//------------------------------//
// 95 - The Mobilization 
// Story: Re:Harmony 
// by starcross7 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 95 - The Mobilization
 
Finding a telegram message on his desk was just rude.  One of his secretaries should have notified him of its presence as he walked into his office at the start of his workday.  Also, his workplace started having this sickening smell, though it wasn't bad enough for him to throw up.
 
When President-Adviser Teddy started reading the message, he knew exactly why nopony notified him. 
 


REPORT:
 
MANEHATTAN AUXILIARY FLEET DECIMATED BY CHROMA PIRATE FORCES WEST OF PONYVILLE SLUMS 100 MILES WITHIN THE NO MARE'S LAND BORDER.  CLONE SOLDIER CASUALTY AT APPROXIMATELY 75%.  ALL EARTHBORN PERSONNEL HAVE SURVIVED. 


 
Great.  On top of rioting cultists, Pegasopolis, and now the reappearance of a long-lost crystalline nation, there was only so much information Teddy can hide from the public.  Grudgingly he thanked the unseen changeling agent who brought him the telegram message in the most discreet manner.  He wished those insectoid vermin did something about their odor.  He heard their former queen smelled much worse. 
 
Sigh.  It looked like he would have to inform Chancellor Posey, if nopony had informed her already.  Teddy read the message one more time and committed its contents to memory.  Then afterwards he ignited it with a match, and dropped its burning cinders into his bronze wastebasket.  He must not appear distressed or hurried.  Even within these hallowed halls of this building, he could still be spied upon by his own Department of Information Control.
 
Teddy walked out of his office barely acknowledging the housekeeping mule dusting the long line of portraits of chancellors in the halls of the Great Hall of the Earthborn.  He remembered ordering a portrait be taken down about a year or so go, which was part of his Department’s constant vigilance in revising the history of the nation for safety and benefit of the masses.  He was, as expected of his position, made to remember the latest order of Chancellors of the past starting from the foundation of their proud nation.  He had gotten used to overseeing the manipulation of his nation’s history, but deep down it frightened him that he himself could easily be erased with a simple line of whiteout tape. 
 
He tried his best walking down the hall as normally as possible, and realized that he was about to pass by Ace’s office.  Knowing him, he probably had another mare or two flirting with him or the other way around.  It amazed Teddy on how he was able to keep his position for so long.  When Ace’s door opened, Teddy tried to not act surprised if yet another bombshell stepped out.  Yet when the mare revealed herself, he started tensing up.  He immediately recognized her gray coat, her pinkish-white jacket, her pink mane, and the golden rings on her sleeves uttering its foreboding jingle.  He did not want to make eye contact, but he had no choice.  She was right there in front of him. 
 
"President-Adviser Teddy," said Rear Admiral Prim Hemline, "good morning." 
 
"Good morning," acknowledged Teddy.  Prim Hemline turned the other way and headed towards the stairwell foyer without any further exchange of words.  Despite the bandages on her face, Hemline appeared to be in a good mood, thank the earth.  Teddy did not fear many mares, but Prim Hemline would rank a close second in terms of ruthlessness behind Posey.  "Marionettenspieler" was her codename, and he knew Hemline enjoyed toying with her prey before slicing them into pieces with her Strings of Dornez.  If she was here, and she came out of Ace's office, then that would mean…
 
"Where did I go wrong?" sobbed a familiar female voice.  "I provided her the best job and the best pay of all of Gaea, and she repays me by siding with those...those… equine vultures and earthborn traitors!"
 
Usually a mare's flirtatious laughter would be heard from within.  Ace was known to be a heartbreaker on occasion, and the only reason he would comfort a sad mare would be to get in bed with her.  This mare, however, should have gone to Teddy first, and Teddy hurried his pace to close the door before any service mule overheard some particularly sensitive information.  Hopefully Ace in his right mind would keep mum on any secrets he heard during his "session”. 
 
Typical of Ace once more.  Teddy beheld indecency on a silk-lined couch, but it did not seem that they went beyond casual nudity. 
 
"By the earth you two," he said, "put your pants back on."
 
"Teddy?" asked Suri Polomare whose mark of three buttons was clearly exposed on her flank.  "Is that you?  It's been so long."
 
“Hello, Admiral.  Ace, what did I tell you about walking naked around your office?"
 
"I’m on break,” smiled Ace.  “And if I don’t expose myself in these musty halls at least once a day, I’ll die from Veiler’s Syndrome.”
 
“That’s the fifth excuse this month.  First it was the Pants Rash Superbug, and the other one was Gelder Crabs."
 
"Come on buddy.  You and I used to strut our stuff around all the time back at the Academy, and boy did the ladies loved the show we put on for them.  What happened to the showoff that I loved like a brother?”
 
“Ace, you know my position and the reputation I have to maintain.”
 
“You’re not gonna rat out on me, are you?”
 
“Of course not.  As the President-Adviser of Information Control, preventing any leakage of incidents like this is my duty, so whatever you, the Rear-Admiral, and the Admiral were doing before I came here will not leave this room.”
 
“That’s what I love about you, Teddy.  You can keep a secret when I don’t need to.  In that case, Suri and I were about to start something fun.  Wanna come join us?”
 
"That's not what I came here for!  Admiral Polomare, I must express my sincere gratitude for surviving the attack against the Chroma Pirates.  Ace will see to it that you will be generously compensated for your heroic efforts and be promoted to the Admiral of the Fleet of the eastern division.  Before we can go on, you must tell me if you know of any information that could have possibly fallen into enemy hooves."
 
"Like I was telling darling Ace here," said Suri, "that wench of a mare Coco Pommel has defected to the Chroma Pirates, m'kay."
 
That's bad. 
 
"Not only that, Winter Tulip has willingly betrayed our race and joined up with Rebel Applejack, who is now allied with the Pirates."
 
It just went from bad to worse. 
 
"Are you sure Winter was not coerced into joining up with Applejack and the Chroma Pirates?" Teddy asked. 
 
"Of course not!" Suri exclaimed.  "That filly had eyes of the devil when she splashed coffee onto my beautiful face.  In addition of telling me that I was ugly, that filly said that she never wanted to live with our glorious Chancellor ever again." 
 
He gulped hard.  Teddy knew Suri to be over-dramatic at times, and what she told him could only be exaggerations of Winter Tulip's actions.  Yet nopony could not deny the fact that Winter was not here, and all the time and efforts diverted to finding her tested Chancellor Posey's patience.  Lewdness and the defection of a highly-trained spy was no longer an issue.  Teddy motioned Ace to hurry up and get dressed.  He did not need to see his image of a soccer ball on his flank yet again. 
 
"Admiral Suri, please rest in this office," said Teddy.  "Make sure you do not tell anypony about Winter Tulip's betrayal or anything that might jeopardize the stability of our county."
 
Teddy and Ace left her to rest on the velvet couch to partake on biscuits and leftover whiskey cider.  The door had been shut tightly behind them.  The two stallions quietly made their way to the main foyer of the Grand Hall of the Earthborn and made it to the elevator where they were now alone.  Both of them minded the security camera overhead, and then positioned themselves so that it would not read their lips.  There might be hidden microphones, so they needed to keep their conversations as vague as possible. 
 
"You know,” began Ace, “it would be more chivalrous if we told her that the Nemesis was just a test model.” 
 
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Teddy. 
 
"Don't play dumb.  You, Lancer, and I knew that Suri was really riding on a hunk of junk." 
 
"Even if I did know, I'm not authorized to reveal my information to a President-Adviser of Economics unless absolutely necessary." 
 
"Yeah, yeah.  At least with Suri and Prim Hemline surviving, that means the production type will be up to spec and our Lady Chancellor will be happy, barring somepony telling her that her daughter had willingly defected to the other side.  That is the reason why you wanted to bring me along, right?  As an equine meat shield?"
 
A part of Teddy wanted to admit Ace's surprising insight.  Really, he wanted to bring him along in order to control any leakage of information regarding the defection of Coco Pommel and Winter Tulip.  The truth of the matter was that he dreaded confronting Chancellor Posey with the news.  He could put it off, but Posey would eventually find out and whatever punishment she would deal to him now would become worse later.  Whether he told her now or later, he had to do it and get it over with. 
 
One could say that the long walk to the inner sanctum of the Palace of the Earth felt like a death march to the electric chair.  Teddy could only assume that was what it felt for the ponies Posey signed off for their executions at the beginning of her chancellorship.  Except in this case, the halls were made of hoofcarved cherry wood and the red and green carpet were clean and pristine.  The lighting however conjured visions of a unicorn wizard's lair, or the long trek down the Cavern of Treasures.  Posey was no magician, but even in these halls Teddy could feel her magic oozing past her office doors. 
 
Ace pressed his tan-colored hoof on his shoulder.  We're in this together, buddy, was what he would say to him right now.  His longtime friend had given him the courage he needed to open the doors to the lair of the most powerful mare in the world. 
 
The office was dimly lit as usual, but even in this lighting Teddy could still the shimmering glint of the hundreds of dead butterflies shining from their glass specimen cases lining the walls.  Far off at the end of the room Posey reclined backwards on her felt office chair as she sifted through a packet of government papers.  It was a miracle that Teddy and Ace were allowed in.  Now Teddy needed a miracle to speak. 
 
"My dear Teddy," spoke Posey with her usual soft iciness.  "My guards allowed you to come in rather unannounced.  Am I to assume that you have important news to give me?" 
 
Ace nudged Teddy. 
 
"Um, Chancellor," started Teddy.  "I've come to report to you that the survivors of the Manehattan Auxiliary Fleet have arrived safely to Gaeaopolis."
 
"Oh, I am aware of that," said Posey.  "Lancer has telegraphed me the information not too long ago." 
 
"That's not what I am here for.  I spoke to Admiral Polomare myself, and she reported that one of our illustrious Spymasters have defected to the Chroma Pirates." 
 
"It can't be helped," sighed Posey.  "Living with equine vultures and earthborn traitors for so long can shape the leanings of a pony.  I pray that out little Spymaster will come around when the final battle approaches, but we must be cautious all the same.  We must deal with our little traitor appropriately if she makes her reappearance at our nation's borders."
 
"I thought you would be angry since agent Coco Pommel have taken with her important state secrets that even we do not know about."
 
"It distresses me, but I cannot allow anger to cloud my focus at a time like this.  It is taking a toll on my heart to know that my dear daughter is out there on a fruitless soul-searching journey.  I had hoped that she would come home even after realizing that she was an Apple, and to know of all the love I have provided for her."
 
"You never told us why you took in Winter."
 
"Sometimes I wonder why, but I always reminded myself that Winter Tulip saved me when I razed that family of traitors on that one night.  She made me realize that I was this close to becoming like the pegasi who orphaned me in their unwarranted destruction of Mustangia.  That foal was the most beautiful I have beheld in that burning farmhouse.  She was the ideal specimen for our master race untainted by the infectious marks burned onto our flanks upon our maturity.  I made every effort to make sure those accursed marks never appear on her beautiful body before the completion of Project Glimmer.  She may be an Apple by blood, but she is a true earthborn filly in heart.  All I want for her is to come back before her Nature's Call manifests on her flank.  Do you understand what I am willing to sacrifice just so I can be reunited with my daughter?" 
 
"Surely you don't mean that." 
 
"The security of our nation and our race greatly concerns me, but I am confident that you, Ace, and Lancer will properly run things in my stead."
 
"Chancellor, if I may be frank, it might not be wise for you to step down.  To the eyes of many, you are a brutal dictator, but you are nonetheless effective in ensuring our safety.  The pegasi are much more brutal than you, and under your leadership you manage to keep them behind our nation's borders."
 
"The loss of state secrets to the Pirates I can handle.  The thought of my daughter out there in a dangerous world I something that is debilitating me.  I don’t think I can continue this job."
 
"Well, maybe she is in better hooves right now,” said Ace, “'Cause you see, Teddy and I just learned that she joined up with the Chroma Pirates.”
 
Damn it, Ace.  He just had to say that.  Teddy would explain further, but the uncomfortable silence prevented him from speaking.  No, something else caused him to keep his mouth shut.  All he could do was watch Posey set aside her papers and turn slightly away from the two stallions who stood across from her desk.  Something was building up from within her, but he did not want to believe it.  It would validate the fearsome monstrosity of Posey's power; a power he thought had been purged from Earth Ponies centuries ago. 
 
"President-Adviser Teddy," she finally spoke.  "Schedule an immediate press conference.  You will deliver a speech concerning Winter Tulip's betrayal of her country." 
 
"Miss Chancellor, perhaps we should not rush this."
 
"I insist.  Please schedule the press conference like I asked.  Do you understand?"
 
Posey gave him an order through her soft words, but her presence suffocated him.  She flashed one eye at him, blasting out a powerful aura that distorted the space around Teddy.  He immediately found himself sweating.  His heart raced, and he began having trouble breathing.  He collapsed to the ground, expecting to pass out, but he found himself being dragged out of the room by the tail.  Only when the large wooden doors shuttered did the mohawk stallion regained a sense of balance and breathing.  He barely got onto his haunches when he regained his vision, and Ace the Younger stood over him with a concerned look.  He appeared unaffected by the deadly aura, but his usual sly and perverted smile had disappeared. 
 
"Good thing I agreed to accompany you, buddy," said Ace.  "I'm sure you wouldn't have survived that outburst." 
 
"Was that…?"
 
"It is.  The 'Tears of the Empress': it is most fearsome and cruel as it is beautiful."
 


 
 
Applejack isolated herself away from Apple Bloom's bed.  A decent halo of light illuminated the bedside where the young filly's unicorn and pegasus friends sat by watching her in all respect.  Monitoring sensors and an intravenous feeder needle have been attached to Apple Bloom, but nothing physical ailed her.  She lost a bit of color, and her mind and heart had sealed itself from the world. 
 
Applejack thought she could protect her from Posey and the government Gaea, but in all her foolhardy preparedness, she did not prepare against a direct attack to the heart.  Would this have been prevented if Apple Bloom had never left the Palace of the Earth?  No.  Posey would have turned against her eventually, and used her as a scapegoat for her political end and as bait to lure Applejack into a trap.  Applejack had no right to talk to her sister right now, whether or not she could listen, and the rebel mare’s shame compelled to her leave her presence.  She tipped her Stetson over her eyes, and as quietly as she could, Applejack walked out of the bedroom. 
 
She trotted down the cavern hallway of the hospital ward until she reached the airship hangar.  Then in her anger she bucked into pieces a nearby crate of 120 proof sarsaparilla bottles and punched another in front of her.  She did not care if anypony tried to stop her by force.  She did not care if anypony watched, even if it was her Twilight Sparkle who just appeared in her peripheral vision.  
 
"Applejack, calm down," said Twilight.  "I know how upset you are, but we have to remain focused.  With Gaea increasing their militarization efforts, getting into Pegasopolis will be a lot more difficult."
 
"How can I be calm?” asked Applejack.  “Posey toyed with my lil' sis's heart, and she stomped and spat on it on live television.  The next time I see that wench, I'm gonna--"
 
Twilight took Applejack by complete surprise when she pulled her to her chest for a comforting hug.  It was a pity hug, but it was a hug nonetheless.  Applejack's anger had subsided, but her heart could not stop beating.  Her body shuddered, and she suppressed her moan as she felt Twilight's fur bristling against hers.  She wanted this moment to continue for a little longer, but to her disappointment Twilight gently pushed her away. 
 
"Sorry," said Applejack.  "Didn't mean to yell at you." 
 
"That's what I'm here for," said Twilight.  "You think you're okay to attend the meeting?"
 
"I kinda have to seein' that I’m the bearer of the Element of Truth.  Maybe I can calm myself while you gals talk.  Lead the way, Sugarcube." 
 
Twilight nodded.  Without further words, she turned around and trotted leisurely up along the Spitfire's starboard side on the stone walkway and past the bow.  She led Applejack up a flight of stairs carved into the rainbow-shaded cave walls that twisted back towards the direction of the airship hangar.  Twilight allowed herself into a large meeting room where the damaged Spitfire could be seen past the row of large glass windows.  At one side of the long table sat the two grayish pegasi mares, Spa Twins and Fleetfoot.  At the other side sat Fluttershy, Sunny, Rarity, and a seemingly familiar pink pony with a straight mane and tail with her face flat on the table.  Turned out that pink pony was Pinkamena Diane Pie drunk out of her wits, and based on the strong smell she had chugged another bottle of 120 proof sarsaparilla bottle.  A drink would calm Applejack down further, but from experience she should let drunk ponies lie.  Besides, the unopened bottles were behind a tower of notebooks and index cards that stood right in front of Twilight’s seat. 
 
There was no Rainbow Dash here.  One could assume that after her deception that she would be too ashamed to show up at the meeting.  Then again, she could be sleeping in as usual. 
 
"I finally brought Applejack," said Twilight.  "We can start the meeting.  Again, I apologize for Pinkie Pie's presence, but she insisted on coming despite her being, well..."
 
"I AM THE QUEEN OF PRANCE!" cried Pinkamena.  "BOOGIDY-WOOGIDY, SHOOP DA WOOP!"
 
"Apology accepted," said Lotus.  "That is nothing compared to our group not having our Captain and Maud Pie around." 
 
"MAUD, WHY?  YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA PASS THE ROCK, BUT YOU DIDN'T!  YOU DIDN'T PASS THE ROCK!"
 
"Okay," said Twilight.  "Anyway, with Chancellor Posey's recent announcement, we're going to need to recover the remaining two Elements of Creation as soon as possible, and our focus right now is the one Pegasopolis has in their possession.  I read through all the books in the Spitfire's library and some of the ones in this base, and I discovered that Pegasopolis has something codenamed Cloud Zero, which was once called the Sky Castle.  Even for pegasi, the existence is Sky Castle is legendary, but Daring Do's logbooks confirmed that it exists.  I have a hunch that if the pegasi needs to keep something very important, they keep it there.  The problem is, we don't have a clue where it’s located.” 
 
"I’ve already asked the pegasi from the crew of the Spitfire and the Rainbow Falls base about it as well," said Fleetfoot.  "Being that almost of them were former slaves or deserters, none of them were privy to the Sky Castle’s location.  Of course, if I wanted to maintain access to it on a regular basis, Cloud One might be the best to start."
 
"How are we going to get in?" asked Rarity.  "We can't exactly walk on clouds, you know."
 
"I've got that taken care of,” said Twilight.  “There is a spell I know that will allow non-pegasi to walk on atmos-enriched clouds."
 
"That still doesn't hide the fact that we aren't pegasi.  We'll get in trouble if they find us."
 
"We'll have to sneak in as slaves.  Flitter and Derpy here have volunteered to disguise themselves as slave handlers, and they'll sneak us in as far as they could." 
 
"Sneaking into Pegasopolis?" asked Fluttershy.  "Oh, I don't know.  All the pegasi there are strong and scary.  I barely survived the ones we encountered at the blizzard.  Then there's the Empress Commander.  What if we have to face her?  What about the dragons that routinely patrol the area?"
 
“I do share Fluttershy’s sentiment,” said Rarity.  “As anxious I am in wanting to steal their treasure amongst other things, none of us here are familiar with Pegasopolis’s layout.” 
 
“I’m sure the overall layout hasn’t changed from what was written in those books,” said Twilight.  “I mean, they are a few decades old, and the fight between Spitfire and Wind Whistler might have slightly changed Cloud 1’s layout.  Then again, I have read a report that it has been renamed Black Cloud after the ascension of their latest Empress Commander.  Oh boy.  I really wish there was an insider who knew more about Pegasopolis.”
 
“And that insider isn’t with us right now attending the meeting like she’s supposed to.”
 
Everypony knew who Rarity meant.  Only Rainbow Dash would had been there for a significant amount of time would know more, or at the very least retain some knowledge of Pegasoplis’s design cues.  Surely they had the capability to create hardened clouds, but the change of Empress Commanders definitely threw a wrench in everypony’s plans.  Up until now, Twilight had firm control of the meeting.  The doubts that were raised sapped Twilight’s confidence, and she fidgeted through her index cards for something that will reassure her.  Applejack anxiously wanted to raise her voice to support Twilight in her endeavors, but she knew as much as she did right now. 
 
She thought the meeting would quickly end in a low note with nothing resolved.  Then a sign that it would prolong came forth when everypony heard a knock on the steel door to their meeting room.  Hesitantly, the head of a cream-colored mare with a tri-color hair clip nestled in the bangs of her cyan mane poked through the doorway as the door squeaked opened.  Having eyes on the uninvited guest would normally scare anypony away.  This guest initially appeared timid, but the same eyes that were on her empowered her to step inside with a baby dragon waddling in right behind her. 
 
"Mind if I join you?" spoke a voice. 
 
"Sorry," said Spike.  "I know I was supposed to keep her in her room, but she insisted that she attended the meeting." 
 
"It sounds like it is very important," said Rarity.  "Coco darling, do you have something to share with us?"
 
"I do," said Coco.  "I understand that you are trying to recover Pegasopolis's Element of Creation locked up in their Sky Castle.  The key to it--pardon the pun--is the Sky Key."
 
"THAT'S A GREAT PUN!" cried the drunk pink pony. 
 
"The Sky Key doesn't just allow you to get in," Coco continued.  "It is also a beacon that will allow you to quickly locate the entrance to the Sky Castle."
 
"You know this, how?" asked Fleetfoot. 
 
"I am, or was a spy, after all.  There a lot of secrets I know, many of which Gaea has no written record of.  Those are stored only in my head." 
 
"Well that makes our job a bit easier," said Applejack.  "Where is the Sky Key located?"
 
"It is currently carried by the current Empress Commander.  Reports say that she never takes it off."
 
"Then that makes our job a lot harder." 
 
"I suppose you don't want to hear that the obsidian chain it is attached to is hardened with layers of age-old enchantments.  Then again, Applejack's Sword of Truth has the ability to cut through almost anything, so you will be able to grab the Sky Key in a snap."
 
"Provided that we don't challenge the Empress in a tussle." 
 
"We'll have to take that risk," said Twilight.  "We'll need to find the Empress and grab the Sky Key as quickly as possible before we could even engage her."
 
"But finding her in time is gonna be an issue."
 
"That might be easier than you might think," said Coco.  "It is likely that Pegasopolis has watched Posey's broadcast and that they themselves are scrambling to gather their forces at the border.  Chances are, the Empress Commander will want to tour the Factory at Cloud 2 as soon as possible."
 
"If she isn't there..." said Applejack.
 
"Then we'll create a commotion to lure her in," said Twilight.  "Coco Pommel, you don't know how much we can thank you for that information."
 
"You trust me after I nearly betrayed you to Admiral Polomare?" asked Coco.  “I could merely be lying right now just to get you all killed.”
 
"Perhaps, but you wouldn’t brave breaking house arrest rules to do that unless you want to help us.  My friends and I talked it over about you, and, well, we sort of used the Elements to divine that you never wanted to betray the Spitfire and her crew to the enemy." 
 
"I used my Element to find out that your feelings were genuine," said Fluttershy, "and that you hated Suri Polomare as well."
 
"I used my Element to find out more about your past," said Applejack.  "I've seen a lot of things there that are ugly in more ways than one.  We can understand why you wanted out of the spy business."
 
"I don't know what to say," Coco sniffled.  "I had always felt that someday you would all kill me after you discovered that I was a spy, and you didn't.  Rainbow Dash knew I was one, but she was confident that whatever I leaked to Gaea would have no effect on our mission.  I was never a religious pony, but on so many nights I prayed that if I died, the gods would give me a second chance to live as a pony unburdened by war and secrets." 
 
"Rest assured, we are not like that," said Sunny, "or else we would be no different than the barbarism that pervades Pegasopolis and Gaea.  Captain Rainbow Dash has carried Lady Spitfire's mantle of welcoming anypony into her fold, whether they be ally or enemy, and then turning them into dear friends.  I am sure everypony agrees that Coco has finally joined the crew of the Spitfire and the Rainbow Falls Rebels."
 
"HERE, HERE!" Pinkie shouted.  
 
"Thank you all," said Coco.  "I know it will take some time to win over everypony else, but I will no longer put the crew in danger anymore.  From now on, all the clandestine knowledge of both Gaea and Pegasopolis will be used to help ponies.  By the way, where is the Captain?"
 
"We do not know," replied Lotus. 
 
"We called for her dozens of times over the PA, and nopony has seen her," added Aloe. 
 
"Oh, I do wish I could give her the good news," said Coco.  "I wanted to let her know that Gaea's intelligence has found out that Miss Spitfire is still alive, and that she is being held at Coltcatraz Island."