Chapter 4.10 - The Divine Wind
"Please baby girl, wake up. I'm here for you."
Lotus felt her ears perk up. Her mother was here, her mother...
"It's all ok. It's fine."
Lotus felt a soft hoof on her brow, brushing across her ears, erasing all her pain and suffering. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a rustic living room built of what looked like hoof cut wood, decorated with warm colours and beautiful landscape portraits. It looked familiar to her, but she couldn't remember from where. All she knew is that it made her feel like she had come home, like all her troubles were far away.
"You've come so far and suffered so much." The voice stated from behind, Lotus turning to see a yellow furred unicorn step towards her and deliver the warmest, most genuine looking smile Lotus had ever seen. This mare... radiated kindness and comfort, it sparkled in her diamond blue eyes and even her cutie mark was that of a broad happy smile. Her voice too was soft and inviting, "Your journey is over baby girl, you are safe here."
Lotus felt tears come to her eyes, the chance to lay down her burdens too much to bear. More than anything she just wanted to rest, to forget...
She looked up at the mare, "Who are you?"
"I am your mother." She stated with wonderful conviction, "I am here to care for you, to love and always be with you."
Lotus felt like a child again, like the rest of her life had been a horrible dream. She looked around the room, trying to convince herself that this was all real. The paintings, the ornaments...
She had carved those wooden beams that held up the roof, knife clutched between her teeth. She had sat with a stallion, a stallion that had treated her with such kindness. She had sat there beside him like a child, trying to resist the urge to call him father.
She looked desperately for his face. There were so many paintings here, but not one photo. Not one illustration of the family that lived here. She knew there should be, she remembered... standing together with a group of others, grinning for the camera.
That ornament on the shelf, an antique clock decorated in hourglass patterns. Pre-war, it had been a gift. A gift from a sweet mare with a face of nightmares, a face... "Where's Ghost Girl?"
Her mother's face fluttered slightly, "How kind of you to remember her. Do not worry, she's right here."
She motioned to the side, a mare standing at the edge of the room, demure and silent. She was beautiful, a sweet if somewhat skinny mare with a blue coat and white mane, dressed in a long elegant dress. And after a second Lotus could see it, the shape of her face, the awkward expression... this was ghost girl, before... before she became a ghost. She was beautiful.
"See?" Her mother stated with gentle sweetness, "She is happy too."
Lotus looked at the ghost girl, looking deep at that familiar, awkward smile. It didn't so much as twitch, a photograph upon her face.
Beneath that soft, perfect fur... burnt, blistered scars and a look of painful desperation. A warning.
"You look tired baby girl. You should sleep."
Lotus shook her head, "I... can't. I have things to do."
"Sleep. Leave your troubles for others."
Lotus turned, faced again with that warm, motherly smile, "Who are you?"
"Give up." The yellow furred mare replied, her voice as sweet and kind as ever, "Lay down and die already."
"I..."
"Oh dear child." The mare stated, her smile widening further, "The world hates you, and you are alone. What reason do you have to continue?"
And it came upon Lotus in a rush, the hot, unrelenting hatred for the mare in front of her. The pain and torment of seeing her again, and the rushing memories of what she had done. She braced herself, feeling... fear.
She didn’t know this mare’s name, but she knew well enough to be afraid, "Leave me alone!"
The mare chuckled, "It's you who can't let go."
Lotus panicked, leaping for her throat with a scream, "Why won't you die?!"
"Oh, I'm already long dead." The mare replied as Lotus just hit empty space, tumbling over and over into oblivion, "Come join me, and let your struggles finally end."
¬
Lotus looked up, sweat pouring down her face, her heart beating fiercely in her chest. She was faced with not a living room and domestic bliss, instead she only saw cold steel, white sterile surfaces and strange, dangerous looking machinery. She was in some kind of cell, a glass roof above looking up into what looked like a laboratory.
A green furred mare stood there watching, dressed in a labcoat and goggles. Gestalt.
"Interesting." Gestalt stated as she scribbled notes upon a levitated clipboard, "Upon resonance with connected waveforms, subject experiences heightened physical responses and strong rejection. A similar response to that exhibited by the false Princesses, but far stronger."
Lotus screamed up at the glass, "Let me out of here!"
"And more fascinating still, the harmonic resonance analyser is detecting strong traces of both Loyalty and Laughter... yet not from the subject." Gestalt actually smiled at this information, a most unnatural look for the normally stoic mare, "They appear to flow into the subject from some outside source, empowering her rejection of the resonance wavelength. Could they be flowing from the higher dimension? Could we theoretically follow this to the source?"
"LET ME GO!"
Gestalt gave a satisfied nod, "More tests are needed."
¬
Lotus lay there for hours, preparing her escape.
Gestalt was no fool, the cell was constantly bombarded with magic neutralising rays. Still they were designed for neutralising unicorns, Lotus managing to keep her magic subtle and hugged tightly in her core to keep it from the dampening field. Using it she mapped out the area bit by bit, using earth pony magic to identify any weaknesses in the structure.
Unfortunately it was well built. She could have broken through the glass at the top if it was more easily reachable, unfortunately it was several feet above her head and the walls were shiny smooth. Those walls themselves were too thick, she would shatter her hooves before she did so much as crack them.
And the door...
...slid open.
She looked towards it, waiting for a pony to step through. No pony did, the door simply... open. Inviting.
Lotus advanced cautiously, stepping out into an empty cell block. It led in a single direction, Lotus looking up at a camera staring down at her and storing as much magic as she could find. Not a soul came out to stop her.
Eventually she entered what looked like an office space, shiny white desks topped with expensive looking computers. Comfortable sofas, a rich purple carpet and expensive art gave the impression that this was no simple worker drone's space, Lotus looking up at a gorgeously painted portrait of Twilight, Gestalt and Mosaic. Near to it was a large landscape piece, Lotus recognising Splendid Valley.
"It's where it all began... and where it all ended."
Lotus turned, unsure how she hadn't noticed her before. Mosaic stood there in the centre of the room, clad in a shiny white lab coat. Mosaic gave an embarrassed, awkward smile as she approached, steps slow and soft. Lotus gave her a wary look, "What is going on?"
"I'm helping you escape."
"Why?"
"Because I want to go home." She answered, a little hint of a spark in her eyes.
Lotus wondered if she should tell her, "Where is home?"
Mosaic lifted a hoof, pointing at a portrait of two green furred unicorn fillies. Lotus turned, stared at it..
¬
A house… a good house, with good parents. Two children, twins, identical and always together. A happy time.
Lotus closed her eyes, feeling the images imprint upon her mind. They were happy images, full of comfort and joy.
And then… disorder. Anxiety. Chaos. She looked upon her twin, her other self, and saw… a pony who was not her. Who for the first time... was different. Her twin's face was full of joy where as her own heart was full of pain, and upon her sister’s flank… a paintbrush and jigsaw cutie mark. It stood there defiant against her stare, something that was… different. Something that was wrong.
Something that left her alone. She felt her anger build, exploding through her horn in a primal burst of magic…
And she smiled as they stepped out together and showed their parents their matching cutie marks. Gemini signs, the symbol of their sisterhood. And their parents laughed and said that they should have figured it would be that way.
And from that moment on it was as it should be. There was no Gestalt and Mosaic, only their sisterhood. Now and forever.
¬
Lotus stepped out of the vision, sweating in fear at the utter monolithic ego she had felt under those emotions. It was like nothing she had ever even conceived of, the utter rejection of any will but her own. She looked round at Mosaic, standing there with an uncertain look on her face, “She… rewrote your cutie mark?!”
“Family is important.” Mosaic answered, her voice monotone, “And Equestria was already full of painters. Together, my sister and I unlocked the secrets of the universe.”
Lotus hissed, struggling to comprehend how Mosaic could even begin to defend her sister, “You created monsters!”
“It was her dream. Much of the work was Twilight’s, but my sister gave them meaning.” Mosaic spoke, her voice shaking a little, “Servants of harmony, bound to one another through the same ties of magical friendship that had bound the ministry mares. Linked through a shared unity, and bearing the power and grace of the Princesses. They were to change the world.”
Lotus was liking this less and less, “You’re talking about the unity… the ministry of magic planned the unity? It was intentional?”
“It was.” Mosaic answered, “My sister’s power, given its ultimate expression. A hundred minds, bound together as one.”
“Why? For what purpose?!”
“So we would not be alone.” Mosaic answered softly, “Twilight Sparkle and my sister wished to finally realise harmony, fulfil their destiny and create a new, better world. A world where outsiders like them could enjoy the same connections as everypony else, where the lonely and the misunderstood would be neither. That is why Twilight Sparkle chose Trixie, she only wished to help her old rival, offer her peace.”
Lotus stared at her, not sure what to feel at this point, “That didn’t go so well.”
“No…” She answered, extending a hoof towards the portrait of Splendid Valley, “It didn’t.”
¬
She felt memories flood through her once more, only these weren’t quite as… domestic as those previous. Indeed they were downright aggressive, Lotus feeling the pain of a dozen bruises and wincing against the screaming cry of a siren above. Her nose too was assaulted by a foul, acidic smell, staring into a smoke filled room as screams sounded out around her. She opened her mouth to shout, “Sister! Speak up!”
No answer came back and she rolled back onto her hooves and looked around the room, the smoke clearing a little to reveal the true horror. A male pony in a labcoat lay propped against a smoking console, his eyes blank and his neck at a crazy angle. Another female pony clutched at the bleeding stump of her hoof as she whimpered quietly to herself.
And at the far end… her sister, her breathing gasping and insistent, her stomach torn open.
¬
Further memories, small islands in a haze of uncertain emotion…
They had taken account of the situation. She still felt numb, disconnected. Still she took in the information she was given, sifting through the reality.
The facility had been hit, hard. A megaspell impact, which meant the zebra had fired upon Equestria. They had no idea of what conditions were like beyond these walls… or beyond this compartment for that matter. The facility had taken a hit far beyond its projected tolerances but the fortifications had still done their job to an extent. Blast doors had sealed the compartment they were in and hardlines had been cut to restrict the flow of radiation. They were still alive, and structural damage was fairly minimal.
The injuries however were severe. There had been thirteen of them performing this experiment. Four were dead. Two were expected to die any hour now.
Those left? Her and Double Negative were the only ones without serious injury. Lyra Heartstrings had lost a hoof, Sierra Peaks was pale, clammy and shivering, and her sister… was stable. Twilight Sparkle’s condition was ‘uncertain’, the control chamber had sealed shut as per emergency protocols and manual releases were non-functional.
And that brought them to the next problem. Though structurally the facility had held up, the internal systems were another matter. Nothing worked. They had no communications, no computer systems at all in fact. The emergency lights were still working, but that indicated they had no generator power. All attempts to end lockdown had failed. The water… was brown and sticky.
The test site was quarantined off, several of the vats having broken their barriers and released raw IMP across the workspaces. It was fairly obvious that Trixie could be quietly considered another casualty, and that was clear indication that they should go nowhere near the stuff.
They were trapped, without water or hope of rescue.
¬
Things had not improved. Three of the scientists were dead, including Sierra Peaks. That left six, her, her sister, Double Negative, Twilight Sparkle, Lyra Heartstrings and Heavy Wrench. Lyra was not looking great, and it was suspected that infection had already entered the stump.
Her sister was dying. Her injuries were easily the most severe, and it had taken all she had to keep her alive this long.
They had only basic first aid kit. They couldn’t rely on a rescue. That left only one option.
“Are you mad?!”
She stared at Double Negative, wanting to ask him if he had a better idea. But she had always been the one to focus on cool logic, deciding to just lay out the case, “It is the only option. The IMP is in its final testing stages, and I am certain in our work up to now. It is there, ready for use.”
“So we all make ourselves alicorns?”
She nodded, “It is the only way.”
“Then be my guest.”
She ignored her co-worker’s base cowardice, turning and striding towards the broken vats. The IMP pooled just below, ready for use. She could do this, it would work. She would become an alicorn, heal her sister, and break out of here. She would save Equestria.
“Save…”
Her ears pricked up. She had heard something, some strange voice that she almost recognised.
“Save… me…”
She stepped back, crackling blue light forming above one of the vats, forming into what looked like a pony skeleton, formed muscle and nerves… before falling apart and disappearing back into darkness. The room was silent once more.
She opened her mouth to speak, unable to even comprehend how… “Trixie?”
¬
“She wants to know what is happening.” Double Negative informed her as he looked down at the monitor in front, “She is scared.”
They had hooked up a machine to pick up extremely faint psychic signals from the vats, with a fair bit of bullying on her part. They had thought her mad, hearing things, but there it was. It was as she had been saying all along, their experiment had worked, Trixie was... something. Maybe not an alicorn, but maybe... “Tell her there was an accident, and that we have many injured. That we are trapped here, and that we need her help to escape.”
Double Negative fiddled with the machine for a little bit before nodding, “She says she’s in pain.”
“Well what are we supposed to do about that? Give her some Med-X?” She responded with a bit more irritation that might have been recommended, “Tell her to continue training her psychic abilities. If she can get those working, then we can provide her with pain relief.”
"I don't think..."
"Do it!" She hissed, not about to die down here, "We made her what she is. She owes us this much."
¬
She looked into her sister’s eyes, blank and glassy. The pain welled up, mixing with hunger and the clouds of infection and illness. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t concentrate, and now her sister just wouldn’t...
“I’m sorry.” Double Negative stated from behind, his own face pale and sunken, “We have to face the facts...”
She turned and strode past him, not able to listen to the opinions of a fool. She was sick of fools, the world full of them. She couldn’t take it anymore, their incompetence, “Trixie!”
“I... I don’t know...” Came the weak fluttering response, just on the edge of hearing, “...it’s so painful...”
“Then fix it!” She shouted back, moving onto the platform and looking down at the IMP vats, “You have more power than any pony who’s ever lived, and you can’t help my sister, you can’t help yourself... what good are you!?”
“I’m sorry... I don’t know how...”
“Of course you don’t!” She screamed back, “Because you’re a talentless hack! I told Twilight you were useless, but she never listens to me! She just had to take pity on you, even when it gets us all killed!”
It wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t right. She was fed up with this incompetence, that no one put her did things properly! Her sister was… hurt…
Trixie could fix it. Trixie could fix everything! They had made her a GODDESS! How could this stupid mare still be so completely useless after that? If she had that power, if she had that strength...!
And she could. She could take it for her own. She stepped forward and did what she should have done a long time ago.
Her magic flared and she took hold of that weak, insipid personality, locked her will around it, took it for her own… it yielded like paper, ‘Trixie’ fading away like the irrelevant embarrassment she was. And then… she was in control. Trixie... was her! It couldn't have been easier!
She was in control, and the power was incredible. This was what they had sought, this was what they had spent their entirely lives seeking. She felt Trixie beneath, the mare actually comforted, reassured by her presence. It validated everything she knew, that the unity was what they all desired, that it would bring peace to the world. And now, she had the power to do just that.
She drew upon the great well of power within her, stretching her empathic powers out into the facility beyond. If they could reach some of the others, find survivors… she laughed as she felt them there, felt their minds connect to hers. Survivors, inside the facility!
She wondered how far her powers could stretch, marvelling as she expanded them outwards to cover the whole of Equestria. The thoughts and emotions of a thousand minds suddenly connected to hers, and she knew...
Pain.
Trixie screamed. She screamed. The world screamed. All was noise and pain, horror and death.
She was thrown out of Trixie’s mind, finding herself back in her own body. She fell back against the gantry, tears in her eyes, heart pounding, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the suffering. The world was on fire, everypony was dying in pain… and she had felt it all. The suffering, the death of a thousand ponies, it was just too much…
And she looked up as Trixie’s psychic image shook, the mare uttering a deafening shriek of pain and torment. Her image twisted, broke into thrashing, twisting tentacles of psychic rage, a roaring explosion of power radiating outwards.
She felt herself torn from her body, consumed by the titanic psychic scream. Behind her she saw her body crumple, blood briefly pouring from her nose and ears before Trixie pulped it with a single furious strike that shattered the gantry apart. The tentacles lashed out and grasped hold of Double Negative and Heavy Wrench, pulling them screaming into the vats, the doors to the facility shattered open as those same tentacles tore through the facility for the other survivors.
And she agreed, and understood. She released her hold, felt her control leave her. And she was... Mosaic and Gestalt, together again. Together in the unity.
All pain was gone, and they were safe. And she understood.
The world might be burning, but she now had the solution. The unity would save them all.
¬
Lotus blinked, fighting off the images. It certainly added some additional context, and exonerated Trixie quite a bit. In fact given what she had heard of the four mares she was more certain than ever that Trixie had been a stabilising influence. But that raised other questions, “Why would you show these things to me?”
Mosaic smiled softly, kindly, “Because we’ve seen your life. It seems only fair that you know ours.”
Lotus stared into that slightly off kilter expression, the subtle smile creeping across Mosaics face… and realised something. Something that seemed to contradict everything she knew. Something that made this impossible, “Mosaic… died. She died before the Goddess was created.”
“Did she now?” Mosaic asked, her smirk widening, “You have truly learned nothing of us. There is no Gestalt or Mosaic, for we are one, sisters bound together by one mind, one soul.”
“You…” Lotus backed off a step, “How are you showing me Gestalt's memories…whose memories are these? Who are you?”
Mosaic continued to advance, her smirk widening further, “You have learned nothing.”
Lotus focused her magic, projecting it through her hoof at the floor below. She loosened the atoms there, trying to divide her concentration between that and Mosaic. If she could just keep her talking... “You must realise that Twilight Sparkle is mad.”
“Yes, and plans are in place.” Mosaic declared smartly, drawing herself up and standing with quiet confidence, “The element of magic is unstable. It requires the other five, placed with the other ministry mares. We intend to retrieve them, and your assistance in this goal is appreciated.”
Lotus did not like the sound of that, “What assistance?”
“Your ties to the upper waveforms provided a suitable vector for the ascension project.” Mosaic declared, looking pleased, “I have acquired all the data I can from this avenue of study.”
“And what’s the next?”
Mosaic smiled, “So glad you asked. In short, it is cutting off your connection to the upper waveform by means of directed force. Upon cessation of vitals, studies of energy transfer should be most illuminating.”
Doors opened up all around, Alicorns charging forth with horns glowing with energy. Ports opened up in the roof, turrets popping out with guns already spinning. Mosaic’s horn ignited, the gadget on her hoof already sending out an expanding SATS field.
Lotus smacked the floor with a hoof, radiating a final burst of magic that shattered the tiles beneath. Weapons fire blasted overhead as she dropped, down through the floor towards…
A vat of IMP.
Lotus couldn’t help a squeal passing her lips, focusing her magic once more and solidifying the liquid as she landed. She leapt away, quickly flinging away what liquid touched her fur as the debris fell into the vat with enormous splashes. Fortunately her jump carried her away, landing on a gantry and giving her enough time to quickly scrape what remained on her hooves.
An alicorn teleported onto the gantry with a flash, briefly disorientated by her arrival. Lotus didn’t give her a chance to recover, leaping upwards and delivering a hoof blow to the alicorn’s chin that toppled her like a falling oak. More came flying down, Lotus sprinting away as horn blasts shattered the machinery around her. Unbearable pressure sudden filled her mind and she felt the unmistakable will of Gestalt crawl into her thoughts, Lotus focusing on her meditations and driving her out with but a small change in her pace.
A door loomed ahead, Lotus not about to trust that it would be open. She leapt forward, focused her magic and punched out with a hoof.
The door yielded, though not quite as easily as she expected. She ended up crashing through the falling slab, bouncing away and rolling down the corridor beyond with not a fair amount of force, wondering for a moment what quite possessed her to think that would work.
She gingerly lifted herself, feeling her magic weaken and fade, feeling her body throb. She looked down at her naked hoof, realising that normally she would wear some kind of fetish to direct her energies. Without it this was all a whole lot harder, and she knew that if she didn’t escape right now she would quickly become defenceless simply due to her fading stamina. She quickly looked around the corridor she was in now, a couple of quite firmly closed metal doors… and several windows.
She ran to the window, looking down what looked like a thirty meter drop onto a curved roof. She took a deep breath, pushed it open, and leapt.
The wind rushed through her fur, Lotus opening up her body for maximum wind resistance. She did her best to augment it with her magic, slowing herself down… she hit the roof with significant force, rolling down the side. She just managed to catch the edge with her hoof and swung herself into an open window in the tower below, landing limply upon marble floors.
She gasped in equal parts pain and relief as she shifted her bruised body, looking around a room seemingly used for storage. It was richly built, gold etching on the walls, made of fine marble. She stood upright and looked back out the window, confirming her suspicions. This was Canterlot Castle.
She very quietly made her way out, trying to make as much distance as possible from her landing site. She didn’t detect any signs of pursuit, indeed the castle seemed entirely empty. It was in a poor state all in all and didn’t appear to have been cleaned in a long time. Cobwebs were starting to form, and oddly roots and branches had sprouted from the walls in several areas, emerging from cracked, heavily damaged masonry. All around the corridors stood rather unfitting looking bookcases, their hewn, wooden construction contrasting oddly with the royal grandeur.
That was when she realised it, that they all reminded her of Golden Oak Library. Indeed several items of furniture appeared to have been taken from there and repeatedly duplicated around the castle.
She turned a corner, looking down a long gallery of stained glass windows ending in a golden door. Lotus noticed the door was slightly ajar and stepped towards it, looking up at the designs on the windows as she went. They depicted… an argument between the ministry mares? One had Twilight standing alone, surrounded by books. She looked… depressed, lonely. Another had King Sombra shattering the Crystal Heart and Element of magic beneath his hooves, the next a dejected looking Twilight standing before an imperious and disappointed looking Celestia. The next…
…Twilight, weeping over the body of her brother.
Lotus shivered, faced with the full horror of what this place represented. This palace, her whole existence… it was filled with the things she had lost, unhappy endings, everything wrong with her life. Had she changed it, consciously or subconsciously? Was this really what Twilight’s mind was filled with?
She reached the end, looking past the ajar door to a small room beyond. A golden stand stood there with six arms, each holding a large crystal. Half of them were just blank white gems, the other half however glowed with colour. Lotus moved into the room and approached one, glowing with amber light.
And within that light… a tiny orange pony with a three apple cutie mark, curled up like she was sleeping.
Lotus looked at the others. Three lights glowed, three were blank. Inside each of the glowing crystals, a tiny, sleeping pony.
Lotus backed out quickly, unwilling to spend more time in this place. There was clearly no escape in this direction.
¬
She travelled further and further through the castle, soon coming to the unfortunate conclusion that the geography made no sense. The whole place just seemed so much bigger than it should be, and more than once she found herself travelling in a circle despite walking an entirely straight path. She was just beginning to consider other options when she suddenly felt motion, and magic, flaring up from just behind her.
She had half turned before a wave of cold washed over, her, a pony shaped object shooting overhead. She turned up her internal temperature to resist the blast of icy air, skidding slightly as her hooves fought for purchase on the now frozen floor. She locked eyes with another pony, a grey furred unicorn mare, a second before a blast of magic shot from the mare’s horn and flew straight at her. Lotus decided to throw caution to the wind and just threw herself sideways, avoiding the blast but leaving herself dangerously off balance on the slippery surface.
Another pony leapt out in front, cutlass in his teeth. He swung and Lotus blocked, blade thudding against magically hardened skin. She butted her head towards the surprised stallion but he drew himself back, darting round to the side and shoving her hard. With her momentum and lack of purchase she had little choice but to throw herself forward, rolling tightly to come out facing her assailants.
There were three of them, though she could already see several others in the background, and feel the magical energies of more. The three that faced her consisted of a pegasi mare, an earth pony stallion and a unicorn mare, the stallion the most distinctive looking. He was pretty short for a stallion, far smaller than her, yet the scars that covered his body gave him a fierce, intimidating appearance, and his eyepatch and red bandana well complemented the very sharp looking cutlass in his teeth. The pegasi on the other hand was a light minty blue with a white mane, her cutie mark a snowflake. Obviously the one who had frozen the floor.
The mare on the other hand… looked really familiar. After a moment Lotus worked out from where. She could have been Selene’s sister, the mare a little shorter, though still tall for a unicorn, but otherwise bearing almost identical colours and facial features.
And they were clearly not royal guards. Lotus decided to risk it, “I’m not your enemy!”
“That’s a rather presumptuous statement.” The grey unicorn mare stated, sounding way older than she looked, “That relationship is two way. If we considered you our enemy, your opinions on the matter would mean little.”
“Maybe we should ask her who she is Midnight.” The pegasi quietly stated, her voice both hopeful and nervous, “She might be telling the truth.”
The earth pony looked at them both before stepping forward, sheathing his sword at his side and regarding Lotus with cool suspicion. Eventually he spoke, his low, regal voice standing out in comparison to his stature, “What is your business in the castle?”
“I simply want to leave.”
“Which means you were brought here under duress.” He replied, eyes narrowing, “A prisoner of war perhaps.”
This was going badly, “Do you work for Twilight Sparkle then?” Lotus noticed all three of them looked deeply offended by this statement, noting a couple of hints on the three of them. The stallions sword had a moon symbol on the hilt, and the unicorn mare had a bed and stars cutie mark, which suggested… “No… Princess Luna.”
“You have a good eye.” The unicorn replied.
“But Princess Luna is locked in Twilight’s dungeon!” Lotus replied, feeling a lot more comfortable about the situation, “I’m friends with the other princesses, and no friend to Twilight. She was the one who locked me up!”
“Then you’re safe here.” The pegasi replied, opening up in a kind, motherly smile, “Twilight Sparkle has no power over this place.”
Lotus looked around, noting that the tree branches and bookcases had indeed stopped appearing. In their place… all the windows had moon symbols, and there was a sense of gentle calm in the air, “This… isn’t Twilight’s castle?”
“None of it is Twilight’s castle.” The stallion replied angrily, “If it was in my power, that upstart would already have met her end at the edge of my blade.”
“It’s not her fault Pip.” The pegasi chided, “Luna has told you that.”
“Still, I cannot forgive such offense to my lady.” The stallion replied, then fixed his remaining eye on Lotus, “And I do not trust zebra. I warn you, dozens of your kind have already ended their lives at the tip of my blade. I will not hesitate to add you to their number.”
Lotus smiled at him, realising now that there was no need to fight, “And I do not wish to provoke it. I am Lotus, I serve the Princesses.”
He paused for a moment before giving a smart nod, “Knight Captain Pipsqueak, of the Royal Canterlot Guard. This is Snowdrop and Midnight Dreamer, loyal servants in Luna’s name.”
“A pleasure.” Midnight Dreamer drawled, her mouth opening in a smirk.
Lotus looked around, noticing more of other hidden figures had started to move out of their hiding places and walk away. She guessed she had passed the test, “How have you avoided Twilight’s attention?”
“Princess Luna is not as powerless and imprisoned as Twilight Sparkle thinks.” Pipsqueak replied, looking proud, “She has allowed us this place, protected us with her magic. Here we watch over her, waiting for the moment she orders us to act.”
“To… take the castle back.” Lotus was impressed, the idea that Luna could be so easily imprisoned always sitting wrong with her, “To strike against Twilight.”
“We also carry messages between her and the other Princesses.” Snowflake commented, “Twilight often explains her plans in detail to Luna, and Luna passes them on to us.”
“Clever.”
“Mm…” Pipsqueak responded, sounding less than happy, “I am always happy to serve my lady.”
Lotus looked to him, “You… don’t sound too pleased with this arrangement.”
Pipsqueaks expression soured, “She pays a heavy price for that information. And I question its worth.” He paused for a second to weigh up the wisdom of continuing before expanding on his statement, “All the Princesses do is wait and hide, while Princess Luna suffers and Twilight increases in power.”
“They already tried fighting Pip.” Snowflake stated in soft, chiding tones, “It just got ponies hurt.”
“But now Twilight has Trixie!” Pipsqueak protested, suddenly angry, “Luna has told us how important she is!”
Lotus paused in place, Pipsqueak’s words shooting through her mind, “She has Trixie?”
“She does.” Midnight Dreamer replied, an odd look upon her face. She looked... pained. Hurt personally, “Twilight was… provided with her.”
“By Star Swirl.” Lotus guessed.
“Yes.” Midnight Dreamer replied, looking frustrated and angry, “I... don’t know what she’s thinking.”
“Me either.” Lotus admitted, remembering the fight back at the theatre, “But we need to get Trixie back.”
“By force?” Pipsqueak questioned, sounding a little hopeful.
“If necessary.” Lotus stated, feeling a burning sense of injustice fuelling her anger. Star Swirl had been Puppysmiles’ friend, and if she had really given Trixie over to Twilight on top of everything else… well, setting Trixie free would be the first part of seeing justice done, “I’ll do it myself if I have to, but I would appreciate any help you could give me.”
Pipsqueak nodded firmly, “A small team will be best for this. I will go with you.”
“As will I.” Midnight Dreamer added, stepping forward, “This is my fault.”
Lotus noted that she seemed to know something about Star Swirl, deciding to question, “How is it your fault?”
“I knew Star Swirl. And she wasn’t like this before. I’m worried if I’m the reason for that.” Midnight Dreamer sighed, then gave a nod, “But that’s a story for another time. A long one to be honest.”
“Trixie is being kept in one of the state rooms on the upper levels.” Pipsqueak confirmed, “But I don’t know how long for.”
Lotus just wanted a chance to fight back. Maybe a little over eager, but she had to agree with Pipsqueak on the time constraints, “Let’s go.”
¬
Their brief assessment of the situation was not encouraging, though they really shouldn’t have been surprised. They found the room easily enough, and it was plain to see it was the right one given the five alicorns outside. Two purples, a blue and two greens, Lotus felt confident handling maybe two given some luck and the element of surprise but knew confronting more than that was a very bad idea, “Plans?”
“Alicorns aren’t that tough.” Midnight Dreamer commented, clearly enthusiastic.
“Then you must have fought a very different breed of alicorn.” Pipsqueak replied.
“Wait…” Lotus shushed them both as another figure exited the room. The one figure they really didn’t want to see in fact, especially as it looked like she wasn’t in a particularly patient mood.
Twilight Sparkle.
Lotus observed at how… normal she looked. She wasn’t an alicorn like the others, of average height and build. Though she had a somewhat distinctive look to her she wouldn’t have stood out that much on any regular street.
Twilight Sparkle nodded to the surrounding alicorns and made her way off down the corridor, two of them breaking off to flank her.
“Well that’s two of them gone.” Midnight Dreamer commented, “We can take the rest easy.”
“Not easy.” Pipsqueak warned, “But yes, one on one odds is far preferable. If we strike hard and fast we can get them down before they engage their shields.”
Lotus studied the group, mapping out a plan of attack, “Hit them under the chin with blunt strikes. Alicorns all have glass jaws.”
“Really?”
“Poorly designed skulls. Sharp upwards motions rattle their brains.” Lotus instructed, “And Pipsqueak, we’ll take the alicorns while you get inside and get Trixie out.”
He looked sceptical, “You can handle three alicorns?”
Midnight Dreamer smirked, “Easy.”
Lotus gave Midnight Dreamer a chastising look, “Not easy… but we can handle it, and we need to be in and out as quickly as possible.”
“Right…” Pipsqueak gave a reluctant nod, before motioning towards the door, “Go.”
Midnight Dreamer was the first out, horn flashing with lightning and sending the purple alicorn crashing to the floor in a twitching mess. Lotus admitted she was impressed, closing on the blue just as the alicorn managed to charge a spell at her horn. Lotus struck out and hit shield, hoof sliding off the invisible barrier. It did little real damage but still sent the alicorn stumbling and knocked her aim off, the charged horn blast shooting out and hitting the roof above. Lotus immediately threw out a second blow before she could recover, bending the shield slightly in a way that made it hard to maintain. As expected a look of pain crossed the alicorn’s features before she quickly dropped the shield, Lotus jumping up and striking a fierce blow against her jaw. A quick spin kick finished the alicorn off, sending her crashing to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Lotus landed, thanking harmony that these were your standard issue alicorns. Loaded with powers they might be, it meant little when they didn’t have a clue how to actually fight.
Pipsqueak was gone, apparently doing his job as expected. Midnight Dreamer on the other hoof… appeared to be struggling. She unleashed a barrage of spells on her opponent but the alicorn calmly blocked and avoided each, firing small stinging blasts as if testing Midnight Dreamer’s defences. Whatever she was doing, it was clear this final alicorn was no grunt.
“Who the heck are you?” Midnight Dreamer shouted, getting a little too aggressive for her own good, “Stop dodging and…”
The alicorn sent forth a burst of blinding light, then gored forward with her horn. It cut across the top of Midnight Dreamer’s scalp only due to quick evasive action, it had clearly been aimed for her eye. Evasion didn’t stop the thrusting hoof that the alicorn followed up with, smacking Midnight Dreamer in the jaw and sending her staggering with blood flowing from her muzzle.
“Hey!” Lotus shouted, keen to take attention off Midnight Dreamer, “So I’m guessing you’re no ordinary alicorn.”
“I am Nightseer.” The alicorn answered with perfect diction as she turned a calm, assessing eye to Lotus, “And I am far from ordinary.”
My, a posh alicorn. Lotus filed that experience away for later and charged, focusing her magic on her hooves as she closed for the strike. Nightseer didn’t react with fear, simply fixing Lotus with an intense but not particularly aggressive look, her eyes slowly tracking as Lotus closed. Lotus shook off the worry, went to leap…
Nightseer’s horn sparked, a shard of what looked like bone springing up from the ground and tripping Lotus at just the right moment. Lotus sprawled, unable to defend herself as Nightseer sprang forward, her hoof striking Lotus in the jaw and flinging her head over hooves to skid along the floor on her back. Even with hardening it had hurt, stars bursting across her vision as she shook off the concussion.
“Right, that’s enough out of you.” Midnight Dreamer spat as she recovered from her previous beating, flinging a bolt of lightning across the room. Nightseer calmly dodged, then her form just faded away into nothingness. Midnight Dreamer paused in shock, her mouth drifting open, “What… where did she…?”
Lotus rolled back onto her hooves, trying to feel the vibrations and use them to determine the mare’s location. An alicorn, of course... “She can turn invisible!”
“Nonsense!” Midnight Dreamer shouted, “There’s no such thing as an invisibil…”
Nightseer appeared right next to her, plunged her horn into Midnight Dreamer’s neck and calmly withdrew it, kicking the now gasping pony to the floor. Nightseer then looked down at the choking, bleeding mare for a moment, her voice soft and filled with a vague concern, “So small and predicable. Why do you persist in these limited forms, when you could experience true life within the unity?”
Lotus leapt at her, hoof spinning. Nightseer just stopped still, concentrating for a moment before moving perfectly past her attack and striking Lotus in the stomach. Lotus gasped as her momentum carried her into the blow and caused it to sink deep into her abdomen, Nightseer simply withdrawing her hoof and striking her out of the air like it was no trouble at all.
“I see the winds of harmony, I see the future clear. The unity will bring relief to the wasteland.” Nightseer spoke, stepping purposely across the floor towards Lotus as she fought to rise from where she had landed, “One day, the unity will extend to your race too. Sadly, today all you can do is die.”
Nightseer broke into a run, preparing to strike… until her hoof caught on something and she stumbled, defenceless as Pipsqueak dove in from the room beyond and struck her about the jaw with a terrific blow of his sword. Nightseer gasped and toppled, eyes rolling back in her head as she thudded to the ground in a tumbling skidding mess.
Lotus looked around in confusion for a moment before smiling in relief, “Thank you… good timing.”
Pipsqueak watched the alicorn for a moment before finally being confident she was truly down, “Eh, you were right about their glass jaws…”
“Midnight!” Lotus sudden realised, galloping over despite her bruises. She quickly reached Midnight Dreamer, the unicorn now barely breathing and bleeding heavily. She ran her hooves across Midnight’s neck, expanding and opening her airway, then stabbed a hoof at her neck wound before violently withdrawing it. A gush of blood splattered outward, coating Lotus. She didn’t mind, concerning herself with closing the wound with one final surge of magical energy, taking a deep breath as she saw the flesh seal.
“That was incredible.” A voice stated from the side.
Lotus shook her head at the praise, revealed to see Midnight Dreamer at least appeared to be breathing now, “I can’t really take credit. That wasn’t my technique. I was taught that, by…” She frowned to realise she couldn’t quite remember, only dim memories of… “Someone close to me bled to death. I couldn’t do anything, I was… powerless.”
“Heh… how ironic.”
Lotus realised she didn’t recognise the voice, turning round to be faced by a unicorn. Not a very impressive looking one, elderly and boasting dark rings around her eyes, with the kind of poor muscle mass and rounded body that bad eating habits produced. Her grey hair hung in tangles around a plain, unremarkable face. Her voice was tired, sounding like a bitter laugh and a cigarette was never far from her lips, “Are you…?”
“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie.” She gave an amused grin, “What, are you disappointed?”
“I…” Lotus felt it was rude to say ‘yes’, “I guess I only know of you in context of the Goddess.”
“Huh, that was hardly me.” She answered haughtily, “Twilight’s ambition, Gestalt’s desire for companionship and Mosaic’s desire for unity. All I provided was a talent for showmanship and some actual charisma. Do you know what it’s like to be stuck in some magically powered gestalt entity with three nerds for two hundred years?”
“Not… personally.”
“Huh, it was alright until they started killing ponies.” Trixie answered with a huff, “I’ve never been fond of violence. Sorry I couldn’t be more help there.”
Lotus noted the bruise on her flank, “You… turned invisible and tripped her.”
Trixie grinned, “I have to admit, seeing that two penny fortune teller come a cropper is always fun.” She looked round, expression softening a little, “I’m glad you didn’t kill her though.”
“I…” Lotus bowed her head, embarrassed, “I’ve seen enough death.”
“She’s a really good pony, once you get past all that pretentious mystic rubbish.” Trixie stated, her mouth curling up fondly, “She idolised Princess Luna, begged me to let her go to Canterlot. She was the logical choice, Nightseer was always uncomfortable with attacking ponies, or working with Red Eye. She could take down Justicar if she had half a mind, but she always disliked violence.”
Lotus… knew something about that… “She died…”
“Insane and alone, wearing Princess Luna’s bones like a coat.” Trixie stated, her expression dropping, “I know.”
“We should go.” Pipsqueak warned, expertly balancing the much larger Midnight Dreamer upon his shoulders, “It’s not safe.”
She had to agree with that, helping him carry the mare as they made their way back, Trixie trotting along behind.
¬
There was quite a crowd gathered upon their arrival back with the others, Lotus soon seeing why as the crowd parted to reveal their guests. Seemed they were host to two Princesses today.
“Trixie!” Princess Galaxy called out in relief, her wings fluttering open, “Oh thank harmony you’re alright.”
“One of you is injured.” Princess Luna commented sharply, already moving over towards them, “Are you all ok?
“She’s stable.” Lotus reassured her, rather warmed by her obvious concern, “I thought you were supposed to be in prison?”
“I broke out when I heard what you had done.” Luna protested, sounding angry, “I expressly forbade you engaging Twilight’s forces, especially in so blatant a fashion.”
“I am a solider my lady.” Pipsqueak answered, voice proud and a little confrontational, “I am trained to fight the enemies of my lady, not just watch while they defile her name.”
“I can take care of myself Captain.” She answered, matching his glare, “I am not my sister, sending others to die for me.”
“Please Elder Sister, should we not see to the wounded?” Galaxy asked with a calm sweetness, Luna frowning for a moment before nodding for Midnight Dreamer to be brought over. Galaxy moved to welcome them as they did, her smile growing wider as Trixie moved over, “I’m so sorry for all this Trixie.”
“Nonsense.” Trixie responded, haughty and proud despite her dishevelled appearance, “The great and powerful Trixie has laboured too long in the shadow of that wretched Goddess. I welcome a chance to finally put an end to it.”
“Does that mean it is finally time to strike?” Pipsqueak asked, his tone rising in expectation.
“No.” Luna swiftly answered.
“Um, I’m not sure that’s wise…” Galaxy confirmed, her tone softer and more regretful, “And Silver Swirl is still reluctant.”
“Silver Swirl’s opinion is irrelevant. I am the eldest sister, and I will not repeat the events of Twilight’s rise!” Luna added, expression stormy, “I learned long ago to understand when a fight cannot be won. I will not see everypony die pointlessly, not again!”
“Princess, you cannot simply capitulate to this usurper!” Pipsqueak angrily replied, “I’d rather die for something, than sit around waiting for my enemy to become stronger!”
Lotus tried to blink away the headache building at the tip of her muzzle, looking to Galaxy and Trixie and seeing only irritated resignation on their faces. This was… stupid. Stupid and pointless, “Please, enough.”
Luna looked to Lotus with anger in her eyes, “Who is this zebra?”
Lotus had to admit, she had thought better of Luna. Not that she was going to voice these thoughts, but at the moment all she saw was an arrogant brat. Sure, these were stressful situations. Still she knew from experience that whining and throwing your weight around rarely helped, “I helped save Trixie, and fought Twilight’s alicorns beside Knight Captain Pipsqueak. I have been sent from the hall of harmony, which has already been breached by Twilight’s forces.” She looked straight at Luna, tone serious, “You cannot stay on the defence any longer.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, “You’re telling me what I can and cannot do?”
“I am… offering advice.” Lotus tried her best to keep her tone respectful, “Your Highness.”
“I am not your highness.” Luna replied, her voice much calmer now, “Your kind mostly want me dead.”
“You are still a Princess.” Lotus replied, “Deserving the dignity of your title.”
“You sound like Celestia.” Luna replied with a mixture of anger and amusement, “Why does a zebra fight for Equestria?”
“Why does an alicorn?”
Luna’s eyes opened in surprise, then she grinned broadly, “You… sound like Star Swirl now. My, a zebra with the insincere politeness of my sister, and the smug self-assurance of my mentor. I am besieged by all my foes together.”
Lotus sighed, reminded of Velvet Remedy in her darkest, most passive aggressive moods, “I’m not your enemy Princess Luna.”
“Yes you are.” She challenged, mouth turning downwards and eyes narrowing, “You wish to throw my loved ones into a battle they cannot win, so that I can watch them die pointlessly. You wish to prove once and for all that I am powerless to save them.”
“I don’t…”
“I watched Equestria burn.” Luna challenged, real anger clear just below the surface, “As long as I am Elder Sister, we will not fight Twilight Sparkle. That is my final decision.”
Lotus looked to Pipsqueak, the knight captain simply standing there with a disapproving look. Princess Galaxy just looked sad. Lotus finally turned back to Luna, responding in a quiet voice, “Doing nothing isn’t an option.”
“It is, and I am taking it.”
Lotus felt her temper fray, “Then I will do it myself.”
And it was at this that Luna’s expression just melted, suddenly deeply sad and profoundly broken. She looked at Lotus with her deep blue eyes, her regal tone cracking. She spoke in a far more casual voice, finally sounding sincere, “So, a hero.”
Lotus shook her head, “I’m not a hero.”
“I’ve met a lot of heroes child.” Luna replied, a bit of spark re-entering her eyes, “You are what many would consider a classic.”
Lotus would take what she could get, “Does that mean you’re going to help me?”
“It means you’re right, I don’t have a choice.” She looked to Galaxy, “Take Trixie back to the halls.”
Galaxy gave her a nervous look, “Silver Swirl said…”
“Tell my younger sister to shut up and do as she’s told.”
Galaxy paused for a moment before shaking her head, “I am not telling her that.”
Pipsqueak gave Luna a warning look, the Princess smiling to herself with a little too much satisfaction for a moment before replying, “Fine… then simply tell her to get the troops ready.”
Galaxy still looked hesitant, “Are… you serious?”
“I am.” Luna nodded towards Lotus, “This one’s a hero.”
Lotus really didn’t like being blamed for this, “I don’t…”
“Don’t protest.” Luna sharply ordered, “You are right. Twilight needs to be stopped, and she needs to be stopped now.”
Galaxy sighed, “So… we’re really doing this?”
Luna nodded, “Yes. I will prepare my children, you go and rally the forces of harmony.”
Lotus steeled herself. It seemed like events were finally in motion, “And me?”
“There is a factory on the outskirts of Canterlot.” Luna stated, averting her eyes and staring into the distance, “It is called Red Racer Industries.”
That sounded familiar, though as normal Lotus found searching her memory fruitless, “What’s there?”
“Twilight’s grand project.” Luna answered, a slight tremble in her voice, “You need to find the CEO and force her to tell you the details.”
Lotus felt like she was being led around by a chain at this point, “Why do I feel like you already know what I’ll find?”
“I have a suspicion, which is why I’m sending you.” Luna acknowledged, “And as for sending you alone…”
This better be good, “Yes?”
“I have been observing you.” Luna stated firmly, “You have a ‘saving people’ thing, where you enjoy repeatedly sacrificing yourself for everypony you come across. You’d be fair less likely to get yourself killed if you go alone.”
Lotus… wasn’t sure quite what to say to that. She just stared open mouthed for several moments, before Ghost Girl suddenly appeared at Luna’s side with a chastising expression, “She’s right you know.”
~
“Would you… throw yourself in front of a bullet to save a criminal?”
“No!”
“…who hadn’t committed the crime he was being shot for?”
“…maybe…”
“Then you have a ‘saving people’ thing.”
Lotus thought this was all rather unfair, tracking across the city towards the Red Racer facility with an intangible ghost deconstructing your core personality traits. It wasn’t like she was intentionally trying to get herself killed or anything, “Look, I’m really tough. I can take a bullet and just shake it off, a lot of ponies can’t.”
“You’re so arrogant.” Ghost Girl stated with frustration, glaring across at Lotus, “You think you’re invincible.”
That was unfair, “I’m not stupid, I know when to run away. I’m just confident in my skills, I’ve trained very hard to reach this point.”
“You can’t just punch through every obstacle. You say you would run away if you faced something you couldn’t beat, but you think you can beat anything. Gods, armies, portals of pure chaos energy… you just run in, normally without any sort of plan.” Ghost Girl retorted, her rotted lips narrowing in the closest she could get to a pout, “You’re special, important, and you’re willing to throw your life away for those who don’t deserve it.”
That she wouldn’t take, “Everypony deserves it.”
Ghost Girl just turned away, her eyes deep with regret, “They really don’t.”
Lotus opened her mouth to say something more, but it seemed they would have to shelve that conversation for another time. She turned the corner and beheld it before her, the Red Racer HQ. It was a somewhat grim and heavily reinforced building, clearly a factory, fenced all around with spike topped wire.
Steel Rangers patrolled diligently in large teams, automated defences and Enclave troops up top. Far above sat an Enclave Raptor, guns trained on the skies around. Luna might well have been on to something about this place being important, Lotus having seen military facilities with less security.
Ghost Girl stepped round to face her, looking disapproving, “Please don’t tell me you’re going to run up and punch them all into submission.”
Lotus was getting a little tired of all this negativity, “No, because I’m not suicidal. I’m going to sneak in quietly, and look for a back way in.”
“Good.” Ghost Girl nodded happily, “I’ll float ahead, and tell you when the coast is clear.”
Lotus let her do her thing as they advanced, keeping low and quiet. Fortunately for all their technical gizmos the heavy armor of the Steel Rangers limited their peripheral vision, making them pretty easy to slip by. It made it pretty easy to get in, just scooting round the side of the building and snapping the lock on one of the windows. She rolled inside, looking around the factory floor… and straight at a camera.
The camera focused on her face, Lotus freezing in place. After a moment the speakers crackled into life, a deep female voice with a country accent, “So ya came. Twilight said to look out for your kind.”
Lotus decided to try negotiation, “I just want to talk to whoever’s in charge…”
“Oh, you’ll be talkin’.”
One of the factory machines lashed out with its claw, Lotus only just managing to dodge it by the tips of her fur. The second attack came from behind, a forklift grabber flying past and slashing a nasty graze across her flank. Lotus ran for the door but it slammed shut with a clang, another claw lashing down and shattering the tiles in front.
“This whole factory is automated darlin’, ‘aint no escape for you!”
Another claw came down, Lotus ready this time. She leapt on top of it and ran up its arm, giving her the reach to punch a hole in the tiled roof and haul herself into the crawl space above.
“Oh, we know how to deal with rats little missy!”
Lotus looked ahead to where a metal vent stood out among the wires and supports, a small red light suddenly lighting up above. A second later and the vent shot open, realising a swarm of tiny little… flying apples?
They certainly looked the part, apart from the wirring little propeller on top, and the tiny laser cannon peaking out the front.
Lotus yelled out as they proceeded to bombard her with shots, burning, painful little strikes that left painful red welts across her skin. She wouldn’t have had much issue with them if it wasn’t for the limited space, she wasn’t able to stand at her full height and they were fast, darting away whenever she got close. Eventually she was forced to run, reaching as far as the next room and punching down through the floor below.
She landed on her hooves in a long corridor, leading to several other factory floors like the one she had just exited. She heard the buzz of the apple bots behind and ran forward to dodge their shots, only to be faced with a larger, more dangerous looking robot that swept out from another storage area ahead. It turned and sped towards her at an impressively rapid pace, its polishing wheel spinning for her.
She was being attacked by a vacuum cleaner.
Lotus was not about to die like that, leaping up onto its roof and back down behind it. It was only then that she realised it had been washing the floor with grease, her hooves splaying out around her and sending her cracking into the ground with a thud. The apple droids swarmed up above as the fought for purchase, their lasers shooting out…
…and igniting the grease in a rapidly spreading fireball.
Lotus pushed all her power into her legs, pushing herself forward will all her strength. Her fur aflame, her muscles giving out, she spotted a security office just ahead. She gave herself one final push, flinging herself at the window.
Lotus hit the ground on the other side, biting her tongue to keep herself from screaming from the pain of her injuries. She was inside a small control room now, it clear from the displays on the monitors that it was here the defences were controlled from. But… there were no operators, no staff at all that she could see…
A thermos mug of steaming coffee stood on the desk nearby. Somepony was…
A gunshot sounded out, Lotus diving to the side and snatching a clipboard in her teeth. The bullet shattered the control panel next to her, Lotus spinning round and hurling the clipboard across the room to strike the shooter in the face.
The pony reeled backwards, the pistol in her teeth discharging again into the ceiling before she dropped it. Lotus quickly moved to charge, the mare quickly recovering and moving in herself. Her vivid red hair streamed behind her, her voice rising in anger, “You’ll not hurt my friend!”
Lotus pursed her lips, her original plan of attack now feeling a lot less righteous. It was silly really, this mare was no more ‘real’ than any of the others she had taking forceful measures with, still… she couldn’t.
Instead she simply dodged Apple Bloom’s attack, wheeled around the mare and fixed her hooves around her neck. Apple Bloom struggled and fought but she wasn’t all that strong, it not long before the mare slumped unconscious against her chest. Lotus carefully laid her down upon the ground, making sure she was still breathing before moving on. She didn’t have a lot of time.
¬
An elegant entrance hall opened up before her, two large sofas either side and a row of double doors at the end. One of them was topped with a plate marking it as the CEO's office, her ultimate destination.
Unfortunately there were three ponies in power armor standing between her and it, two armed with shotguns, one with what looked like missile pods installed on their sides. It was this pony who spoke, her voice resonant, “Surrender, or I will put you down!”
Lotus was getting tired of this, not to mention was in no condition to fight, “I just want to talk. If you’ll let me see your boss...”
“We know what you’re here for.” The pony answered, “Take her down!”
The shotguns fired and Lotus broke to the side, swinging herself around one of the of the pillars and diving across the room. She grabbed another pillar as she reached the three ponies, using it to spin herself around and snap her backhoof into the head of one of the ponies as he turned to engage.
It worked, his helmet sent flying as he sprawled across the floor. Lotus dropped to the ground behind the unconscious guard, quickly breaking out and charging towards the second guard along...
...until the guard suddenly emitted a deafening scream that made her head feel like it had been filled with taffy. She couldn't even find the clarity of mind to so much as move as the third guard moved round and shot Lotus in the side with a shotgun, taking a chunk of flesh with it. He moved round, aiming straight for her head...
Lotus focused all her strength and simply threw herself forward with all her strength, aiming straight for the guard with the shotgun. Another blast took off her ear before she slammed into him, flattening him against a pillar with enough force to shatter it down the middle. The guard gasped, then slumped limply down.
Lotus backed away, shaking her head clear. That had hurt a lot, but that was two down...
She turned as a vase flew across the room and slammed into her face, coating it in jagged pottery. Lotus had only just recovered when the fallen helmet flew in from the other direction and slugged her across the jaw.
She turned shakily and fought for her wits as the one remaining pony strode angrily towards her, this one... different. Those weren't missile pods but speaker systems that had been mounted at sides of this guard's armor, and a hole had been cut at the top to allow a slim white horn to peek through. A unicorn?
And then that horn shone with green light, a fierce blast of energy flying straight at her. Lotus was ready this time, striking the blast away and sprinting low in preparation to take the pony off their hooves. One deafening scream later and Lotus couldn't stop her pace from faltering, making her a perfect target as a chunk of pillar flew in from the side and struck her flying.
She rolled over onto her back, feeling the pain of her wounds run through her. She could barely find the energy to move as another large chunk of the broken pillar flew down at her, on route to crush her flat.
...barely find the energy. She wasn't out yet. Lotus flung herself upwards and sent her hoof cracking out, shattering the block into pieces. A swinging kick sent those pieces rocketing out, punching through the two speakers at the pony's side. A discordant yell sounded out and the pony staggered back, Lotus kicking off the ground, flinging herself forward and striking the pony hard enough to send their helmet flying.
Sweetie Belle slammed onto her back, growling in fury and flinging out a bolt of green energy as Lotus closed to finish the fight. It struck Lotus in the chest and knocked her back with fur burning, Sweetie shouting as she came in for a horn strike, "I'll not let you hurt Scoot..."
Lotus easily blocked the clumsy thrust, then struck out with a firm uppercut that landed perfectly upon Sweetie's jaw. It did the job, the mare simply flopping limply down upon the floor like someone had just flipped her off switch.
Lotus stared at the mare's peaceful face for a moment, having to concentrate for a moment just to remain standing. To be honest, Lotus was pretty sure Sweetie Belle had the right idea lying down like that...
Lotus shook off such thoughts and grunted in pain as she stepped back from the fallen mare, shaking her head and taking deep gulps of air, "Sorry... Sweetie Belle... I feel..." She almost said she felt bad, but that was actually true in more ways than she intended. She wasn't sure if she should feel honoured or embarrassed that Sweetie Belle had just kicked her butt five ways straight, "Wow... you're surprisingly tough for a pop star..."
She concentrated on healing her wounds for a moment before looking up at the door to the CEO's office. She couldn't stop now. That was after all two down... one to go.
Lotus strode into the room, kicking the door open and seeing the office open up before her. She wondered for a moment what new obstacle awaited her, looked to the desk...
Scootaloo sat there, eyes wide and terrified. A pistol shook, the straps holding it to her hoof hastily and inexpertly applied. She clearly had little idea of how to hold it, the fear in her eyes readily apparent.
Lotus advanced, her eyes not wavering, "Put down the gun."
"You... you evil bitch... you killed them..."
"No. Of course not." Lotus replied, just a tiny bit offended, "They're still alive, just unconcious."
"I remember them dying. I see it every night in my dreams." Tears ran down Scootaloo's face as she shrank into her chair, looking somehow younger and smaller than the other two. It had quite the effect given the elaborate office around her, the trappings of her position dwarfing her shaking, broken form. Her voice too had no power, weak and afraid, "You can't stop me... I won't let you stop me..."
Lotus reached her, striking out quick and hard at Scootaloo's hoof, knocking it to the side before tearing her gun away with her teeth and flinging it to the side of the room. Scootaloo lunged forward to attack her but her attempt was hesitant and clumsy, Lotus simply pressing a hoof into the mare's shoulder and slamming her back against the chair, "Scootaloo, stop!"
Scootaloo gasped, "No..."
"I don't want to hurt anypony!" Lotus shouted angrily, hating having to manhandle the mares of whom she had grown up hearing stories about. This wasn't why she had learned to fight! To hurt civilians, just trying to protect each other... "You know this is madness!"
Scootaloo's eyes drifted sadly to the side, her body going limp, "I know."
This did not make Lotus feel any calmer. She couldn't help shouting, "Then why?!"
"I'm willing to be the villian, willing to help the villian..." Scootaloo looked up, determination shining behind the tears, "...if it will help my friends."
Lotus shook her head, wondering how quite any of this was helping, "And how will this help them? What is this big plan?"
Scootaloo gave a smile, mad, desperate and profoundly creepy. Her eyes met Lotus, her voice rising in excitement, "It's Gestalt's design, she calls it the subspace borer."
With a name like that she should have figured Gestalt was behind it, "And what does it do?"
"She figured it out you know?" Scootaloo continued, madness shining in her eyes, "That none of this is real. That we're all trapped in some crazy nightmare, that... that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren't really dead."
Lotus felt a terrible fear grip her heart.
"I'm going to save them. I'm going to save everyone."
Lotus paused, the horror dawning, "No..."
"Yes." Scootaloo opened up in a big smile, "The machine I built, Twilight Sparkle is going to use it get us all out of here. She's going to open a portal back to the real world. She's going to bring us home."
_________________________________________
Lotus Level up!
Level 32 reached.
Perk Gained – Life Giver Level 3
You embody wellness! You instantly gain another +20 maximum Health, and slowly regenerate lost Health,
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7236452
I'm a sucker for forgetting about the invisibility and psychic abilities alicorns possess, as Star Swirl has been previously mentioned as possessing them. For the record Star Swirl is incapable of invisibility, poor with the psychic powers, good with shields, and great at teleportation.
Oh, and teleportation is good for a mile at best normally. That's why her teleport to Sunshine Ivory's study was so dramatic, she had to seriously overclock her magic to get from the coast to Star Fall.
Radiant Glory is a powerful unicorn with wings, and some physical modifications. At baseline she's significantly less powerful than a Goddess Alicorn.
Star Swirl is a Goddess Alicorn Lieutenant, known for being a terrifying one mare army. She is fused with an elder Star Demon of vast magical knowledge. At present she's a far bit more powerful than Nightmare Rarity, and approaching that of Nightmare Moon.
Which is one of the reasons why she went full NPC. Star Swirl (and Puppy in a host body) are really powerful, and it's very hard to write serious challenges to them.