//------------------------------//
// Act 3 Part 9 - Whatever Bitter End To Bring 
// Story: I Against I, Me Against You 
// by Flynt Coal 
//------------------------------//

“Your protègè is ready to see you, Your Highness.”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh through her nose. She had been preparing herself for this conversation since the other night when she made that terrible discovery, but now that it was here, she wasn’t sure if she was ready. This conversation had to happen, though. No matter how unpleasant it would be.

“Send her in,” Celestia told the guard standing at the foot of her throne. 

The armored pony bowed before moving across the expansive throne room to the towering double doors on the other side. Soon the doors were opened by their guards and Celestia’s prized student stepped in. Sunset Shimmer wore a pair of saddlebags across her back and a deceptively calm look on her face. There was no way she could be oblivious to the different atmosphere of this meeting. 

Normally when she wanted to talk with her student, Celestia would summon Sunset to her study or personal chambers: somewhere more casual and devoid of the usual decorum of royal life. Now, the solar diarch looked down at Sunset from atop her throne, dressed in her full regalia. Such a display of royal authority was usually reserved for meetings with powerful foreign dignitaries or nobles who were too ambitious for their own good as a way to remind them who was in charge. That Celestia was treating her own student—the filly she’d practically raised—exactly the same as if she were one of them filled her with a deep sense of unease. Whatever happened today would affect their relationship for the rest of her life.

“Hello, Princess,” Sunset greeted as she approached the throne. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought my sister along. My parents are busy this weekend. Again.”

A closer look at her student’s saddlebags confirmed that one side was a pouch for carrying foals, and a little purple filly sat sleeping inside. Celestia had met the tiny filly a few times already, as Sunset seemed to always keep her close of late. With an acknowledgment of Sunset’s words, Celestia then told the guards to leave them. However, she knew they would be just outside ready to act should the conversation take a turn for the worst.

“So, what’s going on, Princess?” Sunset asked, studying her mentor curiously. “Is something wrong?”

“We need to talk, Sunset,” Celestia stated sternly, and tried not to flinch when Sunset’s ears wilted at her tone. 

Celestia looked at the mare before her and tried not to see the filly she’d read bedtime stories to every night. The filly who lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree whenever Celestia taught her a new spell. The filly whose bedside she’d remained by when she was sick with the pony pox. The filly she was there for all the times her own parents weren’t.

“You’ve been awfully reclusive of late, even by your standards,” Celestia started. 

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Ugh, do we have to have this talk again?”

“Your friends all think you’ve abandoned them completely,” Celestia said, hoping she could push Sunset to tell the truth on her own. “What have you been doing that takes priority over the rest of your life?”

A look of indignation crossed her student’s face. “I’ve been busy working on the assignment you gave me, Princess!”

“Then tell me, why have I not received an update on the project? It’s been months, Sunset. Am I really supposed to believe you’ve made no progress in all this time?”

Sunset’s eyes darted away. “I just… don’t want to show you something that’s incomplete. Once the Director and I find the Forerunner ruins….”

Celestia sighed. It would appear her pupil was determined to stick to her story. “You disappoint me, Sunset. I thought you had enough respect for me not to lie to my face.” 

With a curious frown, Sunset asked, “What are you insinuating, Princess?”

Seeing no way Sunset was going to come clean on her own, Celestia reached into one of her pocket dimensions and pulled out a letter typed on finely printed paper. She levitated it over to Sunset, who took it in her own hooves to read. Though Celestia couldn’t see it, she already knew what it said.



Dear Princess Celestia,

If everything goes according to plan, then by the time this letter reaches you I will be long gone. I know that the Director will tell you things about me and what I’ve done, and many of them are true. 

But you must understand: the Director cannot be trusted. He has committed terrible crimes, and will go to any lengths to cover them up. What’s more, I have reason to believe that your own student Sunset Shimmer was complicit in his immoral experiments. I have gathered as much information on what he’s done as I could, but for your own safety and that of your people I cannot give it to you. I have instead given it to someone I trust deeply: Someone I know can make the best use of it.

It is imperative that you cut all ties with the Director and Project Freelancer immediately, before you too are trampled in its path. I pray that it isn’t too late, and that you aren’t already in too deep.

Best of luck,
Connie



Sunset looked up from the letter to Celestia, her frown taking an angry edge. “Princess, you don’t… actually believe this nonsense, do you?” 

A stern, silent stare from Celestia was her answer.

“CT was outed as an Insurrectionist sympathizer, Celestia!” Sunset exclaimed, fuming. “Will you really believe the words of a traitor over your own student?” Her eyes suddenly became glossier. “Your own dau….”

“Don’t say that, Sunset. You know I’m not your true mother, no matter how much I may love you,” Celestia said, steeling herself for what came next. “And to answer your question, no. I didn’t believe CT… at first. But there was an undeniable sincerity to her words, so I decided to do a little digging.”

Celestia pulled out a bottle filled with a white mixture. “This is a special zebra potion that, when mixed with alicorn magic, can be used to look into the past. I have been using it all week to try and find out just what has really been going on here, and last night I discovered exactly that.” 

Finally, Celestia couldn’t keep the mask on any longer, and a deep look of hurt crossed her face as she put away the bottle and looked down at Sunset. “Torturing a thinking being—an innocent—and for what? To complete an assignment?!”

Sunset looked down at her feet, and the look on her face said it all. She was busted, and she knew it. Celestia had expected apologies and begging for forgiveness, but instead, Sunset found her indignant anger and sent a fiery glare her way.

“I have done nothing less than what you asked of me, Princess! The only thing I’m guilty of is following your instructions!”

Celestia stepped down from her throne to look at her student on her level, desperate to reach her before either of them said something they’d regret. “So why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because I knew this would happen!” Sunset shouted, raising her voice before catching herself. After a moment, she resumed speaking at a normal volume. “You know, for someone so wise, you really are a naive, idealistic filly. You always rejected even my smallest ethically challenging proposals! This is the castle security matrix all over again! You have no idea what it means to make hard choices!”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed as a hot rage she hadn’t felt in decades began to course through her. “Don’t you dare lecture me about hard choices, Sunset. Not when I am reminded of those choices every night!”

“That’s exactly your problem, Celestia!” Sunset continued, waving her hooves around so much Celestia was afraid she might disturb the filly bundled up at her side. “You performed one necessary evil nearly a thousand years ago and it’s like you’ve avoided any difficult choice ever since!”

Celestia maintained a hard, level glare. “I am dangerously close to making one such choice now.”

“Fine. You know what? I’m going to continue this project with or without your approval,” Sunset said, turning her back on Celestia. But not before looking back to get one final word in. “For the record, I was going to tell you everything as soon as I was finished and not a moment sooner. Because once you see the fruits of my work, I know you’ll understand I was only trying to do what was best for Equestria. Just like what you did with Nightmare Moon.”

Before Celestia could stop herself, she was raising her voice. “Don't you dare use Luna against me!”

The purple filly in Sunset’s pouch suddenly started crying, apparently having been awoken by all the yelling. With an irritated eye roll, Sunset pulled the filly out of the pouch and gently rocked her in her arms.

“There, there. It’s okay little one. Mom and I are just having a talk,” Sunset whispered.

Mom? Celestia took another look at the foal and suddenly the little purple infant seemed familiar. Sunset had apparently caught her own slip of the tongue, as she looked up at Celestia carefully. All at once, the pieces fell into place, and Celestia realized exactly who it was her student was really holding in her arms.

“Your sister, huh?” Celestia said, giving Sunset a meaningful look. Sunset looked back, and Celestia knew right away that her student knew she’d figured it out.

“Sunset…” Celestia reached toward the infant in her student’s arms. “Let me see her.”

Tentatively, Sunset passed the filly to her mentor, who took it in careful hooves. The crying foal quickly calmed in Celestia’s arms, some deeply ingrained instinct giving her comfort. The filly looked up at Celestia with bright purple eyes filled with wonder.

“She’s pretty remarkable, isn’t she?” Sunset said, a proud grin forming on her face. “Just you wait. Together, she and I are going to do extraordinary things.”

Celestia looked back up at Sunset with slowly growing realization, and with it, pure horror. “You don’t mean to say you were going to…?” Celestia whispered, aghast as her student’s smile slowly faded. “Sunset… that’s monstrous!”

Her smile gone, Sunset reached forward. “Give her back.”

Celestia held the filly closer. “You know I can’t do that. Not if you mean to carry out your intentions.”

“Give her back!”

“Sunset….”

“You have no right to take her from me!” Sunset shouted, pacing around like a feral dog. “She doesn’t belong to you! She’s mine! She can do great things and your weakness will just hold her back like you've always done!”

“Sunset, that’s enough….”

Then, Sunset Shimmer’s usually calm, calculating cyan eyes took on a look of unkempt fury, and Celestia was suddenly reminded of the touch of madness she had sensed deep within her when they first met all those years ago. “GIVE HER TO ME!”

Suddenly, whether it was a premeditated move or the result of blind rage, Sunset’s horn glowed and released a burst of powerful, fiery magic. Celestia barely had a fraction of a second to react, turning to cover the foal in her arms with a wing. The action left her own face exposed, and Celestia winced as she felt a searing pain glance off the right side of her face directly beneath her eye. She wasn’t too concerned with the wound; her natural resilience as an alicorn would ensure it would heal completely in time.

Celestia couldn’t say the same for the wound that had been left on the inside.

She looked up at her student to see the guards already upon her, having been alerted to the use of offensive magic by the protective wards in the throne room. Sunset struggled against them wildly, thrashing and flailing like a rabid animal. Looking at the look of pure rage on her face, Celestia was reminded of the last time someone she loved was consumed by such madness. Just like that, the wound Sunset inflicted had reopened another.

“I’m sorry, Sunset,” Celestia said, forcing back memories of the filly curled up in front of the hearth beside her, jumping at every clap of thunder from the storm outside. “Your lessons with me are at an end.”

Sunset’s struggles came to an abrupt stop as the fiery mare looked at her former mentor with disbelief. She stayed that way for a few moments until one of the guards grabbed her to put a magic inhibitor ring on her horn.

“You bitch!” Sunset seethed before rearing up and stomping the ground, sending a burst of magical fire out from all around her, sending the guards flying back. “You stupid, naive, hypocritical haridelle! I’ll make you see…. I’m gonna finish my project if it’s the last thing I do, and then you’ll see that I was right!”

More guards poured into the throne room, but Sunset was already charging her horn with another spell. Celestia could only watch with despair as with a flash of cyan light, her beloved student disappeared from her life, leaving nothing behind but a tiny purple filly with dark violet hair with pink streaks.









“Oh, that is such a relief to hear, Rarity,” Twilight said, letting all her nervous energy out with a deep sigh. “Are you alright?”
 
“Apart from a few minor injuries, everyone here is fine,” Rarity’s voice came through Twilight’s headset, and the knowledge all of her friends in Canterlot were okay gave her some peace of mind for what felt like the first time in weeks.

Initially, Twilight had been concerned when she heard Rarity’s voice suddenly speaking through the headset she’d honestly forgotten she was wearing. At first she’d thought something had gone terribly wrong in their mission; they hadn’t even worked out a way for the two groups to contact each other when it was all over. According to Rarity, they’d found the radio transmitter that Wyoming had used to communicate with the Mother of Invention.
 
“So, how are things on your end, darling?” Rarity asked.
 
“Well, we got a little sidetracked,” Twilight said, looking back over her shoulder at the pair of distant mountains where the Whitewater sellswords had made their camp. The rest of her friends were right beside her, doing their best to hear Rarity’s voice through her headset. “But I think we can reach the ruins by sunset if we keep moving at a good pace.”
 
“Did something happen?”
 
“Ran into a company of sellswords working with Project Freelancer. But don’t worry, we’re all fine.” Twilight then remembered their encounter with Sunset Shimmer and the things she’d said. “Hey, is Princess Celestia there?”
 
The other end was silent for a moment. “We saw her earlier... I think she’s busy interrogating some of the captured Freelancer personnel right now.”
 
Twilight sighed, but this time out of disappointment.
 
“Twilight? Are you still there?”
 
She must have been quiet for longer than she thought. “I’m here, Rarity.”
 
“Good. Because I have someone here who’d really like to talk to you.”
 
A young male voice followed Rarity’s and instantly lifted Twilight’s spirits. “Twilight?”
 
“Spike!” Twilight exclaimed, a huge smile spreading across her face. “How’s it going? You doing okay?”
 
“Yeah. I’m good….” The slight tremor in Spike’s voice betrayed his fear, but clearly he didn’t want Twilight to worry, bless his heart. The poor little guy must have been so frightened these past few days, and Twilight wished she could be there to comfort him now. “Are you okay, Twilight? Is there anything I can do to help?”
 
Twilight was about to tell Spike it was okay when an idea crossed her mind. “Actually, Spike, do you think you could do a little research project for me?”
 
“Of course!”
 
“I need you to go down to the Canterlot archives and find out everything you can about the Baltimare noble family House Warmblood.”
 
There was a short pause as Spike memorized what he’d been told. “Okay. Anything in particular I should be looking for?”
 
“A noblestallion named Sacred Home, and what relation he has to Sunset Shimmer. Specifically… whether he’s her father.”
 
“Princess Celestia’s former pupil?” Spike asked, sounding both incredulous and concerned. “Why? What’s going on?”
 
“Just a hunch,” Twilight said, glancing over at Washington. “I don’t want to explain until I’m one-hundred percent certain.”
 

 



 
 
 
“Hey,” Simmons said, finally breaking the long silence as they walked.
 
He and Twilight were currently walking side by side along a snowy winding path hugging the side of one of the many icy mountains around them, Simmons lugging the big rocket launcher he’d taken from the minotaur sellsword on his back. The wails of the Windigoes and the screeches of the wights had grown faint hours ago, and now there was nothing but the howl of the wind. The sun was going down, but they still had a ways to go before reaching their destination.
 
“Yeah?” Twilight asked.
 
“Do you ever wonder why we’re here?”
 
Twilight looked at him curiously. “Do you mean… from a philosophical standpoint?”
 
“No, I mean, why are we here? Me and the Reds and Blues,” Simmons clarified. “Why are we here, helping you save your world, when we could’ve stayed behind to just… I dunno, stand around and talk?”
 
“Well, you are quite good at that,” Twilight teased with a giggle, before returning her attention ahead, mindful of her footing on the mountainside. “To be honest, I thought it might’ve been for the same reason I saved you from that minotaur back there.”
 
“Oh yeah, guess I never really thanked you for that, huh?”
 
“You didn’t have to, Simmons. That’s the point I was trying to make,” Twilight said, looking up at him with an easy smile. “I helped you because you’re my friend, and figured you’d have done the same for me.”
 
Simmons gave her what she could only imagine was a puzzled look. “How can you be sure? I mean, you remember how much we all objected to helping you guys with this mission, right? Even I said I would’ve preferred to just go home.”
 
“And how do you feel now?”
 
There was a lull in the conversation as Simmons stepped carefully over a gap in the path, watching his footing the whole time. Twilight hopped over it with ease, and the pair continued walking in silence for a few moments more.
 
“Y’know, Twilight? To be honest, I’m… glad we decided to come along and help you,” Simmons said. “You know what? Fuck it, you’re right. I guess I would have done the same for you.”
 
Twilight smiled, and for the first time since Blood Gulch, felt truly at peace with the maroon man. “See, Simmons? That’s just what friends do for each other.”
 
 
 



 
 
 
With his trademark grunt, Sarge set down his tools beside the white helmet and leaned back against the garden statue depicting a pony holding a banner. It looked like it was meant to invoke feelings of triumph, or victory, but Sarge didn’t feel very victorious. Sure, they’d won the day in no small part thanks to his glorious Red heroics, but it didn’t feel like his victory, and the still robot body in front of him was a reminder of how badly things could have gone.
 
“Hey Sarge,” a voice greeted as someone approached him. Sarge looked up to see the no-good dirty Blue in teal armor walk across the garden toward him with his right arm in a sling. The lazy orange dirtbag was with him, staring despondently at one of his hands.
 
“Blue. Dirtbag,” Sarge greeted each of them in turn.
 
Grif just groaned as he continued to stare at his hand, and Tucker looked at the heap of brown armor on the ground in front of Sarge. “So, how’s your robot buddy?”
 
“Lopez?” Sarge gave a contemplative grunt. “Wyoming took out his central processor. I’ll have to order a new one from Command before I can fix him.”
 
Tucker slid against the side of the statue to Sarge’s left, and soon was sitting on the ground with him. “You mean the same Command we’ve been helping these ponies fight?”
 
Taking another look at Lopez’s broken visor, Sarge gave a defeated grunt. “Yeah….”
 
It was silent for a little while before Grif let out another irritated groan. A few seconds later, Grif groaned again even louder, just to make sure the others heard him.
 
Realizing he wasn’t going to stop unless someone indulged him, Sarge sighed. “Alright. What’s wrong, Grif?”
 
“What’s wrong?” Grif exclaimed immediately, as if he’d just been waiting for somebody to ask. “What’s wrong!?”
 
Grif shoved his hand into his sergeant’s face, palm open. His middle finger was wrapped in bandages, but there was something else. Sarge then realized he only counted four fingers. The one beside Grif’s middle finger was completely gone.
 
“Aw, no way! Those unicorn doctors couldn’t save your finger?” Tucker asked.
 
Whether it was because his point was made or because holding out his injured hand was painful, Grif lowered his hand. “That was my ring finger… I lost my fucking ring finger….”
 
“Were you… plannin’ on gettin’ married, Grif?” Sarge asked. “Because I wasn’t plannin’ to start slippin’ infertility pills into yer food for at least another year!”
 
“No, but it’s the principle, dammit! That asshole shot off my finger!” Grif exclaimed. “Do you know how close the ring finger is to the middle finger?”
 
“Right beside it,” Tucker answered in complete deadpan.
 
“Exactly! I almost lost my ability to tell people to fuck off with minimal effort!”
 
“Except for the fact that you have two hands.”
 
“Well yeah, but I need the versatility, and I almost lost it saving this fucking place!”
 
Sarge gritted his teeth before he said, “Y’know Grif, as much as I hate to say it, I agree with the principle of what yer sayin’.”
 
“I know, right?! What if you need to flip off two people at once in different directions?”
 
“No, not that, idiot!” Sarge said, taking another glance at what remained of Lopez. “I mean about how close things got to goin’ south fer all of us! Both of ya tell me: Do you have a stake in any of these pony critters?”
 
“Eh. Fluttershy’s not so bad,” Grif said casually.
 
“Yeah, and that Rarity chick and I sorta get along now,” Tucker said.
 
“Then tell me this: You willin’ to die for ‘em?”
 
Grif and Tucker were silent.
 
“An’ do you think any of them are willin’ to die for you?”
 
No response.
 
“Precisely. Because despite all of their talk about the ‘magic of friendship,’ them ponies ain’t our friends. We ain’t part of their world.” Sarge picked up his tool case and the white helmet beside it. “We were lucky to have gotten outta this one alive, but how long do ya reckon our luck will hold?.”
 
Grif and Tucker exchanged a look as Sarge started walking back towards the castle, only stopping to say a few last words. “I don’ know ‘bout either of you, but I don’ fancy dyin’ for a world that I got no stake in.”
 
 
 



 
 
 
As Twilight and Simmons walked side by side ahead, Agent Washington found himself beside Applejack a few paces behind them. Church and Caboose were not too far behind. Bringing up the rear, Rainbow Dash regaled Donut with stories of her and Gilda’s exploits as Junior Speedsters. Aside from that, all were quiet. Washington knew the others didn’t particularly like him at that moment, despite the necessity of all he’d done. It was for the best, he decided.

It will make what would have to happen soon much easier.
 
“Hey, Wash?” Applejack asked, and the Freelancer looked down at her with a contemplative frown.
 
“Is something wrong?”
 
The little orange pony shook her head. “No, quite the opposite in fact. I jus’ wanted to say… thanks. Fer helpin’ us rescue our friends.”
 
“Don’t,” Washington grunted as he stumbled over a tiny variation in the terrain. Evidently, he wasn’t mindful enough of where he was stepping. “You know that if I had my way, we’d have pressed on without them.”
 
“But you didn’t,” Applejack said. “You knew we wanted to save ‘em, an’ rather than fight us on it—except for show, of course—you went an’ helped us on yer own accord.” With a sigh, Applejack continued. “I know things got a li’l tense in that there cave between all of us, an’ I figured I oughta say I’m mighty sorry if anythin’ I said upset ya. Looks like you do have our best interests at heart after all.”
 
Washington was glad he was wearing a helmet so Applejack couldn’t see him wince. “There’s no need to apologize. I know you were just worried about your friends. It’s a feeling I’m all too familiar with.” Washington immediately regretted voicing that last thought when Applejack studied him curiously.
 
“Huh. I always had you pegged as the ‘lone wolf’ type. You didn’t tell us you had friends before us.”
 
Washington frowned. There was a reason he only had friends. But what Applejack had said after intrigued him.
 
“What do you mean, ‘before us?’”
 
Before Applejack could answer, a big, armored blue arm wrapped itself around his shoulder as Caboose affectionately shook him.
 
“She means we’re your friends now, Washingtub!” Caboose exclaimed.
 
Applejack gave an amused chuckle. “I guess that’s one way of sayin’ what I was gettin’ at.”

“Yep! And that means we can do friend things now! I’ve already scheduled some time for ice skating, kite flying, ice cream eating, fire extinguishing….”
 
As Caboose went on, Washington was speechless. Here he was, thinking that these people had every reason to dislike him, only to be bluntly refuted. For what felt like the first time in years, Washington wasn’t sure what to think.
 
“Hey Wash, can I ask you a question?” Caboose asked. “Why don’t I ever see you smile?”
 
With some momentary confusion, Washington answered, “Uh… that would be because I’m wearing a helmet, Caboose.”
 
“Oh, ah, sorry. I should’ve said I was asking for Pinkie Pie,” Caboose said. “Sorry for the confusion.”
 
Washington just looked over at him incredulously. “That… literally didn’t explain anything.”
 
“Oh, Pinkie told me before we left that smiles aren’t just something you do with your face. That anyone can pretend to smile with their mouth, but when you smile for real, it shows in your entire self and how you talk and act and stuff,” Caboose said with a nod. “She’s really smart.”
 
“Huh. I thought you and Pinkie had a falling out, Caboose,” Church said behind them.
 
Caboose looked over his shoulder. “Nah, we’re still friends! We just decided to take a little break for a while.”
 
“I was gonna say that’s not something normal friends do, but then I remembered who I’m talking to.”
 
“Well?” Caboose asked, his attention fully on the Freelancer beside him. “Are you going to answer the question, Washington?”
 
“What? ‘Why don’t I smile?’” Washington asked, exasperation already starting to sink into his voice. When Caboose nodded aggressively, Washington sighed, “I don’t know, I guess I’ve been too preoccupied with more important things, like fighting Project Freelancer for instance.”
 
“Okay, what about after?”
 
“After?”
 
Caboose nodded again. “Yes. After. Do you think you’ll smile then?”
 
Washington groaned. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
 
“Well, what reason will ya have not to smile, Wash?” Applejack asked, though the wry smile of her own indicated she was only interested in testing the limits of Washington’s patience. “Once this whole Freelancer business is over, I reckon there’ll be plenty of celebratin’! Just a buncha friends havin’ a hoot together.”
 
“Friends?” Washington asked. “Why do you keep using that word in reference to us?”
 
“Why is the concept of friendship so difficult for you…” Applejack playfully jabbed him with a hoof, “...to grasp?”
 
“I guess it’s just been awhile since it was something I really thought about.”
 
Applejack’s playful smile slowly faded, and she looked at him curiously as she said, “What do ya mean? Didn’t you just say you had other friends?”
 
“Exactly. I had friends, but that was a long time ago.”
 
There was a pause before Applejack asked, “What happened?”
 
Washington sighed. He hadn’t talked about this in a long time, but before he could stop himself, the words just started spilling forth. “I was part of a team who were the best of the best. We may not have perfectly embodied the virtues of harmony, but we were close… the closest thing to a family I’ve ever had. It didn’t matter, though. In the end, they destroyed each other. Even the friend who’d looked out for me since the beginning eventually turned into a monster.”
 
They carried on silently for a few more moments. Applejack looked up at him the whole time with sorrowful eyes.
 
“Damn, you just… always know how to kill a good mood,” Church finally said. “Is that, like, one of your secret Freelancer powers or something?”
 
With a single humorless laugh, Washington smiled, but it wasn’t one that would have satisfied Pinkie Pie or Caboose. “I guess you could say that.”
 
Still, it didn’t kill the lighthearted mood nearly as much as what they heard next.
 
“Hey guys! C’mere!” Simmons called out. He and Twilight were at the top of a ridge a few feet away, looking at something over on the other side.
 
The others rushed to catch up, and soon were standing side by side with him and Twilight, looking out at the icy landscape ahead with them. Before them was a rather short mountain, the only thing setting it apart from the others around it being the wide path spiraling around its edge, leading up to a flat top. With all the snow, it almost looked like a giant ice cream cone with the top cut off.
 
“This is it: Stonespire Mountain,” Twilight said. “We’ve made it to the Forerunner ruins.”
 
 
 



 
 
 
“I don’t bucking believe it!” Silversteel exclaimed, his tone filled with excitement. “Aliens! I should’ve guessed it was aliens!”
 
Sunny Side and Silversteel stood side by side in the large snowy clearing among the few Whitewater sellswords that were left. They had arrived at the site of the camp a short distance away to find most of the company dead, with no sign of the targets. It was all Sunny could do not to let the immense relief show when they learned her friends had escaped. Shortly after, they’d run into Lieutenant Gilda Graywing—the griffon that had briefed them in the Crystal Empire—who was mopping up the last of the wights with about ten other sellswords.
 
“I mean, I had my money on these weapons coming from a secret government lab somewhere, but aliens?!” Silversteel continued.
 
“Hey, Silver? Maybe they’ll let you ride in their spaceship if you shut up,” Sunny snarked.
 
Technically, Sunny might not have been wrong. A Pelican dropship sat in the clearing right near its edge, a couple of gray-clad Freelancer soldiers standing around it.
 
“You’re just upset you didn’t think of it either!” Silversteel joked, jabbing her with a playful hoof.
 
“Both of you, can it!” ordered the harsh voice of Lieutenant Graywing as she fell in with the rest of the company.
 
It might have just been Sunny’s imagination, but their griffon contact looked much worse for wear than she had when they met her in the Crystal Empire. Her feathers were a mess, her temper was shorter, and most interestingly, her eyes were red and puffy. Sunny knew that look all too well. She must have been close with one of the sellswords that didn’t make it.
 
As it happened, Graywing’s order was not a way for her to simply vent her frustration. Sunny saw two figures approach, and immediately the meager company of sellswords stood at attention. The first was a unicorn mare whose fiery appearance immediately drew Sunny’s eye. Sunset Shimmer, Graywing had told her. The one beside her was a Recovery Agent of Project Freelancer dressed in gray armor with blue detail.
 
“Alright, listen up!” Sunset Shimmer spoke loudly and with authority. “For those of you who are still unaware, the CO of this company is dead.”
 
The sellswords around her remained silent, but Sunny noticed several nervous glances being exchanged between the various creatures. Sunset Shimmer started pacing along the assembled company as she continued.
 
“He was gunned down in cold blood by the enemy while trying to make terms with them.”
 
Beside her, Lieutenant Graywing’s knuckles cracked as she curled them into fists, and Sunny Side noticed she was trembling.
 
“In spite of this, our deal with Whitewater remains unchanged.” Sunset glanced over at the Recovery Agent at her side. “In fact, after talking to my friends at Project Freelancer, we’ve come to an agreement. In light of Commander Graywing’s determination to see this job through to the end, we’ve agreed to carry out our end of the bargain now.”
 
The Recovery Agent stepped forward next. “All of you will board the Pelican dropship to your left, which will fly you up to our flagship. Once there, each of you will undergo physical and psychological evaluation. Based on that, the Counselor of Project Freelancer will select the best candidates for our new experimental program.”
 
As the Recovery Agent finished, the sound of spinning rotors and an engine’s whine filled the clearing as another vessel touched down behind the pair a few feet away. The vehicle was comparatively smaller than a Pelican, with enough room for a squad of four, maybe five human soldiers in the open bay. A pair of wings each held up a rapidly spinning rotor.
 
“If you have any questions, please direct them to the Counselor when you speak with him,” Sunset Shimmer said as she and her partner began to make their way for the aircraft that just landed behind them. “Right now, Captain Donovan and I have urgent business to attend to.”
 
As Sunset and Donovan both climbed aboard the smaller aircraft, Sunny lined up with the rest of the sellswords to board the Pelican. She had a very bad feeling she knew exactly what kind of ‘experimental new program’ they were talking about. If there was any chance at all Project Freelancer was up to its old tricks, Sunny knew she needed to see it herself. To find whatever she could to make sure they were caught red handed this time. She just needed to have faith that her friends would be able to handle whatever else Project Freelancer tried to throw at them.
 
But when she got on board and looked back to watch Sunset and Donovan’s aircraft take off, Sunny realized she was going to need a lot of faith. She wasn’t quite able to keep her ears from wilting as she watched the vessel fall into formation with over a dozen other dropships, all heading the same direction.
 
 
 



 
 
 
“Knock knock!” Rarity called out as she knocked on the already open door to the reading area of the Canterlot archives. A bit unnecessary, but the action was more to make her presence known to the room’s weary looking occupant.
 
Spike looked up from the table where he’d been monotonously flipping through a book as big as he was. The tired expression on his adorable little face lit up as soon as he saw her.
 
“Oh! H-hi, Rarity!” the young drake said, looking at her the way a pony lost in the desert for days might look at water.
 
“I thought you might need a little something to rejuvenate you,” Rarity said, levitating over a freshly boiled pot of tea and a couple of cups, each with a little bag of tea leaves.
 
“Oh thanks, Rarity,” Spike said gratefully as she set the cups down on the table and began to fill them, careful not to spill any on the massive tome in front of Spike. “You’re the best!”
 
Rarity smiled as she always did at Spike’s compliments. Though, this particular instance was likely more sincere than his usual attempts at flattery. The little guy really had his work cut out for him. Rarity saw the rows upon rows of shelves filled with massive books on her way in, each filled to the brim with dry information on everything from statistics of every major organization in Equestria to census data over the past millennium.
 
“So, how goes whatever research project Twilight’s tasked you with?” Rarity asked.
 
“Okay, I guess,” Spike said. “I think I’ve found about everything I’m gonna find.”
 
“And I helped!”
 
Rarity nearly had a heart attack when Pinkie Pie’s upside-down face suddenly filled her vision, before apparently falling from whatever she’d been perched on and landing on the floor at her feet. A quick glance confirmed that there was nothing above her that Pinkie could have been hanging from but the ceiling, and Rarity simply explained it as “Pinkie Pie”. As the chipper pink pony merrily bounced around the reading room, Rarity wondered whether she was the reason the archivist at the front looked so dour.
 
“Yeah, Pinkie’s actually been great at finding anything relevant to my research with her freaky Pinkie-ness,” Spike said.
 
The pink pony nodded enthusiastically as she pointed a hoof at the book currently on the table in front of Spike. “This one was under ‘B’ for ‘Baltimare!’”
 
Remembering the specifics of Twilight’s request, Rarity asked, “So what have you found out so  far, Spike?”
 
“Well, I’ve found out that Sunset Shimmer is in fact from this ‘Warmblood’ noble family,” Spike said, frowning contemplatively. “But I haven’t been able to find any connection to this ‘Sacred Home’ pony. Sunset’s parents are two noble ponies named Summer Breeze and Solaire d’ Celestia.”
 
Taking a sip from her own cup of tea, Rarity frowned. “Okay, so who’s Sacred Home, then?”
 
Spike took a rather excessive swig of his tea before answering, “A mystery.”
 
At Rarity’s raised brow, Spike continued, “I found a lot of old articles surrounding the Grand Galloping Gala about twenty years ago. A lot of ponies seemed to think he was seeing Princess Celestia.”
 
Rarity’s ears perked up. “Oh, of course! I remember reading something like that in a Canterlot tabloid when I was a filly.”
 
“Yeah, but the weird thing is, apart from that, there’s no record of a Sacred Home from house Warmblood in any of the census data of the last twenty years.”
 
“Well, there must be something,” Rarity said, moving behind Spike to look over his shoulder. Pinkie did the same, and was audibly chewing on something. “I’m sure this stallion didn’t just drop out of the sky.”
 
Spike shrugged. “Well, I’m looking at the House Warmblood family tree now, and the only Sacred Home I can find was part of a distant branch family.” Spike pointed out a picture of a gray unicorn stallion with a white mane and tail, as well as a bit of facial hair. “He looks just like the Sacred Home in the articles from twenty years ago, but this can’t be him.”
 
“Why’s that?”
 
“Look at the dates,” Spike said, and Rarity squinted to read the numbers below the photo: 877-945 AL. “He died more than fifty years ago.”
 
Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stared in silence at the perplexing information, each of them trying to figure out what it could mean.
 
“I’ve got it!” Pinkie exclaimed with a loud gasp. “He’s a vampire!” Evidently, some were having more difficulty wrapping their mind around the situation than others.
 
Leaning back in his chair, Spike sighed. “This would be so much easier if Twilight had just told me why she wanted to know all this stuff in the first place.”
 
Rarity delicately tapped a hoof to her chin. There were only a few reasons she could think of why Twilight would want to know about a noble family from Baltimare, and none of them made sense to her. But before she could voice any of her theories, the sound of delicate knocking suddenly made its way to her ears.
 
“Um… sorry, but… I’ve been trying to get your attention for a few minutes now,” Fluttershy said from the door frame.
 
“Yes, Fluttershy dear. Is there something you need?” Rarity asked.
 
“Um, yes. Tex said Princess Celestia wants us all to meet her in front of the castle immediately,” Fluttershy said, looking worried. “She said it’s an emergency!”
 
 
 



 
 
 
It was dark by the time Twilight and the trio accompanying her arrived at the flat, open summit of Stonespire Mountain. Agent Washington was leading the way, and Simmons was bringing up the rear. Church was in step at her side. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Caboose, and Donut were watching from an adjacent mountainside, ready to radio in with a warning if they spotted anything that looked like trouble heading their way.
 
One look at the large, wide-open summit of the mountain told Twilight this was it. The snow and icy rock beneath her hooves gave way to a pristine, smooth metal that covered the mountain’s flat surface. Twilight brushed away some of the snow covering the material, and let out a quiet gasp when she looked at it with her own eyes. It was unlike anything she had ever seen; the alien surface was absolutely flawless despite literal eons of exposure to the elements. A ring of ten-foot tall pillars stood around them, made of the same perfect alien metal as the ground they stood on.
 
With a sense of wonder, Twilight tried to imagine the harvest rituals performed here by the ancient crystal ponies, as described in Recolta Bogada. Did they have any idea they stood upon the very foundation of ponykind itself? The thought alone made Twilight weak in the knees.
 
“So, is anyone else kinda disappointed?” Church asked, causing Twilight to instantly snap at him with a glare. “I mean, when I heard we were looking for ancient alien ruins, I was expecting more of an impressive structure…”
 
Church’s complaining was cut short as something suddenly lit up when he and Washington drew close. What Twilight had initially thought to be a small stump close to the far edge made of the same material as everything else was now the base for a holographic control panel. The group of four gathered around it and with barely perceptible trepidation, Washington extended a hand and pressed a few holographic buttons.
 
The relative silence of the summit was broken by the activation of technology that had lain dormant for millennia. The whine of the alien tech was deafening as the pillars around them started to glow. The sound was so incredibly alien, Twilight almost thought it sounded like an ethereal howl. The four braced themselves as the otherworldly lights from the circle of pillars converged on the center, creating winds that blew all of the snow from the area and revealing the Forerunner material beneath. In a few moments, a large brightly glowing orb about the size of a cart floated in the center of the summit.
 
“What… is that?” Simmons asked, taking a tentative step closer.
 
Twilight did the same as she narrowed her eyes. The orb seemed slightly refractive based on the distortion of everything behind it. But what didn’t make sense to her was that she could see other colors mixed in with those of their surroundings. Colors like blue and a bright green that weren’t even remotely present on the cold mountain top.
 
“It’s a miniaturized Dyson Sphere…” Washington said breathlessly.
 
“The hell’s a Dyson Sphere?” Church asked.
 
“The official definition describes it as a hypothetical superstructure built around a star,” Washington explained, and already Twilight and the others were hanging on his every word. “But I think what we’re looking at here is a slipspace rift that leads to a Micro Dyson Sphere: a whole other world existing outside of conventional space-time. They found one on Onyx near the end of the Great War.”
 
Twilight just stared at the glowing orb, both fascinated and a little frightened by such overwhelmingly powerful technology. “And… you think what we’re looking for is in there?”
 
“Only one way to find out.”
 
The group of four approached the glowing orb and, after a moment’s hesitation, jumped inside together. The disorientation and sickness of teleportation hit Twilight hard as she fell through the rift. She wasn’t sure how long it’d been before she was on solid ground again, slowly crawling to her feet with the voices of Church and the others growing ever clearer. Twilight opened her eyes and gaped at what she saw.
 
She and the others stood atop an elevated platform comprised of elegant white metal and something resembling glass. All around them, green fields and trees stretched on as far as the eye could see. The sun shone brightly overhead; the fact that it had been night on the mountaintop mere moments ago further cementing the fact that they were no longer in Equestria. All of this paled in comparison to the massive structure towering over the landscape a fair distance away.
 
A huge Forerunner tower stood as tall as a mountain before them, seeming to claw at the sky above. Segments of the tower floated in place, as if to spite gravity simply because it could.
 
“That must be the facility,” Washington said.
 
“Really?” Simmons deadpanned, his eyes never leaving the towering structure. “You don’t say.”
 
Once she was over her initial shock, Twilight looked over at Church with a mischievous grin. “That an impressive enough structure for you?”
 
“Meh… I almost wonder if they were trying too hard,” Church replied, and Twilight giggled.
 
Without saying anything more, the four of them descended from atop the platform they appeared on and began walking toward the Forerunner structure. Despite their quick pace, it was still nearly a thirty-minute walk. In spite of the sheer beauty of the open plains and forests of trees, an eerie silence hung over the world. There was a conspicuous lack of wildlife to be found: no birds chirping or insects buzzing. There didn’t even seem to be any wind. Only silence. It was thus that Twilight elected to fill it with questions to Washington about the nature of the Dyson Sphere. Unfortunately, as the Freelancer stated, he was no physicist, and most of his answers were mere supposition based on what little he understood.
 
After finally arriving at the entrance to the Forerunner structure, the group wasted no time entering. The interior of the structure was vast and empty, seeming to consist of a maze of metal corridors with glowing blue lines running through the walls. It wasn’t long before they came to a small hexagonal room with a thin column of light stretching into a long shaft above. It was as Washington activated another holographic control panel that Twilight realized it was an elevator. With a smooth motion, the hexagonal platform began to rise, traveling along the column of light in the center of the shaft as if being pulled along by it.
 
They arrived at the top of the shaft to another identical chamber, and the four continued along. They passed an opening in the structure leading to a viewing platform that overlooked the world below, and Twilight guessed they were about halfway up the first segment of the tower. The next room over held a bit more promise. Olive green crates and equipment lay strewn about the chamber, many with the image of an eagle with its wings spread atop the world; the emblem of the UNSC.
 
“This must be where Project Freelancer was set up when they were here before,” Washington said. “If this equipment is still here, that means we must have gotten here first, otherwise they would have cleared it out. And that means….”
 
“There still might be records of what they were doing somewhere!” Twilight exclaimed.
 
“Exactly. I’ll see if I can find anything in the logs and data entries here,” Washington said as he moved to an equipment case with a couple of computers flipped open on top. “Why don’t you three see what else you can find?”
 
With a nod, Twilight moved to the next room with Church and Simmons behind her. This area was a little darker than the others. A few spellcasting gems and runes were littered about along with more UNSC equipment. Additionally, a series of strange pods lined the walls. Twilight grew nervous as she looked at the far end of the room and noticed what appeared to be large glass tanks filled with familiar shapes.
 
Skinny, hairless ponies floated in discolored liquid, connected to many wires, and their ribs showing through their skin. They were completely still, and Twilight realized that if no one had been here in about twenty years, they probably weren’t alive anymore, assuming they ever were to begin with. Noticing the tubes connecting the tanks to the rows of pods along the wall, Twilight cautiously approached one. As she reached forward, the pod reacted and began to open with a hiss. Twilight yelped when a pony flopped out onto the floor in front of her.
 
It was a mare, beige with a two-toned brown and yellow mane and tail. Most perplexing of all, it had no cutie mark. Like the others, it didn’t seem to be alive, but unlike them it had been kept in perfect condition up until that point.
 
“Eugh! What the hell?!” Church exclaimed.
 
It took the few moments of shock to wear off before Twilight recalled the original purpose of this facility.
 
“According to the Monitor that Rainbow Dash found in the desert, the Forerunners created this place to repopulate the pony race,” she said, looking down at the lifeless mare at her feet. “This specimen must be a result of that endeavor.”
 
“Okay, and what about those?” Church asked, glancing back at the ponies floating in tanks.
 
“This looks like human technology,” Simmons said, taking a closer look at the tanks. “Whoever was here before must have been trying to replicate the Forerunners’ project.”
 
Twilight wasn’t sure what that could mean, only that it made her profoundly uneasy. While Church and Simmons continued investigating the room, Twilight decided to move to the next, eager to get out of the unsettling atmosphere. The next room was no more comforting than the last.
 
It was round, and lit only by a few blue lights that Twilight couldn’t identify the source of. Apart from a few pieces of research equipment, the only thing in the room was a cylindrical, pedestal-like device in the center. As Twilight approached it, the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. She had the feeling of unseen eyes on her. Just like she had in the A.I. storage facility in Freelancer Command. Just like she had with Gamma on the ship near Dodge City at the very beginning.
 
As she drew nearer, a little round light began to take shape above the pedestal. It just floated there, and as Twilight stared at it, she got the feeling that it was staring back. Then it moved. It circled around Twilight, as if studying her. Then she heard something: a tiny, faint voice just on the edge of her hearing calling out to her with an unfamiliar name. It was then that she started to realize what she was looking at. The sudden sound of Washington’s voice in her ears practically made her jump.
 
“Twilight, Simmons, Church, do you copy?”
 
A chorus of affirmatives responded quickly.
 
“What’s up, Wash? You find anything?” Church asked.
 
“That’s what’s puzzling me,” Washington said. “There’s very little data here about what they were actually doing.”
 
“You mean they never bothered to record any of it?” Simmons asked. “I thought these guys were pros.”
 
“That’s the thing. There’s… gaps in the data, like it was erased. I suppose they could have cleared everything before abandoning the project twenty years ago, but that doesn’t make sense. The only reason the Director didn’t return after all these years was because he was set back by the Freelancer break-in. They couldn’t have predicted that beforehand. The only other explanation is….” Washington trailed off. “Never mind. What’s your status? Have you found anything?”
 
Her eyes never leaving the little floating ball of light, Twilight reached up and spoke into her headset. “I… I think I found an A.I.!”
 
The glowing ball settled back over its pedestal and started to shift and fluctuate. Studying it curiously, Twilight took a few nervous steps back. That was when she noticed the floor around it. Gemstones lay around the pedestal in a precisely made circle. When she looked closer, Twilight spotted faint traces of rune-casting chalk on the floor around it. That was when she realized.
 
“Wait… it’s not an A.I.,” she said as the ethereal shape took form in front of her. The ghostly figure of a pony now locked eyes with hers. Something about it made Twilight unable to look away.
 
Then without warning, the construct lunged forward, and suddenly Twilight couldn’t stop screaming.
 
 
 






Princess Celestia locked eyes with the human woman across the table. As the two of them sat in the featureless (save for the two-way mirror beside them) interrogation room deep in the heart of Canterlot Castle, Celestia reflected on how their roles were now completely reversed from what they had been the other night. Now, Jane Osgoode was her prisoner, and Celestia needed information from her. The other captured Freelancer personnel had been very difficult during their own sessions of questioning. The dark-haired woman sitting across from her now seemed to be Celestia’s best bet at getting any answers.

“Captain, I know you know something about those Forerunner ruins,” Celestia said placatingly. Luna’s own tactic of “scream at her in the Royal Canterlot Voice” had proved to be ineffective at getting her talking, so Celestia tried the gentler approach. “Your men told me that you were in charge of the search team in the Frozen North when I spoke with them.”

The other soldiers had said nothing of the sort, of course. But Celestia suspected it was the case based on conversations she’d overheard between Osgoode and Wyoming, and based on the way the woman’s brown eyes flicked away at that moment, Celestia had guessed right. Captain Osgoode remained quiet, though.

“My protègè is leading a search party in the North as we speak, and it’s only a matter of time before she finds them,” Celestia continued. “You might as well just tell us everything you know now and save everyone a lot of trouble.”

Finally, Osgoode looked up at her. There wasn’t any hate or xenophobic passion like she’d seen with all the others. In fact, Osgoode looked surprisingly calm, but Celestia detected a hint of uncertainty buried deep behind those impenetrable brown eyes.

“You weren’t just being nice when you gave me that book, were you?” the Recovery Agent asked. “They warned me you were crafty, but when you showed me that picture…” Osgoode gave a single humorless laugh. “It took me a damn long time to figure out what you were trying to pull.”

“I wasn’t trying to trick you, Captain. On the contrary: I was trying to open your eyes. The Director of Project Freelancer has been here before, and he’s committed major crimes.” Celestia chose not to mention her own role in those crimes as she leaned forward, putting her head at eye level with the captain and looking at her imploringly. 

“All I’ve ever wanted is to keep him from hurting any more of the ponies who are so precious to me, so please. Don’t keep silent if what you know could save lives!” Celestia ignored the irony of her own words.

Captain Osgoode looked away again, and Celestia was almost ready to give up before she finally answered. “You’re right. I led the search team in the Frozen North. Whatever data Project Freelancer had on the location of the ruins must have been lost at some point. Probably during the Freelancer break-in.”

Celestia had figured as much. In fact, her plan had hinged on it.

“But we managed to find it again,” Osgoode continued, and although Celestia’s outer mask held, a deep pit of worry began to form in her chest.

“How much did you manage to recover?” she asked.

“That’s the weird part. Apart from clearing all relevant data to the project, our orders were to leave everything else untouched. Even the A.I. we found.”

“Ancora…” Celestia whispered.

“Whatever’s really going on, you probably know more about it than I do,” Osgoode said, sitting back in her chair. Now the woman just looked tired.

After thanking Jane Osgoode, Celestia assured her that she would put in a good word for her with the Oversight Subcommittee before turning to leave the interrogation room. Princess Luna was waiting for her in the next room.

“Practice what you preach, sister,” she said, and Celestia knew in an instant what she was referring to.

“Luna? I thought you were going over reports on the campaign in the Foal Mountains and the Everfree Forest,” Celestia said.

“I was when one such report just arrived which I believe requires your immediate attention.” Luna presented the parchment in her dusk blue magical glow and Celestia took it in her own.

The report was from Captain Tornado Kicker, one of the ponies trained by Washington and those two Red sim troopers. Last she heard, Kicker’s forces had found what he believed to be the main base of operations for Project Freelancer’s ground forces at the Castle of the Two Sisters, and had requested additional supplies and troops to take them out. Celestia wasted no time in skimming through the report, but Luna spared her the trouble and explained the most important part.

“The Freelancer force in the Everfree has completely pulled out. No word yet from Captain Striker in the mountains, but I suspect she’ll report the same.” The pit of worry in Celestia’s stomach grew deeper as Luna continued. “Kicker says he last saw their ships heading north with due haste.”

Oh dear. Celestia’s facade remained perfect, but Luna saw through it in an instant and tilted her head.

“Luna, can you see to it that the Royal Train is ready for departure as soon as possible?” Celestia looked up to address the M.I. who had been watching all along. “Agent Texas?”

A little transparent figure in dark armor appeared before her. “What’s the situation, Princess?”

“I need you to have the others meet me in front of the castle immediately.”

With a nod, Tex’s image disappeared while Luna looked at her sister with concern. “What is going on?”

Celestia’s facade began to crack as she looked her sister in the eye. “I’m a fool, Luna. I’ve sent Twilight right into their trap, and I fear we may already be too late!”

Wasting no more time, Celestia turned and entered the hallway, starting a brisk trot towards the castle entrance. Well, Luna. When you’re right, you’re right. Time to practice what I preach.









By the time the group arrived at the Canterlot train station, Rarity was winded. When she, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy met up with Princess Celestia in front of the castle, she’d wasted no time in running them all the way to the train station. Celestia had asked Spike to stay behind, and given the absence of Tucker, Grif, and Sarge, Rarity guessed that either they had received a similar request or had simply elected not to join them. Princess Luna and a contingent of Royal Guards waited for them there, along with a pristine white train with blue and gold detail.

“We’re almost ready to depart,” Luna informed her sister as they approached. “Conductor Steam Whistle just has a few more preparations to make before we’re ready.”

Rarity looked at the engine in awe as she realized what it was. “Is that… the Royal Train?” 

The Princess’ personal train was supposed to be the epitome of luxury, traveling between the country’s main tracks and the princess’ own secret private tracks to traverse Equestria as quickly as possible. The princess’ themselves rarely used it anymore, though, preferring their sky chariots ever since their invention. Of course, it seemed unlikely that all of them would be able to fit in a sky chariot, especially with a couple of dozen guards preparing to load out.

Rarity then realized the implications of the fact that the princess’ were trying to move troops across the country as quickly as possible. “Twilight and the others in the North. They’re in danger, aren’t they?”

A silence fell over the group, and for a moment the hiss of steam from the engine was all that remained. Celestia exchanged a glance with her sister, and steeling herself, turned to address the ponies before her.

“I take it Twilight has relayed the information I gave her when we spoke in the dreamscape a few days ago?”

Remembering what Twilight had told them of Celestia’s history with Sunset Shimmer and Project Freelancer, Rarity and the others nodded.

“There were some… details I left out in my talk with Twilight,” Celestia continued. “You see, when I sent my then protègè Sunset Shimmer to learn about human A.I.s, I did so with the instructions to create an M.I. of her own based on what she learned.

“The goal was to create a metastable construct that was completely immune to the Rampancy inherent in the M.I.s of old, and which manifests in human A.I.s after seven years. You see, only a construct immune to corruption would have been able to free Luna from Night Mare’s influence.”

“Oooooh, kinda like how Tex freed me from O’Malley!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a rare moment of being the first to grasp the explanation presented.

At that, the M.I. in question suddenly appeared in front of her, and Rarity realized with mild surprise that she must once again be riding along in Pinkie’s head. “Well, I’d say a good part of that was freeing O’Malley from you.”

“So, um… did Sunset manage to create the M.I.?” Fluttershy asked.

Celestia nodded. “It was called Ancora. But when I found out what she and the Director were doing to Alpha, I made her abandon the project. That was ultimately what led to things coming to blows between us.”

Rarity thought she was beginning to understand. “So that’s what’s hidden in those ruins? Sunset Shimmer’s M.I.?”








 
“What happened?!” Washington exclaimed as he entered the room where Church and Simmons were standing around Twilight, appearing to have no idea how to handle what was happening. The little unicorn was on the floor, tears running down her face as she clutched her head and screamed.
 
“I don’t know!” Church shouted over her. “One minute we’re talking on the radio, the next she’s… this!”
 
“Didn’t she say she found an A.I. or something?” Simmons asked.
 
Cursing, Washington looked from Church and Simmons to the pony writhing in agony at their feet. He realized what was going on, and knew they needed to act fast. Crouching beside Twilight, the Freelancer raised a fist and sharply struck Twilight in the back of the head, silencing her instantly.
 
“Holy fuck!” Church shouted.
 
“Why the fuck did you do that?! What’s wrong with you?!” Simmons shouted.
 
“Trust me, it’s for her own good,” Washington said, standing. “One of you carry her. We have to leave. Now!”
 
“What’s going on?” Simmons asked, picking up Twilight with a grunt of effort and gently slinging her over his shoulder.
 
“I was wrong,” Washington said, turning with his BR raised as they doubled back towards the elevator. “Project Freelancer got here first. They just left behind enough of their old stuff for us to think we beat them here.”
 
Church looked at Washington curiously as they passed the pods and tanks in the next room. “Wait, you don’t mean…?”
 
“We walked into a trap,” Washington said, carefully checking around the corner of the next room before moving forward. “Project Freelancer left that construct here knowing that Twilight would find it.”
 
“Are you saying they knew this would happen?” Simmons asked, shifting Twilight’s weight over his shoulder as they passed through the room filled with UNSC equipment. “Just what was that thing?”
 
As they passed the opening leading to the viewing platform, Church stepped out and took a look at the landscape below through the scope of his sniper rifle.
 
“Uh oh, I’ve got movement,” he reported. “Looks like a bunch of guys just came through the slipspace rift.”
 
Washington looked from Church to Simmons. “Look, I’ll explain everything later. Right now we need to move. We’ll get back to Equestria and then regroup with the others!”
 
With haste, the three of them descended the elevator and left the structure with the unconscious Twilight in tow. Washington led them through the thickly wooded areas, taking time to avoid any of the wide open plains. It took them over forty-five minutes to make it back to the platform where the slipspace rift was, fortunately avoiding encounters with any of the Freelancer soldiers heading for the facility.
 
Unfortunately, about four were waiting for them when they reached the top.
 
“Contacts at the entry point!” one of them cried as all of them raised their weapons.
 
Washington’s BR was ready first, and he downed two of them in quick succession. Church forced one of them back behind a low wall near the back of the platform with a few poorly aimed shots, and Simmons tried to draw his sidearm with his free hand to take out the fourth.
 
He wasn’t fast enough.
 
A burst from the gray soldier’s BR hit Simmons directly in the stomach and the maroon man fell to one knee, holding onto Twilight so as not to drop her. Washington felled the enemy soldier with a well-placed shot of his own. That was when the soldier behind the low wall lobbed a grenade in their direction. Washington took him out quickly, but the grenade landed between them. He and Church just had enough time to duck down the ramp. Still bleeding and hunched over on one knee, Simmons turned away from the grenade and held Twilight to his chest, covering her with his body.
 
After the grenade exploded, Church scrambled back up the ramp with Washington right behind him. They found Simmons on the ground, still holding on to Twilight tightly. The back of his maroon armor was charred black where the grenade went off, and a puddle of blood slowly expanded under him. His rocket launcher was burnt and a little beaten up, but it looked like the damage was only cosmetic.
 
“Oh, shit! Simmons!” Church said, kneeling beside him. “Buddy?” Church turned him over, and his grip on Twilight slackened as he let out a haggard cough. “Hey, he lives! And look, Twilight’s fine!”
 
“Nice work, soldier,” Washington said behind him.
 
“Yeah, you’re on your way to a purple heart for sure!”
 
Simmons just kept coughing, and soon his coughs were simply ragged gasps for air. “Fuck…. I think… ‘M done….”
 
“Don’t worry, man. I can carry Twilight,” Church said, reaching over and gently taking the little unconscious unicorn from Simmons’ grasp. “Wash can carry you out of here.”
 
“No… I mean… I’m done.”
 
“C’mon, dude. We just gotta get you out of here and patch you up.”
 
“Church,” Washington said, looking at them soberly. “I don’t think he’s gonna make it.”
 
“Bullshit! Man, you always know how to kill a good mood!”
 
The sounds of distant shouts in the direction of the ancient facility drew their attention as the rest of the Freelancer forces that entered the Dyson Sphere started doubling back.
 
“We need to get moving,” Washington said, going to the holographic control panel and summoning the slipspace rift.

Church glanced at the unconscious pony in his grasp. “Wash, can you carry him?”
 
“‘S much as I… really… fuckin’ hate to say it… I’ll just slow you guys down…” Simmons said wearily. “I don’t wanna be the asshole that gets everyone killed....” With a grunt of pain, Simmons reached around and pulled the rocket launcher from his back. “Do you think… if I blow up that control panel… it’ll keep those assholes from following you guys out?”
 
Washington gave it some thought. “I’m sure it’ll at least buy us time.”
 
“Go then,” Simmons said, then gave a sad sigh. “I’ve always wanted to die alone after telling a bunch of people I hate that I was right... but this isn’t quite how I imagined it.”

“Hey, when you see Grif again… tell him…” Simmons continued. “Tell him he can’t have any of my stuff, or I’ll fucking haunt his ass.”
 
Church just stood there, unable to move until Washington practically dragged him toward the rift. Before disappearing through the brightly glowing sphere, he turned to look back at the man in maroon.
 
“Y’know… out of all the Reds in our canyon, I’ve always hated you... I’ve always hated you the most,” Church said. “But what you did for Twilight—not just saving her life now, but being her first friend in Blood Gulch—that’s pretty cool of you, Simmons.”
 
Simmons looked up, but Church wasn’t sure whether he was looking at him, or the pony over his shoulder.
 
“Eh. What can I say…? That’s just what friends do for each other….”
 
 
 



 
 
 
Church and Washington emerged from the slipspace rift with Twilight in tow, and found themselves back on the dark mountain summit. It was only a few moments later when the last light from the rift flickered and died, returning the summit to stillness. Church turned and looked back at where the glowing orb had once been, and Washington had a feeling he knew what was on his mind. They didn’t have time to mourn, though, as the sounds of more Freelancer soldiers barking orders and the whine of engines carried along the winds.
 
The pair cautiously crept to the edge of the summit and looked down. Dozens of men in gray armor were hastily making their way along the various paths and ledges snaking their way up the mountain. A few Pelican dropships had landed on several of the mountain’s wider ledges, and more were approaching over the horizon. A lone dual-rotor transport chopper—a Falcon—circled overhead, watching and waiting.
 
“Oh, there you guys are! We’ve been trying to reach you for ages,” Donut’s voice crackled over the radio. “Just so you’re aware, there’s a few bad guys heading your way.”
 
“Oh, really?! You think!?” Church exclaimed as he and Washington backed away from the ledge.

“Pick up the pace, I think I saw something up there!” one of the soldiers below shouted, and Church and Washington retreated behind a couple of the metal pillars as the Falcon circled overhead.
 
Washington gritted his teeth under his helmet. He knew what he had to do now, but that didn’t make it any easier.
 
“Think we can climb down another way?” Church asked. Pelicans were landing on the open sections of the mountain on all sides, but there might have been a gap somewhere.
 
The two of them approached the edge of the summit where they’d seen the least amount of Pelicans land and found a steep drop leading to a slope covered with snowy pines. Too thick for any dropship to land.
 
“Go. I’ll watch your back from up here!” Washington said.
 
Nodding, Church held the unconscious Twilight tightly before he jumped and slid down the icy ledge, landing roughly on the slope at the bottom. He then ran into the trees, focused on his sprint and wary of his surroundings. Church was so busy looking for enemies in his immediate vicinity, he failed to check his six. He didn’t notice when Washington adjusted his sights to put him in the center of his targeting reticle. He didn’t expect the sudden BR burst that entered his back, sending him and Twilight tumbling to the snow.
 
As Washington lowered his smoking rifle, a dozen Freelancer soldiers reached the summit and the circling Falcon came down for a landing. The soldiers all surrounded the Freelancer, weapons raised and shouting at him to drop his weapon and show them his hands.
 
“All of you stand down!” a voice shouted over the rotors of the Falcon as a fiery unicorn mare and a Recovery Agent hopped out. 

“He’s with us!” Captain Donovan barked, and with a few exchanged glances, the gray soldiers all lowered their weapons.
 
“Nice work, Recovery One. You played your part well,” Sunset Shimmer said as she and Donovan approached Washington. “I guess the Director was wrong not to trust you with this after all.”
 
Washington said nothing, merely giving the pair a curt nod. Donovan addressed a few of his men.
 
“Collect the targets,” he ordered.
 
Three of the gray-clad soldiers hopped down to the slope below and made their way over to Church and Twilight’s still forms.
 
“How soon do we depart for the Mother of Invention?” Washington asked.
 
“Donovan and I are leaving immediately,” Sunset answered. “You, on the other hoof…. Do you think the others ever suspected?”

With some hesitation, Washington answered, “It seems unlikely.”

“Then we want you to remain here.”
 
Washington’s grip on his rifle tightened. “But… won’t the Director want a full report?”
 
“We can do that. You just regroup with the rest of those idiots and keep us informed on what they’re planning. Princess Celestia does trust you, after all.” Sunset’s gaze then drifted over to the slope below, where the Recovery Agents were picking up Church and Twilight’s limp forms. “Oh, I am so looking forward to finally continuing where we left off after all these years!”
 
Several minutes passed as the two priority targets were hoisted onto a Pelican, and before long Sunset, Donovan, and the rest of the Freelancer force was gone. By all outward appearances, Washington was alone on the summit amongst the Forerunner ruins. But he knew better.
 
“Alright, I know you’re still here,” he said loudly, looking all around as he seemed to address the mountain as a whole. “Come on out. We have a lot to talk about.”
 
Washington was answered by the appearance of an apparition in white armor holding a sniper rifle.
 
“You’ve got that right, you lying, double-crossing motherfucker!” Church seethed before lunging forward, merging his holographic form with Washington.
 
The Freelancer made no move to prevent it. He even left his radio open.
 
 
 






The muted click-clack of the wheels on the track punctuated the silences between talk. The Royal Train was not only far faster than the average locomotive, but it was unnaturally smooth, and Rarity felt almost as if they were gliding along. Trees, mountains, and the occasional farm whooshed by soundlessly. Rarity could hardly enjoy the train’s luxury, though. Not when she knew her friends in the Frozen North were in danger. Not when her princess had new truths to bare.

Princess Celestia had paused her explanation when it was time to board the train, and then she had to attend her celestial duties. Only after the sun was a faint orange glow at the edge of the horizon, and Luna started her task of raising the moon did Celestia finally continue.

“There’s more. If you’ll recall, the Director and Sunset Shimmer found the Forerunner ruins but kept me in the dark about it. That was because they were trying to integrate that technology into the Ancora project.

“The Forerunner site they discovered was a repopulation facility: A place equipped with pony DNA, embryos, and the technology required to create living, flesh-and-blood ponies. The Director and Sunset Shimmer actually created a living, biological construct, and what was more, they started fragmenting it the same way they did Alpha.”

Pinkie Pie raised a hoof. “So… in case some of us don’t remember, remind us again how they did that?”

Celestia gave them a hard look. “Psychological torture. Putting them in scenarios designed for them to fail, and to make them think their failures were hurting their loved ones.”

“Oh….” Pinkie lowered her hoof, and the pink pony looked a little more deflated than usual.

“Fortunately, they were only able to make one fragment by the time I put a stop to the project and confiscated Ancora. Still, I had a living M.I. in my hooves, and I needed to hide it should the Director or Sunset Shimmer ever return to find it.” 

“So, you hid it in the Forerunner ruins?” Fluttershy asked.

“Wait… but that doesn’t make sense,” Rarity realized. “Twilight said you didn’t even know where the ruins are!”

“That’s right,” Celestia said. “The fragment that Sunset created remained at the ruins, regrettably out of my reach, but Sunset made the mistake of keeping the actual M.I. with her at all times. So after I took it from her, I gave it a new name and discreetly placed it into Equestria’s foalcare system. Since many of its stronger abilities were lost when it was fragmented, it would appear as nothing more than an ordinary foal.

“With some subtle manipulations, I was able to ensure Ancora was adopted by loving parents, and even though my original planned use for the M.I. never came fruition, Ancora would eventually come to fulfill its purpose in another way.” 

The three ponies exchanged a glance as they considered everything they’d learned. It was Rarity who eventually spoke. “Now, hold on a moment… if this Ancora thing is somewhere in Equestria masquerading as a regular pony, then why send Twilight and the others to the North?”

“Because by itself, Ancora wouldn’t prove anything. What we needed to shut down Project Freelancer was the evidence provided by the data on the Ancora project, which would still have been at the ruins had Freelancer forces not found them first.”

Rarity frowned. None of this explained the reason they were rushing to the Frozen North now.

“Sooo… shouldn’t we try to find this ‘Ancora’ pony instead?” Pinkie asked.

“No need,” Celestia said. “I have been watching over Ancora for her entire life. Ever since that fateful day when she tried applying to my school.”

Suddenly, the pieces started falling into place, just like in so many of Rarity’s Shadow Spade novels. But the picture they were forming seemed impossible.

“No,” Rarity said, shaking her head in disbelief. “No, no, no, no, no. You can’t be serious….”

“I am,” Celestia stated firmly. “That is why Twilight is in such danger. It’s why her magical ability is so much stronger and more versatile than any ordinary unicorn. It’s why Gamma teleported her to Blood Gulch at the start of all this—right into Project Freelancer’s hands. Why they’ve been pursuing her relentlessly all this time. It’s also why I felt obligated to take her under my wing after the incident during her entrance exam.”

For the first time during the conversation Celestia’s face softened, and her look turned sad. “Why I came to love her as if I were her own mother—because in a way, that’s exactly what I am to her.”

“What… what are you saying, Princess?” Fluttershy asked, she and Pinkie looking at the alicorn with uncertainty.

Her eyes brimming with tears as everything she thought she knew about her friend came crashing down, Rarity turned to them. “Must she spell it out for you?”







 
 
She waited in a bright, featureless hall in Canterlot Castle, a red sky outside. A pair of double doors loomed over her. She couldn’t remember exactly what she was doing here, just that it was important. Lives were depending on her calculations.
 
“Ancora?” A soft, soothing voice spoke to her, and it took a moment for her to realize the name it was calling was hers. It was strange; she felt like she had another name once, but it was foggy and distant, like a half-remembered dream.

“Ancora, are you there?” the soft voice said again. She wasn’t sure how, but Ancora realized she knew it’s identity.
 
“I’m here, Counselor,” she said with a smile. “Did the mission go well?”
 
The voice hesitated, and Ancora grew worried. “Perhaps you should ask the Director.”
 
“Why hello, Ancora,” said a smooth deep voice with a Southern drawl behind her.
 
She turned and found herself face to face with a pony, an older gray unicorn stallion with a white mane and tail. Somehow, she didn’t even hear him come in, but she recognized him immediately as Sacred Home, her father. No… that wasn’t right. Her creator.
 
“Director, is something wrong?” she asked.
 
Sacred Home just looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Ancora. The strategy you calculated failed. The enemy anticipated it.”
 
She felt her ears wilt and a lump form in her throat. She hated failure. Would Princess Celestia punish her? Dismiss her as her student? Send her back to magic kindergarten? And her friends….
 
“Was anyone hurt?” she asked, her heart beating faster.
 
“I’m afraid so. Many were wounded, and one died.”
 
She gasped, and covered her mouth with a purple hoof. Oh no….
 
“Who?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Who died?”
 
Sacred Home gestured with his head to the double doors looming over them. “She’s just through there. I’m so sorry.”
 
As if responding to his words, the doors slowly opened, and Ancora walked through, dreading what she’d find. A gurney waited for her on the other side, holding a pony. Her heart beating faster and faster, Ancora walked closer until she could see the dead pony clearly, and what she saw crushed her like a heavy stone on her chest.
 
“Oh no… nononononononononpleasepleasepleaseno…” she cried as Rainbow Dash looked back at her with a pair of lifeless magenta eyes.
 
Tears filling her own eyes, she reached over and held her friend’s hoof tightly. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault... it’s all my fault….”
 
So drawn into her sorrow was Ancora that she didn’t see the grin slowly spreading across Sacred Home’s face as he stood just behind her.
 
“It isn’t your fault,” he said. “Perhaps it’s best for you to just… let it go.”
 
But she couldn’t, no matter how hard she tried. Rainbow Dash’s dead eyes wouldn’t stop looking back at her. So, with tears pouring down her face, Ancora reached over and closed her eyes for her, feeling like a piece of herself had been severed in the process.