of Korn's paw. "--would have let us know by now. Any chance of using it as an opportunity to get out?"
"The Agent has left the lock door in the wrong position, but I don't see how that helps. There's not that much of a crack to get a claw into once we're inside the lock... but if the cameras really are off..." Elsif sighed, then nodded at Kalfi. "We'll have to be on our guard; the sersgant is no fool." Her attention returned to Korn. "If they do review the video from this cell, we'll all be punished. I hope for your sake that you have an interesting story to tell."
===
Even in the fast-moving slipstream, her mane felt lank. Her connection to the moons throttled to mere potential, Gravity flew a huge orbit around Naraka and hunted for anything that might indicate that this was a trap. Spiral was too far away to see -- Naraka itself was over her horizon, even at the normal servitor flight altitude of one kilolength -- but she could feel the tiny presence of the clairvoyance anchor the medic carried.
There she goes, Gravity thought. I don't like letting her go in alone.
It's either that, or start a war right now. Fusion was a distant bundle of thoughts and feelings, and much closer to the Eugenics Board site than she was. I'm in position; there doesn't seem to be anything unusual going on, if Spiral's memory can be trusted. It has been almost half a gigasecond since her conjugal visit, after all.
Maybe going in, just the two of us, wouldn't be such a bad idea... at least that way nopony else would be put in danger. The thought was tantalising, and Gravity felt her wings tilt to fold her circular course inwards. That feeling of cold mass loomed large in her mind, almost as if it was begging her to tap its immense power. Use me, came the little whisper, smash them all. It will be so easy... Gravity gasped and opened her eyes, nearly tumbling as she corrected her course.
Fusion hadn't noticed her sudden lapse. We can't do everything ourselves... but I do appreciate the sentiment. Nopony asked to be in this situation, but this is where we are. There was a sadness to the thoughts, and a growing sense of desperation. What you said before, about me waiting too long--
No! I was angry and I didn't mean--
You were right, Gravity. I wait because I don't want us to act, because if we act then all the terrible things in my head will come true. I can't think of a way past this that doesn't result in the deaths of so many... and the only way to stop it coming true is to delay. So I think and I plan and I analyse... because I'm afraid of the future, Gravity.
You... you don't think we can win? Gravity bit at her lips. But I thought...
No, it's not that... I'm just afraid that the price will be too high to bear. A flash of the other mare's senses came along with Fusion's thoughts: the feeling of damp leaves and small sticks pressing against the fur of her belly, flanks and back, and the deep, redolent odour of earth and decay.
Gravity seized hold of the touch and smell with the desperate strength of a drowning swimmer. Where did you hide, in the end? The desire to do something had faded, but Gravity could feel it still there, like a hunting cat, patiently waiting for the time to strike. In its place was an uneasy feeling of dread, a shadow of her sister's feelings.
Corral thirty-three has a large compost heap...
Gravity stifled a giggle, the sudden image of her pearly-white sister, up to her withers in the sort of matter that normally found its way into a corral's recycling station, wiping her mind of dark thoughts. Oh, I'm so glad we have a lake entrance! H-how are y-you finding it? The sharing spell wavered under the onslaught of her imagination, and the mare brayed out her laughter, unable to keep it in any longer.
I'm breathing through my mouth a lot. Fusion applied more effort at her end, preventing the sharing from collapsing. You should try it. It's really quite warm.
The feeling of amusement coming back from Fusion was unmistakable, and had completely supplanted the despair that had been filling the white mare's thoughts. Gravity made an effort to restrain her laughter lest she attract the wrong sort of attention. Clearing her throat, she switched back to shadow sight and resumed her patrol.
I'm glad we can still laugh, Grav, despite of all this. Hold on; Spiral's just going in. Fusion's thoughts paused, then resumed, shaped by what Gravity swore must have been a sly smile. When I come home, I'll be sure to give you a big hug.
Gravity started laughing again.
===
The air filtering down the carefully maintained channel to the surface was warm and humid. Fusion had chosen a patch that was obviously part way through its composting cycle; freshly turned, it was unlikely to be worked on for another few days. The smell, though strong, was not unpleasant, and she lay with her eyes tight shut under a thick layer of leaves and old wood chips from shelter floors. The heat from the decomposing material was all-pervading, like lying under the sun -- if the rays of Celestia could reach all parts of your body at the same time.
The hardest thing was actually staying focused. At this range, almost two kilolengths, it was difficult to make out much detail. Naraka's underground levels merged with the general thaumic background glow of this part of the Hive, but she could see little moving points of light, the colours of which marked them as ponies. The points were not dimensionless, unlike many parts of the debris ring at night, but fat with almost-detail. She could almost imagine a tri-lobed structure to those moving glows.
But there are so many! Fusion clamped down on her fear, focusing instead on the green point that was Spiral. The mare had passed through the outer, forested areas and was heading for the central building. She couldn't see the gem, but she could still feel its presence. Such a thin safety line... be calm Spiral, no matter what they show you. Remember what the Dogs think you are.
That moving point crawled from the reception paddock to the central structure, becoming lost against the general clutter of Naraka. Keeping part of her mind on the tenuous feeling of the prepared gem, Fusion spent the next kilosecond or so trying to pick apart what went on inside the structure.
The central pyramid sat amid the grassy fields like ice in water; most of its mass was below the surface. Level after level, mostly high ceilinged, empty spaces populated by little groups of pastel glows. A whole quadrant of the facility had similar moving points of light, but these all had the same golden hue. And it's full of gryphons, too. We all suffer under the Dogs... I didn't quite realise how much.
Half asleep from the heat and mesmerised by the shifting lights, Fusion remembered what she'd seen of the half-cat, half-bird soldiers. Grey shapes tumbling out of the back of a fast aircraft, or darting through broken tunnels. Fast and deadly, she thought, a whirlwind of feathers and armour. The relationship is just as exploitative, though... the Dogs spent their lives like they were nothing. They must know this, but perhaps they accept it because the alternative is what their masters do to us. If we can show them that there is hope...
A point of light where there was previously none attracted Fusion's attention. It was Spiral, moving far faster than she had on her inbound journey. Grav, Spiral is coming out. The relief was like being lifted into the air, and she nearly shouted the words, rather than send them down the sharing.
Thank the Maker! Will you be coming back straightaway? You're too close to that place for my liking.
Fusion did a quick check of her immediate surroundings. The local corral was still empty, it being mid-shift, but there was a pony approaching the compost heap. By shadow sight, it was clearly deformed: most of his or her horn was dark. Another one like Slip... now what are they doing? Magic flared, a weak and feeble discharge compared to a healthy pony, and the sound of somepony straining against a heavy load filtered down her airway. Maintaining the heap, she concluded, but not this section, I think. Sorry Grav, I've got a visitor. They won't find me, but I'll have to stay put for a little longer.
Understood; I'll shadow Spiral back. We can talk during the flight.
Fusion sighed, shifting her wings slightly to ease the stiff muscles, and turned her attention back to Naraka. Off in the distance, what looked like a Security airtruck was landing in the middle of one of the fields, but it was alone and too far away to make out any details.
===
Spiral did her best to pace herself for the long flight, but the urge to sprint was overwhelming. Come on, come on, where are you two--
Spiral? It's Grav--
The green mare grabbed a hold of the sudden presence, as if it were a foal she could enfold in her wings and never let go. My Master, he sent Trocar back to the corral after I left!
What? When!
What does it matter when!? He's probably been there for kiloseconds! Spiral wanted to scream out in frustration, but she didn't have the air to spare. The presence vanished, only to be replaced by Fusion.
Gravity's gone back to check. Don't worry; she'll take care of any problems.
That's what I'm afraid of -- I can't do to Trocar what we did to Packet, I just can't! What-- Spiral broke off, gulping air down in great gasps, trying to keep her failing wings working
She's just watching. I'm sharing with her at the moment. There was a long pause, long enough that Spiral felt the urge to scream build once more. He's found Lilac... but I'm not sure what's happened. There's some damage to the infirmary door, and they both appear to be inside stall eleven, using magic on another pony. I don't think there's going to be a problem but, if there is, Grav will just hold him. She's more than strong enough.
Yes, Spiral thought, forcing herself into a glide to give her aching wings a break, I remember. Can you show me? The medic studied the image, trying to decide what was going on. That looks like Ogive; she was the last one I put to sleep before my Handler ordered me to come in. She must have been hurt... but how? An awful idea trickled into her mind and she inhaled sharply.
A casualty of our secrecy, most likely, Fusion thought, sounding grim. We'll find out soon enough.
===
Spiral was halfway home before Fusion felt it was safe to leave her hiding place. The corral's recycling patch was a discreet distance from the corral proper, behind one of the orchards that fed the ponies living there. Once free of the cloying embrace, magic removed the worst of the debris, but out in the open air, away from the decay generated warmth of the heap, she felt damp. Worse than that: sticky. Sticky in places that even the most reluctant of foals would agree required a bath. "No time for anything serious," she muttered, locating a patch of long grass and falling onto it.
On her back, legs in the air, Fusion spread her wings and wriggled, body bending and flexing, thrashing at the grass in an attempt to get a little cleaner. The effort left her dry, but resulted in a blotchy tan coat, shading to deep brown on her belly and legs. Can't even see my labour tattoo... I look like somepony turned a hose on me half way through a dust bath. Wings out, she beat them mightily, jumping into the air and skimming along the bridle path between the trees, keeping low until she was a few more kilolengths clear of the corral.
Up in the air she found what she needed. A bank of black clouds, heavy with captive rain, hung to the southeast; it wasn't on her path, but her current appearance would be sure to attract notice. Fusion flew as fast as she dared, sharing a wing-waggle with one of the weather team shepherding the cloud system. She didn't even need to speak; the stallion knew at first glance what she wanted, and waved her in with a nod and a laugh that carried even across the gulf of empty air.
Inside the cloud it was dark and filled with violent swirling updrafts that supported the oversized raindrops. The forces at play were enhanced by the ponies managing it; left to its own devices, the cloud would have rained out kiloseconds ago. Water blasted her from all sides; in the black depths, Fusion turned rapid loops and barrel rolls, allowing the pummelling drops to wash away the dirt. This complete, she picked a side of the cloud devoid of weather team ponies and broke away, accelerating hard in a random direction before curving around when she was out of easy sight.
Clean, and rapidly drying, she sped after Spiral, filling her mind with the other mare's experiences at Naraka. The mental images were sobering, especially when coupled with the medic's close shadow sight inspection. That distant glimpse of Random was especially hard; it was obvious that she'd lost all the feathers from both wings. Spiral, you did very well; I'm not sure I could have resisted the urge to act.
Well I definitely wouldn't have, Gravity thought. How many of these centres are there?
At least one for each Hive sector, I think. Eighteen? Something like that. The mental work required to both fly a straight course and relay detailed memories had distracted Spiral, and there was only an undercurrent of nervousness to her thoughts.
That's thousands of ponies! Fusion's own flight path became erratic. I'm not thinking big enough. What are we going to do with them all? We've got this tiny base -- then there's the problem of keeping all the ones who won't cooperate safe, because you can be sure the Dogs won't be kind to them. And what about ponies who only pretend--
Stop it, Fusion! This isn't helping; one impossible task at a time. Gravity's mental voice was sharp, and Fusion suppressed a desire to shout at the mare. We have a small group of ponies we trust; you're going to have to delegate those problems. We'll talk to Redshift and Thermocline when you are back. I'm sure they are bored of cutting tunnels by now.
Fusion sighed, sending a wordless assent and apology down the sharing, then altered her course to dive into the nearest patch of cloud. Information flowed back along the link; knowledge that it was safe and that Gravity was waiting for her arrival. Hidden by the cool mist, she enshrouded herself in a force field, reached for the correct pattern and pushed--
~~discontinuity~~
--appearing in a shallow valley, many kilolengths from any habitation. The sudden deceleration slammed her body into the inside surface of the field and left legs and wings flailing. Dazed, she held onto the field and fell with it, watching the ground approach while she recovered. Got to be careful, or these long jumps will be the death of me. The problem was obvious; although the force field blocked the supersonic airflow, it did nothing about the forces involved. If you make the field too big...
Inertia would do exactly what it had just done, only the bigger the field, the faster it would shed her velocity. The inevitable result filled her mind with graphic details, and Fusion sank to her belly against the hard, smooth surface of magic-made-real. There are other ways... if I know the velocity vector I can streamline the field. The calculations were not difficult, but did rely on knowing the relative locations of the start and end points. Get it wrong and you might tumble, bouncing around the inside of your field for a few seconds before you die. What are the odds of getting it right while trying to escape the sights of the Dogs?
The thought was a grim one, but the analysis wiped away the fear, her mind chewing on the problem. Glancing down -- the valley floor was still distant, approaching only slowly with her much reduced terminal velocity -- Fusion had a sudden thought and cast her gaze upwards, past the high wispy clouds, past the endless dance of the debris ring and on to Celestia itself. I keep underestimating how strong we are now.
She reached for the sun, feeling the twisted knot of potential twitch subtly under her probing thoughts. I felt something similar when Gravity pulled down that Security transport... is she right in her instinct to push ahead? I've not really stretched myself like she has; the output of the accelerator is nothing compared to the sun. She shook her head, pushing back the line of reasoning, then broke her field and fell towards the ground--
~~discontinuity~~
--appearing between two lines of apple trees, flaring her wings to drop into a four-hoofed landing on the leaf-litter. The sharing with Gravity had told her that there was nopony about, but she swept the area with her shadow sight nonetheless. Satisfied she was unobserved, Fusion trotted forwards, finding Gravity where she lay hidden beneath two spreading trees.
The other mare waggled an ear in greeting, but kept her attention focused on the infirmary, only a few trees away. Finally she twisted to glance at Fusion, a mischievous glint in her eye. Her nostrils flared and she snorted softly, her muzzle wrinkling, then turned back to watching Trocar and Lilac.
Fusion sighed and reopened the sharing.
===
Spiral held the image in her mind as she swooped down to the infirmary. The world was all shades of deepest black, except for pastel lights marking the horns and wings of three ponies. Others were close by, two ranks of four in the most trafficked part of the small building. He's been there for kiloseconds, yet there's been no response from the Dogs. What has Lilac told him? Gravity had rejected the idea of opening a sharing with Lilac; Trocar was bound to notice and want to know why.
The damage was quite significant; somepony had ripped the door off its hinges and thrown it away. Whoever did that was in a real hurry -- but coming in or going out? She snorted impatiently, banking sharply to land in front of the opening. "What in the Maker's name happened here?" she said, trying to inject annoyance into her tone rather than fear, as she stepped into stall eleven.
Inside there was more damage. The front panel of the autoclave was smashed, black, sooty streaks surrounding the half open door. The rest of the room was in disarray, like a short-lived tornado had manifested and whipped the walls with fast wind. A fight, but short lived. Ogive was lying on her side between Lilac and Trocar, covered with creeping tendrils of blue and pale purple magic. The mare...
Spiral swallowed, sudden understanding making her feel sick. The whole right side of Ogive's body was a hairless, livid red mottled with black. Her exposed wing was almost skeletal, little more than shrunken, thread-like muscles and tendons under translucent skin. The after effects of drastic burn treatment were obvious; Trocar must have cut away kilos of cooked muscle in an effort to prevent the dead tissue from poisoning the rest of her body. Ogive's head was the worst.
Her teeth were starkly visible past burned lips; beyond that was a milky, lidless eye and the almost invisible nub of her ear. In the silence, breath whistled from her half-open mouth; a bubbling, wheezing sound that spoke of deep lung damage. The sight of the two ponies working on the mare stilled Spiral's sudden urge to jump right in with her own magic, instead she waited with increasing trepidation as her mate's ears folded back while he ignored her and carried on applying his magic.
After an achingly long time, Trocar looked up at her and scowled. "Why didn't you tell me what you were doing?" he said, lurching upright. Beside him, Lilac flinched, his eyes going wide.
"Tell you what? This infirmary is my responsibility! These patients are all mine to care for!" Spiral's ears matched Trocar's and her wings flicked out, fear of her mate's reaction transmuted into real anger in an instant. "What are you even doing in here; it's the living who need--"
"Trying to help you!" Trocar snarled, teeth snapping shut on the final word. "Watching you having to deal with all of this alone is killing me, so I'm sorry if that isn't what you want." He wheeled and stepped away with mantled wings, muscles stiff under his fur. The stallion's magic flicked out to grasp the discarded medical supplies and blue light flared, crushing the rubbish into a lumpy ball.
Spiral let the silence hang, and finally Trocar allowed his wings to relax. "I really was just trying to help. If it wasn't for Lilac here, I'd have cremated all of them." He sighed, head sagging. Blue glows condensed over the brassy disk of his communicator, and Trocar winced, flinching as if something had jabbed a sharp object into his head "I'll report my mistakes," he said in a strained whisper.
At the back of her mind, Spiral felt a sharpening of attention from the two mares, accompanied by a sensation of rapidly building power. No, don't! she snapped out into the sharing, sudden fear giving her thoughts a brittle edge. I'll manage this. Her horn glowed, and she reached out and gently plucked the disk from Trocar's fur, deftly nullifying his efforts to open a communications link.
"What--" Trocar looked confused, but the hint of pain left his eyes.
"We can tell them later; I must shoulder some of the blame." She reached past him, picking up a bag full of fine, grey powder. "We should talk... and I'd really like your help with this."
His eyes were drawn to the bag like it contained some great mass. "Is that...?"
"Slipstream, yes." She hefted the bag, then removed her own communications disk and placed it on the ground next to Trocar's. The stallion stirred uncomfortably, but Spiral shook her head. "We're both effectively off duty, and we don't need to go far. Lilac, are you okay looking after all these ponies for a kilosecond or so?" The youngster nodded, then lit his horn and closed his eyes. Spiral smiled, feeling the light arcane touch as he swept the patients, looking for any problems. "Thank you."
She stepped forwards, pushing Trocar towards the door with little nudges of her shoulder. The stallion looked around uncertainly, some hint of the pain coming back into his face, then stiffly walked out of the infirmary. I'm taking him to your area of the orchard; stay hidden until I call for you, please. Assent came back through the link, and Spiral felt the electric presence of the sisters subside. She relaxed a little, then followed her mate into the trees.
The light was a beautiful thing, shining through the gaps in the yellowing canopy like solid bars. It gave the wide spaces between the trees a numinous air, something she'd only felt all those years ago, when she'd received her own Blessing. I've lost all of that... she thought, feeling a distant pang of regret. No; I never really had that at all, did I?
Catching up with Trocar, Spiral leaned against his flank, hooking one wing over his withers. Carefully, she reached out and used all of her skill to apply the most delicate of magical touches to her mate's head. The sensory nerves in his horn bed now paralysed, she examined him closely, relying on her contact with his fur to guide her steps through the blindness of shadow sight. His walk wasn't smooth, containing hesitations and little twitches. In time with this, neon green flickers of magic ran through his mind.
I see you, Spiral thought, fighting to keep any trace of her fear from reaching her face. It was the matter of a moment to trace the threads to where they merged with the never quite regular spiral patterns of Trocar's horn. What if it goes wrong? I could cripple him... She twitched, unable to carry out the final act. I've never done this before, and now I have to take a chance on my love. A sudden thought brought her to a stand-still and, lost in the sudden realisation, she could only stare as Trocar paused and turned to face her.
Spiral smiled, feeling the invisible heat of the sun as it streamed through the branches and imagining the look of puzzlement on Trocar's face. You taught me this, Lilac; I've seen you do this a dozen times on a dozen different ponies. Magic flashed, a tiny thing that probably couldn't even be seen in the bright sunlight, and a small part of her mate's horn went dark.
"Is something... something... wrong?"
Spiral opened her eyes at the hesitation and shift in Trocar's tone. Those traces of pain vanished in time with the fading neon green in his head, and she sighed. He's free... now comes the hard part. "My handler called me in to Naraka because he was concerned about the numbers of fugue deaths; he wanted to assess my mental state and reassure me that our foals were all being cared for--"
"Your Master brought Random out? Did you speak--"
She shook her head, Fusion's image of her daughter pulling out her own flight feathers warring with what she'd seen at Naraka. She let her control fail, tears welling up and running down her face to drip from the tip of her muzzle. Trocar stepped close, gently nibbling at the junction between her neck and shoulder, making little comforting noises while she stood there and cried.
"Spiral," he said eventually, turning so they again stood flank to flank, only this time it was he who put his wing over her, "what did you see? How is our daughter?" There was a tremor to his voice, and his ears were unconsciously sweeping their surroundings, hunting for whatever had caused this shift in her behaviour.
"The Masters were hurting her, Trocar. All the time she was in the paws of Security, they were running her through some kind of mechanical sharing, making her do terrible things." She faltered, mouth working and the words she'd practiced during the flight back from Naraka failing her utterly.
"Why would her--?" A shiver ran through his body and he made a kind of high-pitched whinny. "The Masters have to make hard decisions all the time."
The phrase came out of his mouth like it was a recording, something he'd said to grieving ponies on many occasions. Spiral flinched, sucking in a great gasp of breath, the effort to articulate what was in Fusion's memory almost too much to bear. "It's bad enough that it should have driven her into fugue, b-but our foal is smart and she f-found a way out."
"What? What did she do?"
There was a level of desperation in her mate's voice, a terrible mixture of pleading and fear. Spiral tried to speak but, faced with the pony who'd helped her raise Random, the words wouldn't come and she stood there silently, head low and mind galloping in ever tightening circles. The soft touch of Trocar's muzzle between her eyes jolted her free; the clinical terminology sprang unbidden to her mind and she grasped at it in desperation.
"She is self-harming, pulling her own feathers out. The last Fusion saw, Random had finished with her primaries and was working her way inwards." Spiral squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away the memory of Random, face blank and eyes haunted, one bloody feather hanging from her lips.
"How could you know all this," Trocar said thickly. "Why did you hide this from me? I could have helped--"
"Didn't know." Spiral said, shaking her head violently. "It was only later, when Fusion shared her meeting with Random, that I found out the truth. She kept it from me for the same reason I kept it from you." Because to deliberately push a pony into fugue is about as evil as you can get.
Trocar growled from somewhere deep in his throat. "That damn mare. All of this is her fault. Her and that sister... how could Plasma and Helium fail the Masters so badly? To bring that pair of monsters into the world--"
"No! You don't understand. The Masters... they did things to Fusion, when she was at the Institute. She lost her Blessing, and what she knew drove her to act against the Masters. Even without seeing Lilac, you must have heard the same stories I have about Naraka."
"Madness," Trocar whispered, eyes wide, "the Masters are the paws of the Maker, it's... it's..." He fell silent, then his eyes darted from side to side and he wheeled, turning wild circles. "I can no longer hear the Maker," he said in a strangled tone, finally facing her and breathing heavily, his sides working like bellows.
Spiral folded her wings around him, feeling his fur go damp with sweat. "The Maker is a lie," she mumbled into his mane, "a lie given to us by the Masters so we will obey without question."
"Did you do this to me! How? Why? Why would you do that?" He jerked out of her embrace and started to back away.
If you run, they'll take you and I'll have no influence on what happens next. The thought was immediate, and she barely resisted the urge to shout it out loud. "Do you trust me, Trocar?" she said, lowering her head in submission, a pose that was drawn from ancestors who were alive before the Creation Stones had meddled with her kind. "At least let me show you what really happened to Random, and where she is now.
The stallion stared at her in silence, then bowed to touch her muzzle with his own. "I'm so confused, Spiral. I thought I knew you, and now..."
"I have no choice either," she said softly, returning his nuzzle. Her horn started to glow and Trocar closed his eyes.
A kilosecond later and they were both lying on the floor, tears long since spent. "What happens now?" Trocar whispered. "There's nothing we can do. I must talk to my Master, she'll know--" He started to get to his hooves, stopping when he saw the look of anguish on Spiral's face.
"They'll kill you if you talk to her about this. Security has already killed some of its own ponies just as a precaution. You saw Gravity fighting the D-- Masters at the Institute... and I'm sure Fusion is just as strong."
"Yes, but what use is that? The Agent said they were both dead..." He tailed off, looking at something over her shoulder. "So the gryphon was right... I could have sworn it was just a product of his fever." Spiral turned, but could already feel the weight of Fusion's presence. Gravity stayed further back, staring at Trocar with unnerving intensity.
"One of Agent Salrath's many talents is lying," Fusion said, settling down next to the other two ponies. "She gets a lot of practice." The white mare narrowed her eyes. "What gryphon?"
"Olvir Bergthor, a survivor of Gravity's fight," Trocar said, mesmerised by the waves of pastel light travelling down Fusion's mane. "He was being questioned by Captain Rthar -- the Master was also involved, I think -- and said he saw Gravity disappear into thin air. I think the Master believed him."
===
~~~discontinuity~~~
"--you saw Spiral's memories, Fusion! There's no way we can leave all those ponies and just rescue our foals." Gravity's voice rang out, filling the little valley the eight ponies had materialised in.
"--and do what with them? The instant we act the Dogs will be chasing us -- do you really want to try and manage several hundred strangers, and Maker-knows how many gryphons, while trying to escape from a military response? The panic alone will be lethal!" Fusion felt her frustration rising and tried not to match the anger in Gravity's voice. The other mare had kept up this line of argument through the last four teleports, the pulse of magic not slowing her even slightly.
They spread their wings and headed for the forest that carpeted the rocky walls and floor, skimming just above the tree-tops and working their way through the maze of rock between their emergence point and their carefully hidden camp. Tugged along in Gravity's telekinesis were Lilac, Ogive and the other two, while Trocar and Spiral flew in their wake. The stallion looked more than a little shocked by the rapid series of jumps that had led them here, and seemed to be flying without conscious thought. Spiral watched him nervously, keeping up a continuous stream of encouragement.
"And where they are now isn't? You also know what she thinks about that place, about how few ever come back out again. What if Security does to them what it did to their own? Are you really going to stand back and let them torch the place?"
"Of course not! I want to get them all out, but if we bring them here, they'll definitely be a target. At least they have a chance where they are--"
"So you want to do nothing."
The sneer in Gravity's voice made Fusion's ears flatten. "I didn't say that!" she shouted, then took a deep breath. "Look, let's just see how far Redshift and the rest have got. If we can shelter them, and if we can think of a way to get them all out without them killing us or each other, then fine, I'll think about it. Happy?"
Some of the rigidity went out of Gravity's wing beats. "Yes. Sorry." She offered Fusion a twisted smile. "Unlike you, I'm having trouble with all the waiting."
Clearing the final ridge, the little group swooped into their valley, dropping down to meet a tired- and dirty-looking Redshift just coming out of the tree line. Streaks of water clung to his mane and fur, as if he'd just been in a rainstorm. "Problems?" he called up, making a beeline for the lake shore and dipping his dusty muzzle into the clear water. He drank deeply, one ear cocked in interest at the new arrivals being laid gentle on the pebbly beach. Catching sight of Ogive, he inhaled with surprise, coughing and spluttering. "What happened -- is the corral under attack?" His wings flicked out, half raised in preparation for flight.
Another one so eager to do battle! Fusion swallowed, throat suddenly dry. Am I in the minority here? Did Gravity's little simulation go too far, and give them false hope? She had no real feeling for the strengths of the Dog's weapons, only the second-hoof vicarious experiences. Maybe not; it is coming, and better everypony should be confident, at least at the start.
"No... a miscommunication," Trocar said, ears drooping. "Don't worry; we'll get her back to normal." The stallion straightened, looking up at Fusion. "I'd like to continue working on her with Lilac's help, if that's okay." At Fusion's nod, he made to pick the youngster up, taking a surprised step backwards when he waved his clipped wings in protest.
"I never got a chance to show you..." Lilac said, face going slack with concentration. Pale purple telekinesis enveloped his hindquarters and he jerkily got to his hooves and walked stiffly to stand next to Trocar.
"Now that is smart," Fusion muttered, smiling fondly as Gravity rushed over to give Lilac a hug that very nearly robbed him of his precarious balance. Her gaze became distant as she stared at the throb and flicker of magic. That also has possibilities for protecting a pony against any sudden forces, like a long range teleport... perhaps even projectiles? It's obvious, really. I even did something similar in the lake. She shook her head, halting the galloping idea and storing it for future examination. So much to do and so little time.
Moving away, she caught the attention of Redshift and Spiral, eyeing the stallion with interest. "How have things been going here? Made much progress?"
Red failed to hide a smile. "Scalar would like to talk to you. He's not happy. Not happy at all. You'd best follow me." He trotted off into the trees, turning his head slightly to keep the other two in view. "We've done quite a bit -- it's a good thing this lake is glacial and very deep -- all the supplies have been moved in with Packet near the hillside entrance while we work. Speaking of which, the food won't last more than another half megasecond, then we'll be on wild greens."
"We need to decide what to do about that. It's too late to start farming, and in any case it will take too long." This was one problem that had been looming large in Fusion's mind, and the mare trotted on in silence as the rough ground started to get steep.
"I think we can help there, given some feedstocks."
Redshift flashed that grin again, something that Fusion was starting to find irritating. Ah well, let him have his surprise. A few moments later the slope fell away, and they moved into a tree-lined gully whose walls rapidly became taller than she was and arched overhead to form a solid roof. Nicely hidden, she thought, but we'll have to be careful about not leaving a trail. The tunnel became dark and Redshift lit his horn, waving his head to encompass the smooth arch of the tunnel roof. The floor carried on sloping up for a few lengths, then dipped downwards, ending at a sharp drop-off.
"The ridge back there stops water getting in," he said. "You should watch this first step, it's a big one." He smiled and stepped over the edge, wings flaring.
Spiral created a small ball of white light, then looked at Fusion and shrugged. "Shall we?" she said, then jumped forwards and let herself fall. Alone, the darkness relieved only by the gentle glow of her mane and tail, Fusion followed her progress through shadow sight, using it to pick out the shapes of magic operating in what must have been a kilolength of tunnels beneath her hooves. Nothing was where she expected it to be, and she realised that the magic was all the movement of rock from the digging.
Flaring her own wings, she came to a dainty landing at the bottom of the shaft -- it wasn't that deep, only a dozen lengths -- and nodded approvingly at the other stallion, striding towards her. Her breath steamed in the cool air, filled with little glitters. 'Diamond dust' is what Stratus always used to call it. Down here it really was much colder, approaching the deep chill of the mountain peaks that surrounded the valley. A thin patina of hoar frost coated the mirror-like walls. Somepony has been using what we taught them. "You have been busy, Scalar."
Scalar greeted her with a thunderous scowl. "You. Do you know how much trouble you caused? If you had only picked a spot half a kilolength away, I wouldn't be having half the problems I am having." The stallion's coat was silvery with its own sheen of frost, and little beads of ice reflected his hornlight like distant heliostats.
"S-sorry?" Fusion took a half step backwards to avoid the primary feather that Scalar jabbed at her muzzle. She glanced sideways, but Spiral and Redshift had already left in the other direction.
"The rock in this area is rotten, riddled with fracture zones and minor faults. I had to cut a completely new set of tunnels." His ears went back and he advanced on the white mare, folding his wing with an abrupt flick. "Your planned layout was completely unworkable, especially if you want it to withstand shockwaves."
"It looks like I gave the job to the right pony, then." Scalar reluctantly lost some of his ferocious expression, making a snorting noise that might have been acknowledgement. "What have you managed to do with our poor efforts?"
"Dug a new lake entrance -- your old one is fine, but too far away from the site to be efficient." He turned his back on her and walked away without seeing if she would follow. "A couple of topside entrances -- you came in through one of those -- and some ancillary vents. Most of the work has been the deep tunnels and the first few chambers. That's the other big change; I'm constructing this to the Master's military specifications." His voice dropped to an irritated mumble, obviously not really intended for her ears. "As well as I can without any modern materials."
Fusion's ears pricked up and she came to a sudden halt. "I thought you were in power systems? How--"
"Power systems installation. Foals of today, never paying any attention--" He sighed, then turned to look at her. "What, you think the military doesn't need power? I've dug a lot of deep tunnels in my time, and with my old crew we'd have been finished by now."
Fusion trotted to catch up, following Scalar down another vertical shaft, this one much deeper. "Will you be putting ramps in as well?"
"Why? What's the point?"
"We already have several ponies who can't fly."
Scalar hissed in annoyance, wings flicking out with far more emotion than the simple comment should have provoked. "Maker-dammit! I knew I'd forgotten something!" Without warning, he lashed out with one hind leg, landing a solid blow on the smooth rock wall.
"Don't be so hard on yourself; you've done so much in just a day," Fusion said softly, taking a few tentative steps towards the stallion.
His shoulders hunched and he stood there on three legs, the hind one he'd kicked out with held clear of the floor. "It's not enough. Even with the new magic you showed us, we just can't work quickly enough." He worked the leg, hesitantly setting it down. "A foal could see that what we are building here can only be a stop-gap." He winced, then glared at Fusion. "I want my Tangent back. When are you going to get him?"
Fusion's mouth went dry, and she flashed back to the arguments she'd had with Gravity. "The Dogs know we've escaped, and they will be hunting for us. They know we can teleport, so that will give them a tricky problem to solve." She started to pace the bottom of the shaft, running a wing tip over the glassily smooth walls, then stopping to stare at her distorted reflection. "I could go there now. I have Spiral's memories and, if the foals have not been moved, could be back in less than a kilosecond." She turned to face him, searching his eyes for any understanding. "But that's just our foals. What about all the others at Naraka, wherever they have come from? I'm trying to plan for all of them."
Scalar slumped, the anger vanishing from his face to leave only despair. "It's too much for me. I just wish this had never happened."
"On more than one occasion I've thought that as well. Sometimes I still do." She moved to stand next to Scalar, the white-gold of her magic taking some of the weight off his hindquarters. "I remember, back when it was just me... I very nearly reported for euthanization." She smiled sadly, pressing against the stallion, flank to flank. "It was the only solution that would keep everything in my control."
Scalar took one limping step, then another. "But you didn't. Why not? One of the reasons I'm working so hard is to distract myself from the guilt... I can't stop thinking about what I should do."
"It will pass, really. Keep focused on Tangent -- he'll need you more than ever when we get him out." The pair walked on in silence, passing the first of half a dozen chambers off the corridor. Most weren't that large, about the size of a corral shelter, but would easily hold twenty or thirty ponies... if they were friendly. The last was significantly larger; the far end was lost in a fog of cold air, through which came the bell-like tones and pulsing flare of force fields. At least we managed to show them the trick of pulling in external energy. Time was too short, but at least I could give them that.
"That's Triple Point," Scalar said, sensing the direction of Fusion's attention. "She's digging out the first farming bay, ready for when we get... You didn't answer my question."
"It was all the names on the walls of the Church. Hundreds upon hundreds of ponies, all dead and dust. I don't want there to be any more ponies that only leave their names." A large block of stone, glowing a pale green, drifted out of the fog to be stacked upon a pile of others.
Scalar was silent, taking a few more steps down the tunnel. "I think I understand. Come on; let me show you the rest of this place."
===
They all gathered outside one of the hidden entrances, laying amid the leaf-litter under the trees. They were all looking expectantly at Fusion and Gravity, who were at one end of the little clearing. Here we go, Gravity thought, adding the weight of her own stare to that of the others. Fusion's ears dipped slightly under the attention, but she straightened up, calmly meeting each pony's eyes in turn. Gravity nodded approvingly, then gave her sister a nudge with one wing.
She twitched, then flashed back a determined smile. "You've all seen what we've been through and you all know what's at stake. The Dogs won't be merciful if they catch us; the most you can ever hope for is a quick death." She let the statement hang, waiting for the nervous shuffling to stop. "I say this so that there will be no illusions; if you don't want an active role, no pony will think less of you -- if anything, we need ponies to stay behind and look after things here."
Scalar snorted, then looked from pony to pony. "Don't talk rubbish. Like we'll let you do this on your own." All the rest nodded, some more certainly than others. "Besides... we're already dead." A ripple of laughter passed through the herd, strained and brittle.
That's something, at least, Gravity thought, flashing Lilac a quick smile. "We need to act, and soon." The sooner, the better. "The Dogs know at least one of us escaped and will be out looking."
"How will they even know where we are? I don't even know!" Triple Point said, waving her head to encompass the trees and mountains.
"At the moment, they don't," Fusion said dryly, "the lack of explosions and gunfire proves that... but my sister is right. I don't know what resources they will bring to the search. The teleport spell can be tricky to master, but who knows what a pony observer could get from seeing it cast. In any case, they only have to get lucky once."
"...so what we need is a plan, and not just 'pull off the roof and grab everypony'." There were serious nods from the group, and Gravity sighed. "Unfortunately," she muttered, lips barely moving.
"Whatever weirdness makes Gravity and I so strong won't be enough in the long term. We can free their bodies, but it will take more than violence to free their minds." Fusion dipped her head, staring at the dry leaves between her hooves. "In any case, with only two of us it becomes very difficult to do anything more subtle than 'pulling off the roof'... and I don't want to be party to a slaughter. You will fight other ponies, possibly even your own kin, if you cannot convince them of our cause. All that said, do you still want a part of this?" She lifted her gaze, lingering on each pony in turn.
Gravity held her breath, her excitement building as each pony nodded back at Fusion. "We've talked about this before, just between Fusion and I, but now is the time to actually put things into motion. What we need are suggestions, improvements and potential problems." Fusion opened her mouth, but Gravity lifted a wing to silence her. "Within reason. There's no point in trying to plan for every eventuality."
"I'll behave," Fusion said, rolling her eyes. "Agreed. We cannot know Security's specific response, so all this is going to be very fluid. That said--" Gravity resisted the urge to sigh out-loud, settling for a slight frown. "--we can make some guesses, based on what we've seen so far. They will not hesitate to use our kin against us." There was a general muttering from her audience, and the mare paused, looking sad. "I understand; even after all the Dogs have done, I still have trouble with the idea... but everything before this point has been coloured by the Blessing."
"No, we all saw what happened to Slipstream," Triple Point said, glancing to the others, "but it is still a shock to hear it said, even if we know it to be true."
Fusion nodded. "That leaves us with two choices. First, grab our foals and anypony else we hold dear, then vanish so completely that the Dogs can't find us. If they can't contact us, then we can't be threatened and there's no value in harming anypony we leave behind. Second, and I think this is our best option in the long run..."
Fusion paused, looking suddenly frightened, and Gravity's ears pricked up, a tingle racing down her spine. By the Maker, I don't believe it, is she actually going to suggest--? She smiled at her sister and nodded. Say it!
"...we take the whole corral, and convince as many ponies as possible to join us."
"When?" Redshift said in a strained whisper.
Fusion looked up at the sun where it was approaching one of the ridges on the other side of the valley. Long bars of light fell through the close-spaced tree-trunks, covering the expectant ponies with patches of light and dark. There was strength in that distant, brilliant orb, and Fusion drew on it, her voice gaining power. "If we can come up with a suitable plan, we'll do it tonight."
===
They assembled on a bare hilltop surrounded by dense forest, distant from their deeply buried mountain fastness. Each pony had a small set of panniers, cobbled together from the Security pony's transport harnesses, and mainly holding a portion of their medical supplies, with a little food and water. Fusion stood with Redshift, the stallion looking lost and uncomfortable in his mismatched armour.
I know how you feel, she thought, shrugging her wing-shoulders in an effort to make the heavy, curved plates sit a little more easily against her back. Along with armour, she had her own packs, bulging with a quantity of equipment that weighed as much as she did; only the subtle haze of telekinesis stopped her legs from buckling.
Across from her stood Gravity in the final armour set they'd managed to assemble, although in her case it seemed to fit perfectly. Twin triangles of dark grey floated at her withers within fields of an eye-achingly deep violet, and long bundles of metal rods were fixed to her flanks. Perhaps it was the way the dusty blue mare was standing or all the things she carried, but Fusion could have sworn that Gravity had grown over the last few kiloseconds.
Redshift lowered his head, looking anxiously at Scalar. "You are sure you remember what you need to do?" he whispered, casting nervous glances at Gravity.
"I might not be a computronium specialist like you," he said, rolling his eyes, "but I can follow a simple spell pattern."
Thermocline, one of the other two members of Scalar's little team, made a strangled coughing sound. "Don't worry, Red, if this bonehead can't get it right, I'll remind him," he said, flicking the big stallion across the back of his head with one wing. Scalar whipped his head around, teeth clicking shut a hoofspan from the end of Thermo's primary feathers as the other pony danced back with a delighted grin.
"That's enough," Triple Point said, exchanging an amused glance with the two others she was leading. "Colts, all of you are colts. It'll take a mare to do this right, you'll see." A little laugh rippled across the herd, releasing some of the tension that was building. "Any more foaling around? No? Good." She gave a good-natured snort, then turned her back on them. "Fusion, this is your show. Is there anything else you think we need to know?"
"I've sat alone in the dark wanting to die rather than carry this burden, but the horrible truth is that every moment we wait is a moment that another pony falls to the same fate as Slipstream." Smiles faltered and all humour vanished; everypony stood stock-still, staring at her.
The white mare's eyes glittered, although there was no external source for them to reflect, and the gentle, lambent aura of her mane shifted from pastels to harder, brighter colours. "If we don't rise to this, nopony else will; I don't want to save just our kin and friends, but everypony, everywhere." The light radiating from Fusion brightened until it cast monstrous shadows across the trees below, and the ponies blinked their eyes as if gazing into the rising sun.
Her head moved in a wide arc, the brilliantly glowing tip of her horn taking in the overcast sky from horizon to horizon. "There will be no more ponies like Slip, no more dams waiting for news of foals that won't be coming home, no more foals with missing parents." The white mare lifted her head, letting her magic build. Her voice became stern; a tone that brooked no compromise. "There will be no more Masters."
At her flank, Gravity pawed at the ground, ears plastered against the sides of her skull. "No more Masters!" she snarled. "Do it!"
A pulse of white-gold lit the underside of the low clouds, and the hilltop was left empty, save for a cold breeze and the rumble of thunder.