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Red Shift Part 5

By Writefag_Is_Kill
Created: 2021-07-16 21:31:33
Updated: 2021-03-11 22:37:53
Expiry: Never
lyrasafebon-bonmysterymy little progress

  1. “Poor guy.”
  2. >Babbling Brook was a horrendously rude pony.
  3. >He seemed to revel in upsetting others, thrill at the chance to inflict bodily harm.
  4. >It seemed as though he defined himself by his ability to hurt everyone and everything.
  5. >Did that make him a bad pony?
  6. >Maybe?
  7. >He was an unsung hero! A champion who’d spared Equestria unknowable destruction!
  8. >And yet he spread misery wherever he went.
  9. >Mana Tide’s theory of power called for a relentless assault.
  10. >It demanded that the practitioner crush any resistance as soon as possible; a decisive blow delivered early enough was believed to be the best way for a unicorn to compensate for their vulnerability.
  11. >Had Brook always been such a jerk, or had Mana Tide changed him?
  12. >Had he so thoroughly learned to embrace aggression that he could no longer turn it off?
  13. >And if so...
  14. >Was that to be her fate?
  15. >Lyra shuddered.
  16. >She knew that she was no longer the same.
  17. >This game had changed her.
  18. >It had made her strong, it had made her a SAVIOUR!
  19. >One who’d protected her friends from a horrible and gruesome end!
  20. >And…
  21. >And it had made her a thug.
  22. >One who reached for power to resolve all their problems.
  23. >Summoning an eruption was more natural than a friendly hello.
  24. >Did that make her a bad pony?
  25. >Maybe?
  26. >She’d spread more than her fair share of misery.
  27. >It might not have been on the same scale as Brook, her aggression didn’t manifest as often.
  28. >But perhaps it was even WORSE than him?
  29. >Brook had never threatened to blow up the princess!
  30. >And he’s never threatened to hurt Fluttershy.
  31. >Lyra desperately needed somepony to talk to.
  32. >But what was she to say?
  33. >Who could she trust?
  34. >Bon-Bon, of course.
  35. >But what would Bon-Bon think of her if she knew?
  36. >Would she understood the wrath that had been cultivated in Lyra’s heart?
  37. >Would she be able to forgive Lyra for acting against S.M.I.L.E. for so long?
  38. >Lyra turned to walk back to her room.
  39. >Only to bump right into something.
  40. >Lyra’s horn burned brightly, magic filling every fiber, air already kicked into a gale as she prepared to strike.
  41. “Wait. Princess Celestia?”
  42. >Lyra’s horn went dark.
  43. “I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t see you there.”
  44. >Lyra averted her gaze.
  45. >Somehow looking that gentle and loving visage in the eye seemed impossible.
  46. >A great burning shame burned within Lyra.
  47. >It felt as though her every sin was laid bare for the whole world to see.
  48. >”May we talk?”
  49. >Please no.
  50. “Okay.”
  51. >The princess guided Lyra aside to the showers.
  52. >There was silence save for the sound of the shower slowly dripping.
  53. “Why are we going here?”
  54. >”I’m afraid this is the only vacant room in the quarantine.”
  55. “Say, yeah! Why are you in quarantine anyway? Oh. Right. You were exposed.”
  56. >”Indeed. I must say I haven’t felt so ill since… ever.”
  57. >She didn’t sound sick.
  58. “You should have seen what it was like before he died. This is nowhere near as bad.”
  59. >”I see.”
  60. >The princess sounded…
  61. >Lyra wasn’t sure what she sounded like.
  62. >Confused?
  63. >Saddened?
  64. >Maybe even fearful.
  65. >Whatever was the matter, she was deeply troubled.
  66. >”You can’t even bear to look at me. I suppose I can’t blame you.”
  67. >What?
  68. >”I can’t look at me either. When I gaze into a mirror I’m filled with this strange emotion. This burning feeling that clouds my every thought. My blood pressure rises, my body tenses, and some primal part of me demands action. But I know not what to do. Please tell me, Lyra. What is this feeling?”
  69. >Lyra looked at the princess despite her reservations.
  70. >Celestia’s eyes were unfocused.
  71. >Weary, but not sleepy.
  72. >She was exhausted in a way that sleep could not cure.
  73. >”Is it hatred? Do I hate myself?”
  74. “Why are you asking me?”
  75. >”Yes, I suppose I’ve no right. I’m sorry Lyra. I’ll leave you be.”
  76. “No, that’s not what I meant. I just don’t understand why you’re asking me of all ponies.”
  77. >The princess chewed on her lip slightly and held her head low.
  78. >Was SHE ashamed?
  79. >”My sister and I haven’t been good to you, Lyra. I know that all too well, and it isn’t fair of me to burden you with my problems. And yet you may be the only one who can help me.”
  80. “What could I possibly know that everypony else doesn’t?”
  81. >“You know how to hate.”
  82. >Lyra’s blood ran cold.
  83. >Such a simple sentence, yet there was so much behind those words.
  84. >At once a statement of fact and a condemnation.
  85. >Hate.
  86. >Such an ugly word.
  87. >”You know what it means to wish harm to another. You understand the desire to destroy, the will to cause harm.”
  88. “What makes you think that?”
  89. >Lyra smiled at her awkwardly, her eyes shifting back and forth rapidly.
  90. >”When we went to retrieve Bon-Bon, why do you think I called myself a monster?”
  91. “Because of all the bloodshed that happened?”
  92. >”No, Lyra. That was no revelation. I had already come to understand that failure. There was something else I saw that day. A glimpse of our future.”
  93. “You can see the future?”
  94. >”You gazed out at the rotting viscera that was once living, breathing things. You saw a horrendous sight, a vision of death! A gruesome massacre the likes of which few have ever imagined. Before you stood proof positive of the most horrid pain and destruction one could possibly imagine.”
  95. >The princess closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
  96. >”And you smiled.”
  97. “I don’t believe you.”
  98. >”I saw it with my own eyes, Lyra. Perhaps you were simply glad that we weren’t in danger, or that you didn’t need to fight them yourself; their death saved you from further strife. But even so you were happy that they were dead.”
  99. >Was she?
  100. >That couldn’t be right.
  101. >She was just glad that Bon-Bon was safe.
  102. >Safe because the demons were dead.
  103. >”It was all my fault. The corruption of war had spread far and wide because of my mistakes. Hatred has taken roots in the hearts of those touched by this madness. I can already see the burning fury settling down, what was once a raging inferno shall become smouldering embers. But I’m not sure I will ever be able to extinguish it.”
  104. “What do you mean?”
  105. >”You were happy that they were dead, were you not?”
  106. >Lyra didn’t want to remember it.
  107. >She didn’t want to THINK about demons ever again!
  108. >But the events came to her mind’s eye unbidden.
  109. >Scenes of the horror they’d inflicted on Ponyville.
  110. >Of the death and torture they’d wrought.
  111. >A sick joy welled up in her as she thought of how they’d been destroyed.
  112. >How pony kind had finally had its revenge against Eurynomos.
  113. “You’re wrong!”
  114. >Lyra stamped the floor, the sound of her hoof echoed in the enclosed space.
  115. “I’m not like that!”
  116. >”Truly? You seemed genuinely happy.”
  117. “I was just glad that it was over! Nopony else has to be hurt by Eurynomos, of course I was happy!”
  118. >The princess rubbed the back of her head in confusion.
  119. >”Even that was not true hatred?”
  120. >She muttered something under her breath.
  121. >”I thought I was finally starting to understand.”
  122. “You make it sound like you’ve never hated anything before.”
  123. >”I haven’t.”
  124. >Lyra was taken aback.
  125. >That made no sense.
  126. >Was it even possible to live as long as her without hating anything?
  127. >Could anypony possibly know only love?
  128. >”I used to think hatred was a flaw. An aberration within the pony condition that had to be suppressed, if not erased. I wished for ponykind to transcend this flaw.”
  129. >She leaned against the wall and rubbed her face wearily.
  130. >”And now that very flaw has saved us all.”
  131. “What do you mean?”
  132. >”Sister was right about them. At every turn she called for atrocities, for bloodshed and chaos. She demanded and deployed things that make me wish to vomit, did things that made me ashamed to call her my sister. Luna killed indiscriminately, slaughtering demons without even bothering to look at them. Burning hatcheries and camps with nuclear fire and smothering millions with toxic gas! We couldn’t even begin to count the dead! And through it all, she forbade me from seeking peace.”
  133. “And you did it anyway.”
  134. >Which made Eurynomos more powerful.
  135. >And nearly wiped out ponykind.
  136. >”I thought it was right. How could peace be wrong?”
  137. “Easily.”
  138. >Lyra sat down on the floor, her back propped up on the wall.
  139. “There’s peace in death. Living brings strife. I’d rather live in peace, but... If I have to choose between life and peace?”
  140. >”We were the aggressors.”
  141. “I know.”
  142. >”We started that fight with every expectation that they’d be locked down there forever.”
  143. “Yep. And maybe it was wrong to start it. I don’t know. But once it was started that didn’t matter anymore.”
  144. >Lyra caught a drop of water as it fell from the showerhead.
  145. >She flipped it about in the air, striking at invisible targets.
  146. “Maybe I’m not the best pony to ask. I’ve done some things I’m not proud of after all. But… maybe violence isn’t bad.”
  147. >The princess motioned for her to go on.
  148. “Injuries are bad, and so is death. But those aren’t unique to fighting.”
  149. >Lyra split the water drop in two and had them flank a point in the air, striking in unison.
  150. “A construction worker drops their hammer. It falls down and hits a passerby below. A lumberjack fells a tree, which lands on their friend. A chef cuts themselves on a knife. A delivery pegasus accidentally drops a piano on Twilight. Nopony’s done anything wrong, accidents happen. And yet, despite these bad things happening, the tools aren’t evil.”
  151. >Lyra threw the water drops at the wall harmlessly.
  152. >”But those are accidents.”
  153. “Yup. But there’s still a price to be paid. Hammering nails hurts ponies, you can’t deny that. But we still use hammers, we think it’s worth it. We like having houses. Fighting hurts ponies too, it’s not so different.”
  154. >”It hurts a lot more of them!”
  155. “Yeah. It’s way, WAY worse than hammers, I’ll give you that. But it can also be more rewarding than a hammer. Violence is a tool that’s used for someone strong to impose their will on someone weak, and like all tools there’s a chance that someone will get hurt. Just so happens that here, that chance is around 100%.”
  156. >Lyra felt dirty just for saying it.
  157. >Few knew better than her what real violence was like.
  158. >It was beyond horrific.
  159. >And yet…
  160. >”I wonder. Are those your words, or are they the words of your instructor?”
  161. “What do you mean?”
  162. >”You say that violence is merely a tool and is therefore not inherently wrong. That doesn’t sound much like the Lyra I know. Perhaps you are merely trying to justify what you’ve done?”
  163. “I don’t need to justify protecting my friends, princess. It was the right thing to do.”
  164. >”It has cost you your innocence.”
  165. >Yeah.
  166. >She wasn’t wrong.
  167. “It’s cost me more than that. My wounds have healed, but I don’t know if I’ll ever recover. Still, I don’t regret fighting in Ponyville for a second. My friends were in danger. It was my job to ensure their safety and my own. The safety of the enemy came third.”
  168. >”Would you have seen to their safety had you been able?”
  169. >Would she?
  170. >They were evil, there was no doubt about that.
  171. >The world was better off without them.
  172. >Lyra hoped she would have done the right thing.
  173. >But she wasn’t sure.
  174. “Absolutely.
  175. >Princess Celestia gave up on standing and slumped to the ground.
  176. >Lyra could nearly see the chaotic storm of thought behind Celestia’s eyes, the evaluating and re-evaluating everything that came by.
  177. >The futility as every thought slipped away as quickly as it came.
  178. >”Is this how sister feels when…”
  179. “When what?”
  180. >Princess Celestia shook her head violently.
  181. >”Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
  182. “When you sister does what?”
  183. >”It is not my place to say, Lyra. You will have to ask her yourself. I suspect she’d be willing to share if you asked politely.”
  184. >Lyra wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to Luna.
  185. >”Do you think sister did the right thing opening the gates of Hell?”
  186. >Starting that horrible conflict.
  187. >Throwing good ponies into madness and torment.
  188. >All so she could rule Elysium with her own brand of demonic wrath.
  189. >A terrible, terrible price.
  190. >And in exchange?
  191. >A chance that ponykind might live.
  192. “I don’t know.”
  193. >The two of them sat in a heavy silence.
  194. >So much had been lost.
  195. >So many had suffered.
  196. >It felt wrong to even consider that it might have all been for the best.
  197. >But surrendering to the Tide was wrong.
  198. >Luna understood that.
  199. >Somehow, Princess Celestia didn’t.
  200. “What aren’t you telling me?”
  201. >”Many things. You’ll need to be more specific.”
  202. “Why do you bleed holy water? Why don’t you know what hatred feels like? Why are you so gentle?”
  203. >”The elements-”
  204. “Don’t. Just don’t. You tricked me at first, but it doesn’t make sense. If they were leaking their power wouldn’t Twilight and her friends have been affected? Hay, maybe they should have stopped working after so long. And if your bodily fluids contain that power, wouldn’t it have worn off after all this time? It’s not coming from the elements, it’s coming from you.”
  205. >The princess nodded.
  206. >”I suppose I should have known you would see through it in time.”
  207. “Are you even a pony at all?”
  208. >”I don’t know.”
  209. >Good grief.
  210. >It was never simple with them.
  211. >”I suppose it is unjust of me to ask for help understanding if I won’t even let you know why this is so hard for me. And I do owe you a great deal.”
  212. >Lyra perked up.
  213. “You’re going to tell me?”
  214. >”I need help understanding, and it seems as though you won’t talk unless I do. Besides, everypony would think you were mad if you talked.”
  215. “Plenty of ponies already think I’m crazy.”
  216. >”Perhaps you are. Though I would still appreciate it if you kept this between us.”
  217. “Cross my heart, hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye.”
  218. >The princess smiled gently at her.
  219. >”It is good to know that some things remain pure. Tell me, do you know what grief is?”
  220. “I thought Bon-Bon was dead once.”
  221. >”Ah, yes. You’ve felt that terrible emptiness. I suppose I need not ask what you’d do then. For me, I was first introduced to grief when I lost my sister. Knowing that I’d never see her again was more painful than words can describe.”
  222. “But you did see her again.”
  223. >”But I didn’t know that I would. At the time I thought her totally lost to me. Erebus had possessed her. Being crushed by such an immensely powerful soul… we didn’t know at the time that Luna had managed to make a deal that kept Erebus from destroying her entirely. And even if we had, the idea that she might some day break free would have been unimaginable! Everypony thought her lost to us for good. Everypony, including myself.”
  224. >Lyra found herself pitying the princess.
  225. >She DID understand grief.
  226. >She’d only had to deal with it for a day, and it had consumed her.
  227. >How long had princess Celestia struggled with her sorrow?
  228. >”You reacted by lashing out at those around you. I handled things a bit differently.”
  229. “What did you do?”
  230. >”I forgave Erebus.”
  231. >Lyra looked at the princess in stunned confusion.
  232. >That made no sense at all!
  233. “She took your sister from you!”
  234. >Celestia nodded.
  235. “And she tried to conquer Equestria and reign forever in darkness!’
  236. >”I am aware.”
  237. “And she tried to KILL you!”
  238. >”All true. And yet I did not blame her.”
  239. “You’re weird.”
  240. >”I blamed myself, and I still do. Luna had been pushed into the darkness by my negligence. Erebus had done what demons do. I don’t blame the wolf for hunting, nor the bee for stinging, nor the demon for possessing. I can, however, blame the sister for neglecting.”
  241. >Lyra stared at the princess as though she were seeing a new colour for the first time.
  242. >”What would you have had me do?”
  243. “Uhh, get angry at her maybe?”
  244. >”And what would that have accomplished? Was I meant to seek justice for what she’d done? She was locked away on the moon, well out of reach.”
  245. “I guess? Still feels like you might be turning the other cheek a little too much there. Something terrible had happened and you just keep on going like it’s nothing?”
  246. >The princess simply shrugged.
  247. >”It was far from nothing, Lyra. I was quite upset, just not with Erebus.”
  248. “So you DIDN’T set out to get back at the thing that had taken your sister from you, tried to kill you, and destroy your kingdom? You decided to forget about it and move on? Does Luna know all this?”
  249. >”Yes. She’s even more baffled than you.”
  250. >That’s pretty baffled!
  251. >”I have heard it said that depression is merely anger turned inward. Perhaps there is wisdom in these words, for I can think of no better way to describe how I felt. It was all my fault, and I couldn’t forgive myself. Days turned into years then into centuries, with no end in sight. I could sleep for the bulk of the day and still awaken exhausted. Even simple acts seemed a monumental task… it took some time, but eventually I came to understand that I didn’t wish to live.”
  252. >Lyra had a hard time believing that.
  253. >Princess Celestia always looked so full of life!
  254. >Her gentle and loving smile was the picture of love and grace.
  255. >It was nearly unthinkable that she might be brought so low!
  256. “What did you do?”
  257. >”I stopped eating. I don’t think I ever made the decision to stop, I simply lost the desire to do so. I had so thoroughly isolated myself in my misery that none knew that I wasn’t taking care of myself. In time my strength began to fade.”
  258. >This was the princess that could eat an entire tiered cake for breakfast.
  259. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
  260. >”I’m not sure I believe myself! It all seems so alien, as though I’m observing a doppelganger rather than recalling my own life. And yet, what comes next is as vivid as what I see before me today. That glorious light is indelibly etched into my memory. I awoke one morning feeling strangely at ease. All the weariness I’d carried for so many years was gone, and I was free of aches and pains I hadn’t even known I’d borne. I felt… free.”
  261. “What had changed?”
  262. >”I’d died.”
  263. >Lyra failed to suppress a snort.
  264. >”I know, it sounds unbelievable. Sometimes I wonder if it was perhaps an incredible dream or some other hallucination. But that’s how I remember it. I found myself in an endless expanse of healing light, an eternal plane of purity. There was nothing to be found save for comfort and joy. And so I sat- no, I had no form. I couldn’t sit. I rested in the expanse for a short time. Before long I was greeted by a vast wheel of flaming eyes.”
  265. “Sounding a lot like a hallucination there.”
  266. >The princess rolled her eyes with a grin.
  267. >”He spoke with no tongue, a booming voice that filled the sky but didn’t disturb the air.”
  268. “What did he tell you?”
  269. >”There were no words, Lyra. His message couldn’t be carried by anything so crude as an auditory symbol. Instead he spoke in pure meaning and intent. I understood. As there are nine Hells, there are also seven Heavens. Our Elysium is the lowest of them all.”
  270. “Had you eaten some weird mushrooms the day before or anything?”
  271. >The princess was almost glowing with love and compassion.
  272. >There was doubtlessly something bizarre about her, something that mushrooms couldn’t explain.
  273. >”I understood that I had proven myself pure, and that I was welcome to live among them. I needed but follow him to ascend to a higher realm. And he understood that I would refuse.”
  274. >She’d refuse?
  275. >Assuming this was even half true, why?
  276. >”I see the look on your face, Lyra. I was no less confused at the time. I understood that I would return to Equestria in seven days time of my own volition, but I didn’t yet know why.”
  277. “Did you believe it?”
  278. >”Of course. It was impossible to doubt his message. He carried truth beyond truth. I knew that I would rest there for a week before returning, and that I couldn’t stay because I was missing something. I would never return to that place, because a part of me would forever be in Elysium. Something so precious to me that I could not be apart from it, something so corrupt that it could never be allowed in their realm.”
  279. >Something corrupt?
  280. >What did princess Celestia love that was corrupt?
  281. “Wait. Luna?”
  282. >The princess beamed at Lyra.
  283. >”It made no sense to me at the time, but I knew it was true. I was to be reunited with my sister. I’d been barred entry into the heavens, yet for the first time in centuries I was happy.”
  284. >Celestia stood up and began to stretch her wings.
  285. >”I won’t claim to understand what happened, Lyra. It might not have happened at all. But something inside me was changed. I was no longer content to sit about and rot. I had a mission.”
  286. “To get your sister back?”
  287. >”Indeed. I know not how I will do it, but I know that I shall.”
  288. >Eh?
  289. “She’s already back, princess.”
  290. >”Ah, but that’s where you’re mistaken, Lyra. Luna has returned to me, but she is not the sister I knew. I must first free her.”
  291. >Free her?
  292. “From what?”
  293. >”Erebus’ taint, of course. We’ve tried to disentangle her from it, but to no avail. When Luna swallowed Erebus’ black soul she did more than seize control. It’s part of her now, no different than how Deimos and Phobos became part of Eurynomos. Inseparable and immutable. We’ll have to destroy the evil.”
  294. >Oh.
  295. >Oh dear.
  296. “Uhh… princess? I don’t think that’s possible.”
  297. >”I’ve heard it before, Lyra. Everypony knows one cannot destroy demonic magic. That much is true. But is it True?”
  298. >Oh boy.
  299. >This was going to get even weirder, wasn’t it?
  300. >”Have you ever heard that what goes up must come down?”
  301. “Sure. What, are you going to tell me that’s not true?”
  302. >”Of course. Helios is meant to stay put for millions of years if all goes well.”
  303. >Lyra’s jaw was suddenly very heavy.
  304. “It’s not going to fall?”
  305. >”It’s falling as we speak, but it will miss the ground. Our world is moving out of the way as quickly as Helios can fall toward it.”
  306. “That’s, uhh…”
  307. >”Impossible? I have seen the impossible become mundane more times than I can count. Massive pieces of steel floating in water? We call those boats. We’ve written sound on vinyl, made moving pictures out of numbers, and learned to cook with invisible light. Wait… that might not have hit the market yet.”
  308. >Princess Celestia opened the door and moved to leave.
  309. >Lyra scrambled after her.
  310. “Okay, but none of those things were impossible.”
  311. >”They were ALL impossible, Lyra. And now, Twilight would have me believe that transmutation is commonplace! Fancy that, one element turning into another. Apparently some of our equipment is built on that very idea. Completely impossible, yet we found a way.”
  312. “But- destroying EVIL MAGIC?”
  313. >”Might prove to be trivial. It is arrogant to believe you know what can and cannot be done, Lyra. The world as we see it is an approximation, a decent guess made with crude senses and a poorly adapted mind. We make bad assumptions and stick to them out of pure stubbornness, and we overlook the simplest of things because they don’t match our worldview. Sometimes, impossible is very real. Other times? It is simply an excuse. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve some paperwork to file. Your Heartstrings isn’t hyphenated, is it?”
  314. “No. Wait, why do you ask?”
  315. >”Oh. Did I not say? I’m clearing you to access all files on the Tide.”
  316. >What?
  317. “Seriously?”
  318. >”You told me you’d help stop Eurynomos, and you did it. It was close, and perhaps a bit messy. And you may have had a lot of help. But still, you pulled through. I’m hoping you can deliver another miracle.”
  319. >Lyra could hardly believe what she was hearing.
  320. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
  321. >”I had other things on my mind. You’ll be briefed on how you’re to handle this responsibility, but we’ll skip the screening process. It’s a bit late to worry about you leaking state secrets anyway.”
  322. “I- Ah- Uh-”
  323. >Lyra bit her tongue by accident.
  324. “Ow!”
  325. >”No, Lyra. Thank YOU.”
  326. >Princess Celestia vanished in a burst of light.
  327.  
  328.  
  329. * * * * *
  330.  
  331. >Celestia had gone off to who knows where.
  332. >And Lyra was beat.
  333. >She’d done hardly anything today, yet talking and short walks had her ready for bed.
  334. >Truth be told she wasn’t entirely certain that was the plague.
  335. >Recent history had been more than a bit stressful.
  336. >Thankfully, her job was over for the time being. Equestria had more time to work with, even if it was only a decade or so.
  337. >A crew of ponies bearing hazmat suits walked around in the distance.
  338. >Several floors of the hospital had been dedicated to quarantine. Even more than when Ponyville had been sacked.
  339. >Yet there was no sign of any patients, nopony in the common areas, and near total silence save for the sickly coughing that had grown far too familiar.
  340. >Lyra had no clue how many were infected.
  341. >When she’d arrived the hospital had been in a state of total chaos, overwhelmed staff desperately trying to handle the influx of wounded and infected had succumbed to panic.
  342. >Lyra couldn’t recall how it had been resolved.
  343. >Her fever had broken, but for a few days there it had made everything…
  344. >Hazy.
  345. >Hopefully everything had been straightened out in good time.
  346. >Lyra shook her head to clear her thoughts, and instantly regretted it.
  347. >The now dizzy pony stumbled back into her room and dropped herself on her bed.
  348. >”What’d Brook want?”
  349. “Hold on a sec.”
  350. >Lyra briefly attempted to adjust herself to look at Bon-Bon.
  351. >But it was too much work.
  352. >Bon-Bon would just have to talk to her back.
  353. “He’s worried about you. Says you aren’t going to like being retired.”
  354. >”Eh? I’m looking forward to being a normal pony.”
  355. >A normal pony.
  356. >The ship had long since sailed on that one.
  357. >”Besides, whatever I wind up doing can’t be worse than my old job.”
  358. “Yeah. Say, what ARE you planning on doing?”
  359. >”I dunno. Hadn’t really thought that far ahead honestly. I suppose I’ll just take life as it comes?”
  360. >No plans?
  361. >That was unlike her.
  362. >”Hay, maybe I’ll just do nothing. Sounds comfy.”
  363. >Floor Bored disagreed.
  364. “I mean, if that’s what you want.”
  365. >”I don’t know what I want, Lyra. Sorta looking forward to finding out.”
  366. >She sounded uncertain.
  367. >Maybe even fearful.
  368. >”Will, uh, will you be around to help me figure that out?”
  369. “Pft. Well, duh! Where else would I be?”
  370. >”Thank goodness.”
  371. “Now hold on just a second, why would you think I was leaving you?”
  372. >Lyra made the monumental effort of rolling over.
  373. >Her dizziness returned in a flash, but was mercifully short lived.
  374. >To her dismay, Bon-Bon was trying in vain to hide.
  375. >Hiding as much as she could behind her mane and tail.
  376. >”I haven’t been very good to you lately.”
  377. “What do you mean?”
  378. >”Please don’t make me say it. You know, with the lies. And the…”
  379. >And knocking her out.
  380. “I already told you it’s fine. You knocked me out, but you were just trying to keep me safe. It wasn’t the right thing to do I guess, but I can’t stay mad at you.”
  381. >”No, not that.”
  382. >What else was she hiding?
  383. >And why was she covering up?
  384. >Oh.
  385. >Ooooh.
  386. >The disfigurement.
  387. “It’s not like anypony can see the difference. Why are you so torn up about that?”
  388. >Woops.
  389. “Poor choice of words. Sorry. Still, what’s the big deal?”
  390. >”You wouldn’t understand. You’re not ugly.”
  391. >Lyra had no idea how to deal with this.
  392. >She knew there were going to be… complications going forward.
  393. >One does go through what Bon-Bon had been through without picking up a few problems.
  394. >But she hadn’t been expecting it to manifest like this!
  395. “It’s okay. I’m not going anywh- what the hay is THAT!”
  396. >The broken door levitated in some unseen field.
  397. >It wasn’t unicorn magic, as far as Lyra could tell it wasn’t ANY kind of magic!
  398. >Inky black tendrils snaked all over its surface like some kind of dark ivy, pulling the broken pieces together into their proper form.
  399. >The darkness weaved in and out through the wood, seemingly stitching it all together.
  400. >Lyra spotted Bon-Bon scramble for something beneath her sheets, but she wasn’t sure what.
  401. >Finally, the now flawless door anchored itself on the old hinges with a quick pulse of unicorn magic.
  402. >Lyra tasted something vile in her mouth.
  403. >Something oily, rancid, angry.
  404. >A demonic taint.
  405. >Luna was here.
  406. >Lyra scrambled to her hooves, swaying slightly as she rose.
  407. >She called as much magic into her horn as she could in her weakened state.
  408. >She had no clue why Luna was here, but she was going to be ready for the worst.
  409. >A small, disheveled looking princess wheeled her way in, rear held aloft by a wheelchair.
  410. >Her sky blue mane didn’t wave in the wind, instead it clung to her face matted by sweat.
  411. >Bon-Bon tensed, but didn’t get up.
  412. >”Before you do anything, I want to remind you that there WILL be collateral damage.”
  413. >”I’m not here to fight, Sweetie Drops. I’m here to ask questions.”
  414. “You’ll have to forgive us if we aren’t exactly trusting.”
  415. >”I don’t need you to trust me, I just need answers.”
  416. >Lyra chanced a glance at Bon-Bon, who motioned for her to stand down.
  417. >”If she were here to hurt us it would have happened by now. Before we start, why are you in that chair? Did you break your hip too?”
  418. >Princess Luna shook her head somberly.
  419. >Bon-Bon frowned.
  420. >”Well, it’s not like you’re paralyzed or anything.”
  421. >An awkward silence.
  422. >”Oh. What happened?”
  423. >”Oh, nothing much. I was just burned alive, impaled, poisoned, crushed, and then SHOT in the goddamned SPINE!”
  424. >This was bad.
  425. >Very bad.
  426. “But you’ll get better, right?”
  427. >”Oh, sure. Because ponies normally recover from paralysis.”
  428. “But you’re not just any pony. You’re an alicorn, doesn’t that help?”
  429. >”Yeah, it helps. It doesn’t make me BULLETPROOF though!”
  430. >Lyra could nearly see the rage burning in the princess’ eyes.
  431. >The shadows in the room began to quiver ominously, as though the lights were a flickering candle in a violent storm.
  432. >Luna’s eyes seemed sunken.
  433. >Empty.
  434. >And an unshakable sensation of dread set in.
  435. >And then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
  436. >Luna’s eyes were closed, she was taking deep breaths in what appeared an attempt to calm herself.
  437. >Bon-Bon looked like she was ready to pounce, but hadn’t yet moved.
  438. >Luna seemed to be making a point of looking away from her.
  439. >”The doctors say there’s nothing they can do without some rather drastic measures, and even then it’s unclear whether their tools would work on my unique body. I might be able to use shadow to weave it back together come the winter solstice, but until then I’m stuck.”
  440. “You can do that?”
  441. >”Probably not. I think it understandable that I’m a bit upset.”
  442. >She spoke brusquely.
  443. >And Lyra couldn’t blame her.
  444. >Bon-Bon seemed coiled up as a viper, ready to strike.
  445. >”For what it’s worth, I didn’t mean to paralyze you.”
  446. >”No. You meant to KILL me. That’s much worse.”
  447. >Bon-Bon gripped some hidden object tightly.
  448. >Luna didn’t seem to have noticed yet.
  449. >”Mighty convenient that you just happened to have requested exactly what you needed to do the job JUST before your psychotic episode.”
  450. “Eheheh. Yeah! Amazing how that lined up.”
  451. >Luna’s head snapped to lock eyes with Lyra.
  452. >Her eyes looked almost equine. Bright, expressive, soulful.
  453. >And tired.
  454. >So very tired.
  455. >”Don’t. Just don’t.”
  456. “Pardon?”
  457. >”Zero was planning on killing me all along. Don’t pretend it was an accident. I’m not nearly as naive as my sister.”
  458. “Oh. Sorry.”
  459. >Wait.
  460. >This was bad.
  461. >Really bad.
  462. >And yet Bon-Bon didn’t look at all worried.
  463. >She locked eyes with Luna, a steely almost inequine glint in her real eye.
  464. >”You want to know why I tried to kill you.”
  465. >”No. You hate demons. You hate anything and everything that threatens ponykind. I may wear a pony form but my soul is almost as black as theirs. I represent what you hate, I get that. What I want to know is...”
  466. >Luna leaned in and talked in her ear.
  467. >”Why didn't you finish the job?”
  468. >Bon-Bon smirked at her.
  469. >This was all so weird.
  470. >They were talking about attempted MURDER so casually!
  471. >Were they really not afraid of each other?
  472. >Bon-Bon pushed Luna back a little bit to give herself a tiny bit of space.
  473. >The princess didn’t resist.
  474. >”Tell me. Why did you decide to spare me?”
  475. >”I’ve seen how you behave in battle. The JOY on your face.”
  476. >Bon-Bon spat on the ground.
  477. >She actually spat!
  478. >”The love of destruction and the all consuming wrath. We were surrounded by death and consumed by horror, and you seemed to enjoy it.”
  479. >Lyra had been in more fights than she cared for.
  480. >There was nothing enjoyable about it.
  481. >The horrible excitement, the mind numbing fear, the pain of getting hurt.
  482. >The pain of hurting others.
  483. >”You’re SICK, Luna. Disgusting. An aberration.”
  484. >Luna was grinding her teeth.
  485. “Uh, Bonny? Maybe not a good idea to antagonize her?”
  486. >”She needs to hear this, Lyra. Luna is SICK in the head.”
  487. >Lyra planted her face in a hoof.
  488. >This was it.
  489. >Luna was going to kill them.
  490. >Bon-Bon was too hurt to fight, and Lyra was too weak.
  491. >It was over.
  492. >Nothing happened.
  493. >And nothing continued to happen.
  494. >Lyra worked up the courage to peek.
  495. >And saw princess Luna was quietly crying.
  496. >She tried her best to hide her tears, to wipe them away before anyone noticed.
  497. >But she failed.
  498. >Bon-Bon stared at her dispassionately.
  499. >”Nopony should like hurting others. You should kill because you have to, not because you want to. Even if the one they’re hurting is evil. Anything else is vile, horrific, disgusting, inequine-”
  500. >”DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?”
  501. >The sound of Luna’s voice nearly blew Lyra away.
  502. >She wasn’t certain, but she thought she heard glass breaking in the distance.
  503. >”I KNOW I should hate it, but I can’t help myself! I can’t choose who I am!”
  504. >Luna collapsed on the ground, rear held aloft by her wheelchair.
  505. >She covered her face with her front legs.
  506. >Trembling, but not yet losing control.
  507. >To Lyra’s surprise, Bon-Bon got up.
  508. >She towered over Luna.
  509. >”Yes, princess. You’re a sick pony.”
  510. “Bonny, I think she’s had enough.”
  511. >Luna sniffled pitifully.
  512. >”Truth hurts. And the truth is that we should have sealed you in Hell, where you belong.”
  513. “ENOUGH!”
  514. >Luna vanished in a pulse of darkness.
  515. >Bon-Bon flailed about trying to stop herself from falling, only to fall flat on her face.
  516. >The floor cracked when she landed.
  517. “Bonny! Are you hurt?”
  518. >”No more than I was a minute ago.”
  519. >She got up and brushed herself off before climbing back into the bed.
  520. “What the HAY was that? She asked you a good question, and you just lay into her!”
  521. >”I don’t need to explain myself to her.”
  522. “No, you don’t. But you’d better explain yourself to me RIGHT NOW!”
  523. >When she was adjusting her sheets, Lyra spotted a small cylinder.
  524. “What’s that?”
  525. >”Flashbang. It’s a kind of explosive that’s meant to blind monsters. Should be good at hurting Luna.”
  526. >Lyra was familiar with flash grenades.
  527. “Are you going to hurt her?”
  528. >”Of course.”
  529. “I don’t believe you.”
  530. >”What, you think I’m lying to you?”
  531. “I think you’re lying to yourself. You’re scared, aren’t you? You’re scared that you made the wrong choice with her and you’re going to regret it.”
  532. >Bon-Bon looked away.
  533. >Lyra had hit a bit close to home with that.
  534. >Luna had returned even more abruptly than she’d left.
  535. >”Apologies for losing my composure. I ask that you not press me further, Sweetie Drops. It will not end well for you.”
  536. >”Was that a threat? You don’t want to know what happens if you threaten me.”
  537. >”Surely you jest! You’re lying in bed, you’re in no condition to do me harm!”
  538. >Bon-Bon smiled at her.
  539. >”What, and you’re in peak physical condition? You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
  540. >Luna was grinding her teeth so hard Lyra could practically hear them.
  541. “You’re trying to provoke her into a fight. Stop it.”
  542. >”No I’m not.”
  543. >Lyra scowled at Bon-Bon, who answered with a sheepish grin.
  544. >”Maybe a little?”
  545. “Well, stop it! You have no reason to fight her right now!”
  546. >”She put me through a LOT!”
  547. “You shot her!”
  548. >”I said I was sorry!”
  549. “And that makes it better? Actually, come to think of it, NO. You didn’t say you were sorry.”
  550. >”Wait, seriously? Huh. I mean, she’s dangerous but still. Maybe I should apologise. How do you even apologise for shooting somepony? Should I get her a gift of some kind? What sorts of candy do you think she likes? My bet is chocolates.”
  551. >”I’M RIGHT HERE!”
  552. >Luna stomped angrily.
  553. >Bon-Bon made indirect eye contact with the princess, blushing slightly.
  554. >”Oops.”
  555. >”Just… tell me why you decided not to finish me off.”
  556. >”Right! But first what kind of candy do you like?”
  557. “Bon-Bon. Keep it up and you’re sleeping on the floor for a YEAR!”
  558. >”Oh. Right.”
  559. >She looked down, seemingly unconsciously.
  560. >”I’d figured out you had started that war because you wanted their power. You wanted to be even more like them. I don’t want that kind of evil in Equestria, so I figured I had to stop you. But...”
  561. >She slowly raised her head to look at princess Luna once more.
  562. >”You were willing to die to protect them.”
  563. >Luna replied with a curt nod.
  564. >Bon-Bon continued.
  565. >”That’s not what a demon does. You’re not one of them, so I wasn’t really sure anymore.”
  566. >Luna raised an eyebrow.
  567. >”And then you started talking about togetherness. You said the best thing about ponies is that we work together, that united we’re more than we could ever be on our own. You said that unity was strength. I’ve heard very nice ponies say the exact same thing before, just with different words.”
  568. >”Oh? What did they say, if not that unity is strength?”
  569. >”Friendship is magic.”
  570. >Huh.
  571. >”Equestria deserves the best leader possible. A kind, wise, and benevolent ruler who would see to the wellbeing of all. We deserve princess Celestia. But she nearly got us all killed! And I guarantee you she’d do it again with Achlys. Celestia’s the princess we deserve, but not the one we need right now. We need a ruthless guardian. A vengeful protector in the dark night.”
  572. >Luna did the last thing Lyra would have expected.
  573. >She smiled.
  574. >A genuine, warm smile.
  575. >”That might be the nicest thing anypony’s said to me in weeks.”
  576. >”I still don’t trust you though.”
  577. >”And I still haven’t forgiven you for shooting me.”
  578. >”Eheheh. Yeah. I’m sorry?”
  579. >They were still eyeing each other warily.
  580. >Lyra didn’t want to know what would happen if they started fighting each other.
  581. >There was no way there’d be a happy ending.
  582. >She had to de-escalate this as much as possible.
  583. “Look, there’s a LOT of tension in here, and I think a lot of it comes from all these secrets you two insist on. Maybe you should, you know, TALK? Tell each other a bit about yourselves?”
  584. >Luna hummed happily.
  585. >”An exchange of information. She tells me something and in exchange I tell her something. Explain to me how you knew about the Tide and in exchange-”
  586. “NO. No deals, no trades, no pacts! Just a simple, friendly chat. Now who’s first?”
  587. >Neither answered.
  588. “Bonny, you’re up.”
  589. >”Why me?”
  590. “Because you’ll do what I ask you to and Luna won’t.”
  591. >Bon-Bon grumbled, but complied.
  592. >”I’m an Earth pony mare living in Ponyville. Your turn.”
  593. >”I’m an alicorn. I live in Canterlot.”
  594. “Okay, okay. Good start. Nopony’s shooting anypony, let’s keep it up. Bonny?”
  595. >”Uh, I like candy?”
  596. “Maybe a little more?”
  597. >”And silly movies. I like to laugh.”
  598. >Lyra motioned for her to continue.
  599. >”I’ve… never really fit in as an Earth pony. I love flowers, but they don’t seem to like me. You know how some ponies are said to have a green hoof? Well, mine’s black.”
  600. >”Then what was with all the flowers?”
  601. “Princess, tell her about yourself. Then if Bon-Bon is feeling comfortable she’ll tell you.”
  602. >Lyra hoped she would.
  603. >It had been bothering her too.
  604. >”I like stars.”
  605. “Bonny might be a bit more open with you if you open up to her, you know.”
  606. >Luna rolled her eyes.
  607. >”FINE. Let’s see… I have no conscience.”
  608. >Eh?
  609. >”Wat.”
  610. >Sounded like Bon-Bon was confused too.
  611. >To Lyra’s surprise, Luna continued.
  612. >”I used to be a normal pony. Well, as normal as an alicorn can be. But something… changed. When I ate Achlys, I mean. It felt like a part of me died. You know that nagging voice you get when you aren’t doing something you should, or when you do something wrong? I haven’t heard that ever since.”
  613. >She let out a somber sigh, but said no more.
  614. “Uhh. Wow. Okay. Bonny?”
  615. >”My favorite season is spring.”
  616. >Lyra scowled at her.
  617. >”Aaand I don’t think I ever really understood what it meant to be an Earth pony. All my life I’ve been honing my magic to be better at destroying and killing. I’d started to think that’s all I was. I remember one op, a circle of dryads had started targeting ponies. They’d decided that we were an infestation, a risk to their forests worse than any blight. We tried to talk them down or make a compromise but they weren’t interested. Their grove was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, so vibrant and full of life. It was the picture of peace and tranquility with a delightful pond in the center full to the brim with colourful fish. I… had to burn it. Burn it all down. The trees themselves were turning against us, we had no choice. Have you ever heard an M9 flamethrower? It screams death every time you pull the trigger; a roaring torrent of hatred and pain. I remember sitting there as the flames rose and paradise turned to ash, wondering. Is this really what I am? A destroyer? An avatar of death? I walked away from the inferno, leaving a path of destruction in my wake. I had made the world an uglier place, as I always did.”
  618. >Oh.
  619. >Wow.
  620. “Bonny, I had no idea.”
  621. >”It’s okay, Lyra.”
  622. “No, it’s not! You’re a wonderful pony-”
  623. >Bon-Bon had a steely gaze.
  624. >Cold, filled with a terrible calm.
  625. >She didn’t want to talk about it.
  626. “Luna, you’re up.”
  627. >”I don’t trust myself. There are these terrible impulses that keep haunting me. Desires that, were they fulfilled, would be unforgivable. I remember what it’s like to be good, and I seek to emulate that. And yet I know that I cannot trust my own judgement.”
  628. >”Sounds rough. At least you can count on your family to help you. When I was a filly my daddy almost died because of a sea monster. Everything went red, and when I came to there was a bloody mess on the beach. I found my parents hiding behind driftwood.”
  629. “Yeah, I remember that. They must have been so happy to see you instead of the monster.”
  630. >She shook her head.
  631. >”No, Lyra. They weren’t happy, and they weren’t afraid of the monster. They were hiding from ME.”
  632. “What? Why would they be hiding from you?”
  633. >”Because they’d just found out who I was on the inside. Angry, vengeful! A bomb on a short fuse. The monster was dead and gone, but I wasn’t. And I was far more dangerous than it had been. They calmed down a bit over the years, but it was never the same between us.”
  634. “Well, now I know why you never talk about your family. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
  635. >”Fear? Shame? I don’t know which.”
  636. >Bon-Bon had always seemed so happy and carefree.
  637. >Had that been an act?
  638. >No, Lyra could tell when she was faking.
  639. >She’d found happiness in her life.
  640. >But it was a life built on a shaky foundation.
  641. >Nopony needed the stress of Hell, least of all her.
  642. >To Lyra’s surprise, Luna seemed sympathetic.
  643. >”A monster wearing pony skin. We have more in common than I’d have thought. I suppose I’m fortunate to have such a tolerant family, even if she does drive me mad. Let’s see... Long ago I acted on instinct and common sense, I had no need to understand morality. Now I need to expend great effort trying to untangle everything as though even the simplest of moral quandaries were some unknowable enigma written in a long dead tongue. So I consult those around me, replacing my judgement with their own. Most of the time it works just fine, but lately there has been a dearth of ponies who know enough to guide me.”
  644. >So THAT was why she kept asking Lyra weird stuff!
  645. >Blackmailing ponies for moral guidance seemed absurd, but for one such as Luna?
  646. >One who had a twisted mind yet still retained the desire to be good?
  647. “Why not ask princess Celestia?”
  648. >Surely it would be easier than asking me.
  649. >”I’ve said my piece.”
  650. “Oh yeah. Bonny’s turn.”
  651. >Bon-Bon closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
  652. >”When I met Eurynomos he shook me to my core.”
  653. “I mean, yeah. He was a super scary demon.”
  654. >”That wasn’t it. I’d seem scarier looking things before.”
  655. >Seriously?
  656. >Lyra didn’t want to think about that right now.
  657. >”It was like I was looking in a mirror.”
  658. >Luna tilted her head in confusion.
  659. “He looked nothing like you, Bonny.”
  660. >”I mean, he was sorta pony shaped. But I meant a mirror that showed what was on the INSIDE. Death made manifest, a cruel and destructive beast that desecrated everything that was beautiful. The untimely end of anything that stood in its path. He too left ugliness and ruin in his wake.”
  661. >By the stars.
  662. >Just how traumatised WAS this pony?
  663. >”The more I got to know him the more he seemed like me. A close quarters fighter who could bring death with a single blow. Indestructible, unrelenting. The piece that defined the whole board. And just like my black hoof, everything he touched would turn to rot. I’d found my reflection, and I understood what I was in a deeper way. I saw what my parents saw when they looked at me. I didn’t like it.”
  664. “Bonny, he’s different than you.”
  665. >”I know. And I think I knew back then, but I wasn’t sure why just yet.”
  666. >Luna’s intimidating aura had faded, her rage contained for the time being.
  667. >Her disheveled and battered form now lent a new aura, one of a wizened sage.
  668. >”Eurynomos’ bodies used to be much more Equine. I thought he’d changed because he’d grown stronger, but now that I know he was a parasite I see his change in a whole new light. He must have been breeding them over the millenia, who knows what they started as. Perhaps those were Earth ponies once, twisted beyond recognition in the fires of Hell.”
  669. >That was a disturbing thought.
  670. >”I used to seek my sister’s guidance. I thought she was the ultimate arbiter in all that was good. But the way she’s handled things of late… I sought to understand good and evil in a more academic sense. If I cannot understand instinctively I must understand through reason, and so I thought. I read, listened, studied, and analyzed every idea I could come across. It left me confused. Even the greatest of thinkers viewed the problem through equine eyes and sought to explain within that framework. I needed something more universal, so I studied other species and was stunned to discover just how different they could be. Even similar perspectives would come to wildly different conclusions on nearly everything. I soon came to understand that my sister’s ideals weren’t universal. The generosity that she prizes would be seen as an insult to the fiercely independent minotaurs. Her patience was sloth to others, and her charity theft.”
  671. “How does THAT work?”
  672. >”The money she gives is taken by force, it isn’t hers to give. She doesn’t see it that way, but some do. My efforts didn’t reveal what I’d sought, but they were still quite enlightening. My sister’s truth wasn’t universal. I couldn’t rely on her.”
  673. >This was going really well!
  674. >The two of them were really opening up.
  675. >And nopony was threatening anypony else.
  676. >Maybe, just maybe, the two of them wouldn’t tear each other apart.
  677. >Bon-Bon didn’t seem to be holding the grenade any longer.
  678. >”When I lost my eye I nearly snapped. I’d become even more like him. Ugly, nay, hideous on the inside and out. Scarred up into a twisted mockery of beauty, a walking symbol of destruction. I think I considered myself fallen? Unworthy of Equestria’s beauty. Unworthy of my friends. Of Lyra.”
  679. >She sniffled.
  680. >”I knew I had to protect them, my cause was righteous even if I wasn’t. But what would happen should I prevail? Wasn’t I exactly what I’d pledged to destroy? I knew I couldn’t return to my old life. I didn’t know what I was going to do when the war was over.”
  681. >”Did part of you hope that you didn’t have to find out?”
  682. >The room felt cold and oppressive.
  683. >Luna hadn’t even said it explicitly, but the weight of the question was undeniable.
  684. >Did Bon-Bon hope to die?
  685. >”Yes.”
  686. >Everything seemed blurry.
  687. >It was almost like Lyra was crying.
  688. >But that would be silly.
  689. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
  690. *SNIFF*
  691. “I need you.”
  692. >”Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
  693. >Lyra shivered in fear.
  694. >She’d done so much to get Bon-Bon back.
  695. >The idea that she might ki- remove herself was…
  696. “You…”
  697. >Lyra’s shivering grew more intense.
  698. >The cold turned to heat, the emptiness to a terrible excitement.
  699. “You KNEW she was sick!”
  700. >She locked eyes with Luna, and jabbed her snout with a hoof.
  701. >Bon-Bon reached out and grabbed at Lyra, trying to pull her away.
  702. “You had that psychologist working on it, you KNEW she was at her limit! You KNEW she was wounded, and you KNEW she couldn’t take any more! And STILL you sent her BACK?”
  703. >She swung her hoof as hard as she could at Luna’s skull.
  704. >It passed through harmlessly, as though there was nothing there.
  705. >”Yes.”
  706. >Bon-Bon pulled Lyra back, keeping her from tackling the princess.
  707. >”It’s okay, Lyra. I’m okay.”
  708. “No, you’re not okay!”
  709. >Lyra was nearly crushed by a huge hug from behind.
  710. >It hurt, but somehow it was soothing.
  711. >The pressure proved it was real.
  712. >”I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. And Luna did send me in, but she didn’t have to. I would have stayed even if she’d ordered me home.”
  713. “But-”
  714. >”No buts, I’m here. And I’m not leaving you.”
  715. >”You couldn’t leave. You’d seen your other, and you had to destroy it. No matter what.”
  716. >”Yeah.”
  717. >The two of them seemed to share some unknowable truth.
  718. >Lyra didn’t understand.
  719. >She was pretty sure she didn’t want to.
  720. >It didn’t matter, though.
  721. >Because Bon-Bon was still here.
  722. >She leaned into the embrace.
  723. >”Zero is not alone in this fate. Virtue is at all times a burden. The generous sacrifice their own interests, the honest must abandon pride and opportunity, and the faithful will inevitably find their ties to be shackles. And above it all there are those who wield the greatest virtue. The mighty. Those that serve as the bulwark against the darkness find that they carry the greatest burden of all.”
  724. >”Nopony comes out of S.M.I.L.E. unchanged. We know that, but still we press on.”
  725. >Luna pulled a scroll out of some unseen void and unfurled it before herself.
  726. >”The siege of Pandemonium. The sounds of that battle still haunt me to this day. The skittering cries coming from the enemy lines. The sickening sound of bullets tearing through flesh. The unicorn next to me screaming in pain as they overtaxed their horn out of pure desperation.
  727. It all echoes in my mind. And as though it were conducted by Death itself it all comes together in a mad harmony. A symphony of blood.”
  728. >She returns the scroll to the nothingness from which it came.
  729. >”You were there for that battle, weren’t you?”
  730. >”Yeah. Both of them. We took Pandemonium easily, our toxins crushed Terror’s forces in minutes. But when we fortified it and tried to hold, we found all too soon that Eurynomos’ minions resisted even our most vile poisons. It was our first defeat, but it wouldn’t be the last.”
  731. >”When we were vacating the tortured crag I found that scroll in one of the barracks. I don’t know who wrote it, it could have been any of them. Perhaps it’s for the best that I can’t credit it to one agent. Perhaps, this way, I can attribute it to them all.”
  732. “No, it couldn’t have been anyone. Bonny wouldn’t have written it so fancy.”
  733. >Lyra needed to get Bon-Bon home ASAP.
  734. >To get her away from battle, away from strife.
  735. >To let her forget it all.
  736. >Implying she’d ever forget.
  737. >Bon-Bon’s grip loosened slightly.
  738. >Luna fidgeted about in her chair, trying to find something to lean against.
  739. >She failed.
  740. >”I finally found what I was looking for. The fundamental good. The universal value. When I learned how long ponykind had left to live, how long Elysium had to exist, the core was at last consistent. Foreign assets and leaders that learned what was happening all reacted differently, but similarly. They felt that we had to take extreme measures to stop it, and that there was no price too great. No blood too precious. For millennia I’d misunderstood morality. It wasn’t the fertile soil from which all good sprouted. It wasn’t a guiding beacon, warning us of unseen danger. It wasn’t some divine mandate that we must abide. They were all willing to bend their own rules to survive, even my sister. They think they are serving Good, but in truth they serve something greater. Good isn’t the end, it is the means. A set of guiding principles we have found that preserves our existence, that allows us to flourish. I don’t understand good and evil anymore. I might never again walk the path of the righteous, but I don’t need to. I serve a greater good than good itself. I swore that I would protect ponykind, that I would never again rest while my subjects were in danger. And if I cannot do it as sister would have me, then I shall forge my own path.”
  741. >”If you happen to be telling the truth we’ll get along just fine.”
  742. >”Why would you think I’m lying?”
  743. >”Because that’s exactly what I wanted to hear, word for word.”
  744. >Bon-Bon let go of Lyra and tried to climb into her bed.
  745. >She didn’t seem to be quite strong enough.
  746. >Lyra gave her a little push before tucking her in with her magic.
  747. “Sorry, Bonny. You shouldn’t have to be comforting me. You’re the one that needs help right now.”
  748. >”It’s fine, everypony needs help sometimes. When it came time for the last stand, I found myself paralyzed by fear and doubt. I didn’t think I could do it. He was me, but stronger. Faster. Deadlier. Every battle I lost a bit of myself, and he came back stronger than ever. I knew that there was no way I’d survive a third wound from him. Even if they got me to the operating table, there would be nothing left to salvage. And I knew I couldn’t retreat, if he got a foothold in Equestria we’d lose our logistics, our arsenal, and too many agents. We’d never again be as strong as we were at that moment. It was do or die. I’d been preparing, looking into what assets we had. Notes about the stuff in Nexus kept showing up everywhere I looked. Soon, I heard whispers that Twilight was trying to weaponize it. While I was trying to get my hooves on the stuff, I got a call from your sister. She just gave it to me. I wasn’t sure it would work though, so I kept looking, kept preparing.”
  749. >She pulled her sheets in closer, trying to hide beneath them.
  750. >”It worked, but not well enough. I needed more. When they’d finished gluing my cuts shut I learned that plan B had already failed. We had no nuclear arsenal.”
  751. >”YOU stole the bomb?”
  752. >”What? No. Just the launch codes.”
  753. >She said it so casually.
  754. >As though she had every right to do it.
  755. >”Somepony stole a bomb?”
  756. >”Yes. I have no idea who. Luckily Eurynomos disarmed it. I suppose I owe him a favor? Too bad for him I never pay my debts.”
  757. >”Heh. So I went to plan C. Prayed in the off chance that someone might listen for once, and fired Helios.”
  758. >”How?”
  759. >It was HER?
  760. >”About a month ago, Cadence put off installing a security update for about half an hour while she finished writing a report. Something spooked her daughter and pulled her away. I made myself a quick backdoor.”
  761. >She was admitting to treason!
  762. >This was SUPER serious!
  763. >And then?
  764. >Luna chuckled.
  765. >”So you’re saying we won in part because Cadence had to change a DIAPER?”
  766. >”Yeah. I mean, I’d have probably found a way, but this made it really easy. She’s a huge liability you know. Carelessness like that doesn’t matter, right until it does.”
  767. >”You’re preaching to the choir on that. I didn’t want her in on this at all, but I must confess it’s been mighty convenient having somepony I can delegate to.”
  768. “You’d keep a princess out of something this big?”
  769. >”Sure. Why not?”
  770. >Bon-Bon nodded in agreement.
  771. >”Sure it’s sorta sleazy, but the job has to be done right. So, when Helios didn’t work I kinda freaked out. They might have had to sedate me.”
  772. “And they STILL sent you back.”
  773. >”Yup. They sedated me too much, so then they gave me amphetamines and adrenaline. Things got a bit hazy for a while, I only kinda remember going back in. And then Babbling Brook came to save the day. One might hope for a better cavalry charge than one elderly unicorn, but it turns out he was enough. He taught me the difference between myself and Eurynomos.”
  774. >A slightly dreamy expression formed on her face.
  775. >”Eurynomos was a collosal faggot.”
  776. “I really wish you wouldn’t use that word.”
  777. >”Fine. He was an enormous faggot. Better?”
  778. >She quickly chuckled at her own joke.
  779. >”All that bravado, all that confidence. It was all a lie. He wasn’t brave, or bold, or any of that. He was arrogant. Didn’t realise that he could lose. And more importantly he was so… immature. He wasn’t fighting for anything greater, wasn’t looking to make anything. He just wanted to destroy.”
  780. >She rolled over to look at the sunflowers in her vase.
  781. >”These flowers are dying. They’re decaying. They’re going to rot. And yet, they are not what Eurynomos was about, not even close. He was JUST about decay, turn it all to rot and poison the Earth so that nothing will ever grow again. When these flowers are gone, they will be put in a flowerbed from which new flowers will grow. Life from death, beauty from decay. That’s what I am, that’s what I’ve always been. The end of that which is vile so that good may take root. I’m not destruction, I’m renewal.”
  782. >She reached out and touched one of the flowers.
  783. >Its colours seemed just a bit brighter than they had a moment before.
  784. >”My magic feels a little different than it used to. I don’t know if it’s actually changed or if I just stopped fighting it? Either way, I get it now. I AM an Earth pony. I AM connected to life and growth. Just not in the same way as Applejack. I think I’m okay with that.”
  785. >”I’d advise you to continue therapy regardless. The pony mind isn’t equipped to deal with what you saw.”
  786. >”I’ll consider it.”
  787. >Luna let out a big yawn, making no effort to cover her mouth.
  788. >”So my sister gave you the Tide. She swore to me that we wouldn’t use it. And Cadence let somepony hijack multiple WMDs. Can’t say I’m happy to hear that.”
  789. >Luna walked right up close to Bon-Bon’s bed.
  790. >”Well, Sweetie Drops. I’m convinced you had the best intentions. Still, I cannot abide by attempted regicide. I do not intend to have you arrested, do you know why?”
  791. >”Because you could-”
  792. >Bon-Bon tried to suppress a yawn of her own.
  793. >”You could scour the nine circles of Hell and not find a prison that could hold me.”
  794. >”Let’s go with that. Still, I must punish you in some way. I do not accept your resignation, instead you are to be dishonorably discharged.”
  795. “What? You can’t do that to her! How many ponies did she save?”
  796. >”Actions have consequences.”
  797. >”That’s fine. I’m loaded, I don’t need my pension.”
  798. “You don’t care?”
  799. >”Naa. Right now I care way more about the fact that she’s keeping me from my nap.”
  800. >She really didn’t seem to mind.
  801. >”Just remember I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Don’t screw it up.”
  802. >She chucked the flashbang at Luna, pin still in place.
  803. >”I suppose I won’t be needing this.”
  804. >”A flash grenade? Really? Did you think THAT would be enough to stop me?”
  805. >”There’s about 100 kilos of flash powder in this room. Betcha can’t guess where.”
  806. >”You’re bluffing.”
  807. >Lyra knew Bon-Bon.
  808. >That tone of voice… she wasn’t bluffing.
  809. “So you two aren’t going to fight each other?”
  810. >Bon-Bon shook her head.
  811. >”Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
  812. >”I’ll make no promises, but it certainly isn’t worth the collateral damage right now. If she behaves herself I’ll be perfectly content to ignore her.”
  813. >Perhaps that was as close to reconciliation as they’d get.
  814. >Lyra found she was content with the outcome.
  815. >A peaceful end to the incredible madness.
  816. >Luna walked out of the room without a word, and within minutes Bon-Bon could be heard softly snoring.
  817. >Lyra lay awake in bed, her joints aching and throat sore.
  818. >She couldn’t help but muse on what she’d just heard.
  819. >Both Bon-Bon and Luna had found their purpose.
  820. >Pressed at all sides by death and evil, both had discovered the good within.
  821. >It was funny.
  822. >The fires of Orcus had consumed countless, and driven many to madness.
  823. >And yet, for those two, this campaign in Hell had saved their souls.
  824.  
  825. * * * * *
  826. >Equilibrium.
  827. >An interplay of opposing forces, naturally shifting and surging until balance is achieved.
  828. >Gravity versus the Van Der Waals force compromising on where to place an object.
  829. >Sweat and metabolism regulating one’s body temperature.
  830. >Radiation and conduction which shed the sun’s heat until all was balanced.
  831. >An omnipresent guiding hoof that regulated nature.
  832. >Healthy.
  833. >Normal.
  834. >Luna took some comfort in that.
  835. >She sat in her darkened chambers, reading through a report.
  836. >Reading, but not registering.
  837. >But it was not the darkness that inhibited her progress, rather it was the cacophony of disparate thoughts that filled her mind.
  838. >The words on the page reached her eye only to fade into nothingness.
  839. >Lost in the storm.
  840. >Sweetie Drops had spared her, and in doing so introduced her to a new torment.
  841. >Had it been malice that caused her to stay her hoof?
  842. >A desire to see Luna driven mad by doubt?
  843. >No.
  844. >That wasn’t the way Sweetie Drops operated.
  845. >Her goals were simple, if ambitious.
  846. >She sought the destruction of evil forces.
  847. >That Luna still drew breath was proof that Sweetie Drops thought her better than the devil within.
  848. >She’d said as much.
  849. >What cause had she to lie?
  850. >Why might she offer such false hope?
  851. >Nay, t’was no lie.
  852. >She was MISTAKEN.
  853. >Luna turned with a start upon hearing a tapping upon her chamber door.
  854. >”Princess?”
  855. >That bizarre voice.
  856. >It was Code White.
  857. >”We got your results back. Negative for Plagas Diabolica A1 through A8 as well as B and C.”
  858. “You are certain?”
  859. >”Yes, your highness.”
  860. “I am no longer contagious, then?”
  861. >”You’re good to go.”
  862. >At last.
  863. >There was much to be done, and being confined to quarantines had been most inconvenient.
  864. >She wheeled herself to the door and pulled it open.
  865. >Light poured in.
  866. >A tempestuous barrage of photons hailed down upon her, carving into her.
  867. >Innumerable collisions upon her very being, bare skin in a sandstorm, a deluge upon a flame.
  868. >The shadows receded, her coat grew a shade paler.
  869. >Some of the light was reflected instead of absorbed.
  870. >Equilibrium.
  871. >And all was well.
  872. >She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the radiance to which these creatures of light were accustomed.
  873. “Thank you, Doctor White. Has my sister been informed?”
  874. >”I sent Brown to tell her.”
  875. >Celestia would be wanting her right away.
  876. >Luna started walking to her sister’s quarters, wheelchair in tow.
  877. >She gestured for the doctor to follow.
  878. >”What of a cure?”
  879. >”That’s not going to be easy. Type C inhibits T cell growth, and Type B is cytotoxic. Suppresses macrophage and neutrophil activity. Leaves the patient immunocompromised, and now the bloody things are antibiotic resistant.”
  880. “Can you develop vaccines for any of them?”
  881. >”Maybe? But since some of them leave the patient immunocompromised you’re tying a couple hooves behind our backs. I can’t tell you how long it will take or how reliable they’d be.”
  882. “Do it anyway.”
  883. >”Princess, these diseases are prime candidates for eradication. The current outbreak seems to be contained, and with Eurynomos and his forces gone there is no reservoir.”
  884. “I am aware. Do it anyway.”
  885. >”Of course, your majesty.”
  886. >That damnable plague was by far the sickest she’d ever felt.
  887. >Not that she’d suffered from a great variety of ailments.
  888. >Even so, it was bad enough that it had to be controlled.
  889. >Had it not been for those antibiotics the doctors were so fond of S.M.I.L.E. would have long since been crushed.
  890. >And now they tell her that those won’t work any longer.
  891. >It would be troublesome if it were to infect a pony again.
  892. >No, not troublesome.
  893. >That was bad.
  894. >Right?
  895. >Diseases killing ponies indiscriminately was bad.
  896. “And please keep me updated on your progress through the usual channels.”
  897. >”You mean face to face?”
  898. “Exactly. I must take my leave now. Good day to you.”
  899. >Code White took a bow and stopped following as Luna moved on.
  900. >Was this the right move?
  901. >Clearly it was correct, but was it RIGHT?
  902. >Perhaps she would need to seek another consultant.
  903. >But through which channels?
  904. >Her sister had informed her that blackmail was wrong.
  905. >Luna wasn’t entirely certain why. It had proven most effective.
  906. >But she was willing to trust her sister on this one.
  907. >No more blackmail.
  908. >Well, not without good reason.
  909. >Luna pushed the door to her sister’s study open and stepped inside.
  910. >The cozy chamber was, as always, well lit.
  911. >Warmly coloured plush carpeting met her hooves as she stepped in, the light searing her slightly less with each step.
  912. >Princess Celestia sat at a coffee table, tomes and scrolls neatly arranged upon its surface.
  913. >She hastily moved some unseen object beneath.
  914. “You don’t need to hide your cakes.”
  915. >”It’s not a cake.”
  916. “Doughnuts then.”
  917. >Celestia blushed slightly and turned her head away.
  918. “Why is blackmail wrong again?”
  919. >Luna wheeled her way in and perked herself opposite her sister.
  920. “How is it?”
  921. >”Bad.”
  922. >Not what she’d wanted to hear.
  923. >But exactly what she’d been expecting.
  924. “When isn’t it bad?”
  925. >Princess Celestia rubbed her eyes wearily.
  926. >The circles beneath those giant expressive eyes were getting mighty dark.
  927. >Perhaps darker than Luna’s coat.
  928. “You need rest.”
  929. >”Yes. A nap does sound good. But-”
  930. “It can wait.”
  931. >She shook her head.
  932. >”I need to give them something. Some kind of assurance that things are under control.”
  933. >That wasn’t going to be easy.
  934. >Plenty of ponies were prone to panic.
  935. “I haven’t seen the situation for myself as of late. What are we dealing with, are they scared?”
  936. >”No, they’re not scared. They’re terrified.”
  937. >Of course.
  938. >It was never simple anymore.
  939. >”Most ponies aren’t leaving their homes, they’re sure that there are demons just outside waiting to pounce on them.”
  940. “There aren’t. Achlys returned to Hell to recover and raise more troops.”
  941. >”Yes, I got that report. But I’ve been meaning to ask you about it. You said we had a week yet before she’d replaced her forces?”
  942. “Five days now.”
  943. >Celestia started chewing on her lip.
  944. >A nervous tick, one Luna had seen more times than she could recall.
  945. >”Will S.M.I.L.E. be able to stop her?”
  946. “Should be easy enough. In fact I was hoping to talk to you about that. I have the perfect plan, I’m just not sure if it’s the right thing to do.”
  947. >Celestia raised a single brow.
  948. >”What horrors have you dreamt up now? I thought we’d thrown everything at them already! We won’t have our nuclear arsenal back by then, and Helios is going to take months to fix. Half our forces are dead and the rest are wounded.”
  949. “And Achlys doesn’t know any of that. What she does know is that we’ve burned hundreds of acres at once, and she’s seen us turn entire battlefields into ash in the blink of an eye. That, and as far as she knows, we can still safely use the Tide as a weapon.”
  950. >Realization slowly began to form on her face.
  951. “I think we can get a peace treaty out of her.”
  952. >”She’s scared of us.”
  953. “No, she’s not scared. She’s terrified.”
  954. >Celestia rolled her eyes with a smile.
  955. “We just need to bluff. I think it’s time for a farewell to arms.”
  956. >Celestia blinked several times.
  957. >”Pardon, I must have something in my ear. It’s time for peace? Didn’t you say you weren’t certain this was right?”
  958. >Luna simply shrugged at her sister.
  959. >”How could it POSSIBLY be wrong?”
  960. “If we stop the war we don’t avenge those who fell to her blade, and we leave the problem for future generations to resolve.”
  961. >”And we save who knows how many lives!”
  962. >Got it.
  963. >Celestia likes saving lives more than she likes vengeance.
  964. >That seemed to fit Luna’s theories.
  965. >Once again, life was more important than the other values.
  966. “It would seem as though we agree. The time for bloodshed has ended. The two of us need to come up with a peace treaty that she can’t worm her way out of.”
  967. >”I thought you said I should never negotiate with them.”
  968. “Things have changed. We have something to offer her now that she desperately wants.”
  969. >”A chance to not be killed.”
  970. “We’ll have to be cautious when constructing the agreement. There’s no telling what excuse she might find to break her oath, and that must not happen before we are ready.”
  971. >”But if we do a good enough job we’ll afford ourselves a few months of peace.”
  972. “No, not weeks. Decades. Centuries even. She’s not going to be able to find any more demonic magics to consume down there. Any improvements to her might have to come from innovation, and we’re far ahead of her. She might not even be capable of building as we now do.”
  973. >Celestia grabbed a quill and began scribbling frantically.
  974. >Most thought it odd that she’d use such an archaic tool in the current year.
  975. >Not Luna.
  976. >She understood well just how long her sister had had to grow accustomed to that manner of writing.
  977. >Why, Luna herself wasn’t so similar.
  978. >She found calculators clumsy, their tiny little buttons.
  979. >Everypony insisted they were faster, and espoused how great it was that they were portable.
  980. >But Luna still used her slide rule and abacus.
  981. >”If we can keep her docile long enough for us to recover, then we need but flaunt our strength occasionally to dissuade her. She’s bloodthirsty, but she won’t fight if she thinks she’ll get killed.”
  982. >She was starting to get it.
  983. >Luna wasn’t certain if that was good news or not.
  984. >For somepony so loving and pure to understand such things…
  985. >None had come away from this unharmed.
  986. >”So long as she believes we can respond with overwhelming force she’ll never attack. We could keep her away forever!”
  987. >Yeah.
  988. >She was STARTING to get it.
  989. >Not there quite yet.
  990. “Maybe not FOREVER. But certainly long enough for us to regain a position of superiority. All we need to do is stall and Equestria shall never again be wounded by my kind. In months we’ll be armed again, and in a few generations we’ll have pony power again.”
  991. >Celestia grimaced.
  992. >Luna nearly slapped herself.
  993. >Her sister had been in a good mood mere moments ago, and she’d spoiled it.
  994. >The promise of enduring peace was exactly what she’d needed.
  995. >What she DIDN’T need was Luna reminding her of how many had been lost.
  996. >And reminding her that the Tide might render their plans moot.
  997. “We’re going to get through this. Don’t worry.”
  998. >”Twilight tells me there is no solution. To the Tide, I mean.”
  999. >The study felt far colder than it had mere moments ago.
  1000. “I have a solution.”
  1001. >”I don’t like it.”
  1002. “I know.”
  1003. >Truth be told, Luna didn’t like it either.
  1004. >But it would work.
  1005. >And that was what mattered most.
  1006. >It called to her.
  1007. >Whispering sweetness in some impossible tongue.
  1008. >No words, no sounds.
  1009. >Yet the sensation was all too real, and the message clear.
  1010. >All this madness could end today.
  1011. >She could make everything she’s ever wanted come true.
  1012. >All she had to do was KILL CELESTIA.
  1013. >Hm.
  1014. >There it was again.
  1015. “Are you controlling the Soulstone well?”
  1016. >”Whatever do you mean?”
  1017. “Does it tempt you?”
  1018. >Celestia cocked her head in confusion.
  1019. >”Why should it? It’s a terrible thing.”
  1020. “You don’t wish to consume it?”
  1021. >”I’d prefer to destroy it.”
  1022. >The pieces suddenly clicked.
  1023. >The Soulstone couldn’t tempt Celestia, and it never would.
  1024. >No matter how powerful it became or how much her will faltered.
  1025. >Luna was promised power. The strength to overcome any threat that may come.
  1026. >She’d seen in Sweetie Drops’ eye that she too was tempted.
  1027. >The chance to finally know peace.
  1028. >Even Lyra was at risk, for she wanted the power to protect those around her.
  1029. >But Celestia?
  1030. >She wanted to be rid of evil forever.
  1031. >The one thing that the Soulstone could never do.
  1032. >She might be the only pony alive with whom Luna could entrust the stone.
  1033. “I’m lucky to have you.”
  1034. >”Hm? Sorry, did you say something?”
  1035. “Yes, I was wondering if you could perhaps move the stone further away.”
  1036. >”Fret not, it’s locked up tight.”
  1037. “In the vault where the elements used to be?”
  1038. >Celestia’s snoot scrunched up.
  1039. >”No?”
  1040. >Luna offered nothing but a deadpan stare.
  1041. >”I’ll find something better.”
  1042. “If at all possible I’d like it out of Canterlot. Perhaps even out of Equestria.”
  1043. >This was a mistake.
  1044. >She was going to lose it, maybe forever!
  1045. >Now was the time. She had to seize this opportunity.
  1046. >The Soulstone could ensure pony supremacy for all eternity, through the Tide and beyond!
  1047. >You know where it is, just slit your sister’s throat and-
  1048. “STILL THY FORKED TONGUE, VILE SERPENT!”
  1049. >Luna slammed a hoof down on the table.
  1050. >Pain surged through her leg, papers flew off wildly.
  1051. >And Celestia jumped with a start.
  1052. >”Luna! Was it something I said?”
  1053. “Um…”
  1054. >She coughed sheepishly.
  1055. “Just clearing my throat.”
  1056. >”You’re acting stranger than usual. Are you sure you’re well?”
  1057. >She grabbed Luna and pulled her close, feeling against her forehead.
  1058. >”Has your fever returned? Are you delirious?”
  1059. “Please let go, you’re hurting me.”
  1060. >”Hold on, I’ll go get a doctor!”
  1061. “No.”
  1062. >Luna used her magic to hold the door as Celestia approached.
  1063. “No physician can abate this ailment.”
  1064. >Her head hung low.
  1065. >Celestia walked toward her.
  1066. >”Sister? What’s wrong? You’re worrying me.”
  1067. “My will is weak.”
  1068. >She was shivering.
  1069. >Why?
  1070. >It wasn’t cold.
  1071. >Celestia grabbed Luna’s chin softly with one hoof, and gently coaxed her head upward.
  1072. >Luna gazed at her sister’s face.
  1073. >Loving, sweet, kind to a fault.
  1074. >And above all else?
  1075. >Forgiving.
  1076. >Luna felt hollow thinking of all she’d done to her dear sister.
  1077. >The betrayal a thousand years ago weighed heavily still upon her conscience.
  1078. >But that memory seemed almost benign.
  1079. >Though it may have been her own folly that caused it all, Erebus had been in control at the time. Not Luna.
  1080. >That had changed.
  1081. >All she’d done in recent years had been her own fault.
  1082. >The constant lies, starting entire wars behind her back, stealing funds and redirecting manufacturing.
  1083. “I’m sorry.”
  1084. >”And here you tell me you’ve no conscience.”
  1085. “It all seemed like the right thing to do. I thought I was being good.”
  1086. *Sniff*
  1087. >”Now now, none of that.”
  1088. >Celestia began patting her on the head.
  1089. >”We all make mistakes.”
  1090. >That was more than a mistake.
  1091. >”Besides, I am not blameless. Had I simply listened to you it would have never gotten so bad.”
  1092. >A cold comfort.
  1093. >But a welcome one.
  1094. >Celestia offered a hug, which Luna was all too ready to accept.
  1095. “I don’t want to be evil.”
  1096. >”Then you aren’t.”
  1097. >That didn’t make any sense.
  1098. “Yes I am. I’m terrible.”
  1099. >”No. You aren’t.”
  1100. “But-”
  1101. >Celestia put a single hoof on Luna’s lips to silence her.
  1102. >The blinding radiance singed her sensitive flesh, causing her to recoil.
  1103. >Celestia didn’t seem to notice she was in pain.
  1104. >”It all went very VERY wrong. But there was no malice in what you did, you were trying to help in the only way you knew.”
  1105. >A couple tears fell from Luna’s eyes.
  1106. “Ponies died.”
  1107. >A lot of them.
  1108. >Far too many.
  1109. >”Hm. It’s funny.”
  1110. “Surely you jest. It’s tragic, is it not?”
  1111. >”Very much so. Equestria won’t soon recover from this wound. I just find it odd that I have to be the one to tell you, given my recent failings.”
  1112. >Luna pushed herself back and cocked her head.
  1113. “Tell me what?”
  1114. >”The road to heck be paved with good intentions.”
  1115. >A bit on the muzzle.
  1116. >”You meant well, and did wrong. That we have such a proverb proves it to be commonplace.”
  1117. “I don’t think whoever coined that phrase meant it so literally.”
  1118. >”Perhaps not.”
  1119. >She returned to her chair and leaned back.
  1120. >”But at its heart it fits. The railways were built to facilitate travel and logistics. Nopony expected them to destroy so many small towns and villages. CFC refrigerants were meant to prevent spoilage, but had we been even a bit less attentive we could have caused great harm to our atmosphere. New fertilizers and genetically modified crops helped us weather the storm earlier, but now sugar is so plentiful it’s making ponies sick.”
  1121. >Where was she going with this?
  1122. >”Somepony very special told me once that violence should be viewed as a tool. I think she may have been onto something, but she doesn’t quite have the whole picture. If I step far enough back, everything we use to change the world becomes a tool. The heavy mining equipment that trivialises labor to flying contraptions that grant new horizons to most of our populace, all the way down to quill we use to sign legislation. Even our own hooves.”
  1123. >Luna was even more confused than before.
  1124. >”But no tool is either good nor bad. They can all be used to make a better world, or to make a worse one. The greater the tool the greater the risk, but also the reward. Do you follow?”
  1125. “Not even remotely. You’re rambling about once more.”
  1126. >”Hm. Perhaps I’m more tired than I thought.”
  1127. “It has been a CRAZY few years.”
  1128. >Celestia collected one of her hidden doughnuts and took a gentle nibble out of it.
  1129. >She furtively glanced about.
  1130. “It’s just us.”
  1131. >Half the doughnut disappeared into her mouth.
  1132. “Do you intend to fear Gabby Gums for the rest of your life?”
  1133. >Celestia shook her head before swallowing.
  1134. >”Just for a century or two. I think what I was trying to say is that all great changes carry great risk. A lifesaving drug can be pure poison to the wrong pony, as an example. Perhaps our greatest failings are our ambitions rather than our ideals?”
  1135. >Perhaps.
  1136. “My desire to preserve ponykind nearly caused our ruin.”
  1137. >”And my desire to see peace only fanned the flames of war. The road to heck.”
  1138. >Luna couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
  1139. “It’s just a word you know. It can’t hurt you.”
  1140. >”Says the pony who’s been tricked before.”
  1141. “Well, what are we meant to do? What would a normal pony do?”
  1142. >”Those are not the same question. While a normal pony would mourn, we are meant to learn, to remember our mistakes. To press on and make sure we never again fail them so greatly. Come here, princess. We’re going to write up our treaty with Achlys.”
  1143. >Luna grimaced.
  1144. “I am uncertain. What right have I to rule? Would they accept me if they knew?”
  1145. >”It doesn’t matter if they would accept you. What matters is that they need you. They require a guardian. And I? I require somepony to balance my weakness. But more than that, I need my sister.”
  1146. >Luna couldn’t help it.
  1147. >She knew it was inappropriate during this crisis, but she did it anyway.
  1148. >She smiled.
  1149. >Celestia proffered a double chocolate doughnut while patting the seat next to herself.
  1150. >”Come. It’s time for peace.”
  1151. “Alright. Seriously though, move that Soulstone.”
  1152. >”I shall in the morning.”
  1153. >Luna parked herself beside her sister.
  1154. “I beg of you, do it now. My will is weak and I’d rather not tempt fate.”
  1155. >Realization dawned upon Celestia’s face, and she vanished in a flash of shadow rending magic.
  1156. >When Luna’s vision returned she gathered her sister’s peace proposal.
  1157. “WAY too generous.”
  1158. >It was going to be a LONG night.
  1159.  
  1160.  
  1161. * * * * *
  1162. “I’m so BORED!”
  1163. >Lyra exclaimed for the fourth time that day.
  1164. >Bon-Bon lay in bed, smiling at the ceiling.
  1165. >”I know, isn’t it great? It’s been so long since I was bored, I’d almost forgotten what it felt like.”
  1166. “Don’t tell me you’re actually enjoying this.”
  1167. >”It’s a nice change of pace. Nothing’s exploding, nopony’s yelling, I’m not on fire.”
  1168. “Wait, what was that last one?”
  1169. >”I’ve got nothing to do but watch the clock. You know it’s actually running slow, right?”
  1170. “No, seriously. What was that about fire- oh hay, you’re right! It is running slow!”
  1171. >At MOST 55 bpm.
  1172. “That’s weird. They don’t usually lose time quite so fast. Think the battery’s flat?”
  1173. >”Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment! I never thought I’d see the day when you said something good about a quartz clock.”
  1174. “Why not?”
  1175. >”Don’t you remember that hour long rant about how they were garbage?”
  1176. >Oh yeah.
  1177. >Lyra couldn’t help but blush slightly.
  1178. “They don’t make for very good metronomes is all.”
  1179. >”I still don’t think you had to send such a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer.”
  1180. “Hay, they’re the ones that advertised it as being better than the pendulum ones.”
  1181. >”Right. But I still think you might have gone a little overboard.”
  1182. “How so?”
  1183. >”Well, what about that part where you said you would shine a blinding light upon their vile trickery for all to see?”
  1184. >Oh yeah.
  1185. >”In the end justice shall prevail, for the tree of crime bears bitter fruit!”
  1186. “Hay, that’s not fair. You’re making me sound bad by accurately representing me!”
  1187. >Neither of them could keep a straight face any longer.
  1188. >A little light laughter, things didn’t seem so dire.
  1189. >Yes, it was boring being locked up for weeks on end.
  1190. >But Bon-Bon was right.
  1191. >Boredom wasn’t nearly as bad as what they’d been dealing with.
  1192. >Besides, she and Bon-Bon could make their own fun.
  1193. “Y’know, being stuck in here with you isn’t bad. The world hasn’t been too good to us lately, and now? Nothing to do but spend time with the best pony in the world. You’re right. Being bored isn’t so bad when you’re around.”
  1194. >”That’s sweet. But you know we’re getting let out in the morning, right?”
  1195. “Oh, thank the stars. About time.”
  1196. >Bon-Bon chuckled at Lyra’s sudden change in attitude.
  1197. “I can’t wait to check in on everypony. D’s probably worried sick, and I promised Moondancer I’d figure something out for her.”
  1198. >Lyra wasn’t sure what she’d say about that business.
  1199. >But she did owe an answer.
  1200. “What are you going to do?”
  1201. >”Take a nap in my own bed, go for a stroll in the meadow, eat a bunch of chocolates, and break into Twilight Sparkle’s research logs. So the usual.”
  1202. “How is breaking into Twilight’s stuff the usual? Actually, never mind. Why do you want her stuff?”
  1203. >Bon-Bon climbed out of her bed and began to stretch her legs.
  1204. >”Gotta keep an eye on Luna.”
  1205. “Which is why you’re going after Twilight.”
  1206. >Bon-Bon overextended.
  1207. >Her hooves slipped on the smooth linoleum floor.
  1208. >And she fell gracelessly onto her side.
  1209. >”They’re all connected, I just don’t know how yet.”
  1210. >Said Bon-Bon, pretending she hadn’t just fallen over.
  1211. >”Twilight’s a good place to start because she’s nearby. Not just that, but she seems to know quite a bit I don’t.”
  1212. “Well, I’d imagine. Isn’t she the head of their R&D?”
  1213. >”Technically? She’s not affiliated. But in reality yes.”
  1214. >She rolled over onto her hooves and stood up in one smooth motion to look Lyra right in the eye.
  1215. >”How did you know that?”
  1216. “Uhh…”
  1217. >”Come to think of it, you seem to know an awful lot you’re not supposed to. Is security really getting that lax?”
  1218. “Short answer? Yes.”
  1219. >”Well, what’s the long answer?”
  1220. “Yyyyyeeeeeeessssssss.”
  1221. >She gave Lyra a playful shove.
  1222. “They sorta lost control of the narrative when freak snow storms started hitting. It only got worse when Ponyville got sacked. And once you start noticing things it’s hard to stop.”
  1223. >Bon-Bon shrugged before sitting back on her bed.
  1224. >”Yeah, they’ve got some explaining to do. Really glad it’s not my problem. But if upper management is falling apart so badly that civilians are figuring this kind of stuff out, my job should be really easy.”
  1225. >Lyra didn’t follow.
  1226. >Something about Bon-Bon’s plan made no sense.
  1227. “I still don’t get how going after Twilight will help you figure out what Luna’s up to.”
  1228. >”Well, I’m not supposed to tell you this. In fact, they tried to use a curse to force me not to say it. But I found a way out of it, and I don’t work for them anymore…”
  1229. “You found a way out of their contract?”
  1230. >She smirked at Lyra.
  1231. >”What can I say? I’m just that good. So, I was getting desperate to stop the demons. They were too strong, so I was looking for anything we could use against them. Lots of really nasty poisons, problem was he actually liked being poisoned.”
  1232. “LIKED being poisoned.”
  1233. >”Yeah. He started laughing and running around excitedly, like, uhh, like a little filly who just got a full sized candy bar on Nightmare Night. You know? It was super creepy. We had some luck with caustic agents, but every time we lost sight of him he seemed to recover fully, we needed to wipe him out all at once. I was digging through everything, trying to find if R&D could think up a miracle. Turned out Twilight had been pulling her mane out trying to figure out how to contain this stuff she calls Black Tide. Her notes said it was more destructive than she could have possibly imagined. Sounds perfect, right?”
  1234. >Lyra was VERY familiar with the Tide.
  1235. >”So I shove some of the stuff down his throat, and a minute later things get really weird. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before! Well, that’s what I thought at the time at least. Now I think I actually HAD seen it before.”
  1236. “At the Nexus?”
  1237. >Bon-Bon’s eyes went wide.
  1238. >Both the real one and the fake one locked onto Lyra with a piercing glare.
  1239. >”Yeah. How do you know about the Nexus?”
  1240. “You’re not going to ask me how I knew about the Tide?”
  1241. >”I’ll get to that later. Did they recruit you after you saved Ponyville or something?”
  1242. >Lyra shook her head.
  1243. “I’ll tell you all about it in a bit. So you’d seen the Tide before.”
  1244. >”Yeah… Who’s the worst Baroque composer?”
  1245. “Johann Pachelbel. It’s just so BORING to play!”
  1246. >”The lute is…”
  1247. “Any inferior string instrument. Look, Bonny, it’s me. I’m not a changeling or whatever.”
  1248. >”And the best flavor of iced cream?”
  1249. “Rocky road.”
  1250. >She raised an eyebrow.
  1251. >”What about mint chocolate?”
  1252. “No. Not again. Not after that brain freeze.”
  1253. >Lyra shuddered involuntarily.
  1254. >”You DO know that the flavor didn’t give you the brain freeze, right? It was the cold. Just eat it slower.”
  1255. “Eat mint iced cream slower? I’m not sure I understand.”
  1256. >Bon-Bon rolled her eyes with a smile.
  1257. >”Yeah, you’re Lyra alright. So I recognized the Tide from the Nexus. And it got me thinking about Twilight’s notes. There wasn’t much certainty in what she said, more like she was trying to figure it out. And then it occured to me that Twilight really wasn’t the kind of pony to make something so nasty. I don’t think she made it, I think she’s studying it. Now I’m wondering where it came from.”
  1258. >Lyra blinked.
  1259. >She blinked again.
  1260. >And then a third time.
  1261. >No matter how many times she blinked, Bon-Bon hadn’t started laughing.
  1262. “You don’t know where it came from?”
  1263. >She shook her head.
  1264. “Do you know where Nexus is?”
  1265. >”Some place between dimensions?”
  1266. >Lyra’s jaw dropped.
  1267. >She knew more than Bon-Bon!
  1268. “Oh wow. You have a lot of catching up to do. First off, it’s from space. Aliens made it!”
  1269. >Bon-Bon placed her face in a hoof with a deep sigh.
  1270. >”You’re going through that phase again?”
  1271. “No, I’m serious!”
  1272. >”Yes, yes. I know. The talking monkeys that ride to space on exploding phallic symbols.”
  1273. “Hay, they’re not penises. They’re aerodynamic. And it was just a thought experiment about how intelligent life might work without magic. Some kinda alien made this Tide stuff and it got out of control, now it’s spreading everywhere. Twilight’s trying to figure out how to stop it.”
  1274. >Bon-Bon stared at her deadpan.
  1275. “It’s a huge problem, entire planets have gone missing!”
  1276. >”Is this a bad joke?”
  1277. ”No!”
  1278. >”Okay then. Is it a GOOD joke?”
  1279. “It’s not a joke!”
  1280. >Bon-Bon grimaced.
  1281. “The Black Tide is a microscopic self replicating machine of alien origin that eats everything it can find. It’s spreading through space and coming our way. Some of the smartest ponies in the world are studying it but it’s designed in such an arcane way that they can’t make heads nor tails of it.”
  1282. >”That sounds… bad.”
  1283. “Yep.”
  1284. >”It’s pretty vicious stuff. Just a minute and it spread as far as the eye can see.”
  1285. “They’ve had lots of trouble with testing because of that.”
  1286. >”It’s nasty stuff too. I was only in there for a few seconds and already I was bleeding pretty badly. ME!”
  1287. “They store it in a nickel titanium alloy, it’s the best thing they’ve found. Only holds it for a minute or two.”
  1288. >”And it’s something that we’re going to have to deal with eventually.”
  1289. “I don’t know when exactly, but around a decade.”
  1290. >”A decade? Not a thousand years or anything?”
  1291. >Lyra shook her head.
  1292. >”Well…”
  1293. >Bon-Bon uttered a word.
  1294. >A word so disgusting it made the hospital’s mushy peas seem appetizing by comparison.
  1295. >Lyra had no idea what it even meant, but it didn’t matter. The impact was palpable.
  1296. >She’d never heard that word before, and she could only hope that she never heard it again.
  1297. “Wow. Uh… where did you learn to talk like that?”
  1298. >”I heard Luna say it once.”
  1299. >Bon-Bon got up from her bed and went to the front entrance.
  1300. >She shoved her mouth under the hand sanitizer, allowing the vile liquid to fill her mouth.
  1301. “Are you sure that’s safe?”
  1302. >Bon-Bon shrugged before going into the washroom.
  1303. >Lyra could hear gurgling.
  1304. >A few minutes later, and LOTS of retching, she returned.
  1305. >”What’s the plan?”
  1306. “You okay? I’m pretty sure that stuff is for external use only.”
  1307. >”Not right now. What’s the plan?”
  1308. >She was pacing back and forth in the cramped room, moving just a bit too fast to be comfortable.
  1309. “Well, I don’t really have one.”
  1310. >”Somepony must. What do you know?”
  1311. >Bon-Bon’s eye had a glint of panic on it.
  1312. >It didn’t take a genius to figure out the problem.
  1313. >This was a new enemy for her.
  1314. >One she couldn’t beat by kicking.
  1315. >One against which she was defenceless.
  1316. >She clearly wasn’t used to being so totally helpless.
  1317. “Well, Luna wants to eat the soulstone and use the power to stop the Tide.”
  1318. >”Right. Let’s call that plan Z. Or… Zeta. Actually, let’s push it all the way back to Omega. What else have we got?”
  1319. “Princess Celestia’s been preparing to evacuate into Hell.”
  1320. >”That’s even WORSE!”
  1321. >Lyra blinked twice, a vacant expression on her face.
  1322. >”We lose Elysium to the Tide, and we’re stuck in Tartarus. What happens when it starts coming into Tartarus? It’s not like we can seal it off entirely. We’ve tried!”
  1323. “Uh… we evacuate to Orcus?”
  1324. >”Right. Then into Inferno. Great plan, Celestia. GREAT PLAN! Out of the frying pan, into the BLOODY INFERNO!”
  1325. >When she put it like that, it really didn’t sound like a great plan.
  1326. >”What else have we got?”
  1327. “Cadence has been tasked with coming up with different ways to destroy it.”
  1328. >”And?”
  1329. “Helios, nuclear missiles, that stuff that set asbestos on fire.”
  1330. >Bon-Bon groaned in despair, dropping herself on the floor gracelessly.
  1331. >”That’s the worst plan yet.”
  1332. “Because every time we blow it up, we blow up ourselves.”
  1333. >The Tide wouldn’t kill them.
  1334. >It wouldn’t have to.
  1335. >”This is bad. Extremely bad. I don’t even know where to begin.”
  1336. “I do.”
  1337. >Bon-Bon was suddenly staring at her far too intensely.
  1338. “It didn’t eat the Nexus, even though there seems to be nothing special about its material.”
  1339. >”Go on.”
  1340. “Well, Nexus was built by an alien species. Not sure what happened to them, but it’s probably not good. BUT! However many years later that platform is still standing. If the platform itself isn’t indestructible…”
  1341. >”The Tide isn’t trying to eat it!”
  1342. “Exactly!”
  1343. >She stood up, a beaming smile on her face.
  1344. >”There must be some kind of signature that keeps it away. The creators wanted to make sure it didn’t turn on them.”
  1345. “It also needs to not turn on itself.”
  1346. >”The Tide itself has that signature! Some kind of chemical, structure, wave, something!”
  1347. >Wave.
  1348. >That must be it!
  1349. “Twilight’s been breaking her brain trying to figure out the electromagnetic waves it shoots off. Gamma burst!”
  1350. >Bon-Bon was rubbing her chin vigorously.
  1351. >”Gamma’s everywhere in space though. There has to be more to it than just that. Some kind of pattern?”
  1352. “Twilight thinks so too. She’s got pretty much every computer in Equestria sifting through all the waves they’ve caught coming from the Tide looking for just that.”
  1353. >”Ah. So it’s not a pattern then.”
  1354. >Eh?
  1355. “Why not?”
  1356. >”Well, think about it. Population of around 40 million, all the checkouts at all the stores are computerized, every family has one, all the offices have several. Easily 50 million machines.”
  1357. “You’re trying to figure out how much computer power they have?”
  1358. >”Sure. All the commercially available models are practically identical, remember?”
  1359. >That’s right!
  1360. >The more expensive models just let the user access more power to give the illusion of choice!
  1361. >”They rushed them to market instead of a gradual release. Twilight probably started the brute force plan around then, had to get them out ASAP to get the job started. At that point they were already manufacturing them for private use, faster and easier to put them on market and siphon the excess cycles than to make a centralized system.”
  1362. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
  1363. >”So zero to 50 million in… first models hit the shelves about a year ago? Can’t say how many were out on average but 25 million’s a decent guess. So 25 million processors running for a year at a little over a teraflop. So it does 25 million trillion floating point ops per second every second for a whole year.”
  1364. “25 million TRILLION?”
  1365. >Bon-Bon gave a curt nod.
  1366. “As in, 25 quintillion?”
  1367. >Another curt nod.
  1368. “Per SECOND?”
  1369. >”Well,, they aren’t going to get ALL of that. Just most of it. I get why Twilight wanted them out there. Using a swarm of computers was a really good idea.”
  1370. “For a YEAR!”
  1371. >”How many seconds in a year? Ah, whatever. Point is that they can search through that stuff way faster than we ever could. I can’t hope to keep up. So either that IS the solution and they’re already doing more than I could possibly hope to match.”
  1372. “Or they’re barking up the wrong tree. Might as well assume they’re wrong, because otherwise there’s nothing we can do anyway.”
  1373. >”Right. I have to assume that their search is bad in some way. Need to know a bit more about how they’re searching.”
  1374. “Twilight sent out a memo-”
  1375. >A rambly and unhinged memo.
  1376. “Saying something a lot like that. Telling her crew that they were wrong about something, a bad axiom or something like that.”
  1377. >”Hmm. Do you know what they decided on?”
  1378. >Lyra shook her head.
  1379. “I sorta stopped paying attention to her because the world was coming to an end.”
  1380. >”Alright. I need to go and find out what she’s searching for. Thanks Lyra.”
  1381. “No. Not I. We.”
  1382. >Bon-Bon stared at her.
  1383. >The shocked look of one who’d stepped on a rake and had the handle bash them on the muzzle, only to explode into doves.
  1384. “I’m helping you. No buts.”
  1385. >”But-”
  1386. “No.”
  1387. >”You might get in trouble.”
  1388. >Lyra shrugged.
  1389. “I mean, I DID take a swing at Luna last time we were locked up in a hospital. Can’t be much worse than that.”
  1390. >”You might not like what we find out.”
  1391. “I seldom do.”
  1392. >”And it’s going to be hard to even get our hooves on that data.”
  1393. “Celestia says I’m cleared. Don’t worry, Bonny. You don’t have to fight this alone. I’m going to be right there, by your side.”
  1394. >Bon-Bon gave her a warm smile.
  1395. >”Alright. Thank you. As soon as they let us out of here we’ll start trying to solve this puzzle. I’m not sure we’ll be able to figure it out, but-.”
  1396. “I am. The two of us together? That stuff doesn’t stand a chance.”
  1397. >”Right!”
  1398. >Silence.
  1399. >Two minutes passed, according to the clock.
  1400. >So maybe two and a half minutes?
  1401. >All these modern marvels and they still couldn’t track time.
  1402. >It was really annoying.
  1403. “So… aren’t you going to ask me how I knew all that stuff?”
  1404. >Bon-Bon started pawing at the ground furtively.
  1405. >”I didn’t wanna seem nosy.”
  1406. “Well, I was worried about you. So I maaaay have gotten into some, let’s say, extralegal adventures.”
  1407. >”What. You expect me to believe that you went rogue and started spying on your own state, digging up all their deepest and darkest secrets despite the best efforts of a ruthless intelligence organization with unlimited funding and centuries of experience in subverting and misleading the public?”
  1408. “To be fair, they were stretched pretty thin at the time.”
  1409. >Bon-Bon couldn’t help but chuckle.
  1410. >”You’re even more awesome than I thought! Tell me all about it!”
  1411. >She jumped up on Lyra’s bed and leaned in close.
  1412. “Well, alright. It all started when I was waiting for that book to come in the mail…”
  1413.  
  1414. * * * * *
  1415. >Light.
  1416. >At once well understood and mysterious.
  1417. >Familiar and alien.
  1418. >An energy that nigh on everypony has known since the day of their birth, yet one that hardly anyone understands.
  1419. >Neither wave nor particle, yet seemingly both.
  1420. >A phenomenon that moulds itself depending on its observer's perspective, that has momentum without mass, a wondrous miracle that-
  1421. >”Stop staring at the sun, Lyra.”
  1422. “My eyes hurt.”
  1423. >Bon-Bon couldn’t help but giggle.
  1424. >She and Lyra moseyed down the empty streets of Ponyville, radiance shining down upon them from above.
  1425. “It’s been too long since I’ve been outside. I missed the sun.”
  1426. >”It is a mighty nice day.”
  1427. >Bon-Bon seemed less excited.
  1428. “I thought you’d be even happier than me. You’ve been cooped up for a lot longer.”
  1429. >”Yeah. Just… I have some memories about bright lights.”
  1430. >Bright lights?
  1431. >What kind of light could bother her?
  1432. >Oh.
  1433. >The giant orbiting death lasers.
  1434. “Wasn’t Helios on your side?”
  1435. >”Weapons don’t have a side.”
  1436. “Okay, but didn’t you control it?”
  1437. >Bon-Bon grimaced.
  1438. >”I DID. Now I don’t. If that thing isn’t destroyed, it’s going to be used eventually. It’s going to fall into the wrong hooves, yet I cannot afford to sabotage it.”
  1439. >Lyra shrugged at her.
  1440. “I dunno. Luna may be mean and all, but I don’t think she’d vaporize a city. Well, not without a good reason.”
  1441. >”I wasn’t talking about Luna.”
  1442. >Uh oh.
  1443. “Who?”
  1444. >”I dunno. It might not happen at all, but still. Security breaches happen.”
  1445. >Especially when Lyra was around.
  1446. >”It was just too easy, y’know? Press a couple buttons, turn a key, swipe a keycard, and everything’s on fire. That thing should be classified as a Keres class threat, marked for immediate neutralization. Even if it could only go off ONCE instead of recharging, we’d have joint action between cells working around the clock to handle it.”
  1447. >She let out a deep sigh.
  1448. >”Now you tell me there are supposed to be two of them.”
  1449. “There’s supposed to be more, actually. They want to be able to fire it every single day. They’re just not ready yet.”
  1450. >”Every day…”
  1451. >She sounded distant somehow.
  1452. >”A weapon that can vaporize a city in a flash, every single day, sitting out of reach.”
  1453. >Bon-Bon swallowed.
  1454. >”Pointed right at us.”
  1455. “Well, when you put it like that it sounds pretty bad.”
  1456. >”And the nuclear arsenal is even worse.”
  1457. “You don’t have to worry about that. They all got messed up.”
  1458. >”They’ll be replaced soon enough.”
  1459. >Lyra couldn’t deny that.
  1460. “Aren’t you used to being around dangerous things though? Why are these so different?”
  1461. >”What do arrows, spears, teeth, and claws all have in common?”
  1462. >Eh?
  1463. >What kind of question was that?
  1464. “They’re all pointy?”
  1465. >”They can only hurt one pony at a time.
  1466. >That really didn’t seem like such a big deal to Lyra.
  1467. “I mean, yeah. They can do a lot of badness all at once, but there aren’t that many of them. The demons would be much worse just because of how many there are.”
  1468. >”I suppose. But still, it bothers me. This is something new.”
  1469. “It’s not the devil you know?”
  1470. >”That was a terrible joke.”
  1471. “You know you liked it.”
  1472. >A faint smile.
  1473. >”I’m just going to have to learn to live with it. Not like we can afford to not have them anymore.”
  1474. “Nothing’s going to happen, just relax!”
  1475. >”Oh, it’s going to happen alright. Cadence is not a good pick for that job.”
  1476. “I like her.”
  1477. >”Oh, so do I! She’s a really nice pony with a big heart.”
  1478. “The one on her butt?”
  1479. >”The very same. But you can’t have nice ponies in charge of this stuff, you have to have strong ponies. The kind that bullies everyone around them until they do everything exactly by the book. The kind that has no friends and no family.”
  1480. ”Why that last one?”
  1481. >”Nopony to threaten. Twilight Sparkle’s pretty bad for confidential stuff too, come to think of it. Threaten her friends and you have all the leverage you need. I mean, you’d have to be a pretty big jerk to threaten them. Especially Fluttershy, she’s just too nice.”
  1482. >Lyra blushed and looked away.
  1483. >There was no way Bon-Bon knew.
  1484. >Right?
  1485. >”But it’d work. And desperate ponies do crazy things. If you want security you need a jerk that pushes everyone away and is too strong willed to ever bend.”
  1486. “Babbling Brook?”
  1487. >”Yeah, someone like him. He’d be perfect if he were younger.”
  1488. “We should go to the princesses with these issues. Celestia owes me a favor.”
  1489. >”Didn’t you say she’d already paid that off?”
  1490. “Oh come on. I saved her life!”
  1491. >”You also threatened to blow her up.”
  1492. “That’s beside the point.”
  1493. >Lyra waved dismissively.
  1494. “I’m sure she’d be interested in making Equestria safer.”
  1495. >”Worth a shot I suppose. I’ll get ahold of her right away- wait. I can’t use the usual channels anymore. How do normal ponies seek an audience with the princess?”
  1496. “Waiting in line.”
  1497. >”I can do that.”
  1498. “For about eight months.”
  1499. >Bon-Bon pouted.
  1500. “I reckon we can get a more direct line. She said she was going to get ahold of me soon anyway.”
  1501. >”Oh? Why?”
  1502. “Well, I’m supposed to be briefed on what I can and can’t do with their secrets.”
  1503. >”Wait.”
  1504. >Bon-Bon stopped mid-step.
  1505. >She grabbed Lyra by the neck and dragged her back.
  1506. >”That hasn’t happened yet?”
  1507. “No?”
  1508. >”So it’s not too late!”
  1509. >She gripped Lyra WAY too tightly.
  1510. >”Look, Lyra, there’s a process to all that.”
  1511. “You’re scaring me.”
  1512. >”They use bizarre magicks to keep their secrets.”
  1513. “Wait, did you just pronounce magic with a K?”
  1514. >”A FOUL curse that binds the mouth, that renders dumb any loosened tongue.”
  1515. >What the hay was going on?
  1516. >She whispered into Lyra’s ear.
  1517. >”We’re being followed.”
  1518. >Lyra quickly looked around in a panic.
  1519. >Bon-Bon’s face met her hoof.
  1520. >”Don’t look around.”
  1521. “Where? Where are they?”
  1522. >”Up. But don’t-”
  1523. >Lyra spotted a tail ducking behind a cloud.
  1524. >”Look. Well, that didn’t go very well.”
  1525. “Sorry…”
  1526. >”It’s fine.”
  1527. >Was it?
  1528. “So you were-”
  1529. >Bon-Bon shook her head subtly.
  1530. >Message received.
  1531. >They’d have to finish that talk later.
  1532. “Do you know who they were?”
  1533. >”Probably S.M.I.L.E. if I had to guess. With a dishonorable discharge I’m going to be considered a potential threat.”
  1534. “Really? That seems terribly unfair.”
  1535. >”Well, I DID kinda shoot a princess.”
  1536. >Bon-Bon looked a tad sheepish as she spoke.
  1537. “Are they going to do anything?”
  1538. >”Not if they know what’s good for them.”
  1539. >She turned and stared at the cloud.
  1540. >”YOU HEAR THAT YOU DINGUS? LEAVE ME ALONE AND YOU GET TO KEEP YOUR TEETH!”
  1541. >She shook her hoof angrily at the cloud.
  1542. “Bonny! Calm down!”
  1543. >”Just warning them off.”
  1544. “Yeah, but do you really want a repeat of last time? When the headline was Grumpy Mare Yells at Cloud?”
  1545. >”Cloud Kicker cut in line! Was I just supposed to ignore them?”
  1546. “You made a scene.”
  1547. >”It was just a slow news day. Besides, there’s nopony else around. We can’t make a scene if we’re all alone.”
  1548. >Lyra looked around.
  1549. >It was true.
  1550. >She hadn’t even noticed until a moment ago, but the streets were completely empty!
  1551. “Where is everypony?”
  1552. >”At home, probably.”
  1553. “But we’re right in the middle of the city! There’s concrete everywhere, there are heaps of litter in the alleyways- this place is usually so busy you can’t walk!”
  1554. >”Ponies are scared. And when they’re scared they stay where they feel safe.”
  1555. “Their homes can’t protect them from this stuff!”
  1556. >”True, but don’t tell them that. Celestia’s got enough work cut out for her already.”
  1557. >It was surreal.
  1558. >A major metropolis, reduced to a ghost town.
  1559. >It had been weeks since Lyra had last seen the streets of Ponyville, yet somehow it felt like just last night.
  1560. >A massive throng of life and laughter, now naught but wind.
  1561. “It’s actually kinda nice.”
  1562. >”Yeah, it really is refreshing. Nopony breathing on you or anything.”
  1563. ”Think this’ll last?”
  1564. >”For a little while, at least. But sooner or later it’ll have to go back to normal. There’s work that has to be done whether they’re scared or not.”
  1565. >A terrible yet undeniable truth.
  1566. >Not everything had been automated, life could not continue without labor.
  1567. >Tens of millions of ponies gripped by existential terror.
  1568. >Far too many families rent asunder by tragedy.
  1569. >And yet, they would not be afforded a chance to recover.
  1570. >Infrastructure would crumble, logistics on critical supplies would break down, water would dry up, medicines would run out of stock…
  1571. >Equestria needed a chance to mourn.
  1572. >A chance that was not to come.
  1573. >The passage of time was ever cruel.
  1574. >”I do not envy Celestia right now. She needs to get things back to normal right away to get ready for the Tide.”
  1575. “But they’ll never be normal again. All this uncertainty coming from without, and now she doesn’t even know how Equestria will behave.
  1576. >”You probably know her better than I do. Think she can get things running again?”
  1577. >Lyra shook her head.
  1578. “Not a chance. She once described Equestria as a powder keg floating in a sea of nitroglycerine.”
  1579. >”That bad?”
  1580. “Nopony can smooth this one over. Not a chance. But…”
  1581. >Bon-Bon tilted her head.
  1582. “She’s got a way with words, and a calming presence. Nopony can do this, but she’ll get close. Couple of years down the road once the panic has started to wear down we might just have normalcy again.”
  1583. >”Couple of years. That’s not so bad, the bunker should be stocked well enough for that.”
  1584. “What bunker?”
  1585. >”We should be able to take in D and her foal too. Hay, if the hydroponics work we could last a decade.”
  1586. “What are you talking about? Actually, never mind. I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
  1587. >”It’s nice to have a backup plan.”
  1588. “True, but we can’t just hide. I assume your bunker can’t handle that.”
  1589. >”Nope. It was designed for conventional explosives, not alien gizmos.”
  1590. >She chewed on her lip for a bit.
  1591. >”Maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud. You never know who’s listening.”
  1592. >Lyra couldn’t help but notice a few furtive glances being cast about.
  1593. >Bon-Bon was still on guard, her gait awkward from carrying too much weight on the back hooves.
  1594. >Ready to pounce at some unseen threat.
  1595. “It’s okay. He’s not here.”
  1596. >”I know. He’s gone. Dead and gone.”
  1597. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”
  1598. >”Nope. That loser’s in my past.”
  1599. >Her muscles were still tense.
  1600. >Something to work on.
  1601. >Perhaps it would be best to distract her?
  1602. “So… what’cha gonna do when we get home?”
  1603. >”Check a few things, maybe grab a snack, then take a nap in my own bed!”
  1604. >And just like that, she was beaming.
  1605. >”I can’t wait!”
  1606. “That sounds really nice actually. I’m sick of boiled hay or whatever that mush was. And having my own bed would be mighty nice. Oh, but what are we going to eat?”
  1607. >”Bound to be something lying around.”
  1608. “I’m not so sure. It’s been a minute since either of us was there. We sorta left abruptly.”
  1609. >They would find out soon enough.
  1610. >Home sweet home was pulling into view. The door was open.
  1611. >Lyra’s blood ran cold.
  1612. >Bon-Bon pushed her way in front, gesturing with her muzzle for Lyra to stay back.
  1613. >The former agent flowed more than walked as she approached the door, somehow making it there at nigh on a sprint without making so much as a whisper.
  1614. >She propped herself up by the entrance, and took a few deep breaths.
  1615. >Lyra’s horn was nearly humming with energy, Aquarius itself having been summoned in her time of need.
  1616. >Whoever the intruder was, Bon-Bon would not have to fight alone.
  1617. >Bon-Bon threw herself into the doorway just as a huge gust of wind kicked up.
  1618. >A pillow was caught by the air, and flung into her face.
  1619. >”Eh?”
  1620. >She peeled it off herself with a dazed look.
  1621. >”Where’s the danger?”
  1622. >Lyra walked up to the front, letting her magic slip away.
  1623. “Maybe they’re already gone? The break-in could have been a while ago.”
  1624. >Bon-Bon walked in, head swivelling to check every corner at once.
  1625. >”No, that doesn’t make sense. If an intruder had come in they’d have set off at least one of the traps.”
  1626. >She inspected what Lyra had thought to be an ordinary rug.
  1627. >”Glue bomb’s still there.”
  1628. “Glue bomb?”
  1629. >”Good for immobilizing all sorts of intruders. From werewolves to flash bees to pot bellied ligers.”
  1630. “Ligers? In my living room?”
  1631. >”It’s more likely than you’d think.”
  1632. >Whatever had happened, Lyra was pretty sure it wasn’t a large cat.
  1633. >A fairly thorough inspection showed that their home was more or less intact.
  1634. >Something smelled gross, sure, but otherwise everything was totally normal.
  1635. >A quick look didn’t show any signs of force on the front door, none of the windows were pried open or broken.
  1636. >It was almost like nopony had broken their home at all.
  1637. “Oh. Hehehe…”
  1638. >”Hm?”
  1639. >Bon-Bon turned on their computer to reveal a scene of their front door.
  1640. >”Whoever it was they’re gone. Camera’s still working, might have caught the intruder.”
  1641. “I don’t think you’re going to find anything on it.”
  1642. >”Why not? Were they invisible?”
  1643. “I think I might have forgotten to close the door when I left?”
  1644. >Bon-Bon blinked twice.
  1645. “And the pillow that we found was the one you put under me before running off.”
  1646. >”That was like, almost a month ago.”
  1647. “Yep.”
  1648. >”And you’re saying the front door has been open ever since?”
  1649. >Lyra smiled apologetically.
  1650. >”Wow. I can hardly believe it.”
  1651. “Look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly, I didn’t have much time-”
  1652. >”A whole month and nothing got ransacked!”
  1653. “And I thought you were dead and- right! All that time and everything’s fine!”
  1654. >Bon-Bon swelled up with pride.
  1655. >”We’re so secure that nopony even tried! And it’s all because of you.”
  1656. “Wait, me? How did I do this?”
  1657. >”You fought off an invading army-”
  1658. “A gross exaggeration.”
  1659. >”And overpowered the entire royal guard! Every two bit crook in Equestria knows not to mess with you.”
  1660. >Lyra blushed.
  1661. >”Yep. You’d have to be pretty darn stupid to test my Lyra.”
  1662. “Look, that’s not really-”
  1663. >Lyra let out a defeated sigh.
  1664. “Yeah. I suppose that is my reputation now.”
  1665. >”Hm? What’s wrong?”
  1666. “It’s nothing.”
  1667. >“It’s not nothing.”
  1668. >She rubbed her chin.
  1669. >”Not happy with your infamy?”
  1670. “Nope.”
  1671. >”Miss being known as the goofy one?”
  1672. “Yep.”
  1673. >”Wanna put this whole thing behind you?”
  1674. >Lyra nodded.
  1675. >”Well, um, err…”
  1676. >Lyra waited patiently for whatever calming words or sage advice might come.
  1677. >Bon-Bon had been dealing with things like this for years!
  1678. >She had to know something!
  1679. >”There’s really not that much we can do about it. Ponies will get used to you eventually though.”
  1680. “Not really what I’d wanted to hear.”
  1681. >”I know.”
  1682. >Bon-Bon’s ears went all floppy to compliment her frown.
  1683. >”I’m sorry, Lyra. but that’s how it works. You made a difference, you changed the course of history for the better. And somepony saw you do it. Ponies won’t forget you overnight.”
  1684. “It’s sorta funny. Some ponies worry that they don’t matter, they’re worst fear is that they’ll be forgotten. Me? I wish they WOULD forget.”
  1685. >”Yeah. Everypony wants to be a hero, right up until they are one.”
  1686. “Hero? Who, me?”
  1687. >Bon-Bon shrugged.
  1688. >”Well, heroine. Whatever. But yeah. You’re a heroine to them.”
  1689. >Lyra didn’t feel like one.
  1690. >Princess Celestia had been right.
  1691. >She’d done terrible things to get this far, and threatened what little stability there was left.
  1692. >Lying, cheating, stealing, assault, treason-
  1693. >”No. Wipe that look off your face.”
  1694. >Bon-Bon pat Lyra on the head a couple of times.
  1695. “I’m no heroine.”
  1696. >”Lyra. Right now there are ponies out there that want to be just like you when they grow up.”
  1697. “Name one.”
  1698. >”Dinky.”
  1699. >Lyra raised an eyebrow.
  1700. “I think she wants to be like her mom.”
  1701. >”Naa, she wants to be like you. You saved her AND her mom, you’re probably the second best pony ever in her eyes.”
  1702. “Right, but wouldn’t she want to be like the first best pony ever?”
  1703. >”Kinda hard to be D without the wings. Or the eyes.”
  1704. >That was actually a fair point.
  1705. >”Unicorns will want to be as good with magic as you are. That’s something to be proud of.”
  1706. “How do you know all this?”
  1707. >”Just trust me.”
  1708. >Lyra was still skeptical.
  1709. >There was nothing glorious about what she’d done, nothing heroic.
  1710. >The bloodshed still bothered her, lurking just below the surface of consciousness.
  1711. >”Well, I’m hungry. I think I’ll go get something to eat. Want anything?”
  1712. >No.
  1713. >Lyra’s appetite was long gone.
  1714. “Sure, just bring whatever you’re having.”
  1715. >Lyra sat on the couch, feeling far older than she had an hour ago.
  1716. >She’d been happy before, fitting into the background.
  1717. >Lyra couldn’t help but appreciate the irony.
  1718. >Back then she’d yearned for adventure and intrigue.
  1719. >She’d relished in those stupid novels, wishing to be part of her own secret agent’s double life.
  1720. >The tension, the excitement, the flare!
  1721. >Now she had it all, her dream realized and then some.
  1722. >She wanted none of it.
  1723. >It was like biting into a shiny apple with the rich taste of ash.
  1724. >Lyra heard a terrified shriek.
  1725. >All at once, the house shook, there was a horrific crashing noise, and the lights went out.
  1726. >Lyra ran to the source of the cacophony to find Bon-Bon doubled over, panting.
  1727. >Surrounded by rubble.
  1728. >In front of a massive hole in the wall where the fridge used to be.
  1729. “Are you hurt? What happened?”
  1730. >”I just… I thought I…”
  1731. >She started trembling.
  1732. >Something had scared the bejeezus out of her.
  1733. >Lyra cautiously crawled out of the hole in the wall and approached the twisted wreckage that used to be a refrigerator.
  1734. >A foul odour.
  1735. >Month old rotten leftovers from their last meal at home.
  1736. >Bon-Bon must have had an episode, brought on by the unexpected smell of decay.
  1737. “Poor girl. And here I was caught up in my own problems.’
  1738. >Lyra returned to the quivering wreck and held her close.
  1739. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.”
  1740. >”Yeah.”
  1741. >She sounded out of breath.
  1742. >”I think I’m going to go hide in the panic room for a bit. If that’s okay with you.”
  1743. “Of course! Wait. We have a panic room?”
  1744. >”Basement, behind a false wall. Haven’t you ever wondered why our basement is so much smaller than the upstairs?”
  1745. “Oh. Actually, yeah.”
  1746. >Lyra had totally forgotten about that.
  1747. “Alright. I’ll go with you, don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”
  1748. >”Heh. Hehehe.”
  1749. “What is it?”
  1750. >”I’m just thinking how lucky I am. That it was Decay instead of Terror.”
  1751. >Bon-Bon scrambled to her hooves on shaky legs.
  1752. >”How scared would I be then? Hehe…”
  1753. >Lyra did not see the humor in it.
  1754.  
  1755. * * * * *
  1756. >Lyra assessed her surroundings once more, in the hopes that they’d changed.
  1757. >There wasn’t much to say about the panic room, not much good anyway.
  1758. >Barren concrete and steel, furnished only with stacks of dehydrated foods and bottles of water.
  1759. >And weapons.
  1760. >So many weapons.
  1761. >Crates full of grenades of all things, heaps of firearms unceremoniously shoved in the corner, both gauss and chemical propulsion.
  1762. >Munitions of several calibers, most labelled as explosive-
  1763. >What was that?
  1764. >Pill bottles.
  1765. >Stimulants.
  1766. >Lyra couldn’t help but notice some of the bottles had been opened.
  1767. >She levitated one, feeling its heft.
  1768. >Empty.
  1769. >This place wasn’t just a panic room, it was an armory!
  1770. >One fit for a small militia, not a single pony!
  1771. “Is it really safe to have all these things lying around?”
  1772. >She looked to Bon-Bon for an answer.
  1773. >The poor wretch was shivering, sniffling, and holding something close to herself.
  1774. >Lyra stepped in for a closer look.
  1775. >It was just a burlap sack.
  1776. >What did it contain?
  1777. “Are we even legally allowed to have this stuff?”
  1778. >She didn’t answer.
  1779. >Instead, she just stared intently into middle space.
  1780. ”Bonny?”
  1781. >”Light and dark entwined in a hateful shell, the shape of cruelty, the colour of madness!”
  1782. >She reached for something that wasn’t there, teeth grinding fiercely.
  1783. >Was this another episode?
  1784. >Lyra placed a hoof on Bon-Bon’s head.
  1785. >The scream echoed for what felt like hours.
  1786. “Sorry.”
  1787. >Lyra wasn’t entirely sure she’d actually spoken.
  1788. >The ringing in her ears was more vivid than the words spilling from her lips.
  1789. >Bon-Bon leaned against her, putting far too much weight on Lyra’s barrel.
  1790. >She was sweating something fierce.
  1791. >It wasn’t all that warm in here…
  1792. “You okay?”
  1793. >”Yeah.”
  1794. >She wheezed more than spoke.
  1795. “No, you aren’t.”
  1796. >”I’m just- I’m fine. Just give me a minute or two.”
  1797. >Lyra grimaced, unsatisfied with the answer.
  1798. “I don’t think it’s good for you to be near all this stuff.”
  1799. >”I need it to keep us safe.”
  1800. >Did she?
  1801. >From what Lyra could tell, there were very few things that could stand up to the pony before her.
  1802. “What’s going to argue with your hooves?”
  1803. >”You wouldn’t understand. You’re a unicorn.”
  1804. “What’s that got to do with it?”
  1805. >Bon-Bon stared at her, empty eyes failing to shine in the fluorescent lighting.
  1806. >”What would you do to fend off a flying opponent?”
  1807. “Uh… all sorts of things? I dunno.”
  1808. >”How about a swarm of thousands of enemies?”
  1809. “Eruption maybe?”
  1810. >”And what if you engage something that can outrun you?”
  1811. >Lyra bit her tongue.
  1812. >She’d been about to ask how likely that was to happen.
  1813. >Odds are it had happened, and often.
  1814. >”If I can’t reach it, I can’t stop it. That’s why I need these things.”
  1815. “He’s not here.”
  1816. >”I know.”
  1817. “He’s gone forever. You beat him. YOU were stronger than him.”
  1818. >No answer.
  1819. >She just shuddered.
  1820. >It was hard to imagine any monstrosity that could best Bon-Bon.
  1821. >There was no real danger.
  1822. >But…
  1823. >It was real to her.
  1824. “We should leave as soon as you’re ready. All these things are just reminders, they’re making it worse.”
  1825. >To Lyra’s surprise and delight, her suggestion was met with a nod.
  1826. >”Look at me. I’m a joke. A- a cowardly foal hiding behind their tail.”
  1827. “Hay, none of that. No coward would have faced that head on! You’re very brave.”
  1828. >”Brave ponies don’t look for the nearest satchel charge every time they smell something funny.”
  1829. >She threw the bag violently against the wall.
  1830. “Satchel charge? I feel like I’ve heard that term before. Ah, whatever.”
  1831. >Couldn’t be any more dangerous than the other stuff here.
  1832. >”Let’s go.”
  1833. >Bon-Bon stood up too swiftly and shoved the door open.
  1834. “Wait, so suddenly?”
  1835. >”There’s no reason to be here. It’s stupid.”
  1836. >She marched out and started climbing out of the basement before Lyra could react.
  1837. >By the time Lyra had caught up, Bon-Bon was already outside.
  1838. >Surveying what remained of their lawn.
  1839. >”Weather schedule’s been all over this year, and we haven’t been around much to take care of it.”
  1840. >She poked at it haphazardly, feeling the dry soil crumble at her touch.
  1841. “We can get it resodded.”
  1842. >”Actually, about that. Would it be okay if I planted a garden?”
  1843. >Lyra stared at her vacantly.
  1844. >”I know, I’m not the best at gardening. Never mind, it was a stupid idea.”
  1845. “No, I think it’s a great idea! What are you thinking of planting?”
  1846. >”I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. What grows well in this climate?”
  1847. “Uh… plants? I guess? I mean, what all gets grown around here? Apples, carrots, celery stalks…”
  1848. >”Colourful flowers too!”
  1849. “Oh yeah! The flower trio grow their stuff locally. Maybe we could ask them for advice?”
  1850. >”Do you think they’d mind? I don’t want them thinking I’m cutting into their business.”
  1851. >Lyra shrugged.
  1852. “I mean, if we get our stuff from them it shouldn’t be so bad. Besides, it’s not like we’re setting up a huge operation here.”
  1853. >She seemed fine.
  1854. >Just a few minutes ago she was totally out of it.
  1855. >This had to be an act.
  1856. >Right?
  1857. >”They might get a bit suspicious. If I’m going to do this I want to do it right. With, like… watering cans? That’s a thing, right?”
  1858. “When I was snooping around I saw lots of AJ’s stuff. She’s got these pipes going through her fields that leak just a little bit to mist the stuff around them, automatic watering. We could probably set something like that up here with a smaller scale. Maybe just get some hoses and poke tiny holes in them?”
  1859. >Bon-Bon was rubbing her chin in thought, a faint grin on her face.
  1860. >”The holes would probably spread over time, even if we regulate the pressure they won’t be designed to handle that kind of stress. I wonder how long they’d last? I’ve got a few contacts that might know.”
  1861. “You have hose contacts?”
  1862. >”Hydroelectric dam had a petramite problem a while back. Met a few engineers who specialize in fluid dynamics, not quite a hose specialist but they probably know more than we do.”
  1863. >Huh.
  1864. “That doesn’t sound so dangerous. Well, except for the part where the dam could have burst.”
  1865. >Actually, that’s pretty darn dangerous!
  1866. >Had her standards gotten so out of whack?
  1867. >”It wasn’t. Petramite eggs take years to hatch and are as big as a peach pit. We had no trouble rounding them up, that problem normally wouldn’t have reached us except that they needed specialists to assess the damage.”
  1868. >She shrugged.
  1869. >”Turned out it was perfectly safe for work crews to move in and patch it up, we just didn’t know that yet.”
  1870. >Huh.
  1871. >So it wasn’t all apocalyptic for them.
  1872. >That was good to hear.
  1873. >”They might be able to suggest the best kind of hose for this scheme.”
  1874. “Say, what if we just used pipes? If AJ’s using them they have to be good for a fair while. I don’t know much about metallurgy but they seem to have found a solution for rusting.”
  1875. >”Pipes? Naa, that’d be awkward. Hard to move, we’d have to step over them all the time.”
  1876. “No, like, we bury them.”
  1877. >Bon-Bon stared at Lyra as though she were seeing a new colour for the first time.
  1878. >”But how would the plants get the water if it’s underground?”
  1879. “Roots.”
  1880. >A vacant expression was her only answer.
  1881. “Wow. You really don’t know much about plants, do you?”
  1882. >”I know a lot about carnivorous plants. Oh! And herbicides!”
  1883. >Of course she did.
  1884. “Well, plants have this part that goes underground called a root, and-”
  1885. >”HIT THE DECK!”
  1886. >Bon-Bon pulled Lyra to the ground as a horrendous whooshing noise shot by.
  1887. >A bunch of loose soil shot into the air blocking out the sun.
  1888. >”Derp.”
  1889. >”Oh, heya D.”
  1890. >Bon-Bon and Lyra disentangled from each, coming face to butt with a bubbly pegasus who’s head was firmly lodged underground.
  1891. “You okay?”
  1892. >Lyra started to use her magic to disinter her friend.
  1893. >Bon-Bon grabbed Derpy’s tail with her teeth and started to pull.
  1894. >Before long she burst out of the ground with a satisfying pop.
  1895. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
  1896. >”What’s a finger?”
  1897. >She was fine.
  1898. >Bon-Bon wasn’t done yet though.
  1899. >”A protruding organ of manipulation and sensation found in bipeds.”
  1900. >”Oh! So one.”
  1901. >Uh…
  1902. >Bon-Bon shared a nervous glance with Lyra.
  1903. >”Zero.”
  1904. >”What about her horn?”
  1905. “I’m not a biped though.”
  1906. >”I’ve seen you walking on two legs plenty of times.”
  1907. >”That’s actually a good point.”
  1908. “No it’s not!”
  1909. >”Sure it is! D here is secretly a genius.”
  1910. “But-”
  1911. >”You can feel stuff with your horn, right?”
  1912. “I mean, yeah? It’s pretty sensitive to magic and stuff.”
  1913. >”And you can move stuff with it.”
  1914. “Not with the horn itself, I use magic through the horn.”
  1915. >”That’s like saying D doesn’t use her wings to fly, she uses air.”
  1916. >”Or like saying Bon-Bon doesn’t pick stuff up with her teeth, she uses the electroweak interaction.”
  1917. >The what now?
  1918. >Bon-Bon gestured vaguely at Lyra’s forehead.
  1919. >”That thing’s a finger if ever there was.”
  1920. >Lyra turned her head in a vain attempt to hide her horn.
  1921. “So, ahem, how’ve you been?”
  1922. >Lyra offered a sheepish smile in the hopes that she’d managed to change the topic.
  1923. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
  1924. >”Oh right!”
  1925. >Derpy’s eyes focused remarkably well.
  1926. >”Are you two all better now?”
  1927. >”Close enough.”
  1928. >”That’s a relief. When I heard that you two had the plague again I was so worried! They say it’s getting worse.”
  1929. >Lyra had heard that.
  1930. “Yeah, it’s resistant to drugs now.”
  1931. >”No, not just that.”
  1932. >Eh?
  1933. >”It’s getting harder and harder for the doctors to keep the fever in check.”
  1934. “Why not just use ice packs? That’s what they did for me.”
  1935. >”They are, and also soaking ponies in cold water!”
  1936. >”Actually, that kinda makes sense.”
  1937. >This didn’t sound good.
  1938. >”If that disease was dependent on magic in any way it’ll start behaving differently now that its master is gone.”
  1939. “Wouldn’t it get LESS dangerous though?”
  1940. >Bon-Bon shook her head.
  1941. >”A successful disease has to be able to spread. If it wipes out its host too quickly it’ll go extinct. He might have been regulating it when it hit a vulnerable population.”
  1942. “So why didn’t we have it that bad?”
  1943. >”We’ve been infected before. We should have natural resistance or even immunity. Honestly, the fact that we didn’t just shrug it off should have been a sign that something was wrong.”
  1944. “Oh. That could be really bad then. Oh dear.”
  1945. >”The Canterlot Center for Containment and Control of Contagions doesn’t mess around. They’ll keep it locked down.”
  1946. “Yeah, I met a few ponies from the quintuple C. You did too, but you were in pretty bad shape so you might not remember.”
  1947. >”Not really.”
  1948. >”So how did you two get infected anyway?”
  1949. >Dangit, D.
  1950. >This was going to be awkward.
  1951. “Well-”
  1952. >Bon-Bon cut in.
  1953. >”I was visiting family in Appleoosa. A bunch of ponies flew in and ordered everypony to evacuate right away, we had no idea why at the time. Might have caught it from them?”
  1954. “Yeah, that!”
  1955. >”Right, but how did Lyra-”
  1956. “What brings you to our part of town?”
  1957. >”Oh! I was here to take in your newspaper!”
  1958. >Lyra blinked twice.
  1959. “Take in the newspaper?”
  1960. >”Yup! That way nopony would know you weren’t home!”
  1961. >Oh.
  1962. “Well, that’s very sweet of you. Thanks, D.”
  1963. >Derpy beamed at them.
  1964. “Yeah, there are no newspapers lying around. I actually hadn’t even noticed. But I do have one quick question.”
  1965. >”Yes?”
  1966. “If you were trying to keep ponies from knowing we were away, why didn’t you close the door?”
  1967. >Derpy raised a hoof and opened her mouth to explain.
  1968. >She held that pose for an uncomfortably long period of time before crossing her eyes in confusion and rubbing her chin.
  1969. >”Why didn’t I do that? Huh. That would have been a really good idea.”
  1970. “Oh well, turns out you didn’t have to. As far as we can tell nopony did anything funny while we were out. Your newspaper fetching worked!”
  1971. >”Oh, that’s good to hear. I’m glad I could help!”
  1972. >She looked around Lyra.
  1973. >”But if nothing went wrong why did your house explode?”
  1974. >”Baking accident. I was making éclaires.”
  1975. >A blank expression.
  1976. “Eclaire is fancy for lightning.”
  1977. >”Oooh. I get it.”
  1978. >”It’s pronounced éclaire.”
  1979. “We’ve gone over this, I’m not going to be able to say it right.”
  1980. >”Yeah, I know. Just wanted to set the record straight.”
  1981. >”Oh wow. I didn’t know that Bon-Bon spoke fancy.”
  1982. >”Vraiment? C’est mon premier langue.”
  1983. >Fancy was her first language?
  1984. >Lyra knew for a fact that was a lie.
  1985. >Probably part of her cover story though, what with the name.
  1986. “You wouldn’t know it from talking to her, but when we met she had a bit of a fancy accent.”
  1987. >”A bit? It was pretty thick.”
  1988. >”Oh wow. I had no idea. Say, do you know Fleur de Lis?”
  1989. >Bon-Bon rolled her eyes.
  1990. >”Not everypony who speaks fancy knows each other.”
  1991. >”Oh. Sorry.”
  1992. >”But as a matter of fact I do. She’s even faker than most ponies think.”
  1993. >”Really?”
  1994. >”Yeah.”
  1995. >Bon-Bon leaned in close and whispered into Derpy’s ear.
  1996. >”She had a horn extension.”
  1997. >Derpy recoiled in shock.
  1998. >”Oh my goodness!”
  1999. >”You need to promise to tell everypony though.”
  2000. >”I won’t say a word! Wait. Say that again?”
  2001. >”Tell EVERYPONY. I’m so sick of her attitude! Thinking she’s better than the rest of us because she’s rich. Stupid aristocrat.”
  2002. >Lyra whispered into Bon-Bon’s ear.
  2003. “Aren’t you rich though?”
  2004. >”Yeah, but she was born with money. I had to earn mine fair and square.”
  2005. “Through bank fraud?”
  2006. >”It’s not fraud if I pay off the loans.”
  2007. “I’m not sure the courts would agree.”
  2008. >”What are they going to do, lock me up? You know they can’t.”
  2009. >Was Bon-Bon really untouchable?
  2010. >She knew that she’d gotten away with quite a bit because of how badly they needed her.
  2011. >But they no longer needed her.
  2012. >That protection was gone.
  2013. “Sorry, D. Could you give us a minute?”
  2014. >”Okay!”
  2015. >Lyra turned back to Bon-Bon to resume their hushed conversation.”
  2016. ”Look, I’m okay with the scheme and all that. But we need to be careful! If we get caught there’ll be trouble.”
  2017. >”They’ll never press charges.”
  2018. “And if they do?”
  2019. >”They can’t. I’m not scared of the law, Lyra. I AM the law.”
  2020. “They discharged you! Took away your badge!”
  2021. >”And you think this gives them power over me?”
  2022. >She walked around behind Lyra, basking in the sunlight.
  2023. >”It wasn’t certificates or a title that gave me authority. Badges are merely symbols, licenses merely papers. Crowns merely shaped metal.”
  2024. >Lyra was dumbstruck.
  2025. >”Authority blooms from the barrel of a gun.”
  2026. >She picked up a stone with her teeth and hurled it at a tree in the middle distance.
  2027. >A pegasus shot out of it like a bullet, rising into the heavens.
  2028. >”And I am the highest authority of the land.”
  2029. “You think yourself above the princesses?”
  2030. >Bon-Bon chuckled, her toothy grin gleaming in the sunlight.
  2031. >”Think? Baby, I KNOW it. And so do they.”
  2032. “I don’t want any more trouble.”
  2033. >”Don’t worry, neither do I. And there won’t be trouble, not if they know what’s good for them.”
  2034. >That was much less reassuring than she’d have liked.
  2035. >Bon-Bon began walking toward the tree she’d attacked a moment ago.
  2036. >Had S.M.I.L.E. really been watching?
  2037. >Or had it been a random passerby just minding their own business?
  2038. >No, they were watching. They saw the rock coming.
  2039. >”I’m glad she made it.”
  2040. >Lyra nearly jumped out of her skin.
  2041. “Geeze, D. Don’t sneak up in front of me like that.”
  2042. >”Floor came to my house on the day. Actually left her home and came to see me. Poor girl was exhausted from all that walking.”
  2043. “Floor Bored left her own home of her own volition?”
  2044. >”I was surprised too. She said she had really big news, that we had trouble.”
  2045. >Derpy offered the fakest smile Lyra had ever seen.
  2046. >”Said you were a fed. Which I later learned meant that you’re a spy watching us.”
  2047. >Lyra took a step back, her eyes nearly falling out of their sockets.
  2048. “D, I swear I never-”
  2049. >”I know. If you were you’d have had all you needed long ago. Floor doesn’t see it that way.”
  2050. “Why though? What went wrong?”
  2051. >”Turns out you know their agent Double O Zero.”
  2052. >Oh.
  2053. >Right.
  2054. >She had figured that out.
  2055. >”I think you should talk to her.”
  2056. “Will she want to talk?”
  2057. >”She never does. But if you don’t put her mind at ease she’ll be wondering when you’re coming for her for the rest of her life.”
  2058. >Derpy was right.
  2059. >Floor needed to know.
  2060. “She’s not agent Zero anymore.”
  2061. >”Oh? What happened? Did they promote her for saving the day?”
  2062. “She quit. Or she was fired, not sure. It depends on who you ask.”
  2063. >”Fired? Why? She worked so hard for them!”
  2064. “I know. But I’m not sure I have a right to tell you what she did.”
  2065. >Would Derpy think of Bon-Bon the same if she knew?
  2066. >Did Lyra think the same?
  2067. >Regicide.
  2068. >Treachery.
  2069. >Mercy.
  2070. >Allowing the princess to prove herself was noble, if she is good.
  2071. >Destroying the princess would have been necessary, if she is bad.
  2072. >What Bon-Bon did was neither.
  2073. >Neither noble nor necessary.
  2074. >Potentially maiming a good pony, potentially loosing a demon on all of Equestria.
  2075. “Luna ate Erebus.”
  2076. >”Sorry?”
  2077. “Erebus possessed Luna a thousand years ago. Tricked her into thinking she was her only friend, took control of her body. Planned on forcing ponykind into an army to invade Hell. Called herself Nightmare Moon.”
  2078. >”But she’s better now, right? The elements-”
  2079. “Can’t do the impossible. Demonic power can’t be destroyed, merely contained. What’s left of Erebus needs a vessel. It has Luna.”
  2080. >Derpy gasped.
  2081. “Princess Celestia says she can be fixed, Luna says it’s impossible. I don’t know who’s right, but either way they don’t know how to deal with it right now.”
  2082. >”That’s awful!”
  2083. “All this time we were wondering if she’s a pony or a demon. She’s neither. She’s both. Driven mad by evil, but desperately trying to do what’s right.”
  2084. >”So what do we do?”
  2085. “I don’t know.”
  2086. >The awkward silence was broken only by the sounds of Bon-Bon yelling in the distance.
  2087. “How’s Starlight doing?”
  2088. >”Haven’t heard from her for quite a while. She thinks you’re an agent too.”
  2089. >Of course.
  2090. >She’d have to deal with that sooner rather than later.
  2091. >That was going to be awkward when the time came.
  2092. >What was Lyra to say? Sorry about lying to you about living with the biggest baddest boogeymare our enemy has?
  2093. >She had no clue.
  2094. >”Is it true that the baddy is gone?”
  2095. “Yeah. Bon-Bon saw to that herself. Barely pulled through, but she got him.”
  2096. >”That’s a relief. I was so scared that- I mean Dinky was scared! Yup! That’s what I said.”
  2097. >Lyra rolled her eyes.
  2098. “Well, tell Dinky that she’s safe for now. Bon-Bon made sure of that. Millions of lives carried on the back of one mare.”
  2099. >She shook her head.
  2100. “And nopony will even know her name. It’s not fair.”
  2101. >”No. It’s not. But she’d do it again, and a million times more if she had to.”
  2102. “But why? Nopony should have to see what she’s seen, do what she’s done. It’s not right, nopony deserves that kind of punishment. Why?”
  2103. >”Because it had to be done.”
  2104. >A cold comfort.
  2105. >But at least Bon-Bon was safe for now.
  2106. “I should tell you. I, uh, I told Bon-Bon almost everything.”
  2107. >Derpy looked like she’d been struck by lightning.
  2108. >Again.
  2109. “I didn’t tell her I had any accomplices, she doesn’t know about you.”
  2110. >”You’re sure?”
  2111. “Yeah.”
  2112. >”So… how’d she take it?”
  2113. “It was weird. She kept interrupting me to tell me what I’d done wrong, turns out it was nearly everything. But all through it she almost seemed… proud. Like her foal had just graduated with honors.”
  2114. >”Really? That’s not what I was expecting.”
  2115. “Neither was I. I thought she’d be angry at me for getting in the way, upset about all the risks, offended by our flagrant disrespect for, well, for everything. At least a little miffed over all the damage.”
  2116. >Lyra shook her head.
  2117. “She just seemed to be proud that I’d been able to get away with it all. Maybe I just didn’t know her as well as I thought I did, but I’m seeing a lot of Babbling Brook in her lately.”
  2118. >”Like, the old part?”
  2119. “No. The cranky part. The outright mean part.”
  2120. >The part where she joked about having shot Luna to her face.
  2121. “And the lionization of strength. She seems to think it’s a virtue of some sort.”
  2122. >”What happened to her?”
  2123. >Lyra looked around Derpy into the distance.
  2124. >Bon-Bon was tense, rigid.
  2125. >Afraid.
  2126. >She approached the tree cautiously, looking around at everything as she passed.
  2127. >”Is she okay?”
  2128. “No.”
  2129.  
  2130. * * * * *
  2131. >Half a million.
  2132. >A number great enough to defy imagination.
  2133. >And still, one so small as to be overshadowed by the mundane.
  2134. >Half a million grains of rice represents only a few kilos, half a million tonnes of water flow out to sea at Horseshoe Bay every minute, half a million breaths pass through a pony’s nostrils every couple of weeks.
  2135. >Hay, half a million hairs wouldn’t be enough to cover half of a pony’s body.
  2136. >Such a small number in some ways.
  2137. >And yet, a number far too great to comprehend.
  2138. >Somehow, values much smaller seemed far more real.
  2139. >Half a million was just some squiggles on paper, or perhaps a soundwave implying some abstract.
  2140. >In the end numbers are merely symbols.
  2141. >A tool to evoke something of true meaning.
  2142. >To see the world through such symbols was to see a crude facsimile.
  2143. >Not even a reflection but a forgery.
  2144. >The symbol should have weighed heavily upon her mind, its importance undisputable.
  2145. >But no mimic could carry the weight of experience.
  2146. >Nothing had the visceral impact of living the fact.
  2147. >Luna’s mind drifted back to the place where it had all ended.
  2148. >To the place that now marked Eurynomos’ grave.
  2149. >The Eye they were calling it.
  2150. >Something of a cruel irony, almost as though fate were mocking its creator.
  2151. >The battle had ended, ponykind was victorious.
  2152. >And then that dreadful sound.
  2153. >The sound that she had once adored.
  2154. >The rapid cracking staccato of a firearm discharging a controlled burst.
  2155. >Once, it had brought to mind thoughts of victory.
  2156. >Thoughts of TRIUMPH!
  2157. >The tone of ponykind projecting force in a way that no others in their realm could replicate.
  2158. >Gunfire had come to be synonymous with success, the antonym of screams and moans.
  2159. >Now she could only think of her own wounds.
  2160. >She relived how the bullets tore through her, casting her shadowstuff aside harmlessly only to have it incinerated by the hateful radiance.
  2161. >Umbra faded into penumbra into null.
  2162. >Black gave way to nothingness.
  2163. >And Luna fell.
  2164. >Helpless.
  2165. >She felt the lush grass and plump blossoms cradle what little was left of her body as she collapsed into the flowers Zero had sprouted with her final blow, as she fell into the Eye to share a crypt with her most hated foe.
  2166. >Her breathing ceased, her body grew cold, her pain was distant and unfocused.
  2167. >And then, against all common sense, a pulse.
  2168. >She had been poisoned, burned, impaled, slashed, and shot in rapid succession.
  2169. >Nopony had any right to survive what she had experienced.
  2170. >Had she perished?
  2171. >Was this heaven?
  2172. >Had she been redeemed for martyring herself in service of ponykind?
  2173. >She’d cast the thought aside as quickly as it had come.
  2174. >There was no salvation for one such as her, no chance for anyone so vile.
  2175. >She had survived where any pony would surely have died.
  2176. >But she was no mere pony.
  2177. >Erebus refused to perish.
  2178. >Luna knew not if it was some persistent reflex to mend the body manifesting for the first time in centuries, or if it was some remaining vestige of her captor turned captive’s consciousness.
  2179. >Whatever the cause, whatever the form, Evil never died.
  2180. >It changed shapes, it was banished or contained, but it never truly died.
  2181. >Zero had chosen not to contain her, and the shadow known as Luna rose once more.
  2182. >But the pony didn’t, not fully.
  2183. >Shadows were more malleable than gas, able to occupy any shape and any volume in an instant.
  2184. >Flesh was not so, and some vestigial fibre had been destroyed.
  2185. >Or at least, she had thought it was vestigial.
  2186. >The doctors said there was nothing they could do for her, her anatomy too inequine, her substance too immaterial for their sciences.
  2187. >Luna remembered dragging herself from the eye, clawing her way to the place she knew the Soulstone had gone, drawn inexorably by some unseen force to the one thing that could make her whole.
  2188. >To the one thing that would finally see her damned beyond redemption.
  2189. >The treasure that she both coveted and feared.
  2190. >Even now she was aware of the Soulstone’s presence somewhere offworld.
  2191. >Whispering.
  2192. >Beckoning.
  2193. >But too far to be clear, too muddy to carry anything but the vaguest promises of restoration and domination.
  2194. >She remembered dragging the rear half of her body through the idyllic growth, cursing her shredded wings and numb rear.
  2195. >Pain erupted throughout her tormented body proving this was no paradise.
  2196. >A garden, but no Eden.
  2197. >She’d tried to regrow her wings, to prop up her rear with a tendril, to do anything to ease her journey.
  2198. >But she’d nothing left.
  2199. >Her shadows had been too tainted and too diminished to offer more than the most basic of resistance.
  2200. >Too full of Eurynomos’ taint, too faded by Zero’s tracers, spread paper thin to cover the countless wounds she had suffered that day.
  2201. >And so she crawled.
  2202. >Battered, bruised, burnt, bleeding…
  2203. >Betrayed.
  2204. >A sense memory had ingrained itself in the recesses of her mind, one that associated that blinding pain and burning rage with a smell.
  2205. >The delicate blend of fragrant roses…
  2206. >And rotting flesh.
  2207. >Even just thinking of her wounds brought that vile aroma to her nostrils, phantom gases wafting through the air in stark defiance of her material surroundings.
  2208. >She’d thought nothing of the stink at first, rot had come to mean both danger and victory in recent history.
  2209. >But as the flowers began to thin and truth settled in, the smell of decay began to carry with it more than mere disgust.
  2210. >It was then that Luna became reacquainted with an old friend.
  2211. >Despair.
  2212. >Stretched out before her was not the soil they had bled to protect.
  2213. >The Blight, they called it.
  2214. >An enormous scar on Equestria’s once gorgeous face.
  2215. >A poisoned hellscape devoid of beauty, purged of its natural harmony and vitality.
  2216. >Pristine lakes turned to fetid swamps, vast grasslands replaced by toxic mycelium, foul smelling dust storms carrying with them clouds of mites so vast they darken the sky.
  2217. >An afternoon.
  2218. >Geologically, it wasn't even the blink of an eye.
  2219. >Even within a pony’s lifetime it was inconsequential.
  2220. >Yet that’s all it had taken for so much of her home to be defiled.
  2221. >Eurynomos was dead.
  2222. >They were meant to have won.
  2223. >It was supposed to be over.
  2224. >Even from her low vantage she could see legions of demons reduced to broken meat, what had once been an uncountable force was now broken.
  2225. >What remained of their ranks lacked leadership and direction, they had no accursed energy to guide and sustain them.
  2226. >Stragglers would persist for years to come, but never again would they form a cohesive force.
  2227. >Never again would they be the horror they had once represented.
  2228. >The stuff of madness reduced to disgusting beasts, the kinds of which S.M.I.L.E. had been banishing for centuries.
  2229. >They weren’t dangerous anymore.
  2230. >They never would be dangerous again.
  2231. >But in the brief instant in which they had controlled Luna’s home, they had left their mark.
  2232. >She pulled herself through the slime and ichor that had once been a meadow.
  2233. >Still, her journey persisted.
  2234. >A sparkle caught her eye, searing the cornea in a way that normal ponies couldn’t comprehend.
  2235. >The turned her head to gaze at the source, Loch Lokai.
  2236. >A vast lake fed by glacial melt coming in from the Smokey Mountains.
  2237. >A popular destination for its pristine waters, temperate weather, sandy beaches, mountainview…
  2238. >The stagnant aroma and pondscum, the sickly yellow colour, the scores of fish floating belly up as tribute to any crows mad enough to pierce this deep into the Blight.
  2239. >Was this what victory looked like?
  2240. >She pulled her eyes away from the sight lest it completely break whatever she had for a heart and pressed onward.
  2241. >The sense of grief and helplessness that she felt would forever stick with her.
  2242. >She dragged herself through thick mud that was as much blood as it was water, stubbornly pushing to her goal.
  2243. >Knowing that this was her doing.
  2244. >This ruin was what she had wrought.
  2245. >Her crusade had borne bitter fruit, and the proof of her failure would be written not just in history, but cartography.
  2246. >A concrete and visceral understanding of disaster that no mere symbol could hope to capture.
  2247. >”Luna?”
  2248. >Princess Luna snapped out of her reverie with a start.
  2249. “Oh, sorry ‘Tia. I haven’t slept much lately.”
  2250. >She lay limp upon her throne, broad spectrum LEDs searing into her flesh from above.
  2251. >She was too tired to hurt.
  2252. >Celestia leaned in close and whispered into her ear.
  2253. >”Go take a break. I can handle it for now.”
  2254. >Luna snapped to attention, shaking her head rapidly.
  2255. ”Nay, this is my duty.”
  2256. >It was not a task that she relished.
  2257. >But she had to see it through to completion.
  2258. >She locked eyes with agent 27, a pegasus stallion who’d recently entered his 30s.
  2259. >He was wearing the garb of the royal guard, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene woven into sleek yet durable padding, the result of a struggle between mobility and protection in which aesthetics had been the first victim.
  2260. >She missed the bronze armor.
  2261. “Tradewind.”
  2262. >Born Jetstream.
  2263. “Has our guest arrived?”
  2264. >He shook his head.
  2265. >No surprise, he seldom spoke.
  2266. >Lost most of his teeth taking beating to the muzzle a few years back.
  2267. >He’d been fitted for dentures since, but the way his new teeth sat before his tongue caused him to whistle when he spoke.
  2268. >He was pretty self conscious about it.
  2269. “When they arrive, meet up with Sweet Treat. They’ll update you.”
  2270. >Agent 2. Sweet Treat, born Plum Pudding.
  2271. >At the age of 42 she was one of the older field operatives.
  2272. >She wasn’t much for stealth or subtlety, but still managed to attain a high rank thanks to her martial prowess.
  2273. >In a different time she’d have been an unparalleled master of Earth magic.
  2274. >With Sweetie Drops gone, 2 was likely to be their key asset in close combat.
  2275. “There might be some chaos when the time comes, depending on how much warning our sentries give us. Focus on your rendez-vous, you won’t be able to handle it alone.”
  2276. >He opened his mouth and raised a hoof to object.
  2277. “I am aware that this leaves my sister and I unguarded. You have your orders.”
  2278. >He nodded.
  2279. >Hopefully their sentries would give plenty of time.
  2280. >Night Owl, born Hawkeye. Agent 305- no, agent 50 now.
  2281. >One of their greenest operatives, they attained a rank far higher than their station due to all the promotions.
  2282. >Most of the agents were too beat up or too dead to serve any longer.
  2283. >Despite his shortcomings he was eager to please, and his sharp senses combined with exceptional attention to detail had proven handy more than once.
  2284. >Luna nearly jumped when she felt a weight on her back.
  2285. >It was just Celestia’s hoof.
  2286. >”Luna, calm down. We’ve gone over the plan a hundred times.”
  2287. >She sounded calm and collected.
  2288. >But it was merely an act.
  2289. >The sisters both knew all too well that their plan would never be ready, that it would never be bulletproof.
  2290. >Yet somehow, it was still the only plan they had.
  2291. “Send in the next one. We’ve got work to do.”
  2292. >”You don’t need to be here for this.”
  2293. “It’s my duty.”
  2294. >”It’s not healthy.”
  2295. “Nothing about me is.”
  2296. >Celestia grimaced.
  2297. >But she offered no objection.
  2298. >She knew it was true.
  2299. ”NEXT!”
  2300. >The throne room doors opened smoothly to reveal a mousy little unicorn mare.
  2301. >And behind her, sitting just out of vision, there was a toned, pale unicorn.
  2302. >Agent 39. Seafoam, born Spring Shower.
  2303. >She joined S.M.I.L.E. later than most, having first come to their attention at the age of 12.
  2304. >She would never be one of their best, having come into the fold so late in life.
  2305. >She lacked the instincts and reflexes that a proper agent would have, her innate equine loathing of violence still persisting.
  2306. >In most operations, however, she was a great asset.
  2307. >Having mastered a wide array of skills and developed a firm grasp of combat magic she was a versatile and dependable agent.
  2308. >Recon, sabotage, subterfuge, she could do it all.
  2309. >Right up until things got messy.
  2310. >Without the will to act, she struggled to project force.
  2311. >Poor girl had been wounded pretty severely in the early stages of the invasion, nearly died from an allergic reaction to penicillin.
  2312. >Luna was as surprised as she was relieved when they woke up from the induced coma.
  2313. >Strangely, that brush with death had proven to be a blessing as she’d been spared the bulk of the battle.
  2314. >The mousy one walked in, half moon glasses framing their amber eyes against a pale blue coat.
  2315. >Luna didn’t know this one.
  2316. >They must not be an agent.
  2317. >They approached far too slowly, stopping before reaching the halfway point to take an excessively deep bow.
  2318. >Celestia wasn’t pleased, though she’d never show it.
  2319. >She’d grown weary of the supplication long ago. But now, when there were innumerable things to do and no time to do it, her patience was finally reaching its limit.
  2320. >”Please rise.”
  2321. “And approach. We’ll not be able to hear you from there.”
  2322. >They took one step forward.
  2323. >Luna couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
  2324. “Please begin. Time is short.”
  2325. >What were they going to talk about?
  2326. >They were involved in the survey in some capacity, but Luna had lost track of their progress.
  2327. “Well?”
  2328. >”Ahem. My team made some progress on our assessment, but the task remains enormous. It might take years to assess the damages.
  2329. “Assess? You mean to tell me you’ve not yet begun to reverse the damage?”
  2330. >They shrunk back more than a bit.
  2331. >Celestia stared at Luna.
  2332. “What?”
  2333. >”I’m sorry, my little pony. Sister is under a great deal of stress. Please proceed.”
  2334. >”Um, yes.”
  2335. >They presented a small stack of index cards and began flipping through them.
  2336. >”Work remains slow and perilous. The Blight is hazardous to ponies and robots, so we’re having to survey it from a distance.”
  2337. “You said it was hazardous to robots. How might a toxin harm that which isn’t alive?”
  2338. >”they keep getting mired in from all the rotting stuff and muck.”
  2339. >“What about UAVs?”
  2340. >”Already being deployed, but they’re not suitable for taking any samples.”
  2341. >”Hmm. Cleanup is hard enough without going in blind. We might have to get engineering to prepare a custom robot.”
  2342. >S.M.I.L.E.’s engineering department was pretty overworked.
  2343. “This seems like an unnecessary delay. Can we not simply send in ponies with hazmat suits?”
  2344. >Both of the other ponies shook their head in vehement denial.
  2345. “Then I shall assist in the survey myself. Prepare a list of key locations, I’ll get it done tonight.”
  2346. >If all else goes well.
  2347. >”Oh, princess, you HAVE to stay away from that! It’s not safe!”
  2348. “I did battle with the thing that created it. I am aware of the risks.”
  2349. >The mousy unicorn looked pale.
  2350. >Their knees were trembling.
  2351. >Something had them scared.
  2352. “Whatever you saw, rest assured that I am far worse.”
  2353. >Wait.
  2354. >They might read that wrong.
  2355. “What I meant to say was-”
  2356. >”My little pony, please be calm. You needn’t fear my sister.”
  2357. >Thank you, ‘Tia.
  2358. >”You are here to advise, she will not resent you for doing so.”
  2359. >They thought Luna was angry?
  2360. “Indeed. Rest assured you would know if I was angered.”
  2361. >Things tended to get weird when she lost her temper.
  2362. “So what was it you were about to say?”
  2363. >”I, uh, would not recommend going near the Blight.”
  2364. >Luna raised a brow.
  2365. “It can’t be worse than what I’ve encountered.”
  2366. >”Innumerable demons perished on Equestrian soil, carrying with them chemicals, pathogens, and incantations. The land is poison.”
  2367. >Luna had been in the heart of it.
  2368. >She wasn’t impressed.
  2369. >”And without their leader it’s gone out of control.”
  2370. “Oh? Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
  2371. >They were trembling.
  2372. >Luna knew she had to lay off.
  2373. >But she also needed an answer, and soon.
  2374. >There had to be some kind of balance she could strike.
  2375. >Or Celestia could just take over.
  2376. >”My sister is on your side and will do you no harm. She is merely… ignorant of the situation on the ground. She’s been concerning herself with other issues.”
  2377. >Ignorant?
  2378. >How different could it be?
  2379. >Luna blinked a few times as realization dawned upon her.
  2380. >That was exactly the kind of thing an ignorant pony might say.
  2381. >”Eurynomos was keeping his blight in check except while in active combat. His obsession was decay and disease, not death.”
  2382. >Oh.
  2383. >It was obvious when she put it like that.
  2384. “He needed to control it to keep it from going too far.”
  2385. >To ensure that there would always be victims.
  2386. >Without direction, his abhorrent touch would progress to its natural conclusion.
  2387. >The sick mockery of harmony that they’d found, the twisted balance between growth and rot, it had been ruined.
  2388. >Decay would advance, growth would fail.
  2389. >Whatever persisted after his death would now act uninhibited.
  2390. “He tried to destroy me, one could reason that I should be able to handle it."
  2391. >"No."
  2392. >Celestial was oddly firm with her objection.
  2393. >She didn't sound angered, but it was clear that she would tolerate no dissent.
  2394. >"We've nearly gotten the plague out of Equestrian. I'll not risk having you bring it back in, especially now that it is nearly immune to all known antibiotics."
  2395. >She was right.
  2396. >The last thing Equestrian needed was more death and disease.
  2397. >"Besides, you are more valuable here than in some hospital bed."
  2398. >Again, she was right.
  2399. >Achlys could strike at any time.
  2400. >Even crippled, Luna was a valuable asset in any armed conflict.
  2401. "We'll talk later. So the Blight is out of control. Which means it should burn itself out in time, yes? We need merely prevent it from spreading.”
  2402. >The mousy one nodded.
  2403. >”Yes. The blight is not progressing. Satellite imaging and on site markers both suggest it is, in fact, slowly receding.”
  2404. >Luna cracked a faint smile.
  2405. >”Though it’s too early to say for sure just how quickly it’s receding, current trends suggest about a meter per year.”
  2406. >Her smile vanished.
  2407. “It spreads past the Smoky Mountains. At that rate it could take tens of thousands of years to clear. Have we any plans for accelerating the process?”
  2408. >”We expect the situation will ameliorate more rapidly once all native life has been extinguished; without hosts disease can’t survive.”
  2409. >”Any chance of preserving anything?”
  2410. >Their guest frowned.
  2411. “Unlikely. If his taint has touched the land it’s too late to preserve it. That was a lost cause before she or her team was even informed there was a problem.”
  2412. >"Something must have survived."
  2413. "For a month? Even before he died you needed heavy medication to survive more than a couple hours in blighted land. Nothing native to Equestrian would last a day, much less a month."
  2414. >”But what about where he died? One would expect it to be the worst of all, yet it's flourishing.”
  2415. >It was Celestia's turn to be ignorant.
  2416. >Luna draped herself over the throne sideways, legs awkwardly hanging limply from the sides.
  2417. >Perhaps it wasn’t the most dignified pose, but she was tired damn it!
  2418. >Her neck was beyond sore from pretending to be regal all day.
  2419. “I doubt we’ll be able to replicate the Eye. You have no clue just how much Earth magic was behind the finishing blow.”
  2420. >”Do we need to? Earth magic is powerful, just slow. A team of talented Earth ponies should be able to bring life to the soil over time if they aren’t being attacked.”
  2421. “Perhaps.”
  2422. >Celestia was underestimating what Sweetie Drops had done.
  2423. >It was inequine.
  2424. >Frightening even.
  2425. >Luna remembered the moment so incredibly vividly.
  2426. >The vibrant energy coursing through the soil.
  2427. >Enraged cries that were almost musical.
  2428. >Lyrics sung in earthquakes and eruptions.
  2429. >A battle hymn with a tempo in geological time.
  2430. >Elysium herself had awoken in service of her chosen, granting an Earth pony’s hooves the weight of the world for a split second.
  2431. >Luna could remember the dizzy sensation, the awkward pull as she fell sideways into Zero’s gravity well for that brief instant.
  2432. >Luna pointed at their advisor.
  2433. “How big is it?”
  2434. >”The Eye of the World?”
  2435. >She still felt that name was a tad dramatic for a field of flowers.
  2436. >Though admittedly it WAS a very special field of flowers.
  2437. >”A bit under a hundred meters in diameter.”
  2438. “Is IT shrinking?”
  2439. >”It doesn’t appear to be, though it might be slowly.”
  2440. >50 meter radius.
  2441. >Somewhere in the area of 7500 meters squared.
  2442. “Size of the blight?”
  2443. >”Around 4.5 million square kilometers.”
  2444. “Fuck.”
  2445. >Everypony pretended they hadn’t heard her.
  2446. “That’s a lot. The Eye isn’t even 1% of a square kilometer. That never before seen surge of Earth magic would have to be repeated hundreds of millions of times to clean up.”
  2447. >Celestia looked like she was about to cry.
  2448. >She was keeping a brave face, but the tears were welling up in her eyes.
  2449. >Also she was getting blurry.
  2450. >Why was Luna’s nose getting stuffed up?
  2451. “Oh.”
  2452. >It wasn’t Celestia that was crying.
  2453. >Luna turned her head away from prying eyes.
  2454. “What options do we have to fix it?”
  2455. >”So far our efforts have been focused on mitigating the damage and containing the pathogens. We’re still making plans on how to react, but it does not appear as though reversing the damages will be possible at this time.”
  2456. >Irreversible.
  2457. >It’s my fault.
  2458. >I did this.
  2459. >If I hadn’t started this all…
  2460. >”We should consider an early winter. The organisms in the Blight are adapted to the fires of Heck. A good solid freezing should make it wind down faster.”
  2461. >”We’ll do what we can. This year’s harvest has already been ruined, thankfully we're prepared to handle that. The main problem will be bringing in the weather without endangering our workers. That helps address the organic menace, what about the chemical problem?”
  2462. >”The soil has been poisoned.”
  2463. >Of course.
  2464. >”Once the plant life is fully decayed we expect things will get worse. Without root systems to hold the soil in place any loose dirt will easily catch in the wind. Regions with poor drainage will form swamps of toxic water while regions that do drain properly will dry out and turn into dust bowls. Toxic sludge will amass in the rivers and pour out into the ocean, threatening to cause a total collapse of our oceanic ecosphere.”
  2465. >By the Nine…
  2466. >”Meanwhile the dust bowls will cause toxins to be carried in every breeze, slowly spreading the poison across the land. A median lethal dose of Toxicum Diabolica is about 1000 micrograms per kilogram, though we can save ponies from a bit more than that using mechanical ventilation. Short term exposure is manageable, but if it gets airborne we’ll have trouble. We can expect respiratory illness to become commonplace and a spike of cardiac arrests every time there’s a strong wind.”
  2467. >Toxic winds?
  2468. >It wasn’t over.
  2469. >It would never be over.
  2470. >She’d done this.
  2471. >Her.
  2472. >”Hm.”
  2473. >Princess Celestia hummed a tone of disapproval.
  2474. >”If we’ve learned one thing from our former foe it’s that everything decays, even poisons. Heck deployed a wide variety of toxins so some cleanup will doubtlessly be necessary in the end, but the bulk of it will denature or bind with environmental reactants in time. Equestria is spread thin and still reeling from that terrible blow. I fear that a proper response is beyond us at the moment. However that does not mean that we won’t some day be able to reclaim what was lost. I want risk analysis on the organic threat to see when to bring about winter. The longer we wait the more toxin will be synthesized, but on the other hoof we’ll have more time to prepare. Get us whatever information you can that will help decide the optimal time for an arctic jetstream.”
  2475. >”Of course, your majesty.”
  2476. >”Your team should begin to explore countermeasures as soon as possible. Whatever you need, we’ll get it. Ponies, robots, chemicals, you name it. Our main concern is the oceans. Should they be lost there may be no way to restore them. Look into ways to redirect the flow of water inland or to prevent natural raincloud formation. We needn’t stop it from entering the ocean entirely, we just need to slow it enough that it never reaches hazardous levels.”
  2477. >A tall order.
  2478. >”As for the dust… I’ve no clue. It’ll get into our lungs and the oceans as well if we don’t act.”
  2479. >Luna opened her mouth to talk.
  2480. >She could only whimper.
  2481. >”Have you any suggestions?”
  2482. >”If we were to dust the region in a photopolymer of sorts we might be able to effectively cover large areas for minimal expense. It’s hard to say what the ecological implications of such an action would be though.”
  2483. >”Not as bad as letting the toxin spread. We won’t be able to cover everything, but we could perhaps form a perimeter and keep the bulk of the dust at bay. Prepare projections for these plans and keep thinking of other solutions. I want reports on any developments as soon as they come, and we should reconvene in two days time. Thank you, my little pony. You are dismissed. You too, Tradewind. My sister and I must discuss matters in private.”
  2484. >Luna could hear them walking away.
  2485. >A few moments later the great doors swung shut.
  2486. >Luna and Celestia were alone now.
  2487. >”It’s not looking nearly as bad as it did a few weeks ago.”
  2488. >Luna sniffled.
  2489. >”Early reports suggested we’d lose the entire continent. Now it’s looking like we’ll be able to control it, reverse it even.”
  2490. “HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?”
  2491. >Luna lifted herself from her throne with a flap of her wings, limp legs dangling behind her.
  2492. >She turned her tear stained face to lock eyes with her elder sister, only to see the picture of serenity.
  2493. >A calm, nay, content look that suggested all was right in the world.
  2494. “She comes in here and tells us we’re all fucked forever and you’re SMILING!”
  2495. >”It was a vast improvement over the last report.”
  2496. “TOXIC. WIND.”
  2497. >”This too shall pass.”
  2498. >Luna glared at her sister.
  2499. >Her teeth began to grind.
  2500. >And then she snapped.
  2501. >She collapsed on top of her sister, pulling her in close.
  2502. >The dam was broken, the tears flowed.
  2503. >Luna was vaguely aware of some magic being cast.
  2504. >She felt the searing sensation of her sister’s pure mana flashing, charring her umbral hide.
  2505. >But she didn’t care.
  2506. >The pain in her heart overwhelmed the pain in her flesh.
  2507. >”It’s okay.”
  2508. >Celestia gently stroked Luna’s back.
  2509. >”Just let it out.”
  2510. >Jet black ichor streamed from Luna’s eyes, splattering down onto the floortiles.
  2511. >The voracious darkness steamed and boiled in the light, vapors rising to the ceiling in a vain effort to consume the hated rays.
  2512. >Luna was tired.
  2513. >Too tired to cry.
  2514. >Too tired to move.
  2515. >”Don’t worry. We can handle it.”
  2516. “It just keeps getting worse.”
  2517. >”It certainly feels that way at times.”
  2518. “It was supposed to be fast and easy. A few weeks tops.”
  2519. >”And it would have been, had I not interfered.”
  2520. “No, that’s-”
  2521. >Celestia placed a hoof on her sister’s lips to silence her.
  2522. >”It is true. We know it’s true. I made it worse by getting in the way.”
  2523. >Cold comfort.
  2524. >”I’m sorry I went behind your back, sister. I’m so, so sorry.”
  2525. “And I’m sorry I lied to you. I should have just told you what I was planning from the beginning.”
  2526. >”And why is that?”
  2527. “So you’d have more actionable information to work with.”
  2528. >”Good enough.”
  2529. >Luna’s trembling was starting to ease.
  2530. >”It looks bleak, but we can handle this.”
  2531. >Unless the Tide broke them.
  2532. >”Our ponies love their land almost as much as they love each other. Once we manage to bring some semblance of order back to Equestria we’ll have no shortage of workers eager to push the Blight back. The question is how many we can deploy to this task, and how many must be devoted to our other woes.”
  2533. “They shouldn’t have to do that- to SEE that. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
  2534. >"Perhaps not. But I see only one other option.”
  2535. “There’s an alternative?”
  2536. >”We could allow it to overtake us.”
  2537. >The world went red.
  2538. >A blinding darkness overtook the room, the shadows growing long as they gorged themselves on the light.
  2539. >The LEDs overhead blackened until they were naught but a faded memory.
  2540. “Deep breaths Luna.”
  2541. >She meant nothing by it.
  2542. >”I wasn’t proposing we do it.”
  2543. “I know.”
  2544. >”I’ve no intention of surrendering.”
  2545. “Good.”
  2546. >The Shadows receded.
  2547. >Coalesced.
  2548. >But light was not returning, not yet.
  2549. >The two of them sat in complete darkness, natural darkness.
  2550. >Not advanced Darkness.
  2551. >Neither radiant Light, nor infernal Black.
  2552. >Balance.
  2553. >Equilibrium.
  2554. >And all was well.
  2555. >The lights came back on.
  2556. “Surrender is not an option.”
  2557. >Celestia smiled at her, serene visage never once wavering through the ordeal.
  2558. >”I admire you, you know.”
  2559. “No you don’t.”
  2560. >”Oh, but I do! I admire you more than you could know.”
  2561. >Luna shook her head in disbelief.
  2562. “How could anypony admire a wretch like me?”
  2563. >”You’ve got a good heart.”
  2564. “No I don’t. I’m evil.”
  2565. >Luna was lightly bopped on the back of the head.
  2566. >”No, you aren’t. And you won’t say that about yourself ever again.”
  2567. “But it’s true! I was corrupted by Erebus.”
  2568. >Celestia locked eyes with her, her air of enlightened tranquility seeming omnipresent.
  2569. >”Do you know how I reacted when you were lost to me?”
  2570. “Yeah. I’ve heard the story. I still don’t believe you ACTUALLY died though.”
  2571. >”Perhaps I didn’t, perhaps I did. It matters not. What’s important is that I showed my true colours.”
  2572. “Are you talking about light pink? Or the pastel mane? Or…”
  2573. >”Warm and welcoming on the outside, clean, almost pristine. But as a worm infested apple, inside I’m ugly.”
  2574. >Luna couldn’t help but glare at her sister.
  2575. “What are you on about? You’re the nicest pony I’ve ever met. And I met Fluttershy!”
  2576. >”I’m the most arrogant pony you’ve ever met. You know that I’ve not seen an angel since that night, yes?”
  2577. “Is that unusual? Most ponies don’t meet angels.”
  2578. >”They thought me worthy of their presence back then, but for a thousand years they’ve avoided me. I thought nothing of it before, but now I think I realize the truth. I’m no longer good enough for them. You might well be more worthy than I.”
  2579. “Now I know you’re full of shit.”
  2580. >Celestia grimaced.
  2581. >”Vocabulary, drinking habits, and the occasional outburst aside, you’re the better pony.”
  2582. >Luna looked her sister in the eye.
  2583. >She focused on the Shadow.
  2584. >Darkness, not just the absence of light but the destruction of it.
  2585. >An all consuming emptiness that oppressed the sun itself.
  2586. >Every photon burned like a bullet, but she persevered.
  2587. >There was no distinction in her anatomy, no concrete form, no flesh or blood.
  2588. >Just the malleable Darkness remained.
  2589. >The world around her seemed perhaps more familiar than it had a moment ago.
  2590. >Where matter once seemed law, it now revealed itself to be naught but a suggestion.
  2591. >The Shadowscape opened up before her, and she was whole.
  2592. “Look at me.”
  2593. >”You know I can’t. It’s impossible to focus on this.”
  2594. “How could THIS possibly be good?”
  2595. >”Because you’re humble. Even in this form you know your failings, you know you are flawed. Even now you’re striving to be better.”
  2596. >Celestia locked eyes with seemingly nothing.
  2597. >”Am I looking you in the eye?”
  2598. “No.”
  2599. >”How about now?”
  2600. “You’re less focused than Derpy. Hold on, I’ll come back.”
  2601. >A cold numbness formed in her.
  2602. >To say her legs were paralyzed would be to say she had legs at that time.
  2603. >To say the sensation in her body bled away would be to say she had formed a body.
  2604. >But far too soon she once again lacked control of half of her form.
  2605. >Broken.
  2606. >But Equine.
  2607. >”Thank you. I saw a higher heaven, once. An ideal to strive for. A vision of perfection.”
  2608. “Yes, yes. I’ve heard it before.”
  2609. >”And in my hubris I thought I could recreate it. I thought myself above this realm, a beacon of light in the dark. One who could guide them to salvation. I was convinced I knew what was best for everyone, and that anypony who disagreed was mistaken or malevolent.”
  2610. >She let out a melancholy sigh.
  2611. >”We can see how that ended.”
  2612. “Fine, whatever. You got full of yourself. You can’t possibly think I’m a good pony.”
  2613. >”Of course I do. Not only are you humble, your heart is full of love. Deep, meaningful love unlike mine which is so shallow.”
  2614. >Luna snorted.
  2615. >Then chuckled.
  2616. >Then laughed uproariously right in her sister’s face.
  2617. >Celestia remained serene.
  2618. “Surely you jest! Me? More loving than YOU?”
  2619. >Luna snorted.
  2620. “You love everyone! I can barely stand most ponies!”
  2621. >”But the ones you care for you truly care for. I forgave Erebus for taking you from me. That was wrong. I should have cursed her name to the high heavens. I should curse her name still.”
  2622. “That’s not Love.”
  2623. >”Of course it is! Being an apologist for my own sister’s tormentor and captor is… unconscionable. What I did was not love but treachery! I should be loyal to my kind and my kin. How can one say they truly love something if they will not protect it? How can you protect anything without opposing all that would threaten your charge?”
  2624. >Luna wasn’t sure what getting angry would have accomplished.
  2625. >Anger was something to suppress, a wild beast ready to ambush at any moment.
  2626. >It looked like Celestia didn’t see it that way.
  2627. “Didn’t your angel think you were good anyway?”
  2628. >”Indeed. Perhaps I had not yet grown so hollow? Or maybe they simply didn’t yet realize just how flawed I truly am.”
  2629. >That was it.
  2630. >Celestia had finally gone mad.
  2631. >”I confused hatred with malice, and in doing so forgot what it is to truly love. For a thousand years I preached apathy thinking it was harmony, and taught weakness confusing it with kindness. All while arrogantly thinking I was to be Equestria’s salvation.”
  2632. >Hard to deny the weakness part.
  2633. “So, what? You’re giving up on this whole harmony thing?”
  2634. >”Of course not. I merely accept that my ideal was an illusion, my idol false. But by your grace we will do better. We will build a better Elysium, and welcome those who would benefit our ponies. But those who would threaten them? Perhaps they need to face a bit of wrath.”
  2635. “Isn’t wrath supposed to be bad?”
  2636. >Luna could have sworn she remembered reading that somewhere.
  2637. >”Did Uriel not wield a flaming sword?”
  2638. “Who’s Uriel?”
  2639. >”And did Michael not trample the prince of lies?”
  2640. “Uh, he said he’d never been trampled. So probably? I don’t know, sometimes he mixes in the truth just to throw you off.”
  2641. >”There’s an actual prince of lies?”
  2642. >Celestia cocked her head and looked at Luna.
  2643. >Her gaze was soft and welcoming, much like the look of a mother asking their beloved child if they wanted to go to the park.
  2644. “Yes, in one of the lower circles. At least I think so. He might only be a duke or a count. And he might not be a he? And he might not even be confined to Hell. I think all those things are true, but you never really know with him. Honestly the only thing you can be sure of is that he’s trying to trick you.”
  2645. >Luna suppressed a chuckle.
  2646. “Great comedian though. His jokes are a bit cheesy but his timing is perfect. Wait...”
  2647. >”What?”
  2648. “Well, now that I think of it I don’t know that he’s ever told a joke!”
  2649. >Celestia nibbled on her lower lip.
  2650. >”I’m not certain you should be talking to him anymore.”
  2651. “Oh, don’t you worry about that.”
  2652. >”Because you’ve no intention of ever talking to him again?”
  2653. “Because he’d trick me into thinking he’s someone else. Why worry about what you can’t control?”
  2654. >Celestia hummed disapprovingly.
  2655. >”Something to worry about later. We can try and prepare for THAT once the Blight is contained, Achlys is defanged or destroyed, and the Tide evaded.”
  2656. “Never?”
  2657. >Celestia shrugged.
  2658. >”I think we can get it all done in the next couple of years. With a little luck Achlys will be resolved quickly, and forming a perimeter around the Blight is well within Equestria’s power. All that remains is the Tide and Twilight’s team says they almost have it figured out.”
  2659. >They’d been saying that since day one.
  2660. “The structure of the Tide seems to regress infinitely toward smaller components. Behind the frictionless interface they found molecular valves, and behind molecular valves, a reversible monopole.”
  2661. >”Ah, I see you’ve been talking to Prokor.”
  2662. >Who?
  2663. “They keep saying there’s only one more piece to the puzzle. Why should they suddenly be right now?”
  2664. >There was a heavy pounding on the throne room door.
  2665. >Tradewind burst in without waiting for an answer, eyes wide face sweaty.
  2666. >”We’ve got visual on the VIP. Achlys is en route!”
  2667. “Rendez-vous with your strike team, attack the second she steps out of the agreed path. She’s to have no escorts and no weapons. We’ll be ready.”
  2668. >Luna turned to Celestia.
  2669. “It’s time.”
  2670. >”I’m scared.”
  2671. “Yeah.”
  2672. >S.M.I.L.E. was broken
  2673. >Disarmed.
  2674. >Their numbers far too few.
  2675. >Luna regretted dismissing Sweetie Drops.
  2676. >She was more of a liability than an asset at this point, but even so.
  2677. “Yeah. So am I. Don’t let her know it.”
  2678. >”We aren’t going to fail.”
  2679. “We aren’t allowed to.”
  2680. >Could they really broker peace with the Cruel Queen?
  2681. >It was risky, but they had to try.
  2682. >Achlys had found them at their weakest.
  2683. >Equestria wasn’t a predator, it wasn’t even prey.
  2684. >They had been reduced to carrion, defenseless against even the most pathetic of foes.
  2685. >Luna had long known the significance of weakness, she understood the price that came with vulnerability.
  2686. >And after their most recent catastrophe, Celestia understood too.
  2687. >A moment of weakness could cost more than a lifetime of preparedness.
  2688. >They hadn’t been ready before and so they’d paid dearly.
  2689. >And what was the price of failure?
  2690. >Half a million souls.
  2691. >And counting.
  2692. “Never again.”
  2693. >The Shadow was growing darker.
  2694.  
  2695. * * * * *
  2696. >Thirst.
  2697. >A sensation meant to cause one to seek hydration, pressing against both the conscious and subconscious mind.
  2698. >It was a powerful and primal feeling, one that was impossible to ignore.
  2699. >A sensation that would drive otherwise sensible ponies to do stupid things.
  2700. >One might binge on sarsaparilla to the point of sickness, downing more and more sugar only to exacerbate their thirst.
  2701. >So powerful was the sensation that it could override even the strongest pony’s will, cloud the wisest pony’s judgement, and drive ascetics to excess.
  2702. >One should never entrust a thirst pony not to drink.
  2703. >Luna wasn’t thirsty though.
  2704. >She was PARCHED.
  2705. >No water could ever hope to sate her, no liquid might so much as abate this sensation.
  2706. >The only remedy was more power.
  2707. >And Achlys was nearby…
  2708. “I may need you to restrain me at some point.”
  2709. >Celestia turned her head briefly to glance at her sister.
  2710. >She quickly returned to the petition before her, the one Luna was meant to be addressing.
  2711. >”So you wish for us to suspend all bank loans and mortgages?”
  2712. >”Yes, your majesty. Many of us lost our livelihoods when the blight…”
  2713. >Blah blah blah.
  2714. >It was a petty discussion of little importance.
  2715. >Celestia swore by the power of money, claimed at times that it was the crown’s greatest asset.
  2716. >To her this likely seemed an important discussion, one that would shape Equestria’s future.
  2717. >Luna was completely uninterested.
  2718. >Gold could not be fashioned into a proper blade, and silver made for lousy munitions.
  2719. >Attempts had been made to fashion armor from gemstones, but as they quickly learned bronze served better.
  2720. >Easier to shape, harder to fracture. It was good for its time.
  2721. >Not that she had any intention of ever equipping anypony with bronze ever again.
  2722. >Their armaments had changed too much and too quickly, it was no longer clear to even the wisest of generals or the most skilled warriors when to deploy what.
  2723. >Nemesis was proof of this, a heavily armored and heavily armed beast designed to crush minor threats by the thousands with minimal risk.
  2724. >Equipped with twin 12 millimeter machine guns, a massive 80 millimeter cannon with high explosive shells, and a flamethrower for good measure.
  2725. >And just to make sure it was a weapon that could surpass all other metallic gear, it had been fitted as a mobile missile platform.
  2726. >Nuclear capable of course.
  2727. >A miracle of engineering, the unstoppable force and the immovable object had become one.
  2728. >One was destroyed by Eurynomos on its first deployment, his claws made a mockery of its armor and his speed made it impossible to aim.
  2729. >Not that its munitions would have done much to him.
  2730. >The second was mired down, surrounded, and destroyed on its third deployment.
  2731. >All that effort, all those pony hours to make that monstrosity move.
  2732. >And it failed because it was too heavy.
  2733. >And the third?
  2734. >It was still in the shop.
  2735. >Not that she wanted it anymore.
  2736. >There were so many parts, so many points of failure, and its tolerances were miniscule.
  2737. >When the project had started Luna didn’t really understand the nature of machinery.
  2738. >Complexity and sophistication invite failure, and new methods might not be better.
  2739. >Granted the clarity of hindsight, she now knew it was nothing short of a miracle that they ever worked at all.
  2740. >This new knowledge had come too quickly, and granted them no chance to adapt.
  2741. >Though, without it they would have surely perished.
  2742. >It was true that she and Sweetie Drops had to finish the grisly task in the end, but she could not overstate the value of their gadgets.
  2743. >Interfering with his teleportation, vaporising his hoards, burning his bodies to cinder time and again.
  2744. >Though they never set hoof on a battlefield, the engineers and scientists were pivotal to victory.
  2745. >Perhaps they had not come to this knowledge too swiftly?
  2746. >Perhaps they had simply been too slow to adapt.
  2747. >She yearned for simpler times, quietly mourning the loss of pike lines and phalanx.
  2748. >But there was no return to that bygone era.
  2749. >Complexity had been forced upon them, their way of life destroyed by outside forces.
  2750. >To remain simple and ignorant would be to remain weak.
  2751. >And to remain weak would be to become dead.
  2752. >The machine would not be denied.
  2753. “You’ve five minutes to finish your appeal. Wrap it up.”
  2754. >Both the petitioner and Celestia looked at Luna inquisitively.
  2755. “She is near. Can you not feel it? No, I suppose you can’t.”
  2756. >”Sister, I would think we would be informed when such a guest was approaching. Her escorts were to keep us informed at every step.”
  2757. “Something went wrong.”
  2758. >If Achlys had harmed a single hair on a single pony…
  2759. >Luna didn’t know what she would do.
  2760. >They were unarmed, understaffed.
  2761. >Luna herself was broken beyond repair.
  2762. >Had she been as strong as Achlys before- which she wasn’t- she wouldn’t be a match now.
  2763. >To invite her into their home was reckless.
  2764. >To deny her doubly so.
  2765. >Attempting to broker peace with a lord of Hell was a gamble.
  2766. >Then, all decisions were gambles.
  2767. >In choosing to abstain from risky behavior, one would indeed avoid potential losses.
  2768. >But one would also forfeit any potential gains.
  2769. >One who claimed not to gamble was merely betting that theirs would be a losing hand.
  2770. >Not taking a chance with Achlys ensured more death and destruction.
  2771. >Celestia and Luna were in agreement for the first time in many moons.
  2772. >Equestria could not do battle with Achlys.
  2773. >Even if they were triumphant, it would doubtlessly prove a pyrrhic victory.
  2774. >Already doom lurked above, ruin surrounded and smothered them at every turn.
  2775. >They knew not what, if anything, may be done to weather the storm.
  2776. >They knew only that a wounded nation would be ill equipped to resist.
  2777. >And they would resist, come what may.
  2778. >Luna’s rump hurt from the long hours it had spent rested upon the hard throne.
  2779. >Her rump…
  2780. >Her numb rump.
  2781. >She could feel pain where there could be none.
  2782. >There was only one creature whose presence could cause that.
  2783. “Time’s up.”
  2784. >She locked eyes with the petitioner, registering who they were for the first time.
  2785. >Earth pony, middle aged, brown coat, stocky build.
  2786. >Probably some kind of laborer based on their rough hooves.
  2787. “Shoo. You’re out of time.”
  2788. >”But princess, we need help!”
  2789. “Don’t care. Go.”
  2790. >”But-”
  2791. >Luna raised an eyebrow.
  2792. >They bit their tongue quickly, the wisest thing they’d done since arriving.
  2793. “I’ve not the time for such issues, nor does my sister. Why she chose to entertain you of all ponies eludes me.”
  2794. >Celestia nudged Luna in the ribs.
  2795. “Oh right.”
  2796. >That kindness thing.
  2797. “What we, er, I meant to say was we’ve more pressing matters to attend. Return to us tomorrow and we may discuss this further.”
  2798. >Assuming Canterlot still existed tomorrow.
  2799. >Celestia gave a nod of approval.
  2800. >”That won’t be necessary. It is the crown’s will that relief should be provided to the bereaved. Should our next meeting end well, you may expect an announcement within three days.”
  2801. >They bowed deeply in thanks, wasting precious time.
  2802. “Now we need to get you out of here. We’ve little time before- wait!”
  2803. >Too late.
  2804. >They’d cracked the door open.
  2805. >A shrill cry of terror filled the air, the heavy doors slammed shut.
  2806. >Their visitor braced themselves against the door in an apparent bid to keep it shut.
  2807. >They were pale, hyperventilating, panicked.
  2808. “I was going to say not to use the front door. Hold still a moment, I’ll teleport you.”
  2809. >Celestia’s horn came to life before Luna had finished speaking.
  2810. >”Perhaps it would be best if I were to do that instead.”
  2811. >”AAHHHHHHH-”
  2812. >The guest vanished with a pop.
  2813. >Celestia’s horn went dark.
  2814. >”Lest we traumatize the poor dear any further.”
  2815. “My magic isn’t that scary.”
  2816. >No answer.
  2817. “Is it?”
  2818. >”I’m beginning to question the wisdom of all this.”
  2819. “Starting? Sis, this is insane through and through.”
  2820. >”Why was it so important we had guests right up until Achlys’ arrival?”
  2821. “We’ve already gone over this. We want her to think this is business as usual, that we feel no need to take special precautions.”
  2822. >”Would she really believe it?”
  2823. “She might. If we hadn’t had that freakout right now.”
  2824. >Perhaps they could convince the beast that this was normal for the elite, and that pony was just a coward?
  2825. “You got a tenuous treaty out of her because she was afraid. If we are to renew it she must be convinced we can destroy her on a whim. Just look calm and in control.”
  2826. >Thankfully, Celestia was an excellent actor.
  2827. >She ALWAYS looked serene and motherly.
  2828. >Though Luna couldn’t help but wonder…
  2829. >Maybe it wasn’t an act?
  2830. >Regardless, that would prove an asset.
  2831. >”If you’re certain this is our best bet, bring her in. I wish to be done with this. My last meeting with their kind was not a pleasant one.”
  2832. “No, not yet. Make her wait a bit.”
  2833. >”How long?”
  2834. “Long enough that we don’t seem eager, not so long as to make her angry.”
  2835. >Sadly, such a sweet spot might not even exist.
  2836. >Still, she had to try.
  2837. >Anything to tip the scales in their favor.
  2838. >Achlys had to believe she was outmatched.
  2839. >That any attempts at besting Equestria were futile.
  2840. >They had to commit to the bluff fully.
  2841. >Even if it meant bringing her right into the middle of their home.
  2842. >”I worry about her escort. Why have they not contacted us?”
  2843. “I’ll check.”
  2844. >Darkness.
  2845. >Luna melted.
  2846. >Had it been anypony else, that might have been cause for alarm, or at very least concern.
  2847. >Yet somehow, this had become mundane.
  2848. >Shadow was malleable, adaptable, fit to fill any space of any shape as a gas might.
  2849. >And much like a gas, Luna was not easily contained.
  2850. >A small amount of her corpus spun itself off in a thin tendril and snaked its way to the doorway.
  2851. >Her eye wove its way through the door’s keyhole and crept through.
  2852. >No, not her eye.
  2853. >She was shadow, she had no need for anatomy.
  2854. >No contractile cells, no barrier cells, no neurons…
  2855. >No damage.
  2856. >As a shadow, she was whole. As a pony, a broken shell.
  2857. >She could feel a subtle prickling.
  2858. >A bombardment from innumerable photons, crashing into her at relativistic speeds to carve into what she had become.
  2859. >The light wasn’t so strong as to cause her harm. This was not the sensation that came from the burning light.
  2860. >A sensation that she had first felt billions of years ago-.
  2861. >No, those memories were not hers.
  2862. >Impossible recollections that summoned unbidden thoughts and feelings that predated the moon, the planet, and even the stars themselves.
  2863. >Thoughts plucked from the mind of Erebus.
  2864. >In this form the echoes of that damnable wretch seemed somehow clearer, more tangible.
  2865. >She knew that she had to return to her corporeal form.
  2866. >A form which had been shattered irreparably.
  2867. >Without neurons, there could be no paralysis.
  2868. >Without a body, there was nothing to heal.
  2869. >Without flesh, there was no pain.
  2870. >And without those failings, she was not equine.
  2871. >The tall and twisted mass of tormented flesh known as Achlys was leaning against the wall, hunched over so as to fit beneath the vaulted ceiling.
  2872. >Was she taller than Luna remembered?
  2873. >To say she showed no signs of injury would be a bold faced lie.
  2874. >One could examine her body for hours without finding a point that didn’t show evidence of some wound, be it scars, blisters, or even open sores.
  2875. >Yet Luna could find no sign of the obscene damage she had suffered a mere month ago.
  2876. >Did she have the power to change bodies as well?
  2877. >Or had she really regrown her lower half?
  2878. >Luna knew not.
  2879. >Her escort stood around her at a healthy distance, warily eyeing the cur.
  2880. >Six pegasi and four unicorns, all of whom were talented at teleportation.
  2881. >Earth ponies were a poor match for Achlys, their reliance on enduring blows proving nigh on useless against a foe who relied so heavily on inflicting pain.
  2882. >When even a trivial blow could cause debilitating pain it was simply too risky.
  2883. >Wait…
  2884. >None of them are armed.
  2885. >That’s unusual for any agent, especially a pegasus.
  2886. >Luna had discussed their armaments in great detail, this wasn’t right.
  2887. >They looked unharmed at least.
  2888. >She returned to the throne room and allowed the shadows to congeal until a pony formed once more.
  2889. “They’re unharmed. And unarmed.”
  2890. >”Unarmed? They’re meant to protect us!”
  2891. >Yes.
  2892. >They were.
  2893. “Most of our active agents are hidden nearby. They’ll be armed and ready. We aren’t defenceless yet.”
  2894. >”But why in the world would they put down their weapons?”
  2895. “If I had to wager Achlys refused to come while they were armed. She probably made them get rid of their comms too, trying to avoid an ambush.”
  2896. >It was insane to comply with those demands.
  2897. >Yet it might have turned out for the best.
  2898. >She was here and it didn’t look like anypony was dead.
  2899. “Agreeing to that helps the bluff too.”
  2900. >”Giving in to her demands?”
  2901. “Saying we don’t need weapons to stop her. I don’t know if we should commend those agents for their bravery or chew them out for their stupidity. Either way, they ought to have informed us.”
  2902. >The agents underestimated this beast.
  2903. >S.M.I.L.E. had only done one battle with her, their ceasefire holding until near the end of the campaign.
  2904. >No fatalities.
  2905. >In her incredible cruelty she chose to torment her prey before striking a killing blow.
  2906. >They had a few tricks up their sleeves, and it was possible to disengage when things went sour.
  2907. >Many grievous injuries, many ended careers.
  2908. >But no fatalities.
  2909. >It seemed that some of them had learned the wrong lesson from the ordeal.
  2910. >It wasn’t because Achlys was weak that everypony had survived the battle.
  2911. >It was because she was strong.
  2912. >So strong that she felt it a forgone conclusion that she could triumph in a fair fight.
  2913. >She probably felt that once the ambush had failed, victory had been assured.
  2914. >She was probably right.
  2915. >Here on home turf it should have been different.
  2916. >S.M.I.L.E. should be able to effectively isolate their foe, barring teleportation and controlling a few strategically significant fortifications with minimal deployment.
  2917. >On her own she could be brought low through attrition; a hail of incendiaries to cripple the cur and cull her crew, a steady stream of slugs delivered from over the horizon to rend her flesh.
  2918. >Defense in depth to draw her ever further in as they gradually ground her body to dust.
  2919. >To recreate the Inferno here in Equestria, to destroy from afar.
  2920. >The battle would be won not through strength or cunning.
  2921. >But machinery.
  2922. >One more corpse caught in the clockwork.
  2923. >There was no honor in waging such a war.
  2924. >Luna had thought she’d long since abandoned such trite concepts as honor, she wished it possible to end this through such a display.
  2925. >Alas, it was not meant to be.
  2926. >S.M.I.L.E. could no longer restrict teleportation with S.L.I.D.E. out of commission.
  2927. >Their munitions had been ruined or expended, there would be no bombardment of hellfire, there weren’t enough agents to control her movements, they had no nucleics or orbitals to break lines.
  2928. >The only thing Eurynomos had left them with was poison.
  2929. >A twisted, sickening saving grace.
  2930. >She could almost hear the damned wretch mocking her.
  2931. >Their last lifeline, ironically, was the very thing that had gotten them mired down in this torment.
  2932. >The thing that had slain Deimos and Phobos, allowing Eurynomos to rise to power.
  2933. >The thing that he wielded so mercilessly against her ponies.
  2934. >Poison had caused this madness, and poison might prove to be the solution.
  2935. >Somehow, the idea of using Eurynomos’ own tactics was repulsive.
  2936. >Offensive to some part of her psyche of which she’d been unaware.
  2937. >She was surprised at herself for this reluctance.
  2938. >These meaningless standards were a hazard to ponykind.
  2939. >Worse, they didn’t fit into her philosophy.
  2940. >If the ultimate good was to preserve her ponies, from whence did this sensation come?
  2941. >It wasn’t guilt. She’d commanded her agents to arm themselves with poison, and she’d done it with a clear conscience.
  2942. >Morality was a means to an end, a tool to regulate behavior so as to ensure that the herd would flourish.
  2943. >It mattered not what a moral agent might think of these deployments or S.M.I.L.E. at large.
  2944. >For she and S.M.I.L.E. served the same master as morality itself.
  2945. >It might not have been right to win this way, but it was correct.
  2946. >But this churning in her stomach, this horrendous burning in the back of her mind, something was there.
  2947. >Not guilt.
  2948. >Shame?
  2949. >Yes, shame.
  2950. >She was ashamed to deploy His tools.
  2951. >Ponies were meant to be better than demons in all ways.
  2952. >To reflect their kind, even if only for a moment, was shameful.
  2953. >She did not like that they were lowering themselves to those standards, to admit they were wallowing in the muck with the swine.
  2954. >It hurt her to know they’d been reduced to aping Eurynomos.
  2955. >And it agonized her to know that they weren’t as good at it.
  2956. >Of course, these aversions mattered not.
  2957. >Should their negotiations fail they would have but one course of action available to them.
  2958. “Time to go.”
  2959. >”She’s waited long enough?”
  2960. “I know not. But if we stall much longer I’ll lose my cool.”
  2961. >Conditions were far from ideal.
  2962. >Then, that could be said about every instant over the last few years.
  2963. >Ever since the eggheads had latched onto that accursed signal.
  2964. >A faint murmur, nay, a muddy whisper echoing throughout the heavens.
  2965. >Incomprehensible, unnatural, inequine.
  2966. >The message wasn’t yet clear, but the implications were immeasurable.
  2967. >They were not alone.
  2968. >A source of great excitement and jubilation for all save Luna.
  2969. >Unfamiliar faces meant unknown competitors.
  2970. >They had mastered radio transmissions the likes of which ponykind had only recently conceived.
  2971. >Messages that they could carry a few scant kilometers had filled the cosmos, their sheer power orders of magnitude above what any pony had managed.
  2972. >Their modulation millions of times too rapid to understand.
  2973. >Celestia saw it as a great opportunity, a chance to learn from benevolent betters.
  2974. >Luna had seen it as a portent, nay, a harbinger.
  2975. >A power entity beyond their comprehension lurking amidst the stars which could crush them in an instant.
  2976. >As it happened, both were true.
  2977. >But neither of them had expected the sheer enormity of the issue.
  2978. >The sum of all knowledge attained by ancient interstellar empires, granted to them freely.
  2979. >An all consuming destroyer so overwhelming that Hell seemed safer than home.
  2980. >Luna shook her head violently.
  2981. >Reverie was comforting regardless of the topic.
  2982. >Few things weren’t a welcome distraction from the horror that lay beyond the door.
  2983. >But it was a distraction she could no longer afford.
  2984. “Ready.”
  2985. >Celestia’s magical aura seized the door.
  2986. >A thunderous crash, a horrendous tearing sound.
  2987. >The doorway erupted into flinders, smoke billowing through the ruined portal rippling in the air as they were buffeted by a horrendous shrieking.
  2988. >Luna’s tongue moved on its own uttering a curse she didn’t even know.
  2989. “Mâbûsesh burzum!”
  2990. >A jagged blade of bone came flying through the smoke straight at Luna’s heart.
  2991. >She grasped the shadows, stopping it in mid-air.
  2992. >The weapon shattered into innumerable jagged pieces, each and every one dancing to her tune.
  2993. >A million marionettes magically manipulated, shadowy strings singing a song of strife.
  2994. >She cast them forth with unholy strength, a howling filled the air with their passage as each and every shard seemed to scream death.
  2995. >Practitioners of Mana Tide thought of Undertow as a basic spell.
  2996. >A crude, if effective, way of beating a target into submission.
  2997. >One could be forgiven for expecting Luna had the same thing in mind at this moment, the raw power behind her blow was more than enough to humble even the great Babbling Brook.
  2998. >However, Luna was not a practitioner of Mana Tide.
  2999. >Moonfire was a far more destructive art.
  3000. >Achlys’ voice hammered through the dust and ash, the shockwave blasting the bone shards aside to harmlessly sink into the wall.
  3001. >Their shadows progressed unphased and blasted into Achlys, sending small chunks of meat flying.
  3002. >Achlys emerged from the rubble undaunted, her many blades and many arms tearing through the air with terrifying grace, fending off a small flock of pegasi.
  3003. >It mattered not that they were unarmed.
  3004. >They couldn’t get close.
  3005. >Luna’s will coiled around Achlys’ shadow, using her own shadowstuff to stitch it into place.
  3006. >To her horror, Achlys began to glow a blazing red as hellfire surrounded her, dispelling the shadows.
  3007. >”ENOUGH.”
  3008. >Luna trembled under the weight of Celestia’s command.
  3009. >The order seemed to bypass her ears and go straight into her soul.
  3010. >She let go of her magic, much to her own surprise.
  3011. >All of the agents who had flocked in took a half step or single flap backward.
  3012. >And Achlys just stared at the elder sister.
  3013. >Confused.
  3014. >”What did you just say to me?”
  3015. >”If you two foals are done with your tantrum, we’ve matters to discuss.”
  3016. >An icy cold, dismissive tone that sent shivers down half of Luna’s spine.
  3017. >”I’m a busy mare, and I would appreciate it if you two would stop wasting my time.”
  3018. >Achlys stared at Celestia, reddened eyes bulging ever so slightly.
  3019. >”You would DARE-”
  3020. >”I would. You are in my home, you shall observe my customs. In Equestria we exchange words rather than blows.”
  3021. >Achlys sheathed her blades in her own torso and hunched over like a gorilla, dragging herself along the polished floors with her hideous misshapen claws.
  3022. >She began to walk around the throne, muttering in some guttural tongue as she went.
  3023. >Luna saw movement out of the corner of her eye, reinforcements swarming about the entryway.
  3024. >They weren’t ponies…
  3025. >The most striking was a tall, slender tripod, hunched over upon themselves in an attempt to fit in the corridor.
  3026. >It unfolded itself as it came through the entryway to reveal that it was actually a hexapod, several times taller than a pony.
  3027. >Three long, slender legs covered in textured circles sliding it across the ground like an octopus holding aloft a thin mesh of flesh, exposed musculature heaving with strength in some places and totally transparent in others.
  3028. >It looked almost like it was upside down, its massive and lengthy upper limps which had far more girth than the ones that acted as its legs began to grope everything around it as though it were seeing the world through touch.
  3029. >The beast looked no less perplexing now that it stood erect, this heap of tormented flesh was a mockery of nature that had no place in any sane world.
  3030. “We had agreed that you would bring no soldiers.”
  3031. >”The Nihil is my attendant.”
  3032. >Achlys was behind them.
  3033. >Celestia didn’t so much as turn her head to look.
  3034. >”Nihil is an apt name for something so irrelevant.”
  3035. >Irrelevant?
  3036. >Those things were brutal in their aggression.
  3037. >Perhaps a touch fragile, but dangerous.
  3038. >It was worth at least one agent on its own.
  3039. >The thing, the Nihil she had called it, ejected a long serrated blade forged of rusty steel from the fleshy center and held it aloft.
  3040. “I trust that is not a weapon, as we had agreed there would be no weapons in the throne room.”
  3041. >”Of course not.”
  3042. >She finished circling them and stood right in front of Luna, leaning in close enough that Luna could feel their breath on her face.
  3043. >”That is a bonesaw, a surgical instrument. I trust that will not be a problem.”
  3044. >”It shan’t.”
  3045. >Celestia still sounded calm and collected.
  3046. >Luna was shivering, nearly paralyzed by fear.
  3047. >There was no stopping Achlys if she chose to strike.
  3048. >They were in too deep, no agent could save the royal sisters.
  3049. >Not even a thousand Sweetie Drops and a million Babbling Brooks could save her at this point.
  3050. >The second Achlys chose to attack it was all over.
  3051. >Celestia was either oblivious, or fearless.
  3052. >”A rather crude bonesaw. Ours don’t rust you know. Their teeth are coated in diamond, though I’ve been told they may start using hyperdiamond soon. If you wish, I’m certain our medics can provide one for you.”
  3053. >Achlys looked like she’d been hit by a rake.
  3054. >”Uh, we can keep it?”
  3055. >”I suppose, though I can’t imagine why you would. It’s almost as ugly as the thing wielding it. And it most certainly isn’t sharp enough to cut bone.”
  3056. >”Hehehe… perhaps we should test that.”
  3057. >”You may do so on your own time. First you shall answer me. Why did you see fit to damage my palace?”
  3058. >Celestia gestured lazily at the ruined door.
  3059. >”Perhaps you weren’t aware, but this is not the right way to get in my good graces.”
  3060. >Achlys slowly walked to Celestia and reached up to cradle the princess’ chin with their bony claws.
  3061. >”What makes you think I wish to endear myself to you?”
  3062. >Celestia swatted the claw away from her face with her hoof, but did not comment on it.
  3063. >”Sister tells me you’re at least smart enough to have a basic survival instinct. I’m beginning to think she was mistaken. Thus far you seem suicidal.”
  3064. >”Suicidal? You think yourself mighty enough to smite the likes of ME?”
  3065. >”We killed Eurynomos, didn’t we?”
  3066. >”Yes, WE!”
  3067. >She jabbed a twisted claw into Celestia’s barrel.
  3068. >”I contributed to his demise, it was not your accomplishment.”
  3069. >“Is that a fact? Perhaps my memory is faulty. See, I remember you getting cut in half and slinking away in disgrace while my sister bravely stood and fought. Perhaps we should take a moment to review the footage?”
  3070. >”Footage?”
  3071. >”Yes. Oh, were you not aware? We have detailed recordings of all of your movements since you entered Elysium, moving pictures created by observers suspended in the heavens. Nothing happens in our world that we are not aware of. No movement of forces, no preparation for siege, not even the slithering of a worm.”
  3072. >A half truth.
  3073. >They could record everything, but there was no way that they could actually observe everything.
  3074. >Their machines couldn’t identify what footage was important, they still had to actually have ponies watch the footage.
  3075. >But she had no way of knowing that.
  3076. >And Celestia could prove her claim if pressed.
  3077. >”Eurynomos is dead, and not at your hands. In fact, you were a hindrance if anything. Sister was forced to wrest you away lest you claim his soul for your own. A clear violation of our treaty if I recall.”
  3078. >”Yet it was YOU who broke the treaty when your dogs saw fit to ambush me in my own realm.”
  3079. >”Indeed. Equestria has not maintained the highest possible standards of diplomacy, and you have been wronged. The party responsible for this will be punished, rest assured.
  3080. >They both made a point of glancing at Luna, who instinctively shrunk back from her sister’s gaze.
  3081. >She wasn’t being serious though.
  3082. >Right?
  3083. >”Further, no ponies have died at your hooves despite your best attempts. It is for these reasons that I see fit to grant you this chance to walk away with some dignity intact.”
  3084. >Achlys scoffed.
  3085. >”This is your idea of dignity?”
  3086. >”A unilateral agreement for both parties to go their separate ways. You would not be defeated, nor would you have surrendered. Rather we would have come to an… agreement of sorts. Many of my advisors would have you humiliated then destroyed. The rest would have you destroyed before being humiliated. I cannot deny that there is wisdom in their words. The masses are weary of hellspawn, and offering a definitive end to this mess would help in maintaining order. Even so, I offer an opportunity to return home head held high.”
  3087. >Achlys drew every single blade at once, wrenching the weapons from her own flesh.
  3088. >Weapons that shouldn’t have been here at all.
  3089. >Of course, she would have some terrible excuse ready about it being a fashion statement or something.
  3090. >”Perhaps I would rather hold YOUR head high?”
  3091. >”You could try, though I wouldn’t advise it.”
  3092. >Too far!
  3093. >This was taking it WAY too far!
  3094. >”You now stand in Equestria, in OUR home. Don’t presume that we will be as weak as we were in your home. It would be unwise to test our patience.”
  3095. >”You can’t fool me. You aren’t some all powerful force, you allowed Eurynomos to ravage half of your realm!”
  3096. >”Indeed. I hear it ended quite well for him.”
  3097. >Luna knew her sister better than anyone else.
  3098. >She was putting on a brave face, but it wouldn’t last much longer.
  3099. >Her breathing was shallow and rapid, sweat was starting to form despite the controlled climate.
  3100. >Luna needed to attract attention and give her sister a chance to collect herself.
  3101. “This is a waste of time. We should just kill her.”
  3102. >”Nay, sister-”
  3103. “Your last attempts at peace blew up in our faces in a rather dramatic manner. Why should this be any different?”
  3104. >”That was a miscalculation, I’ll admit. But I have learned.”
  3105. “A mistake? We were nearly wiped out by a lesser foe, and you would have us lower our guard again?”
  3106. >Introduce the idea of a future victory.
  3107. “We should finish her off now while it’s easy.”
  3108. >Promise annihilation.
  3109. >A choice of ruin or salvation.
  3110. >That was how Celestia negotiated, and she had an excellent track record.
  3111. “Just say the word. We’ll be quick.”
  3112. >”NO. We have guaranteed safety to our guest. Though that may prove to be an error, no action is to be taken against them so long as they remain peaceful.”
  3113. >Supposedly it was an act.
  3114. >Yet somehow, Luna still felt like she was being scolded.
  3115. >”So how about it Achlys? Are you willing to talk terms?”
  3116. >Achlys scowled and averted her gaze.
  3117. >The Nihil anchored its upper limbs in the ceiling then raised its lower half to punch through, forming a crude meaty hammock.
  3118. >Which Achlys then sat in.
  3119. >”This is so stupid. Very well, we shall talk.”
  3120. >It was working?
  3121. >It was actually WORKING?
  3122. >Luna couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping.
  3123. >”We shall exchange demands.”
  3124. >”I’m afraid that’s not how this works. You shall be making no demands.”
  3125. >Too much!
  3126. >You’re pushing too much, Celestia!
  3127. >Take what you can get!
  3128. >”Equestria has already decided upon her conditions. You may request an amendment, but we likely won’t comply.”
  3129. >”Then why should I give you anything?”
  3130. >”Because I think you’ll find our half of the deal to be quite generous.”
  3131. >Celestia’s horn glowed gently.
  3132. >In the blink of an eye Achlys was on her feet, blades drawn.
  3133. >”No magic.”
  3134. >”I am merely fetching our contract.”
  3135. >”No. Magic.”
  3136. “Why? Are you afraid of her?”
  3137. >Achlys turned to face Luna, hatred radiating from her every pore.
  3138. >”Still thy tongue!”
  3139. “Hit a nerve, did I? Well, you’ve reason to be afraid. My sister’s magic is far more potent than my own.”
  3140. >Absolutely true.
  3141. >Never mind the fact that glass jaw there could be beaten up by a fly.
  3142. >That had actually happened once.
  3143. >Luna shook her head involuntarily.
  3144. >So many bruises...
  3145. >So, no unicorn magic.
  3146. >It was too flashy.
  3147. >Someone would have to stand up, and it couldn’t be Luna.
  3148. >They could not afford to let Achlys know Luna was crippled of all things.
  3149. >Thankfully, there was a simple solution.
  3150. >The Nihil was casting a huge shadow.
  3151. >Luna could use that.
  3152. >She manipulated the shadow, bulging and stretching it until it reached between herself and Celestia.
  3153. >She collected the scrolls and tossed them into the air.
  3154. >They landed in Celestia’s lap.
  3155. “Are you satisfied?”
  3156. >”That was magic!”
  3157. “Not to my eyes. Our horns are idle. Besides, no harm was done to you. You’ve no reason to object.”
  3158. >Celestia unfurled the scroll manually and began to read.
  3159. >”The principality of Equestria and her protectorates, the Crystal Empire, Gryphonstone, and Labrynthian, being described in the present treaty as the Elysian front, and-”
  3160. >Achlys grabbed the scroll out of her grasp and returned to her meat hammock.
  3161. >She produced a pair of pince-nez glasses from somewhere and placed them on her face.
  3162. >She scanned it slowly, carefully, clearly looking for any and every loophole.
  3163. >”So Equestria and all her associates are going to remove all assets from Hell.”
  3164. >”Correct.”
  3165. >”And as long as I keep up my end of the bargain you vow to never continue hostilities nor deploy any forces in Orcus. What the fuck is Orcus?”
  3166. “That would be the name of your recently deceased Hell.”
  3167. >A look of wicked joy slowly spread over her face.
  3168. >Immediately followed by a look of bemused dismay.
  3169. >”Millenia looking for that name. And now that I have it I don’t even need it. So no material assets and no personnel. Why not just say no ponies?”
  3170. >”Article 47 subsection Q states that we will erect fortifications around the entrance and forbid any travel. It does not, however, promise that we will succeed in barring entry to all.”
  3171. >”So that’s your game. Let the occasional soldier accidentally slip in and do away with me? Deal’s off.”
  3172. “You may dispose of any uninvited intruders as you see fit, as per article 69.”
  3173. >”Nice. So nothing in, and if something does come in I can do whatever I want?”
  3174. >Luna didn’t like that clause.
  3175. >She REALLY didn’t like it.
  3176. >But they needed Achlys to sign.
  3177. >And it really didn’t matter all that much.
  3178. >Achlys would definitely find an excuse to hurt anyone who came in no matter what they said.
  3179. >Besides, Luna had no intention of allowing anyone back down there for the foreseeable future.
  3180. >Preferably with some kind of overwhelming force behind them.
  3181. >Cadence kept saying that their bombs were really crude.
  3182. >Luna wasn’t sure if she should be excited or terrified to learn that a nuclear strike was crude.
  3183. >Either way, it would be easier to resolve the issue at hoof in the future.
  3184. “We cannot protect any who would willingly go to Hell. While we would appreciate it if you were to return them unharmed, we do not expect that of you.”
  3185. >Achlys continued to read through the scroll.
  3186. >It was hard to tell what with her hideous, scarred visage.
  3187. >And all the pins she had burrowed in her head were really distracting.
  3188. >But she looked almost like she was relieved.
  3189. >”No hurting anyone outside of Hell. I suppose that’s no great surprise. Have to return within the hour, can’t come back without an invitation yadda yadda. Wait. What’s this? Minimum wage?”
  3190. >”You are expected to compensate all employees with no less than 1 bit per hour for their labor.”
  3191. >What?
  3192. >That wasn’t part of the plan.
  3193. >”Hehe, that won’t be a problem. I’ll pay all my employees. Wait, what’s this? NO SLAVES?”
  3194. >She spat it more than she said it.
  3195. >”Agh. Fine, no slaves then.”
  3196. >”No volunteers, thralls, biological automatons, contractors, or any other sources of unpaid labor.”
  3197. >It was then that Luna learned what hatred looked like.
  3198. >This was not the intense dislike of one who wished desperately to murder another.
  3199. >It wasn’t the burning rage that she herself had felt upon seeing the horrors inflicted upon Ponykind by Eurynomos.
  3200. >This was distilled hatred, a primal desire to see the object of one’s enmity suffer beyond comprehension.
  3201. “Hay, hold on a second. This seems a bit unfair! Where’s she supposed to get bits?”
  3202. >”Trade. Our geologists tell me she has access to a great deal of rare earth metals. Now that our previous sources have been blighted it’s far easier to purchase than to harvest.”
  3203. >WHAT?
  3204. >TRADE with HER?
  3205. >There was no way she’d ever sign now!
  3206. >”There’s a clause in there stating we will purchase any amount of refined lithium for one bit per gram. We can negotiate other trades at a later date if you so desire.”
  3207. “Have you gone COMPLETELY mad?”
  3208. >”Much of our best equipment is powered by lithium, Helios has several tonnes of the stuff.
  3209. >If Achlys went along with this, she’d either have to purge her own forces to nothing or work for Equestria!
  3210. >This was it.
  3211. >This was how they died.
  3212. >It was all over, all the struggling and suffering to protect ponykind, all the sacrifices, it all ended now.
  3213. >Luna was scared.
  3214. >She didn’t want to die.
  3215. >No, not yet.
  3216. >She’d come too far to just roll over like this.
  3217. >There had to be a way out.
  3218. >Maybe if she got the first strike in she could confuse Achlys enough to get some distance, melt into the darkness to be harder to slaughter while reinforcements came.
  3219. >It was a long shot.
  3220. >Luna called upon her magic-
  3221. >Achlys returned to reading the scroll.
  3222. >”You’d have to provide the equipment and knowhow. My legions have no use for lithium.”
  3223. “Eh?”
  3224. >”We’ll need details on how to refine it and machinery to make it work.”
  3225. >No way.
  3226. >Celestia was smirking.
  3227. >It was subtle to be sure, but it was there.
  3228. >Had… had Celestia baited Achlys?
  3229. >Hint that the stuff was dangerous, dangle the opportunity to learn how to make Equestrian weapons before her nose, lead her on just enough to give Achlys hope that someday she might have weapons of mass destruction of her own.
  3230. >And best of all, Achlys would be the one thinking she was the one pulling the strings of it all!
  3231. >It was insane to try, but genius regardless!
  3232. >Celestia blinked twice and her self satisfied expression vanished.
  3233. >”Equestria shall, of course, lend all the relevant equipment free of charge. We will instruct you on proper use and maintenance as well. I’m sure you’ll find that working with us is far easier than working against us.”
  3234. >”Who said anything about working with you? I haven’t signed yet.”
  3235. >”You will.”
  3236. >”Why are you so certain?”
  3237. >Celestia merely smiled knowingly.
  3238. >Achlys didn’t look so certain that this would end so cleanly.
  3239. >She was definitely enraged by what she was reading.
  3240. >For what must have been the thousandth time that day, Luna quietly hoped that all their agents were in position.
  3241. >Achlys continued to read the scroll.
  3242. >”Workplace safety standards? Pension plans? Psychological counselling? Health insurance? Freedom from unreasonable search and flaying? Holidays including Hearth’s Warming, Hearts and Hooves, and FRIENDSHIP DAY?”
  3243. >”Equestria does not do commerce with cruel despots. If you wish to trade with us you must meet our bare minimum standards.”
  3244. >”What even IS Friendship Day?”
  3245. >”A day of celebration in which one is given leave from their tasks that they may show appreciation to their friends and spend time to deepen their bond.”
  3246. >”Ugh. And I’m supposed to be the cruel one. Why would I ever agree to any of this?”
  3247. “Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you.”
  3248. >”I suppose I’ve little recourse.”
  3249. >Achlys drew a blade from her chest, twisting it as she pulled.
  3250. >A steady trickle of blood oozed from her word, which she collected on her claw.
  3251. >She then proceeded to scratch some infernal runes on the scroll before handing it to Luna.
  3252. >Luna turned the surface of her leg into shadow rending it immaterial and allowing the blood within to leak out unfettered.
  3253. >The instant it splashed on the scroll she felt something change inside her.
  3254. >A familiar feeling, one she’d felt all throughout her imprisonment upon the moon.
  3255. >She and the demon before her were bound to each other.
  3256. >If either party violated their part of the deal, the other would have power over them.
  3257. >It was done.
  3258. >Luna closed her wound and raised a leg to meet her sister’s hoofbump.
  3259. *click*
  3260. >”IT APPEARS WE HAVE AN ACCORD!”
  3261. >Ponies started flooding into the room, each and every one of them an agent of S.M.I.L.E.
  3262. >And each of them heavily armed, ready to do battle in an instant.
  3263. “Oh dear. It appears we have this rogue pony organization here.”
  3264. >Achlys’ face cycled through shock, confusion, distress, and annoyance before settling on rage.
  3265. >”What is the meaning of this?”
  3266. >The fanned out to surround Achlys.
  3267. >Agent 27 fired a quick volley of bullets at the Nihil, splattering blood about the place.
  3268. “It would appear at though that paramilitary organization that isn’t supported by the crown has arrived, hasn’t it sister?”
  3269. >”Ah yes. S.M.I.L.E. they call themselves. Those ponies who act independently of the government’s will. A rather perplexing problem, no?”
  3270. “Indeed. They keep stealing our armaments and funding and going off to fight monsters and demons without proper judicial oversight. Not one of Equestria’s assets at all.”
  3271. >”Wait, wouldn’t that mean they aren’t bound by the contract you just signed?”
  3272. “Oh my. I suppose not. They might attack at any second! Oh, but didn’t Achlys just promise she wouldn’t hurt anyone?”
  3273. >”Why, you’re right! She didn’t promise not to hurt Equestrian assets. She promised not to hurt anyone or anything! This is quite the pickle, is it not?”
  3274. >”You TRICKED ME!”
  3275. “Oh, don’t act like you weren’t doing the same. Pretty devilish really, putting those holidays in. A day where one is exempt from their tasks? Well, if you were to claim your job was upholding the contract, would you not be exempt from your job too? You’d have multiple opportunities every year to invade. It was too good to pass up, wasn’t it?”
  3276. >Achlys was visibly grinding her teeth.
  3277. >Luna saw a couple of them fracture right then and there.
  3278. “So yes. There are four days a year where you can take action against us. And hundreds of days a year that they can take action against you. In fact, not a single pony who did battle in Hell was part of Equestria, they were all them. It would appear as though the only one that contract protects you from is me. And if I have to abdicate the throne to finish you off? Well, I’m actually quite looking forward to it.”
  3279. >”I- I-”
  3280. >”Equestria does not control these ponies. However, if you prove helpful and compliant we might just put in a good word for you from time to time.”
  3281. “Oh, did we ever get our weapons of mass destruction back from them?”
  3282. >”We did not. And I understand that quite a bit of ordinance didn’t get used against Eurynomos.”
  3283. “Get it, Achlys? You’ve been had. You aren’t the only one who cheats on their deals.”
  3284. >”This will NOT STAND!”
  3285. “Luckily for you, my sister is sincere when she says she’s sick of fighting. The truth of the matter is we’ve other things to worry about at the moment. If you cause us no trouble we’ll leave you be. But if you ever so much as frighten another pony?”
  3286. >The agents began to close in on her.
  3287. >One raised a water gun and discharged a small blast of a corrosive substance right into her face.
  3288. >Infernal magic filled the air.
  3289. >Achlys vanished in a puff of brimstone.
  3290. >It was over.
  3291. “Great work everyone. Dismissed!”
  3292. >Celestia and Luna watched quietly as their agents filed out of the throneroom.
  3293. >And then once they were alone…
  3294. “AHHHHHHHH!”
  3295. >”AHHHHHH!”
  3296. >Both of them were tearing up.
  3297. >Luna started coughing violently from the screaming.
  3298. >”I was soooo sca-a-ared!”
  3299. “That was just awful!”
  3300. >”I almost peed myself!”
  3301. “I MIGHT have! I don’t even know anymore!”
  3302. >That was so different from fighting them.
  3303. >When in battle Luna could drown her fears in the flood of adrenaline, direct her worries toward maintaining an offensive.
  3304. >Sitting still though?
  3305. >With a non-combatant to protect?
  3306. >And PARALYZED?
  3307. >AND in the middle of CANTERLOT of all places?
  3308. >Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and all she could do was sit there and act tougher than she really was.
  3309. “Augh, I hate this feeling. Freezing cold but covered in sweat, trembling, my heart hurts!”
  3310. >”I couldn’t SEE for a while there I was so scared!”
  3311. “What were you THINKING trying to extort LITHIUM of all things from her?”
  3312. >”We discussed this! You said that we needed to make it look like we were getting something else out of it to distract her!”
  3313. “But EXTORTION?”
  3314. >”Cadence said we’ll need hundreds of tonnes of lithium, and I was feeling really confident when I was drawing it up, and you said it was okay-”
  3315. “I did no such thing! Wait. When was this?”
  3316. >”Last night! You said she’d agree to anything as long as we left a way out!”
  3317. “Last night? I’d been hitting the cider!”
  3318. >”But you said you were fine!”
  3319. “That’s what drunk ponies say!”
  3320. >”Why would you be DRINKING the night before THIS?”
  3321. “Why drink before one of the most stressful things in pony HISTORY?”
  3322. >Too close.
  3323. >WAY too close.
  3324. “We- we got away with it?”
  3325. >”I’m still not certain I believe it myself. But we’ve succeeded. Somehow.”
  3326. “So what happens now?”
  3327. >”First, I take a long, relaxing bath.”
  3328. >Of course.
  3329. >”Then I’m counting on you to set up exceptional fortifications to keep her out. We’ll need to be ready to stop her come Friendship day.”
  3330. “No, we need to be ready around the clock. She’ll poke the deal full of holes over time. This just gives us a chance to organize.”
  3331. >Celestia grimaced.
  3332. “She’ll not attack until she thinks she can win though. As long as we never lower our guard, there won’t be any more fighting.”
  3333. >”I’m counting on you.”
  3334. “We’ll have something ready by dawn, but the gates are firmly in the Blight. It won’t be easy to keep her in check, we’ll be reliant on mobile task forces and agile equipment to react to any of her movements. Still, much easier than if we didn’t hamstring her with these new rules. We’ll be ready by the time she figures out this was an enormous bluff. What next?”
  3335. >”We contact Achlys and arrange for delivery of some heavy mining equipment.”
  3336. “You’re actually following through with that? That’s insanely risky!”
  3337. >”We need lithium.”
  3338. >She stood up from her seat and started to stretch.
  3339. >Showoff.
  3340. >”And we also need all the telemetry info we’re going to get from the modified hardware.”
  3341. “You’re using the mining stuff to spy on her?”
  3342. >”Oh, heavens no! S.M.I.L.E. is using the mining stuff to spy on her.”
  3343. >Luna let out a chuckle of disbelief.
  3344. “And here I thought I was the cheat. How did you come up with this stuff?”
  3345. >”Oh, you pick it up over the years. Where did you learn to bluff?”
  3346. “Hell.”
  3347. >”Ah yes. There’s your problem. You’ve been studying the apprentice.”
  3348. “And who’s the master?”
  3349. >”Lawyers. Did you know that embezzlement was not only legal but mandatory in Equestria? They managed to sneak it in as being part of a gryphon cultural celebration. It took me FIVE YEARS to overturn that ruling.”
  3350. “Couldn’t you just sign a new bill?”
  3351. >”I did. And you know what? They sued me. And WON! The courts- MY courts ruled that the hurt feelings caused by my legislation constituted emotional assault. I had to make a plea bargain to avoid going to the dungeons.”
  3352. “Unbelievable. How have I never heard of this before?”
  3353. >”Because I just made it up.”
  3354. >Luna blinked twice.
  3355. “Oh, you little liar!”
  3356. >Celestia blew a raspberry before happily skipping out of the throne room.
  3357. >It was absurd.
  3358. >Today's events had no right to transpire.
  3359. >And yet?
  3360. >It was done.
  3361. >Equestria had peace once more.
  3362. >There was still danger on the horizon, but for the time being the ponies were safe.
  3363. >Luna was…
  3364. >Happy.
  3365. “Yes, that’s the word.”
  3366. >Happy.
  3367.  
  3368. * * * * *
  3369.  
  3370. >Bon-Bon was reclining in a lawn chair on the dead lawn.
  3371. >She lay belly up, sunning herself beneath the early autumnal skies.
  3372. >Clouds from nearly a week ago still hung above, dotting a hazy murky sky.
  3373. >Normally, weather patrol would have handled it long ago- Lyra rather wished they would.
  3374. >But word had it they were really overworked and under strict orders to make no wind.
  3375. >Some part of the crown’s plan to try and control the Blight.
  3376. >The princesses hadn’t yet made any official announcements about the Blight, or much of anything really.
  3377. >It seemed long overdue.
  3378. >Why were they stalling? Surely they could find time to at least say things were under control.
  3379. >Maybe they just weren’t sure what to say?
  3380. >Still, their silence had everypony pretty on edge.
  3381. >Everypony except for Bon-Bon.
  3382. >She seemed to be almost binary in her emotions as of late.
  3383. >Either calm and joyous, the pony Lyra had known for years.
  3384. >Or something… else.
  3385. >Something decidedly wrong, something sick.
  3386. >A disease of the mind that seemed to rob her of herself, a flood of adrenaline that washed the pony away and left only a rabid beast.
  3387. >At the moment she seemed happy enough.
  3388. >Lyra could only hope it lasted.
  3389. >She had to make sure there were no surprises, no loud noises, no bad smells.
  3390. >She kept her distance when first speaking, lest the sudden presence set Bon-Bon off.
  3391. “Hey, Bonny. Power’s out again. And the water’s been shut off. Should I do anything?”
  3392. >”Yeah, you should! Come out here and relax. It’s a nice day.”
  3393. >Lyra shrugged, but complied.
  3394. >It wasn’t really that nice of a day though.
  3395. >There was a foul smell to the air, and an odd haze in the skies.
  3396. >Plus it was uncomfortably warm.
  3397. >Strange for autumn, early though it may be.
  3398. >And was that glowing in the distance?
  3399. >It was!
  3400. >Jet black smoke was rising into the skies from the distance, fuelled by an unearthly orange glow that must have marked a raging inferno.
  3401. “Are you sure it’s safe to be out here?”
  3402. >”Yup. It’s a controlled burn, way out of town. On the other side of Everfree, actually.”
  3403. “Okay, but what if Everfree catches fire?”
  3404. >”It’s not IN Everfree, it’s on the other side. Controlled burn, it’s fine.”
  3405. >Must be a pretty big fire to be seen from so far away.
  3406. >But if Bon-Bon insisted it was under control?
  3407. >Well, she of all ponies would know.
  3408. >Discharged or not, Bon-Bon knew things.
  3409. “What’s that stuff in the air though?”
  3410. >”Smoke. Or maybe closer to smog?”
  3411. “What the hay is smog?”
  3412. >”Pollutants mixing with atmospheric vapor, I think. Saw a lot of it on the job.”
  3413. “Okay… but is it safe?”
  3414. >”Re-LAX, girl! It’s not very dangerous.”
  3415. “Okay, but we might have different standards for danger.”
  3416. >”If we had to deal with it all day every day it might be a big deal, but this should be a one time thing. Besides, hiding indoors won’t protect you from it. Best thing to do is ignore it until it goes away.”
  3417. “Where’d it come from though?”
  3418. >”Burning stuff. Power generation-”
  3419. “The power’s almost always out though.”
  3420. >”Doesn’t mean they’re not generating it, just means it’s not coming here. Odds are they need it for something. I bet you they’re working overtime trying to rearm right now. All the munitions will need replacing, all the broken machinery will need fixing- I hear that their S.L.I.D.E. thing blew up or shorted out or something. That’s gotta be hard to fix. And it’s not JUST the power, most of it’s probably from cremation.”
  3421. >A shudder went down Lyra’s spine.
  3422. “CREMATION? I’m breathing in dead ponies right now?”
  3423. >”Well, some I maybe? I think they’d get better treatment than a mass pyre. It’ll mostly be dead demons.”
  3424. “NOT HELPING!”
  3425. >”Can’t just leave them out there. You don’t wanna know what happens if you leave those things alone.”
  3426. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
  3427. >”Oh come on. Don’t be so- oh. You actually are looking a little green there. More so than usual. Here, sit down.”
  3428. >She scooted aside, and Lyra dropped herself on the seat.
  3429. “How are you okay with this?”
  3430. >Why wasn’t she freaking out about THIS smell?
  3431. >”I dunno. It just feels alright. It’s different enough I guess. “
  3432. >She hunched over and coughed a few times.
  3433. >It was a wet, sickly sound. One that made Lyra feel slightly more queasy.”
  3434. “Are you getting sick again?”
  3435. >”Don’t think so. Just a little hard to breathe in this. But again, it’s not going to kill us or anything.”
  3436. >Lyra looked at the rising smoke, watching it stain the skies.
  3437. >It was fitting in a way.
  3438. >A sickly haze over a sickly nation, black clouds smothering the last fading rays of hope.
  3439. >With all the smoke and the orange glow coming from the heart of the city, it looked a little like Ponyville itself was on fire.
  3440. >She’d spent the best years of her life in that quiet little town.
  3441. >A peaceful existence of quiet contentment, her own personal Eden.
  3442. >Smothered beneath concrete.
  3443. >Torn asunder by evil incarnate.
  3444. >Ponyville was dead.
  3445. >It didn’t matter that the fires weren’t going to reach it, it had already burnt to cinder long ago.
  3446. >Vast lengths of razor wire and ruined fortifications were still strewn about, scrambled back into the streets to prepare for an invasion before they had even cleaned up the wreckage from the one before.
  3447. >Collapsed buildings and rubble still lined the streets, hollowed out homes stacked on top of each other, warrens full of ponies who could neither flee nor stay.
  3448. >And this was the city that survived.
  3449. >The one that had eluded the rabid hoards, the vile destroyers of civilization who celebrated sickness.
  3450. >This hideous war zone was, by all accounts, considered a “victory”.
  3451. *sniff*
  3452. >”Yeah. Brings a tear to my eye too. It’s just so…”
  3453. “Depressing?”
  3454. >”Beautiful.”
  3455. >She gestured out to the rising fires, her gaze seemingly focusing not at the smoke or the blaze.
  3456. >But the shattered city.
  3457. “What do you mean? It was sick from the start.”
  3458. >”Very sick. Built on a shaky foundation, separating us from nature. Overcrowded, overworked, overtired. They’re deracinated and isolated, lonelier than ever before but still unable to find a place to call their own. Squeezed for all the wealth and labor until it bled dry. Ruined financially, emotionally, spiritually. And then savaged by invaders from another realm, hoards of savages that were driven by blind hatred for us and everything we stand for.”
  3459. >She chuckled.
  3460. >CHUCKLED!
  3461. >”And yet, despite ALL THAT? It’s still here.”
  3462. “I mean, barely.”
  3463. >”It started off wrong and only got worse. That-”
  3464. >She jabbed at the partially cleaned wreckage in the distance.
  3465. >”Was ponies at their worst. The most divided and demoralized we’d been in millenia, a ramshackle mockery of who we are built on a foundation of shifting sands. And EVEN THEN, even when at its very worst and flooded by those who wish to purge the world of everything we’ve ever made and wipe us out?
  3466. >The clouds parted ever so slightly, allowing a stray ray of sunshine to land upon her face.
  3467. >”We’re still here. We’re still standing, bruised and bloodied, but not broken. Everything went wrong at once and they still couldn’t stop us. We took everything they could throw at us, and not only did we survive, we’re THRIVING!”
  3468. “I wouldn’t go THAT far.”
  3469. >”Really? Where would you rather live?”
  3470. “Come on-”
  3471. >”No, really! Name a single place better than Equestria. Pick one that hasn’t been burnt to the ground if you want, it’s fine. I know I can’t. Equestria was built by ponies, it’s a reflection of who we are, it’s our spirit projected on the world. And it’s beautiful.”
  3472. >A husk of what it once was.
  3473. >And still beautiful.
  3474. >Not because of where it was, or how it was put together.
  3475. >But because of who made it.
  3476. “Hm. Somepony’s certainly in a good mood.”
  3477. >”Why not? We’re ascendant! If this mess didn’t break us nothing can.”
  3478. “What about the Tide?”
  3479. >”Fine, the moment we beat the Tide nothing can stop us! We’ve grown, Lyra. We’re smarter and stronger than we used to be. We’ve learned, and hardened. We won’t make the same mistakes again.”
  3480. “I sure hope not. I don’t want to know how much worse things can get.”
  3481. >”Hay, chin up. The Ponyville you loved isn’t gone.”
  3482. “Uhh…”
  3483. >Had her other eye fallen out too?
  3484. >”Ponyville wasn’t a place. It was nothing so simple as a heap of dirt and some sticks shaped like houses. It wasn’t the Mayor, it wasn’t Sugarcube Corner or anything like that. Ponyville was US. A community, no, an extended family! Everything that made it special is inside us, and we’re still here. It doesn’t matter what happens to this place, who takes over, what gets blown up. As long as we can all get back together we can make Ponyville happen all over again. And I promise you, it’ll be even better than the last one! We’ve recapture our destiny, and now we’ll make the old Ponyville look like a heap of filth!”
  3485. >Lyra saw no need to argue.
  3486. >It seemed outlandish, perhaps even a tad insane.
  3487. >But why ruin her good mood?
  3488. >Why tell her that her optimism was unfounded when she’d already gone through so much?
  3489. >Besides.
  3490. >Bon-Bon’s optimism was infectious.
  3491. “Yeah. You know what? You’re right. Compared to what was going on before this isn’t so bad.”
  3492. >”There ya go! Look beyond the surface. Everything's broken, there's a deadly pandemic, everyone's too scared to go outside or do their job, and entire cities have been destroyed. But these things are all just symptoms of the underlying problem. Our future is no longer being controlled by things that hate us, and the infighting has stopped. We're united in purpose again, and we control our own destiny. Equestria is in better shape than it has been for years, even if it doesn't look like it.”
  3493. “Huh.”
  3494. >Lyra shook her head violently.
  3495. >When that didn’t work she started to rub her eyes.
  3496. >”What’s wrong?”
  3497. “It just feels weird. Being told everything is okay after so many awful things happening for so long. I guess I’m just not used to good news anymore?”
  3498. >Bon-Bon offered a saddened nod.
  3499. >”You have had a pretty rough time this year.”
  3500. >Says Bon-Bon of all ponies.
  3501. >”But just because times have been tough before doesn’t mean they will be forever.”
  3502. “I know. But I can’t help but shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen. Like I’m going to get a letter saying my family died.”
  3503. >”They’re FINE. You visited them after we were released from quarantine and they were completely unharmed.”
  3504. “I didn’t mean that terrible thing specifically, it was just an example!”
  3505. *knock knock*
  3506. >The two of them turned to see Derpy standing before the front door with a great big bag.
  3507. >How she’d failed to see them was anypony’s guess.
  3508. >Oh right, it was D.
  3509. >”Oh hi! Got something for you.”
  3510. “Oh. Okay…”
  3511. >She turned around the face Lyra and Bon-Bon, a single envelope tucked beneath her wing.
  3512. >Lyra snatched it with her magic.
  3513. “It’s from the department of vital statistics.”
  3514. >She and Bon-Bon shared a worried glance.
  3515. >Lyra started to chew her lip as she warily tore the letter open, shaking all the while.
  3516. >Out from the envelope she produced a slip of paper with a certificate attached.
  3517. >Bon-Bon was staring intently at the papers.
  3518. >”A death certificate?”
  3519. “A BIRTH certificate.”
  3520. >They both let out a breath they hadn’t realized they’d been holding.
  3521. >Derpy nearly knocked Lyra over with an ambush hug.
  3522. “ACK!”
  3523. >”I didn’t know you were expecting! Congratulations!”
  3524. “I wasn’t!”
  3525. >”Oh! Bon-Bon?”
  3526. >”Not me.”
  3527. >”So it was your dog! Where are the puppies?”
  3528. “We don’t have a dog! I’m pretty sure this letter isn’t for us.”
  3529. >She checked the address.
  3530. “Yeah, it’s got the wrong name on it. And the wrong number. And the wrong street.”
  3531. >And the wrong city.
  3532. >”Oh my, you’re right! THIS is yours.”
  3533. >She offered a small brown box.
  3534. >Lyra made a point of checking the address before taking it.
  3535. “Is there going to be trouble with me opening somepony else’s mail? I’m pretty sure that’s a felony.”
  3536. >Both Derpy and Bon-Bon deadpanned at Lyra.
  3537. >Neither said anything.
  3538. >Neither had to.
  3539. >This was hardly her first felony, after all.
  3540. “Well, maybe if we tape it up they won’t notice.”
  3541. >”Don’t worry. We deliver tampered mail all the time, nopony will even notice.”
  3542. >Of course they did.
  3543. >Nothing else worked lately.
  3544. >But Bon-Bon said that was going to change.
  3545. “Wait a second. If you’re here that means mail delivery has resumed? That’s promising.”
  3546. >”Yep! Princess Celestia says we’re essentially a service so we aren’t allowed to quit. Isn’t that great?”
  3547. >”Had anypony other than you said that, D, I’d have assumed they were being sarcastic. Who’s taking care of Dinky?”
  3548. “Shouldn’t she be at school right now? Oh. Those are probably closed now, aren’t they?”
  3549. >The school system had retooled to groom ponies to fight the Tide no matter the cost.
  3550. >Lots of good fillies and colts were suffering greatly for the change.
  3551. >A cold and cruel education system that cared not for wellbeing, mental health, community, history…
  3552. >Results driven with but one goal in mind.
  3553. >An unhealthy, unrealistic, and potentially impossible demand of scientific mastery.
  3554. >Every princess had come up with a different solution.
  3555. >Celestia wished to run, either oblivious or uncaring of the futility.
  3556. >Like a pony taking shelter from a storm beneath a tree, only for it to become soaked through.
  3557. >Her plan would delay ruin, but not stop it.
  3558. >Cadence had sought to destroy the Tide, purging it as it came to Equestria.
  3559. >A crude, but doubtlessly effective tactic.
  3560. >One that would cause untold collateral damage, the like of which Equestria would likely not survive.
  3561. >Chemotherapy to remove a cancer until they were nought but a wizened husk.
  3562. >Luna plotted to turn back the Tide by seeking out a greater power still.
  3563. >One that carried not the cold indifference of the machines, but one that was malice made manifest.
  3564. >A power that COULD save them.
  3565. >A power that might make them wish they had not been saved.
  3566. >And finally, there was Twilight’s solution.
  3567. >Lyra had spent the least time investigating her as there were always more pressing matters to look into.
  3568. >But Lyra knew Twilight well enough to infer what she’d been thinking, and it was at once the most reasonable solution and the most naive.
  3569. >It was a machine.
  3570. >It was matter and energy working in space and time.
  3571. >Everything it did and everything it was was the product of natural phenomena that could be understood.
  3572. >And if one could understand it, they might be able to exploit it.
  3573. >It was known that under certain circumstances it would send a signal telling other bodies of Tide to deactivate or relocate.
  3574. >If they could trick it into sending that signal, or better yet replicate the signal, they would be safe.
  3575. >Hidden within the eye of the storm.
  3576. >It was the only solution they’d come up with that would allow them to completely avoid harm.
  3577. >And of course, it was the only plan that seemed completely impossible to execute.
  3578. >How many empires had fallen?
  3579. >How many millions or even billions of brilliant minds had struggled against the inevitable only to come up short?
  3580. >What reason had they to think ponies would fare any better?
  3581. >Still, it was a Twilight Sparkle plan through and through.
  3582. >No sacrifices, no compromises, just keep on trying until it works.
  3583. >Although…
  3584. >There HAD been sacrifices.
  3585. >Ponies kept getting hurt by that stuff even though it wasn’t here yet.
  3586. >Twilight had lost a leg, Applejack had lost half her body, Rarity had somehow been struck blind.
  3587. >Who knows how many more had been maimed or worse trying to decipher that enigma?
  3588. >And then the schools.
  3589. >That change was made to give Twilight more minds to work with.
  3590. >Every single tear that the foals had shed, all the broken spirits, all the lost opportunities.
  3591. >They could all be traced back to Twilight Sparkle.
  3592. >If Lyra knew Twilight at all, there was no way she’d anticipated this when she started.
  3593. >She was too optimistic to even understand just how bad things actually are.
  3594. >No, this price was paid piecemeal, with each toll coming as a surprise.
  3595. >Twilight was probably crippled by guilt.
  3596. “Poor girl.”
  3597. >Both Bon-Bon and Derpy looked at her.
  3598. “I mean Dinky. Yeah. I worry for her.”
  3599. >”Uhh…”
  3600. >Bon-Bon was hesitant to say it.
  3601. >Not so hesitant that she didn’t speak though.
  3602. >”Lyra, we stopped talking about that like, five minutes ago.”
  3603. >”Yeah! She’s doing great now that the schools are closed.”
  3604. “Really?”
  3605. >”Well, except for all the fear of course.”
  3606. >Of course.
  3607. >”She’s really worried there are going to be more bad guys in Ponyville.”
  3608. >”Tell her not to. I’ve heard it from a good source that it’s all over. I betcha we’ll get an announcement from the princesses any day now.”
  3609.  
  3610. >”That’s great! All anypony says is poison, demons, plague, pollution. I just want to bake for goodness sake!”
  3611. “I think we all want a break at this point. I’m sick of action adventure and intrigue.”
  3612. >Lyra really understood why Bon-Bon liked comedy so much.
  3613. >It was tiresome thinking about all this stuff all the time.
  3614. >”I’d better get going. But first, would you two like to come over for dinner tomorrow night? Floor agreed to take a shower so we’re celebrating.”
  3615. >”Floor?”
  3616. “Have I not told you about her yet? She’s a very… special pony. One who has some problems.”
  3617. >”Ah. And D’s maternal instincts kicked into overdrive and she effectively adopted some random basket case?”
  3618. >Derpy’s muzzle scrunched up.
  3619. “Well, basket case might be a tad harsh.”
  3620. >”She FINALLY agreed to take a shower, and she’s not a basket case?”
  3621. >“It’s not like she NEVER showers. Just not very often. But she’s a really good pony!”
  3622. “Well, if you ever need help with her just let us know. I’m sure we can manage something.”
  3623. >”I’ll make sure to let you know!”
  3624. >She smiled at theme before taking off.
  3625. >And then immediately landing.
  3626. >”Oh right! I need your signature for those packages.”
  3627. “Packages?”
  3628. >”Yup!”
  3629. >”As in, more than one?”
  3630. >”Oh, right!”
  3631. >She fetched a couple papers out of the giant bag.
  3632. >And shoved the remainder at them.
  3633. >There must have been thousands of pages worth of folders and binders in there, all crammed in haphazardly!
  3634. >”There you go!”
  3635. “Uh, thanks.”
  3636. >She waved at them before flying away.
  3637. “Huh. I wonder who sent this. Wait, did she get the signatures?”
  3638. >”Nope. No point in trying to chase her down though.”
  3639. “Yeah. We wouldn’t be able to catch up. Besides, she’ll notice soon enough. Probably next time she needs a signature. What is this stuff anyway?”
  3640. >She unceremoniously tore the smaller package open.
  3641. >A book.
  3642. “Musical theory for derps?”
  3643. >”Oh, that’s mine!”
  3644. “I didn’t know you were interested in music.”
  3645. >”Eh… the doc said I should try to do some creative stuff and suggested music.”
  3646. >Oh yeah.
  3647. >Lyra had completely forgotten about that.
  3648. >”I was going to make a garden but when I asked around I was told not to until spring. Did you know that you have to plant stuff in the right season?”
  3649. “I mean, yeah. So did you, though. You’ve been through Winter Wrapup.”
  3650. >”Sure, what about it?”
  3651. “It’s in the song. And we can’t grow in this cold?”
  3652. >”Well, yeah. I thought that was a metaphor.”
  3653. “For WHAT?”
  3654. >”I dunno! Not every part of that song is literal. Like, they’re not finishing holiday cheer or anything. There are holidays not in winter, and Hearth’s warming is long over by Winter Wrapup.”
  3655. “Alright, but why doesn’t anypony grow anything in winter then?”
  3656. >”Because it’s cold. Do you want to spend time digging around in the dirt when it’s snowing? Besides, you’d need to constantly clear the snow away to actually get at the plants. It would be way more work.”
  3657. >She actually raised a decent point there.
  3658. “I suppose it would be harder, yeah. But it’s also impossible. Plants are made of water and they don’t generate nearly enough heat to thermoregulate.”
  3659. >”What about Discord’s Snare?”
  3660. “Huh?”
  3661. >”You know, that plant that lives around the Crystal Empire? Hides under the snow to ambush prey and strangle them to death?”
  3662. “Well, that-”
  3663. >”Or the Overvine? You know that one ivy plant that serves as the central consciousness for the wandering Razorferns?”
  3664. “Wandering? Like, they move around?”
  3665. >”Oh! And there’s that one breed of exploding potatoes that keeps starting all those fires!”
  3666. “You made that last one up.”
  3667. >Hopefully.
  3668. “Look, most plants aren’t like those anomalous ones. That’s what makes them anomalies. They’re abnormal.”
  3669. >”I suppose. It’s going to take a lot of work figuring out what is and isn’t normal though. But apparently that has to wait until next year anyway, so I might as well do something else.”
  3670. “Well, I would love to help you. What instrument were you planning on taking up?”
  3671. >”Bagpipes!”
  3672. >Oh.
  3673. >Oh dear.
  3674. “Well, I’ll help you out anyway. But you have to practice outside.”
  3675. >”Not a fan?”
  3676. “They’re just not very dynamic is all. I’m not sure they can do anything other than fortississimo.”
  3677. >Bon-Bon stared at her with a vacant expression.
  3678. “They’re really loud.”
  3679. >”Oh.”
  3680. “And most of the time ponies don’t bother retuning the drone so the harmonics are just awful.”
  3681. >”It’s bagpipes, not a swarm of insects.”
  3682. >What?
  3683. >Oh.
  3684. “The drones are a part of the instrument that make constant notes so you can harmonize with yourself. Well, they’re supposed to but again, they often don’t.”
  3685. >”Geeze, I didn’t know there was so much to this.”
  3686. “Pardon?”
  3687. >”Well, I just thought I’d pick up a couple instruments real quick, maybe cut an album or two in my spare time for fun.”
  3688. >Lyra felt hot for some reason.
  3689. >”I didn’t realize you had to work at it.”
  3690. >Lyra could feel her mouth opening despite her own protests.
  3691. >”Uh… sorry? I didn’t mean it like THAT. I get that it takes work to be good at anything! I’m not saying you haven’t put effort into it!”
  3692. “You were going to cut an album. For fun?”
  3693. >”Please calm down?”
  3694. “I DON’T HAVE AN ALBUM! It’s not something you do casually!”
  3695. >”Why not?”
  3696. “Do you have ANY idea how expensive it is to record something properly? You need to rent a studio, you need sound technicians to clean up the recording, you need to burn through LOADS of vinyl for every single take- making a single wrong note could cost tens of thousands of bits! It’s- all that recording stuff is obsolete, isn’t it?”
  3697. >”We should be able to do it at home for practically free.”
  3698. >Huh.
  3699. “Well it’s still a lot of work and not something you just do because you feel like it.”
  3700. >”Okay, I get your point. I just thought you might like to record a duet some time.”
  3701. >A lyre and bagpipe duet?
  3702. >What could possibly go wrong?
  3703. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, what’s in the big bag?”
  3704. >”Not sure. I thought you’d ordered it.”
  3705. “Nope. I wasn’t expecting anything.”
  3706. >Lyra levitated the bag toward herself.
  3707. >It was surprisingly heavy.
  3708. “Oof. D is stronger than she looks if she could fly with this.”
  3709. >She reached in and grabbed a folder at random.
  3710. >It had “classified” stamped on it in big red letters.
  3711. “I think it’s for you.”
  3712. >”Nope. I’m not cleared for any sensitive information anymore. Besides, it says L. H. on the other side.”
  3713. “Maybe it’s for Lemon Hearts?”
  3714. >”Who’s Lemon Hearts?”
  3715. “I dunno. Just a name with those initials.”
  3716. >”Well, what are you waiting for? Crack it open!”
  3717. “I can’t just do that! It’s classified!”
  3718. >”You’re suddenly worried about that now?”
  3719. >Good point.
  3720. >Let’s see here…
  3721. “By authority of AL000, all information pertaining to article 001 is to be immediately released to Lyra Heartstrings, public index number 043 126 983- public index number?”
  3722. >”The number on the microchip they put in you.”
  3723. “WHAT? I never got a chip!”
  3724. >”You were in the hospital for a long time. Much of it was spent delirious or unconscious. They must have done it then.”
  3725. >They’d got her.
  3726. >There was no hiding anymore, was there?
  3727. >Lyra somberly rested her face in a hoof.
  3728. >”Don’t worry about it. We’ll just fry it.”
  3729. “I’d rather not climb into a fryer.”
  3730. >”Active reader, passive tag. The tag reacts to an electromagnetic signal sent by the reader, so they can’t shield it from outside signals or it wouldn’t work. Just blast it with a strong electromagnetic pulse and it’ll melt.”
  3731. “Seriously?”
  3732. >”It’s easier to microwave them, but we can’t do that for you.”
  3733. >Huh.
  3734. >Derpy was right.
  3735. >The microwave did break their tracking.
  3736. >”Try not to hold it against Celestia, I bet she didn’t even order them to do that to you. It’s probably standard procedure at this point.”
  3737. “That doesn’t make it right though.”
  3738. >”Naa, but at least it’s not personal. I’ll need some copper wire and a capacitor. We’ll break it tonight.”
  3739. “Just like that?”
  3740. >”Yep. Couple minutes and it’s done. General rule, the more sophisticated a machine is, the more delicate it is. They need these things to be safe to implant and work for years while being readable from hundreds of meters away. Plus they needed them to be cheap enough to make that they could crank out millions of them on relatively short notice. Every time you make a new demand for engineering you limit the options they have. No matter how smart they are, they still need to work in reality with real tools, and eventually it’s just not possible to be precise enough to make things within tolerances. Get enough features on something and it’s a surprise when it works at all.”
  3741. “Huh.”
  3742. >Now that Lyra thought of it, they did seem to have a lot of malfunctions.
  3743. >Their Tide suppression system letting everypony get cancer, Helios blowing itself up over and over again, S.L.I.D.E. breaking down because they left it on for too long, their Oralloy refining supposedly failing nearly every day, Nemesis never amounting to anything but a pile of junk, Applejack having seizures...
  3744. >She wasn’t even sure she could list them all!
  3745. >S.M.I.L.E. was suddenly a lot less intimidating.
  3746. >”What else does that stuff say?”
  3747. “It LOOKS like it’s research notes on the Tide. And about a million pages telling me what I am and am not allowed to say.”
  3748. >This was going to take ages to go through.
  3749. “We should take this all inside.”
  3750. >”But then how would you read it? The power’s out.”
  3751. “Do we have any candles or anything?”
  3752. >”Don’t think so. Probably should get some, now that you mention it.”
  3753. >Lyra wasn’t sure she’d heard that right.
  3754. “We DON’T? You’re prepared for the end of the world but not a power outage?”
  3755. >”Well, we could crack open a couple of flares.”
  3756. “Maybe not the best idea you've ever had.”
  3757. >”Just read ‘em out here.”
  3758. “They’re classified though.”
  3759. >”They sent them through the public postal service. Not our fault if there are any leaks.”
  3760. “Really though. What kind of mess must be going on behind closed doors that they did that?”
  3761. >”Oh, you don’t even know how messed things are. The bureaucracy is on fire right now. I requisitioned an Ares weapon platform a year ago, they brought me in for fitting months ago, and yesterday I was told that they’d started manufacturing.”
  3762. “Yesterday? Like, after you got kicked out?”
  3763. >”Yeah! I’m not going to say anything, kinda curious to see if they’ll actually give it to me. And a couple of weeks ago I got a debriefing from a totally different cell! I’m not part of Steel Talons, I’m not even supposed to know they exist! Things started getting chaotic a few years back, roughly when you say they first discovered these signals. It’s only been getting worse since.”
  3764. “Wow. How did that happen?”
  3765. >”I dunno. Growing pains and an intentionally obfuscated chain of command? A perfect storm of incompetence, apathy, and lack of oversight? Your guess is better than mine.”
  3766. >Well, they weren’t going to find out just sitting there.
  3767. >Lyra cracked fished around in the bag, taking cursory glances at all the folders in the hopes of finding something easy to digest.
  3768. “What’s reversible computing?”
  3769. >Bon-Bon shrugged.
  3770. >”Can I get some context?”
  3771. “It says that there is no measured change in heat generation during signal interpretation and navigation. Relevant systems must be operating below the Landauer limit such as with reversible computing or through some non-computational means of information processing.”
  3772. >Bon-Bon’s eye glazed over.
  3773. “I’ll try the next one. Notes on Article 001: transmutation and power.”
  3774. >Transmutation?
  3775. “Isn’t that alchemy?”
  3776. >”Yeah. I thought that that was just nonsense though.”
  3777. “Let’s see… able to assimilate all known matter, made primarily of carbon with traces of silicon and metallic hydrogen. Metallic hydrogen?”
  3778. >The two of them shared a look of confusion for several seconds.
  3779. “Huh. Okay, so the Tide can consume all known forms of matter to self replicate, but has a predictable composition of three elements. That does sound an awful lot like transmutation. Uhh, though we cannot definitively determine any mechanism for transmutation, fusion and fission can be ruled out for a number of reasons (see appendix d8) not the least of which is the low operating temperature.”
  3780. >”Low? That stuff nearly cooked me! It was practically boiling!”
  3781. “Hm. I talked to Moondancer about power generation once, and from what I gathered heat generation is a huge part of it. Apparently even the best power plants just boil water for their first step. Maybe the reason they say it’s a low temperature is because it’s not actually boiling?”
  3782. >”Maybe. Wait, what did they say it wasn’t again? Fusion and fission?”
  3783. “Yeah.”
  3784. >”Those are what power nuclear bombs.”
  3785. >Oh.
  3786. >Yeah…
  3787. “So yeah, practically boiling is way too cold. Approximately 0.3042 kilojoules of heat generated per gram during assimilation. Mass loss suggests 1.3050 kilojoules should be generated.”
  3788. >”That’s a pretty huge difference.”
  3789. “Yeah. Too big to be a measurement error, I’d bet. How is mass being lost? Isn’t it supposed to be conserved?”
  3790. >”I thought so too. But the way they word it suggests that it’s not really a surprise.”
  3791. >This was so incredibly bizarre.
  3792. >It was like reading a really lousy science fiction novel, but it was real.
  3793. >”So they know what doesn’t power it. Do they have any guesses for what does?”
  3794. “Uh… we believe component 7-G to be the reactor chamber, blah blah, anomalous opacity to electromagnetic radiation not present in the rest of the structure suggests some kind of EM capture mechanism similar to a photovoltaic panel?”
  3795. >”Solar powered? But from the inside.”
  3796. “We are unable to determine any mechanism for generating a photon, though observed behavior is consistent with Dr. Redacted’s proposal of a matter decompression?”
  3797. >This was crazy.
  3798. >”So wait, let me try to wrap my head around this. We have a microscopic machine that can eat anything and everything to reproduce, but when it does it’s made of just three elements? It gets boiling hot, which is surprisingly cold, and it loses mass somehow- which is apparently normal- but it loses more than it’s supposed to? And they think it’s solar powered by making a fake sun inside itself by decompressing matter, whatever that means.”
  3799. “I think that about sums it up.”
  3800. >She pulled out another file.
  3801. “Twilight was really interested in the signals it was sending. Maybe we can find something more in there? Let’s see. Anomalous broad spectrum pulses and ultraviolet radiation. No known means to emit a photon, I think they said that earlier.”
  3802. >”But doesn’t that contradict the ultraviolet radiation?”
  3803. “Yeah. Though they do say no KNOWN. Consistent radiation between the ranges of 300 to 450 nanometers, sometimes entering the visible spectrum to be visible as a soft blue or purple glow.”
  3804. >Huh.
  3805. >Celestia had mentioned something about that.
  3806. “Radiation intensity seems to increase with the density of the local medium becoming readily visible at 0.9 grams per centimeter squared.”
  3807. >”So it glows all the time, but it’s not bright enough to see if it’s just in the air? That’s really weird.”
  3808. “001 will periodically emit potent electromagnetic bursts capable of causing severe tissue damage. There’s that cancer mess. Uh, did they ever screen you for that?”
  3809. >”They did, actually. Nothing detected, but there are going to be followup appointments.”
  3810. >Lyra wasn’t exactly satisfied with that.
  3811. >”Oh, chin up. If Dinky can survive being gutten I’m sure I can handle a little cancer.”
  3812. >A little cancer.
  3813. “Twilight lost a leg because of that!”
  3814. >”Right. And it didn’t stop her.”
  3815. >Lyra grimaced.
  3816. “This isn’t over. But I guess there’s nothing to do for it right now.”
  3817. >Back to the cause of this nightmare then.
  3818. “Normal radiation shielding has proven ineffectual at protecting personnel, as the bursts do not seem to originate from the Tide itself but rather manifest a short distance away? How is that even possible?”
  3819. >”Lyra? I hate to admit this, but I think we’re going to need help.”
  3820. “Yeah. You’re right. And I know just the pony to ask.”
  3821.  
  3822. * * * * *
  3823.  
  3824. >Twilight’s tree castle was coming into view.
  3825. >It had been spared the wrath of recent times, standing as a pristine and gleaming beacon in the midst of a ruined city.
  3826. >And yet?
  3827. “It’s still an eyesore.”
  3828. >Bon-Bon suppressed a giggle when Lyra made her displeasure known.
  3829. >”It really is though. And it’s not just that it’s kinda ugly, but it’s really bright. The glare coming from that crystal is just awful.”
  3830. “In all fairness, it’s not as bad the rest of the day. It just catches the sun wrong at dusk."
  3831. >"Why is it crystal anyway? This isn’t the crystal empire.”
  3832. “Oh who knows. It never really fit into the town’s aesthetic, even before all the changes.”
  3833. >”Right? Ponyville was a simple and cozy place to live. Having that gaudy thing right in the middle ruined the balance.”
  3834. “Figures that it would be the one thing to not get smashed in all this.”
  3835. >”Well, we could fix that while we’re here.”
  3836. >Lyra gave Bon-Bon a playful shove.
  3837. “We’re trying to AVOID attention, remember?”
  3838. >”Why, though? You got clearance. Or at least I think you do, it was a bit vague on what you’re actually allowed to do.”
  3839. “Do you want even more attention drawn our way? You’re already a living legend to those in the know, and I’m the psychopath who’s too much of a heroine to lock up but too dangerous to let go. If we actually do crack this case they’ll NEVER leave us alone.”
  3840. >”Oh yeah. I’m not really used to having to worry about recognition. Well, actually I am. But it’s more worrying about not being seen than about how to handle being known. Still, I have to admit it might be nice to be appreciated for once.”
  3841. “I appreciate you.”
  3842. >”You know what I meant.”
  3843. >She did.
  3844. >”But thank you. That actually means a lot.”
  3845. “If it means that much to you we COULD just go in, masks off.”
  3846. >”Naa. I can become famous later if I really want. Besides, we might not even do anything. No point in making noise like that if we just walk away afterward.”
  3847. >That was surprisingly realistic of her.
  3848. >Lyra couldn’t remember the last time Bon-Bon had admitted defeat was even possible.
  3849. >”It might take us weeks or even MONTHS to figure this out. We can decide on identities then.”
  3850. >Oh.
  3851. >They ducked into an alleyway and began to suit up.
  3852. >Lyra bore the padded cloak she had come to associate with Red.
  3853. >Bon-Bon had a bodysuit dyed various shades of grey and blue arranged in a geometric pattern.
  3854. >”That’s your disguise? Needs work.”
  3855. "How so?”
  3856. >”It’s black. Night is dark, not black. You need a dark green or blue, or a REALLY dark white. Plus it’s too even, most things have visible texture. Having something smooth like that just sticks out.”
  3857. >Now they tell her.
  3858. “Well, once we get in it doesn’t matter. Twilight’s going to know we’re around once we start asking questions, we just need to mask our identi- where did you go?”
  3859. >Bon-Bon was casually walking up to the front door.
  3860. >No, not to the door.
  3861. >The guards!
  3862. >She waved at them as she approached.
  3863. >They shared a confused look before drawing their weapons.
  3864. >”HALT! None are to approach without an appointment.”
  3865. >Bon-Bon stood up straight and stared at them, masked face only revealing her eye.
  3866. >She strafed around to have them face opposite Lyra, who saw her chance.
  3867. >”By order of Princess Celestia, we are to meet with one Twilight Sparkle regarding an urgent matter.”
  3868. >"Nothin' doin', missy. We wasn't told 'bout no visit."
  3869. >"I'm afraid I must insist. We have critical information for her eyes only."
  3870. >”Oh yeah? What is it then?”
  3871. >Bon-Bon scoffed at them.
  3872. >”You’re not cleared to know that. Hay, the princess is barely cleared to know.”
  3873. >”Right then. Who sent ya?”
  3874. >”Who’s to say anypony sent us? Who’s to say we’re even here? What do YOU know, huh? You sure seem well informed for somepony with your clearance level. We might have to shut you up before you say anything stupid.”
  3875. >”Why do ya keep sayin' WE?”
  3876. >Lyra tapped her horn to their butts, rending them senseless.
  3877. >The pair then dragged the incapacitated guards into a nearby alleyway.
  3878. >Bon-Bon looked at the pair of stallions for a moment before giggling.
  3879. “What?”
  3880. >She repositioned one’s muzzle to be in the other’s groin with a loud giggle.
  3881. “You certainly seem to be having fun.”
  3882. >”Oh, this is great! An op with NO danger involved?”
  3883. “I mean, they DID point guns at you.”
  3884. >”Yeah, toy guns. If the magazine has an orange bottom they're rubber bullets. They can bruise you pretty bad but they shouldn't go in."
  3885. >Huh.
  3886. >That was news to her.
  3887. >Lyra couldn't help but wonder how often she secretly wasn't in mortal peril on her journey.
  3888. >After all, S.M.I.L.E. didn't seem to be in the business of shooting ponies.
  3889. >"Plus, we can leave as much evidence as we want! They’re going to know we were here so there’s no point in hiding it.”
  3890. >True.
  3891. >And Bon-Bon was used to having to vanish without a trace.
  3892. >This was probably trivial to her.
  3893. >”C’mon, lighten up! Where’s your sense of humor?”
  3894. “Well, I suppose it is nice not to have to worry about winding up in some dungeon.”
  3895. >Again.
  3896. >”There we go!”
  3897. “Oh! While we’re in there, let’s switch the labels around on her tea leaves! No, even better, make NEW labels!”
  3898. >Bon-Bon made a decent impersonation of Twilight for her reply.
  3899. >”Spike! Get me a cup of leaf juice! Yeah, Stankweed this time!”
  3900. “Oh yes. You have to try the walrus sweat. It’s a fermented leaf juice so it’s not for everypony, but those who like it love it.”
  3901. >They walked to the front door and pried it open unceremoniously.
  3902. “Wait. We can’t go in while we’re chipped.”
  3903. >”Oh right. They could I.D. us.”
  3904. “Or worse! They have automatic guns that look for them. If we see one and we’re not authorized it’ll blow us away!”
  3905. >”Ah. Probably semi-lethal munitions, you wouldn’t want it malfunctioning and shooting somepony important. Still, that’s a problem. Although, with the power out maybe all that stuff is offline?”
  3906. “What if they have backup power? I don’t think that’s a safe bet.”
  3907. >”No, it really isn’t. We need something we can rig together to fry the chips. If only I could requisition something from the quartermaster, this would be so easy. Well, after sending it back eight times because they got it wrong.”
  3908. “Eight? That’s an odd number.”
  3909. >”I think you’ll find it’s even.”
  3910. “I meant it’s a weird one. Why eight? Did something happen?"
  3911. >"Yeah. Shockingly hard to get a pencil. That's not important right now though. We need to get rid of the chips."
  3912. “What would you ask for?”
  3913. >”EMP generator. Barring that? A chargepak for a gauss pistol. I'd need to convert for D.C. but- Oh.”
  3914. >She returned to the unconscious guards and grabbed their weapons.
  3915. >”Probably shouldn’t leave those lying around anyway.”
  3916. “Their guns can fix it?”
  3917. >”Just need a good power source, I already have the hardware.”
  3918. "What about your armoury?"
  3919. >"Bunker."
  3920. "Armoury. Don't you have any chargepaks there?"
  3921. >"Naa. They're perishable. Batteries discharge slowly just sitting on the shelf you know, and since it takes so much energy to throw a bullet they had to design them for rapid discharge and high capacity. Shelf life didn't make the cut. Couple months and they're garbage."
  3922. "Then recharge them?"
  3923. >"Some batteries can't be recharged. Unfortunately, without logistical backing gauss weapons just aren't practical. I prefer powder anyway. Still, getting some portable power couldn't hurt. And it would be nice to be able to run some hardware off grid..."
  3924. >She pulled the magazines out of the guns and popped a single round out of the breach before shoving them into her suit.
  3925. >”These aren't gauss guns. Should have known.”
  3926. “So… time to go then?”
  3927. >”Not yet. They’ll have a means to read the chips. Not sure what though.”
  3928. “You’re looking for a visor of some sort.”
  3929. >”Glasses?”
  3930. >She produced a small pair of thick framed, lensless glasses.
  3931. >Not what Lyra was familiar with.
  3932. >But then again, that was probably an old model when she got it.
  3933. >Times may have changed.
  3934. >Bon-Bon put them on.
  3935. >A small light shone on each of her eyes, both the real one and the fake one.
  3936. “Yeah. It’s got your name.”
  3937. “What do they say about me?”
  3938. >”No criminal record? They must have wiped that littering thing. Solstice Star recipient, volatile temper, potentially psychotic-”
  3939. “I mean, I did kinda try to blow up the palace…”
  3940. >”Critical asset for national security. Should be considered armed and potentially dangerous. Approach with caution, do not obstruct. Contact on sight.”
  3941. >Huh.
  3942. >That was WAY nicer than she’d been expecting.
  3943. “What exactly does that whole do not obstruct thing mean?”
  3944. >”I think it means to let you do whatever you want.”
  3945. “Really? They would have just let me walk in, no questions asked?”
  3946. >That doesn’t sound right.
  3947. >”Well, this is just the info this gadget is cleared to see. They’re just the royal guard, probably wouldn’t get the whole story even if they were S.M.I.L.E.”
  3948. “So the full records might say other things.”
  3949. >Like how she took a swing at Luna.
  3950. >”Odds are you have higher security clearance than them. If you're not allowed to do it, they're not allowed to know it.”
  3951. >That answered the second question.
  3952. >Contact on sight.
  3953. >Not contact Lyra, contact somepony else.
  3954. >Make them take care of it.
  3955. >Bon-Bon passed Lyra the glasses.
  3956. >”What does mine say?”
  3957. “You have one?”
  3958. >”Probably!”
  3959. “But that’s a big problem, isn’t it? They’ll have identified you!”
  3960. >”Naa. They weren’t wearing them.”
  3961. “You’re being way too reckless.”
  3962. >Lyra grabbed the glasses.
  3963. >”You know what I say. It’s not stupid if you don’t get caught.”
  3964. >Lyra put the glasses on.
  3965. “I’ve never heard you say that in my li-”
  3966. >A tiny beam of light shone from the frames into her eye.
  3967. >The world changed, and with it her worldview.
  3968. >Floating letters screamed warnings at her, demanding she run away.
  3969. SEMI-ACTIVE NIGHTMARE CLASS THREAT
  3970. DO NOT ENGAGE
  3971. PLACATE IF POSSIBLE
  3972. EVACUATE IF ACTIVE
  3973. NO HELP IS COMING
  3974. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN
  3975. “Uh... how do threat classifications work again?”
  3976. >”It’s an estimation of how much damage a monster could do if it attacked. Something has to be REALLY dangerous to get an interesting classification though. Most monsters get Kitten rank, five fatalities or fewer.”
  3977. “So it’s just a measure of potential? You can be on the scale even if you don’t do anything?”
  3978. >”Yeah. Gotta keep an eye on anything that can do a lot of damage. Better to waste some time watching a friendly beast than be caught off guard by an evil monster. It's pretty rare, but there ARE inactive monsters walking around peacefully.”
  3979. “Where would a particularly powerful pony place?”
  3980. >”A pony? I think Sombra was Wraith? Up to a thousand. Honestly I think he'd have been worse than that if he got a hoofhold, but who knows?”
  3981. >Huh.
  3982. “Okay, so what’s a Nightmare class threat?”
  3983. >”Second highest, named for the whole Nightmare Moon deal. They’re projecting fatalities in the millions, but at least extinction isn’t likely.”
  3984. >MILLIONS?
  3985. >No way.
  3986. >”Why? What does it say?”
  3987. “I think they put the wrong chip in you.”
  3988. >”Wouldn’t surprise me. I’m sure they’re chipping inactive threats whenever possible just to make them easier to track, and with all the mistakes they’ve made lately?”
  3989. “Yeah.”
  3990. >That had to be it.
  3991. >”Well, let’s get rid of these things then. I don’t want to be tagged as a monster.”
  3992. “Alright, but how?”
  3993. >”Go where there’s power. The hospital will have a generator.”
  3994. “What, steal power from the hospital? That doesn’t sound right.”
  3995. >Bon-Bon shrugged.
  3996. >”They won’t even notice. Come on.”
  3997. >Lyra hesitantly followed the cloaked Bon-Bon down the streets into the heart of the city.
  3998. >It was eerie stepping through the dead city.
  3999. >Rubble strewn about, naught but blackness from every window, and not a single soul in the streets.
  4000. >The moon and the stars were even absent, blocked out by the towering hulks of concrete and steel that surrounded them.
  4001. >Anywhere but the heart of the overly wide streets was a special kind of darkness, the likes of which Luna herself would shy away from.
  4002. >Bon-Bon seemed content to walk off to the side, but Lyra wasn’t comfortable not being able to see her own hooves.
  4003. >So she stuck to the weird roads.
  4004. >The ones designed not for ponies, but for hulking masses of blindingly fast metal.
  4005. >Steel monstrosities that moved on their own.
  4006. “Hm.”
  4007. >”What?”
  4008. “Ponyville wasn’t designed to handle an invasion. They had to demolish a bunch of stuff to put the barricades in.”
  4009. >”So?”
  4010. “So when they made the roads like this, it wasn’t for war machines.”
  4011. >”Good point.”
  4012. >Still, it had to be for vehicles like that.
  4013. >It made no sense otherwise.
  4014. >But to what end?
  4015. >Was the goal for train-like vehicles to move through the city carrying cargo?
  4016. >An industrialization of inner city logistics?
  4017. >Deliveries of cargo and freight to warehouses and stores rather than railyards.
  4018. >And if cargo, why not ponies?
  4019. >Had they nearly made walking obsolete?
  4020. >Could they have had a future where one might catch a ride with dozens or even hundreds of miniature trains moving about the city?
  4021. “You know, I’m kinda glad things were already bad when I got involved.”
  4022. >”Why? Being around when they were all optimistic and making a better world would have been exciting.”
  4023. “Yeah. But can you imagine the heartbreak when they found out things were just going to get worse?”
  4024. >”Ugh. I'd rather not. I’ve had enough stress already.”
  4025. >There was far more to this whole mess than Lyra would ever know.
  4026. >More than she ever COULD know.
  4027. >The Tide was older than Equestria, older than ponykind!
  4028. >Their struggles to prepare for it didn’t even amount to the blink of an eye to the ancient void that surrounded them.
  4029. >And Lyra was but one pony.
  4030. >Small.
  4031. >Even by pony standards she was small.
  4032. >There was an incomprehensibly vast history to those microscopic machines, with innumerable fallen heroes and victims.
  4033. >More excitement, more fear, and more despair than one could process in a million lifetimes.
  4034. >And frankly?
  4035. >She was glad to have missed out.
  4036. >The sooner this was all wrapped up the better.
  4037. >They were getting close, and sure enough the hospital was lit.
  4038. >It stood out like a sore… a sore something in the midst of the dark city, washing out the bulk of the stars above.
  4039. >Most of the facility had returned to normal.
  4040. >There were no coils of razor wire, no barricades, and practically no ponies.
  4041. >It almost looked tranquil, a beacon of normalcy glowing in the void.
  4042. >Bon-Bon was right.
  4043. >Despite drowning in a sea of filth and rot, Equestria was still there.
  4044. >It was still standing.
  4045. >There was a strange beauty to it.
  4046. >Perhaps not the same beauty as one might see in a flower or a painting, more the kind one might see from an ancient structure.
  4047. >A blip of permanence in a transient world.
  4048. >A promise of continuity.
  4049. >”Okay. Get ready.”
  4050. >Bon-Bon pointed at an open window on the fourth floor.
  4051. >Something made a really loud whooshing noise, a thin rope shot out from her sleeve.
  4052. >”Hold on.”
  4053. “ACK!”
  4054. >She threw Lyra over her back and began to gallop at the wall.
  4055. “What are you DOING?”
  4056. >”Climbing.”
  4057. >True to her word Bon-Bon braced her legs against the wall.
  4058. >The rope tightened seemingly on its own, a faint whirring noise could be heard.
  4059. >And Bon-Bon started casually walking up the wall, towed by the rope.
  4060. >With Lyra flailing about wildly, hanging legs gripped about Bon-Bon’s neck.
  4061. “Are you crazy!”
  4062. >”URK!”
  4063. “I’M GOING TO FALL! HAAAAALP!”
  4064. >”Choking- uk!”
  4065. >A slightly blue Bon-Bon heaved over the windowsill, tossing a flailing Lyra onto a nearby bench.
  4066. >Bon-Bon then lay on the ground, gasping for air.
  4067. “Oh. OH! Sorry, Are you okay?”
  4068. >Bon-Bon nodded, but continued to puff.
  4069. >Lyra got up and offered her a hoof to help stand.
  4070. >Bon-Bon accepted it readily.
  4071. “Couldn’t you have like, protected your neck or something?”
  4072. >”Too late, you'd already compressed my neck. Earth's magic hardens me, it doesn't undo things that are already wrong.”
  4073. "Why aren't you always hardened then? Too exhausting?"
  4074. >"No, too immobilizing. It also makes me heavy, remember."
  4075. >Oh right.
  4076. >She'd forgotten that.
  4077. >Whatever, the climb was over.
  4078. >That was too scary.
  4079. “Do you do that often?”
  4080. >”Naa. That’s pretty new, I used to have to scale things without a rope.”
  4081. >Oh yeah.
  4082. >Lyra had read about that.
  4083. >It sounded awful.
  4084. >”We need to hurry. Somepony probably heard all that.”
  4085. “Oops?”
  4086. >”Look for a power outlet. I think they had some in the hall in case of overflow.”
  4087. >The two of them were eminently visible in the polished, well lit, off-white halls.
  4088. >Fortunately, so were the outlets.
  4089. >Bon-Bon produced a small plastic box from somewhere and began to uncoil a power cable.
  4090. >”So what are we in for if we get caught?”
  4091. “What do you mean?”
  4092. >”We’ll be spotted if anypony comes out. How much trouble will that cause?”
  4093. “I feel like I should be asking you that. Don’t you have a protocol for that kind of thing?”
  4094. >”Yeah. Go to prison.”
  4095. “Seriously?”
  4096. >”We- they don’t officially exist. The princess can’t pardon an agent without raising suspicion, so they just surrender to try and keep things calm.”
  4097. >Harsh.
  4098. >”Doesn’t happen often, but when it does there’s somehow never enough evidence to prosecute. It’s still a hassle. If this were a real op I wouldn’t be here right now, too risky. Just curious what happens if somepony sees us.”
  4099. “We run away. Maybe throw an attack spell somewhere near them if they try to follow, most ponies stop following when things start exploding.”
  4100. >”Hm. Hold still. Actually, levitate those glasses outside. We don’t want to break them.”
  4101. “That thing would break them?”
  4102. >”Probably? I don’t know how that thing works, never been equipped to find chipped targets. It might be E.M.P. shielded or something.”
  4103. “Wait a second. If that thing breaks electronics-”
  4104. >Lyra heard a loud crackling sound.
  4105. >The lights flickered a bit.
  4106. “Maybe we shouldn’t use it in the hospital of all places.
  4107. >Lyra couldn’t see Bon-Bon’s face.
  4108. >But she knew in her heart that Bonny’.s muzzle was scrunched up.
  4109. >“We’d better take a quick look around, see if anything’s fried.”
  4110. “What do we do if there’s a problem?”
  4111. >”We’ll figure that out later!”
  4112. >Lyra walked over to one of the doors.
  4113. >”Wait. The glasses.”
  4114. “Oh right, we can look in and see if it burnt the patient’s chips.”
  4115. >Here’s hoping.
  4116. >Lyra looked at Bon-Bon.
  4117. >Nothing.
  4118. >As far as the glasses could tell, she didn’t exist.
  4119. >But Rainbow Dash did.
  4120. >So did Rarity!
  4121. >Lyra took a few surprised steps back and floated the glasses over to Bon-Bon.
  4122. >She put them on and gestured over beside the door.
  4123. >Lyra sidled up next to the wall just the the left of the door, Bon-Bon placed herself to the right.
  4124. >Bon-Bon produced a small fiber optic cable and slid it beneath the door.
  4125. >She gestured for Lyra to open it.
  4126. >The door flew open.
  4127. >Bon-Bon walked through.
  4128. >”We have some questions.”
  4129. >She sounded NOTHING like herself.
  4130. >Lyra moved around the corner and fell in line behind Bon-Bon.
  4131. >She froze instantly.
  4132. >Rarity was levitating a small gun, pointing it straight at Bon-Bon’s head.
  4133. >Lyra’s horn burned brilliantly.
  4134. >She had to do this in the blink of an eye lest Rarity fire.
  4135. >The greater spellform fell into place as one, a complex weave of dozens of accelerated fields forming around the back of Rarity’s gun.
  4136. >She cast Rip Current.
  4137. >And failed.
  4138. >One of the teeth overpressurized, fracturing the containment field before the whole was ready.
  4139. >All she got out of her spell was a strong gust of wind.
  4140. >The weapon was knocked slightly off course, discharging a small slug into the floor.
  4141. >Rainbow Dash galloped between Rarity and Bon-Bon, bravely guarding her friend.
  4142. >”We don’t want any trouble!”
  4143. >She looked wretched.
  4144. >Lopsided, with naught but a pathetic stump where her wing once was, underbalancing a poorly maintained wing with myriad broken feathers on the other side.
  4145. >Shivering, nay, trembling.
  4146. >But not breaking eye contact.
  4147. >”She didn’t mean to shoot, it was an accident!”
  4148. >Bon-Bon turned away from Rainbow Dash to face the gun.
  4149. >”You don’t want trouble? Then why did you point a derringer at me? Get a better gun.”
  4150. “Eh?”
  4151. >”Somepony as rich as you should have proper protection. Get something like an MP7. You’ll want jacketed rounds for penetration, makes the wounds less impressive but it’ll still be plenty to deter an attacker with burst fire, and at least you’ll have a chance to stop an Earth pony.”
  4152. >The floor was sagging slightly under Bon-Bon.
  4153. >She must have weighed at LEAST a tonne!
  4154. >She may have been acting casual, but her guard was up.
  4155. >”And Rainbow Dash? You’re a good pony. I respect you and appreciate you. But there’s a difference between bravery and stupidity.
  4156. >”Who ARE you?”
  4157. >”The Empress.”
  4158. >Empress?
  4159. >”I’m not satisfied with how the princesses are managing my country, so my advisor and I have decided to intervene.”
  4160. >Lyra stared blankly.
  4161. >As did Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
  4162. >Nopony really seemed to know how to handle this.
  4163. >”Now put the gun away. We have some questions for you.”
  4164. >”Well! I certainly have no intention of putting it away! We’ve no clue who you ruffians are, save for that you claim to be some sort of royalty!”
  4165. >”Royalty? Rarity, you’ve no clue what you’re dealing with. But that’s fine, there doesn’t need to be trouble. Put the gun away, tell me what I want to know, and we’ll leave you to your business.”
  4166. >Bon-Bon shifted her weight around and lifted one leg.
  4167. >Rarity pointed the gun at her once more.
  4168. >”STAY BACK!”
  4169. >Bon-Bon ignored her and pressed on.
  4170. >Rarity backed herself against the wall.
  4171. >Rainbow Dash jumped at Bon-Bon with a clumsy spinning kick.
  4172. >Her hoof crashed into Bon-Bon’s head, and bounced off harmlessly.
  4173. >”See, that’s landing on the side of stupid. You know better.”
  4174. >She pushed Rainbow aside, stepped right up to Rarity, and grabbed the gun out of the air.
  4175. >She quickly disassembled it and tossed the pieces aside.
  4176. >”Better.”
  4177. >Lyra walked in on shaky legs.
  4178. >THAT was dangerous!
  4179. >She didn’t care how good Bon-Bon was, one slip up and it could have been REALLY bad.
  4180. “Give them some space, Empress. They’re scared.”
  4181. >Bon-Bon backed away.
  4182. >She moved much more fluidly, and the floor was no longer sagging.
  4183. “Alright. We’ll start with some easy stuff. Rainbow Dash, you were hurt really badly. I’m very sorry that it happened, you deserve better.”
  4184. >”Uh. Thanks.”
  4185. >She wasn’t looking directly at the pair, and she was breathing pretty fast.
  4186. >Were Lyra and Bon-Bon really that intimidating?
  4187. “We’ve been preoccupied with other projects lately and haven’t gotten around to checking on you. What are the chances of prosthetics?”
  4188. >”Pretty good. It wouldn’t have pegasus magic in it though so I’d be off balance. We can use those weird things to make it less bad though.”
  4189. “The inertial neutralizers? They require quite a bit of power to run.”
  4190. >”Yeah. I wouldn’t be able to fly for long. Maybe only a few minutes at a time.”
  4191. >She smiled, but there was grief in her eyes.
  4192. >”At least I can still fly a bit.”
  4193. “There’s that. And who knows what the future might bring? We’ve got more scientific data to go through than you could imagine. We might get better.”
  4194. >”Thanks. That means a lot.”
  4195. “And Rarity? I’m sorry about your eyes. But something bothers me about that. My understanding is that something burnt them out when you were being introduced to the Tide, but I missed the details. Did it reach you?”
  4196. >”How do you know about the Tide? And the neutralizers? And my eyes?”
  4197. “We know many things.”
  4198. >Bon-Bon wasn’t satisfied with that answer.
  4199. >”We know more than you. We know more than the princesses. And we know that we’re far from being safe. However! We’ve nearly found the solution, there are just a few details that need to be filled in. Now, how did the Tide hurt your eyes?”
  4200. >Rarity chewed on her lip for a second, but answered.
  4201. >“They were demonstrating that it could solve simple puzzles to spread faster, and trying to explain something called swarm intelligence wherein large numbers of simple agents could outsmart even the cleverest ponies. It was spreading in a hauntingly beautiful fractal that constantly expanded how much surface area it had that it might spread faster, and when they started trying to destroy it it changed patterns to try and escape the heat. Then all of a sudden there was a brilliant white flash, and then darkness.”
  4202. >Was she telling the truth?
  4203. >Ponies DID have a habit of trying to lie to Lyra.
  4204. >Then again, that was oddly specific and had a lot of detail.
  4205. >”They later told me that there was something called a gamma burst and it had emitted enough light to blind all the observers.”
  4206. >Bon-Bon shook her head.
  4207. >”If it was gamma you wouldn’t have seen it.”
  4208. >”The radiation isn’t exclusively gamma, it’s broad spectrum. But it peaks in gamma range.”
  4209. >That was impossible.
  4210. >Unless…
  4211. “At what point in the testing was this?”
  4212. >”Well, I don’t know when they began to experiment with it, but it was several years ago.”
  4213. “Checks out.”
  4214. >They had heavy radiation shielding now, and used indirect observation.
  4215. >Probably to avoid accidents exactly like that.
  4216. >If this was really early in the testing they probably didn’t know they had to worry about that yet.
  4217. >After all, the Tide never stopped surprising them.
  4218. >And they seemed to have accidents with it all the time.
  4219. “We’ve got some questions about the Tide itself”
  4220. >Rainbow Dash looked sideways at Rarity.
  4221. >”What’s the Tide?”
  4222. >”I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash, but the contract won’t allow me to say. Please, do not get involved.”
  4223. >”But Rares-”
  4224. >”PLEASE, I beg of you! Nothing good comes of getting involved with it! It cost Applejack dearly, as did it cost Twilight, as with thousands of others!”
  4225. >”Come ON! I want to help!”
  4226. “She already knows about the Tide, Rarity. She saw it in action.”
  4227. >”Pardon?”
  4228. >”I did?”
  4229. “They threw it at Eurynomos, nearly got him too. It’s the stuff you dug Zero out of.”
  4230. >”I thought that was a scary Luna spell. Why did they have to study it?”
  4231. >”You mean to tell me they unleashed the Tide INTENTIONALLY?”
  4232. “You two have a LOT to discuss. But Rarity’s right. You should stay out of it if you can, Rainbow Dash. It messed up Applejack really bad, she’s lucky to be alive. You’ve already lost enough. We don’t need more good ponies getting hurt.”
  4233. >”But if there’s trouble-”
  4234. >”There’s always trouble.”
  4235. >Bon-Bon spoke calmly, but firmly.
  4236. >”The universe hates us. We’ve got death coming from below, death coming from above, death covering half our continent, the ocean would kill us, the desert would kill us, the poles would kill us, and the cosmos would kill us. We exist on an infinitesimally small planet, and only on a thin slice of it. And then, within our borders we’re inundated by monsters who would see us destroyed, entire species who hate us, volcanoes and earthquakes and fires and floods! All of reality wants us gone. The only thing we can count on is each other.”
  4237. >Good grief.
  4238. >Not this speech again.
  4239. >”What we ponies have created is harmonious, peaceful, and pristine. It is anathema to the strife and chaos that surrounds us. We are everything the outside isn’t, and nature hates nothing more than an imbalance. So long as we retain the essence of who we are, there will ALWAYS be another crisis, there will ALWAYS be another monster at the gates. You two of all ponies should understand that.”
  4240. >Dash scoffed.
  4241. >”What, you expect me to believe that this is nothing special?”
  4242. >”It isn’t. You know the Burning Peak disaster? Long time ago, almost prehistory, but there were only around twenty-thousand ponies left after that. We’re nowhere NEAR that bad off! All through history you find hundreds of disasters, famines, droughts, invasions, plagues, and we ALWAYS come back. There are more of us than EVER before because we’ve CONQUERED all those foes. You don’t see a way out, and maybe there isn’t one yet. But that’s simply because we lack perspective. Who knows what opportunities tomorrow will afford us? What we might be able to do in a decade? Hay, just a few years ago the steam engine was THE big thing. Nopony in their right mind would have predicted the power we’d wield now.”
  4243. >”But, the Tide.”
  4244. >Rarity didn’t say more.
  4245. >She didn’t need to.
  4246. >Bon-Bon, however…
  4247. >”Has always been there. It’s OLD, older than ponykind, maybe even older than the planet! Yes, it’s getting closer. But we’ve never been closer to stopping it. Ruin always lies just around the corner, but triumph stands just ahead. We need but seize it! Rainbow Dash, I have no idea what you could do to help. But you’re absolutely right to get involved, even if it’s just doing coffee runs! There are tens of MILLIONS of ponies, we don’t need to do some grand action or develop some revolutionary new idea to do our part. Go talk to Twilight, she’s been fighting the Tide for years. She’ll have stuff that needs doing. And as for you, Rarity…”
  4248. >Rarity glanced nervously at Bon-Bon.
  4249. >Then at Lyra.
  4250. >Then averted her gaze entirely.
  4251. “What’s your role?”
  4252. >”I can’t say.”
  4253. >That stupid contract again.
  4254. >Or maybe she was just being responsible?
  4255. >Whatever, didn’t matter.
  4256. “Allow me to help you out a bit. Twilight and her team receive messages from space aliens and interpret them.”
  4257. >Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash gasped.
  4258. “They then run quick tests to make sure they understood correctly, maybe do a quick prototype or proof of concept. They then give the patent to your dummy corporation which allows you to ‘ease the rights to manufacturers, meaning you get a cut of everything that gets made.”
  4259. >”Aliens? There’s no way!”
  4260. “Talk to Twilight. You use your free money combined with seeming immunity to anti-trust laws and general government oversight to buy out all competition and monopolize global trade. I notice you own most of Ponyville, hay, you own most of Equestria. You’re the richest pony in history by an enormous margin, counting your bits in the trillions while the rest of us struggle to scrape together a living! You sit atop a hoard of wealth that would make an elder dragon’s hoard look like pocket change, but it’s still not enough because your greed knows no bounds. You’ve left the planet destitute to line your own pockets-”
  4261. >”SHUT UP!”
  4262. >Rainbow Dash.
  4263. >Not Rarity.
  4264. >”You don’t get to talk to her like that! You have no idea what she’s gone through or why she did it! You’re just a bunch of bullies picking on a good pony because you’re jealous of her! We’re done talking. Get out of here before I throw you out!”
  4265. “A story of avarice. Selfishness. Cruelty. But it’s just that, isn’t it? A story. That’s not who Rarity is. She’s the kind of pony who would give away her fortune without a second thought if she thought it would help. But not just her fortune. You gave away your reputation too, didn’t you? I can see through your lies. You’re still selfless at heart.”
  4266. >”I- you’re wrong about a few things. I’m not the richest pony ever.”
  4267. >That was hard to believe.
  4268. >”It started as a means to release new technology to the market covertly. Applejack and I were to pool our bits and form R&A incorporated, an angel investment firm that was going to strike it rich.”
  4269. >”Rarity, you don’t need to tell them-”
  4270. >”I do, Rainbow. I can’t stand the secrets and lies a second longer. Besides, they already know all the important parts. The secret’s been revealed. I’ve failed.”
  4271. >She sounded saddened.
  4272. >But also a bit relieved.
  4273. >”We invested in businesses that were fronts for funneling state capitol into black ops and research, simply a means of obfuscating who the buyers of materials and labour were. We bought in to provide startup capital without letting on that it was a state funded business. In exchange we were given partial ownership of these businesses that already had massive contracts lined up before they were even incorporated. The original plan was for them to dissolve once their operations were done, Applejack and I would pretend to buy out the firms and then liquidate them so no investors would be hurt by our schemes. But the jobs just kept on coming! They needed all sorts of exotic minerals and vast construction sites, they even had us build entire cities! Truth be told I’ve no clue what half of those businesses even do. Applejack sold out to me pretty early on because she could no longer keep track of all the lies. It was decided that she was a risk, so she stepped down voluntarily.”
  4274. >So it started out as a means to fund S.M.I.L.E. from the state treasury.
  4275. >Just an illusion to move large amounts of money without drawing attention.
  4276. >”At that time we had no clue there was any danger. Or at least I don’t think we were. I was merely told that they had come across some relics that would lead to a golden age, and they wished to make use of them as soon as possible. Once their facilities were operational the inventions came as a flood. There was a new breakthrough every day! A new gadget, a new product, a new perspective. The princesses were worried about what would happen if this knowledge reached the public in an uncontrolled manner. How would these inventions change day to day life? What would happen should we erase our old way of life all at once? And how were we to explain all this knowledge? I myself was quite curious as to where it came from, but I knew well enough not to ask.”
  4277. “That’s where Raritech came from. Somepony needed to take credit for the new tech, and to release it in a somewhat controlled manner.”
  4278. >”Yes. I was deemed a prime candidate, as I was already entangled in their affairs and could easily produce the funds to open a research firm. We started funding research and development more directly through Raritech, and consolidated several of the smaller companies I had invested in. Every time it was decided that some new breakthrough was safe, or that it was important enough to be worth the risk, I would prepare a press release to attract interest. We would then lease the rights to the highest paying bidder to fund further research. To my amazement, our bank balance simply wouldn’t stop rising! We could spend millions in a day and still turn a profit! Why, I recall one day Twilight told me they needed a half a million bits to repair something or another just out of the blue, and after writing her a cheque it occurred to me. That was less than the interest on my bank balance! We had no clue what to do with all the money.”
  4279. “That problem didn’t last very long, did it. One day they had to shift their focus away from consumer benefit, and their expenses skyrocketed.”
  4280. >She nodded.
  4281. >”I was told there was some calamity coming that they needed to prepare for. They needed fine control over a vast array of natural resources and industries, and they needed it immediately. It started out simple enough. All enterprises have their price, and we were wealthy beyond comprehension. It helped that I hadn’t paid a single bit in tax since we’d begun, too. We began to purchase factories and logistics companies using our liquid assets, but even the wealthiest pony can’t simply purchase a nation. Soon we had to take out loans for vast amounts, usually for more bits than there actually are in circulation. And before too long we were so burdened with debt that even that wouldn’t suffice, so we invented the leveraged takeover. A practice wherein one seeks a loan to purchase something, and offers the object being purchased as collateral.”
  4282. >That sounded extremely wrong for some reason.
  4283. >”It was a challenging time, but I had acquired what was asked of me.”
  4284. “It wasn’t enough.”
  4285. >”It was never enough. Every day they needed control over a new supply chain, a new plot of land in some bizarre location, a new facility with absurd specifications. Half the time they wanted them underground! We had to purchase huge plots of land and excavate them, then build entire structures above the underground just to mask them! There was no end to the expenses!”
  4286. “And new inventions had dried up. With no new products to lease the rights for…”
  4287. >”We were at risk of bankruptcy. Then I was told to purchase entire cities! They said it might be necessary to seize inhabited areas to restructure them, and when it happened it there would be no time to worry about property rights. Either the princesses would have to deploy the guard against their own citizens, or we had to buy it out from under their hooves well in advance.”
  4288. “Restructuring? Was this before or after Ponyville turned into Ponyvile?
  4289. >”Ponyvile?”
  4290. >She produced a small, ladylike giggle.
  4291. >”It would have been before. I had enough funds left to purchase nearly all of the land in Ponyville since it was so cheap. We then relocated many major operations here to inflate the land value by crowding it.This created a panic in the real estate market when so many ponies and high paying jobs moved here, as previously wealthy areas were suddenly desolate. I leased Ponyville to raise funds, then, having come to learn the power of money made a move I am not proud of. I started selling land I didn’t own.”
  4292. >The three other ponies in the room all spoke in unison.
  4293. “How the hay does that work?”
  4294. >”You make a contract to sell a parcel of land to a purchaser at a future date with a clause wherein I may pay a penalty fee instead if I am unable to deliver. I sell it at a seemingly reasonable price to attract attention, but put the delivery date a year or two in the future. Then, you destroy the market. Remove all employment and public services from an area to force ponies out, leave it a ghost town, deliver the worthless land, and pocket the difference.”
  4295. >Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity with disgust.
  4296. >Bon-Bon sounded like she was about to vomit.
  4297. >”I deserve that and more. However, devious tricks such as that were enough to get the princesses what they wanted. I owned nearly everything of interest, and so they would have access to whatever they could possibly want in the blink of an eye with no questions asked. And they would not be to blame.”
  4298. >Lyra nodded.
  4299. “THAT sounds like Rarity. You gave up everything, and let the world think you had it all. They’re lucky they had you. Empress? Any other questions?”
  4300. >”Yes. Rarity, you’re not actually rich, are you?”
  4301. >”Whatever makes you think that?”
  4302. >”The state’s beyond broke. They’ve ruined their currency and cashed in all their goodwill, and it still wasn’t enough. You would have taken the hit before they did, which means you couldn’t handle any more losses.”
  4303. >”Well, not as such.”
  4304. >”Out of curiosity, what are you worth?”
  4305. >She hemmed and hawed for a bit.
  4306. >She then pulled a notebook from the nightstand and flipped through a few pages.
  4307. >”Carry the three…”
  4308. >”Rough numbers.”
  4309. >”I would be somewhere in the region of twenty trillion bits in debt.”
  4310. >Rainbow Dash was ghastly pale.
  4311. >Lyra nearly collapsed.
  4312. >”I was already in the red, but then that horrible invasion happened. Enormous amounts of Equestria were outright destroyed, and I had mortgages out on pretty much the whole thing. I now no longer have the asset, but I still have the debt.”
  4313. “But that means… there’s no way you can pay that off. It’s impossible!”
  4314. >Bon-Bon was no less flustered.
  4315. >”You owe every stallion, mare, and foal an average of… half a million bits? I know they’re not worth what they once were, but that’s insane!
  4316. >”I’ve come to terms with it.”
  4317. “But if you own EVERYTHING, and YOU’re bankrupt, then that means- what does it mean exactly?”
  4318. >”We’re looking at the greatest market crash in history. And I shall be at the center of it.”
  4319. >Lyra finally understood Rarity’s role.
  4320. >She may have once been a convenient tool, a mere facade.
  4321. >But she had taken up an immensely generous role.
  4322. >Rarity was a bag holder, a scapegoat, and a martyr all in one.
  4323. >Fed to the court of public opinion that the masses might have someone to blame.
  4324. >Bait cast out to appease an angry mob.
  4325. >She had given up far more than her eyes, she had given up what she prized the most.
  4326. >Her image.
  4327. “I think we’re done here.”
  4328. >Bon-Bon nodded.
  4329. >”Thank you both for your time. Rarity, I’ll get you a better gun. You’ll be needing it. Don’t follow us if you like having legs.”
  4330. >They left the room and closed the door.
  4331. >Lyra held it shut with her magic as Bon-Bon lowered them out the window.
  4332. “I wasn’t planning on talking to them tonight.”
  4333. >”Neither was I. But it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
  4334. “Poor Rarity though.”
  4335. >”She knew the risk she was taking.”
  4336. “I mean, so did you and I still feel bad about what you went through. It’s not right that somepony would do something so good, and nopony will ever give them credit for it.”
  4337. >Bon-Bon cleared her throat.
  4338. “Oh yeah. But at least with you you’re not vilified.”
  4339. >”Thank goodness.”
  4340. “I just hope they can salvage her reputation a bit.”
  4341. >”We’ll consider it a tertiary objective. Right now we need to get back to the Tide, or her reputation won’t matter.”
  4342. “Right.”
  4343. >To Twilight’s home.
  4344. “Oh darn. We should have asked them if Twilight was in town.”
  4345. >Too late now.
  4346.  
  4347. * * * * *
  4348.  
  4349. >Okay.
  4350. >It was go time.
  4351. >They were at Twilight’s place.
  4352. >And they had picked up her chip, she was home.
  4353. >There was no telling what mental state Twilight would be in, they had to be tactful.
  4354. >Respectful.
  4355. >Cautious.
  4356. >And above all else-
  4357. >”KNOCK KNOCK, SPARKLE!”
  4358. >Bon-Bon just barged through the front door.
  4359. “For the love of-”
  4360. >Lyra chased Bon-Bon in, scurrying through the pristine halls.
  4361. >Had she been more calm, Lyra might have noted that the interior of the palace was nearly pristine.
  4362. >Gone was the ravaged upholstery and shattered mirrors.
  4363. >There was nary a spot of dust to be seen.
  4364. >Lyra finally caught up with Bon-Bon in the kitchen, fiddling around in the cupboards.
  4365. “What are you DOING?”
  4366. >She hissed.
  4367. >”Looking for the tea.”
  4368. “Are you CRAZY?”
  4369. >Oops.
  4370. >Poor choice of words.
  4371. “You can’t just barge into her home like that! You’ll scare her!”
  4372. >”And two masked thugs sneaking up on her won’t?”
  4373. >This wasn’t normal.
  4374. “You’re not in Hell! This is Equestria!”
  4375. >”Do you think I don’t know that?”
  4376. “Yeah! You’ve been acting really weird.”
  4377. >”Have I?”
  4378. >She genuinely sounded surprised.
  4379. “You’re really impulsive lately, like you have no self control.”
  4380. >”The doc changed my anti-anxiety meds a few days back. Maybe that has something to do with it.”
  4381. “And WHY didn’t you tell me?”
  4382. >”Because the old ones were causing memory lapses.”
  4383. >Of course.
  4384. “Why do these drugs always do such terrible things?”
  4385. >”Medical science hasn’t progressed much in the last few years aside from some antibiotic stuff. R&D’s been busy, you know that.”
  4386. “But it seems everything we try does something terrible. I’m going to have a word with her.”
  4387. >”She’s trying her best.”
  4388. “I know. And it shows! You haven’t accidentally blown anything up in almost a week. But we need to know what we’re getting into. This can’t continue.”
  4389. >Bon-Bon averted her gaze.
  4390. “I’m not mad at you, Bo- Empress. I’m just worried.”
  4391. >”I’ll be okay. Whatever happens, I’ve had worse.”
  4392. >”Who the hay are you two?”
  4393. >Bon-Bon nearly jumped out of her suit.
  4394. >Lyra had started conjuring an eruption without even noticing.
  4395. >”And what are you doing in my house?”
  4396. >”Ah, Twilight Sparkle. You seem to be doing well.”
  4397. “You’re awfully calm for having a couple of strangers barging into your home.”
  4398. >Twilight rolled her eyes.
  4399. >”This is like the third time this year. Weren’t you there for the last one?”
  4400. >”Ponies don’t normally become calmer after a traumatic event.”
  4401. >”The last one wasn’t particularly traumatic. Plus one of my friends pointed out I could just teleport away.”
  4402. >”Oh yeah.”
  4403. “That makes sense.”
  4404. >I mean, if whoever was trying to hurt her was slow about it.
  4405. >Lyra was pretty sure she could hit Twilight pretty hard before she got away.
  4406. >And Bon-Bon, despite her being an Earth pony, was probably WAY more dangerous.
  4407. >Maybe it would be unwise to say that.
  4408. >”Besides, I was actually expecting you. Well, one of you.”
  4409. >Twilight sat down at the dinner table and gestured for the two of them to join her.
  4410. >”So what’s up?”
  4411. “We just had a few questions we were hoping you could answer.”
  4412. >”Probably not.”
  4413. >”Yes, yes. We know. The contract. Giant stone tablet with engravings in a long dead language mostly washed away by the blood of agents.”
  4414. >Blood?
  4415. >”Artefact made by the magic of one of the first S.M.I.L.E. agents binding the subject to secrecy using forbidden magic. Look, I’ve been there. I cut my leg and dripped over it and all that, the curse isn’t a problem.”
  4416. >”It’s not a curse!”
  4417. “How do you figure? Seems like a curse to me.”
  4418. >”It’s nothing like a curse!”
  4419. “It’s a lingering magical effect that affects the subject’s behavior regardless of their will and resists dispelling! There’s even a ritual!”
  4420. >From the sounds of it.
  4421. >”As per Pliny the Wizened’s book Arcane History, that’s a GEASS. It’s not a curse unless it invokes divinity!”
  4422. “Okay? That was written centuries before Equestria was founded though.”
  4423. >”Does that matter?”
  4424. “It was written in a different language! The definitions don’t need to translate directly. Besides, curse is a useless word with that definition.”
  4425. >”Useless? It describes a potential phenomena that might someday be critical if anypony were to find a way to harness divine energy. Or demonic, but nopony’s THAT stupid.”
  4426. >Bon-Bon and Lyra looked at each other.
  4427. ”She doesn’t know.”
  4428. >“She doesn’t know.”
  4429. >”Know what?”
  4430. >”I honestly thought she of all ponies would have known.”
  4431. “I kinda want to tell her, but it’s not really my secret to share.”
  4432. >”What are you two on about? I’m a princess, I know all sorts of crazy secrets.”
  4433. >”Yeah. You’re a PRINCESS, you’ve got princess clearance. There are still things you’re not allowed to know. But me? I’m something else entirely.”
  4434. >Oh no.
  4435. >”And I’m not certain I like your tone, little miss princess.”
  4436. >”You don’t like MY tone? You two broke into my house!”
  4437. “Can we NOT do this? We all want the same thing. There’s no reason we can’t be friends.”
  4438. >”She needs to know who’s in charge here!”
  4439. >For the love of-
  4440. “B- Empress, just don’t.”
  4441. >”But-”
  4442. “NO.”
  4443. >”Twilight-”
  4444. “Has done us no wrong!”
  4445. >”She’s done nothing right either! The princesses sat out here all comfy like while we went through HELL! We’ve BLED for them and they just sit around in their comfy palaces while WE clean up their messes!”
  4446. “Luna went too!”
  4447. >”Yeah. She did.”
  4448. “Oh right.”
  4449. >She also started it.
  4450. >Maybe it wasn't the best idea to mention her.
  4451. “Alright, but why are you doing this now? You’ve never complained about that stuff before.”
  4452. >Was it the drugs?
  4453. >”This has been coming for a long time. Equestria was built on MY back, and what do I get for it?”
  4454. >Nothing good.
  4455. >”REAL heroes are dead and gone, buried in humble graves or lost entirely to the bowels of Hell, and nopony will even know their NAMES! They’re the ones that should have palaces and servants, they’re the ones that make Equestria work, and they’re the ones that deserve adoration. Twilight Sparkle needs to know her place!”
  4456. >”You mean a glorified advisor?”
  4457. >”Uh, yeah actually. Something like that.”
  4458. >Bon-Bon shrank away a bit.
  4459. “To be fair, Twilight HAS had her fair share of adventures. I mean, maybe they weren’t the most perilous, but some of them were still pretty heavy.”
  4460. >”I suppose.”
  4461. “I mean, she’s done way more of that junk than the average pony. She deserves SOMETHING for that. I mean, maybe you don’t like the idea of her being a princess or whatever, but we can agree she should have some special privileges, right?”
  4462. >”Yeah...”
  4463. “And even though she wasn’t on the front lines her research has been critical in-”
  4464. >”Okay! I snapped at the wrong pony, and I’m sorry. Can we just move on?”
  4465. >She grumbled something under her breath.
  4466. “Sorry about that, Twilight. She’s got good reasons to be grumpy, and it’s not just you.”
  4467. >”That’s alright. Things HAVE been pretty tense lately.”
  4468. >She really had matured a lot.
  4469. “So why exactly do you call yourself a glorified advisor? You seem to have a really important role.”
  4470. >”Advisors are important, now more than ever. There’s way too much going on for princess Celestia to keep track of these days, and even if she did have the time some really important decisions are based on really complex and novel things. Nopony could handle this stuff on their own, not even princess Celestia. She needs an advisor and it’s a role I’m proud to accept.”
  4471. “Right, but aren’t you pretty much overseeing all the science stuff?”
  4472. >”Yes. Much like a science advisor would.”
  4473. >Huh.
  4474. >”And I really don’t make that many decisions about running Equestria. I’m not a leader, and that’s okay by me.”
  4475. “Yeah, probably not the nicest time to be in charge. I figure you’ve got enough pressure right now. Which is why I kinda hate to give you this new problem right now.”
  4476. >”What new problem?”
  4477. >”Rarity’s going to get herself lynched.”
  4478. >”Pardon?”
  4479. >Dang it all, Bonny.
  4480. “We were supposed to be tactful.”
  4481. >”That WAS the tactful version. What were you going to say?’
  4482. “That she was in a lot of trouble and needed help?”
  4483. >”Sorta undersells the problem. If we put together that many pieces there’s no reason other ponies can’t.”
  4484. “But they haven’t done anything to her yet.”
  4485. >”Because the crash hasn’t come yet.”
  4486. >”What are you two talking about?”
  4487. >”Rarity has taken it upon herself to take the blame for all of Equestria’s financial problems.”
  4488. >”How did you know that?”
  4489. “That doesn’t matter right now! What DOES matter is that she’s in WAY over her head with this one. As far as we can tell her plan is to let it all blow up in her face.”
  4490. >”And why should I believe you two? You’re not exactly the most trustworthy with all this breaking and entering and disguise stuff. Rarity’s a grown up pony. If she was in trouble she’d let us know. There’s no way Rarity would take on more than she could handle and just keep pressing on, trying to comply with crazier and crazier requests right up until it became impossible and she failed in a spectacular manner- That’s exactly what she’d do, isn’t it?”
  4491. >Both Lyra and Bon-Bon nodded.
  4492. >”Oh my goodness, how bad is it?”
  4493. “She’s in debt several trillion bits.”
  4494. >”Trillion? With a T?”
  4495. >”And she’s only got a derringer to protect herself. Her first missed payment is going to be, uh, what’s that word again?”
  4496. “Disastrous?”
  4497. >”Yeah, apocalyptic.”
  4498. >”Isn’t that a bit much given what’s just happened?”
  4499. >”Not to her. She survived the invasion.”
  4500. >Couldn’t be much more blunt than that.
  4501. >Yet Twilight merely blinked.
  4502. “We’re saying somepony is going to kill her.”
  4503. >”Over money?”
  4504. >”Over a LOT of money. And it might not be a pony. But it could be? Who knows, she’s got more than enough enemies.”
  4505. “It only takes one pony who’s a little off in the head. You have to do something to help her.”
  4506. >”Like what?”
  4507. “I dunno. You’re the princess. Er, the science advisor with connections to the princesses? Whatever! You’ve got more resources to handle it than we do.”
  4508. >”That’s not true.”
  4509. >Shut. Up. Bonny.
  4510. >”They have different resources than we do. Some of them are more suited for the task. You can do a lot more to help her with a public announcement than an abduction. Unless…”
  4511. “No.”
  4512. >”Think about it, if nopony knows where she is they can’t hurt her! Plus she’ll have an excuse for not writing whatever cheques she’d bounce otherwise.”
  4513. “No abductions!”
  4514. >Unless…
  4515. >Lyra shook her head violently.
  4516. “Twilight’s going to talk to Rarity and they’ll think through their options. Everything’s going to be fine and we won’t have to get involved.”
  4517. >”Why are you so against this?”
  4518. “Do I really need to say it?”
  4519. >”Kidnapping isn’t inherently wrong, not if it’s for her own good.”
  4520. “What? No, It’s not that! Rarity is CRAZY high maintenance. Do YOU want to have to take care of her for months on end without her being able to go out?”
  4521. >”Oh. Yeaaaah that sounds pretty bad. I mean, not as bad as letting her get hurt, but still not great. Make it plan B?”
  4522. “I’m pretty sure Twilight can take care of it. That’s not why we came here anyway! Twilight? We need your help.”
  4523. >”Hold on a second.”
  4524. >Twilight levitated a ream of paper from out of the room along with a pen and a stamp.
  4525. >She scribbled on the papers in a frenzied manner, writing up a full six pages.
  4526. >She then stamped each page twice before the pages vanished in a pulse of magic.
  4527. >”Rarity and her family should be safe until morning. Not sure what we’ll do after that though. I’ll have to run it by the princess.”
  4528. “It took six pages of writing to get her some protection?”
  4529. >”Six? Of course not. Two pages. In triplicate.”
  4530. >Not really a meaningful difference.
  4531. >But at least something was being done.
  4532. “So…”
  4533. >”You want to know more about the Tide.”
  4534. “Uh, yeah actually.”
  4535. >”Well, like I said I probably can’t help you. And it’s actually not because of the contract for once. That thing restricts talking about deployments, material assets, blacksites, stuff like that. Never mentioned aliens or nanomachines.”
  4536. “Yeah, those probably weren’t really a major concern when it was written up.”
  4537. >”And I recognize you from facility zero, so the little bit that IS covered you already know.”
  4538. “And you’re not going to fight us on this at all?”
  4539. >”Princess Celestia said a mysterious pony was going to be coming to talk to me about it, and I was supposed to try and help them. Honestly? I don’t think you can help me out at all. But it’s worth a try.”
  4540. >”Why can’t we help?”
  4541. >”You don’t have the technical knowledge to help.”
  4542. “Alright. Well, give us the knowledge.”
  4543. >”I also don’t have the technical knowledge to help. Nopony does.”
  4544. >She sounded pretty chipper about it all.
  4545. >In general, Twilight seemed to be in WAY better shape than last time they’d met.
  4546. “So what’s your plan then? Gain the technical knowledge to stop it?”
  4547. >”That or get lucky. Preferably both.”
  4548. “Okaaaaay. Why not start from the top? What do you know for sure about the Tide?”
  4549. >”The Black Tide is a microscopic self replicating machine of alien origin that can assimilate a wide variety of elements to construct itself despite most of those elements not being found in it. It keeps doing all sorts of crazy impossible stuff.”
  4550. …
  4551. “And?”
  4552. >”That’s pretty much it. We’re pretty sure about a lot of stuff and kinda sure about a lot more, but that’s all we KNOW know.”
  4553. >”Don’t you know it’s a weapon?”
  4554. >”Maybe not. We treat it like one because that’s how it behaves, but it might have been made for a different reason. Maybe it was designed to gather raw materials for some enormous structure, or maybe it was meant to clean up some kind of hazardous waste and it got out of control?”
  4555. “What about the part where it looks for living things?”
  4556. >”It might not be looking for living things. It might just be looking for something that’s common to life in Equestria. Maybe the hazardous material it’s meant to clean up is a protein in our bodies that’s highly toxic to its creators? It was made by an alien consciousness, so we can only really guess at what they were thinking. There’s no reason they would think like we do, hay, it might not even be possible for us to understand what they were thinking if they sat us down and explained it.”
  4557. >”That’s not entirely true. We do know some things for certain.”
  4558. >”Like?”
  4559. >”It was designed with failsafes in mind. Of course, the failsafes might have failed, but they were there.”
  4560. >”How do you know? Maybe they were just really reckless.”
  4561. >”No. If they were able to make this stuff it stands to reason that they could make cruder things. Had they been stupid enough to let this stuff loose without any precautions they would have ruined themselves long before.”
  4562. >”That makes a lot of sense. But what if they were technologically uplifted in some way? They could have sped on ahead to the super dangerous tech without spending much if any time with the normal dangerous stuff.”
  4563. >”That’s just leading into infinite regress. At some point something invented it, they would have had a plan to stop it if it got out of control.”
  4564. >”Unless it was later modified by a different entity for some reason. Maybe to make it more effective, or save costs in some way. Hay, for all we know it was designed specifically to destroy everything, no need for a failsafe then.”
  4565. >Bon-Bon rubbed her chin pensively.
  4566. >”There are, or were rather, some demonic entities that might have tried something like that. But beings who live to destroy usually wouldn’t be able to do something that sophisticated. It takes a lot of support to make even much simpler machines, factories and tools and whatnot.”
  4567. “I don’t think we’re going to figure this out right now. We don’t know what made it or why, so we can only really guess at what kind of precautions they’d make. But we DO know it can be stopped to some degree because of Nexus.”
  4568. >”Well, that’s true. Oh! I wasn’t trying to hide that from you, it just slipped my mind.”
  4569. “That’s alright. I’m sure there’s an awful lot to go over. Plus it’s really late, you must be tired.”
  4570. >”Extremely. I just got back into Ponyville a couple hours ago too.”
  4571. >”Should we come back in the morning?”
  4572. >”No, I’ve got to go talk to Rarity soon.”
  4573. “Oh, geeze, maybe we should just let her at least take a nap?”
  4574. >”I’m probably not going to bed tonight. If I do I’ll probably sleep in and miss Rarity.”
  4575. >”That doesn’t sound healthy. Then, I suppose it’s not the least healthy thing to happen lately.”
  4576. “Can’t you squeeze in a power nap at least?”
  4577. >”Not right now, too much going on. I don’t think the two of you understand the challenge we have.”
  4578. “Well, I understand that it’s probably the most advanced machine anypony has ever seen, and that it’s hard to run experiments on it because it’s so dangerous. What else is there? Fill us in.”
  4579. >Twilight scratched her head for a moment.
  4580. >”Oh, wow. This is hard. Okay, how do you know when somepony’s talking to you?”
  4581. “Because they say your name?”
  4582. >”Okay, what if the person talking to you doesn’t know your name? And they can’t use body language, and you can’t tell they are relative to you, and they’re blind so they can’t describe you.”
  4583. “Is this one of those zen puzzles that doesn’t have an answer?”
  4584. >”No. It’s the easy version of what we’ve had to do. The things that were sending us messages probably didn’t even know we’re here! Even the closest signals were sent out before Equestria made any unusual radio signals, so they wouldn’t have picked up on that. Maybe some of the closer ones suspected there was something here if they were good astronomers, but there’s no way anyone knew. They couldn’t possibly tailor the message for us.”
  4585. “They were just screaming out into the void?”
  4586. >”Not even knowing if there was anyone left to hear them.”
  4587. >”Brutal.”
  4588. >”So obviously they didn’t know our language and we had to learn theirs. But it gets worse, so much worse. In the example I gave you before, you know somepony’s talking. We had a lot of trouble even getting that far.”
  4589. “What do you mean? Doesn’t the fact that you’re getting a radio signal prove that already?”
  4590. >”Not even remotely. Radio is just manipulated light, so anywhere there’s light there’s stuff that’s basically indistinguishable from radio. Every single star in the sky, even some we can’t see with our own eyes, is constantly blasting us with radio signals. And every now and then we’ll get a huge burst from a nearby tide body spitting out a gamma burst, or some distant pulsar pointing our way for a moment. Hay a huge amount of the stuff we’re picking up, we don’t even know where it’s coming from!”
  4591. >”A huge amount? You mean it’s significant even against ALL of the stars?”
  4592. >”Yeah! Most of it’s technically not radio, it’s microwave. But we’ve gotten messages in all sorts of bands. There have been a few hypotheses thrown around about what it is, but nopony has time to focus on it right now so we haven’t even tried to test any of them.”
  4593. “So how did you find out somepony- err, something was talking to us?”
  4594. >”We didn’t at first. We’d actually been experimenting with wireless communication for quite a while before anything came up. We were trying to broadcast overseas to see if we could, and in the process we had to make what we thought at the time was a really sensitive receiver. Even then we didn’t get anything, at least not at first, because we were experimenting with skywave transmission.”
  4595. “Skywave?”
  4596. >”Oh, sorry. Reflecting radio waves off of the upper atmosphere back down. Anyway! We wanted to know what the upper bound was for frequencies we could use. And the instant we picked a frequency that could pierce the ionosphere, well, we forgot all about the experiment. It was the single most important message in pony history! Beep. Beep beep. Beep beep beep.”
  4597. >”Bit of an anticlimax. But I think I understand, it was counting. All the other stuff you were talking about was just noise, this had structure.”
  4598. >”Yep, it was counting. All the way up to ninety-seven.”
  4599. “Ninety-seven?”
  4600. >”It then sent out what we thought at first was a bunch of noise, then repeated. Hearing the counting was already a pretty darn good hint, but having it happen over and over again, and always take the exact same amount of time? We got a lot of clever ponies together. Eventually one of them suggested that maybe it stopped at ninety-seven for a reason. Maybe their numbers are in base ninety-seven, having that many different symbols before they start recycling them.”
  4601. “That’s stupid. Why would anyone use a system that complicated?”
  4602. >”We still don’t know that, but it turns out he was right. The noise after the counting was listing a few mathematical constants, e and pi specifically. But with their numbers you start from the least significant digit and go upwards, and as far as we can tell they don’t have a decimal. Maybe they write the symbols in a special way to show it’s worth less than 1, like we do with capital letters.”
  4603. >Which would mean they’d have 194 symbols.
  4604. >”At first we thought someone else had invented the radio before us, or that maybe it was a prank from a researcher. After scouring the globe looking for the source and consistently only being able to hear the message at certain times in certain locations, we had to accept it was coming from space. We took a closer look and found HUNDREDS of repeating signals, and later when we had more sensitive equipment and more bands to read, we found tens of THOUSANDS! Some of them were broadcasting on close enough frequencies that we couldn’t tell them apart at first.”
  4605. >”That’s just what it took for you to even know something was talking though. So far the only information you’ve received is that there’s information to receive.”
  4606. >”Precisely. So now we know someone’s talking. Our job is to figure out what they’re saying, with thousands of them screaming at us all at once, each using a different language that nopony has ever seen before with no clue what they’re trying to say, no translators available, and no means to ask for clarification. But it gets even worse than that!”
  4607. “I know better than to say it couldn’t possibly be worse. It always is with S.M.I.L.E.”
  4608. >”We didn’t know how the signals were meant to be interpreted. Should we use amplitude modulation? Frequency modulation? Are we trying to convert them to soundwaves, is the message meant to be light, or something else entirely? We figured out soon enough that FM wasn’t practical because it was so much more susceptible to noise, but there were still plenty of questions. Our first big breakthrough was a pictogram. One thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine pulses. Somepony pointed out it’s a semi-prime number, so if one were to arrange it in a grid there would only be two ways to do it. Maybe whoever sent it chose that number to make it easier to put on a grid? Well, turns out they did. We arbitrarily picked high amplitude as black and low amplitude as white, and coloured in a grid with the corresponding squares. We got a really crude drawing.”
  4609. >”Of?”
  4610. >”A planet, and a 12 legged elephant looking thing. Probably their homeworld and their species. More pictograms followed, depicting simple objects, followed by a pause and then a quick burst of data. Converting that into soundwaves we got what we believed at the time to be their words for said objects. Then came simple sentences with crude pictures for clues, then more complex sentences. Over time, linguists were able to piece together their language much like a foal learns to speak from their parents. Then, and only then, were we able to figure out what they were saying.”
  4611. “That sounds like a monumental task.”
  4612. >”That? That was one of the EASY ones. Some of them didn’t use drawings, possibly being blind or maybe just not thinking of it. Some of them seem to have no spoken language, using body language and writing exclusively. We had one species that didn’t even have writing! All their records were just videos of complex dances that we only kinda understand.”
  4613. >”You mean like a BEE?”
  4614. >”If a bee was trying to explain how time dilates at high velocities, then yes. The worst one we’ve had by far seems to be using their waves to represent certain chemicals. We think they communicate using pheromones, and they seemed to think we’d be able to understand what in the hay they were saying if they just told us what chemicals to sniff. So far, we haven’t.”
  4615. “Seriously? They had to have known that wouldn’t work.”
  4616. >”Did they?”
  4617. “Yyyyeeeeees?”
  4618. >Twilight pouted and shook her head.
  4619. “No.”
  4620. >”You’re overlooking the biggest barrier of all. Our brains are wildly different. Some of them don’t even have anything you’d call a brain. What does a chinchilla think of?”
  4621. >”Oh! I know that one, dust baths!”
  4622. “What’s a chinchilla?”
  4623. >”A cutie is what they are.”
  4624. >”Okay, bad example. The point is that our language was created by ponies for ponies. We use sounds that we can understand, pace it in a way that we can follow, have words for concepts that are important, stuff like that. It naturally developed to describe the world around us while being compatible with our brains. Other creatures can learn it, but from my understanding parts of our tongue feel awkward to non-ponies, even to Spike and it’s his first language! The language wasn’t designed for dragon brains.”
  4625. >”And their brains, if they have them, are even more alien than his. If you’ll pardon the pun.”
  4626. “Plus they developed in different environments and a completely unknown culture, so they’ll be suited to describe things we don’t even understand.”
  4627. >”Exactly. To this date, we actually don’t understand most of the messages we’ve gotten. There’s a good chance we’ll NEVER understand some of them. But those we do? They’re rich with information. In order for us to even hear from them they pretty much have to know more than we do. It’s actually quite hard to send a radio message this far, if you just shoot it off it’ll dissipate as all light does. If you can even detect it, the sender had access to a crazy amount of power, even if it was directed light like a giant laser.”
  4628. >”Like Helios?”
  4629. >”Helios is actually based on a diagram for a radio transmitter. We changed a few things obviously-”
  4630. “Wait. That giant thing we have orbiting us right now that can VAPORIZE HUGE AREAS is how they TALK to us?”
  4631. >”Some of them, yes. That’s one of the weaker solutions we know of. Again, they don’t actually know where we are so it’s not really aimed right at us, but even good lasers dissipate a bit over a long enough distance, by the time it gets here it’s actually pretty spread out over a huge amount of space and quite faint.”
  4632. >”If you can bake an army with a weak radio transmitter, what’s a strong one like?”
  4633. >”Well, one of the louder signals we’ve picked up was coming from a star. We’re not sure how but they’ve managed to modulate a star’s radiation.”
  4634. >That’s insane.
  4635. >”Some signals seem to be coming from so far away that they have to be an even bigger power source than a star, maybe something as bright as a blazar. We don’t actually know because their science is so vastly above ours that we probably won’t be able to understand it for centuries at the very least, even with their help. It might not even be possible for us to understand, it might be so above and beyond what we know that our brains just can’t adapt to handle it. And if we DID know how they did it we probably still wouldn’t be able to copy them, we’ve got instructions to make structures bigger than some planets, even ignoring the technical knowledge and material costs we couldn’t do that. We just wouldn’t be able to organize something like that.”
  4636. “Plus we wouldn’t be able to survive making a blazar. I don’t actually know what one is but if it’s brighter than a star?”
  4637. >”Yeah, you don’t want to be anywhere near one.”
  4638. >”So it’s extremely hard to even get their message, extremely hard to make sense of it, and then you probably won’t be able to understand it anyway. So all the stuff you’ve learned from them is just a tiny fraction of it?”
  4639. >”Yeah, actually. I mean, there’s going to be a lot of redundancy so a good deal of the stuff we have yet to make sense of will be useless, but even so we’ve only barely scratched the surface. Even of the signals we can interpret there’s just so much information it’s going to take a while to sort through it all.”
  4640. “Shouldn’t you make it available to the public to try and figure it out faster?”
  4641. >”We have. Kinda. We repackage the information and send it out to researchers we’ve hired through Rarity.”
  4642. >Like Moondancer.
  4643. >”Pretty much every university graduate has been recruited in some way, and plenty of undergrads too. Even the communications majors.”
  4644. “Okay, so that’s how you communicate-”
  4645. >”Oh, no. That’s just entry level stuff. Transmitting the entire knowledge of a technologically advanced species using pictograms and speech would take WAY too long. The good part? Radio waves are actually pretty easy to convert to binary, so computers can read them if they’re equipped right. We’re getting databanks and software too, not just lectures. The bad part is you need the hardware.”
  4646. “You have the hardware.”
  4647. >”Some of it. Computers don’t magically understand the data they’re fed, in fact, they actually don’t understand anything. They’re a machine that reacts in a predictable way to the binary you feed it. And the data you give the machine isn’t particularly meaningful in the first place now that I think about it, not on its own. Problem is, almost all of them have their own computation systems. Different hardware, different software, different architecture, you name it. And of course, none of it is compatible. You give Gleep Gloop’s computer Quizblorg’s data and it’ll spit out nonsense. If you want to make sense of any of it you need to recreate their machines from the ground up, exactly as instructed. Even a tiny little difference will break the whole thing. Some of them use really bizarre and clumsy systems too, like trinary to have a dedicated null bit. That stuff gets really messy, be glad you don’t have to deal with it.”
  4648. “I understand.”
  4649. >Lyra didn’t understand.
  4650. “But I’m curious. Why did it take you so long to even realize the Tide was a thing? It seems like they’d lead with that. Well, once communication was established.”
  4651. >”Well, part of it was the sheer volume of information we had. But a big part of it was the language barrier. The first signal we really managed to dig into, their language doesn’t seem to have a word for death. They just say change, with inflection implying the degree of change and context having to fill in the rest. Death is The Great Change as far as we can tell. They’re also the ones we got the name Tide from, but again they didn’t have a dedicated word for tide. They say rising waves. When we hear that rising waves were bringing great change, it’s pretty easy to misunderstand what’s happening.”
  4652. >”Especially given great change was coming with their knowledge, and it was coming on radio waves.”
  4653. >”Exactly. In retrospect we probably should have figured out something was up sooner because of how much emphasis they put on it and how many times they repeated it, but we were just so excited we weren’t questioning details like that.”
  4654. >Lyra hadn’t realized just how much work that would take.
  4655. >In retrospect she probably shouldn’t have thought it would be easy.
  4656. >But just reading the messages was a monumental task.
  4657. >Understanding them was something else entirely!
  4658. “It’s a crazy amount of work, and there’s no way you’ll finish it in time for the Tide to arrive. But you seem confident that the answer’s in there somewhere.”
  4659. >”Oh, absolutely. We know some species managed to hold it off for a while. Nexus is one example, and we have third or fourth hoof stories of species that held out for tens of thousands of years. It may not be a permanent solution, but it would give us time to come up with something better.”
  4660. “So focus on the ones that made it and ignore the others for now. If they’re trying to help they’ll put that information up near the front.”
  4661. >”As far as we can tell, we have no first-hoof contact with anything that’s endured the Tide. We might be wrong, maybe it’s just in one of the languages we haven’t cracked yet. Hay, even then there’s an off chance one of the ones we’re learning from DID figure it out and they just buried the lead. That’s not really likely though, if they’re sharing what they know they clearly want to help, and if they want to help they’d try to advertise they had the solution. Odds are none of the aliens we can understand so far knew the answer. However, lots of them were in a similar situation to us, albeit with more warning. If they’re relaying the information then the answer should be in there somewhere, even if they don’t know it.”
  4662. >”You’re saying we’re learning from aliens that learned from other aliens?”
  4663. >”It’s aliens all the way down. They relay the information when they get the chance. We intend to do that too, especially if we can crack the code. The problem is that it’s a lot like the telephone game that fillies and colts play where messages deteriorate as they go, except on a galactic scale with an overwhelming amount of information and each step is a wildly different language. We know that someone at some point was able to mimic the signals that the Tide makes and use them to trick it into staying away, but we don’t know the specifics. If one of the survivors shared their solution, which they probably did, some of the information has been lost over time. That doesn’t mean that there’s no actionable information though, there’s plenty. We know how to make gamma bursts, and we know how to power them. I’m planning on repurposing Helios’ hardware to do it so we can make the bursts offworld on the cheap, it’d just be a lot safer. We might need more power than it can offer though.”
  4664. “So you almost certainly have the means to send it away, but you still can’t quite do it because you’re not sure of the specifics. Kinda like having a key to a padlock, but also having a trillion bad keys and they all look identical.”
  4665. >”Kinda. It’s also possible that the key is already labelled somewhere in our databanks and simply haven’t figured that out. It could be locked behind a language we don’t understand yet or maybe it needs to be parsed through some hardware we haven’t gotten around to building. It could even be sitting right there in plain old equine but nopony’s gotten around to reading it. We’re trying to check it all as fast as we can, but with thousands of different species sending us everything they know it’ll take centuries to get through it all. There are just so many facts to dig through.”
  4666. >Facts.
  4667. >Wait a minute.
  4668. “A little bit back you said the Tide does impossible stuff.”
  4669. >”Well, that was hyperbole.”
  4670. “Princess Celestia once told me something. I can’t really remember the exact wording… There’s no such thing as facts.”
  4671. >”Eh?”
  4672. >”Eh?”
  4673. >Twilight sounded normal, but Bon-Bon had used a tone Lyra had never heard before.
  4674. >Something between the sound of silver bells and dynamite.
  4675. “A fact is a statement that accurately reflects reality. You’re a pony, for example. The problem is our perceptions don’t reflect reality, and our minds aren’t equipped to deal with Truth. The world as we understand it is a simplification, an approximation. Saying you’re a pony is true, but it misses out on all sorts of detail. One could hear that you’re a pony and completely misunderstand your personality, your body type, your colour, all that stuff. Even with that it’s still not True, because you’re also an arrangement of cells, of molecules, of atoms. The word is just a sound that evokes a memory made with crude senses and written on an unreliable medium. This is how we talk about the world, and unfortunately this is also how we perceive it. With great effort we can remind ourselves that the things we’re thinking are only an approximation and try to overcome our failings, but more often than not we stick with what we know despite all evidence. We trust senses despite knowing they’re unreliable, we trust memory knowing it’s one of the worst ways to store information, and we trust authorities entirely even though we know they’re fallible. Princess Celestia says we do this out of sheer stubbornness, but I think that’s only roughly true. There’s at least one more reason.”
  4676. >”What’s that?”
  4677. “Fear. I’ve spent a great deal of time studying S.M.I.L.E. and their operations, and in many ways my story sounds a lot like yours. I only ever had scraps of information presented to me in unfamiliar ways, clues and hints could be anywhere and I didn’t even know what was information and what was just noise. I was surrounded by things I didn’t understand, and more often than not when I found something I didn’t make sense of what I was looking at. But I had a few leads, tiny little things that were more obvious than others. And I followed them, and found an enormous amount of facts. And much like you, I didn’t always like what I found. I compiled whatever information I had and made a guess, a hypothesis rather, about what it might mean. I then used what I knew to try and follow up on it, to test my hypothesis by getting more information and seeing if it matched my guess. At first my ideas were WAY off. For a while I even thought we were invading one of Equestria’s allies!”
  4678. >Partially because that’s what Luna said.
  4679. “But the more I learned the closer my model came to Truth. Right up until a certain point. There was a fact I wasn’t willing to accept.”
  4680. >”Which was?”
  4681. “We were all in great danger. I didn’t accept just how deadly Eurynomos was. I don’t think I could. Oh, sure, I knew he was bad news. I was worked up into a state of panic about him even, terrified that some ponies who were close to me might be hurt by him or worse.”
  4682. >Lyra could almost feel Bon-Bon smiling at her.
  4683. “But that’s where my fear ended. I was worried he’d kill some ponies. Even though it was shoved right in my face, I ignored the warnings and downplayed the danger. He could have very easily wiped each and every one of us out. I was scared, no, petrified by a partial truth. I didn’t want to believe the whole thing.”
  4684. >Bon-Bon reached out and started patting Lyra on the back.
  4685. >She appreciated it.
  4686. “Sometimes we reject Truth because we don’t want to know, sometimes because we think we already know, sometimes just because we don’t want to admit we were wrong.”
  4687. >Twilight gave her a vacant look.
  4688. >”Well, thankfully we don’t have to worry about that anymore. But what does that have to do with anything?”
  4689. “Why, it’s elementary my dear Sparkle.”
  4690. >”Please don’t call me that. Just Twilight’s fine.”
  4691. “What Truth have you not accepted?”
  4692. >She rested her chin on a hoof and stared up at the ceiling.
  4693. >She even started to chew on her lip for a while.
  4694. “You’re getting almost all of your information from authorities that you yourself admit are flawed, and you’re filtering it through all of those barriers you were talking about earlier. I’ll tell you right now that, if you think the Tide has done something impossible, you’re wrong. And you’re wrong because you’ve stuck with a partial truth for too long.”
  4695. >”Well, I suppose it is possible that I’ve got something wrong. Probable even. I’ve even said it myself a few times, and that stuff does a new impossible thing every time we look at it. Clearly we’re wrong about something, probably some things. But we’ve tested nearly all of our knowledge, and the stuff we haven’t is all subatomic or enormous. The Tide should be too big or too small for that to matter, but I suppose you never know.”
  4696. “Are you going to test that stuff?”
  4697. >”As much as we can. Some of the experiments we’d need to do are effectively impossible though, like all that data on void dynamics. I can think of one experiment in particular that would take an enormous particle collider, and we just don’t have the time to build something like that. Some stuff we’ll just have to take at face value, and the rest we’ve confirmed.”
  4698. “But you haven’t confirmed it definitively. It’s an approximate truth.”
  4699. >”I suppose it is. After all, scientists were sure of the caloric theory of heat for quite a while, and they had lots of tests that proved it. It was simple, it explained everything we knew about heat, and it even had predictive power. Hay, the first heat engines were based on caloric theory and they worked really well. It was approximately true. With all the obstacles in communication and the data loss from the relays we might be missing a key detail that we didn’t think to test for. Or maybe there’s something about our senses or environment or even our brains that makes it so we can’t perceive something important. Our methods are good, REALLY good, but we don’t have access to the resources or the underlying knowledge that the survivors had. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we were slightly wrong about something.”
  4700. “I’m willing to bet that’s what we’re dealing with. If something at some point just said how to stop it, it would have been dealt with long ago, unless someone in this galactic telephone game got something wrong. Like you said, the Tide can’t do anything impossible by definition, but you keep seeing the impossible happen. That means that either reality is wrong, or our understanding of reality is wrong. I’d like to focus on the impossible stuff for a bit. There’s one experiment I read about a long time ago where you put it in a maze and it crested the walls to get out faster. How?”
  4701. >”Swarm intelligence makes that easier than you might think. A lot of simple operators running trivial simulations can outperform a genius in the right conditions.”
  4702. >”Right, my associate and I get that. But how was it able to perceive there were walls? Does it have eyes?”
  4703. >”Eyes? No, but it does have at least one photoreceptor somewhere, otherwise it wouldn’t be able to communicate. It might emit photons at different frequencies and look for what’s reflected to find the density of its environment and then map it out, like radar.”
  4704. >”Did you detect any radiation of the right frequencies to do that?”
  4705. >”Well, not as such.”
  4706. “You can’t see it, but I just raised an eyebrow.”
  4707. >”It could be a frequency too high for us to detect with that facility, but at that point the radar would penetrate halfway through the planet before it reflected.”
  4708. >”Could it possibly be using something other than light to communicate?”
  4709. >”No, that’s entirely impossible. The speed with which distant bodies can react to local changes is insane, it’s basically instant. If it were shooting off a particle with mass that fast then the part about it eating planets would be the least of our concerns.”
  4710. >”Okay, but if there’s no EM radiation then there’s no radar, right?”
  4711. >”Oh, but we did pick up a lot of EM radiation though, we always do. It just wasn’t anything consistent with what we’d expect from radar.”
  4712. >Celestia had mentioned something like that in passing.
  4713. “The blue?”
  4714. >”It’s usually not blue, it’s more UV.”
  4715. >So that’s why Bon-Bon got such a bad sunburn after the fight.
  4716. >”And it’s actually pretty much the full spectrum, it’s just more intense at higher frequencies. Normally it’s too faint for us to see anything, but sometimes it’ll intensify and give off an eerie blue glow.”
  4717. “Can we see it?”
  4718. >”Not directly. Sorry, but it’s just too dangerous to let you near any active Tide. There’s way too much that could go wrong. I can get you a picture though.”
  4719. >Her horn started to glow, but she didn’t stop talking.
  4720. >”We’ve noticed that its intensity changes based on the behavior of the Tide, being much more intense when it’s getting short of material to harvest. But it also changes depending on atmospheric conditions. Like, at Nexus it’s way fainter than you’d expect for example.”
  4721. >A sheet of paper floated in from upstairs before gently landing on the table.
  4722. >Twilight cancelled her spell.
  4723. “Showoff.”
  4724. >”What? I’d heard you were a super talented unicorn.”
  4725. “I can’t pick up something from multiple rooms away on a different floor without even being able to SEE it. How did you find it? Do you have the exact position of all your things memorized?”
  4726. >”Sure, it’s not that hard when you’ve got a well structured filing cabinet.”
  4727. >She’d pulled it out of a filing cabinet.
  4728. >Lyra shook her head in disbelief.
  4729. >”Well, there it is. We’re pretty sure that’s how it communicates over short distances. It changes behavior depending on the local medium and the availability of useful materials allowing the Tide to map the area and move about accordingly. That’s one of the main things we’ve been studying, actually.”
  4730. >”Right, if you can mimic a signal that says there’s no reason to come here you can hide us from it. I take it that it’s not quite that simple.”
  4731. >”Nope. Blasting it with light doesn’t do anything. No big surprise, really. If it did it would keep away from everything bright. The sun would protect us. The signal isn’t the information, it CONTAINS information. We’re sifting through all the data we can get from it looking for the pattern, but however it’s encoded we haven’t been able to make sense of it.”
  4732. >Lyra doubted she could be much help there.
  4733. “So you’re investigating this blue glow then? I thought you were looking into the gamma bursts.”
  4734. >”Oh, we are. And they’re WAY more interesting, and probably more important. The persistent radiation is pretty low intensity, and its wavelength is much too long to penetrate very far. It’s not something you’d be able to detect from a great distance. I suppose we don’t actually know for sure, but it’s extremely safe to say even the Tide wouldn’t be able to pick up a UV signal coming from a single parsec away. The light would just be so faint by the time it got there. Hay, never mind a parsec, depending on what kind of medium it’s in it might not even reach a meter away. The gamma bursts solve those two problems nicely.”
  4735. >”So that’s why you’re so interested in them. If you understand how it communicates over a short range you might be able to protect a city. We’d have to put everypony into cramped living conditions with little care for quality of life just to be able to cover everypony.”
  4736. >Like Ponyville.
  4737. >”It’s a bad solution since we’d have to cede most of the planet unless we somehow managed to mimic the signal everywhere at once, and who knows how it would react to that?”
  4738. >”Exactly. But if we can communicate to it from lightyears away? Do it right, and the Tide will never even make it here. The bursts are our big hope.”
  4739. “While also making it even more dangerous to handle. I’m sorry, by the way.”
  4740. >”Eheh, about what?”
  4741. >She averted her gaze.
  4742. >If Twilight didn’t want to admit she’d had cancer, Lyra wouldn’t press the issue.
  4743. “Some of your researchers got really sick because of it.”
  4744. >”Oh! That. Yeah, it’s really sad. And some of them, well, we’re hoping for the best.”
  4745. >”Equestria’s medicine leaves a lot to be desired, but our surgery is great. They’ve got a good chance.”
  4746. >”I know. But it’s still scary. We put up some really heavy duty radiation shielding, but it’s hardly helped at all. Somehow ponies are still getting cancer from behind twenty meters of lead.”
  4747. “I’m assuming that’s not expected.”
  4748. >”Well, as far as we can tell it’s not possible. But there it is.”
  4749. >”Could it be something else about the Tide that causes cancer? Some chemical in it?”
  4750. >Bon-Bon sounded a tad concerned, and for good reason.
  4751. >”Chemical analysis says no. It’s almost entirely carbon, with some metallic hydrogen and silicon for the electronic components. Somepony proposed once that it was mechanical tissue damage from the deactivated Tide, because there’s a fair amount of graphene in it. Like, maybe when we burn it it leaves behind a fine dust of super sharp graphene that cuts your cells apart. But we’re getting problems with ponies that never even handled it, and we’d be expecting a lot of lung damage from breathing it in. The only thing we know for sure could cause cancer is the radiation, which shouldn’t be able to get through the shielding.”
  4752. “Radiation that supposedly doesn’t even come from the Tide itself.”
  4753. >”Yeah! It originates a short distance from the main body, usually close to the ground but sometimes almost straight up. It took a long time for us to figure out how that’s even possible in the first place, the theory is that all of the nanites fire a photon to the same point in space and have them all collide to form a kugelblitz, a black hole made of pure light.”
  4754. “Is that even possible?”
  4755. >”Well, we can’t test it directly. But it’s consistent with what we understand about light. You get a really small black hole that only absorbs a tiny bit of matter before decaying through Hawking radiation.”
  4756. >”Hawking radiation? Weird name.”
  4757. >”Named for Hawk King, the eccentric millionaire socialite who recused themselves from society to tend to birds.
  4758. >”Ah.”
  4759. >”The idea is that black holes actually radiate their mass off as EM radiation. The smaller the black hole is, the faster it shrinks. When you’re extremely tiny it’ll throw off all the energy almost instantly.”
  4760. “Turning mass directly into energy? And super fast. That does sound like it could make a gamma burst.”
  4761. >Could you even turn mass into energy?
  4762. >She presented that as though it were just a fact.
  4763. “Most importantly, it’s something that isn’t actually connected to the Tide. It would happen nearby.”
  4764. >”It has to happen away from the Tide, too. That stuff’s really hard to destroy, but being right in the heart of a potent gamma burst would certainly do it. It’s a great hypothesis that explains everything we’ve seen, and it makes sense that the Tide would behave this way. If things were a little different we’d be able to test it easily.”
  4765. >”But you can’t. Let me guess, the test would be putting a bunch of Tide in an enclosed area and seeing if it was able to make a burst? If the light can’t get out to meet at the black hole, it shouldn’t be able to make one.”
  4766. >”Exactly. But what would we put the Tide in?”
  4767. “60/40 tungsten nickel alloy wouldn’t do it?”
  4768. >”Nickel tungsten actually. You really have done your research! But no, that buys a few minutes at best with a tiny sample. We’ve developed a container that gets you about 15 minutes by making the Tide short out over and over, but that would stop it from bursting so it’s no good. We’d need to leave the experiment running for quite a while to be certain of anything. Bursts don’t actually happen often, we’ve been running daily tests for years and we’ve only seen about sixty of them.”
  4769. “So you don’t actually know how that works then.”
  4770. >”Nope. It’s the only thing we can think of but it’s untestable.”
  4771. >Untestable.
  4772. >Again.
  4773. “This really does feel hopeless. Is there any experiment you can do?”
  4774. >”Actually? Yes. LOTS. We’re learning lots about it firsthoof lately now that we can handle it.”
  4775. “You can handle it? Isn’t that super dangerous?”
  4776. >”Not the broken Tide.”
  4777. >“Broken? You couldn’t possibly mean… Eurynomos?”
  4778. >”Yeah. Sorry, I thought you’d heard. Until recently we haven’t been able to study it except with extreme care. Nothing we’ve tried to date breaks it without completely destroying it, even a powerful EMP just dazes it for a while. We think it fries its sensors so it can’t see the outside world, and it repairs itself by deconstructing non-critical components. The only way we’ve ever managed to stop it is to completely destroy it.”
  4779. >”Until the invasion.”
  4780. >”Eurynomos disabled nearly a tonne of Tide while leaving it mostly intact. We’ve even found some nanites that can still move! Kinda, I mean, they can’t move in a straight or very fast or anything. Still, it’s interesting.”
  4781. “Isn’t that INCREDIBLY dangerous? What if it repairs itself?”
  4782. >”We’ve divided it up into smaller samples, each set up to be destroyed at a moment’s notice and constantly monitored. Nothing’s gone wrong yet, and we’ve actually learned a huge amount. Our research department owes Eurynomos a huge amount.”
  4783. >Bon-Bon was growling.
  4784. “She wasn’t saying he was a good thing. Were you Twilight?”
  4785. >”Oh, of course not! He was terrible and I’m glad we don’t have to worry about him ever again!”
  4786. >”I know what you meant. But NEVER say we owe him. That’s an extremely thin silver lining, a pittance next to the MASSIVE debt he owes us. Never praise evil.”
  4787. “It’s not her fault, girl. She doesn’t know how bad he was. She can’t know.”
  4788. >”I know.”
  4789. >But that didn’t make it sting less.
  4790. >An awkward silence hung over the room.
  4791. >Twilight was making a point of looking away.
  4792. >Bon-Bon has summoned enough impulse control to hold her tongue.
  4793. >Things had gotten awkward.
  4794. >But at least she knew why Twilight was doing so well suddenly.
  4795. >For the first time in who knows how long, she was making progress.
  4796. >And lots of it from the sounds of things.
  4797. >Even so, lingering on this was bad all around.
  4798. >Lyra was eager to change the subject.
  4799. “So… that’s what we know about how it communicates. We actually had a few questions about how it powers itself.”
  4800. >”Oh, that. Well, we haven’t been working on that as hard because we can’t think of any reasonable way to deny it energy. We know that it powers itself by assimilating matter. The Tide is measurably lighter than the material that was used to make it, and mass loss means energy went somewhere.”
  4801. “Have you tested that? I was under the impression that mass was conserved.”
  4802. >”We have. Trust me on this, we have.”
  4803. >Twilight shivered slightly.
  4804. “Okay, so it somehow turns mass into energy. How?”
  4805. >”It might be another black hole like the gamma bursts. Or it could be ultra-low temperature nuclear fusion. As far as we can the second one is completely impossible, and the first one can’t be done in such a small package. Maybe we’re wrong, or maybe it’s something else we haven’t thought of yet.”
  4806. >”I was under the impression that the Tide was pretty hot, nearly boiling actually. How much hotter would it have to be for fusion?”
  4807. >”Well, it depends on pressure. Low ball estimate I’d say a hundred million degrees hotter.”
  4808. >”Oh.”
  4809. “Yeah.”
  4810. >”I suppose boiling would qualify as ultra low temperature then.”
  4811. >”How it makes the power is a pretty big mystery, and if we can learn to copy it it’ll be revolutionary. A single gram of Tide generates a couple hundred watts going by mass loss per second. Five hundred tonnes or so outperforms ALL of our power generation. Every power plant, every research reactor, all the dams, even Helios 1 and 2.”
  4812. “Five hundred tonnes is an awful lot.”
  4813. >”We have an awful lot of power plants. But that’s not the part I’m interested in right now. It would be huge, don’t get me wrong, but we can already generate power. It just does it in a smaller package. The real mystery is where that energy goes. Most of it vanishes without a trace.”
  4814. >”Most?”
  4815. “As in more than half?”
  4816. >”How much more than half?”
  4817. >”Hard to say exactly since we need a fully operational sample to test that, but somewhere in the region of ninety percent.”
  4818. “NINETY? Just gone, disappearing into the ether?”
  4819. >”Oh, no, that would be too simple. There’s no ether to disappear into!”
  4820. >Oh, right.
  4821. >”Well, if you two will excuse me, I need to be off before anything bad happens to Rarity.”
  4822. >”Alright. Sorry for yelling at you.”
  4823. >”Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind too.”
  4824. “Before you go, can I just check we’ve got a few things straight?”
  4825. >”Ehh, if you’re quick?”
  4826. >Right.
  4827. “Tide’s always glowing, even if we can’t see it. Sometimes it’ll flash really really bright unexpectedly, and the flash will be near the Tide. Not in it. It’s using this light to communicate, but you can’t crack the code. It sucks up a crazy amount of energy and either a bunch of it is vanishing without a trace, or you can’t find where it’s going.”
  4828. >”Pretty much.”
  4829. “And there’s like, a million ways you could be wrong about anything no matter how sure you are.”
  4830. >”Yep. And odds are we’re completely wrong about something. Either how the Tide works or how the universe works. Maybe both.”
  4831. “Alright. I don’t know what we can do to help, princess Celestia said she believed in us.”
  4832. >”Well, she didn’t actually say that. She said that we needed all the help we can get and that trying to stop you was more trouble than it was worth.”
  4833. >“Close enough!”
  4834. >”I need to go. I’d ask you two to leave but something tells me you’ll go when you feel like it.”
  4835. “Wait! One last thing before you go.”
  4836. >”Alright, but I’m going to be late if you keep this up.”
  4837. “What was that grody experiment beneath the post office about?”
  4838. >Twilight stared at her vacantly.
  4839. “The one with the raw pulsating flesh?”
  4840. >”I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
  4841. “But aren’t you the science princess?”
  4842. >”I am. If there was an experiment being done at one of our facilities I’d know about it.”
  4843. “I know what I saw. It was disgusting, organs and tissue just sitting there in a petri dish.”
  4844. >”Don’t know what to tell ya, that’s not something we’ve been working on. We’re trying to stop the Tide.”
  4845. “Why are you fighting us on this of all things?”
  4846. >”Look, I don’t know what you saw but whatever it was is wasn’t that.”
  4847. >”I believe her.”
  4848. >Bon-Bon stood up and stepped away from the table, taking a moment to push the chair back in.
  4849. >”Twilight has been nothing but helpful, and I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.”
  4850. >”Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, my friend is in danger.”
  4851. >Twilight vanished in a burst of light.
  4852. >Lyra got up and walked over to Bon-Bon.
  4853. “You don’t believe me?”
  4854. >”Of course I do. But Twilight doesn’t know everything.”
  4855. “You’re saying it’s an experiment she forgot about?”
  4856. >”No. I’m saying that whatever it was, she didn’t unauthorized it.”
  4857. >That sent an odd chill down Lyra’s spine.
  4858. >”What didn’t Twilight authorize?”
  4859. >Lyra jumped in shock.
  4860. >Bon-Bon didn’t flinch.
  4861. >”Starlight Glimmer. I wasn’t expecting you to stay hidden. I’m curious though, why are you spying on Twilight?”
  4862. >Starlight walked out from behind the stairwell, locking eyes with Lyra’s hood.
  4863. >She cautiously walked closer.
  4864. >”I’m not. I’m trying to find out what you two are doing here.”
  4865. >”You’re mighty brave approaching us.”
  4866. “She’s seen me before.”
  4867. >”Oh? Has she been giving you trouble?”
  4868. “No. But I do have to tie up a loose end. Would you mind giving us a moment?”
  4869. >Bon-Bon walked to the foyer.
  4870. “And please don’t eavesdrop.”
  4871. >Lyra and Starlight awkwardly looked at each other for a while, never quite making eye contact.
  4872. >Lyra wasn’t sure what to say, and Starlight seemed frightened.
  4873. >”You lied to me.”
  4874. “I lie to a lot of ponies. Wait, that came out wrong.”
  4875. >”You pretended to be on our side this whole time! Why? Why did you betray us?”
  4876. >Lyra leaned against the wall, and moved her hood aside so Starlight could see her face.
  4877. “I didn’t betray you, and I am on your side.”
  4878. >”You’re working with them!”
  4879. “No, I’m working with one of them.”
  4880. >Well, former.
  4881. “Look, Starlight, what possible reason could I have to secretly be S.M.I.L.E. and claim otherwise? I’m clearly NOT trying to entrap dissidents or anything like that because I’ve got way more than enough to take the lot of you in and I haven’t done it.”
  4882. >”I don’t know, okay? All I know is that you LIED to us! You pretended you had nothing to do with them, then I find out you know their chief boogeymare personally? And then you’re walking around breaking into my place and when I think back on it, the princesses kept giving you special privileges!”
  4883. “Yeah, I know agent zero personally. I know their civilian identity, I know where they live, I know it all. And yes, I pretended I didn’t.”
  4884. >”But why?”
  4885. “Because it wasn’t my secret to share.”
  4886. >Starlight looked taken aback.
  4887. “She told me all that in confidence, and I chose not to betray her trust. And to do that I had to pretend to know less than I do. Deception or treachery, it was an easy choice.”
  4888. >”So, you’re not planning on turning us in?”
  4889. “No.”
  4890. >Lyra looked Starlight in the eye.
  4891. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I don’t like lying, but I can’t seem to get away from it.”
  4892. >”Wait! If you already knew so much about S.M.I.L.E., then why join us?”
  4893. “Well, I knew who they were and a good deal of what they were doing. But I didn’t know why. A lot like you I’d seen them do terrible, seemingly unforgivable things. But I also knew that ponies I liked were in on it. I wanted to know if they were the good guys or the bad guys.”
  4894. >”And what did you decide?”
  4895. “Same as you, I think.”
  4896. >”Doesn’t matter?”
  4897. “Nope. Good or evil, we have to support them either way.”
  4898. >”Because we need them.”
  4899. “No tool that serves the wellbeing of ponykind is invalid. They do terrible things, no doubt. They’re monsters.”
  4900. >”But they’re our monsters.”
  4901. >Lyra nodded.
  4902. >She wasn’t happy about the conclusion, but that’s the way things were.
  4903. >Truth was ugly sometimes.
  4904. >”I’m getting out of it all.”
  4905. “Really? Why?”
  4906. >”Well, I got my answers. I know why they did it. There’s nothing more to do as far as I can tell.”
  4907. “The Tide is still a threat.”
  4908. >”Twilight has been offloading some of her work on me since she dried out. I know that I’m helping stop it, I don’t need to know how.”
  4909. >That was fair.
  4910. >Lyra wanted, nay, NEEDED to know.
  4911. >She’d come way too far to leave those questions unanswered. She had to see this through to its conclusion.
  4912. >But she had to admit, that was a bit silly.
  4913. >Maybe even selfish.
  4914. >There was no value in satisfying her curiosity.
  4915. >All that mattered at this point was stopping it.
  4916. “Alright. Thank you, Starlight, for all your help. You’re a good pony. Hopefully someday we can talk a bit more openly. I’ll see you around town.”
  4917. >”Good night, and good luck.”
  4918. >Lyra put her hood back on and left to meet with Bon-Bon.
  4919. >She found her standing near the front door, pacing slowly.
  4920. “Sorry about the wait.”
  4921. >”What was that about?”
  4922. “I’d tasked her with taking care of Twilight, wanted to know how things were going.”
  4923. >”Ah. Uh, sorry for snapping at Twilight like that.”
  4924. “It’s okay. I won’t pretend I’m not worried about you, but I’m definitely not angry. Are you feeling okay?”
  4925. >”Not really. I don’t… when did we get here? Last thing I remember is us leaving the hospital, then suddenly we’re talking to Twilight..”
  4926. “Yeah, that’s not a good sign. You’re going to show me your new pills the moment we get home.”
  4927. >Hopefully they caused memory loss.
  4928. “You’re not high risk for strokes or anything, are you?”
  4929. >”No, I’m healthy from the neck down.”
  4930. >Well, at least they had that much.
  4931.  
  4932. * * * * *
  4933.  
  4934. >Princess Celestia was running late.
  4935. >As always.
  4936. >Once upon a time she’d been punctual to a fault, seemingly unerring in her time management.
  4937. >Alas, there were only so many hours in a day.
  4938. >She had frequently considered making days longer to accommodate her new schedule, but stretching the daylight always seemed to promise ever more problems.
  4939. >And so it was irksome that she be forced to sit still for so long.
  4940. >More troublesome that her eyes had to be closed, sitting so had her risking falling asleep.
  4941. >Mercifully, after what felt like hours, her attendant told her what she’d been waiting for.
  4942. >”All done, your majesty.”
  4943. “Thank you, Saffron Springs.”
  4944. >A dainty little mare, quite young at that.
  4945. >But quite talented as a makeup artist.
  4946. >How a yellowish Earth pony was able to wield a brush with such dexterity was unknown to the princess.
  4947. >She had, at times, considered opening her eyes while the pony worked to see.
  4948. >Celestia had always relied upon telekinesis for fine motor control, seeing ponies use their mouth or hooves for such tasks was ever remarkable.
  4949. >A quick glance in the mirror revealed that Saffron had done a fantastic job, as usual.
  4950. >Princess Celestia looked centuries younger.
  4951. >And though her movements were still sluggish, her face looked lively and joyous.
  4952. >Gone were the sunken, weary eyes and the worry lines.
  4953. “Perfect, as usual.”
  4954. >There was a gentle rapping on the door.
  4955. >Celestia stood as smoothly as she could, tottering a slight bit.
  4956. >She focused closely on her stride in hopes of concealing the weakness in her legs.
  4957. “Pardon me, this is important.”
  4958. >”You were expecting them?”
  4959. >Princess Celestia offered a quiet, gentle laugh.
  4960. “No, I was not. But if they’ve found their way to me it’s important. Thank you again, Saffron. I wish you the best of days.”
  4961. >Saffron Springs offered a quick curtsey as Celestia traversed the threshold into the corridor.
  4962. >She began walking to the auditorium without pause.
  4963. >A chocolate brown Earth pony fell in line beside her.
  4964. >She recognized him, but couldn’t for the life of her recall his name.
  4965. >Unusual.
  4966. >Celestia was good with names.
  4967. “What news have you? Good, I pray.”
  4968. >”Great news.”
  4969. >Celestia was taken aback.
  4970. >That was not at all what she’d been expecting.
  4971. >A few moments later she realized she’d stopped walking.
  4972. >Celestia resumed her stride.
  4973. “That’s good to hear. What has happened, my little pony?”
  4974. >”Not yet.”
  4975. >Classified, it seemed.
  4976. >He walked ahead around the corner to take a quick look around.
  4977. >By the time Celestia had caught up to him he seemed satisfied.
  4978. >”I have an update on the missing nuclear material.”
  4979. >Celestia’s eyes lit up.
  4980. >She needed no makeup to look thrilled.
  4981. “You have? And it’s good news at that? Have you found the perpetrator?”
  4982. >”Not as such. But what we HAVE found is conclusive proof it doesn’t even exist.”
  4983. >It doesn’t exist?
  4984. >”We’ve been suspicious for a fair while because the paperwork didn’t add up. Not enough material was refined to make it, and we had one too many shielded containers.”
  4985. “Reason to be suspicious, but you’ve definitive proof?”
  4986. >”We can confirm that the document itself is a forgery. Further, our radiological data shows no unexpected decay from Eurynomos’ attack. That should have revealed exactly where it was, had it been real.”
  4987. “Excellent. Thank you so much, that’s a great relief.”
  4988. >”Should we continue our investigation?”
  4989. “Please do. Though the crime is far lesser than we’d feared, it is still of concern. This is no mere prank, the perpetrator intends to threaten a nuclear attack.”
  4990. >”Do you intend to call their bluff?”
  4991. “No. I intend to have them in prison before they get their chance. Criminal elements have a tendency to escalate their activity as they grow more bold. I shudder to think where they might escalate from this.”
  4992. >”Alright. We’ll do our best.”
  4993. “When preparing for the arrest consider them armed, dangerous, and belligerent. It’s safe to assume anyone who would go so far as to threaten a nuclear attack is hostile, and if they’re good enough to even attempt such a stunt they’ll be good enough to resist.”
  4994. >”Of course. We’ll be careful.”
  4995. “Thank you, my little pony. You are dismissed.”
  4996. >They stopped following.
  4997. >Soon enough she found herself alone.
  4998. >A brief moment of respite.
  4999. >A chance to drop all affectations.
  5000. >An instant to be tired.
  5001. >Celestia let out a long sigh.
  5002. “No time to procrastinate.”
  5003. >She pushed open a door and stepped into an auditorium.”
  5004. >Celestia walked as confidently as she could across the stage, pretending the floodlights weren’t irritating her eyes.
  5005. >She stood before the oaken podium to look at the crowd.
  5006. >Scores of ponies had filled the chamber well beyond its maximum occupancy.
  5007. >She couldn’t even see a hint of the floor.
  5008. >Camera flashes assailed her, a cacophony of inquiries and exclamations filled the room.
  5009. >She looked to the left, Luna was sitting just offstage.
  5010. >She gestured for Celestia to begin.
  5011. “Right.”
  5012. >Celestia turned on the microphone.
  5013. >The crowd went silent.
  5014. “Fillies. Gentlecolts. Friends. We got him.”
  5015. >A confused murmur came from the crowd.
  5016. “A few years ago, Equestrian intelligence officials became aware of a major threat to national security. Conflict with demonic entities seemed almost inevitable. While at one point we had excellent intel on what we may face, it was dated. Elite recon squads were deployed to investigate.”
  5017. >The murmuring grew to a rapid clamoring, nearly everypony asking her questions at once.
  5018. “Please hold your questions for the end. What we discovered was alarming, the available demonic energy had been concentrated to the point that any of the remaining parties posed an existential threat. Eurynomos, the self styled rotten prince, stood out as the most pressing danger.”
  5019. >”Is he what attacked us?”
  5020. >Celestia ignored the question.
  5021. “In the interests of national security, we were forced to adopt several war measures. Our forces were too few and our armaments horribly obsolete. Our primary concern became preparing to endure the coming storm. To this end, the crown commissioned several factories be erected and staffed. These facilities needed to be highly productive, but they also needed to be secure and secretive. The products of these facilities were inherently dangerous, and we couldn’t risk assets leaking to the public lest they be mishandled or deliberately abused. It was decided that the most reliable means of securing our equipment was to conceal the fact that it even existed.”
  5022. >”Are the rumors true that you built a cannon that can shoot a hundred kilometers away?”
  5023. “Again, I ask that you hold your questions. In the interests of secrecy we opened the factories under the facade of privately owned corporations focused on consumer goods. And to obscure the fact that they were state funded, we had a trustworthy citizen open an investment firm known as R&A incorporated through which we could fund our operations.”
  5024. >The clamouring grew riotous.
  5025. >Celestia remained silent for a few minutes while she waited for things to calm down.
  5026. “As we grew more aware of the scope of the danger, ever more draconian measures were needed. Mineral rights to harvest exotic metals, an expansion to our logistical networks to supply an increasingly mechanized military, aggressive recruitment for the royal guard to prepare to repel invasions, and risky research and development to secure theoretical weaponry. Regrettably, as we were preparing the danger only grew more severe. At every turn our opponent grew ever more powerful. Seemingly nothing could stop him. Our most destructive weapons were proving to be a mere inconvenience, and our most disciplined soldiers had their will shattered in the face of unspeakable evil. Despite our greatest efforts, they broke free and poured into Equestria not once, not twice, but no fewer than seven times.”
  5027. >The crowd began shouting.
  5028. >No great surprise, most of the incursions were dispatched before they reached any civilian centers.
  5029. >But Eurynomos was dead, and the ponies deserved answers.
  5030. >The time had come to declassify what had happened.
  5031. >Not everything, not by a long shot.
  5032. >But enough.
  5033. “Please settle down, we will field questions later. It was now, when we stared oblivion in the face, that we cast aside all concerns save for survival. It was decided that no action which prevented the annihilation of ponykind and our friends was unjust. We abandoned our normal priorities and did all we could to prepare. It was not enough. The situation became untenable, and Eurynomos broke into Elysium.”
  5034. >The crowd was getting ever louder.
  5035. >Some ponies were even trying to climb onto the stage!
  5036. >Shadows coiled about them and pulled them back into the gathered masses.
  5037. “I will now cede the microphone to my sister.”
  5038. >Luna flew onstage, landing by the podium.
  5039. >Celestia moved a stool to prop up her sister’s hind quarters.
  5040. >Still, she was sitting awkwardly.
  5041. >”You’ll have to excuse me for sitting at this time. I was wounded in battle and will be unable to walk for a while.”
  5042. >The crowd fell silent.
  5043. >Celestia and Luna had spent a great deal of time discussing if they should reveal Luna had been harmed.
  5044. >In the end it was decided they should.
  5045. >While it might shake some ponies to see their leaders brought low, they hoped that it would inspire trust in the masses.
  5046. >That they would appreciate that even the princesses were getting their hooves dirty.
  5047. >Though there was no reason to share just how severely she was wounded.
  5048. >Not yet.
  5049. >”We were caught off guard. Several traps and ambushes had been placed to stall his advance in the hopes of buying time to evacuate the surrounding area. While we were mostly successful in that attempt, he was still able to strike a few days before we were prepared. A detachment of Equestria’s best, including myself, moved to face him while the bulk of our forces split off to intercept his strike teams and protect our settlements. At first our resistance was fruitful, the hardware we had developed was proving highly effective. But as the seconds counted down it became painfully apparent that there was a problem. None of the injuries we had inflicted on Eurynomos were persisting. Weapons that we had considered destroying for fear of our own destructive power were too weak, and we grew fearful that we would erase Elysium with our counteroffensive before he had a chance to do so.”
  5050. >Still, they were silent.
  5051. >Celestia had to admit she was a touch envious at Luna’s ability to command order.
  5052. >She knew well it was because of her intimidating presence, and she preferred being loved to being feared.
  5053. >But it had its advantages.
  5054. >”That fear was soon dispelled, as his vile magic reached out across the land and destroyed the bulk of our weapons. Nearly all of Equestria’s munitions were destroyed one by one. Our most sophisticated equipment malfunctioned first, but as he pushed ever harder we lost more and more of our options. I’ve no doubt that, had the battle lasted long enough, every single knife on the planet would have been blunted. Fortunately, we learned that even he had his limits. Stood amidst the blasted hellscape that had once been our beloved home, we capitalized on a moment of weakness and pressed one final assault. Thankfully, it was enough. Eurynomos, one of the great powers of Hell, has been destroyed.”
  5055. >The crowd gasped.
  5056. >”Sister?”
  5057. “Thank you, Luna. Our task became assessing the damage done by the conflict, and attempting to mitigate the harm he had done. Some wounds cannot be mended, and some things cannot be replaced. We will never be what we were before the invasion, Equestria will forever bear a scar to remind us of the horrors that clawed their way out of that accursed pit. However, I am pleased to announce that demonic energy in Elysium has been reduced to safe levels. We are confident that all demonic forces have either retreated, or been destroyed. Once the threat of immediate extinction had passed we were able to step back and look at Equestria as a whole. We were horrified by what we saw. An overworked populace deprived of all their possessions, kept in line with a cruel police state. A web of lies and cruelty. A nightmare where once there was a paradise. We had stopped the demons, but Pandaemonium had come regardless.”
  5058. >Luna stared straight at the audience.
  5059. >Were her eyes watering?
  5060. >Or was it merely an act?
  5061. >Celestia couldn’t tell.
  5062. >”No action we took seemed excessive, no crime unwarranted. At every step it seemed a small sacrifice compared to the potential gain. We had allowed Equestria to become the antithesis of what it was meant to be, and we had done so with a clear conscience. The abyss had stared back. Had we had more foresight we could have prepared in a more orderly and open manner, and caused far less suffering. Though I do not for a moment regret doing all we could to stop him, I know that we could have done better. We SHOULD have done better. That we could find no recourse that did not harm the populace is proof that we were ill prepared. Had we managed to stop him without anypony perishing, we would consider our response to be a failure.”
  5063. “Equestria has seen disaster many times before, and we have always risen to the occasion. But never before have we seen such a foe, never had we imagined such malice. They came in numbers that made the changelings seem few, carrying power that put Tirek to shame, and wrath that not even the burning abyss could contain. We stood as a candle, nay, an ember in a typhoon. We stoked the flames in hopes of weathering the storm, never realizing that we were burning ourselves.”
  5064. >”One would have to be mad to think ours was the greater evil. But it was an evil regardless; much of the strain placed on the common pony was exaggerated or even outright fabricated by our shortcomings. The Equestria you knew was desecrated because we were not strong enough to preserve it.”
  5065. “While we wish we were able to say that was all in the past, we cannot. A great danger yet looms.”
  5066. >Somepony in the audience yelped in terror.
  5067. “We are still weighing what we can and cannot disclose without jeopardizing our response. I can, however, confirm that we believe we’ve a decade at bare minimum to prepare. I can also state that it is not of demonic origin. We have already taken measures to prepare, though further action will likely be necessary.”
  5068. >”We cannot promise that nopony will be hurt. But I swear by the stars themselves that I shall NOT allow harm like this to ever befall our ponies, never again shall we know loss on this scale!”
  5069. >That accursed soulstone.
  5070. >She hadn’t changed her mind on that despite Celestia’s protests.
  5071. >”Rest assured we now have the power to crush all known threats. However, some cures would be considered an illness were they viewed on their own. Our final solution is such a mixed remedy. It is our current hope that we shall find a better solution.”
  5072. “Our teams have made great progress in their preparations for what’s to come. Already we have turned a clearly hopeless situation into a grand opportunity for growth. We have turned the incomprehensible into the mundane, and chaos to order. Though there are yet gaps in our plan we have secured nearly everything needed to weather the storm unharmed. However, a monumental task remains before us. Ponykind shall either emerge from this stronger than ever before, or endure terrible hardship.”
  5073. >Here comes the hardest part.
  5074. >Admitting to failure was painful, admitting to all the lies agonizing.
  5075. >Celestia’s pride could accept neither.
  5076. >But asking for help?
  5077. >That was the most humiliating of all.
  5078. “And so we are declaring a state of emergency.”
  5079. >The ground got chatty again.
  5080. >Celestia could hear more than a few questions being shared between the attendants.
  5081. “In the coming years we will be relying upon all ponies to share in the burden. Few will be able to help directly, but all will be expected to help in whatever way they can. As the demonic hordes learned so painfully in their final push, the weakness of the pony is merely an illusion. While one’s will may fail, and one’s body may break, it is not the one that fights, but the many. The brave souls that faced him did not fight alone! They had backing from countless other heroes, detachments interfering with reinforcements, technicians preventing his teleportation, logistical and medical support ensuring they were always at their best, fire support and engineers to provide revolutionary new means of attack. It was not just the few that faced him on those harrowed fields on that day, but nigh on all of Equestria and her allies. Likewise shall we rise to this occasion. Together, we shall prevail!”
  5082. >A new noise came from the crowd.
  5083. >A noise that brought a smile to Celestia’s face and soothed her aching soul.
  5084. >The loud, rhythmic stamping of hooves.
  5085. >They were applauding her.
  5086. >She’d just declared a state of emergency, and they were applauding.
  5087. >Perhaps they’d not be so supportive if they knew how bad things actually were.
  5088. >Perhaps the fear would overtake them.
  5089. >As it stood, they knew but one thing.
  5090. >That they wished to help.
  5091. “In the coming days we will be disclosing limited information on what it is we now face.”
  5092. >A barebones version, of course.
  5093. >They didn’t need to know just how many had failed before them, not yet.
  5094. >And they definitely didn’t need to know about the soulstone.
  5095. >And Celestia wasn’t interested in talking about S.M.I.L.E.
  5096. >There was just too much value in keeping it secret.
  5097. >But the Tide had grown too big as secrets were wont to do.
  5098. >The secrecy was becoming untenable.
  5099. “We will not be fielding questions. Yes, you.”
  5100. >”Did princess Luna really fight a demon?”
  5101. >”I did.”
  5102. >The flashing of cameras was blinding even to Celestia.
  5103. >She could have sworn for a moment that she saw her sister’s body falling apart against the hail of photons.
  5104. >They should have barred flash photography…
  5105. “You there, near the front.”
  5106. >”Do you mean to tell us that you’ve been lying to us for months?”
  5107. >A kafkatrap.
  5108. >Granted, they HAD been lying.
  5109. >Even so this was a difficult one.
  5110. >Celestia often wondered why she allowed the press into her press conferences.
  5111. “It is often necessary for the crown to conceal sensitive information to protect various operations.”
  5112. >”That doesn’t answer the question. What else are you lying about?”
  5113. “With which news organization are you?”
  5114. >”What, you’re wondering why your puppets aren’t just throwing softball questions?”
  5115. >Yes, actually.
  5116. >The gruff voiced stallion was getting on Celestia’s nerves.
  5117. >And she wasn’t certain how to handle the situation.
  5118. >”Why did you steal everything through R&A incorporated?”
  5119. >Luna pulled the microphone to herself.
  5120. >”Because idiots such as yourself would have gotten in our way had we been upfront about it.”
  5121. >Celestia wasn’t sure what to do.
  5122. >This bellicosity was outside her area of expertise.
  5123. >”If you’ll excuse us other ponies wish to ask questions-”
  5124. >”Oh no you don’t! You won’t keep the truth from the public!”
  5125. >”We already had. It seems it would be quite easy to continue doing so had we the desire.”
  5126. >”What is this new great threat you’re talking about?”
  5127. >”Your body odour.”
  5128. >”Why should any of us believe a single word you have to say? You’ve done nothing but lie lately!”
  5129. >”You shouldn’t. In fact, I encourage you to do your own investigative journalism at your earliest convenience. If you want all the bloody details, your best bet would be to go to hell and speak with Achlys.”
  5130. >The room was silent.
  5131. >”I’ll gladly give you directions.”
  5132. >”No further questions.”
  5133. >They shrank away from Luna.
  5134. “Any further questions? Preferably some we can safely answer? Yes, you. The Earth pony with the green mane.”
  5135. >”What about the harvest? It’s been a terrible growing season, and we just lost a lot of our crops.”
  5136. “Excellent question. Much of our arable land has been corrupted, but we are not worried about famine. Our grain reserves are largely intact, and existing hydroponic facilities are expected to be able to sustain us for years to come. It is unlikely we will even see rationing of foodstuffs.”
  5137. >”Great!”
  5138. “And you there.”
  5139. >”Why the sudden change of heart?”
  5140. >Hm.
  5141. >That was a tough one.
  5142. “It’s hardly sudden. We don’t like misleading you, but at times it seems the best course of action to avoid disaster. As previously stated every individual secret was thought to be a lesser evil than what we risked by being overly open. Knowledge is power, and all states keep secrets for exactly this reason. However, power is inherently dangerous. Be it potent magic, potent medicine, a powerful machine, or a powerful secret, the capacity to affect change can bring ruin when used irresponsibly. As we no longer need to worry about Eurynomos, the harm being caused by our secrecy is now the more pressing issue. Yes, you, in the pink dress.”
  5143. >”What can we do to help?”
  5144. “I’m glad you asked. There’s a great deal of work yet to be done with rebuilding our ransacked homes. We will be needing assistance with cleaning up, and making homes for those who have been displaced. We will also be needing help containing the Blight to the south. However, this is NOT to be done without proper equipment and guidance. The last thing we want is for you to get sick while trying to help.”
  5145. >Luna gestured that she had something to say before claiming the microphone.
  5146. >”We cannot yet disclose why, but we will be rationing power and various exotic materials for the foreseeable future. We must ensure that we are ready at all times. It is no secret that the invasion has left Equestria weakened, and we wish to reverse that as rapidly as possible, lest we tempt hostile powers into trying something extremely stupid. We will be asking more of the public in the days to come, rest assured you will know what is needed, and your contributions will be acknowledged. Sister?”
  5147. “Thank you. Alright, we’ve got time for a couple more questions. You there- oh! Hello Moondancer!”
  5148. >”Is your sister a Erebus?”
  5149. “Don’t be silly.”
  5150. >”She reeks of demonic magic!”
  5151. “You would too if you’d spent months battling them.”
  5152. >”Oh. Right. Sorry.”
  5153. >”Forgiven.”
  5154. >Luna sounded genuine.
  5155. >Still, that was a problem.
  5156. >They’d have to do something about that.
  5157. >Having the common pony identify demonic power around her was trouble, and that excuse wouldn’t hold forever.
  5158. >A problem for another day.
  5159. “Unfortunately, that’s all the time we’ve got for today.”
  5160. >The audience collectively moaned in disappointment.
  5161. “We will be declassifying more information in the near future. Much must remain hidden for the wellbeing of ponies everywhere, but we will share what we can. Thank you for your patience in these trying times.”
  5162. >Luna teleported away in a flash of darkness.
  5163. >Celestia walked off stage, leaving a crowd shouting questions in her wake.
  5164. >It felt odd to come clean after so long.
  5165. >But perhaps a bit refreshing.
  5166. >She’d known this moment was coming the moment the first demon reached Equestria.
  5167. >It simply wasn’t possible to hide everything any longer.
  5168. >Had they handled this properly?
  5169. >Would this foster panic or cause it to abate?
  5170. >Had she done the right thing?
  5171. >Only time would tell.
  5172.  
  5173. * * * * *
  5174.  
  5175. >Babbling Brook’s hovel clearly was not meant to be decorated.
  5176. >The spartan concrete interior had clearly been designed for purposes other than confort.
  5177. >It was an abode of discipline, power, and action.
  5178. >Having Lyra, Bon-Bon, Derpy, Floor Bored, and Dinky decorating it just felt wrong.
  5179. >Well, Floor hadn’t really done any decorating to be fair.
  5180. >She’d just sequestered herself in the storage room.
  5181. >Somehow Lyra doubted it would have looked less strange had she joined in.
  5182. >In fact, she doubted it would have looked normal had it been decorated by anypony for any occasion, never mind the haphazard tangle that had been erected.
  5183. >Streamers hung from the walls at odd angles, dozens of burst balloons were taped to the wall framing a bright colourful banner that said “happy bird-day”.
  5184. >Derpy beamed with pride, hovering just before the banner.
  5185. “Isn’t it supposed to be birthday?”
  5186. >”Don’t say that!”
  5187. >Bon-Bon interjected brusquely.
  5188. >”He’s super self conscious about his age.”
  5189. “I don’t think a spelling error is going to fix that.”
  5190. >”It’s all about plausible deniability.”
  5191. >Derpy nodded at Bon-Bon’s statement before landing with surprising grace.
  5192. >”Bird day is a day where you surprise your local curmudgeon with a party. The fact that it happens on the day on his birth certificate is complete coincidence.”
  5193. “There’s no way that’s going to work.”
  5194. >”Lyra?”
  5195. >Bon-Bon was in no nonsense mode.
  5196. >”I’ve known him a lot longer than you. If he has a chance to pretend it’s not his birthday he will, even if it’s stupid.”
  5197. “Alright. I don’t really get it, but I’ll take your word for it.”
  5198. >The old coot had really gone through a lot of work to hide his birthday.
  5199. >When Lyra had suggested they celebrate it, she and Derpy quickly ran into horrendous roadblocks.
  5200. >The only hard number they could actually find was on the deed to his home, part of the public record.
  5201. >It said he was five.
  5202. >A couple days later Bon-Bon said she’d figured it out and would rather not say how.
  5203. “Say, when was he born anyway?”
  5204. >”His birthday, er, bird-day is today.”
  5205. “No, like, what year?”
  5206. >”You know when princess Celestia standardized the calendar?”
  5207. “No.”
  5208. >”Before that.”
  5209. “Wait, SERIOUSLY?”
  5210. >Bon-Bon snickered.
  5211. “Oh.”
  5212. >”Miss Bon-Bon?”
  5213. >”Dinky?”
  5214. >”Is he going to yell at us when he sees this?”
  5215. >”Yep.”
  5216. >”Oh…”
  5217. >”Doesn’t mean he won’t be happy though. Brook pretends to be an ornery old coot that hates everyone and wants to be left alone.”
  5218. “And the truth is?”
  5219. >”He’s an ornery old coot that hates ALMOST everyone and THINKS he wants to be left alone.”
  5220. >Sounded about right.
  5221. >Derpy started looking around and sniffing the air.
  5222. “What is it?”
  5223. >”Where’s Floor?”
  5224. “Storage room. Honestly, I should go talk to her.”
  5225. >It had been several months since they’d last spoken.
  5226. >Lyra had TRIED to explain that she wasn’t a federal agent, and TRIED to explain that if she’d been looking to arrest Floor she would have long ago.
  5227. >But Floor Bored wouldn’t hear anything of it and had started avoiding Lyra.
  5228. >In that time life had settled into what was to be the new normal.
  5229. >Ponies went about their business with an air of uncertainty, not sure when they would be called upon to do their part for Equestria.
  5230. >And not even sure of what their part might be!
  5231. >Energy rationing had begun to ease up, nopony was allowed to own any ytterbium for some reason, and every now and then huge work crews would be assembled to hose down the border of the Blight with some plastic spray.
  5232. >Rubble was cleared, homes rebuilt, and crops sown.
  5233. >Life was stable, and one could convince them that this was a perfectly normal spring were it not for the pervasive air of dread.
  5234. >The ponies knew.
  5235. >Not everything, of course. They had a pared down and sanitized version of what was to come.
  5236. >A terrible unknown substance that ate everything was coming their way.
  5237. >They knew not the true scope of the problem, that it had eradicated not just lives but worlds and systems.
  5238. >That unknowable destruction had been wrought by this stuff, and that creatures far brighter than ponykind had fallen to it.
  5239. >They simply knew that there was trouble coming and that they wanted to help.
  5240. >The grim truth, however, was that there was nothing to be done.
  5241. >For all of her genius, Twilight and her team had not managed to crack the code.
  5242. >Nopony had. The messages in the gamma bursts were indistinguishable from noise, and it was starting to look like they’d never understand it.
  5243. >Lyra tried to put it out of her mind.
  5244. >It was beyond depressing, and this was meant to be a day of celebration.
  5245. >She knocked on the door to the storage room.
  5246. “Floor? You okay in there?”
  5247. >”Floor Bored isn’t here. At the tone, please leave a message.”
  5248. >Lyra rolled her eyes and pushed the door open.
  5249. >She found Floor Bored cowering in the corner of the darkened room.
  5250. >Lyra sat on the ground well away from her.
  5251. “What’s wrong? You know I’m not the police, right?”
  5252. >”Yeah.”
  5253. “Great. Then why are you scared of me?”
  5254. >Floor Bored covered her eyes.
  5255. “I’m not trying to hurt you.”
  5256. >”But what ARE you?”
  5257. >Lyra wasn’t certain she understood the question.
  5258. >”You’re not one of them. But you made them look stupid over and over again!”
  5259. “I’m just me.”
  5260. >”That’s the problem! You fought Equestria and WON!”
  5261. “I mean, kinda. I had a lot of help.”
  5262. >”The princesses are supposed to protect us, but they can’t even stop us! Do you have ANY idea how bad their security is? Or how messy their databases are? They have no idea what they’re doing!”
  5263. >She was worried that Equestria was incompetent?
  5264. >”Do you know what the security override code for the armory in Canterlot was?”
  5265. “No.”
  5266. >”ADMIN! The password was admin!”
  5267. >Was that a problem?
  5268. >”And they’re supposed to protect us from demons and aliens and monsters and-”
  5269. “Calm down.”
  5270. >”HOW?”
  5271. >She had a point.
  5272. >S.M.I.L.E. was overwhelmed, and Equestria as a whole wasn’t ready for what was going on.
  5273. >Maybe it never would be.
  5274. “They pulled it off though. They beat him.”
  5275. >”Barely.”
  5276. >And at what cost?
  5277. >”And they needed us to help! They needed MY help! And I’m just…”
  5278. “A hero.”
  5279. >She shook her head morosely.
  5280. >”Look at me. I’m not a hero. I’m fat, ugly, lazy, probably crawling with disease. If it hadn’t been for Derpy taking over my life I’d probably be dead by now. How can I be a hero?”
  5281. “You’re a hero to me.”
  5282. >”Don’t.”
  5283. “It’s true! When you found out what we were doing you offered to help right away, no problem.”
  5284. >”I barely did anything though.”
  5285. “You say that, but I’d have never succeeded without you. Your technical knowledge saved my skin more than once.”
  5286. >She scoffed.
  5287. >”Technical knowledge. I don’t know that much, Lyra. I just picked up a few things here or there on the net. I’ve never taken a class on this stuff, I couldn’t begin to tell you how they’re built, I only know what anypony could pick up. There are millions of ponies out there that could do what I did.”
  5288. “Where were they?”
  5289. >”Where were what?”
  5290. “The millions of ponies that could have done what you did. Where were they?”
  5291. >No answer.
  5292. “What did they do to protect Equestria?”
  5293. >”I dunno.”
  5294. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It doesn’t matter how smart they were, how fit, how attractive, how rich- NONE of that matters because they did nothing. Our role was small, sure, but we made a difference. They didn’t, and they never will. They could have all the power in the world and they’d still be failures.”
  5295. >”But they’re better than me.”
  5296. “They’re worth as much as the dirt on your horseshoes! None of that stuff matters AT ALL! Charisma, strength, intelligence, wealth, power- without the will to act, they’re all meaningless. Whatever you think you lack, you had the most important thing of all. Hold your head high, Floor Bored. Equestria needed you, not because they’re failures. They needed you because you’re a champion.”
  5297. >”The password was ADMIN!”
  5298. “And you were the only pony on the planet that password didn’t stop. You were the best their security had ever seen.”
  5299. >She wasn’t shivering anymore.
  5300. “They’ve got room to improve, I’ll give you that. But they’re not completely worthless like you think. They’ve stopped all sorts of terrifying monsters before, usually without anypony even noticing. And they’re so good that they can keep their secrets from everypony. Well, everypony except you.”
  5301. >”I guess.”
  5302. >That was about as close to happy as she was going to get, you suppose.
  5303. >Although…
  5304. “Hay, were all the passwords like that?”
  5305. >”No. Most of them were actually really good. There was a bug in their system that kept resetting it to the default.”
  5306. “Heh. Bound to happen eventually. That many moving parts coming together all at once, something’s going to slip through the cracks.”
  5307. >”Well, they were under a lot of pressure.”
  5308. “So get on out there. You don’t belong in this oversized closet, you belong with the rest of the heroes who are here today.”
  5309. >Lyra stood up and walked to Floor.
  5310. >She offered a hoof to help her stand.
  5311. >Floor actually took it.
  5312. >”Thanks. Oh, and is Bon-Bon doing okay? I haven’t asked lately.”
  5313. “Good enough. No episodes in a few months, having fun with gardening and music. Some night terrors, but-”
  5314. >”The hell is all this?”
  5315. >Babbling Brook was here.
  5316. >”HAPPY BIRD DAY!”
  5317. >”Bird day?”
  5318. >Lyra and Floor stepped out into the main room to see Brook marching around the perimeter, taking the time to scowl at all the decorations.
  5319. >Derpy ran off to the corner and picked up a cake.
  5320. >”I made a pineapple upside down cake!”
  5321. >”The pineapple’s on top though.”
  5322. >”It didn’t quite turn out.”
  5323. >Brook’s scowl quivered a bit.
  5324. >”Thanks. This is nice.”
  5325. >Everypony gasped in shock in near perfect unison.
  5326. >”What?”
  5327. “Well, we weren’t really expecting you to thank us.”
  5328. >Derpy nodded.
  5329. >”We thought you’d be angry at us.”
  5330. >”I mean, I kinda am. You broke into my house. But it was nice of you to think of me on bird day.”
  5331. >Unbelievable.
  5332. >”So, uh, how exactly does this work?”
  5333. “Honestly we hadn’t thought that far ahead. We were sorta expecting you to kick us out.”
  5334. >”Do I get any gifts?”
  5335. “We didn’t know what you’d want.”
  5336. >He shrugged.
  5337. >”I don’t either.”
  5338. >”Well, at least there’s cake.”
  5339. >There was that.
  5340. >”What are you waiting for? Slice it up!”
  5341. “Alright. Anypony have a knife?”
  5342. >Brook bopped Lyra on the back of the head.
  5343. >”In this house we use MANA TIDE! Rip Current now!”
  5344. “I can’t cast that yet!”
  5345. >”Then nopony gets any cake!”
  5346. >Dinky was pouting.
  5347. >This would not stand!
  5348. >Lyra took a deep breath.
  5349. >She called upon her magic and meticulously assembled the spellform.
  5350. >One second.
  5351. >The mana blend reached perfection.
  5352. >Lyra stabilized the flow.
  5353. >Two seconds.
  5354. >Jagged forcefields surrounded the cake in a near perfect circle.
  5355. >They spun about it rapidly.
  5356. >Three seconds.
  5357. >Intense pressure filled the forcefields. A live target’s natural magic would disrupt such delicate forcefields, the air had to do the cutting.
  5358. >The bladed tornado closed in on the cake.
  5359. >Four seconds.
  5360. >Something went *pop*.
  5361. >The cake got knocked into the air, sailing halfway across the room before Brook caught it with his telekinesis.
  5362. >It was slightly mashed, but definitely not cut.
  5363. >Lyra blushed.
  5364. “It’s a really hard spell, okay?”
  5365. >The cake popped apart, perfectly sliced in six.
  5366. >Lyra hadn’t even seen him cast it.
  5367. “That seems to contradict what I just said.”
  5368. >Derpy flew about with paper plates, gathering the floating pieces and distributing them.
  5369. >The evening turned to gentle chatter if no consequence.
  5370. >Brook almost never spoke, simply sitting on the sidelines and listening in on other ponies day to day lives.
  5371. >He seemed content to listen.
  5372. >Maybe even happy.
  5373. >But it wasn’t to last.
  5374. >”I need to go to the doctor.”
  5375. >Everypony stopped and looked.
  5376. >He’d gone nearly an hour without speaking, to have that come out of nowhere was a surprise.
  5377. “Why, what’s wrong?”
  5378. >”Pacemaker’s on the fritz-”
  5379. >Derpy picked him up and started flying to the door.
  5380. >”I’m not dying, you bubble brain! Put me down!”
  5381. >”Oh. Sorry.”
  5382. >She gently set him down.
  5383. >Brook was panting.
  5384. “What’s wrong?”
  5385. >”Some malfunction or another. It switches to the lowest setting every now and then.”
  5386. >He does look a little pale.
  5387. >Bon-Bon gave him a shoulder to lean on.
  5388. >”Let’s get going, it’s not far.”
  5389. >”Yeah.”
  5390. >Everypony followed them outside.
  5391. >Thankfully, Brook was in the inner city, and Ponyville’s hospital was centrally located.
  5392. >It wouldn’t be far.
  5393. “So what do they do?”
  5394. >”They can change the settings using some gadget, I don’t quite get it. But they say they can’t actually fix it without cutting me open, and that it’s more dangerous to do that than to have this happen.”
  5395. >Lyra didn’t like the sounds of that.
  5396. >”Oh, quit your bellyaching. I walked there on my own power when this happened last time. This isn’t going to kill me, just leave me really weak.”
  5397. “If you’re sure.”
  5398. >Lyra trotted on ahead and went to the front desk.
  5399. >Last time she’d been here it was surrounded by barbed wire and filled with ponies in hazmat suits.
  5400. >Today, their guard was down.
  5401. >It felt a bit strange for everything to be so…
  5402. >Normal.
  5403. >Lyra approached the pony at reception.
  5404. “We’ve got a pacemaker malfunction.”
  5405. >”Again? Alright, we’ve got wheelchairs here, wheel them to cardiology just down the hall. Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
  5406. >Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Derpy wheeled him down leaving Dinky and Floor in the lobby.
  5407. >The place was clean, but didn’t reek of sanitiser to quite the same degree as before.
  5408. >No sections were walled off, and the whole place looked a lot less blurry than Lyra remembered.
  5409. >They popped around the corner and almost ran into a pale yellow Earth pony in a lab coat.
  5410. >”Pacemaker again?”
  5411. >”Yep.”
  5412. >”Alright, I’ll take him from here. You can pick him up in ten minutes.”
  5413. “Thank you, doctor.”
  5414. >They stepped away and began walking aimlessly, exploring the place.
  5415. >All of them had spent longer than they cared to think in this place.
  5416. >Yet none of them really knew the layout.
  5417. >Derpy was the one to break the silence.
  5418. >”It’s kinda spooky that something so important wouldn’t work right.”
  5419. >”I know what you mean. When your fridge stops working or something like that it’s bad enough, we’re just lucky he can live with such a low pulse.”
  5420. >”He’s in really REALLY good shape for somepony so old. Others might not be so lucky.”
  5421. “Yeah, but I can’t really blame the doctors or anything. I’m sure they tried their best. The fancier and more precise a machine is the more delicate.”
  5422. >”Yeah, still. You’d think that with something that’s so important they’d be super duper careful and get everything fixed before putting them out.”
  5423. >”I’m sure they’d have loved to, but ponies needed them right away. Waiting to make absolutely sure that everything works perfectly would be worse than making small mistakes.”
  5424. “Well, from the sounds of it he’s in good hooves. He’s-”
  5425. >”What’s that buzzing noise?”
  5426. >Derpy started prancing toward the sound.
  5427. >She almost immediately strayed from the main pathway.
  5428. >Bon-Bon chased after her.
  5429. >”C’mon, Lyra! We both know this isn’t going to end well!”
  5430. >She was right.
  5431. >Derpy was clumsy, accident prone, and a trouble magnet all rolled into one.
  5432. >They rounded the corner just in time to see it happen.
  5433. >The M.R.I. was active, the lines for the magnetic hazard clearly marked.
  5434. >The doctors were standing well away from it, watching the readouts intently.
  5435. >And Derpy bumped into one of them.
  5436. >They stumbled, Derpy fell flat on her face right beneath their hooves.
  5437. >They stepped on her face and stumbled even more, gracelessly falling onto the floor.
  5438. >”Oh! I’m sorry, here, let me help you up!”
  5439. >”What are you even doing in here?”
  5440. >Derpy quickly flew into the air and grabbed the pony by his leg.
  5441. >She pulled hard.
  5442. >Her grip was on his watch.
  5443. >The band broke, the watch came free and slammed into the MRI, penetrating the outer casing and latching onto the high voltage coils.
  5444. >It exploded in a brilliant flash of light as it shorted out, sparks filling most of the room.
  5445. >When Lyra’s vision returned a bald pony was climbing out of the wreckage, now a blazing inferno.
  5446. >Dozens of ponies had crowded around the room with extinguishers in hand.
  5447. >Derpy just flew in midair with a sheepish grin.
  5448. >Lyra’s jaw dropped.
  5449. >She locked eyes with Bon-Bon.
  5450. “Applejack’s legs.”
  5451. >”Nemesis.”
  5452. “The pacemaker.”
  5453. >”Helios.”
  5454. “S.L.I.D.E.”
  5455. >”The uranium refinery.”
  5456. “Their security systems at the armory.”
  5457. >”Ares mark 1.”
  5458. “The MRI just now.”
  5459. >”That one’s a stretch.”
  5460. “I know.”
  5461. >And finally…
  5462. “The Tide.”
  5463. >They spoke in unison, having both realized the truth at the same time.
  5464. >Many machines, many makers, many purposes.
  5465. >Bound together by one universal thread.
  5466. >Derpy might have burnt down the hospital.
  5467. >But she might also have saved the world.
  5468. * * * * *
  5469. >Bon-Bon had led Lyra to an office tower.
  5470. >It seemed vacant, which was strange.
  5471. >Office work had lost some of its draw with more manual labour available, but Ponyville was still hot property.
  5472. >But that wasn’t the only thing that was strange.
  5473. >It was well furnished, with fresh carpet in the lobby and a sleek granite reception desk.
  5474. >Yet the computer on the desk was clearly a first generation model.
  5475. >The display had quite a bit of depth, suggesting a cathode ray tube.
  5476. >Liquid crystal had obsoleted those very early on.
  5477. >That display had been here for a long time, possibly since the building was first erected.
  5478. >There was no sign of the wreckage caused by the siege upon Ponyville, nor should there have been.
  5479. >The city had been almost totally cleaned up. All that remained was the barricades and checkpoints, now abandoned with all armaments removed.
  5480. >It was perfectly reasonable that this place would be intact. But it can’t have been restored.
  5481. >They wouldn’t have been able to find a CRT.
  5482. “What IS this place?”
  5483. >Lyra asked Bon-Bon, who had just ducked behind the reception desk.
  5484. >”A front. They had armored vehicles stored here, pretty sure it’s abandoned now.”
  5485. “Why not rent it out?”
  5486. >”Gotta clean up first. There’s going to be a massive underground lot here with hidden access ramps, it’ll take a while to erase that. They might even have to demolish this thing, the lot is probably part of the foundation.”
  5487. >Made sense.
  5488. >”There might even be a few tanks left here.”
  5489. “So the one place that they wanted demolished was the one that got away without a scratch?”
  5490. >”Pretty much. Good eye, by the way. This place and a few of the surrounding buildings survived because, when the invasion hit, there just happened to be an armored division right around here.”
  5491. “I’m surprised by how quickly ponies forgot about that.”
  5492. >Tanks rolling down the middle of the street should have been a big deal.
  5493. >”Ponies forget a lot of things. General rule, if it helps them out they don’t ask questions. They were just thankful they had some protection.”
  5494. “Don’t you mean tankful?”
  5495. >”That I do! Um, idle curiosity. Did they actually accomplish much?”
  5496. “I only saw a few, and they’d been smashed.”
  5497. >”Sorta what I figured. They’re really good in certain situations, but without support they wouldn’t have been maneuverable enough to handle the heavy hitters. They’re just lucky you were here.”
  5498. >Lyra still didn’t feel right taking credit for that.
  5499. >Brook had done the bulk of the work.
  5500. >That, and she really didn’t like thinking about it.
  5501. “So… why are we here?”
  5502. >”To talk to Twilight.”
  5503. >Lyra took a moment to look around.
  5504. >There was nopony else here.
  5505. >”This place had contact with central command. That means they had a radio transmitter with the right encryption protocols. We won’t get her directly, but they should be able to connect us.”
  5506. “Oh. So we’re not going to talk to her face to face?”
  5507. >”I wasn’t planning on. Would you rather?”
  5508. “Not really. This is fine.”
  5509. >”Besides, I have no clue where she is right now. Think she’ll be happy with what we found out?”
  5510. “Oh, absolutely. I know Twilight pretty well, that whole thing about her putting too much faith in the aliens didn’t come out of nowhere.”
  5511. >”Too trusting of authority?”
  5512. “Too humble. The girl’s a genius, and everypony except her knows it. Tell her you’re an expert on something and she’ll take your word for gospel.”
  5513. >”She’s put her faith in the ultimate authority on the Tide without even realizing it. Think this’ll be enough to stop it?”
  5514. “Probably not. But at least she’ll be barking up the right tree.”
  5515. >”Yeah, that’s something. Hopefully some pieces click. Okay, I’m turning it on.”
  5516. >Lyra heard a clicking noise.
  5517. >Bon-Bon got up from under the desk.
  5518. >”We wish to speak with princess Twilight.”
  5519. >”What’s your identifier number?”
  5520. >A slightly crackly and irritated voice replied.
  5521. >Bon-Bon leaned in close to the microphone.
  5522. >”We have a hostage.”
  5523. >Lyra rolled her eyes.
  5524. >Twilight came on the line almost immediately.
  5525. >”What are your demands? We’ll get you what you want, just don’t hurt anypony!”
  5526. “Relax. There’s no hostage.”
  5527. >Lyra spoke with Red’s voice.
  5528. “We just didn’t know how else to get ahold of you.”
  5529. >”Oh. OH! It’s you again.”
  5530. >”Is now not a good time?”
  5531. >”It’s never a good time. But I’ll hear you out at least. I owe you at least that much for warning me about Rarity.”
  5532. “Speaking of, is she okay?”
  5533. >”Pretty well. Once the secret was out she had no reason to stick around, so she went back to her family.”
  5534. >Well, that’s good.
  5535. >”Now we just have to make sure she still has a family in a decade and she’ll be fine.”
  5536. >That was pretty grim.
  5537. >The job was getting to her again.
  5538. “Any major developments?”
  5539. >”Hundreds! Getting those intact samples of Tide was huge, even if we still have a lot to learn. We’ve confirmed that it converts mass to energy by forming a nanoscopic black hold right in its heart with a bit of matter next to the target. It beggars belief that it works, but there it is. We also know that it transmutes atoms by using a neutron jet to break them apart. We’re not certain but we think that the same jet can fire protons for fusion. It’s an impossibly small particle accelerator.”
  5540. “But have you figured out how to stop them?”
  5541. >”Well, no. We’re still not sure how it makes the bursts, but if it can make a black hole inside itself it should be able to make one outside itself. Or it might just break one nanite away from the cluster and make a bigger one internally.”
  5542. >”Funny you should mention that. We were thinking something pretty similar. What happens to electronics when there’s an EMP?”
  5543. >”Depends on how well shielded they are.”
  5544. >”Okay, what happens to the Tide?”
  5545. >”Well, if it’s an extremely small body it destroys it. Slightly larger bodies have the surface nanites link together to form an ersatz faraday cage and protect the core. The core then consumes the destroyed Tide to replicate, making it look like it came back online on its own.”
  5546. >Huh.
  5547. >So that’s how that worked.
  5548. “What about the life seeking?”
  5549. >”Adenosine Triphosphate. Common to all known life, the Tide seeks it out. Many of the signals we were getting don’t mention anything about hunting living things, we suspect that they didn’t have ATP in them.”
  5550. >”So it wasn’t actually looking for living things?”
  5551. >”Who knows? ATP might have been used as a marker for a target population, or it might have been seen as hazardous waste, or any number of things. We’ll probably never know.”
  5552. “So the only remaining mystery is the communication.”
  5553. >”Oh, heavens no. We don’t understand how it assembles itself, we don’t know how it navigates, we don’t know how it can escape gravity wells, the list goes on. But the communication is the big one, yes.”
  5554. >”Do you want to tell her?”
  5555. “No, you can do it.”
  5556. >”But you’ve been working at this longer than I have.”
  5557. “But you’ve put WAY more on the line than me. I’ve been pretty safe, while you were doing insane stuff.”
  5558. >”True, but you collected most of the clues.”
  5559. >”Just say it together!”
  5560. >Twilight had a good idea there.
  5561. “One. Two. THREE! The Tide doesn’t use light to communicate!”
  5562. >”The Tide doesn’t use light to communicate!”
  5563. >”The Tide doesn’t use light to communicate? What makes you think that?”
  5564. “Well, it would be using gamma bursts for one. Wouldn’t that be really bad for the Tide? Like, wouldn’t that destroy a bunch of it?”
  5565. >”Well, yes. That is pretty strange. We figure the nanites are just so expendable that they don’t mind breaking a few.”
  5566. >”Okay, what about the fact that it uses two frequencies? Isn’t that kinda redundant?”
  5567. >”Bursts are more visible from great distances, blue light doesn’t penetrate as far but also doesn’t make them self-destruct.”
  5568. >Huh.
  5569. >She HAD thought of this.
  5570. “The bursts are infrequent and erratic. Wouldn’t they happen way more often if it was for communication?”
  5571. >”It’ll take decades at the very least for the message to be received just because of how big space is. A couple hours more isn’t a big deal.”
  5572. >”Well, you’ve thrown all the computing power in the world at it for over a year and gotten nowhere. If there was a pattern wouldn’t you have cracked it by now?”
  5573. >”That’s the whole point of encryption. The Tide might be able to use some kind of non-standard computing to interpret the signals, meaning it might be interpreting the bursts in ways we haven’t even thought of.”
  5574. >”Wow. Okay, we weren’t really expecting this many answers.”
  5575. >”I appreciate the thought, but the signals travel so fast it can’t be anything with mass, otherwise we’d detect it.”
  5576. “But you DO detect it. The cancer. Something unseen is hitting the researchers.”
  5577. >”Well, umm… yeah. We’ve never really explained that one. Maybe a probe looking for ATP?”
  5578. “Which would mean it’s using something other than light.”
  5579. >”I guess?”
  5580. >”Can the Tide get messages from behind a gamma opaque object?”
  5581. >”We haven’t been able to test that conclusively, but it can navigate around them pretty quickly.”
  5582. >”Which should be impossible if it was just using light.”
  5583. “And are the nanites even big enough to reliably absorb the full gamma burst? Or would it go straight through?”
  5584. >”The reactor core is made of an ultra-heavy synthetic element we hadn’t previously discovered. It absorbs the gamma rays made from the internal black holes to make heat.”
  5585. “So if it got a signal from a gamma burst, it would just turn into heat?”
  5586. >”Uhh, seems like it. I’m starting to think you two might be onto something here.”
  5587. >”How does heat run it anyway?”
  5588. >”Thermoelectric effect. The core heats to insane temperatures, and the Tide radiates heat as needed to power itself.”
  5589. >”I suppose that’s why it gets so hot.”
  5590. >”It’s actually quite cold inside for the most part. The parts with the actual circuitry also use the thermoelectric effect to push heat out, keeping it near freezing at certain points.”
  5591. “Why would it get that cold?”
  5592. >”Superconductivity.”
  5593. >Lyra didn’t know what that was.
  5594. >But she was happy to pretend.
  5595. “So the core isn’t directly connected to any electronics then? Doesn’t that mean that by the time a gamma ray got to the circuits, it would have been turned into meaningless heat?”
  5596. >”Well, yeah. I suppose it would. But the aliens said it used light. Here, look. Fastest particle, rapid particle, massless particle. All light. Powerlight, high radiance, great radiance, brightest light. High frequency, right? What else could it be?”
  5597. >That’s a REALLY good question.
  5598. “Twilight. Princess. Stop listening to the aliens.”
  5599. >”But-”
  5600. >”But nothing! They’re all dead, aren’t they? You haven’t found a single one that’s managed to stop the Tide, you’re listening to creatures that failed. The Nexus doesn’t emit gamma rays or anything, does it?”
  5601. >”I mean, not that we’ve seen. And we’ve looked! Your idea has merit, but then what’s the point of the bursts and the blue light?”
  5602. >Lyra and Bon-Bon shared a glance again before answering as one.
  5603. “Malfunction.”
  5604. >”Malfunction.”
  5605. >”Malfunction?”
  5606. “You assume that whenever you see the Tide do something it’s supposed to do it. You put too much faith in its creators because they’re the most technologically advanced creatures we’ve ever heard of. But they’re not perfect, they existed within our imperfect reality and have to work with our imperfect matter. The more complex a machine is, and the more precise it is, the more likely it is to fail. What is the single most advanced piece of machinery ponykind has ever seen?”
  5607. >”Well, it might be the Tide.”
  5608. >”And what’s the most precise machine?”
  5609. >”That’s DEFINITELY the Tide.”
  5610. “And it has a crazy amount of power running through it. What would happen if that were to short circuit?”
  5611. >”I don’t actually know. But I would imagine we’d get a massive flash of light out of it. And come to think of it, it always seemed really impressive that it didn’t short out all the time. The wiring isn’t very well insulated at all, and the voltage is through the roof. If there were the tiniest bit more resistance in the circuit, it’d short. Like, say if it overheated and wasn’t superconductive! And when something goes wrong it removes itself from the main body before shorting out so it doesn’t damage the other nanites!”
  5612. >”And, if the gamma bursts are just an accident it would explain why you can’t predict them, and why you can’t interpret them. It looks like noise because it IS noise.”
  5613. “It would also explain where all that missing energy is going. It’s not vanishing, it’s shooting off something that punches through radiation shielding, can interact with the Tide, it’s just that we can’t see the signal.”
  5614. >”It all makes a lot of sense. I’ve known for a long time I was wrong about something, and this could very well be it. Something goes wrong with the Tide, and once it can’t keep cool anymore it explodes. Maybe the creators knew that was a problem, and rather than try and fix it they programmed it to move away from the main body before going off! Maybe the cooling system failing triggers it to leave, and it has a bit of time before it gets hot enough to short out!”
  5615. >It explained everything.
  5616. >Well, almost everything.
  5617. >They could wipe away all sorts of questions with that simple explanation, but if they did?
  5618. >A much greater question arose.
  5619. “How does it communicate?”
  5620. >They all fell silent for a bit.
  5621. >Twilight was the first to break it.
  5622. >”Well, unless we’re wrong about pretty much all of physics, it HAS to be light. Any particle with mass would… Particle with mass. It might not be a particle. SPIKE! I’m going to need EVERYTHING we have on gravity waves!”
  5623. >”Coming right up, Twi!”
  5624. >Gravity came in waves?
  5625. “That’s a pretty good answer, but it doesn’t quite fit. Gravity doesn’t cause cancer, and with all the Tide around Nexus you’d think we’d be heavier when we were there, not lighter.”
  5626. >”Both good points. But- mass. Hold on.”
  5627. >”Hold on for what?”
  5628. >”Fastest particle, rapid particle, massless particle. It says particle, not light!”
  5629. “Weren’t there some that did?”
  5630. >”Yes. Powerlight, high radiance, great radiance, brightest light. Only TWO of them actually say light! And those two, as you said, came from creatures that didn’t figure it out! If it’s some massless particle other than a photon, it could even explain the blue glow away as Cherenkov radiation. SPIKE! Forget the gravity, I need everything on exotic and unconventional particles!”
  5631. >”Aye-aye, captain!”
  5632. >Bon-Bon was rubbing her chin.
  5633. >Something didn’t quite add up as far as she was concerned.
  5634. >”Don’t you have to be moving at relativistic speeds for that?”
  5635. >What was Cherenkov radiation anyway?
  5636. >And why did Bonny know?
  5637. >”I know you said it had to be moving fast, but that’s more than just fast.”
  5638. >”It is. If you’re right about this, whatever it is moves crazy fast. But in practical terms, the limiting factor in a particle’s speed is its mass. The faster a particle the more energy you need to speed up, approaching infinite energy for the tiniest acceleration. There’s a limit right at c if you plug any positive mass into it.”
  5639. “Positive mass? Is negative mass a thing?”
  5640. >”Not as far as I know. Even if it were, we should have the same limit of c. There are a few things that can get fast enough to cause Cherenkov radiation, but we can detect them and the Tide is spitting that out. Anything bigger and it would be obvious because of how much energy it would take to accelerate to that level. It would have to be insanely small to slip by unnoticed, while still being able to move at that speed. This is going to be quark, or even smaller!”
  5641. “But if it were that small why would it cause cancer? And how would it touch the Tide? Wouldn’t it slip right through?”
  5642. >”That’s… darn! We were so close! AUUGH! It has to be big enough to touch us, but small enough to shoot through LEAD? I can’t even IMAGINE anything like- hmm. SPIKE! Run a search in the translated archives for imaginary mass or imaginary energy!”
  5643. >”Alright, but it might take a while. Those archives are big and poorly indexed.”
  5644. “IMAGINARY mass?”
  5645. >Bon-Bon was no less lost.
  5646. >”Imaginary energy?”
  5647. >”The total energy of a particle is its rest energy times gamma, which is 1 over the root of 1 minus velocity squared over c squared. If velocity is greater than c, then the denominator is the root of a negative number. It’s an IMAGINARY number! But that throws everything into disarray! If the denominator is imaginary, either the answer is or the numerator!”
  5648. >Twilight Sparkle had finally lost her mind.
  5649. “I’m not sure that’s right, princess.”
  5650. >”Think about it! The radiation shielding blocks the particle. What happens when you leech energy from a particle with imaginary mass?”
  5651. “It’s IMAGINARY!”
  5652. >”It wouldn’t stop, it would speed up! But it wouldn’t get smaller so it could still hit stuff!”
  5653. >”You’re talking about something going faster than LIGHT because of a quirk of math!”
  5654. >”Yes, don’t you see? It’s so elegant! It fits right into relativity, we wouldn’t even have to change anything!”
  5655. >”Twilight! We have a hit!”
  5656. >No way.
  5657. >NO. WAY.
  5658. >”Though the underlying mechanisms are unknown, we have been able to replicate the process of emitting a particle with imaginary mass.”
  5659. >”Thank you, Spike.”
  5660. >Twilight cleared her throat.
  5661. >Then she started laughing.
  5662. >Then she started laughing harder.
  5663. >Then she was cackling maniacally.
  5664. >Then?
  5665. >Silence.
  5666. >”Uhh. Hi. Spike here. Sorry, but Twilight just passed out.”
  5667. >No.
  5668. >Bloody.
  5669. >Way.
  5670. >”Who are you two, anyway?”
  5671. >”Just friends of Twilight’s.”
  5672. >”Uh-huh. Well, if you don’t want to say I guess that’s alright. Thank you though, I haven’t seen her that happy in years.”
  5673. “No. Bloody. Way. Are you hearing yourself? Faster than light? Imaginary mass?”
  5674. >”Sure. Why not?”
  5675. >Why not?
  5676. >WHY NOT?
  5677. >”Just because we call it imaginary doesn’t mean it’s not real. Plenty of ponies thought Nightmare Moon was a myth, and even more thought the demons were just a story used to scare foals. These things don’t care what we think of them.”
  5678. >”But if there were such a thing wouldn’t we have seen them by now?”
  5679. >”Probably not. For all we know they’re everywhere. It took thousands of years for somepony to find radio waves, and they’re everywhere. Who knows what else is all around us without us knowing?”
  5680. >Who knows what other secrets lie beneath the surface?
  5681. >What other machinations went undetected?
  5682. >Lyra looked at Bon-Bon.
  5683. >To all the senses, she was a perfectly ordinary pony.
  5684. >No bodily damage.
  5685. >No unusual skills.
  5686. >No exceptional feats.
  5687. >Nigh on every pony she’d ever met had failed to see behind the veil.
  5688. >She looked at herself, as best as she could.
  5689. >A musician.
  5690. >A goofball.
  5691. >Carefree and energetic.
  5692. >But under the surface, a hardened criminal.
  5693. >A terrorist.
  5694. >A killer.
  5695. >And beneath even that, the saviour of Ponyville.
  5696. >She looked around at the abandoned offices, once a S.M.I.L.E. front.
  5697. >They were oppressive.
  5698. >They were thieves.
  5699. >They invaded privacy.
  5700. >They were everything one might think of when envisioning a tyrant.
  5701. >Yet they were also Equestria’s last line of defence.
  5702. >Their only hope against the darkness.
  5703. >And there was Luna.
  5704. >At once a demon and a saviour.
  5705. >Her sister, the saint who had shepherded her flock straight into hell itself.
  5706. >All of these things were true.
  5707. >Everything WAS as it first appeared.
  5708. >But that was only part of the truth.
  5709. >There was always something more.
  5710. >An approximate truth that not only concealed, but complimented a vastly more complex picture.
  5711. >Lyra herself had said it was arrogant to assume they knew everything.
  5712. >Was she being arrogant too?
  5713. “It just feels weird.”
  5714. >”It feels weird to me too. I’m not so sure about it, the imaginary thing in the archives might just be a mistake. But Twilight seems to think we’re onto something, and I trust her.”
  5715. “I mean… she’d be most likely to know.”
  5716. >Bon-Bon just shrugged.
  5717. “And it’s not really like this would be the first impossible thing it had done.”
  5718. >Spike didn’t answer.
  5719. “I guess all that’s left to do is try and see if it works.”
  5720. >”Even if it’s not this specific thing, there are other particles it might be. I’ve got a whole list of particles we don’t know much about. The funny thing is we’d probably know way more about them if we hadn’t been hung up on this light for so long. Now that I think about it it should have been obvious.”
  5721. >No.
  5722. >It really shouldn’t have been.
  5723. >”Thanks again, but I’ve gotta try and get her to bed.”
  5724. >”Should we be worried?”
  5725. >”Naa. She hasn’t slept in a couple of days, I bet she’s just really tired.”
  5726. “That’s kinda worrisome on its own. But glad we could help?”
  5727. >The line went dead.
  5728. >Lyra and Bon-Bon exchanged a quick hoof bump and headed for the door.
  5729. “If that’s really it it feels kinda anticlimactic.”
  5730. >”Well, it’s not over just yet. If this really is the key to stopping it they still need to actually do it.”
  5731. “I suppose. It just feels like something that deadly would have to be stopped with some epic battle or feat of daring.”
  5732. >”They usually aren’t. The better you do at preventing a disaster the less ponies will notice it. If you do your job perfectly, nopony will know anything happened at all.”
  5733. “Huh. I guess so. Most of the things you stopped I’d never even heard of. What was that one? Typhon?”
  5734. >”Could have been a massive disaster, and nopony even knows its name. Job well done.”
  5735. “Well! We should go and celebrate another job well done. What are you in the mood for?”
  5736. >”I kinda just wanna hang out in the garden.”
  5737. ”That actually sounds nice. I didn’t think the tulips were going to make it after the incident.”
  5738. >”How was I supposed to know you could put too much fertilizer on them?”
  5739. “By reading the bag.”
  5740. >”Bah, details. I might even get the pipes out.”
  5741. “Sure! If you’re feeling up to it. Bagpipes are best played outdoors after all. And you’re actually getting pretty…”
  5742. >Good was a stretch.
  5743. “Pretty okay.”
  5744. >”Coming from you, that’s a compliment.”
  5745. >It was over.
  5746. >They were finally safe.
  5747. >Right?
  5748.  
  5749. Concluded in Revenant

Steel Sanctuary Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Steel Sanctuary Part 2

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Steel Sanctuary Part 3

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Red Shift Part 1

by Writefag_Is_Kill

Red Shift Part 2

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