CHAPTER 20
"If we can model organic behavior, we can comprehend the quarian creators."
Twilight Sparkle tiredly sat in the passenger seat of a chariot soaring high above the land of Equestria. Beside her sat Ambassador Silver Pen, who was holding a single document in his telekinesis. The sun shined down on the two ponies as the pegasi lead the chariot across the country to Gryphonia.
Raising the moon last night had done exactly what Twilight feared: it nearly killed her. She was unconscious for the whole ordeal, but according to her friends (who she had requested watch, just in case), she had given them quite the scare. Nosebleeds combined with muscle spasms often did that. Cadance had suffered the same, just not quite as badly. They both had been taken to the royal hospital to be monitored overnight, but the princess of love was let out far earlier than Twilight. Only at her urging, stating that she needed to get to Gryphonia, did the doctors finally let her leave.
As Legion had promised, Luna had regained full access to her magic after twenty four hours. He was still monitoring the cybernetics to make sure that her magic did not damage them, but so far it was looking promising. She had managed to write a letter and raise the sun with no troubles whatsoever, which Legion seemed pleased by. Now all that remained was to wait a week, and then Luna could return to her regular schedule, although with some closer medical supervision for a month.
“This will never work…” Silver Pen said, derailing Twilight Sparkle’s train of thought. She turned her head to the ambassador and looked at him quizzically. Sensing her confusion, the stallion turned his head to elaborate. “The griffons are stubborn, I should know. I spend most of my year around them. They’ll already see it as an insult that a new princess is being sent – no offence to you, your highness – and they’ll also consider help with their military technology an insult! We’ll be thrown out the moment we show the prime minister the letter.”
“We’ll see, Mr. Pen,” Twilight said. “Unfortunately I didn’t have much time to do research before I came here. What can you tell me about the prime minister?”
“Prime Minister Sharptooth is a very well respected griffon,” the ambassador began. “He’s more agreeable than most, he’s even tried passing some more progressive legislation. But he’s still a griffon at heart, which means he has that stupid pride. If you want to get anywhere with him, don’t be provocative. You can disagree, but be calm and don’t outright say ‘you’re wrong’. It’ll offend him and possibly make him mad. Griffons are stubborn; you’re going to have to make some concessions that you may not like, but if it gets us this alliance, it’s worth it.”
“I see…” Twilight said softly. Celestia had done a very good job at teaching her domestic policy and the laws of Equestria, but Gryphonia was a foreign nation. She may be a princess, but she was still new. Diplomacy was not something she had had a lot of time to study.
The ambassador leaned his head over the side of the chariot, looking at the ground below. Twilight did the same and watched as the forest they had been flying over gradually became whiter and whiter with snow. Only a few minutes later they had snowflakes flying in their faces. Twilight lit her horn, an action which drained her significantly, and placed a shield in front of them.
“We just crossed the border,” Silver Pen said after a few more minutes of flight. “The capital is about an hour away. Princess Luna informed me on your current state, with raising the sun and moon and all… If you need more rest, now’s the time to get it.” Nodding, Twilight turned her head and rested her cheek on the cushioned seat of the chariot. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, and allowed sleep to take hold of her…
Legion knocked on the door to Luna’s recovery room, stepping back once it did so. As soon as the princess gave her usual call to enter, Legion reached forward, opened the door, and stepped inside.
“Ah, Legion, just who I wanted to see,” the princess of the night said, smiling amiably. “Though I’m sure you’re probably here to check the cybernetics again.”
“That is correct,” Legion confirmed, activating its omni-tool. Luna frowned at the sight of the orange device.
“Just don’t go that low again...” she warned, carefully turning onto her side to reveal her bandaged spine. “I felt very… uncomfortable… last time.”
“It was not our intention to cause discomfort,” the geth said, stepping up to the princess. “But the microchip controlling your cybernetics is implanted at the base of your spine.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be groping my flank!” Luna defended, scowling.
“We were not ‘groping’, it was a routine scan,” Legion said, activating the scan function of his omni-tool. “Please hold still. It will only take a moment to retrieve status updates from the microchip.”
“That’s what you said last time…” Luna muttered, crossing her forehooves over her bandaged chest. Legion positioned the omni-tool a few centimeters above the base of Luna’s spine, just between the marks on her flank.
“We have been meaning to ask,” Legion began as the scan continued. “What is the significance of the marks on your backsides? We have observed them on all ponies thus far.”
“You mean other organics don’t have cutie marks?” Luna asked, confused.
“Please elaborate, what is a ‘cutie mark’?”
“A cutie mark is a symbol that appears on a pony’s flank when he or she finds out what their special talent is,” Luna explained. “When ponies are born, they have no mark. They typically appear at eight to ten years of age. It symbolizes what a pony is good at, and what they are destined to do. For example, mine is the moon because I raise the moon each night. Celestia’s is a sun because she raises the sun, Cadance’s is a heart because she can fill ponies with love, and Twilight’s is a star because… I don’t actually understand that one, but she’s good at magic.”
“No other organic species that we have come into contact with have these ‘cutie marks’,” Legion said, withdrawing its arm as the scan finished. “But we have an inquiry: what if a pony does not like their special talent, or wishes to change it?”
“It’s not a binding contract, Legion,” Luna said. “One of our castle maids has a cutie mark of flowers because she is a very good gardener, yet she chose to be a maid for my sister and me. Most ponies do choose to pursue their marks, however, because they show a great skill and understanding of the subject, and it only appears once they have proven that.”
“Interesting,” the geth observed, looking at the results of Luna’s scans on its omni-tool. Luna turned back onto her back and looked at the geth. “Results are normal. Your cybernetics are continuing to operate at peak efficiency. If you notice any complications, however, please let us know.”
“Good,” the princess said, shuffling around uncomfortably. “Now, onto the next matter of business… the changeling hive.”
“Our ship is currently in orbit, making surface scans for element zero, but it can be recalled at any time,” Legion said. “We are prepared to continue reconnaissance.”
“Very good!” Luna said happily. “But we need to move quickly. If Twilight is able to secure an alliance, then I want the intel to formulate a proper plan.”
“We will not fail you,” Legion said, stepping away from the bed. “As soon as the main lab has been located, and we have found more information on the collector plan, we will return.”
“Good luck,” Luna called as the geth exited the room. Legion walked down the hall and activated its omni-tool, calling for the ship to re-enter the atmosphere. It would be back at the loading docks in a matter of minutes, so Legion transitioned into a jog to get there quickly. Upon arriving at the docks, Legion found the ship hovering a few feet off of the ground, the door already open. The geth jumped inside and navigated to the cockpit, strapping itself into the pilot seat. It pulled out of the loading docks, set a course for the changeling hives, and set off.
The chariot touched down on the tiled stone floor of the courtyard, jostling Twilight and Silver Pen around in their seats. A thin layer of snow was kicked up into the air as the wheels of the chariot marked their path along the courtyard, finally stopping next to a group of griffon soldiers. Shakily standing, Twilight and the ambassador jumped out of the chariot, their hooves hitting the snow-covered stone floor.
Twilight looked up at the griffon guards, feeling a slight amount of fear. The only griffon she had ever met had been a childhood friend of Rainbow Dash, and she had lived in Equestria for much of her life. These griffons were much taller than Gilda, and looked even angrier. Each one wore a coat of chainmail, the rings of which clinked together when one of them moved. In their talons were held large spears, with tips that put the Equestrian military to shame. They were several inches long, and were sharpened to a point that looked like it could penetrate the thickest steel. One of the guards stepped up to Silver Wing, and leaned down to look him in the eye.
“Ambassador, we have been expecting you,” he said in a deep, guttural voice. His attention then changed to Twilight, who he looked at cautiously. “Princess Twilight… We were not told to expect you.”
“I’m sorry for the surprise visit,” Twilight began. “But it is very important. We have a letter to deliver to the prime minister.” The soldier narrowed his eyes cautiously, but nodded and turned around, motioning for the two ponies to follow him. The other guards turned as well and began escorting them to a large set of reinforced doors.
As they walked, Twilight looked around and observed the griffon architecture. It was quite spartan, lacking in the grandiose aesthetics that Canterlot employed. The walls were a thick gray stone, with turrets at every corner. On the turrets were several more griffon soldiers, each one wielding large crossbows. Twilight’s view was cut off as they passed through the large set of doors and entered the castle. The interior of the castle was no more glamorous with the exterior, with the only decoration being a faded red rug on the floor. Torches were placed at intervals along the walls, illuminating the otherwise dark corridor. Occasionally there was a painting of some past griffon leader, and Twilight regretted that she could not name any of them. While her knowledge of Equestrian history was extensive, she knew very little about Gryphonia.
Turning down a smaller passage, the soldiers led Twilight and Ambassador Silver Pen to a small door that was just barely high enough for the griffon soldier to enter. Twilight followed him and found herself in a large meeting room. A rich wooden table was set in the center with several cushioned chairs set alongside it. Small windows were set into the top of one of the walls, allowing a small amount of natural light to filter through. The rest of the room was lit by more torches.
“Sit,” the griffon soldier commanded. “Prime Minister Sharptooth will be with you shortly.” Sitting as instructed, Twilight gulped nervously as the griffon soldiers left the room, closing the door behind them. The princess did not know what it was, but this place made her feel uneasy.
“Do not worry, princess,” the ambassador said with a forced smile. “The griffons may be bitter towards Equestria, but they still respect us. They wouldn’t set a claw on you.”
“Okay…” Twilight said, not reassured at all. “Do you have the letter?” The ambassador nodded and pulled it out of his saddlebag with his telekinesis, setting the sealed piece of parchment onto the table. A moment later the door opened and an especially large griffon walked in. His feathers were light gray and black, and he wore a calm and powerful smirk on his beak. His large green eyes passed over Twilight, judging her with every passing second. The griffon crossed to the other end of the table and sat down, sighing satisfactorily.
“Ambassador Silver Pen,” he said, nodding. “And Princess Twilight Sparkle, to what do I owe the honor?”
“Prime Minister Sharptooth,” Twilight answered, bowing her head respectfully. “I am sorry for my surprise visit. We would have written ahead, but Mr. Pen was with us.”
“Please, no need for an apology, Princess Sparkle,” Sharptooth said, waving a claw. “It is about time we meet. I meant to come to your coronation, but it was such short notice, and there were many things that I had to take care of. Congratulations on the promotion, regardless.”
“Thank you…” Twilight said, lowering her head as she blushed.
“Uh, we have a letter for you, prime minister,” Silver Pen said, holding the letter in his telekinesis. He floated the rolled up piece of parchment to the awaiting claw of the griffon, who ripped the seal off and began to read. As he read, his eyes slowly narrowed. When he was done, Sharptooth placed the letter on the table and looked to Twilight, confused.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he said. “There is a disease, and you need our help?’
“Is that all it says?” Twilight asked. “I’m sorry, Princess Luna wrote it. I haven’t read it.”
“She said that it’s a complicated situation and that you would explain further,” the griffon said, passing the note over to Twilight. “She says to hold nothing back.” Twilight skimmed over the letter, confirming that it did indeed say that, then put the letter down onto the table.
“Alright,” she said, letting out a sigh. “Where to begin…
“A little over two weeks ago, an unidentified disease was reported in one of our frontier settlements known as Westrock. We could not find the source, nor could we figure out how to heal it. It spread with a rapidity never before seen, and in only a few days the entire town was comatose. In addition to this, ponies were being kidnapped. Diamond dogs were the chief suspect, but the other princesses and I thought the changelings were behind it. A few days later our suspicions were confirmed. The entire town has since been kidnapped, as has the population of Appleloosa. Ponyville and Trottingham have been hit as well, and yesterday afternoon we received confirmation that the disease is in Manehattan.”
“And because you do not know how to cure it, you cannot send ponies to help or they will become infected as well?” Sharptooth asked, receiving a nod from Twilight. “And as long as this disease is a threat, you cannot stop the changelings from continuing their kidnappings. So, you want our help. Is that correct?”
“Spot on, prime minister,” Twilight confirmed, nodding. “The disease hasn’t affected any other animals in the towns, so we think that griffons should be immune as well. The idea is that you would protect our towns and cities from kidnappings while we infiltrated the hive and destroyed the disease. But, there’s something else…
“The disease can be mutated very easily. We think that we would only have a window of two days before the changelings released a new version that could infect griffons as well. This means that we would have to work very fast, and your griffons would be putting themselves at risk.” The prime minister did not answer. Instead he closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and put his claws together.
“Hmm…” he said, keeping his eyes closed. “And why should I accept this proposition? This is a pony problem in pony country. No point in letting it spread.”
“The letter mentioned that we have knowledge to offer you,” Twilight argued, holding the letter up. “We will gladly give you this knowledge in exchange for your assistance.” Standing up, Sharptooth crossed the room to the door.
“Excuse me for just one moment, I need to collect my thoughts,” he said as he exited. Twilight let out a sigh, then turned to look at Ambassador Silver Pen.
“You didn’t tell him everything, princess,” he said. “About the geth and the collectors.”
“No point in overcomplicating an already complex situation,” Twilight defended. “Besides, that’s information that we may want to leverage if he doesn’t agree right away.”
“I doubt he will,” the ambassador began. “Whenever he goes to ‘collect his thoughts’, it means he’s going to think over what you said and poke holes all through it. He’ll figure that something is missing… Let’s just hope he doesn’t get too mad over it.”
“I think he seems quite agreeable so far,” Twilight said. The ambassador made to respond, but was interrupted as the door opened again and Prime Minister Sharptooth walked inside, taking a seat in the same chair. Twilight looked at him worriedly, while Silver Pen kept his expression stoic.
“I’ve just been thinking over what you told me,” the prime minister said. “And I see several things wrong with it. For one, I can’t seem to find a motive. I know why the changelings would want to kidnap ponies; to feed on their emotions. But that does not explain why they are using a disease, especially one that only infects ponies. Griffons, zebra, and diamond dogs are just as nutritious, and Queen Chrysalis would not alienate several species just to get revenge on your kind. Additionally, you said the disease can be mutated? The changelings have no such technology. The zebra may be able to, but not the changelings. Also, perhaps you would care to explain the strange metal object that my scouts have seen flying to and from Canterlot over the past, hmm, almost two weeks?”
Twilight’s stomach dropped, and her pupils shrunk to small dots. The griffon smiled, having seen through Twilight’s altered story. Sighing nervously, Twilight looked to the griffon.
“Alright,” she said, defeated. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hidden things from you. Princess Luna did say to hold nothing back, after all. So let’s start over…
“As I said, the disease popped up a little over two weeks ago. Around that same time, we made… contact… with a creature. Over time we got to know him. His name is Legion, he is a machine, and… and, well, he’s an alien.” The prime minister’s eyes shot open as his beak dropped in shock. He clearly had not seen that coming.
“I… he… what?” Sharptooth asked, bewildered. “Is this some kind of joke? Because if so it is not funny and you are endangering yourself by—“
“Please, prime minister,” Twilight interrupted, holding up a hoof. “It is not a joke. And it only gets crazier from here, so please, bear with me.
“After a few days of staying with us, Legion detected something in the northern polar region; some kind of signal. We went to investigate, and found an entire alien spacecraft buried under several meters of snow. After exploring it, Legion confirmed that it belonged to a race of evil aliens known as collectors. It also just so happens that collectors have a habit of kidnapping the members of other species and experimenting on them, and they’re not above using diseases to do it. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“So… you mean to tell me… that there is an alien race infecting your kind?” the prime minister asked slowly. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a claw and looked to the princess. “And when was Equestria planning on letting us know?”
“We were hoping it would stay quiet,” Twilight admitted. “Unfortunately, that’s no longer possible. I truly am sorry that we kept everypony else in the dark, but—“
“But nothing, princess!” Sharptooth shouted angrily. “This is possibly the greatest discovery of Equis’s history, and Equestria is hoarding it! This is the kind of thing that could spark a war, princess!”
“Mister Prime Minister, please calm down!” Twilight yelled, standing up from her chair. “The collectors are a very dangerous threat! The reason that we did not tell anypony else was to protect them! By involving anypony other than ourselves, we put them at risk! Don’t you see, prime minister? The collectors are aliens, they are unknown. And for reasons we don’t yet understand, they want to kill all ponies on this planet. Why expand that to griffons as well? We came here because you are our last option. You are our last hope.” There was silence for a moment. Twilight continued staring down the griffon, who in turn continued to stare at her. Ambassador Silver Pen looked between the two, afraid that the griffon would lash out. Fortunately, he did not. Sharptooth sighed and lowered his head, looking into his lap.
“Forgive my outburst, Princess Twilight,” he said, looking back up at her. “It was unnecessary. But if the collectors are as dangerous as you say… then I cannot grant you the assistance you are looking for.” At this, Twilight’s heart sank. Her ears drooped, and she looked to the prime minister with pleading eyes.
“Please…” she whispered. “Without your help, we cannot attack the changeling hive. We will die.”
“And I’m afraid that the grim reality of this situation is that, while the collectors are focusing on you, we can prepare,” the griffon explained. “I’m truly sorry princess, but that’s how things are.” He stood up and crossed to one of the small windows, then looked out. “Hmm, snowing again… Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here until the storm passes. I’ll have our guards escort you to the diplomat quarters.” Without saying another word, Sharptooth crossed to the other side of the room and exited through the door, the sound of his talons on the stone floor echoing down the hallway. Two guards entered, one of whom stepped up to Twilight.
“Please follow us, princess,” he said. For a moment, Twilight did not respond. She simply stared ahead, unblinking. Finally she nodded and followed the soldier out, with Ambassador Silver Pen walking behind her. As she walked, she did not even pay attention to where she was being led. Instead, a single thought echoed through her mind: What do we do now?
Legion set its ship down close to a kilometer from the entrance to the second hive, careful not to be seen. This mission was one of stealth, and if it was apprehended again, Chrysalis would not be there to save it. Legion stood from the pilot’s seat and walked to the door of the ship, activating the tactical cloak as it did. It jumped the short distance to the dead, rocky earth below and immediately set off for the hive at a sprint. Moving at top speeds, it reached the rocky outcropping in only a few minutes.
There was a single changeling guarding the entrance, but he seemed more interested in sleeping than in protecting the hive. His black eyelids were drooping, and a small stream of saliva dripped down his chin. Legion had no problems simply stepping past him and entering the hive. Once it was inside, the geth jogged down the sloping tunnel until it levelled off, and walked the memorized route back to the long tunnel leading to the main hive. As with the last time Legion was here, there was very little activity in this much smaller hive. During its walk to the two-mile long tunnel, the geth only encountered a single changeling, who was totally unaware of the invisible machine.
Finally coming to the especially long tunnel, Legion activated the zoom function on its photoreceptor and looked as far as it could down the passage. Due to the curvature of the planet, the exit of the tunnel was not fully visible to Legion. However, the immediate area was devoid of life, so Legion deactivated the tactical cloak to save power, leaving it on standby just in case. Equipping its M-98 Widow, Legion set off down the tunnel.
The collector captain entered the main chamber of the changeling hive, looking up to the ceiling at the box that housed their device. Through the pipes feeding into the box, the captain could see a gray liquid flowing through. The liquid contained the genetic material of the ponies, and with it, their magic. The captain still had no idea just how the magic worked – scans had confirmed that it was not biotics – but it was a very useful tool. And with the right amount of ingenuity, it could be repurposed…
“Captain,” a voice said from behind the captain. He turned around and found a lesser collector drone standing in the shadows, holding a tablet. “Enough of their magic has been processed for us to fire one test shot.”
“Excellent…” the captain said, taking the tablet from his drone. He tapped on it several times, inputting coordinates, then passed the tablet back to the collector. “Begin loading in the element zero. Get it in orbit as soon as possible, and fire on these coordinates when ready.”
“At once, captain,” the collector said, nodding. He disappeared into the shadows, leaving the captain alone. The captain craned his neck and looked back up to their device. If this test was successful, then all that remained in their plan was to finish kidnapping the rest of the ponies. Once that was done, they would go back through the Relay, and enact their revenge…
Legion crept through the tunnels of the main hive, the tactical cloak keeping it safe from the searching eyes of the changeling drones. As Legion remembered, this hive was much more densely populated than the other one, and the chances of discovery were significantly higher. As long as it was careful, that would not happen.
It had only been in the main hive for a few minutes, and as such it had not yet found the collector captain. The hive was massive, and he could be anywhere. Right now, Legion assumed that its best bet was to find a lesser collector and follow him to see if he would lead the geth to the captain. Of course, finding a collector drone seemed no easier than finding the captain himself. Legion hypothesized that the number of collectors must be very small for it not to have run into any yet.
But Legion was not one to give up. It would continue searching this hive until it found a collector, even if it took all day. Fortunately, that did not seem to be necessary.
Just as Legion rounded a corner and entered another tunnel, this one sloping upwards, it was forced to jump back as a collector drone wielding an assault rifle walked right into its path. Legion waited for the drone to get ahead by a few meters, then silently started following behind him. The tactical cloak had not been tested as extensively on collectors, and with the amount of cybernetics and genetic modification given to them by the Reapers, Legion was lucky that it was able to remain hidden.
As it followed the collector, Legion found itself with nothing to do. There was no data to go over, no scans to run. So, the further they went into the tunnels, the programs within Legion eventually turned to thoughts of the pony’s chances at victory. Consensus could not be achieved on an outcome; the collectors were far more advanced, had the support of the changelings, and had backed the ponies into a corner in terms of their ability to fight back. Legion itself was a wild card, and the collectors could not have prepared for it, but they were still at a disadvantage. Even if griffon support was acquired, they would have to move quickly to attack the hive, before the virus was adapted to kill griffons. Additionally, Legion had to find the main lab. Without the knowledge of its location, they would be unable to download all data on the virus, and destroy all remaining samples. A lot could go wrong, and the programs within Legion agreed: chances of success were slim.
But that had also been true for the ‘suicide mission’ against the collector base beyond the Omega Four Relay. And yet, against all odds, Shepard-Commander had delivered them to victory with no casualties. He had built a career on performing the impossible, and Legion had paid special attention to the human…
The programs within the geth turned their attention back to the hive as the collector stepped through an open doorway into a dark room. Legion quietly crept in behind him and scanned over the room, adding it to its 3D map of the hive. Pieces of collector tech lined all of the walls, and a computer terminal sat in the center with a hologram of a device hovering over it. The device was not familiar to Legion; it was cylindrical, featureless, and nothing from the design gave any clues about its purpose. Standing over the computer, looking at the design, was the collector captain. The drone stepped up behind him, and lowered his assault rifle.
“Captain,” he said, causing the collector in question to turn around. “Everything has been prepared. We are launching shortly. The test fire is ready to commence.”
“Good,” the captain replied. “Come, we can monitor its progress from the main lab.” Nodding, the collector drone turned and exited the room with the captain following him. Legion waited a moment before it fell into step behind them, following them up the gently sloping tunnels. Checking its 3D map, Legion found that their route would put them near to the main entrance of the hive. That would provide the geth an easy escape route, assuming that the trap that had disabled it was no longer online. If it was captured again, Legion would very likely be destroyed.
After several minutes of following the two collectors, they both turned down a short tunnel and entered a door leading into a dark room. Legion stepped inside after them and scanned the chamber. Much like the previous lab, it was filled with collector tech and had a computer terminal in the center. However, this lab also had medical devices, no doubt used to synthesize the nanovirus.
The two collectors stepped up to the computer in the center, and the captain typed on it, bringing up a hologram of Equis. The hologram zoomed in on the northern half of the planet, which was highlighted with two dots. One Legion instantly recognized as being the changeling hive, but the other was at a place foreign to the geth. It was not within Equestrian borders, but it was not in the badlands either. It was on the opposite side of Equestria, to the east. Bringing up logs of past conversations, Legion tried to recall what country that was.
“Ah, Chrysalis, you are here,” Legion heard the collector say, which completely stopped it in its search. The geth whirled around to face the door, and found the changeling queen standing in it. Legion initially began to conclude that the queen had been lying, and she still supported the collectors, when it noticed her eyes. They never blinked, or moved around at all. They always stayed looking straight forward, and her facial expression never changed.
It immediately became clear to the geth what had happened: she was suffering from mind control. It was sloppy of the collectors to resort to that; forced behavior modification always results in mental degradation. This also meant that the changelings were now entirely under the control of the collectors. Chrysalis no longer had any say in their actions; she was a puppet for the captain.
“It is good that you came,” the captain continued as Chrysalis moved to the center computer. “You can now finally see the fruits of all your hard work.” The ground began to shake around them as the hologram zoomed in to focus on the changeling hive. It soon showed the same device that Legion had seen in the other lab rising from the ground. The hologram zoomed back out to show the northern hemisphere of the planet as the device entered orbit. It finally stopped in space just above the second waypoint.
“Device is in place, captain,” the second collector reported. “Ready to proceed with test.” The flaps around Legion’s eye widened as they realized just what the collectors were doing. It was about to equip its shotgun and kill all three individuals in the room when it realized that doing so would ruin its cover. It would be discovered and apprehended before it could escape; the data it had retrieved would never make it to the ponies, and they would fail. Helpless, Legion sat back as the captain issued his order.
“Fire.”
The hologram zoomed in on the target, showing a devastating beam wiping across it. After a moment, a text box appeared over the area in the collector language, reporting the target as having been destroyed.
“Test successful, captain,” the collector said, looking to his leader.
“Excellent…” the captain said, satisfied. “Bring it back and continue feeding the material into it. This will be useless to us if it can only fire one shot. Chrysalis, send out your hunters. It is time to continue operations.” The second collector and Chrysalis left the room, while the captain stayed and watched over the center computer. Legion left a moment later, feeling regret over its inability to act. It had no data on the target – population, species, or even what country it was. But Legion had a feeling that it would know more about the test fire soon enough. In a short amount of time, all of Equis would…
EARLIER
Twilight Sparkle and Silver Pen sat on opposite ends of the diplomat’s quarters, both of them staring at the floor, neither speaking. Twilight was slumped against one of the stone walls, her flank on the rough wooden floor. Silver Pen was in much the same position across from her, with a large bed in-between them. A few minutes prior, Pen had drafted a letter for Twilight to give to Luna when she returned to Equestria, as soon as the snowstorm passed. It detailed the griffon prime minister’s denial of an alliance, and a few suggestions from Pen on how to change his mind. Twilight did not think anything would work – the griffon was far too stubborn – but it was worth a shot, at least.
A knock sounded on the door, causing Twilight and Pen to jerk their heads up at the same time. The ambassador slowly came to his hooves and crossed to the door, opening it in his telekinesis. He was immediately forced to step back as Prime Minister Sharptooth stepped in and positioned himself in the center of the room. Twilight shot up to her hooves and trotted over to the griffon.
“Prime Minister,” she said coldly. “What can we do for you?”
“The snow is starting to slow down, your chariot should be able to take off now,” the prime minister reported. “You may go whenever you are ready.”
“Very well,” Twilight said as she grabbed Pen’s letter and dropped it into a pair of saddlebags. She placed the bags on her back and trotted back to the griffon. “Thank you for meeting with me today. I just wish it could’ve gone better.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, princess,” Sharptooth said, watching as Twilight trotted out of the room. “Give the other princesses my regards.” Grunting in response, Twilight began trotting down the hall to the exit of the castle. From what Silver Pen had told her while they waited in the diplomat’s quarters, the main entrance was only a few hallways away. She walked the route that she had been told, and in under a minute reached the large set of reinforced doors.
Two griffons stood guard, their spears held upright and their expressions stoic. At the sight of the princess, however, they each grabbed a knob on the door and pulled it open for her. Nodding her thanks, Twilight stepped out into the snowy courtyard. A fresh layer of snow had covered up the tracks of the chariot’s original landing, and reflected the sunlight into Twilight’s eyes. She raised a hoof over her eyes as she crossed to the parked chariot, approaching the pegasi who were standing next to it.
“We’re leaving immediately,” she reported. “Get ready.” Bowing, the pegasi began attaching themselves to the reins and stretched out their strong wings. Twilight hopped up into the back seat, wiping the snow off with her hooves and warming the seat with a quick spell. She sat down just as the pegasi were finishing with the reins. They nodded to her that they were ready, and she pushed her hoof forward, a signal to begin.
Just as the pegasi started running for the far end of the courtyard, Twilight was nearly deafened as a red beam descended from the clouds around a kilometer away – right above the griffon capital city. There was a massive explosion, the shockwave of which expanded out and sent griffon soldiers on the castle turrets falling to the courtyard below. The pegasi and chariot were hit as well, and the next thing Twilight knew, she was lying on the ground feeling light headed. She felt a warm, sticky substance on her forehead, and a quick check with her hoof confirmed it to be blood.
Her vision blurry, Twilight looked around the rest of the courtyard. Her pegasi were clumped together, some of them with their wings bending at odd angles. Dirt kicked up from the shockwave coated their fur, and Twilight had no doubt that her coat was in the same condition. Shakily coming to her hooves, the princess crawled away from the tipped-over chariot and began trotting to her guards. Pain shot through her right forehoof every time she took a step, but she ignored it. As she approached her guards, one of them waved a hoof at her.
“We’ll be okay, your highness!” he yelled, coughing as ash and dust began to settle on the ground. Nodding, Twilight extended her wings and turned back to the castle. Her right wing was in pain from when she had hit the ground, but she ignored that as well and began flapping. She rose high into the sky, struggling to remain stable, and looked over the castle wall to the griffon capital city. What she saw shocked her.
Where once there had been a massive city, there was now nothing more than a burning crater of rubble and bodies. Slowly lowering to the ground, Twilight found herself filled with sadness… and anger.
This had to be the collector’s doing. There was no one else with the technology to pull something like this off. This had to be a part of their plan; they were building some kind of weapon. Hopefully Legion would have more information when she returned to Equestria…
Twilight felt a claw grab her from behind. She quickly spun around, and found herself face to face with the griffon prime minister. Sadness and anger filled his deep green eyes, and the corners of his beak were turned down.
“You wanted an alliance against the collectors?” he asked. “You’ve got it.”
Princess Luna sat in the bed in her recovery room, a look of worry plastered over her face. Held in her hooves was a report fresh from the Equestrian Defense Ministry. The reports were still unclear, but one thing was certain: Gryphonia had been attacked. It had first come in from the Crystal Empire – what was initially thought to have been an earthquake originating from Gryphonia had quickly been countered with the sight of smoke rising from the capital. Less than an hour later, ponies running trade caravans nearby had reported seeing a red beam of light fall from the sky over the griffon capital right before the quake. No word had come from Gryphonia yet, which worried the princess of the night. Twilight was up there, and if something had happened…
No. She was fine. She had to be. Very soon she would return with the news that the alliance had been secured, and they could begin planning the attack on the hive. Perhaps she would also know what had happened, and what this ‘red beam’ had been. There was a knock on her door, and Luna opened it with her telekinesis. A guard poked his head inside, bowing lightly.
“Your highness, the geth ship has been spotted,” he reported. “It will arrive in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, soldier,” Luna said, nodding her head.
“Also, a griffon chariot has been spotted coming from Gryphonia,” the guard added. “It will arrive shortly.” Curious, Luna raised an eyebrow.
“Thank you again,” she said. “As soon as Legion lands, send him here.” Saluting, the soldier turned and exited, closing the door behind him. Now there was nothing left to do but wait…
Legion landed its ship in the loading docks of Canterlot castle, quickly jumping from the pilot seat as soon as the systems were offline. It wasted no time in exiting the ship, ignoring the guard who was waiting for him by the entrance. Instead, Legion went right into the castle, heading for the royal hospital. The guard from the entrance seemed to be tailing it, but Legion just kept walking. In only a few moments it was at the door to the hospital, and a moment after that it was inside the waiting room. The geth turned down the recovery room hallway and approached Luna’s door, opening it this time without knocking. The princess seemed to be waiting for the geth; she smiled warmly as it entered.
“Legion, it is good you are here,” she greeted. “Did you reconnaissance turn up any results?”
“The collectors have tested their device,” Legion immediately said. “We do not know where; it appeared to be to the east of Equestria. Target was reported as destroyed.” At this, Luna’s face fell. Worry crept into her sapphire eyes as she began to breathe deeply.
“… To the east, you say?” she asked. Legion nodded in response. “Gryphonia is to the east. Less than an hour ago we got a report from the Crystal Empire that there was some kind of earthquake, and smoke is rising from the griffon capital… Trade caravans in the area reported seeing a red beam come from the sky…”
“Then the collectors tested their device on the griffons,” Legion concluded. “Has word come from Twilight Sparkle?”
“No, but a griffon chariot was spotted coming here,” Luna answered. “It will arrive in about soon, hopefully.”
“Let us hope that that is a good thing,” the geth said. “We have good news as well; the central lab was located and has been mapped.”
“Well that’s excellent!” Luna said excitedly. “Then all that remains is—“
“That is not all,” Legion interrupted. “Queen Chrysalis is alive. Her mind is being controlled by the collectors. The changelings are entirely under their command now.”
“I see…” Luna sighed. “Is there anything we can do for her? Something to break her from the collector’s control?”
“Not likely,” Legion said. “Brain implants for the purpose of behavior modification are designed not to be removable. At least, not without killing the subject.”
“Killing her would be an act of mercy,” the princess observed. “Nopony deserves that, no matter what horrible things they’ve done… I should know…” Legion thought back to its past conversation with the princess about her banishment one thousand years prior. She had been a slave inside her own body, unable to fight back. It was remarkably similar to Chrysalis’s current state. Suddenly the door opened, and a guard stepped inside.
“Your highness,” he began. “The griffon chariot has landed in the courtyard. Princess Twilight and Prime Minister Sharptooth were onboard.”
“Good,” Luna said, smiling with relief. “Send them here immediately.” The guard nodded and stepped out, leaving the geth alone with the princess once again. “Well, Legion. It seems that you’re going to get to meet a griffon today.”
“Has he been briefed on our existence?”
“I told Twilight not to hold anything back, so hopefully…”
They waited in silence for several more minutes before the door was surrounded in a purple aura. It opened, and Twilight walked in, her coat caked with dust, dirt, and ash. There was a dried stream of blood on her forehead, she was holding her right forehoof above the floor slightly, and her right wing was bent. She shuffled inside, taking up a position next to Luna’s bed. After she was in position, a much larger creature walked inside. True to human mythology, the front half resembled an eagle while the back half resembled a lion. His feathers were light gray and black, and were greatly disheveled. Sadness was in his green eyes, and he appeared very fatigued.
“It is good that you are both alright,” Luna said sympathetically. “I was worried sick, we had no idea what was going on. What happened up there?”
“I was just about to take off to return here when a red beam just descended from the sky,” Twilight began slowly. “There was a huge explosion, and when it cleared… the city was just… gone. Leveled.” Luna looked sadly to the prime minister, who was looking down at the floor.
“I’m so sorry, Sharptooth,” she said softly. “Equestria is here for you.”
“It had to have been the collectors,” Twilight continued. “Nopony else has the technology.”
“You are correct, Twilight Sparkle,” Legion said, causing all eyes to turn to it. The griffon seemed especially curious about the machine. “While at the hive, we… we watched as the device was activated.”
“Device?” the griffon asked in a deep, gravelly voice. “What device?”
“It is the collector plan,” Legion explained. “They are building a weapon. Based on your reports, it seems very devastating. It is similar to the beam weapons used on collector capital ships, but the destructive yield of the beam seems to have been strengthened.”
“What would they need this weapon for?” Luna inquired curiously. Legion turned its head to face her.
“Unknown,” it answered. “Most likely they intend to use it on organics. If this is the case, they must be stopped.”
“Agreed,” the griffon said. “You have our full support. My soldiers will be arriving to protect Equestrian cities over the course of the next day. Princess Twilight tells me that the virus can be mutated; if that is the case, you should get to work on your plan of attack. Time is of the essence.”
“We’ll begin immediately,” Luna said to the prime minister.
“Good. Now, if that’s everything, I must return to my people…” Sharptooth said quietly, turning to the door. “They need their leader, now more than ever. Good luck. All of you.” The griffon exited the room, closing the door behind him.
“Well then…” Luna began. “Let’s get started.”
The collector captain stood in the main lab of the changeling hive, standing over the hologram of their weapon as results from the test came in. It was even more promising than simulations had shown – the griffon city had been entirely leveled. From what pony newspapers were saying, the death toll was in the hundreds of thousands. A very effective weapon indeed… Now all that remained was to complete the kidnapping of the ponies of Equestria. Their genetic material would be processed and turned into fuel for the weapon. Their enemy would be helpless against it.
A flashing light on the computer distracted the captain from his victory, and he pressed it with a claw. The hologram of the device was replaced by one of a collector drone holding a data pad.
“Report,” the captain ordered.
“Captain, we have finished calculations,” the collector began. “If every pony in Equestria is successfully filtered into weapon, we will have power for roughly one thousand and sixty-two uses.”
“It is more than we predicted,” the captain observed. “It will do. Continue work on the kidnapping operations.”
“That is not all, captain,” the drone continued. “A chariot was spotted flying from the griffon city to Canterlot. Changeling scouts report that the griffon inside was their prime minister, and with him was one of the pony princesses.”
“Hmm…” the captain pondered. “What were they doing…?” His back straightened as an idea struck him. A possible reason for the ponies and griffons to be interacting.
“Find Chrysalis!” he ordered. “Tell her to send a squad of changelings to kidnap a griffon, and have it brought here. Now!” Nodding, the hologram of the collector faded away as the signal was lost. The hologram of the device took its place once again. It was only a possibility, but the collector captain was careful. If the two species were planning an alliance to combat the disease, then they needed to work quickly, before an agreement was made.
The plan would be complete soon. Over a thousand ponies were expected to be brought from Manehattan by the end of the day, and two thousand by the end of the next. The last defenses of the ponies were starting to fall, but still it was not enough. Pulling up a map of Canterlot, the collector captain began to plan. Nothing was going to get in the way of their revenge. Nothing.
Twilight Sparkle sat down in a chair next to Luna’s bed, looking over the apparition of the hive hovering over Luna’s lap. At the request of the night princess, a tray had been brought in to place over her legs, and Legion had placed a ‘hologram emitter’ on it to show his map of the hive. Now the three of them were looking over it, attempting to plan.
“You won’t be able to do this alone, Legion,” Luna said. “You’ll need help with getting the prisoners out of there.”
“Sending others with us places lives at unnecessary risk,” Legion argued. “If we go alone, we can perform all operations while avoiding detection.”
“If you go alone, and you get caught, then we’ll lose precious time where the disease does not affect griffons,” Twilight countered. “We need to send more ponies with you to act as backup.”
“My Nighthawks can go,” Luna offered. “Captain Silent Dart has been itching for a mission.”
“Can your Nighthawks cloak themselves?” the geth asked, receiving a shake of the head from Luna. “This greatly increases the difficulty of maintaining stealth. We will work better alone.”
“This is not a battle you will win, Legion,” the princess of the night said, glaring. “Ponies are going with you whether you like it or not.” There was silence for a moment as the two simply stared each other down.
“… Very well, Princess Luna,” Legion finally conceded. “Now perhaps we should discuss insertion. We cannot enter through the main entrance; it is too well guarded, and with visible ponies we would be caught immediately. A frontal assault is not wise either, as we would be heavily outnumbered.”
“What about the second hive?” Twilight asked. “You could enter there and go in the back.”
“It’s quite a long walk from that hive to the main one, though,” Luna noted. “Too much time to get caught. It’s better to get in quick, and get out.”
“We agree,” Legion said. “Once inside, we recommend splitting up. We can go to the main lab, download the data on the virus, and destroy all samples. Additionally, if the captain is there, we will kill him. While we are there, your Nighthawks can go to the main chamber and work on freeing the pony prisoners.”
“But how will they know how to open the pods?” Twilight asked. “You couldn’t figure it out, how can they?” Legion paused for a moment, processing the question. Finally it turned and looked to the young princess.
“Data on the pods is likely included in the data on the virus itself,” he said. “Once it is downloaded, we can contact the Nighthawks, who will be in position, and instruct them on opening the pods.”
“How will you contact them?”
“We have short-range radios in our ship.”
Luna frowned and nodded, staring at the projection of the hive. She did not seem satisfied.
“So you get in somehow, download the data on the disease and the pods, kill the collector captain at some point during all this, and free all of the prisoners,” she concluded. “That is the shakiest plan I have ever heard.”
“When you put it that way, yeah, it’s not that great…” Twilight agreed. “We still don’t even know how you’re going to get in, Legion.”
“Has the changeling prisoner revealed anything?” the geth asked.
“No, he hasn’t,” replied Luna, annoyed. “I’ve had soldiers questioning him all day. He hasn’t spoken a word. Doesn’t even seem to notice that they’re there.”
“We will speak with him,” Legion said, stepping away from the hologram. “This is not something that we can plan out in just a few minutes. The collectors are smart, and will not let their plan fail. We need to be careful if our attack is to succeed.”
“Twilight and I will keep working on it,” Luna said. “Good luck with the changeling.” Nodding, Legion turned and exited the recovery room, leaving Twilight and Luna alone to plan.
“Alright then…” Luna said. “Let’s keep going…”
Legion stepped up to the thick door of the interrogation room, watching as the guard outside shrunk at the sight of the geth. It focused on the guard, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible.
“We would like to speak with the prisoner,” it said. Shaking, the guard nodded and gripped the doorknob in his magic, unlocked it, and opened the door. Legion stepped inside, the door slamming shut behind it from the fear of the guard. Legion ignored this and approached the table where the changeling prisoner was sitting. His solid blue eyes were staring at the wooden table, unblinking. He did not even acknowledge the geth’s presence.
“Changeling,” it began. “We know how you are feeling. But we have good news: Queen Chrysalis is alive.” This actually succeeded in getting a response from the changeling, though it was not the response the geth was looking for..
“Ha!” he said, laughing. “You expect me to believe that? You’re just going to use me. Well guess what? I don’t need you! I can get revenge on my own!”
“We are not lying,” Legion said. “She is alive, but under the control of the collectors. She has been implanted by them.”
“How do you know?” the changeling asked, snarling. “You could be making all of this up.” Shaking its head, Legion activated its omni-tool and accessed its recordings. Everything that the geth saw was always recorded by its photoreceptor and stored on the omni-tool so that allied geth could find out causes of death, or extract data. In this case it would serve another purpose. Finding the recording of Chrysalis in the main lab, Legion displayed it on the omni-tool and turned it to face the changeling.
“Ah, Chrysalis, you are here. It is good that you came. You can now finally see the fruits of all your hard work.”
On the recording, the implanted Chrysalis crossed the room to the main computer, never once blinking. The changeling squinted at the recording, confused.
“There’s something not right…” he observed. “Why isn’t she blinking? What’s wrong with her?”
“As we said, she is under the control of the collectors,” Legion explained. “She is their thrall.”
“Then it’s true…” the changeling said softly. “Those collectors are monsters! We never should have trusted them!”
“We agree,” Legion said. “And you can still make a difference.” At this, the changeling raised an eyebrow, confused. “Help us. Tell us if there is an entrance to the hive that is close to the main chamber, and poorly guarded.” The changeling sat back, thinking through Legion’s proposal. He looked around the room cautiously, then back to the geth.
“The loading tunnel,” he finally said, whispering. “We used it to bring new pony prisoners in; it’s wide enough that a lot can be brought in at once, and it links almost directly to the main chamber. It’s well hidden, but not well guarded. You should be able to get in from there.” Legion switched the view of its omni-tool to the 3D map of the hive.
“Show us.”
Nyx and Dolos crawled along the grassy plains just outside of Canterlot, each of them holding two metal canisters in inconspicuous-looking saddlebags. The mountainside city was just above them now, though entering through one of the main gates was out of the question. Checkpoints had been set up after the changeling invasion one year prior, and it was likely that they had been strengthened due to recent events. Fortunately, there was another way in…
Coming to the mouth of a large cave, Nyx and Dolos each stood up, stretching out their legs after crawling for close to an hour.
“Ugh, I am never doing that again,” Nyx said, annoyed.
“Yes you are,” Dolos said. “We have to escape, remember?” Sighing, Nyx stepped forward and entered the cave, with Dolos right behind him. Rickety wooden planks served as a frame for the cavern tunnel, though they had begun to decay with age. Nyx smirked. Looks like pony reinforcement magic doesn’t last forever after all…
“I wonder how long it’s been since anypony has been down here,” Dolos thought aloud.
“Hundreds of years,” Nyx said, lighting his horn to use as a lamp. It was still day outside, but the sun had no influence in these deeper parts. “This mine provided the slabs of marble that were first used to build Canterlot. It’s older than the city itself…”
“And it goes all the way up the mountain?” Dolos asked.
“If those old blueprints are to be believed, yeah.” The two changelings moved towards a tunnel that sloped gently upwards, hoping that it would go in the right direction. These mines were the most extensive in Equestria; the twists and turns made it almost as confusing as a changeling hive. And they had been all but forgotten by the ponies themselves… The gem mines nearer to the top were probably very well guarded now, but the marble mines were perfectly safe.
“These tunnels are stuffy…” Dolos complained. “Nothing like the hive. Nice and comfortable down there.”
“Yeah…” Nyx agreed. “But it’s either this or we go through the main gate. Which would you prefer?” Dolos grunted, but did not respond. The mine continued sloping up, which Nyx took as a sign that they were on the right path. But the mountain was large. It could be a while before they reached an exit…
Princess Luna lay in her bed, her sapphire eyes never leaving the holographic map in front of her. Twilight still sat next to her, regarding the tiniest details of the projection. Legion had not left long ago, but they still had yet to come up with a better plan. They knew their objectives: kill collectors, download data on disease, destroy disease, free ponies. It sounded easy in theory. In practice, this would be an incredibly difficult task.
“… Legion does have a point,” Twilight said, breaking the silence. “This would be a whole lot easier if everypony could go invisible.” Luna looked to the young princess cautiously.
“If you are suggesting what I think you are suggesting—“
“I can do it, Luna!” the lavender alicorn said loudly, turning to face the princess of the night. “I’m one of the most powerful magic users in Equestria! I can project an invisibility field over a full squad of Nighthawks with no problem at all.”
“Twilight, no,” Luna said strongly. “You are a powerful mage, I am not arguing this. But you are a princess as well, and we cannot risk your life. You are not a seasoned combat veteran, Twilight. Not like Legion. Let him and my Nighthawks handle this.”
“Luna, you know that I am right,” Twilight argued. “You know, deep down, that the Nighthawks will not be successful if they are not invisible like Legion. If I go, and I die, so what? At least Equestria has a chance that way. But if I stay here sitting on my flank all day, the Nighthawks will be discovered. You remember what Legion said: the collectors are smart. They won’t let their plan fail.” Sighing, Luna nodded her head.
“Okay, you are right that the Nighthawks would have a significantly higher chance of success if they were invisible,” she conceded. “But that does not mean you have to go. There are other mages who can do that.”
“Oh really?” Twilight asked. “Who? There’s the famous Serene Light, but she’s in Manehattan. My brother maybe, but you need him to protect the Crystal Empire. Ooh, how about I go find Trixie? She owes me a favor.” Luna lowered her head and sighed, exasperated.
“You have made your point, Twilight…” she said. “My sister did always say you were stubborn… If you truly think you can do this then… so be it. I shan’t stop you. I may not like it, but you are right that the Nighthawks need invisibility.”
“Good,” Twilight said, smiling happily. Her smile disappeared as she looked curiously to Luna. “Did Celestia really say I’m—“
She was interrupted as the door to the room opened. Legion walked in and approached the two ponies.
“We have our entrance,” he said, typing on his omni-tool. A moment later the hologram of the hive was updated with a new tunnel, this one linking almost directly to the main chamber. “It is large enough for a full squadron of Nighthawks to pass through undetected, and connects to the main chamber via an antechamber near the top. Once there, we can continue on to the lab while the Nighthawks get into position with the pods. It can also be used as our exit.”
“Perfect!” Luna said happily. “What did you have to do to get this information?”
“We… promised that the changelings would be unharmed during our attack,” Legion answered, lowering his head. Luna frowned slightly, but nodded.
“That may not be possible if any of them get in the way, but I’m willing to let them continue living after we’re done,” she said.
“Have you made any further developments with the plan?” the geth asked. Luna and Twilight exchanged glances, then nodded.
“I will be accompanying you,” Twilight said. “I can project an invisibility field over the Nighthawks to keep them unseen.”
“… Are you certain?” Legion asked. Twilight nodded and smiled. Luna was not surprised that he had not tried convincing her to stay; he always saw the logic in situations, and would not argue with it if it existed.
“Very well,” he said. “We will continue planning and make the necessary preparations. Once the griffon soldiers are in place to protect the towns, we can leave.”
“That likely won’t be until sometime tomorrow, but that should be fine,” Luna said. “I also need to check in with Cadance. We had to issue the quarantine on Manehattan earlier, and ponies are understandably upset…”
“Would you like us to send her to you, Princess Luna?” Legion asked. Luna nodded, and the geth turned and exited the room.
“I should probably go, too,” Twilight said, stepping towards the door. “I need to explain the situation to my friends. They deserve to know.” Nodding, Luna collapsed back into her bed as Twilight left, a sigh escaping her lips. She lit her horn and moved the tray with the hologram from her lap, placing it on the floor next to her. It felt like years ago that aliens were still a myth and her ponies were perfectly safe. Luna tried to find solace in the fact that it would all be over soon, but found that quite difficult. Too much could go wrong; one way or another, their struggle would end soon. She just hoped it ended in their favor.
Nyx peered over the edge of the cavern exit, gauging the distance from here to the tower below him. After close to an hour of wandering through the mines, he and Dolos had finally found an exit. Unfortunately it was a good hundred or so feet above the nearest tower, and the tower had a smooth, polished surface. Not optimal at all for grabbing onto.
“So how do we get down there?” Dolos asked, looking to his companion.
“We could teleport, but I don’t know if any guards are down there or not,” Nyx answered. “Popping up out of nowhere in front of a bunch of guards would blow our cover instantly.”
“Do we have much of a choice?” said Dolos. “Let’s assume our disguises and get down there. We’re only going to be here for a few minutes anyway…” Nodding, both Nyx and Dolos lit their horns and instantly were transformed into entirely different individuals. Dolos became a green unicorn with a white mane, while Nyx became a blue unicorn with a darker blue mane. Ready, they both lit their horns once again and disappeared from the ledge of the cave, instantly reappearing in the streets of Canterlot down below. Looking around carefully, Nyx sighed in relief. There were no ponies in sight.
“Alright,” he began. “We split up, plant our canisters, then get back here as quickly as possible. Right?”
“Right,” Dolos agreed. Without waiting any longer, they both trotted off in opposite directions, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Mentally recalling the map he had seen, Nyx began to head for his first deployment site: the Canterlot markets. They were some of the most densely populated markets in Equestria. The new, adapted virus would take about twelve hours to finally start spreading to account for changes made against griffons, but once it was being emitted, the virus would continue as normal. This twelve-hour window where the canisters were doing nothing at all would leave them at risk of being discovered and disposed of, but changelings were careful. Nopony would find them, Nyx was sure of that.
Stepping into the markets, Nyx looked around and found his target: a small garden of bushes that would easily conceal the canisters. Stepping up to the bushes, Nyx carefully slid the first canister out of his saddle bag and stuffed it into the bushes, trotting away as soon as he was done. Confirming that nopony saw, Nyx continued trotting through Canterlot to his second destination: the train station…
“Twilight you can’t go!” cried Rainbow Dash, launching herself into the air and flapping her wings violently. “It’s too dangerous!”
“I must agree with Rainbow Dash, dear,” Rarity said, nodding. “You are a princess, and you must remain here.”
“Um… You should... probably stay here, Twilight…” Fluttershy softly agreed. “That is, if it’s okay with you…”
“Relax, girls,” Twilight said, holding up a hoof. “I’ll be fine. We’re going to keep planning, and we’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll be back by tomorrow night and hopefully I’ll have Princess Celestia with me… and a cure.”
“Well, as foolish as it sounds, good luck sugarcube,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “I wish we could come with ya.”
“I know, but the fewer ponies we have on this mission, the better,” Twilight explained. “We’ll keep this low-key and be back before you know it.”
“Good luck, Twi’,” Rainbow Dash said, floating over to Twilight and extending her hoof. Twilight bumped her hoof into Dash’s and smiled. “And hey, if you have to use your wings, you can have me to thank!”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Dash,” the lavender alicorn said, laughing. “Well I should get going. There’s a lot to do between now and tomorrow.” Her friends all waved their goodbyes as Twilight turned and left the room.
As soon as the door was closed behind her, Twilight felt tears threatening to surface on her eyes. They were her best friends, they wanted to help, yet she could not let them. And now she was facing the possibility of death, leaving them to worry. It was irresponsible of her, but it had to be done. Wiping her damp eyes, Twilight set off down the hallway. Tomorrow would determine not only the future of Equestria, but of Equis itself. And if she was going to be at her best, then she had some preparations to do…