All Alone in the Moonlight
The room was dark, with the overhead lights extinguished. The curtains had been closed, blocking off nearly all outside light. Only what little light seeped in from the hallway allowed Ignition to see what lay before him.
In the bed, an ancient stallion's breath rasped and his heart struggled to keep him living. He had refused any and all medical assistance as his condition worsened, having no desire to delay what eventually claims all ponies. No strangers were present; only Ignition, his loyal servant, remained by his side. His grandchildren, one of whom seemed to be dealing with some sort of headache, had already stopped in to say their good-byes and were long gone hours ago.
In every sense of the term, it was Cocoa Mocha's darkest hour... and it was just how he liked it.
Ignition had kept him updated throughout the day of his agents' progress, or lack thereof. Trifecta, Glintlock, Metallium, Statuette: per their spotters, each one had been either captured by the robot or otherwise had been driven off. Metallium in particular had been sighted hurrying back in the direction of the Dragon Lands without her gear, trying to subdue what appeared to be a severe rash.
Cocoa didn't care. Soon, all would be made well. His agents would be retrieved, and everything would be on track towards their end goal in short order. As he vaguely remembered saying to Statuette earlier, the time would come when a new majesty would reign.
Feebly he pushed at his blankets. Ignition was quick to assist him, moving them down nearer to his forelegs. He shivered, but did not try to warm himself back up.
Hooked around his neck on a chain, just as it had been every day for much of his life, was a circular locket with a painstakingly-created image of the moon embossed on the front. Carefully preserved and well cared for, it had been passed down Cocoa's family line for many centuries. Nopony knew the true history behind its creation, and none had ever discovered what was in the locket on account of it being sealed shut. Some---including Cocoa's own grandparents, the romantics they were---had speculated that it contained a miniature portrait of its creator's lover.
Whatever it was, many of those who saw it in the modern day believed that it was merely a sign of its owner's wealth. He was wearing fancy jewelry, so of course he had to be rich. Ostentatious? Yes, but it was seen as being in character for him.
None knew that the locket was one of the cornerstones in a plot that had been in motion before their ancestors' ancestors were ever born.
"Don't feel that you have to explain in your condition," Ignition brought up as he stepped back, "but I'm still not certain that I understand what this is supposed to do."
"All in... due time," Cocoa rasped, somehow managing to smile. "For now..." He gathered all of his remaining energy, putting it towards one last discernible action. Clearly and audibly without interruption, he uttered words in the same lost language that Agent #6 had once described as a spaghetti farm explosion. "Xk xdi jitx zioharzejx, erdinmp irincplerc xdep m wq."
To all outward appearances, nothing was happening. The locket wasn't showing any of the tells that would've indicated magic usage of any kind... no glowing, no ambient waves, nothing. Cocoa seemed to see otherwise: his smile actually widened a minute amount. "Brilliant..."
Well. If it's good enough for him, Ignition decided, it is good enough for me. "Is that everything, sir?"
"...Yes," Cocoa hissed, relaxing. His eyes slid closed, his old energy gone. "Watch... the runts... for me..."
Ignition nodded in recognition. "As you wish, Mr. Mocha. Sleep well. It's been an honor."
Cocoa said nothing further, his lungs struggling as he continued to fade. One by one, all biological signs of life ceased their operations. He shuddered once, then fell still entirely.
Two days short of everypony's best expectations, one of Manehattan's richest ponies--and by far its most ambitious--was no longer among the living. The haunting smile still remained.
Ignition brought himself low out of respect for his master, closing his own eyes only momentarily; he knew that the old magnate would not have wanted his servant to mourn him for long and forced his emotions into alignment accordingly. Standing up and getting a move on, he carefully removed the locket from Cocoa's neck---noting that it seemed significantly warmer than it had been earlier---and placed it within its case. With that taken care of, he turned and opened the door to summon those who would remove the deceased from the building, preparing himself for the grief that was soon to follow.
The mood in the Mocha twins' suite was decidedly somber compared to elsewhere in the city.
Caramel and Hazelnut had gotten to the doctor's office like they'd planned. While they were there, the doctor listened to the twins' explanations of Hazel's severe headache. Additional questions were asked, and answers were gleaned from the details provided.
The doctor was frowning by the time everything was said and done---not a good sign. He instructed Hazel to continue taking headache medicine at the appropriate intervals. In the meantime, he would get in immediate contact with a specialist and see about setting up an appointment with him ASAP. He told the twins to expect a telegram from him in the near future.
Caramel had wondered what they needed a specialist for. The doctor went on to explain about a new development in the medical field, barely a few months old. A team of studious unicorns had discovered how to use magic in order to scan a pony's organs left, right and center, getting a clear mental picture of any and all physical abnormalities. When Hazelnut said that they still didn't get it, the doctor spelled it out for them: this form of magic was going to be utilized to check for brain tumors.
While the doctor was hopeful that the specialist could produce results, saying that a few ponies' lives had already been saved since the discovery was announced, the twins were worried. Medical studies hadn't been a part of their tutoring beyond what they needed to know as martial artists, but they knew enough to realize the implications.
...
With the mood brought down, the twins were utterly dejected when they returned to the tower. They went to see their grandfather one last time, with Hazel making no effort to hide how she was feeling during the whole thing. The sight of him, once so full of vitality but now withering away and being fully accepting of that fact, was more than they could take. By the time they got back to their suite, Hazelnut was openly sobbing and Caramel wasn't far behind.
Even after they got their wits together, they weren't able to do much for the rest of the day. They milled about listlessly, picking at their meals or staring out the windows at nothing. There were times when Hazelnut looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. They barely even acknowledged their hired servant when he turned up to take care of the daily chores.
Finally, as the afternoon began shifting into the evening, the more abrasive of the twins gathered her things and went to the bathroom to get herself cleaned up. Her rationale was that since she didn't feel like doing much of anything in her condition, she might as well start winding down in preparation for bed. Caramel was taken back by the bitterness in her sister's tone, but took it as a side effect of her possible condition and didn't question her.
...
A short time later after getting out of the bath, Hazelnut all but slammed her toothbrush into its holder. "Stupid headache," she muttered. "'When it rains, it pours'. Whoever said that didn't account for full-on floods."
Remembering her grandfather's early lessons, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Another inhale and an extended exhale. Some of the negativity she had been experiencing all day dispersed. "I will fight this," she told herself softly, determined eyes meeting her reflection's in the mirror. "If it turns out to be cancerous, I will meet it head on. I will not let these chains keep me restricted. The doctors will nip this in the bud, and I will resume living a normal life. No matter what happens, I will be free!"
In most circumstances, this would be seen as a sign that Hazelnut was a true fighter, somepony who didn't just roll over and die for their illness's benefit. Unfortunately, reality historically has a tendency to throw spitballs towards the plate when others least expect it.
At the precise moment that their grandfather breathed his last three floors above, the air in Hazelnut's vicinity shifted violently. Sharply inhaling, she looked around to try to discover what in the world was happening. Why... why is everything shaking so suddenly?
Overcome by a bout of dizziness, she settled onto the floor to keep from falling over. The air shifted again, this time centering on her back legs. Her nervousness increasing, she looked back at them and shoved her towel aside in another attempt to find what was wrong. Hazelnut's instincts were telling her that she was being attacked somehow, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what---
She gasped, eyes widening and her pupils shrinking. Bit by bit, her Cutie Mark---a split hazelnut next to a cup of coffee---was disintegrating. At a complete loss for words, she fearfully watched as her life's destiny vanished, only to be replaced by...
Before this new Mark could fully manifest, a spike consisting entirely of words and images pierced Hazelnut's brain. Times, places, and ponies that she didn't recognize raced through her consciousness, slowly at first but with ever-increasing speed. She had never experienced any of these events for herself, but they all seemed remarkably real.
Whimpering, she stretched out on the floor and covered her head with both forelegs, trying and failing to make it all vanish. The shock of losing her Mark, the grief from losing her grandfather, and the dejection from discovering a possible health problem were all forgotten as a much more dangerous struggle rose up. "No," she whispered, twitching as tears once more gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Please..."
Hours. Days. Moons. Years. Decades. Centuries. A burden was being placed on her, and it was rapidly becoming more than she could bear.
...
...
"I'm a farmer and nothing more."
"It was my honor to serve you, my lady."
"What... what was that locket? How is it...?"
"Golly, it sounds like they're in serious trouble!"
"St... stop..."
"These are the best potatoes I've ever seen in my life."
"What do you think you'll name him?" "How about... Cloud Blitz?"
"Princess, this is a disaster! I lost my entire team just trying to destroy that monster!"
"Stop..."
"Equestria isn't ready for this kind of energy. Now then, how can I destroy it without setting it off?"
"A melding of magic and life force? I can use this..." "Yes, if it doesn't end up killing you first." "You worry too much."
"Stop it... please..."
"What did you do to her? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" "Turquoise, calm yourself!" "She did nothing wrong! BRING HER BACK!"
"These three gemstones will be the ultimate trump card, but they require time to use at their full potential. Thankfully, I have nothing BUT time..."
"I am just a wanderer seeking to perfect my art." "If you're 'just' a wanderer, I'm a horseradish. I've never seen anypony fight as you do." "Oh, just a matter of practice."
"Stop it... stop...!"
"Cream Cheese, you little sweetheart!" "Ever the daredevil, aren't you? "Let's start a family together." "End this now, before it's too late!" "Silly, this will help us immensely!" "Terrific! You've helped us again, Moon Pearl!" "I can't stop. Not when I'm this close!" "And the moral of the story is..."
"Morally speaking, you're a savage." "Under the desk, I think..." "Stooping this low for a lady? You've changed." "Thousands of times more than you can imagine."
"Dear, why are you up so late?" "I've found something important, I just know it." "Energy and matter can't be created or destroyed..."
A broken, heavily damaged metal monster that continued to seek destruction even as a magical beam struck it, reducing it to a lifeless pile of dust---
"I AM THE MESSIAH! HA HA HA!"
...
...
"Stop ittt!"
From her chair, Caramel jerked her head towards the bathroom door at Hazelnut's wail. Either it's her headache, or Grandpa's passing is getting to her again. Might have already happened, for all I know. "Hazel?" she called as she trotted to the door. "Hazel, are you okay?"
"Stay out!"
Caramel recoiled at the force of the scream. That's not normal! I know she values her privacy when she's cleaning up, but that sounds like she's in pain! "Hazel, unlock the door!"
"Get... out... of here...!" Hazelnut screamed. A loud thump, and the door shook as if struck, causing Caramel to step back. "Head... hurts...!" Something rattled in the bathroom---probably the hamper, if she had to guess.
Caramel rejected the forceful request entirely. No matter what, she was not going to leave her sister until she was sure she could manage things on her own. Calling upon her life force like Cocoa had trained them to do, she concentrated it into one of her hooves and struck the door handle with it.
In the recent past, Caramel had stated that the best she could accomplish with her family's school of combat was to punch clean holes in iron. Made of brass, the handle stood no chance; it was crushed like paper on contact with her strike, and the mechanism holding the latch in place followed suit. She barreled into the bathroom, the door offering no resistance. "Hazel!"
The laundry hamper was on its side near the door, the suit Hazelnut had worn that day fallen halfway out of it. She was curled up on the floor, both hooves on her head and tears streaming down her face. The towel she'd been using to dry off was still wrapped around her. "Stay out!" she cried, trying to kick the hamper again despite it being out of her reach. Her voice was wavering as she struggled to bring herself under control. "Leave me alone!"
Caramel might have been helpless to do much, but her late parents would not have forgiven her if she abandoned her sister. "You know me better than that. I don't understand what you're going through, but I am not leaving you," she declared in a low tone, sitting down and pulling Hazelnut close. "You can pull through this, Hazel. You're stronger than this!"
The face Hazelnut gave her was unnaturally soulful and full of distress, eyes mottled with tears. This concerned Caramel: her twin never showed any weakness to anypony, regardless of her condition. Even when she had begun grieving over their grandfather, it had been done with nopony else the wiser. "What is wrong with me? What is my life right now?"
Not knowing how to answer those questions, while at the same time not wanting to leave and waste time trying to track down where their servant was at present, Caramel continued to stay near to her sister and keep her reassured by her presence. "I am here, sister. Stay strong. Don't worry about a thing," she murmured, drawing on what comparatively few memories of her parents she had for guidance. "I am here."
...
Not seeing her inner turmoil, Caramel had no way of knowing that Hazelnut's questions were brought on by the violent influx of memories that she had just received. Her personal experiences were being shunted to the side, making way for something that had no right being there. She was losing control not just of the situation, but of her entire life as her grip on what freedom she possessed slackened.
She blacked out, overwhelmed.
When she came to, she felt like she was drifting about in a thick, dark fog. Faint images of unfamiliar ponies faded in and out of reality. For a split second she thought she saw the Princess herself in the fog, but the moment passed. She tested her movement, but found to her concern that she was almost completely immobile. Where... where am I? And... I'm not complaining, but why is my headache all of a sudden gone?
"C-Carrie..."
Did I... did I just speak? Hazelnut tried to look down at her muzzle, opening her mouth a few millimeters before closing it again. What was...?
"Carrie, I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made that disturbance... Wow, where was my mind at?"
...! WHAT IN TARTARUS?! Hazelnut's mental voice howled. That's not me speaking at all!
Her sister's voice echoed back to her as if from a great distance. "Hazel, what happened? Why were you screaming?"
Her vision cleared up, the fog parting just enough for her to see Caramel regarding her worriedly. Awe filled her as she asked herself how she had gotten so big, seeming to be twenty times her size. She tried to speak, to let her know what just happened---
"I... I guess the impact of everything that's happened to me the past day or two got the better of me," she said instead, tone rife with melancholy. "Couple that with this blasted headache, and whammo."
Hazelnut's breath hissed through her teeth. No! That's not what I wanted to tell her! Something strange is happening here! What is wrong with me?! What... is... wrong?! Whoever you are, stop speaking to her! Let me talk to her! LET ME TALK!
All to no avail, as her fury was swallowed up by the fog. Gritting her teeth, she watched and listened as whatever entity that was in control continued to converse with her sister in her stead.
...
"I don't know," Caramel admitted, not sure what she thought of Hazelnut's claim. "That sounded far too excruciating to be from simple stress. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"I'm... feeling a little bit better than I was an hour ago, actually," Hazelnut admitted, wiping away her tears on her hoof. "I mean, sure---I still got that stupid headache, but it looks like it's down to a campfire instead of an inferno. Between the doctor's visit, Grandpa dying and those explosions yesterday, I guess I just needed to release all of that stress somehow?" She tilted her head questioningly by a few degrees. "I don't know how else to explain it, sis."
Caramel bit the inside of her lip as she waged a private debate with herself. Hazel's mood swing was still jarring, but if she legitimately was feeling better, then she supposed she could chance it. "Something about this still doesn't feel right to me, but alright. I'll trust you on this, Hazel."
Hazelnut's smile was the first one she'd seen from her since that morning. "I appreciate it, Carrie. Thank you. If it's not too much of a bother, could you grab one of my suits from my closet? The purple one?"
"You're getting dressed again? I thought you were planning on going to bed early."
Hazelnut stretched a bit as she replied. "That was the original idea, but I'm thinking what I really need is some air. I'm gonna walk around the tower for a bit, say hi to anyone still here. I'll check in with Ignition, too. See if... well, you know."
Caramel closed her eyes briefly, nodding. "Well, alright. But if I hear about this happening again, we're finding you another doctor, understood?"
"You worry too much sometimes," Hazelnut said bluntly. Some relief colored her voice. "But you wouldn't be Caramel Mocha if you didn't. I know I don't say this often enough, but... thanks. For worrying."
Caramel gave her a quick nuzzle before turning to leave. For the moment, the pain she herself had been feeling since the doctor's appointment had eased up.
Though it didn't do the door handle any favors. Thankfully, we still have a half dozen left.
In her mind, Hazelnut ranted and argued in protest, lamenting that it just. Wasn't. Right. She protested, demanding that she stay in her suite where her sister could keep an eye on her.
Her body refused to obey her, but as it walked past a mirror in the hallway a short time later, she managed to get a good look at herself. As frightening as the thought of losing her freedom was at that moment, the entirely lunatic smirk that her face was sporting outside of Caramel's line of sight scared her even more.
"It feels so good," her voice whispered, "to be this young again..."
"Agents #5 through #9, reconvene at the conference room. We have new developments. I repeat: Agents #5 through #9, it's time for another meeting."
Just us five? Calico Driftwood wondered, making sure she was armed and armored before descending the hidden staircase in her room's closet. That's not a good sign. That implies that #1 through #4 never returned from their missions.
As long as the five agents stayed on-site, kept themselves prepared for battle and didn't leave Mocha HQ's upper floors, they were allowed to do as they pleased. During the morning, Calico took advantage of an available training room to make sure she knew how to use her new weapons. Following a light lunch consisting of five hayburgers and three carrot dogs (with a pitcher of orange juice to wash it down), she'd spent the afternoon rifling through the last few editions of the Minutes in the hopes of locating any advertised sales.
Sure, she wouldn't be able to do any actual shopping until Mr. Mocha's successor coerced the authorities into dropping that stupid thievery charge, but it was the principle of the thing. Bamboozling the commercial district during yesterday's attacks didn't count.
As Calico exited into a concealed passageway, a small door directly across from her slid open. Agent #7 exited from his own suite, nodding to her; she returned the greeting and let him move ahead of her. Her few interactions with him suggested that he was somewhat socially awkward, but good-natured, difficult to anger and entirely willing to be friendly. That counted for a lot in her book: between Agent #5's craziness, Bastion's no-nonsense business-like approach and Gates's borderline sociopathy, it had felt like she was the only normal one in her group.
Never once did it cross her mind that eating a lunch of that size and still being hungry afterwards meant that she had no room to judge others on normality.
The two of them reached the conference room first. Bastion and Gates arrived a minute after they did, with Agent #5 following along after two more. They spent some time making small talk, speculating on the other agents' possible fates as they waited for Ignition to show up. Calico didn't waste time wondering where the crab that was clinging to #5's mane with its pincer had come from.
The group quieted as Ignition's door opened. The servant stepped on through; as was standard for him, he didn't waste any time on pleasantries. "First on the agenda is the most obvious," he said as soon as the door closed, his voice heavy. "As of fifteen minutes ago, Cocoa Mocha has passed away. His body is presently on its way to the morgue."
Everypony was silent. Even #5's insanity and #9's rudeness were clamped down on, respecting the solemnity of that statement. All of them had been personally brought on board because of him, and now he was gone. Everything now rested in the hooves of his chosen successor, whoever they were.
After a minute, Calico finally broke the silence. "Will our new leader be present tonight?"
"I have been assured that yes, they will be," Ignition confirmed. "I don't know when they will be attending. Until they arrive, I will be the chairpony for this meeting."
"My hair crab wants to know what happened to our four scouts," #5 requested. "Are they still having fun?"
"Your hair crab is destined to be griffon food at this rate," Gates snarked under his breath.
"Infidel," #5 warned him. "You will not la-jab atta la-crab!"
"How about you start la-making some la-sense?"
"How about for once in your life you stop talking?" Bastion growled, not in the mood to deal with Gates's attitude. "Continue please, Ignition."
The servant cleared his throat. "To answer #5's question, their missions have ended in failure. The robot confronted them one by one and bested them in battle, driving away #3 and capturing the others. In addition, only one of #1's objectives were met: all evidence of our work at the Institute in Diarchs was destroyed, but his efforts to silence our arrested magitechnicians have fallen short. If they haven't yet divulged the secrets of the drones used within these past few days, they will soon."
The air simmered, and those not in full armor flinched. It took Calico a few seconds to realize that she was the source of that heat, and she tried to calm herself down. "Sorry," she apologized when she could finally trust herself to talk. "I just realized that if they've been caught, that means the Police have confiscated the dragon armors."
"That's..." #7 swallowed, then tried again. "That's not good."
"A thousand ways to put it, yet those three words put it best," Ignition said. "But before any of you start panicking, this is hardly the severe setback you believe it to be. Detrimental, yes, but not severe."
"I wish I had your confidence," #7 told him, audibly shaken. "What should we do in this situation?"
One of the doors slid open before Ignition could answer. "What we need to do," a new voice interrupted as some light hoofsteps tread upon the tiles, "is bring our A-game."
Everypony started at the new presence. "Intruder!" Bastion barked, unholstering his spear and hurling it at the newcomer in one smooth motion---
---and just barely managing to snatch it out of the air when it flew back at him a second later. "That's what I get for trying to make an entrance," the newcomer complained. "Nice reflexes. They mean that your time as a thief hasn't dulled your combat skills. How about the rest of you? Are you going to try and attack me too?"
"Who needs reflexes when you have crabs?" #5 giggled.
"What she said," Calico was quick to agree.
"Ditto," #7 chimed in.
"The same, but with significantly less crab," Gates finished as Bastion reluctantly settled back into his seat. "Who are you?"
"Who, me?" the pony---more or less identified as a young mare by now---chuckled. "I'm going to be the late Cocoa's permanent stand-in."
Everypony perked up with renewed interest. By contrast, Ignition remained cautious. "If that is true, then he should have provided you with the appropriate code phrase. What is it?"
This didn't deter the mare. "Oh, that's an easy one. Spaghetti, abstract art, or Hearths Warming sweater? You decide." She cleared her throat and spoke:
"E oxwv behpo, ejh pla pwrz xwoaw exo theyi. Pla kniwx auqehmvinw xverc fwpwryi ps pla akvhh. Kra jkvi, sji nyhi, kra xdvkra."
---...Calico wasn't sure if everypony else's eyes had widened. She knew for sure hers did. "She's the one," she breathed.
"It's abstract art of spaghetti on a Hearths Warming sweater!" #5 exclaimed, giddy. "Gorgeously gorgeous!"
Bastion's assessment was blunt, but no less impressed. "Precise articulation."
"I think my ears rang just listening to that," Gates muttered, awed.
"We're in agreement, then?" #7 asked, his tone matching the rest. "This pony's the new leader?"
Ignition was the only one who wasn't ready to accept the newcomer. "One thing still needs to be cleared up before anything else. You sound very familiar, young lady. Let's hear your name."
"My name? Oh, there's so many to choose from," the mare crooned. "At varying points in my life, I've been referred to as White Rook, Purple Haze, Potato Bread, Cream Cheese, Cloud Blitz, Turquoise, Cyclone Pitch, Coffee Cup, Cocoa Mocha... you know. Just to name a few."
Stunned silence.
It didn't take eyesight to see the mare's confusion. "What?"
"You're... Cocoa Mocha," Calico slowly uttered, finishing her sentence with a disbelieving snort.
"That's what I was known as for the past eighty-plus years," the mare confirmed, moving to claim a seat that had remained empty for the past few meetings. "Though as of about twenty minutes ago, not anymore. The biggest hint is that I'm actually young again."
"What the..." Gates muttered. Everypony in the room had come to the same conclusion he did, but he was the first to react to it. The notion was difficult to believe, but... "You've been keeping yourself alive by body surfing with magic? Just how long have you been kicking?"
"It's impolite to ask for a lady's age," she warned him.
"I'm not seeing any ladies here," Gates riposted. "Just somepony who doesn't know how to give a straight answer to a basic question."
"...Zero to infuriated in a moment. My goodness, you have talent," the mare hissed. Even in total darkness, Calico could swear that she could see a pulsing vein. "I remember now why I've only spoken directly with you once. Very well. During your time as Royal Guardsponies, do either of you recall a certain hodgepodge statue in the Castle garden? I was an eyewitness to that statue's sculpting, and I had already gone through four different bodies by then. You're smart, gentlecolts. Do the math."
"Discord, Discord~," #5 all but sang. "She was alive during the time of Discord~!"
"I'm hearing capitalization there," Gates commented as he worked things out. His tone was quiet, but his anger was palpable. "So you're saying that statue was once a living being?"
"What," Bastion rumbled coldly, "has Celestia been hiding from us?"
"If you were around back then, you would not be so mad," the mare chastised him. "Equestria was at one time a circus of chaos, and Discord was its ringmaster. It took both of the Sisters working together to remove him from power and reduce him to a pigeon perch. That will forever be the one thing I will agree with Celestia on: words cannot express just how much that monster had to go. When I assume power, that statue is to be steered clear from at all times."
"Back to the point," #7 chimed in as the two thieves calmed themselves. "Not all of us are well-versed in Equestria's history. These 'Sisters' you mentioned: how long has it been since they were around?"
"About a thousand years, give or take a few moons," the mare answered non-chalantly, pretending to examine something on one of her hooves.
Stunned silence. Second verse, same as the first.
"Yes, I'm old," she snapped, fed up. "Do you have a problem with that? I'll have you know I look gorgeous for my age!"
"We can't tell," Calico reminded her, having worked far enough through her shock to speak. "#2 was the one with the enhanced night vision, and he's gone."
"Rubber shoes? Red mane? White face paint? Squeaky nose? Jagged teeth? Mysteries upon mysteries," #5 pondered. "Whatever does our new boss look like?"
The mare huffed. "Fine. If all of you are going to be like that, then there's no point in me keeping this a secret any longer. Just remember that this knowledge is not to reach the ears of any related parties, or your armor sets will have matching holes in them the exact size of my forelegs. Get the drift, or do you want to be buried in it?"
"Sheesh. Temperamental much? Yes, we get it," Gates groused. "If we were idiots, you wouldn't have made us part of your inner circle. Now let's see what you look like nowadays."
A chuckle. "As you wish. Ignition and all agents, shield your eyes."
All of them did as instructed, but instead of turning on the lights (And why would she, Calico thought, when we haven't had new ones installed in here yet?), a corona of crimson flames washed over the mare's silhouette. Wait, those aren't flames. I'm not feeling any heat. Who am I looking at? Or about to look at, I mean...
Even with the illumination provided by the unexpected light show being minimal, it took time for their eyes to adjust. Past the faux-flames, Calico became able to discern the mare's form. Brown speckled coat beneath a well-tailored suit, pegasus wings, black streaks in her mane and tail---!
Ignition was the first to acknowledge their new boss, and thankfully for all of them his reaction was the calmest. "Lady Hazelnut. You're Mr. Mocha's chosen successor? It's an honor."
Calico's jaw almost went clean through the table. "Hazelnut Mocha? Cocoa Mocha's own granddaughter? I thought she wasn't going to be a part of this!"
"You're half-right," she acknowledged, head tilted at an angle to mirror Illudere's. The flaming aura vanished with the abruptness of a candle being snuffed out, bathing the room in darkness again. "Physically, this is the body of one of Cocoa's heirs apparent. Mentally? Her faculties aren't her own anymore, and looking to stay that way!"
"Magic that can let ponies swap bodies upon death," #7 uttered. He sounded taken back, and Calico didn't think anypony could blame him. "I heard it twice, and I'm still having trouble believing it."
"Then what should we call you?" Bastion asked, remaining focused. "If we're caught and questioned, we can't just call you by your current name."
"That's an easy one. Easy easy easy," not-Hazelnut growled. "Ponies call me whatever they want, and I've humored them for many lifetimes. But privately, there's one name that I've called myself for centuries. One name that stands out among all the rest, because it was the only one that I've chosen for myself instead of being adopted from somepony else. From here on out, do not call me Cocoa and especially don't call me Hazelnut. Dears, dearies, and Gates--- ('Oh, for the love of...') ---you will acknowledge me as First Quarter. Any objections?"
"I vote that we recognize First Quarter as our official leader," Ignition said immediately.
"I second that emotion!" #5 hummed, and everypony wondered why.
"Works for me."
"I'm okay with it."
"As long as we stay on."
"I've got nothing."
"Aaaand motion carried. Magnifilovely," First Quarter purred. "Now, as I was saying before we got sidetracked by my identity, we need to make adjustments in our approach. The dragon scale mail was meant to be a stellar defense, but against an opponent as crafty as Leviathan, it's not going to be enough.
"Bastion, Gates, I trust the both of you to guard your weak points religiously in a fight, so you're welcome to continue using those sets if you prefer. Agents #5-#7, I will require you to turn over your gear for now. First thing in the morning, I will start having R&D figure out how to incorporate the chest pieces' enhancements into the suits themselves. Having three of our best fall in battle like this is just embarrassing."
#7 was the first to offer his agreement. "I was feeling overwhelmed after what we heard at the start," he admitted. "If it'll help me when it's our turn to face her, I'm willing to wait."
Everypony else expressed their agreements in their own ways. "My hair crab wants to know if our next move involves another prison break," #5 wondered after the affirmatives had a second to settle.
"Not yet. Do you know what I want to do first? I want to kill the so-called Siren General," Quarter snarled. "She is proving herself to be a complete nuisance. Anything we accomplish in the near future will mean nothing if that robot isn't completely and thoroughly destroyed." Her voice became increasingly manic. "Twist it into scrap, melt it down, and turn it into nice sets of silverware to be sold at stores. Repurpose that stick of hers as the world's biggest toothpick. I want you to pulverize that big stupid pufferfish! Do you hear me?! Death to the fugu!"
"There isn't any point to this coup if it isn't going to be done right," Ignition continued in his boss's stead. "If we return our incapacitated agents to the fold, Leviathan will just best them in battle again. Since she has fought them once before, she would be familiar with their combat styles. As such, the second encounter would be worse for them than the first."
Bastion, one of the two present who had fought Leviathan before the group had been gathered, raised his hoof for attention. It couldn't be seen, but it was the principle of the thing. "Might I offer a suggestion? We've been going about this by treating the robot as somepony to be faced in direct combat. Obviously, that has not panned out. So, we will go about things indirectly. Watch her from afar. Determine her weaknesses, and I'm not strictly referring to fire. Exploit her blind spots. Discover anything that can possibly be used against her. And then bring them all crashing down onto her head when she least expects it."
"I love the way you think," Quarter assured him, her voice normalized. "But that can wait. For now, I've got a mission for you. You and Gates are to make a trip to the Dragon Lands and seek out Metallium. Your objective is not, and I repeat is not, to return her to Manehattan. Instead, you are to determine what incited her to flee back to her homeland. I doubt it was the robot alone that made her leave. It's too risky to send messages via dragonfire candle now, since Ignition and I are going to be more active publicly for a while, so return here and give your information to him in private. I'll determine what to do with #3 at that point. Exercise stealth."
Bastion and Gates grunted and chuckled their respective acknowledgements.
"#6."
Calico perked up. "What's up, my boyfriend's boss?"
"We're not seeing each other," Ignition stated without any change in tone, getting laughs from everypony that wasn't the two of them. Even Quarter was snickering. "We had one dance at that club. That was it."
Quarter waved it off. "Amusing, but ultimately irrelevant. #6, you'll be on information gathering. I have access to newspapers from all across Equestria. You're responsible for determining overall public opinion on our not-so-favorite robot. Take note of anything that concerns her and compile it into a report for Ignition's perusal. This will be your task until #8 and #9 return."
"I was half-hoping to be sent out to shop again," Calico admitted weakly. "Not saying I won't do this, though."
"You'll get to have your fun again soon enough, I promise. #5. #7."
"Oh hai, spoon," #5 uttered half-consciously, head tilted in Quarter's general direction.
"Yes, boss?" #7 said politely.
"Make haste, retrieve Stratos, and bring her to the tower's sub-basement as soon as the meeting ends," Quarter ordered. "Use your respective abilities to delude her into thinking that she's practicing that twisted spell on a willing target. My dear sister will realize that something's off sooner or later, and I intend to fix that immediately before I return to my suite. You shouldn't need your gear to carry out this mission undetected. I will meet you down there once you return."
"Stratos... that's your pet unicorn, right?" #7 inquired. "I thought her name was---"
"Look. If I want to call her Stratos, then her name is Stratos," Quarter cut in. "In fact, I suggest that all of you start using that name while you're in the building. You can address her directly however you like, but you will not use anything else while you're at Mocha HQ. Crystal?"
#7 considered this bemusedly, then shrugged. "You're the boss, boss."
It took some effort for #5 to focus, but her followup confirmation was free of insanity. "Loud and clear."
"Finally: Ignition. At your earliest convenience, I want you to get a status report from those in R&D who are responsible for working with the Crown Jewels. When we make our move against Celestia, the working model they come up with has to be flawless. I can't emphasize that enough."
"Of course, my lady."
Calico heard the air 'whoosh'ing a little. Judging from where the sound was coming from, she guessed that her boss's tail was swishing with eagerness. "Then the meeting is over. Get a move on, all of you. Reports notwithstanding, we'll reconvene after #8 and #9 complete their mission. Good night, everypony."
...
Ignition was the first to go, giving Quarter a courtly bow on the way out. Bastion and Gates were next, and for a moment Calico swore she heard that ominous guitar again. The remaining three pulled off their respective armors, dropping their gear on their preferred seats before leaving.
Calico stopped at the door, something that wasn't lost on Quarter. "Do you need something, #6?"
"Just a quick inquiry. How soon can we get some replacement lights in here?"
Quarter's reply was... surprisingly sheepish. "I'd honestly hoped we'd get somepony hitting their legs on the table by accident, but that never happened. Don't worry, I'll have them installed by the time the thieves return."
Calico grinned and trotted down the passageway, invigorated.
...
All the while, trapped deep in her own mind, helpless to do anything and slowly drowning in half a million memories that were not her own, Hazelnut begged for somepony---anypony---to release her from the nightmare she was now witnessing through stolen eyes.
Music links for this chapter include: "Spreading Darkness", from Zero 2; "Brennenburg Theme", from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, "Recon", from the original Command & Conquer, a cover of Jiren's theme from Dragon Ball Super by PokéMixr92, and Descent II's briefing music.
...Welp. Can't say I didn't try to warn ya. Remember when Cocoa told Statuette: "From disaster to death and everything in-between, I always come back"? He meant that in the literal sense. Poor Hazelnut didn't know what hit her. 
This chapter is your introduction to the story's true central antagonist, and to top things off, she has some sort of connection with the long-destroyed Omega. I'm not going to directly explain what that connection is unless I need to, though; if you haven't figured it out yet, then read through the influx of memories and put the pieces together.
The gobbledy-gook that Quarter was saying during the chapter isn't strictly random: there is actually a code behind it. This is another thing I'm planning on keeping hidden for now, though.
I may have had baseball on the mind when Quarter was rattling off some of the names she was once known by. Those of you well-versed in the sport's history will recognize who "Cyclone Pitch" was named for.
The "death to the fugu" line was actually borrowed from someone I met in a play-by-post game I was involved in a very long time ago. He had this catchphrase that he liked to use whenever he was in character, and I tweaked it for use in the story; I've been wanting to write it in context for a while now. As to what it originally was... well, "sore wa himitsu desu", and all that jazz.
And no, I don't know where Illudere found the crab either.
Ko-Fi tip jar: https://ko-fi.com/curtiswildcat
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
1,062 users online
1,712,890 hits today, 2,167,270 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Aaaaaaannnd that was the moral event horizon.
Jeez, but it passed us fast.
How much do you wanna bet that Quarter hag wants Celestia's body for herself?
How many chapters long will this story be?
11508497
(shrug) Chapters, I'm not sure. I don't even know where to begin figuring that out. ()^_^
What I can tell you is that where the plot's concerned, we're almost halfway through the story.
11508492
Yup. Quarter might care about her family on some level, but not enough to refrain from stealing their bodies when her current one dies.
very interesting update!
11508492
Sucker bet, no takers.
11508492
No she has her own. Frankly i bet thisnis Nightmare Moon
11508766
It's what I thought at first, but she doesn't use thou or thy, and she wouldn't be happy about a "younger" body since alicorns stay at their prime their whole life.
There's also the fact that she talks about both Celestia and Luna. If Quarter was Nightmare Moon wanting to rule from the shadows, then she probably wouldn't mention the forgotten sister.
11508942
she had a manic grin. loves dark and has a moon theme amulet. and beign around since banishment she would lose the thee and thou over time. and she doesn't consider herself Luna anymore.
Honestly, whatever that thing that took over Hazels Body is, I do not like it. Especially not when there was this specific section in the wash of memories:
How the hell did that portion with Omega of all things get in there...
Knew he had a plan. He was way too complacent for someone who simply hoped the plan would continue.
Let's a go!
11508954
Furthermore, we don't know where in those flashes of memory that bit would actually be chronologically.
I have to imagine Hazel's headaches weren't just a tumor. They were Mocha growing a whole ass other brain in her to be his next vessel.
Possibly Omega here is getting ballsy though to break the facade that thoroughly. He's not even trying to masquerade as Hazel.
I believe you meant herself.
I'm trying to decrypt the phrases by process of elimination, just so you know. It's fun, but though.
11511267
)
Thanks for catching that. (Read that paragraph over six times and I still missed it.
11511614
Glad I could help!
Omega!
My vote is something that crossed my head... Our dear Fairy Leviathan is not the only that crossed to Equestria... The true villain is SIGMA that somehow took the body of a pony and is going from body to body... How? Who knows but that is something that crossed my head
11508492
Ten to one!
I was sitting there for a while, trying to figure out the subtle way Quarter could be related to Omega. But now that I think about it, you meant that literally, didn't you? Quarter IS Omega, correct?
11643642
If you haven't done so already, you'll have to read on to find out.
OK, Celestia and Fairy need to find this out, and pound this guy into oblivion. After saving the poor girl from him. At times like these I wish I could travel dimensions to crack some skulls.
That mother f*cker
And you said I was evil? Turning her into an Alicorn would have probably 'merely' risked her health, magic, and/or some level of neurological damage if it FAILED, which, obviously this, every attempt would have been made to avoid. This seems to be destroying her very personhood, and was specifically designed to do so. A non-trivial measure of pity is due the wearer of The Alicorn Amulet... and that pales in comparison to this.
There are good and righteous interpretations of Celestia who would sentence the soul that started this chain to burn in The Sun a year (okay, perhaps only a week) for every year of life it stole from its victims... Or perhaps Discord's 'I have no Mouth, and I must Scream" would be the more poetic justice (and probably more merciful).