10 - Equiculture
=== Chapter 10: Equiculture ===
Spiral looked down at the peacefully sleeping mare, reaching forward to wipe away the string of drool from her slightly open mouth. "Well, Ogive, looks like it's your turn to die," she said softly, pulling out her injection gun. It was the middle of the day and the only conscious pony anywhere nearby was Lilac; the young stallion formed a little knot of awareness at the back of her head, his own attention focused on the painstaking process of rebuilding his gut.
First the drugs, deepening the mare's level of sedation, then the magic and the tube down her throat. Ogive was the third pony that Spiral had 'killed' in the last two kiloseconds, and the task was getting easier and easier. While she worked, Spiral opened a link to her communicator, composing the standard death notification. This done, she carefully lifted the cold mare out of her stall, floating her into the corridor in a haze of green light. The heavy black plastic bag was already open, and Spiral--
# Spiral Fracture CW8002 will report to Naraka Centre for Biological Research. Non-discretionary; arrival required within ten kiloseconds. #
--staggered, her legs suddenly going weak. Leaning against the nearest wall, she carefully lowered the bagged mare to the floor, then sank to her knees, breathing heavily. Think, filly, think! Spiral inhaled deeply and held it, releasing the air slowly. It can't be too bad, otherwise they'd be here already. She closed her eyes, mind whirling as she struggled to remember any other times she'd been recalled to Naraka without warning. Nothing, this has never happened before. Her eyes opened and she reluctantly looked at Ogive, still half out of the bag. But these are unique circumstances, aren’t they?
Trembling slightly, she pushed the mare all the way in, then folded the end over loosely and quickly moved her to stall eleven and into a cooled compartment. Reaching blindly around the back of the autoclave, she pulled out the crystal that served as a clairvoyance anchor and ground it into powder, throwing the gritty dust into the dispose-all. "Are you still watching over me?" she whispered, reaching for Lilac within their sharing. "I really hope so." The other pony, distracted from his magic, turned his attention to her. Lilac, the Eugenics Board has called me in; I don't know why.
The youngster was still in the storage closet, but his gasp was clearly audible. What are you going to do?
I have a short while yet; they have given me time to finish anything I might have started, so I suspect it's to do with the number of deaths. Spiral felt her initial panic subside as she thought over the statement, nodding slowly. Yes, that makes sense... but the real problem will come if they want to examine me.
You can't go, you mustn't! Lilac's thoughts were nearly incoherent with panic.
Spiral's horn flared and she swept her magic through Ogive and the other two ponies, making sure her cardiopulmonary spell was functioning as she'd intended. If I stay, they will know I've disobeyed a direct order. What do you think will happen then? she thought, trying to force her mind into the state of calm calculation that came with a medical emergency. It must have had some effect, because Lilac picked up on it and his mental background seemed to lose some of its dread.
Do you think they will examine you?
Probably not, now that I think about it. I suspect it will be so my Handler can judge for himself what my mental state is... I know ponies who have worse Masters. Handler Werin is-- Spiral groped for the right word to describe the Dog she spoke to perhaps once a megasecond. --paws off. He lets me get on with things, as long as there are no problems. I have been his for about half a gigasecond now. The green mare paused, gazing off into the distance. I might even get a chance to see Random... she thought, then shivered, trying to block out the images Fusion had shared with her, tears making her vision swim. Oh my baby, I hope things are better for you than they were. Taking a deep breath, she returned to the front of the infirmary, drawing her injection gun as she stepped through the doors.
There was a silent flash of white-gold from behind one of the unoccupied stall doors, then Fusion stepped out, leaning forward to hug the veterinarian. "What happened?" she said. "When I felt the crystal go, I assumed the worst."
Spiral stepped back, unconsciously rubbing her chest with one wing wrist. Even at this distance she could feel the static thrill of powerful magic, fading rapidly as the white mare reined in her power. "So I see. They want me to go to Naraka, in person. I have to leave within the next six kiloseconds."
Fusion stared at her, ears drooping. "I suppose they didn't say why." It was a statement, rather than a question, and Spiral shook her head. "They never do. Will you go, or would you rather disappear?"
Feeling dizzy again, Spiral leaned against the wall, her eyes wide. "You're giving me a choice? Surely I have to go?" You would abandon all these hard-won secrets for me?
"I think it might be better if you did... anything you can tell us about exactly where the foals are will make any rescue more likely to succeed," Fusion said quietly, "but I won't send you somewhere you don't want to go." She produced another small crystal, passing it to Spiral. "One that Gravity made; she always was better at remote viewing. Keep it with you, if you can. We will watch over you."
Spiral held the little thing, a multifaceted, apple-green gem that had a scar on one side from where it had been removed from some larger instrument, up in her magic, watching the light play over its surface. "I'll put it with the rest of my medical kit; that should give it some measure of camouflage. Where is your sister now?"
"Close by, but not so close that she might fall into any trap, should you have been discovered," Fusion said. "Your plan worked really well, by the way. Everypony is awake and fine... we had a few problems convincing them at first, but Gravity can be persuasive when she puts her mind to it."
I'll bet, Spiral thought, I've never met a pony as skilled as her at mind magic that didn't have it as their special talent. "Even Packet? I thought..."
Fusion shook her head, ears falling further. "We didn't try. Wanted to get this group settled first; Redshift and the others are keeping him comfortable." The mare stared at her hooves and sighed. "How long can we keep him under?"
"If you keep the suspension spell refreshed and make sure he's not lying on one spot for too long... he'll need IV fluids in a day or so, but after that he should be okay for maybe a megasecond. I should check him every day, to be on the safe side."
"I can't wait that long," Fusion said. "I want my friend back. I wish..."
Spiral nodded, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "So, same signal as before?" The mare held up the crystal and blew on it, letting it spin lazily in her telekinetic grasp.
"Yes. If you want out in a hurry, just break the gem and drop to the floor. Gravity and I will come and get you." The white mare gestured with her horn, waving it next to the floating crystal. "Don't take any chances; if you even think you are about to be discovered..."
Spiral nodded quickly, her ears folding flat. "You'll gallop to my rescue, I get it." She stared at the jewel with renewed intensity. Such a small thing to start a war.
===
Lilac watched Spiral go through his shadow sight, the glimmers of her horn and wings quickly disappearing into the magical background haze produced by the aggregated, distant Hive infrastructure. Shuffling his hooves, he generated a little pearl of pale purple light, just bright enough to delineate the darkness within his hiding place. Looking up into the towering shadows that hid the ceiling, he whined quietly at the back of his throat, and fought back the tears. What am I going to do if she doesn't come back? There's still so much I can't do.
He turned his gaze inwards, tracing the loops of his gut, now slightly shorter than it had been before he'd been shot. The individual sections were all joined, but still separated by thin membranes and awaiting inspection by Spiral before he opened them. "You've got friends, Lilac," he whispered, "but there are so many other ponies they need to take care of. I want to help them, but right now I'm just a burden."
And if they all go away, what then? If something bad happens to Spiral, I'm going to be stuck like this forever. He put out his light, reaching for the tissue manipulation spells and the conjoined sections of gut. If she doesn't come back, I'm going to have to do this anyway. Fluttering his wings in the darkness, Lilac carefully made the final alterations, watching with baited breath as the irregular motions of the muscles became more coherent, the once isolated sections twitching as peristaltic waves passed through them.
A kilosecond later and with no obvious problems, Lilac allowed himself to relax, jumping when his stomach rumbled loudly. One more test... He reached out, fumbling among the packs of medical supplies until he found what he was looking for. Cubic, it had the rough texture of compressed hay; on removal of the barrier film it filled his hiding space with the warm scent of grains and sugars. Swallowing to clear some of the saliva from his mouth, Lilac took a cautious nibble, then sighed at the flood of flavours. They never fed me anything this nice in the lab.
Mind drifting, he opened another of the ration blocks and ate that, suddenly struck by a memory. There was that one time, when one of the Students brought in... in... an apple? Is that what it was? Lilac inhaled deeply, the smell of the near-by orchards filling his nostrils. That one occurrence hadn't been repeated; his Master had given the Student such a dressing-down for 'disrupting the experiment' that Lilac had felt guilty for almost a megasecond. Suddenly, the food block tasted dry and dull compared to the remembered succulence of the fruit.
Carefully tucking the empty wrappings into the crack under the shelving, Lilac re-examined his innards, tracing the nerves running from leg to spine, stopping short at the wide break mid-back. Sighing, he opened his eyes and lit his horn, looking mournfully about the small space. "No escape there," he muttered, then used his magic to shift a hind leg that was pressing into his belly. Freezing, eyes wide, he gripped the whole leg, feeling the interplay of muscle, bone and tendon. The limb moved fluidly in his grasp, flexing through its whole range of motion. "Now why didn't I think of that before..."
Mouth slack, Lilac closed his eyes again, watching through shadow sight as he extended his telekinesis over his hindquarters and legs. Gripping so many things at once was a complex task, and more than once he accidentally kicked out, slamming a hoof into some unfortunate crate of supplies. Finally, he managed to get his foreknees under him, levering himself upright with wings and hindlegs. Leaning heavily against the side of the storage space, the youngster pushed out with one wing, then carefully retracted it.
Back legs covered with pale fire, front legs trembling with the effort of actually having to support his weight, Lilac stood upright for the first time in several days.
===
"Trocar, another amber one on your left. Pelvis, lower back, penetrating wound in abdomen."
Amber can wait a few moments, this one's nearly... the medic thought, nodding absently, mind focused on the shattered ribs of the Master in the mobile triage bay. Sweat soaked into the blue fur of his flanks, running unnoticed down the impermeable film that covered his whole body. Flesh parted and bone moved under the influence of his magic; jagged splinters were gently removed and packed back into a crude semblance of their original shapes. Tiny flickers of power welded the fragments together, just firmly enough to hold them in place. More power sealed off the countless damaged veins and arteries, working on the largest first and using material taken from blood already pooling between the organs.
...and where is Animal? The third member of their little emergency team had been absent for several days; rumour had been that he'd slipped into fugue after a particularly difficult task he'd been assigned at the Institute. Quite where the pony was, wasn't clear; he'd never returned to his home corral. I hope the Masters can provide a replacement soon; I think I lost at least one because... Trocar clamped down on the errant thought before it could really register, focusing his attention onto the chest cavity of the wounded female.
As much of the blood as possible had already been passed back into the circulatory system, but a half litre still remained; Trocar made a small opening in the side of the Master and pulled the liquid out, directing it into a waiting biohazard container. A critical eye surveyed his work; the female wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, unless she had a 'thaumic medical' marker on her file, but that wasn't his job. She would live to receive further treatment; that was all that mattered. A shove sent the patient off into the waiting ambulance for transfer to the hospital, where an actual Doctor would assess her long term care, but Trocar's mind was already reaching for the next Master.
He still had another ten kiloseconds left of his afternoon shift, but the time looked like it would be passing quickly. An accident on a feeder tunnel for one of Arcology Two's main transit routes had resulted in multiple casualties. Trocar had been with the mobile unit for the last fifteen kiloseconds, working his way from patient to patient, initially doing lots of little interventions to preserve immediate life, before coming back for more sustained repairs. That early panic was long gone; soon he'd have time to think about the few he'd failed to save, but for now the work kept his mind occupied and away from thoughts of punishment.
# Trocar Point PM8821 will report to Corral twenty seven and take over Spiral Fracture CW8002's duties until shift end. #
The medic froze, trying to parse the order, muttering, "Confirmed," under his breath in rote acceptance. His communicator pinged in the centre of his head in acknowledgement, leaving him staring at his next patient and wondering what it meant. Has something happened to Spiral? Sick worry gnawed at his insides; his mate had been on edge ever since Random Walk and Single Crystal had vanished; the news of Single's death had been a terrible blow, but he'd thought Spiral was starting to get over the worst of it.
Is it delayed shock? I had to leave her to deal with Slip, after she'd been forced to euthanize him. Trocar started to breathe quickly, shaking his head to dislodge the memory of Spiral's face as she'd pushed the needle into the stallion's neck. I wish my Master could have given me the time to help-- A vice contracted about his skull, the pain driving away the unpleasant vision. "Masters are the paws of the Maker," he muttered, making a conscious effort to slow his frantic breathing. "Please don't let it be the Maker's test; I couldn't stand it if..."
"Hey, Trocar, how are you getting on with... are you okay?"
A soft muzzle touched his, snapping him out of his dark reverie. Gamma Knife, the fine fur on his nose the only part of his golden coat visible, looked into his eyes, brow wrinkled with concern. "I've been ordered back to my home corral; something has happened to Spiral," he said hoarsely. "I'm sorry, I have to go."
"Orders are orders, pony. You get going; I can take care of this lot." He gestured with his horn, the movement taking in the remaining Masters. "I'll tell the rescue leader, if he hasn't already seen the order." Trocar glanced over at the little knot of Masters, all well muscled individuals made more bulky still by complex equipment vests. The leader was looking at something on his comms bracer, and his expression had just turned from focussed attention to anger. "Huh. Guess I won't have to. Come on, don't delay."
"Thanks, Gamma. Good luck." The stallion flicked his head in acknowledgement, but Trocar was already backing away, magic pulling apart his barrier suit and folding it so its blood-spattered surface was on the inside, before shoving it into a biohazard bin. Cool air, still smoky with combustion products, stroked his sweaty fur, and he spread his wings, fanning them vigorously to settle the long-confined feathers. Head up, he searched the high-ceilinged tunnel for the servitor flight path, then sprang into the air.
This section of the tunnel was deserted, the police having long since diverted the traffic around the blocked intersection. Just upstream were the heavy recovery platforms, busy pulling apart the tangled mass of vehicles; power bleed from the big thaumokinetic grabs made his horn twitch as he flew overhead. Past the final barricade, Trocar swooped into the main transit tunnel, a tube several times the diameter of the feeder route, and over the gridlocked traffic.
Spiralling upwards, Trocar skimmed along the roof, weaving between the lighting and communications infrastructure that hung down from top level supports, nodding in greeting to the occasional pony coming the other way. Ahead was a pillar of light; dust and smoke from the burnt vehicles dancing in the sunlight shining down through a big ventilation exhaust port. Wings outstretched, he circled the shaft and rested his aching muscles, allowing the rapid updraft to loft him out of the tunnels and into the daylight.
Squinting in the sudden brilliance of the surrounding farmland, Trocar pumped his wings and headed for his home corral.
===
The flight would have been a joy if it wasn't the weight of responsibility she had just left behind, or what might be waiting for her at Naraka. Spiral skimmed high over the top of a large cloud bank, waggling her wings in greeting to the ponies who were shepherding it towards a farm just over the horizon. The thing was large and took her nearly a quarter of a kilosecond to pass; black with rain, the weather team was in constant motion to keep the updrafts strong and prevent the precious water from raining out before it reached its destination. Little flashes of light marked the confined cloud's central core; pulses of electricity that marked out a powerful storm in the making.
Past this, the air was clean and fresh, empty of anything other than a few lost puffs of cloud -- too small for the weather team to bother with -- and the occasional pony on some errand for their Master. Following the silver thread of river, its course long since straightened and ordered, Spiral soon saw the first traces of Naraka on the horizon. A roughly circular pattern of forest encompassing the wedge-shaped fields that surrounded a central structure; it might have been one of the large farms, full of cattle for the Master's kitchens, but it wasn't cows that dwelled in its fields.
The density was far too low, for one. Little groups clustered in the wedges, still too distant to identify their species. Every herd was separated from the others; there wasn't one visible meeting between any of them; more unusually, for creatures who enjoyed taking wing, not one of them was flying. Spiral stared long and hard at the dark specks, looking for the one pony she knew must be there. Will she be outside, or somewhere deep inside the complex? she thought, flight rhythm becoming ragged as her mind wandered. Are you there, my baby? What about you, Gravity, are you using that clairvoyance anchor to study this place? There was no reply; even if Gravity did take the chance, this was not some sharing, just a faint, free-roaming magic that allowed a pony to see remotely.
Naraka's airspace was strictly regulated and monitored, and no over flights were allowed. The temptation to ignore the rules and go skimming low over the fields, searching every horn glow and wing glimmer for Random's colours, was almost impossible to ignore, but Spiral gritted her teeth and landed in the reception paddock on the perimeter of the site. This far out there was little that could be seen; even if she was to stand at the inner perimeter of the wooded area, high, opaque barriers blocked any view of the fields. Sight was denied to her by the combination of wall and distance, but nothing could stop the smell.
Ponies, lots of ponies; a melange of scents that overlapped and merged into a unified whole, rendering any attempt at identifying an individual pointless. What did come through were the scents of estrus, pregnancy, and of gryphon. The smell of the winged carnivores was faint, but obvious; their odour a hint of rankness amid herb-and-flowers smell of the massed ponies. So they still keep gryphons here as well, Spiral thought. The distance had been too great to be sure, but the body shapes were a little different even so.
Naraka was one of a pawful of places that maintained the pony population for this sector; every mare and stallion granted a procreation license would visit here at least once. The outer, wooded areas were a patchwork of secluded glades that isolated the couples and gave them a semblance of privacy, ensuring that neither partner was too distracted by the other possibilities amid the trees.
The scents and occasional noises drifting over the path brought back memories of her own visits to Naraka -- with Trocar and as a patient, rather than as a professional. For a moment she smiled; even with the drugs to trigger estrus, and the similar cocktail that Trocar had been given, it had taken several days until the Breeder had been satisfied, several days of...
Spiral's eyes widened, remembering the other order, the instruction to abstain from the Master's food for a megasecond before her visit. The desire to eat the stuff had been strong for those first few days, but the urge had passed quickly. They tell us in general terms what's in those pellets, but it would make sense that there's also something in there to suppress the ovulation cycle, if we have to stop eating the stuff.
Spiral's easy, collected canter subsided to a slow trot as she searched her memory for what little information she had about natural pony breeding cycles. There was precious little, just a dimly remembered comment by her trainer, back when she was still not quite a mare. Something about natural cycles every few megaseconds -- and there was that Breeder who gave me the drugs at the start; I've no idea what was in them, but I can imagine. He liked to talk, I remember that much... Spiral bit her lips, trying to force the distant memory to the forefront of her mind, past the veil of excitement that had shrouded that whole time. Something about day length? "Oh, Maker. If Fusion and the rest have stopped eating the stuff, this will make life complicated. I remember how distracted I was during my visit..."
The mare shook her head and resumed her canter; in a few seconds more she reached the reception paddock with its administration block, a low, isolated building abutting the inner perimeter of the wooded area. The paddock was a semi-circular grassy space surrounding it, ringed by dense bushes and high trees along the arc of the circle, with a high barricade separating the flat from the wedge-fields of Naraka proper. Just in front of administration was what looked like a shelter from any corral you might happen to come across, although in this case it was a combination feed, water and information station.
Lifting her panniers to allow air to reach the fur underneath, Spiral ambled past a small herd of youngsters, all without their labour tattoos and no doubt here as part of their Pathfinding, to dip her muzzle in the water trough running along one side of the reception area. The mare took a deep swallow, slaking the thirst brought on, not by the flight, but by a sudden bout of nervousness. She'd just taken a second swallow when her communicator pinged, marking its connection to the local network, followed by a quiet voice that emanated from the space between her ears.
# Spiral Fracture CW8002 will report to gate four, inner perimeter. #
That was quick! Normally it was a case of 'hurry up and wait' where the Masters were concerned, and Spiral spared a glance for the small group of adults in a tight huddle under the branches of a large tree. Stomach suddenly clenching into a tight knot, she trotted over to the indicated gate, but it remained stubbornly shut. Staring at the segmented metal surface in confusion, she reached out and manipulated the information screen next to it.
# Incorrect gate. Proceed to trackway gate for access to Naraka inner perimeter. #
The screen lit to show a little diagram of the reception paddock, the gate behind the administration block surrounded by a blinking circle. That can't be right, can it? Visiting ponies aren't allowed in... or is it that they just aren't allowed out? Spiral swallowed heavily, magic caressing the little gem Gravity had made, then she wheeled and trotted for the indicated gate. The space before the large metal barrier was clear of ponies; Spiral could feel more than one set of eyes on her as she waited for the gate to open wide enough for her to enter.
Once through the high barrier -- a concertina arrangement of brushed steel that was almost five lengths across and three high -- the trackway opened out before her. The same width as the gate and obviously designed for the movement of large equipment that couldn't easily be transported via the ubiquitous tunnel network, it was an even expanse of gravel between high walls separating it from the fields on either side. It was also completely deserted, and long enough that the end was hidden by the vanishing point. Spiral trotted on, head lowered, flinching when the gate ground shut behind her.
It was like travelling through some giant trench. Despite the wide path, the wall loomed oppressively, blocking out more of the empty sky than was reasonable for its height. Spiral slowed to a walk, trying to control her incipient panic with deep, measured breaths. Head coming up, she resolutely focused her gaze on the end of the path, still invisibly distant. Over that convergence of wall, path and sky squatted Naraka, or at least the facility's surface structure. The building, a monolithic pyramid made of black stone, looked just like a corral's Church, but built on a titanic scale.
The sight of the place, and the dark rumours that surrounded it, filled her belly with ice. Am I walking past you right now, Random? Involuntarily, she let out a whinny, the sound startlingly loud between the walls, ears sweeping in an instinctive search for a response. Faint but clear there came an answering neigh, the simple sound devoid of any information but the most basic, and most important. I hear you, it said, you are not alone.
Tears pricked at her eyes, some of the fear subsumed by gratitude and determination. I am here for you, Random. Hold on. The call could have come from any one of a hundred unseen ponies that probably surrounded her at this point, but it didn't matter. Standing orders are not to use shadow sight while here... I guess that's the first of your orders that I'm not going to follow, Handler Werin. Eyes closed, she inspected the area with her arcane sense, looking past the pastel glows of pony horns and wings in the adjacent fields and into the facility itself. As big as the surface structure was, it was dwarfed by the subterranean levels. The pyramid continued down into the ground, high ceilinged spaces containing, not the hard glows of crystal thaumic machines -- although there were plenty of those -- but the pastel lights of ponies.
Spiral froze, then pressed forwards with her walk, gait turning from a slow pace to a steady march that was only a little slower than a trot, making an effort to keep her ears in a neutral position. I suppose I shouldn't be shocked, she thought, this is always what the rumours said. There must be hundreds down below ground. A whole quadrant of the base was filled with lights that were only golden and came in pairs, not triplets. Gryphons as well... makes sense, considering what's on the top side. I wonder if there is a difference between those above and below ground, or if they just get rotated in and out? Further down there were more lights, the sort made by machines, linear arrays that spoke of deep transport tunnels connecting the site to the Hive infrastructure.
How could we possibly take just our foals? Spiral committed the sight to memory, trying to hold all the details for her inevitable debriefing with the two young mares. We can't leave anypony here... I think Fusion's going to need a bigger settlement.
The trackway ended in another big metal gate, this one fully open. Werin was standing there, blinking in the bright sunlight as he emerged from the relative dimness of the building. Old reflexes died hard and, without even thinking about it, Spiral dropped to her foreknees and dipped her head until her muzzle brushed the concrete lip of the security gate. "What are your orders, Master?" A directionless worry made the mare bite her lips, and she flinched when blunt claws touched the top of her head, just behind her ears.
"The pony will rise," Werin said, his voice a little strained. "Do not be concerned, this visit is for her wellbeing."
Spiral glanced up, then lurched upright as quickly as she could. Werin's slate grey fur with its occasional dapples of pale cream made him look more like a big cat than the more normal shades-of-brown of most Dogs. The tips of his whiskers twitched, flexing backwards when he swallowed. There was a tension in the muscles of the Handler's forearms, and he seemed to notice Spiral's attention, moving to clasp his paws behind her back.
Werin smiled briefly, a nervous flicker of a thing, gone almost before it could be registered. Turning, he gestured for Spiral to walk beside him into the building. "Does the pony know why this one requested its presence?"
Despite living without it for several days, Spiral was still slightly surprised when there was no hint of punishment at the sudden rush of guilt. Being called into report directly was very rare; almost every interaction was via impersonal order through the labournet, or the occasional virtual conference when she'd been required to give her opinion of some aspect of resource allocation. You want to know why so many of my patients are dying all of a sudden, as if it wasn't obvious! Spiral felt her ears fold back and her muscles tense with the urge to lash out, to take this Master and hurt him until he gave back Random and the other foals.
Struggling to keep her breathing steady, the mare froze in place and bowed her head, wings flicking in agitation. She suddenly became very aware of the crystal hidden in her panniers. I could do it right now... Almost without realising it, her magic folded around the little gem, applying ever increasing pressure. I've seen Gravity's memories; this place would be a crater by the time she'd finished. We could set them all free; if they are treated like Lilac then it should be easy to convince... A little more force -- and who really knew how much? -- Spiral clamped down on the sudden urge to giggle, but the laugh came anyway, emerging as a strangled choking that had Werin look at her in worry. Tears welled up, not of sorrow, but of rage.
The Handler's sudden regard, his own ears folded back and brow knitted in worry, was like being doused with cold water. Patience, you stupid filly, remember why you are here. This is exactly what you warned Lilac of, acting without thinking. Her throat closed up and she turned the horrible laugh into a cough. The tears were still there, and she let them flow, holding the image of Random hunting for another feather to pull in her mind. "Deaths, Master. So many dead... I've failed you so badly." The words came easily, and in a voice so full of emotion that it was barely intelligible even to her own ears.
Werin laid one paw on Spiral's shoulder as they walked, patting her awkwardly. "The pony is not at fault... this one is aware of what happened with Security." Werin scowled, something that made the green mare flinch, even though it wasn't directed at her. His expression smoothed and he sighed. "Spiral did well, considering the pressures involved. This one has not been told any more than the basic outline by Security... has the pony been given any orders about the event? If it is able, and would find it helpful, this one would like to hear what happened." Spiral opened her mouth, but Werin hastily raised a paw. "That is not an order; if the memories are too painful..."
"No, Master, I'd like that." She kept it short and emotionless as possible, relaying the bare-bones of the night's terrible events. It helped that the vast majority of it could be told without any embellishment; by the time she'd finished, tears had soaked the fur of her neck and her voice was raw.
With each part of the story, Werin flinched as if struck, looking progressively more shaken and ill as the telling continued. "This one had no idea," he murmured, eyes focused on the backs of his paws. "The pony has done very well; this one is surprised that it managed all that without falling into fugue. It is a credit to the Hive."
Spiral twitched; the words should have filled her with joy, but instead there was just emptiness and the remembered pain from those terrible moments in the Infirmary, before Fusion had found her. Not as strong as you think. "Thank you, Master. Is... is there anything else you need me to do? I still have a lot of injured ponies to attend to; none are critical at the moment, but..."
Werin was shaking his head. "The pony should not be concerned about that; the Handler called in a few favours and got its mate reassigned for the rest of the day. He suspected that the pony would need a break from everything." He smiled, waiting for her response.
The green mare stared at the Dog dumbfounded, her mouth opening and closing. Oh, Maker, no! The first thing Trocar will do is scan all the patients; he's bound to find-- She started to pant, heart thudding like it would burst through her ribs, as her mind filled with terrible images. Noticing Werin's rapidly deepening expression of concern, she struggled to think of something she could say. Spiral settled for lowering her head and dropping into a deep bow. "T-Thank you, Master, I-I--" Too late now. Trocar must have been home for kiloseconds; if he'd reported anything, Werin wouldn't be anywhere near as understanding. Some of her panic subsided, replaced with a deep sensation of worry.
"This one understands; do not worry. Come, this one has one last thing for the pony to see." His paw found the underside of her muzzle, gently lifting her to her hooves.
They walked in silence for a few tenth kiloseconds, turning down a side corridor that opened out into a wide viewing gallery that must have been on the outer wall of the pyramid. From the inside it was obvious that not all of the building was made of stone. Here there were floor to ceiling panels of glass, crystal clear apart from a slight smoky tint. Spread out below them were the ordered wedges of Naraka's fields, each with its own colourful shelter and little group of ponies. Close by was a herd of smaller individuals, one a little larger than the rest and with a pale brown coat and short black mane, and wings that were curiously stunted...
"Is that...?" It is! It's all of them!
"Yes, it is--"
The Dog probably said more, but Spiral wasn't listening. Rushing forwards, she pressed one side of her head against the glass, blinking furiously to clear the tears from her eyes. Her magic built, unconsciously probing the composition of the glass barrier, mapping the joints and the places she'd need to push in order to-- That familiar paw rested on her neck and, just for an instant, she nearly ripped it from its owner's arm. The moment passed and she stepped sideways, moving out of the Dog's reach. "Master, can I...?"
Werin was already shaking his head, ears drooping. "This one is sorry, but he cannot allow you to get any closer. Your offspring is recovering nicely, but it has suffered a terrible experience. We need to keep it under controlled conditions while we make sure it will not have any long-term... problems."
The pause was slight, almost too small to notice, but Spiral had known this Dog for a half a gigasecond. The Blessing needs guilt to work, doesn't it? Abuse a pony too much and they might not respond the way you want them. Some of the fury came back, but the mare lowered her head again and stared at the floor. "I understand," she whispered. "Do you know how long it will be before Random will be allowed home?" Tension coiled inside her gut, and Spiral rolled her eyes upwards to study the Handler even while she kept her head down.
Werin fidgeted, then slumped. "Honestly? This one doesn't know. A lot will depend on how quickly the pony Random Walk responds to its treatment. It's still too early to say... perhaps a megasecond or two?"
There was hope in his voice; not so much hope he was right, Spiral realised, but hope that she'd take it as a good sign. "Thank you, Master. That's... that's very good to hear," she said, relaxing her posture as much as she could, while her eyes remained locked on the distant shape of her daughter. "She's all I have left."
They stood there in silence for a while until Werin awkwardly cleared his throat. "This one is sorry, but the pony will have to leave now. The Handler will keep the veterinarian updated on its kin's progress."
"Thank you, Master," Spiral said, torn between the desire to stay and watch Random, and the very real need to get back to her corral and discover what Trocar was doing. She reluctantly stepped back, turning her head to keep the herd of foals in view. "Master... I reported the deaths of a number of ponies, including the sires and dams of some of those foals. Have... have they been told?"
Werin's ears drooped. "No. At this stage such news would be detrimental to their recovery."
Thank the Maker for small mercies; at least I haven't put them through that. Spiral let out the breath she'd been holding and smiled back sadly. "I understand. Thank you again, Master. You have been very kind."
===
Handler Werin watched the pony, one of a score he managed, trot off down the trackway heading for its home corral. With the servitor gone, his anger, buried deeply so as to avoid stressing the animal any more than it had already been, resurfaced, and he strode back inside, slamming the 'gate close' controls hard enough to make his paw sting. Maker damned Security, always-- He broke off the thought, coming muzzle to muzzle with the focus of his irritation. "Well? This one hopes the Agent saw what he needed to -- is he going to tell the Handler what exactly that was all about? It's a disgrace that Security prevented the Board from contacting the servitors earlier."
"Yes, he did -- and no he won't. Hive Security policy, sorry." The Agent, a brown, smooth furred, green eyed individual of average height whose name he'd not been told, smiled gently, something that did nothing to calm Werin. He exchanged a glance with the servitor he'd brought with him; the pony flicked an ear once, then went back to staring at the Handler.
Something about the grey mare's expression made a chill run down Werin's spine. No fear, no respect, just cold calculation. It's as if this one isn't important... The thought made him swallow heavily. What Agent gets a servitor -- exactly who is he? Pushing past his vague unease, Werin ignored the pony and allowed his anger to resurface. "Corral Twenty Seven has lost at least ten more ponies than it needed to, even with that stupid investigation your Salrath conducted. Does the Agent know how long it will take to rehabilitate those foals? The Hive will be lucky if any of them reach full efficiency in the next gigasecond. The state they were in when they arrived was nothing short of criminal, this one--"
The Agent held up a paw. "Has Werin finished? This one understands the Handler's anger, but he should know that Hive non-disclosure policy is in force for this matter. If he doesn't want to end up in prison, he should refrain from discussing anything relating to this matter with any other Person."
Werin stared into those bright green eyes and felt cold. The Agent's expression didn't change, maintaining that gentle smile. "Fine," the Handler whispered, "this one will be good."
"This one is certain of it," the Agent said cheerfully, slapping Werin on the shoulder. "The Handler has an excellent record with the Eugenics Board; it would be a shame to ruin it."
===
Sector Chief Orgon waited until the heavy rear door of the airtruck swung shut before he opened the hatch to the equipment bay. Ducking through the low opening, he perched on the edge of a console and looked down at Merlon. The servitor, resting against of the padded stall walls, looked back with its normal expression of attentive obedience. "Well? Is it true?" Somewhere in the belly of the airtruck a motor started running, building from a low hum to a faint, but irritating, whine. Beneath his paws the decking lurched slightly, then there was a feeling of heaviness as the airtruck took off.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen," Merlon said in wondering tones, "I'm surprised the Handler didn't pick up on it."
This one is more interested in the state of the veterinarian's Blessing, Orgon thought, a queasy sensation in his stomach. "What does the pony mean?" He looked again at the grey mare, but her expression showed nothing more than distraction, as if she was working through something in her head. The Sector Chief moved to sit in one of the chairs that lined the equipment bay, unlocking it and swinging around to face Merlon.
"You didn't notice either, Master?" The grey mare's ears went straight up and she shifted against the stall wall, stretching one foreleg then refolding it under her belly.
"This one doesn't have the need to interpret pony body language; he normally only needs to ask."
The Sector Chief's tone was mild and his expression didn't change, but Merlon twitched anyway. "Sorry, Master. The veterinarian should have been afraid for most of her visit, and relieved when she saw the foals. This was true, up to a point, but on at least two occasions I thought she was going to physically attack Handler Werin."
That pretty much answers this one's question, but... "And the pony's Blessing?"
"I would really need an opportunity to study the pony in detail," Merlon said, generating a twice life-size model of Spiral Fracture's head, "but there is horn damage in an area proximal to where the spellstuff is anchored." The model was abruptly sliced through, showing the neat crystal helices that made up the arcane active material. Right at the base was a little dark patch, no bigger than an apple pip. "It is healing fast... in another megasecond I would not of noticed it without a much closer examination."
"Well, that's it then," Orgon murmured, "no escaping it now." Still not absolute proof, perhaps -- but when was that ever the case? He leaned back and sighed, running claw tips through the fur between his ears. By the Maker, we already have the Auditors sniffing about. If this one can't provide a solution before they uncover this, he is going on a one-way trip to Luna and the World Court... Pulling his paws down, Orgon drummed his claws on the instrument panel, staring up at the lockers that lined the ceiling.
"May I make a suggestion, Master?" Merlon said, waiting for Orgon's answering nod. "It will be practically impossible to find the rogues, given what we've seen. Their ability to jump from place to place, even through shielded walls--" The mare shook her head, wings flicking a little. "--and we know they are far stronger than any normal pony. There really is only one thing you can do."
Orgon nodded again. "Yes, they must come to us. We do have one advantage; they obviously think Security does not know, otherwise they would not have allowed the veterinarian to come here--" Merlon was shaking her head, and the Sector Chief paused.
"What else could they have done? If she didn't come..." Merlon trailed off, a look of intense concentration on her face. "...actually I don't know. At the very least the Board would want to know why. Also, one of the ponies taken, Random Walk DP2114, is Spiral Fracture's daughter -- no dam would pass up a chance to see her foal."
Orgon sat bolt upright, then turned to the station behind him and started to search through the distant Security Hub's databases. Where was it? Something about Random Walk and Fusion Pulse, this one knows he saw... there. On the screen was a copy of Salrath's original research into Fusion Pulse. The Sector Chief read through the pages of notes and attached raw data, his lips pulling back to expose sharp teeth. Throwing the extracts onto the main screen, he waved at Merlon, gesturing at the various windows. "Well? What does the pony think? Will it work?" If they were People, it would be a definite thing, but...
The mare climbed to her hooves and stepped forward, lowering her head to get a good view of the text and graphs. "The relationship is obvious," she said, nodding slowly, "and loyalty within a corral is very strong."
Orgon's smile became unpleasant. "We have something they want." ...and already in a place away from population centres. There are even inconvenient others here already; perhaps Fusion will give this one an excuse to dispose of all of them without World Court suspicion... this one could even co-locate the other witnesses under the guise of keeping all the affected client species members together. There's bound to be plenty of collateral damage. His smile faltered. "The creatures are very strong; it wouldn't do to underestimate them again. Perhaps a little insurance is in order."
He started to read the Board's records on Random Walk, lips curving back into his customary gentle smile.
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Chapter up!
I'm half way through a self-imposed NaNo (in memoriam for the one EqD used to run at this time, and which died a lonely death, alone and forgotten), and a little behind schedule, so replies may be delayed, depending on whether my muse has bucked me over the fence with an insulting whinny.
I am practically salivating at all the possible permutations. My mind is agog.
How much more terror would he feel to learn that it was the servitor who had an agent?
Edited to add: I've commented on her before, but another interesting thing about Merlon is the reaction she gets. She answers only Orgon and she knows it, and that has a disquieting effect on the other Dogs she meets: When she acts as though she were their equal, or their better, or as if they're simply not important enough to notice, they're getting a little taste of what a free servitor would be like, all backed by the authority of the Sector Chief.
5010062
That was Orgon himself. He's no longer a field agent but he's still part of security so when he wants to hide behind their traditional anonymity he can.
5010013
I know, right? Will Luna hit somebody with an asteroid? Will she move the moon to make The Hammer hit a target of her choosing? It feels so close to a potential ending here--one apocalyptic confrontation where Luna and Celestia make plain their power over the sun and moon and cow everyone into submission. But it equally seems that that can't be the case--we have to lose all these other alicorns, and most of the Dog population, and, I suspect, unite the scattered Elements of Harmony.
Long road yet.
5010241
Not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.
And here we go. Orgon may not be vicious, like Salrath, but we are witnessing now how that doesn't mean he isn't completely ruthless.
Nitpicks:
bated
This should be "would not have"; however, you may have (of) chosen for this character to be saying it incorrectly.
5010241
My new theory about where all the alicorns went is that they are, at least to an extent, an artificial species. When they start breeding naturally, their offspring will be "normal" ponies: Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns. And while Fusion and Gravity, through their connection with the celestial spheres, are immortal (or at least ageless), the rest of the free alicorns will die out, leaving only their pony progeny.
5010241 - It seems to me fairly obvious that something involving the 'Hammer' and some sort of Impact Winter event will happen. It fits to well with the story of Hearthwarming. The Dogs bring about their own apocalypse, possibly in retaliation to Discord manifesting or vs Celestia/Luna. In either case, the winter will bring about the downfall of their society, if they aren't already devastated by that point.
Ouch missed so much great talking really need to check this thing more often for comments.... So many things I would have liked to get in on, oh well, time to get reading the new chapter. Hopefully we find out what happened to Spiral.
5010301
Indeed not!
5010619
That's a good theory--elegant, and requires less apocalypse. Also explains part of the reason for the breeding facilities.
5010986
An impact winter and the story of Hearthswarming is an interesting connection! Of course, it's been implied that the Hammer can be used without causing an impact winter--a whole crapload of panicked Hammer hits, then? Or maybe Luna accidentally causes it by using an orbital body as a kinetic strike object? That would be an interesting additional hook/trigger into her fall to Nightmare.
Incoming Merlon ending up evolving into Chrysalis, somehow.
Somehow I do not think she is loyal to the dogs, so much as one who has become very, very good at adapting to the 'Blessing' - beh. Hardly care. Burn them all down!
Damn I love this story
don't know where that preggers gryphon sub plot thing went though, or what it even was. Probably just to show how nobody gets away from the dogs without being experimented on? Also, does she use the second moon to block a shot from the hammer or something? That would be cool 
Also, what's life like in the hives for the rest of the people, is it just like civilian life with a capitalistic model or do the dogs ALL have jobs doing research or security? And then all we see are the scientists, security personnel and handlers. Because if luna and celly want to kill everyone they would also be killing innocent civilians. Or are u going to make them use pony slaves and justify their death
From where exactly are the sisters watching all of this? Close to Naraka? Close to the corral? They might have caught Trocar coming back and been able to subdue him. Otherwise Spiral will have some explaining to do.
Orgon is up to something. Wonder what kind of "insurance" he thinks he can get? He can't put heavy forces (or thaumic suppressers) close to Naraka since they would be noticed and ruin his trap. If he simply put a large nuke in the facility any staff who learned about it would get upset and afterwards it might be hard to explain, both to his superiors and the world court.
If he's thinking of waiting for them to attack the facility and then jumping on them with forces prepositioned nearby but out of sight he will get caught by the sisters leaving at least one of them (or one of their other ponies) as a lookout. Once Gravity learns there are troops inbound the only thing she needs is a few good-sized boulders to ruin their day.
5011362
The gryphons are pretty unhappy with their fate and either are currently in Naraka or will be moved there shortly. Either way they'll be there when the sisters come calling.
That "of" doesn't belong there.
Hmm, that title.. not spooky, threatening, likely to mean something bad... so... this is going to be a chapter where everything goes to shit isn't it?
Wait, actually going right to Spiral? No, cut away for half a chapter about something else? Still not up to what went wrong but, will build to that. This.. is actually surprising. So, no cut away to the Dogs planning something. So, this isn't something about the Dogs that happens? Or, just actually trying to keep that a surprise?
Yes.. 'die'. Suuuuure.
Well, smart enough to send up a warning and, okay so the warning wasn't a "Shit just went tits up" More "I really need to talk to you." Good, let them know where you are going. Maybe have one standing by to get you out ASAP... or just just grab the ponies you have now and run.
Listen to the foal! Do not go! Once you are there.... there is no telling what they will do to you. What they might learn. You can't go! Though yes, disobeying will also let them know something really bad happened.. so screwed either way...
Disappear, safer for you, but will tell the Dogs something is up. BUT then the Sisters will KNOW that the Dogs know. Go, and the Sisters might still think their secret is safe. Not be ready... and who knows what will happen to you? But always the slight change you can go, talk to them, convince them everything is fine and leave... but it's slight.
Okay, so, going for both trying to keep the secret.. that is already out. Well that the Sisters are alive. Not that they are actively recruiting other ponies. if THAT gets out, shit is really going to hit the fan. But also as recon to try and make the rescue help.... wait... might this be about the foals? Bringing in a medic that they know and trust, that their family's know to see them, talk to them..... and giving her a way to keep in touch with the Sisters, and for them to possibly swoop in and save her and the foals as well....
wait, need to have her able to signal to get out? Why not keep an open, active link the whole time so if something goes wrong and she cant smash the crystal, they can come get her?
The war was declared the moment the Dogs enslaved the Ponies. This is just the Ponies letting them know they are ready to fight back.
But soon you won't be. They'll need every medic they can get. And you are close to being healed. Well, able to live without medical care anyway, still not sure if they can fix the whole paralysis thing... But, wings and teleporting should keep you pretty mobile. once those are fixed as well of course.
That said... you REALLY need better impulse control and need to learn to wait and be patient.
What is basically the Pony equivalent of an emergency protein bar. Some backup, when you need basic calories and nutrients fast that will stay good for a long time... is THAT good? So, which is it? they actually make those things to not taste like ass? Or, they really screwed you on food in the lab?
1. Go easy on the food, don't over stress your gut.
2. Lilac.... don't... don't do what you are likely thinking.. don't be even more of an idiot then you already have been....
Triage? Okay, to long after the attack for this to be caused by the Sisters so.. attack from another Hive? Terrorist attack?
When it comes to triage. yup. Get them stable then move on.
Oh, not fighting, just an accident. Well, that... was more surprising then it should be.
Oh fuck! Take over for her? Well shit. that is not good, not only for Spiral, but Lilac and the remaining 'free' ponies there.....
Yeah, "Hey your team is already down one pony and you are losing patients because of it. Now we are taking another one!" Not good.
Ohh very nice touch. Just, love the little bits of world building.
wait, they ARE keeping tabs? So why the "smash if you want out?" bit, why not just, some other signal to tell them. I'm confused....
Okay so, no talking but, it would let them see and hear what Spiral was saying so they would know if things went bad.
So, they let the ponies go at it 'naturally'? Kind of thought it would all be in vitro stuff. And this means the ponies DO know how to do it naturally as well, just, the hormone suppressors in effect keep them from wanting to. interesting, and does solve a few possible issues.
Yup, also just think without The Masters, you and Trocar could have the kind of fun any time ou wanted.
Well, that is either really really good, or really really bad. Hmmm, the Dogs that know about the Sisters, they aren't really part of this place, and little reason to bring her here for anything they would do. unless it was just to throw her off. Send her somewhere she wouldn't be TO suspicious about being called to. But, then again generally we always know something is about to happen where the Dogs are concerned, if not the details...
Yeeaaahhhh... just.. run now.
heh stick it to them! Though, why not? that.. can't be good...
A big order to free all of them... so many.. so many to free...
Saw that coming and... not practical but, as an opening move it would be huge. But would then need to deprogram all of them. But, it would give them so many, such a huge force against the Dogs. Wait, all this time... they taught the others... why didn't they try to teach Spiral how to Teleport? Would make her escaping SO much easier.
And yet... voice is strained... lying? Trying to put her off guard?
Ohhh boy.. this.. no matter what something bad is going to happen. Just, do it, break the crystal, get out of there!
huh... he does seem to care. Reminding me a lot of Krom, if older and more experienced. And, talking it over, trying to help.. not likely something he'd do if he was leading her to a trap. Yet that tension...
And cue a massive OH SHIT!
wait.. is this? taking he to see the foals, the option I thought might be a case? Trying to undo some of Salrath's damage by showing them the foals healthy and happy?
More caring then average, but still seeing them as 'it's. Things. Not what they really are.... but like Krom, likely just do to societal programing. Conditioning of his own. Not out a natural inability to care about or hatred towards the ponies.
wait, just leave? that's it? no no no.. I know this story, SOMETHING needs to go wrong. Well, we still have Trocar checking up on the clinic patients. But, something has to go very very wring in here....
So the tension and anger was at Security for setting these events in motion? For traumatizing the workers so badly?
Orgon? This... okay not Salrath at least so no impulsive gestures but.. setting a trap?
Oh fuck you. But, he is also handling the anger and the snapping well not getting personal, threatening, being "Don't you dare talk to me like that." just, reminding him not to say anything to anyone else. Yeah it's Orgon. And, yeah this is why he is such a damn good antagonist.
So they know. Well shit.... at least they can't know everything, and the Sisters will still surprise them.
Really? 'spellstuff'?
Going to use their parents as bait aren't you? Or, Random? try to send Random in as a sleeper agent? A spy? Yeah they are planing something. But, on the plus side, they can't bring TO much force to bear without alerting the auditors, so the Sisters do have some good news.
Yup trap.. well.. lets hope they are smart enough to avoid it, and turn the tables.
Well that went, surprising smooth, now what is in store and how bad will it come back to fuck the Dogs in the ass when they go up against the Goddesses?
These dogs make Nazis look good.
At least a handful of Nazis were moral enough to work against their evil leaders from the inside.
So far, not one sign of an Oscar Schindler here.
Which means: KILL THEM ALL!!!
5012274 Well, we don't know what The Maker's Path Dogs are really all about, they might have some operatives under cover.
And, while the comparison is valid to a point, there are several differences. This is something that isn't new, not people suddenly being told this. This is generations of conditioning both of the ponies and the Dogs to see ponies in a certain way. That of, useful tools. Maybe a well liked pet. but nothing more. being told over and over their whole lives for hundreds of years that the Ponies are inferior, not important. Just animals.
Pretty huge difference. Also, no Dog is trying to kill them all either so, less directly needing that kind of thing. So yeah, not exactly an apt comparison.
5012520 Exactly! They're evil slavers and killer like Daleks!
They all must be EXTERMINATED!!
Wait... ah damn, now I'm evil too.
5012274
Spiral's handler doesn't seem so bad at the moment. There's also Korn (It's been so long; is that his name?).
You have to remember that the Dogs are just as indoctrinated as the Ponies - they expect mastery because they've been taught ponies are inferior and subservient. I'm sure that more than a few would side with the Ponies if shown the right arguments that Ponies are more than just mindless tools that happen to walk and talk.
The only problem is that such societal adjusting takes more time that Fusion and Gravity have.
5013468 No, most are noral, ordinary beings. That wouldn't have much issue with living peacefully with ponies as equals. if it wasn't for centuries of society programming them otherwise.
It's a reason i really REALLY want to find out more details about the whole Maker's Path group.
Pretty much what 5013490 said
Spiral just got ordered to report to the Eugenics Board? I wonder if that means that time just officially ran out for Celestia and Luna's preparations. I suppose this Werin might not push hard enough to discover what's up with her, but on the other hand, it might be best if the trigger is pulled sooner rather than later. Given that our two favorite academics are looking into tracking teleports and nopony knows yet, it might be better if the ponies do all their evacuation teleporting before they can be easily tracked back to the new hideout.
As a side note, I continue to have no frame of reference that works to mentally translate kilo-, mega-, and gigaseconds into something recognizable, so I'm just going to do the math (okay, Google did the math) and leave it in a comment. Maybe that'll be enough to make it mentally stick.
1,000 seconds is 16.666 minutes
1,000,000 seconds is 11.574 days
1,000,000,000 seconds is 31.688 years
So, about a quarter of an hour for kilo-, almost two weeks for mega-, and something like 30 years for giga-.
I can't help but wonder if this is a bad idea. It's good to be able to keep an eye on her, but an unexplainable crystal might be exactly what starts the questions and then the shooting and then the genocide.
Holy crap, the lame just walked. A self-applied miracle, how biblical. Then again, the last time Lilac experimented things got very exciting.
Magical triage, slick.
Crap. Speaking of things getting exciting, I suppose it's too much to hope that Lilac won't be inexplicably wandering around the medical facility when Trocar shows up?
I know this facility on the whole is probably a metaphorical (and literal!) slaughterhouse, but that's just a little bit funny. Then again, does this mean all procreative sex happens under the monitoring gaze of the board? Are couples normally left sterile or under some other form of population control?
Hah! Two paragraphs later and Spiral is wondering the same thing.
Assuming that the rescue mission is still a possibility after whatever happens with Spiral's visit, it just grew in scope.
Hmn, Werin seems kind of pissed by what Security has been up to, I wonder if I'm letting my reaction to the word "eugenics" color my expectations of the Board.
The kids are (currently) (physically) alright. Definitely better than finding them all in graves.
Alright, I currently like Werin as much as any dog in this story can be liked. Maybe it's just concern for the hive, but it feels like he cares for his charges.
Crap, so at least some of Security now knows about the Blessing being removed. The clock has definitely started ticking . Incidentally, "Luna and the World Court" is an interesting phrase. Is the World Court up on the moon? Actually, that seems vaguely familiar so maybe we already knew that.
Dang, Merlon may be the worst enemy Celestia and Luna have. Unless of course she is playing her own game, it would be a fun development to have an unexpected ally or other additional faction influencing Hive Security at the very top.
5013796 The Teleport detection wouldn't likely lead them to their base It seems to be rather short range, requiring detectors able to pinpoint the gravitic anomalies of the wormholes to be in range of the teleport event. And there is nothing near where they are hiding. More likely, it will be a kind of early warning system to alert a facility to one of the Sisters teleporting nearby.
Lilac, yeah something very bad is going to happen, especially once Trocar comes back. hopefully he'll hold off anything until Spiral gets back and she can un-bless him and talk him to their side.
And yes all procreation is done only with the allowance of the Dogs, and the food does contain hormone blockers to keep them from feeling frisky. And also yes eugenics board sounds horrible, and some of the things they do is, but at the same time they are the ones responsible for handling all the creation of the ponies. And the one ultimately responsible for their well being as well. Yes horrible stuff happens there as well, but, not all of them are evil.
And yes Merlon... the greatest enigma left. Just whose side is she on? Is she playing her own games against the Dogs? Or their loyal servant and best weapon against the sisters?
5013518 Too late! I have DECIDED! The bomb is already dropping! THERE'S NO OTHER WAYYYYYYY!!
5013972
Merlon, I'm guessing, is something like Stephen from Django Unchained: the slave who has completely gone over to the masters' side, internalizing their goals and identifying more with them than with her fellow ponies. I think that if un-Blessed, she would continue to assist Orlon and the rest of the Security dogs without any change.
5015432 Possible, and there are likely many ponies like that, especially the older ones. But, something about her.... it's possible and yet, also possible there is more to her then that, that she is playing some kind of game of her own.
It's new chappy day!
(Well, when I'm writing this, anyways.)
The second batch of pronouns here are slightly confusing. What I understand here is (Handler clasped his paws behind Spiral's back), but I can't picture that and it doesn't sound as plausible as the alternative I came up with: (Handler clasped his paws behind his own back).
Not that the first one can't make sense, but I'm conditioned to expect the second, and what's there could plausibly be an error and intended to match the second. Maybe if there were a better image of what exactly happened?
5009827
Hey, I'm trying to do something like that too!
Mine's... more than a little behind, though.
"Our chief weapon is surprise; surprise and fear; fear, surprise, and--- oh, bother; let me start again."
5009827 what were the details of the original NaNo? Ive been thinking of going on a self imposed pony writing binge. This might be a good excuse.
Thanks for all the comments, folks, and apologies for the late reply (more to follow when I can escape again).
===
5018614
50K words in a month, so that's 1700 a day, every day. It's a stretch goal, especially if you have to work for a living. It's very good for forcing you to write and not worry about it being crap. The 'real' one is November.
5015553
The Handler underwent a sex change at some point; I guess I missed one! Will fix.
NaNo is a 'fun' little project for the month; much like banging your head against a wall... I'm guessing you actually have a life, unlike me!
5015432
On the subject of Django Unchained -- did you have trouble keeping a straight face every time they referred to the female slaves as 'ponies'? I had a terrible time, especially as I went to see it with non brony friends.
5013796
The times, yes. Four kilo to the hour, an hundred kilo to the day, are the rough numbers I go with, other than that it's calculator time!
I do try not to make it 'total evil', at least from the dog's point of view. The excesses of Salrath would make most of the People at least a little uncomfortable, much like animal abuse does for humans. For those that actually work with the client races, the relationship is closer -- think dog and dog handler, for example.
5011709
Spiral's gem -- it's an anchor, so they can find it if they need to, but if active (ie a pony on the other end looking in), it's that much more obvious. They don't know what's there, so don't take the risk of looking for long.
In vitro -- one of my prereaders commented on that. Designed from scratch, I'd do that, and more (exowombs or surrogates, creche system, so no family ties etc). In the end, this is a story about the power of family and friendship to overcome such odds, and there are practical reasons for maintaining strong family ties. The parents do the first level of indoctrination for their foals, the close relationship makes this more effective.
Spiral and teleport -- simply a matter of time; she had to go back to her post.
5021896 I get the family thing, start with the guilt there. Guilt of letting down their family, build on that. Get the anchors for the Blessing. yeah that makes sense.
I meant allowing them to breed naturally. I figured it would be, two ponies are given the okay to have a foal. They go to the board location nearest their corral. Eggs and sperm are taken from them, fertilized, the embryos are checked for any genetic defects. And the one, or two maybe, that have the most promising genetics are implanted. rather then leaving it up to biological chance. Or letting the ponies even know about sex.
Not really off, just, surprising.
And the crystal, okay so it's just a quick peak now and then to prevent somepony or some scanner from picking up on it. Smashing it if something goes wrong during the majority of the time they aren't looking. Makes sense.
5021896
Not really, no! English isn't my native language, so while I can follow the dialog without the subtitling, not all nuances or details come through. This seems to have been one of those cases.
So the question remains is, does Spiral know that they know? She did notice some suspicious adults so she can tell the sisters that they are going to be ready for them.
I knew it!
Apparently Naraka looks as ominous as it sounds.
oh shit, I didn't even think of that...
Also, I think we've found Decent Dog #2 in Werin. (With Korn being the other one.)
... oh no, it was a trap
whelp, I guess the horse is out of the bag now.
as in WriMo, or some other abbreviation?
Man, these 'masters' are sooo stupid.
You have a super powered being you can't harmed and can appear anywhere with no way to defend yourself against them.... And they think the correct thing to do is hurt it's loved ones and piss it off more?! Worse yet is that there are TWO of them, and they could bearly take on one that was alone and brand new to it's powers. EVEN WORSE is that they know one of them has the power to turn off the sun! And they still want to fuck with it?! 
5022027
It's not quite that left to chance; the ponies are selected from the right family lines ('soft' eugenics) and they stay until fertilization is successful, aided by drugs and magic. Same for defects, although they are checked by the by the corral veterinarian after the first few divisions. Chance can be a good thing, as it avoids the breeding lines falling into unexpected 'pits', and may come back with unforeseen improvements. Sex also helps with the family bond.
There is also the 'hard' eugenics program, but that's something else.
5036689
Yes, NaNoWriMo (after a fashion; apparently you are supposed to start a new one each time. Whoops).
5044987
Welcome! There's none so blind that will not see...
5086884
Hunt them down with a vacuum cleaner, then you can use my battle cry:
'Eat cyclonic death, arachnid scum.'
Should be "have noticed it"; just noticed this.
Fusion and Gravity are going to be experiencing some, ah, peculiar urges soon, if her hunch is correct. Let's hope it doesn't distract the teenagers too much.
5146658
Actually thats proper english they way the author stated that sentence...
Orgon? More like far Forgone (Conclusion)
-ba dum psh?-
Well this ballet of Security vs Independent Ponies is certainly an interesting thing to watch. Seems like the house of cards will fall apart soon.
Yikes 😬