Manehattan's Lone Guardian

by Curtis Wildcat

Curveball on the Outside Corner

That morning...

Ignition folded up the gag he'd used to keep Illudere quiet and put it away. "Now, then. Are you done?"

"I'm Illudere," was the answer he got. "Nice to meet you, Done."

"That's the best you're going to get," Calico told the somewhat annoyed second-in-command. "For her, sanity comes and goes. Mostly the second."

A mutter of "So I've noticed", and Ignition was ready to continue the meeting. He returned to his seat, turned back to the two thieves and beckoned them to answer. "Now then, gentlecolts. As I was saying, what are your thoughts on the Dragon Lord? Did you learn anything of him?"

"In a word? Huge," Gates confirmed with a note of disbelief. "I didn't think dragons got that big. Thank somepony who isn't Celestia that he's not belligerent, because he could probably flatten most of Manehattan by himself and see it as just another day at the office. Bringing Metallium back into the group isn't worth provoking him."

"For the sake of size comparison...?"

"Think of an Ursa Major, and you're on the right track," Bastion contributed.

Most of those present shivered in fear (aside from Illudere, who was shivering with delight). While none of them had ever encountered one of those legendary beasts personally, they all knew of the Ursas' reputations.

"Metallium will be marked down as a lost cause, then," Ignition decided, making a note of that decision. "I'll pass this along to Lady Quarter when I next speak to her. Agent #6, you were in charge of gauging public opinion of the Siren General. Your findings?"

"I finished compiling them last night," Calico reported. "On average, Equestria's larger cities have a positive view of her. Doing all the math, I determined that the nation's approval rating sits at about 52%, with 28% disapproving and 20% on the fence. Prior to the captures of Agents #1-#4, the numbers sat closer to 26, 41 and 33, respectively." She smiled sardonically. "Doing nice things for ponies can effect popular opinions. Who knew?"

"Save the sarcasm and continue."

"Alright, since you asked so nicely." Calico hooved through the papers in front of her. "Obviously, this doesn't take into account towns and villages with less than a thousand residents, since their newspapers--if any--don't have as wide a circulation. But on the whole, ponies like her. And this is despite her having disclosed her fairly sordid past weeks ago." A bitter chuckle. "It's almost enough to make me think your race has a thing for redemption stories."

"And yours doesn't?" Bushwhacker asked with polite curiosity.

"You're a good kid, but I don't want to talk about it," Calico said firmly, waiting until Bushwhacker nodded and settled back before finishing. "Let's just leave it at that."

"I expected changelings to be a bit more vicious when we met," Gates brought up. "But he's getting cowed a little bit too easily. Don't you think that's weird?"

The air rippled around them, causing them to lean back from a wave of oppressive heat. "Yeah," Calico snarled, her coat rapidly shifting between light and dark as she struggled to keep her temper behind lock and key. "Almost as weird as what's going to happen if you call me that again!"

"Either calm yourself down or subsist on normal rations from now on," Ignition warned. "If you haven't had a fire extinguisher used on you before, you won't like the sensation."

"I wasn't even insulting you this time," Gates couldn't resist adding. "What are you getting worked up over?"

"...Oh." The heat wave dissipated, and Calico sank into her seat. "I thought you were calling me a..." Her face sported a nice vermillion hue as she looked away from everypony, embarrassed. "Sorry. Nothing more to report, Ignition."

"Direct your temper at somepony more deserving, and we'll consider the matter closed. Agent #9, don't egg her on, intentionally or otherwise."

Bushwhacker raised a hoof. "In his defense, it was a legitimate question. And if I were hungrier, then yes, I can imagine myself being more aggressive and mean. But ever since First Quarter stationed me in Ponyville, I've been living in a more-or-less love-rich environment. And I've been able to make some of the cleaning staff here think I'm cute just by being myself. It's not the greatest of circumstances, but I'm not lacking for food, either. It's certainly better than when I was still under Chrysalis's thrall."

"And you're not buggy right now, why?" Illudere asked, one of her brief glimpses of reality timing itself properly.

The changeling shrugged. "I guess because I'm too used to being like this."

Ignition cleared his throat. "If I may continue? We don't have all morning."

Bushwhacker nodded agreeably. "Sorry about the interruption. Go ahead, sir."

Without further ado, Ignition cut into the meat of the meeting. "I've received several reports from Research and Development. Agents #5-7, while your armors have proven difficult to work with, the enchanted chest pieces no longer serve their prior functions and are present solely for decoration. You may reclaim your suits at any time."

Calico and Illudere grinned toothily and cackled, respectively, at the news. Bushwhacker wasn't quite as pleased. "I'm assuming that we'll still need to make do without any helmets?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The department's present workload has them unable to craft any cranial protection, so the three of you will still need to protect those areas in your own ways. Leviathan has to date shown a reluctance to kill flesh-and-blood entities, but that does not mean that she won't try to exploit that weakness somehow. Don't let yourself rely too heavily on your armor's impregnability."

Ignition waited until the assorted affirmatives died down before moving on. "Two items left that need covering. The first is that R&D's present workload has them developing a proper delivery system for the Crown Jewels. Their proof-of-concept has been finished and is ready for use in the field, but they claim it will take them six days at least before they can build a fully functional prototype that incorporates that design."

On a cue, a hoof raised. "What are these 'Crown Jewels' you are talking about?" Bastion asked. "They were mentioned before, but that was it."

"Three artifacts that have existed for as long as ponykind, or even longer," Ignition explained. "These are not mere baubles to be worn on the body to enhance one's own abilities. These are gemstones as big as the average pony, capable of tremendous power, and virtually indestructible."

Gates snorted. "I've heard that before. Every time somepony says that something can't be broken or destroyed, guess what happens to it? It's one of the certainties in life: death, taxes, and morons tempting fate."

"There once was a dragon that said and believed the same thing you did," Ignition countered. "He saw one of those gems and believed it would be a good meal. He was reduced to lapping up diamond dust until his teeth grew back in. The Jewel wasn't so much as dented."

Calico whistled, and Bushwhacker seemed impressed. "That means that Leviathan won't be able to destroy them if she finds them, at least," he remarked.

"If you still harbor doubts," Ignition told the room at large, though he was directing it primarily at Gates, "then I'll inform you of a little anecdote Lady Quarter discovered when she first uncovered the Jewels' existence. How many of you are familiar with the name 'Grogar'?"

Calico frowned. "Never heard of it."

"Same," Bushwhacker chimed in.

"Sounds like the name of an ogre's love child," Gates snarked.

"Just as a foal's bedtime story," Bastion rumbled. "An entity who ruled the lands in pre-Equestria times before somepony finally banished him."

"Hee hee hee hee..."

Once again, all eyes turned to Illudere at the sound of her giggling. She wasn't getting up or getting distracted, but that unnerving grin was creeping them out. "Do you have something to say, Agent #5?" Ignition pointedly asked.

Another giggle. "Grogar, Grogar, Grogar-r-r," Illudere trilled. "The Father of All Monsters, the Greatest of Goats, the Rammiest of Rams, the Lord of the Dance---!"

"I doubt that," Ignition and Calico spoke in unison. Both did double takes, though it was Calico whose face was red in the aftermath.

Illudere continued. "---and the Baron of the Bell! Power for days, for weeks, for months! Enough power to make an emperor blush! Beautiful, it was so beautiful!"

"And during his final encounter with the one who sealed him, one of Grogar's magic blasts struck the Jewels," Ignition finished. "Instead of destroying them, they absorbed a minuscule portion of the magic and dispersed the rest."

"...Where in the world do you and Quarter hear these stories?" Gates spoke after a minute of shock from all parties (aside from the insane unicorn in the room). "And what sort of coincidence would allow that situation to come up?"

"Tales of Grogar were more commonplace in the period surrounding the three tribes' unification than they are now. And I shouldn't have to remind you that Quarter is old enough to have heard some of those stories." Ignition nodded at Bushwhacker. "What I am getting at is that the Jewels are the cornerstone of her plan to remove Celestia from the throne and fulfill the promises that were made to all agents."

"I imagine that they wouldn't be like that without some sort of special ability," Bushwhacker mused. "What do they have going for them?"

"The Crown Jewels are able to absorb magic, much like Lord Tirek and Grogar were reportedly able to do," Ignition informed the group. "However, they differ in that they don't absorb vast amounts of magic all at once, as they would have taken in the entirety of Grogar's attack otherwise. Rather, they passively collect trace amounts of ambient magic from their surroundings over long stretches of time."

Calico raised a hoof. "How long a stretch are we talking about here? Months? Years?"

"Centuries to millennia."

Most of the agents couldn't hide their surprise. "Something smells rotten about this," Gates complained. "Has anypony even tried to use the Jewels in any way? How do they know that it takes them that long to absorb magic? They'd be long dead before they could figure out anything concrete."

"This is where the author admits that he wrote himself into a corner," Illudere whispered to Calico, eyes shifting back and forth across the room as if searching for eavesdroppers.

"And if I had any idea what in Tartarus you were talking about, I'd be agreeing with you," Calico whispered back, a bead of sweat sliding down behind her right ear. Sometimes, a little 'crazy' doesn't go far enough. Who in blazes does she mean by an 'author'? Did she dream that up?

In the meantime, the discussion continued. "Records show at least three others have tried to use their Jewels for their own ends. It can be safely discerned that all three of them failed due to not completely understanding their nature. Nonetheless, those ponies have all left what they found for anypony willing and able to search for them. Which is where Quarter and his dedicated team of researchers enter the picture."

"Better a group of minds working together than individual minds working alone," Bastion discerned. "At this point in history, ponies can measure how much magical power is stored in the Jewels, and compare it to comments in the old records if they want to see how big of a difference there is."

"Correct, Agent #8. And it is because of their ability to take such measurements that we know how much power they currently possess: more than enough to allow Quarter to take Celestia's place. But as I stated previously, it will take at least six days for the fully functional prototype to be built."

"You mentioned a proof-of-concept?" Bastion asked.

"Correct, and as I said, it is now operational. You may claim it and test it at the training areas at your discretion. Agent #9, will you be wanting any additional weapons?"

"I'll stick to what I have," Gates replied with no shortage of mirth. "I am loving the enhancements Quarter's team made to my knives. And don't think I didn't notice that function your team placed in my armor, you sneaky little rats."

Ignition nodded and made a note of that for the records. "Then with that business taken care of, we can focus on the last and most important item on the itinerary: Leviathan and Gray Ghost's permanent removal. This must be accomplished before the prototype is complete, or else Quarter's coup will need to be put on hold."

Illudere's giggling gained a sinister edge. "I can hear the Pyre sing, singing the song of angry mares..."

"Leviathan's home base is already established," Calico brought up. "What of the Ghost's?"

"That information is not a matter of public record," Ignition denied, audibly--though not visibly--annoyed. "The only ones who know that would be those that are on considerably friendly terms with her, and we don't know who those ponies are."

"And her family," Bushwhacker pointed out. "Assuming she has any."

"The fact that she married and left the force is common knowledge," Bastion said to him before addressing Ignition. "A fellow by the name of Ocean Guard. If you want a workaround, it might be worthwhile to find out where he works, then send Bushwhacker in to check the company records. They're required to have their homes on file in case of emergencies."

"I'm having trouble believing that the city's directories don't have her address written down," Calico grumbled. "She's supposed to be a common civili---..."

Everypony looked at each other when Calico suddenly went silent, her eyes widening. The silence in the room was heavy, and Illudere was contemplating having Ralph poke her. After a few moments, the kirin emitted a loud groan and all but slammed her face into the conference table.

"...Miss Driftwood?" Bushwhacker tentatively asked. Having been around ponies long enough that some of their traits had rubbed off on him, he did not need to fake his concern. "Are you alright?"

"Fne" was the answer they got, Calico's voice muffled. After a few seconds she pulled her face out of the table and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Fine. But I just realized how much of an idiot I've been. I can't believe I didn't remember it sooner. I was reading the edition that announced Leviathan's presence just yesterday."

Gates gave Bastion a look--which he didn't bother returning--before turning to Calico. "What are you getting at?"

"The story on the front page said that the robot was found at Flower Row in Bronclyn," Calico explained, her words a bit more biting than was normal for her. "Gray Ghost was the first one listed as being interviewed. Her comments heavily implied that she was living in that area."

"Flower Row..." Gates had a hoof on his helmet's chin. "I remember the place. A blockful of apartment buildings named after different plants."

"Their quality ranges from average to run-down," Bastion continued. "There are mostly low-income households there, with only a few having any real money. It was one of the few places Gates and I never considered stealing from, since by and large it isn't worth it."

"So we don't need to jump through hoops to find her whereabouts," Calico concluded. "All we need to do is scope out Flower Row and keep an eye on which building she enters or exits."

The group fell silent as the idea was considered. It seemed to have merit, but ultimately the final decision rested in Ignition's hooves. As First Quarter's mouthpiece and right-hand pony, it was up to him to consider all of the angles and try to see things from their leader's perspective. As they waited, Ignition's eyebrows furrowed and one of his hooves tapped the tables at random intervals as he stared off at nothing.

At last, his eyes hardened. "Agent #5."

"Eee-yesss?" Illudere droned lovingly. Calico resisted the urge to growl at her, aware that she didn't know any better.

"Listen close. Just so it sinks in, I'll say it again: listen close. Agent #7, this concerns you as well, so pay attention..."

It was, I want to say... 17 years ago. My parents and I were traveling to visit relatives elsewhere in Equestria. On our way, we stopped in that Ponyville place to buy a jar of what the locals called 'Zap Apple jam', since the fruit was in season. Awesome stuff, by the way, can totally recommend.

This was my first time away from the big city, so I couldn't help exploring while my parents were out shopping. I looked up at one of the houses and saw this weird pony sleeping up on the roof. That part wasn't unusual. What was unusual was that she had these metal protrusions on her hooves.

I called out to her, woke her up and asked her what those things were. She had this easy-going, laid-back approach to her. It was like nothing in the world could disturb her, she was so at peace. She told me that she was a special agent for the Princess, and that those metal things were her weapons. Naturally I didn't believe her; I imagined that the Princess's guards were a lot more serious than she was being. Still do, in fact.

So, we said good-bye and parted ways, and I continued my tour of the village. It was about ten minutes later that ponies started scattering all over the place, yelling and screaming. I looked back to see what was going on, and froze up in the face of the most terrifying thing I've seen in my life.

Seriously, this thing defined "monstrous". It had the shape of an earth pony, but it had skin textured like marble and had no hair whatsoever. Size-wise... this building's lobby could probably hold it, but not by much. The most disturbing part of it was that it had two heads with broken teeth and bloodshot, hungry eyes. And it was walking straight for me.

I was locked in place, couldn't move from sheer fright. I heard my parents shouting for me, but I wasn't able to answer them. My eyes were centered on that thing as it reached for me.

The next thing I knew, I was several houses away. I couldn't tell what happened; it was all a blur. And standing where I'd been a moment before was the same strange, laid-back pony I'd been talking with, facing down that creature with zero fear and all of the anger in the world.

I don't think the creature realized what happened, since it just kept reaching for her. I blinked, I heard a roar, and its foreleg was on the ground... I didn't really process that fact until after the incident was over. The pony got into the creature's face and told it to return to wherever it came from, or else it would lose a lot more than just its leg.

Its response was to try and chomp down on her. Her answer to that was to bite one of its muzzles when it got too close. The creature didn't like that, but it got the hint. It picked up the leg that was cut off in one of its mouths, turned, and limped back to the Forest as quickly as it could.

The weird pony lost all of her anger, walked up to me and nuzzled me the same way that she did to Leviathan just a few minutes ago, asking if I was okay. For a moment, it felt less like I was interacting with a pony than with the world's biggest housecat. She then pushed me towards my parents when they galloped up, traded a few words with them, and flew away. Until today, I hadn't seen her since.

"...I have no idea what the creature even was," Magnum says as she finishes her story. "I looked it up at the library the next time it occurred to me, but I couldn't find anything that matched up."

"Those would be ettins," Gray confirms. "Giant, two-headed, physically tough pony-like beings that don't act anything like their basis. Carnivorous cannibals with a taste for meat, and especially pony meat. It's rare that they actually visit civilization, since their poor intelligence and even poorer long-term memory makes them forget where their favorite prey is situated. I haven't heard any reports of them since that encounter." She shakes her head. "They're dangerous when they do appear, so it's worth keeping an eye out for them."

This is the most silence I've ever heard in one room. Gray's children--including Ebony, who turned up in the middle of Magnum's account--are awestruck. Even Fiver's eyelids have risen a fraction. Ocean Guard seems conflicted about something. Drama Heart's eyes are starry: new ideas to incorporate into her works, I'm guessing. Maverick's alternating her stare between Magnum and Gray, one eyebrow threatening to split itself off of her face.

Speaking for myself: this makes so much sense.

I've known since the duel at Bronclyn High that Gray had served Celestia in some capacity beyond her role as a police officer. If weaponry and techniques like the ones she utilized against me were commonplace, I would've seen the MRPD's ponies using them in the field and joining me in battle. This would suggest a more specialized role. Learning that she was a direct agent of the Princess's will has caused things to solidify in my mind.

Gray is fully focused on Magnum. "I remember that day now," she's saying, her laid-back behavior shelved in favor of something more serious. "Your story jogged my memory. As long as I behaved like myself, I knew nopony would believe that line about being one of Celestia's agents. And I had full confidence in my ability to snap myself out of my usual mindset if the situation was dire. Seeing a little kitten in danger did the trick."

"You weren't just messing with me when you said you had Celestia for a pen pal," Ebony realizes, entirely disbelieving. What? "You were being serious."

"Mom is awesome," Zig-Zag whispers, still in his awestruck state of mind. Nopony else seems to have heard it, and I just barely did.

Ocean takes a step nearer to his wife. "This is news to me, dear. At what point did you serve the Princess directly? Wouldn't your job with the Police have taken too much time away?"

On being asked this, Gray seems distressed... maybe just a little sad. I don't know what sort of conflict is bothering her, but I can take a guess.

And apparently, so can Maverick and Magnum. "Do you want us to leave?" the former asks Gray. "Whatever this is about isn't really our business. We can, um... just go to that apartment you suggested if you would like?"

Gray's expression remains for a bit longer before she finally closes her eyes and heaves a heavy sigh. "I was hoping I would never have to talk about this. I'd been banking on that portion of my background fading away while I focused on helping Ocean raise the family. I just know I'm going to get in serious trouble for breaking protocol so spectacularly..." She opens her eyes, something clearly having straightened itself out in her mind. When she speaks, her typical tone is replaced by one that I used to associate with Copy X: in charge and brooking no backtalk. "Leviathan. Scan the building. Is there anypony else close enough to hear?"

I activate my scanners, triggering the additional detection systems that were recovered during the recent battles. Mortar & Son have left, taking their tools with them. Drama's part-timer is in the middle of clocking out. There are no other ponies in the building aside from those present with me.

Manehattan's usual assortment of passers-by are milling around outside the theater, as is normal. There's somepony that my systems are labeling a Class-B threat across the street on the rooftops, but the individual in question is positioned in a way that suggests that they're sunbathing, complete with sunglasses and a book. "Drama, your employee is waiting for his payment," I say as my vision resets. "You might want to take care of that."

"And there's the excuse I needed." Drama trotted past the group and out of the auditorium, her voice following her out. "I'll be in my office if anypony needs me."

Gray's next words are directed at my cohorts. "Go with Fairy to the Hyacinth Apartments. Talk to the superintendent and tell him that you have my recommendation."

"Right..." Magnum gives me a questioning look. "Boss?"

I get off of the seat I was kneeling on and head for the doors. "Let's get the two of you situated. Follow me. I'll see the rest of you later."

I understand the importance of keeping secrets better than anyone. Copy X's death was one such secret, one that we hid for over a year from Neo Arcadia's people. There has been no shortage of confidentiality, and that's true no matter which government I interact with.

Something else I understand is that friendship or not, there are still some details I'm not allowed to know. I'm not going to blame them for anything: if I learned something that I shouldn't, and I was captured later, there's always a slim possibility of them getting those details out of me. Depending on what Gray's position was, the fallout for those associated with her could turn ugly.

Logically that's what is circulating in my systems right now, and I should be following that logic without complaint. Emotionally, I still wish I could be trusted a little more with Gray's background. She's willing to confess one of Equestria's secrets to her family, but not to me?

I can ponder this later. Right now, I need to vouch for my charges and get them a roof over their heads.

As per my usual, I scan the area ahead of me when leaving the Pyre. Some of the ponies around me look at me expectantly, but I ignore them. I gauge the distance from here to the rooftops, making sure that nothing's in my way.

Hmm. Something about this strikes me as odd. I seem to remember there being a billboard alongside my usual route. When we returned here it was via taxi, so I didn't notice anything strange at first. Maybe it was dismantled and taken down while I was in court? I don't know how much of that makes sense, but that's the best I can figure out.

When I make my Double Jump-assisted journey up to the roof, it lands me next to the Class-B pony I'd detected. "Yiiia!" she shrieks, nearly flinging her book aside and falling off of her chair. "Don't startle me like that, Miss Levia!"

The entire motion makes me stumble, but I'm able to keep my balance. Seeing that I've stopped, Maverick and Magnum have done the same, and---wait, when did I summon the Javelin out of storage? I must still be a little on edge from the recent goings-on if I'm that quick on the trigger. But she is Class-B, so maybe it helps if I'm ready anyway? Those first four that I fought were the same rank, so if she ends up being a threat...

I give the unicorn a quick scan. She's maybe around Drama's age, as far as I can tell. Sky blue coat, with a strange combination of cream and dark gray for her mane and tail. An empty drinking glass for a Cutie Mark... weird, but I've noticed that a lot of Marks are, anyway. Her manestyle is the same as what I recall from Illudere's profile, but not everypony can logically be expected to take good care of them. "I'm sorry for disturbing you," I say to her respectfully. "Forgive me. I'll let you get back to your rest."

The pony's head turns towards me for the first time, her horn lighting up as she makes eye contact with me over her sha---

...

...

...

...

...

...
The pony watched as the robot's arms suddenly fell limp, the Javelin falling loose from her hand and clattering to the rooftop. Her legs wavered for a few moments, trying to keep her upright, before they gave way beneath her. She fell first to her knees as her helmet's jewel dimmed, then pitched forward onto the ground as her eyes slid closed.

The space where the two former thieves were hovering wavered, then shifted. Where before there was nothing, now there was a billboard with two large indents in the middle of it. Collapsed at its base were both pegasi, dazed and moaning in pain: misled by an illusion into thinking Leviathan was still alongside them, they had built up speed, kept going and crashed into something they couldn't see.

Behind the inverted colors and altered Mark that hid her true appearance, Illudere whickered softly and crooned a soft lullaby at Leviathan's downed form. "Sleep tight, my little child, and let your dreams run wild. May you go stand directly below a torrent of falling buffalo..."

-"If you're finished being nonsensically macabre, Agent #5, continue carrying out your part of the plan. Agents #6-#9 are delayed, but they will reach the Hyacinth Apartments before long, so don't dawdle."-

Ignition's transmission, coupled with a light poke by Ralph's free pincer, got Illudere on track. Not needing them anymore, she relaxed her illusion to remove the shades and book from her disguise, as well as the chair she'd been sitting in. Enshrouding Leviathan to hide her from sight, she slipped away and carried the lost Guardian with her, huffing somewhat at the magical exertion. Heavy...

Author's Note:

The music links for this chapter include: "Fogger", from Command & Conquer: Red Alert; "Autumn Breeze", by Zame; and the remastered version of "Rust and Dust' from Mega Man Zero 4.

Illudere wasn't wrong: I did kind of write myself into a corner where the Crown Jewels were concerned. I have a better idea as to what they're for now beyond just the magic absorption we've seen in the show several times, but it's going to take time to get there.

Speaking of Illudere, it might seem on first glance that her powers are fairly broken because of whatever spell it was that backfired on her. However, they have their limits---and she will meet them later on. That I can guarantee.

In each of the Zero games, there's a point in the middle where the antagonist's side gets a slight edge: the attacks against the Resistance in the first installment, Elpizo's failed Operation Righteous Strike and the subsequent bomb stopping in 2, Omega gaining the Dark Elf and Dr. Weil's triple-pronged attack in 3, and Neige's abduction in 4. Since this story has been following a similar format to those games, we've reached the same point here.

A lot of MLP fanfics have at least one timberwolf, chimaera, or manticore encounter. I decided to shake things up here with a monster you typically don't see or hear about in that setting. Thanks, Nethack!

One more note: I don't know yet if I'm going to do an anniversary chapter like I did last year. I'll have to see how I feel by August before I do anything.

Ko-Fi tip jar!

Comments

[Edguy0009]

I have this to say about results of the conspirators' actions in the long-term. "Proceed, on your way to oblivion."

[tsaukpaetra]

Dontcha hate it when your instincts are proven correct?

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

Okay Quarter what makes you better then Celestia because on the morality scale she has you whacked

[Hyan]

11637318
Nothing. In fact, Quarter might be worse. Because Celestia will always try to choose the solution with the least amount of casualties. Quarter will choose the solution that lines up with her goals, and she has already shown that she cares very little for how many lives she has to trample.

Adding to that, I think Quarter has no idea how much Celestia is doing to keep the peace.

[Poparakelis]

Ignition's transmission, coupled with a light poke by Ralph's free pincer, got Illudere on track. Not needing them anymore, she relaxed her illusion to remove the shades and book from her disguise, as well as the chair she'd been sitting in. Enshrouding Leviathan to hide her from sight, she slipped away and carried the lost Guardian with her, huffing somewhat at the magical exertion. Heavy...

Any world where Fairy doesn't immediately die doesn't make sense.

[coopda]

The space where the two former thieves were hovering wavered, then shifted. Where before there was nothing, now there was a billboard with two large indents in the middle of it. Collapsed at its base were both pegasi, dazed and moaning in pain: misled by an illusion into thinking Leviathan was still alongside them, they had built up speed, kept going and crashed into something they couldn't see.

theres some weird spacial stuff going on here, didn't they all come from the same direction onto the roof? why didn't leviathan crash into the invisible billboard, and when would she have been replaced with an illusion

[Curtis Wildcat]

11695731

why didn't leviathan crash into the invisible billboard

The billboard and the pegasi were up and to the left. Leviathan was down and to the right.

[Draco Dei]

11672265
I agree that a VERY good reason for not heading to.the nearest incinerator post haste* had best be forthcoming. These guys don't seem the sort for Bond Villain Stupidity. I guess Illudere might space out, or intentionally go or something like that? I mean she is insane enough to go against orders and try to weave a wicker-mare around her from scratch, wait for "the twenty seventh star of the night to emerge" or other such nonsense...
*Having had a barrel of napalm pre-positioned on the roof and then using it now would PLAUSIBLY be a little too attention-grabbing for them to want to do.