Viral

by AnchorsAway

Chapter 13: Pancakes

---

Celestia could feel her sanity crumbling through her hooves. The floodgates had opened, the waters released. It was all coming down, like a tower of bricks built upon sand.

She stood on the foyer steps, her morning robe wrapped around her tired body, sun just set on its morningly path, and stared down at the pony.

“What do you mean gone?” she asked dangerously, her words dripping with warning.

“I mean it's all gone!” Trotter exclaimed, the excitement and fear and anger mixing into a ball of emotions that bleed from his every word. He paced the castle foyer, the morning sun only halfway visible over the horizon. His face glowed as bright as the dawn, a brilliant cherry. “All of it. My sample analysis, the data, the body. The DC swooped in early this morning and confiscated everything. Even my computer and half of the lab equipment.”

Trotter stopped, the tiny pony puffed to almost twice his size with his exhilaration. "They can’t do this!” he yelled. “That was my research. That was all the evidence we had on them, and they stole it. They had to have known.”

“Let's just calm down,” Celestia assured him, trying to regain her composure. “What do you know? Who signed off on this?”

“Solar,” he hissed. “It had to have been Dr. Haze.” His words were vehement, stoked by his personal ties to the CED Director. “She was my friend. I trusted her since we were in university together. How could she do this?”

The sound of hooves clattering on the marble stair interrupted them. Luna hopped down the final flight, a baggy-eyed Romulus flapping wearily behind. The night had taken its toll on both.

“What is it, sister? What be wrong?”

No sense in delaying at this point, Celestia reminded herself. “We have a situation, Luna. It appears that they know we are on to them.”

“The Defense Coalition?”

“They raided my research. Took everything,” Trotter explained. “Dr. Haze must have tipped them off.”

“It seems we have put too much trust in the Defense Coalition,” Celestia finally admitted. “We have to act quickly.”

“And what of your efforts?” Luna asked. "Does the DC not answer to the highest office of the land?"

She had tried normal channels, of course, navigating the bureaucratic mazes they themselves had organized. An ever-expanding leviathan of ministries and government offices meant to shoulder the burden of maintaining a nation.

Yet, such foundries had proved to be an insurmountable offensive, even to a princess. Her repeated requests for a meeting with the director of the Defense Coalition had been met with the same ancillary answer from his secretary, a pretty sounding mare who had taken all of her calls. I'm sorry, Princess, but Director Blackthorn isn't in at the moment. I know it is urgent, but would you like to set up an appointment.

She would, of course, set up an appointment had there not irrevocably and conveniently always been an issue with the Director's schedule. I really do apologize, Princess, but Director Blackthorn was called out on important business today. Would it be too much trouble to reschedule?

“I’m having the Captain of the Royal Guard put together a response team, immediately," Celestia revealed to them all, descending to the foyer. "I want whatever Dr. Haze is working on at the Center for Equestrian Diseases confiscated. It may be the only thing connecting what happened in Ponyville to the Defense Coalition.”

“Wait, sister," Luna interjected. "If you do this," she turned to look at Romulus, "you need to hear what we have uncovered. Tell her," she said to the bat pony.

All eyes were now on Romulus, the exhausted stallion melting under Celestia's equally worn gaze. "Tell us what?" the alicorn wondered.

"What the DC found in Caballo," he warned. "What they are working on in the Equestrian Disease Center's facility."

"What do they have?" The room had seemingly grown cold despite the still warm autumnal morning, lazy bands of heat rising up the mountain.

"Something that was meant to remain buried."

---

Pancakes make every morning a good one.

That's what Zahara had learned in her years caring for the little ones of Equestria. The fluffy round saucers slid out the pan and onto the plate, a smiling face of fresh blueberries from the garden cooked into the creamy batter. How such a simple concoction, usually downed in sweet syrup, could always elicit a smile from the foals, would remain a mystery to Zahara. What she did know was that little Rose was in need of something to brighten her day.

Zahara set the plate in front of Rose Point, the little filly still sleepy-eyed, her mane hanging in tangles. It was apparent to the Sister that she was still not getting the restful sleep that the filly deserved. Dark bags hung under the young one's eyes, her face blank as she stared discontentedly into space.

There was always a transition period for those under her care. But this was different. The filly had hardly uttered a word the few days she had resided in the orphanage, always sitting quietly in her room or playing with the doll set Zahara had picked up the day after collecting Rose from the hospital.

She had found the playset when she had taken the filly to the mall to pick up some essentials. The filly had practically nothing to her name; her backpack contained only a toothbrush and her stuffed animal. The polar bear, a ratty thing, dirty and worn, rarely left her presence.

But the playset was something she could have all to herself. Just for you Zahara had told Rose.

The sounds of Canterlot waking up to another bright, sunny day filtered in through the open kitchen window, the zebra clearing away the batter and bowls from the large counter where she baked bread.

Rose was drenching the pancakes in thick syrup, the caramel liquid soaking them till they could absorb no more. She took a huge bite, the sticky syrup covering the corners of her mouth. Her eyes seemed to light up as she took another bite, and then another. Rose glanced up at the Zahara, a small grin curling on her tired face.

“They’re really good,” she told her, wiping away the syrup from her mouth with the back of a hoof.

“I’m glad you like them, child. I enjoy pancakes too,” Zahara chuckled, wiping the excess syrup from the filly's mouth. “We did not have them in my country, but I wish I had them as a child.”

“You aren’t from Equestria?” the little filly asked, befuddled.

“Oh, no, child,” Zahara said, thinking back to her home on the mountainside of the grasslands. “No, home is here, in Canterlot, but I grew up a long way away from here, far across the sea. But you just worry about finishing your breakfast, little one. That is a story for later.”

Rose polished off her second pancake and was digging into the final layer. She stopped as if remembering something she had forgotten, a bite dripping with syrup poised in front of her.

"What is it, child? Is something wrong?" Zahara wondered.

"No," she quickly answered. "It's just-" The filly looked down at the maple soaked breakfast, eyes wandering again, the smile receding away as quickly as it had appeared. “Mom always made pancakes on special days.”

Of course. It would take more than just pancakes to mend such a wound.

"Hey. Why don’t we do something fun today, Rose,” Zahara suggested, setting her fork down and touching her hoof tenderly. She thought they could both use some fun. "Have you ever been to a carnival?"

She herself had been only once before, after arriving in Canterlot - the sounds of exuberant children eagerly goading their parent to move faster, the delighted squeals of ponies clinging to the hoofrails of the rollercoaster cars as it rocketed on its shaking steel tracks. The gorgeous view of Canterlot in all its magnificence from the top of the ferris wheel, Sister Rosary pointing to the castle in the distance, a palace of marble that glistened as if it were wet. And that is where the Princesses live, Zahara. And there, the Royal Gardens, so pretty this time of year.

It had been too long since Zahara had experienced such a rush of filly-like excitement. Luck would only have it that one such carnival had returned at such an opportune time, as if the stars had aligned just for the two of them.

It had come on the backs of big trucks, chugging through the streets of Canterlot and setting up in the plaza square, a cacophony of bells and lights and sounds, ready to beckon the old and young to an afternoon of wonder and the promise of sugary treats.

"What do you say, Rose?"

And like magic, the remarkable twinkle returned to the little filly’s big eyes.

It was a short walk through the garden district to the square, Rose with her stuffed bear in tow and Zahara with her bonnet to keep the autumn breeze from muddling her mane.

Even from a block away, the roar of the rollercoaster could be discerned above the traffic that ever-presently clogged the Canterlot streets. The ferris wheel would, of course, be what Zahara looked forward to; it jutted above the blocky townhouses of the garden district. As they rounded the final corner, a smile finally spread across the filly face, and she picked up her pace.

“Woah, child. Wait up,” called Zahara trotting after Rose. The zebra forked over a few bits from her coin pouch to the cashier behind the entrance booth.

The attendant had a dour look on her face, casually handing over their tickets before sighing and directing them inside. Zahara clutched the excited filly’s hoof, lest she slip away. Rose was all but too eager to get inside.

Once past the wrought iron gates, it was all Zahara could do to keep up with the energetic filly. “Ohmygosh! Look at the ferris wheel. Look at how high it goes! Do you think can we ride the ferris wheel, Sister? Please, oh please," she practically begged, her little filly eyes filled with wonder.

Zahara gave a small chuckle, quickly remembering how Sister Rosary must have felt, taking her here her first time. "Of course, child, of course. We have all day."

---

“Captain, you're clear to proceed with the operation.”

The Princess's voice filtered in through the stallion's earpiece calm, authoritative.

“Roger that, your Highness,” he replied with a quick grunt through the headset, heaving his MAG rife up by its sling. The weapon was charged, thrumming with arcanic energy as it waited eagerly to be unleashed upon any unlucky foes.

“Ok team, remember the object!” the Captain shouted over the heads of ponies behind him. His voice echoed down the carved subway tunnel, the beam of his headlight shining over the waiting faces covered in gear. The entrance to the Center for Equestrian Diseases was just ahead around the bend, two white paneled doors waiting at the end of a half-constructed station.

“Objective priority one. Secure Dr. Haze and whatever evidence of collusion with the Defense Coalition you can find. I know this is rushed," he admitted, his beam washing over the Royal Guards, a team of ponies he had hoof-picked, "But the Princesses are counting on us. All eyes in there. Watch each other's backs."

“Just be careful what you touch,” Trotter coughed beside the square-jawed Captain whose chin could cut rock.

Several icy stares, including the Captain, bore down upon the lankey brown pony. “I just mean–” he fumbled. “There are a lot of dangerous substances stored here. Just a word of warning you.”

“Erm, right. You heard the egghead, don’t get your hooves caught in the cookie jar,” the Captain said, scratching the back of his head. “Alright, that's probably enough chitchat. Let’s get the job done ponies.”

The doors of the station were thrown open, the dust and moist air of the subway tunnels of Canterlot sweeping in with the horde of armored guards. And the facility was filled with the trampling of hooves and shouts of guards

“Royal Security Forces! Everypony down!” the Captain shouted, leveling his MAG rifle. His saddle rig, a mesh of pockets and magic-resistant kinetic plates, was strapped to his back, curling down his sides and sliding over his breastbone. RSF the patch declared in bright, yellow letters.

“Down! Down! On your forelegs! Don’t even think about touching that equipment!” they shouted, sweeping through the upper levels of the CED. Ponies in lab coats dropped papers, clipboards, cups of coffee - whatever they had in their hooves. The teams were forcing them down at gunpoint, the fear of the scientists reflecting in the glow from the barrels.

Trotter stepped over the debris left behind in their wake, trying not to look at his colleagues pressed against the corridor walls being cuffed.

“Trotter!” called a familiar voice. It was Stardust.

The mare was struggling and kicking as two stallions in saddle rigs lifted her clear off the waxed floor and slammed her against the wall, leaving a faint smear of red from where her lips touched them.

“Woah, Woah!” he yelled, running up to the butting and butting in between them. “She's OK. She’s a friend. Stardust is with me.”

The two ponies exchanged skeptical looks from behind their visors.

“Stardust helped uncover the evidence against Dr. Haze,” Trotter explained.

Surprisingly they relented, releasing Stardust, who collapsed in a heap on the floor.

“Are you alright,” Trotter wondered, stooping down and helping the mare to her hooves.

“Your new friends are a little rough,” she groaned, running a hooftip along her busted lip and giving the two security ponies a nasty glare.

“Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. “I didn’t have time to warn ahead. The Princesses threw all this together the moment after I told them about the evidence seizure. Any luck while I was gone?”

She shook her head in disappointment. “I checked all the servers. Somepony must have gained access and erased all the outgoing message connection history. Somepony was trying to cover their tracks.”

“So we don’t have anything pinning Solar to the Defense Coalition?”

“At least not on the main servers. We're too late.”

Before they could continue the Captain strolled up, flanked by two others. He didn’t look happy. Trotter wasn't sure if the Captain had ever been happy in his life.

“Alright egghead, she ain’t here. Dr. Haze’s office is empty, and she isn't on this level. Any idea where she could be?”

“Yes,” he huffed, a sour twist in his words. “And don’t call me egghead. There are four levels between this level and the bottom of the facility. I can get us into any with my keycard. Dr. Haze, however, has a private lab down on level four, but it has an electronic lock that my card doesn't work on. My guess would be there, but I don't see how you'll be able to get inside.”

The Captain gave an amused snort. “We’ve got out tech pony here,” he said, nodding to the short mare on his right. “She can open it like sesame.”

Trotter was already leading the Captain and his two cohorts to the elevator when he turned back to Starburst, who was still massaging her aching head. “Check Solar’s office,” he called back. “See if she has a private server. We might can pull her connection logs off of there if she has one.”

“I’ll give it a try,” she waved groggily before somepony else could pin her to the wall, stumbling off toward the Director’s office. "So much for a quiet Monday," she grumbled.

---

Comments

[Clawfoot]

And the pieces come more into place.