6: Of Spies and Farewells
It took two days for the changeling puppet to carefully slip down into the Stripped Gear proper. Out of sheer luck, the infiltrator ended up next to a bakery. The security was fairly lax this far into the city, allowing the puppet to steal several loaves of bread and a bucket of filtered tap water. It originally tried to use collected rainwater from the building's gutters, but the filth in the runoff looked dangerous, even for the infiltrator’s expected short life.
Of course, laxer security was relative. Every drone between the infiltrator and their queen was a deadly threat. It didn’t matter if they were soldiers or non-combatants, any one of them could alert the whole hive to the spy’s existence. And that would cause Cadista to move to a locked down area until this puppet’s corpse is found.
The puppet was currently stuffing it’s face with stale bread in between two recently emptied dumpsters. Even with a hive mind’s efficiency, there were still a handful of discarded crates that the controlling queen cobbled together into a makeshift shelter and more importantly, a place to drop the massively calorie-burning camouflage. This shelter won’t last more than an hour at most before someone gets suspicious.
The queen used other drones surrounding Stripped Gear to monitor the weather. So far, the skies were clear. Rain would make stealth all but impossible.
There was one other problem that the queen had not accounted for: air pollution. While the shield dome kept the thin layer of smog from leaving the caldera, that did little for anyone in the heart of the hive itself. Out along the walls, it had been tolerable, but now the pollution was a security risk. The queen could suppress the puppet’s need to cough, but the body was starting to suffer.
Damn all this soot. This body’s growing weaker with every breath. The controlling queen recalled the drone’s memories as it descended the walls. The grey tint of the pollution was denser the closer to the shield dome, but only by a marginal amount. The puppeteering queen clapped her hooves. Bravo, Cadista, Bravo. You made it so the shield is actively drawing in the soot by a slight amount. Making it nigh impossible for this body to survive very long where your personal chambers would be. No doubt your entire brood is immune to this poison.
The puppet scrapped a hoof along the blackened wall of the bakery, picking up a large lump of carbon. It must be taxing to keep those steam engines of hers clean enough to function.
A proverbial light went on in the queen’s head. While she had little interest in the technology itself, she was familiar enough with it to know a hive of this size required vast amounts of power. Wait a second… Where is she getting all the power necessary to drive so many machines? I can’t believe that pitiful amount of coal she pulls in from Equestria is sufficient. And, from what I remember from eavesdropping on a of few of her love collectors, Cadista doesn’t use mana to drive much either.
The puppet looked at the ground beneath its hooves, and noticed it was volcanic rock. Yeeees, this is a volcano! Cadista is practically sitting on a time bomb! Her enthusiasm faded a little. Or at least it used to be. This volcano hasn’t blown its top since I’ve walked this planet, so this is either a dead end, Cadista’s keeping the mountain stable, or it’s only active enough to be a source of energy.
A scowl of deep thought appeared on the queen’s muzzle. The last time I abducted one of Cadista’s drones, I remember it saying something about a crystal factory down in the heated depths. Too bad the smart drone managed to wrestle enough control to kill itself before I could learn more.
In any case, she might have some sort of device in place to keep the volcano dormant, and she wouldn’t have built a hive here if it wasn’t sturdy. A wicked grin cleaved the queen’s maw. However… If I can cause a big enough of a disturbance, I might be able to temporarily force her to leave the hive as a precaution. And if she does that, I can rid myself of her once and for all. I better tell my allies to get into position. There’s no telling how much longer Twilight will be distracted by those cat-things in the west. Eager to flee the poisoned air, the puppet recalled a sewer access it passed earlier and retreated for it to slink deeper into the hive in search for the underground crystal factory.
Cadista was standing on the observation platform situated on the left side of the covered hanger deep within Stripped Gear. A new vessel laid before her, while nowhere near as massive as the Ashes of the Phoenix that came before it, it was a marvel of engineering to behold.
The vessel itself was long and flat and measured out to nearly one hundred and sixty meters from bow to stern, and had a beam of just barely twenty meters across. It had no weapons to speak of except for small close range flak cannons ventral mounted on the port and starboard sides. This could be my most powerful far reaching weapon to date, and it isn’t even the ship itself that’s the true threat.
The voice of Brass Excursor was heralded by a high priority ping. <Pardon my haste, my queen, but I just ran into a swarm of Polybia’s drones marshalling three and a half kilometers outside our southeastern farmlands.>
Cadista’s mood darkened. <How many? Is it an invasion or a probing attack?>
<I’d say more of a raiding party, judging by their numbers and present drone strains. They couldn’t have been here for more than hour or so.>
The heavy weight of concern in Brass’ voice intensified Cadista’s worry. <There are two gunboats stationed in that area. Have the rest of your scouting party fan out and assume forward observation duties. I’ll have the shipmasters follow your orders.>
<Thank you, my queen. We’ll strike the moment the ships are in position, but I must say. There is something off about these drones in particular. I can’t put my hoof on it, but feels as if they are radiating more mana than they should be.>
<Look into it while the navy gets into position, and investigate the corpses afterwards.>
<Aye, my queen.>
Cadista ended communications, to refocus on her radically new ship. Things are coming to a head. The next war will begin soon, and if my spies are right, it will all begin here. I didn’t think Polybia had the brass to start it though.
Cadista cast her consciousness far to the north, past Equestria, and deep into the heart of the Chaos Lands where no one roamed except wild things. Out into the now totally abandoned city of Rookhaven, where even the stubborn pride of the old imperials was not enough to eke out a decent living compared to migrating to Alliance territory. One particular area had been flattened out and turned into a proper testing ground so far out of the way that none of the other hives even knew it existed.
There, another new kind of airship was in development, one that was much faster and smaller than any other before it. <Wing Clip, how goes the trials? Is there anything else to report?>
<Yes, my queen, our latest modifications proved fruitful. I must say I’m glad you took my advice in funding our first real testing airbase. We located over a hundred defects in our best designs in less than two seasons. That’s allowed our latest prototypes to reach a flight velocity averaging double typical drone air-sprinting speeds, with an operational range of a few hundred kilometers. We’ll keep trying to push it further, but that’s really a job for the boys back the hive labs. We don’t have the resources up here for experimentation beyond test flights.>
Cadista scowled at the lengths she had to go to in order to keep her new weapon a secret. Finally having an outdoor airfield’s been a serious boon now that we can test full sized aircraft, but the sheer distance makes it a logistical nightmare. <Very well, Wing Clip. Relay your findings to R&D. How’s the automatic reloader operating?>
<It looks good on paper, but like ninety percent of the full scale creations here in the field, on a fast moving prototype no less? The thing’s complete garbage. I’m sorry, my queen. It worked okay enough for the larger caliber flak cannon, but for something small like a hoofheld rifle it jams too often during maneuvers. Thankfully the flak cannon is just small enough to be put on the latest test aircraft. But until then, unless the boys in the lab figure it out…>
<They’re working on it, but they can’t give me a deadline. At any rate, keep me informed of any more developments.>
<As you wish, so shall it be, my queen.>
Returning her attention to the hangar, Cadista ground her teeth in exasperation. For two hundred years I’ve pursued a way to project my power over vast distances and in a timely manner. Warships like the Deception simply aren’t fast enough. Yet with this ship, I’ll finally have the might necessary to finally secure Twilight’s bloodline. A cruel sneer marred her face. Between Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and now Aegis bearing royal blood, our legacy is secure behind the shield of Equestria, Yumia. We finally fulfilled our purpose.
A cold fury enveloped her, yet it was tempered into loathing indignation. Still, one thing remains that may yet jeopardize my daughters. The only queen who’d dare to take Equestria head on, and she needs to die.
Cadista passed her awareness across the construction crews. Everyone was performing the tenth recheck of all onboard systems with the boilers and engines idling. The only real thing left to do at this point, was the installation of the cloaking crystals. That’s still going to take another week to finish perfecting the crystals, but debugging the ship’s engines will take longer than that anyway. <Attention all crews!> She waited a moment to give her children time to react. <The war is coming sooner than I expected. Begin launch sequence at once. Let’s take her out around the palace for a test run. Hopefully we can get a shakedown cruise completed before the war.>
A chorus of affirmatives resounded through the local hive mind as drones rushed to obey, and the vessel would be free of its moorings by the day’s evening.
The main audience chamber of Ventras’ manor was silent save for the scribbling of quills on parchment. The mid afternoon sun shined through several windows now that the blizzard had passed. Twilight Sparkle and the other Equestrian leaders sat on one end of a rectangular table as each in turn signed away, while Ventras and Thaddeus prepared to do the same on the other side. Well over two dozen sphinxes and changelings bore witness to the signing of the Treaty of Stratholme.
Eventually, both language versions of the treaty were passed out to ten sphinxes of rank, and to ten other equestrians, five from Equestria and five from the hive to mark them as official witnesses.
When all was said and done, Luna gave the signatures one last cursory glance before handing over the sphinx language treaty in exchange for the one in Equestrian. “Very good.” She nodded politely to Ventras and Thaddeus. “With everything in order, my colleagues and I wish to return to our respective capitals. We have much to do back home to ensure the comradery this treaty has created will flourish.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Ventras agreed. He bowed out of respect. “You are welcome at my hearth whenever you choose to visit.” He glanced over at Rasua who was doing an admirable job keeping her swimming emotions in check.
Twilight Sparkle didn’t need her empathy to know what he was thinking. “Do not fear, Ventras, as one parent to another, I will make it a point that she is treated with the respect she has earned.”
It wasn’t a guarantee of protection, fortunately, because that would have insulted his pride as a father. “I… Thank you, Queen Twilight Sparkle. May your house stand for a thousand years.”
Hopefully longer than that, Rainbow mused as Twilight finished exchanging pleasantries. I can’t wait to get back to the hive and whip up a huge VnV campaign. I hear Counterspell has aspirations for writing, maybe he can write the first one.
Eager to remove both ships from Federation territory due to the fear the Deception’s painfully visible weapons had caused, everyone loaded up into their respective vessels. Rasua put her curiosity about the warship aside and asked Aegis to guide her to one of the underbelly observation blisters she saw on the way up.
From there, Rasua plastered herself to the glass and gazed out across her home. All the sweat, blood, and tears that went into the first landing upon these shores, and building Stratholme from the ground up surged in her mind. Rasua couldn’t stop a few tears from falling, even with Aegis watching the city by her side.
Rasua spoke with slightly fluttery speech as the warship lazily turned to the east. “It’s such a powerful experience. Building a city from scratch.” She spied Aegis nodding in the corner of her eye, as if a princess would know of such trials. Shoving a surge of indignation to the side, Rasua pointed to the center of the docks. “I still remember Thaddeus and I being the first ones off the landing boats. Once the homeland government received word of the fertile land we found, our colony became a rallying cry for people from all territories to immigrate to.”
At least that’s what Rasua wished to believe. But in her heart, she knew being reassigned to the colonization effort had been tantamount to banishment from the Sestapo. The fact that her father and oath-brother had already set out to lead the expedition had been the perfect excuse for her superiors. I won’t fail the Federation again. I swear it.
“You mean as a point to further solidify and tighten the new unity your people share?” Aegis asked after Rasua fell quiet for too long. The sphinx blinked at her with a vacant expression.
“Oh, yes. That’s right,” Rasua blurted out to recover. She coughed to buy time to recompose herself. Yet as the Deception started to steam away, Rasua couldn’t help but to feel as if she was being separated from her child. Almost every building there stands because of the nails, screws, and tools I made! Why in all the seven seas did I have to do this!? Why couldn’t someone else have stepped up? Why didn’t that monumental idiot Chevalier not go to this bug hive instead!? Why did she have to kill those two explorers?
More and more ‘what ifs’ and ‘why nots’ questions swirled around in Rasua’s mind. The more that sprang up, the further her composure slipped until she was on the verge of a panic attack.
Aegis was only willing to stand by for so long before placing a firm hoof Rasua’s withers. “Hey, hey!” Rasua stopped hyperventilating for a brief moment. “Look, I know this is going to be a rough time. Building a new home, only to have to leave it like this can’t be easy.” She took a softer tone. “You’re a strong person, Rasua. Whether it was calculated or impulsive, you chose to take responsibility and demonstrate the honor of your people.” Rasua seemed to tense the longer Aegis kept her hoof on her, so she removed it. “I don’t know about your people, but with us, the display of real emotion is encouraged. It is how the strong can heal.”
“I… see.” Rasua’s gaze returned to the shrinking city as the ship neared the outskirts. “I ask forgiveness on that. It is a sign of weakness for such a display to anyone other than close family.”
It was about as polite of a dismissal request as Rasua could voice, and Aegis took the hint. “I can understand that. The griffins and minotaurs are a lot like that. I need to go train anyway.” She started heading for the door. “There will be a guard outside if you need anything. We’ll find out how to best use your talents once we reach Phoenix’s Roost.”
“Good,” Rasua said a moment before Aegis could shut the door behind her, “I want to be useful.” If only to keep myself from going mad.
Aegis simply nodded and shut the door, leaving Rasua to mourn the loss of her second home in a single lifetime. For the next hour, her eyes remained glued to Stratholme, and only turned away when the last vestiges of sphinx civilization were obscured by distance and trees. But even as the forest and sky shrouded the colony, a massive gout of lightning danced in the sky, drawing all eyes towards it.
Rasua’s heart fluttered at the send away, and she fell flat on her rump. The Spark Cannons. This is your doing, isn’t it father? The light show was a traditional farewell to a hero of the state. To further hammer the point home that this was indeed a message for her, seven long twisting streaks of stark orange lightning pierced the heavens to form a stylized anvil. Rasua’s tears returned in earnest as she pulled out the necklace bearing her badge of apprenticeship blacksmithing, with its primary rich orange finish in the shape of an anvil.
She squeezed the badge tightly in her hand as her love and pride for her family surged. “I promise you father,” she spoke aloud so her ancestors could hear, “I will bring honor to the Federation and our house. By my soul it shall be.”
With her resolve given strength, Rasua turned to the east to await what new horizons were in store her. A deep rooted fear started to creep up from the depths of her mind, darkening the eastern horizon.
Both queens and Princess Luna watched the lightning show from the observation deck of the Crystal Blue with a mix of emotions ranging from being impressed, to concern. Yet before anyone could voice that concern, the sphinx acolyte, named Pax Diomedes, hummed in approval. “That’s quite a show of respect. I can only hope Metal-Shaper Rasua was able to witness that. There are few greater honors a governor can bestow upon another.”
Twilight visibly calmed at the explanation, thankful they were not being attacked or threatened. One can never be too sure about new civilizations. “Last I heard, she was watching the city fade into the distance, so I’m sure she saw it.”
The priest dipped his head towards the west and kissed his thumb before making a circle gesture on his forehead. “The maiden of the great cycle will be pleased.” Diomedes meditated silently for a minute while the royals returned to their chairs at the port side of the deck, save for Rainbow Dash who hovered around him. When he returned to the present, Diomedes turned towards the sound of Twilight and Luna chatting only to find a face full of Rainbow Dash at eye level. He backed up, exuding surprise that Rainbow was finally able to pick up on with her empathy, but just barely.
“So what’s your deal? You some kind of holy guy?”
Twilight picked up on her sister’s less than diplomatic tone and mannerism, but decided to let Rainbow have her way. No sense in reigning her in all the time, she’ll never learn tact that way.
The priest gave a slightly insulted faux smile. “I’m not sure what you mean by ‘holy’. I am an acolyte of the Great Cycle. A paragon and upholder of the maiden’s laws and morality.”
Rainbow gave him a sardonic look. “Uh huh, sounds like a holy guy to me.” She pulled back to stand to her full height, which made her tower over him. “Something’s been bugging me ever since we got to Stratholme. What were those three towers out by the docks for? They were pumping some mad magic over the whole region.”
“Oh, is that all?” His posture relaxed significantly as he started rummaging around his robes. Now that they were in the warm confines of the Crystal Blue everyone had shed their winter clothing for something looser. The Equestrians had disrobed completely, much to the dismay of the priest. “They are psionic dampeners designed to, as I’m sure you can surmise from the name, suppress psionic abilities. Not only from being used, but also from manifesting in the first place.”
Twilight suddenly lost most of her interest in her conversation with Luna, and quickly asked Rainbow to relay whatever she heard. For her part, Rainbow was equally chilled by the comment, and wasn’t quite able to hide her discomfort. “So you guys don’t like mind readers or something?”
Diomedes visibly shuddered at the mere mention of it. “I don’t know about your kind, your highness, but psychic ability is an uncommon trait among us, and it is the most reviled. They steal thoughts, rip the mind to tatters, and can even pull the blood from your marrow. I tell you now, your highness, such powers are beyond dangerous, and must be stamped out for good.” He caught himself after seeing spittle fly from his mouth. He cleared his throat and tensely brushed the book he found in his pockets. “My apologies. My order makes it a point to seek out those who willingly use such abilities and cleanse them from the Earth.”
At this point, Twilight excused herself from Luna to canter over and join Rainbow’s conversation while the blue queen replied in a less than thrilled tone. “So you just use the towers to protect yourselves?”
“Quite right,” he replied with a curt nod. “A loyal citizen of the Federation, and tenant of the Seven Virtues cannot help it if genetics cursed them with the unlawful ability, and too many dormant users have proven steadfast paragons of righteousness. So the towers keep psychic ability from manifesting in the first place. Partly to save them from the angry mobs, Sestapo, and my order, but also to protect the citizens at large from the profligates who would try to harm them with the abilities as well.”
“Sounds dangerous,” Twilight commented carefully, revealing nothing of her mounting worry that the sphinx might try to flee back to the colony or harm her hive. “How do you differentiate between magic and psychic power?”
I wonder if her words means these Equestrians are familiar with such abilities. This does not bodes well if they do not see the danger of such uncontrollable power. “It’s simple really. Magic uses mana, while psychic powers use a wholly different form of energy we call mutons. I have my ways of detecting such abilities, but you needn’t worry,” he added with a reassuring smile. “Every initiate in my order is tested for dormant abilities, and I have none. Your thoughts are safe from me, your highnesses.”
<Well that’s the reddest flag I’ve ever seen,> Rainbow griped. Her instinctive use of the Link rose the hairs on the back of both queens’ necks, but if the priest had detected the hive speak, he made no indication. “Well I’ve got to ah… powder my nose. Have fun with Princess Luna.”
Twilight’s fur was starting to discolor from the heavy sweating on her forehead. Oh this is just great! Now we have to tiphoof around Rasua or she’ll never trust anypony in the hive before she gets to know us! Giving her best fake smile, Twilight tried to look at regally neutral as possible. “I have matters to tend to aboard my ship. Affairs of state and what not. I trust you’ll get along just fine with Princess Luna.” With that, she turned about face and speed trotted out of the room, leaving a very baffled priest behind. As soon as she was out of the room, Twilight teleported back to her quarters on the Deception.
I wonder what that was all about, he mused with a cocked head. Perhaps even talking about such things troubles them greatly. In any case, I better ingratiate myself with the Princess so as to make things easier for myself.
Twilight popped into existence inside her quarters only to find Rainbow Dash struggling to dislodge herself from the tangled pillows and sheets on Twilight’s bed. “I see your teleporting skills still need work, but at least your aim is getting better.”
Rainbow managed to free her head out from the blankets. “I was trying to port into my room. But we’ve got bigger problems.” She rolled off the bed, still prying the sheets off. “There’s no way in Tartarus that we’re going to be able to hide the hive mind for long. Even if that priest, monk, whatever he is, is going to Equestria, we still have Rasua to deal with.”
Deciding to save her sister from any more struggles, Twilight used her magic to peel away the rest of her sheets. “That will be a problem for sure. If our abilities were limited to just the hive mind, I think we could get away with it, in their eyes, but we royals have psychokinesis, along with others things. Although outside of the hive mind most of our psychic abilities overlap with common spells. Sadly, I doubt they’ll care about technicalities.”
Rainbow buzzed her wings to quickly stand up. “I don’t think anyone in the Federation will trust us if they all share that kind of hatred towards it.”
Twilight’s ears wilted a little at the prospect of facing more distrust and possible prejudice. But memories of Equestria gave her renewed hope. “We faced such issues with the Equestrian public in the face of Chrysalis’ invasion and fear of our disguises. Now, most ponies in the world at the very least, see our hive as friends if not true allies. The sphinxes will be no different, save the fears we must overcome.”
“I hope so,” Rainbow replied with more than a little concern. “I guess the first step is getting Rasua and that monk to trust us on some level. If she can trust us, then I bet she can convince her brother and father.”
“And it can snowball from there. An excellent idea, Rainbow.” Twilight had hoped her sister would come to that conclusion, and would have continued the conversation along that line if Aegis hadn’t pinged her mind requesting entry. <Yes, Aegis?> Twilight broadcasted to both Aegis and Rainbow Dash.
The princess in question entered with a deep seed of concern that nearly everyone in the hive shared after the mass warning about the sphinx’s view of psychics. Aegis managed to walk in on her back legs with only moderate wobbling. “I get that the fear thing is an issue, but we have something else too. Rasua might be able to reverse engineer some of our technology. The only reason they didn’t do anything with Trail Mix’s musket is because they distrust fire.”
“Really?” both queens replied in perfect unison, with Twilight continuing. “I guess we’re mostly okay then. Judging by the equipment of their guards, their steelwork is at least on par with our own, and I think their body armor is more advanced than Equestria’s.”
Rainbow smirked as she thought about it. “Yeah, and since most of our weapons are based around gunpowder, I think we’re mostly in the clear. Even our steam engines might give them pause.”
“I figured as much when she told me,” Aegis commented with concern still etched in her brow. “But subtle things, like our new Quadrinix alloys. Rasua is a blacksmith after all, she’s gotta have extensive metallurgical knowledge. There’s no telling how rich her homeland is with the stuff, or if they even use it at present.”
“Good point,” Rainbow conceded with a slight scowl. “Guess our best bet is to earn her friendship and then go from there. If we start restricting her movements, that’ll backfire quicker than I can fly.”
“I agree,” Twilight felt more than a little pride in her sister at choosing diplomacy over hardliner security. “We’ll play it by ear and adapt. It’s what our kind are best known for,” she added with a wink and a smile.
Feeling some pride in her linage, Aegis smiled in return. “I’ll let the hive know about the plan.” Aegis turned about face, and nearly fell in the process. “And in the meantime, I’m going to get hand lessons from our esteemed guest. Hopefully I’ll be able to hold a rifle again by the time we get back to the Roost.”
“Before you go, Aegis”, Twilight called out with a raised hoof. The princess stopped at the door and turned back to listen. “I just want to say how proud I am of you, for your actions in Stratholme. Not just gathering the necessary scents for disguises, but in your handling of Rasua and the troublemakers in the stables.”
Aegis swelled with pride at the paise while Rainbow joined in. “That was good thinking too. These sphinxes are kinda sorta like griffins. They will only befriend people who have the strength to stand up for themselves and speak their mind. You’re going to end up being a better queen than me one day,” Rainbow added with a sidelong smile.
A massive grin split Aegis’ muzzle. “Thanks, Momma, Aunty.” She rushed over to hug and nuzzle them both. Being told she had brought honor to her royal blood was the sort of praise Aegis yearned for above all others. It wasn’t enough for her to believe in herself. Aegis needed to know others thought she had the makings of a good queen.
The hug lasted barely a minute before an idea that had been lurking in the back of Aegis’ mind came to the surface, causing her to jump back a bit. “Ooo, I just remembered!” The queens looked at her expectantly. “Now, I’ve been thinking, let’s say I do prove the worth of my strain.” Aegis waved down to her bipedal stance for clarification. “It’s still going to take a really long time for me to rework alchemy to make up for it. Plus,” she said while focusing primarily on Rainbow Dash, “Stripped Gear, Equestria, and our hive work, or had worked, really really well with two queens. So I was thinking that maybe you could have a royal daughter to be my counterpart.”
Rainbow hummed in contemplation, looking up to think, only to have Twilight begin nuzzling her affectionately. “I know my rule feels so much more complete with you here, Rainbow. I think Aegis has the right idea.”
For her part, Rainbow Dash leaned into her sister, eager to return the affection and love. “Yeah…” Her tone shifted from contemplative to self-assured. “Yeah! I know I’d never be able to run a hive all by myself.” She took on a mock southern accent. “We’re like two halves of an apple pie!”
Both queens stood up straight to look each other in the eyes. A spark passed between them as they spoke in perfect unison. “And together, we are more than the sum of our parts.”
They nodded before facing a bemused Aegis, and continued speaking in unison. “It’s a good plan, Aegis/my daughter, we’ll figure out the best way to implement it later.”
“Great!” Aegis cheered and buzzed into the air out of excitement. “Well I better leave you two to Link Meditate, I have to get hand lessons from Rasua, bye!” Aegis made haste to leave while Rainbow gave her sister a smug look.
“And I’ll be making some eggs,” Rainbow announced with a manic grin as Aegis left the room. She lightly poked Twilight with a hoof. “You owe me three days of eggs, and I’m cashing in now.”
Twilight shot her sister a sarcastic raised eyebrow as Rainbow concentrated to begin production. “Are you sure? There’s still a week’s supply of royal jelly cider in the ship’s hold with your name on it.”
Rainbow grinned widely as she lovingly rubbed her abdomen. “The jelly tea’s almost as good. Besides, thirty nine more awesome eggs are worth the wait.” She looked back up to her sister who still had an amused look. “Plus, we’ll be escorting Luna’s Crystal Blue Back to Canterlot airspace for the next week or so to make sure some of those rival changelings doesn’t try to foalnap her or something. There’s plenty of time to guzzle that cider.”
“Fair enough,” Twilight giggled. “I’ll give the order to have the ship’s hatchery be brought online.”
The changeling spy within Stripped Gear was cooking in its own chitin. The sewers were becoming swelteringly hot the closer it got to the bowels of Stripped Gear. The stench alone was almost enough to make the puppeting queen abandon the quest entirely.
In all my years, I have rarely found anything that could curl my nose quite like an omnivore’s sewer. For the hundredth time, the spy came to an intersection in the pipes. Security had been almost completely absent, save for steel grates that kept the small denizens of the jungle from reaching sensitive areas. There was only one time she saw a drone down here, and he was too busy repairing a steam pipe to notice the spy creeping by.
The infiltrator was in front of one such grate, testing its encrusted edges to find any weakness when one of the queen’s other spies sent word. Damn, the Deception left that cat-thing town sooner than I expected. Thanks to that cursed cloaking device, there’s no telling if Twilight is escorting the pony airship back, or if she’s sprinting back to Phoenix’s Roost. If I’m going to do something, I better do it within the next twenty four hours.
Suspecting the sewer grate didn’t lead further down towards the geothermal plant, the spy left it alone to follow the steam pipes, and seek out a means to bring about Stripped Gear’s end.
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Thank you for updating this, I read the first series but not the 2nd yet...that changes soon (TM)
So there's a new warship in Stripped Gear. Chrysalis is in for a nasty surprise. That is if it doesn't all blow up first :(
By the way, how does the infiltrator keep moving through the city? Don't they have these steam-powered-doors everywhere, especially in the secure areas? They would make getting through without detection quite hard.
5416783 - There's a new capital ship in Stripped Gear, and apparently some test fighter craft I'd guess in a hidden facility in Rookhaven.
That should be 'looked.'
ah yes the adventure the sweet delicios dark overtones in it they are delicios
5416783 I have to agree that it should be harder with the steam tech Cadista uses. But i bet the timing of the new warship launch will spare Cadista if Chryssy succeeds. Twilight has already lost one mother. I don't want her to lose this one so soon.
as long as nobody is important is taken out i don't care what happens when this happens at all however the war thats obviosly being planed had better be freak in cool i mean expsoins and the whole nine yards there i is excited
So Cadista is making the Equestrian equivalent of FIGHTER JETS!?!? Hell yeah!
and those cat things well be the end of chrysalis, because allies are important and twiligth is getting alot of them.
5416917 I kind of suspect that too. It would totally fit into the story, if Chrysalis succeeded in destroying or at least disarm Stripped Gear only to be shot down by some new aircrafts.
GOD DAMN IT I SWEAR ON ME MUM OP QUIT MAKING ME LIKE CHARACTERS!
YOU!!!
img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140501181347/creepypasta/images/f/f6/Grumpy_Cat.jpg
Crap, now I understand why I had an urge to finish my newest fan art all day today. XD!
LAW, YOU BIG TROLL! I was gonna finish drawing it today...How dare thou upload a new chapter 1 day early?!? On the other hand, I totally deserved it. *writes* Note to self: troll Law not with troll sneak pics again, lest you be trolled and pawned in return. Don't worry: Lesson learned. I will up my game next time.
Best Hearths Warming gift ever. I was really lloking forward to the next chapter of this story, and thank you for making it so close to the holidays.
Everything is clicking into place and anticipation is at its peak. I suspect a war is a bit too early for it to happen just yet and with Cadista's new toys, well, things would either go great or catastrophic. I suspect a huge freaking plot twist is coming up.
Anyway, best Holiday present ever, Law A. Pony. Been checking everyday and it's worth it.
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Glad you're liking it so far.
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mfw, only with less dying.
I could barely hold my excitement in while reading this chapter. I was positivly buzzing and smiling like a mad man.I love this alternate universe and I love the smooth reading. The story just flows and all the parts are moving together so fluidly. I envy your talent for storytelling and crafting.
Did Rainbow ever make those wing adjustments that were talked about in the previous installment?
I think you mean eke, unless of course you are suggesting your spinxes make squeaking noises when they are squeazed.
A thought occurs: we know the changelings can block access to the hive mind as during Twilight's test, so why aren't they using that for defence? Setup an airlock system for everyone going in or out where the way out of the airlock is a modest puzzle, or say, reading a set of instructions and pulling the correct lever. The intelligent changelings wouldn't like it, but could navigate it in seconds, where the mindless drones would get stuck in what is essentially a bug zapper.
Ooooooo, they're working on a carrier plus fighters? Awesome.
Hahaha, well there's the other shoe regarding the sphinxes.
Certainly looks like the grudge between Cadista and Chrysalis is coming to a head here.
One things for certain, Cadista is no fool. She obviously can see the signs of her hated enemy is up to something. But it seems like Chrysalis is just a bit better at this cloak and dagger stuff.
5419956
.... Honestly, that Would be Incredibly Adorable, and could be a Secret held from outsiders just so they aren't shown to be weak. XD
Oh this was great
I'm so glad to finally have a new chapter can't wait to see if Aegis and Rasua become good friends 
I SAY SHIP'EM 
Seriously though it will be interesting if they can get the Sphinxes fear to be abated before the get to Pheonix roost 
I don't Think Twilight can handle a war on two fronts 
Peace is so much better 
I WANT MOAR SOON 
If that is alright with you. 
I (and possibly others) have a tendency to start thinking of side characters as less capable, needing the main cast to swoop in and rescue them and/or fix whatever mess they've made. This chapter is a good reminder that, although she doesn't share the spotlight, Cadista is still not someling to take lightly: she's been playing this game for a very long time, and is quite clever. (Not to mention, she [currently] holds home-field advantage.)
5420638 That could be a possible countermeasure, but for it to be implemented in this story it would have to happen after something serious happened as a result of an infiltrator.
As a real-life example, the TSA completely revamped its security protocols and equipment after 9/1, with much more secure and strict requirements for airport entry. But it took 9/11 for that change to occur.
The priest is scared of mind powers...I wonder what he will think of magic that can move the sun.
He seems familiar with magic, but I would bet that their culture is not near as magically inclined as the ponies.
That priest is in for some culture shock!
I just hope he takes it well...
+100000 points for that ( i move to pin) reference
It has been said before... But I shall say it again: GO BIG OR GO HOME!
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Just remember;
Jet fuel can't melt steel beams.
pbs.twimg.com/media/B5utfaUIcAAmtMn.jpg
Sorry if you find this immature, but I had to
This series is like being an observer during the beginnings of World War 1 or maybe it'd be two... Either way, you can see all that build up and the motives, and you know what the end result is but you can't stop it. Intriguing and fustrating.
entire brood in immune to this poison.
Is* how did noone before me catch that?
mutons
mutons
mutons
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Corrections offered without malice.
its
go
camaraderie
reining her in
Regarding the fear of mind powers, I'm very much hoping twilight and dash are careful. They're doing the unison thing again, and don't seem to have much control over that. I know it's possible for people to actually do that, but a superstitious lot like the sphinxes might immediately call it witchcraft
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We found a witch! May we burn her?
Well, the jungle has been a powder keg for quite a while now, the summit provided the spark ... and the fuse is getting to be very short indeed ...
Category 1:
no it didn't, it 'shone'
Carefull, you don't want a double negative here.
'impressed to concerned'
bode
have
Now, to see when this starts in earnest ...
Oh, great, it's a whole nation of anti-psionic fanatics.
Well, that's no fun at all.
The war is about to begin. I hope the Hive survives...