Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight A's
Chapter 17: Epilogue - After The Dawn
Previous ChapterSome Time Later…
"I don't suppose I could offer you some tea?"
Chrono shook his head as he took a seat on the chair. It was strange seeing Gil out of uniform like this. For the longest time, he'd been used to seeing his former teacher in the traditional blue and white of the Dimensional Navy. Now here he was, dressed in a simple button-up shirt and a pair of kakhis, very unlike Chrono's own dark blue tunic and slacks. The lights of a foreign city glittered through the window that dominated the wall of the small living room Gil as he poured the contents of the teapot into his cup before setting it back down.
"I'm actually surprised," Gil continued, lifting his teacup and taking a sip, leaning back against the green chair. "I didn't expect you to actually come visit me, Chrono."
"I almost didn't," Chrono replied calmly, his hands folded in his lap. "However, a certain purple pony suggested I at least make the effort. Besides, I'm still technically on medical leave because of my arm, so there's no real loss."
"I see." Gil's eyes moved to Chrono's arm, which hung limply in its sling. "How has rehab been?"
"Unpleasant."
"My apologies."
Chrono grunted softly in reply as Gil sipped his tea again. "So," the older gentleman said, setting his teacup aside, "how have things been? I must admit, I've been more than a little out of the loop…"
"Well enough, now that the business with the Book has wrapped up. Trixie, Reinforce, and the Wolkenritter are in good hands now."
"Is that so? So they managed to salvage her after all?"
Chrono nodded.
"How'd they manage that?"
"Well, from hearing Reinforce tell it…"
"What's wrong with her?"
Luna shook her head as she stood at the head of the bed. The Wolkenritter were clustered about Reinforce, two on either side of the prone avatar. The pale mare's body glowed dimly, small distortions crackling along her body as she lay there.
"I… I am not entirely sure," Luna replied honestly. "This is unexpected. I had not thought that removing Nachtwal's programming would have left her in such a state…"
"It's not… that."
All eyes turned to Reinforce as the mare opened her eyes, a faint hint of static crackling along the outline of her body. "Reinforce?" Shamal asked softly.
"It was… all for my Mistress," Reinforce smiled weakly. "Though I may have… overstepped my limits." The alicorn glanced around the room slowly. "Is… is she here?"
"Nay… but I will send for her immediately if you wish."
"That would be good… Thank you…"
"What's happening, Reinforce?" Zafira growled softly as Luna stepped to the doorway, whispering furtively to the guard outside.
"It's simple. When I restored Trixie's Linker Core, I used my personal reserves… the power of the Examia contained within the Book. It was originally the power that sustained my… unique nature, that allowed me to exist as a conscious entity instead of a simple program within the Book…"
"I… I don't understand," Vita glanced over at Luna. "Does this mean…"
"Thou art regressing," Luna said softly as she turned back, her ears folding back.
Reinforce nodded, her body flickering slightly. "Soon enough, this avatar will fade away, and I'll return to being nothing more than a simple administrative program. In a way… I suppose you could say I'm dying."
"What?!" Vita shouted. "But… But if you're dying… then why aren't we…"
"It's because I've freed you." Reinforce closed her eyes. "When I restored your Linker Cores, I severed the ties that bound you to the system. You are no longer beholden to me or the Book. Consider it a poor recompense for your centuries of servitude."
Signum nodded solemnly, resting a hand on Vita's shoulder. "Thank you, Reinforce."
"But… but isn't there something we can do?" Shamal glanced from Luna to Reinforce. "Surely there is, right? Some way-"
Reinforce glared at Luna. The Princess inhaled slowly, but held her tongue, causing Shamal to look between the pair. "Well? Isn't there?!"
Reinforce shook her head, rolling onto her stomach slowly. "It's better if it's this way, Shamal. I thank you for your kindness, but…" Her body shuddered, static crackling across her body like a bad signal. "But I've accepted my fate…"
"Reinforce," Luna said softly.
"For a thousand years, I've waited to be freed. I've been witness to so much suffering, so much pain, so much death… I'm so tired of it…" Reinforce shook her head. "At least now I can rest easy, with the knowledge that the Book is in good hooves… and that you four are released from your shackles."
Then the door slammed open. Trixie rushed in, racing past Luna to Reinforce's bedside, her breath panting as she skidded to a halt. "Trixie… came as fast as she could. Reinforce, are you-"
"Trixie," Reinforce said with a sad smile. "It's good to see you again before I leave."
"Before you what? What're you talking about? You're not going anywhere Reinforce…"
"Mistress," Signum said softly, quickly falling silent as Trixie slashed a hoof in her direction, her eyes focused solely on the pale artificial alicorn.
"Answer me Reinforce. What is this about you leaving?"
"I'm not long for this world, Trixie. At least… I won't be in this body. I will serve as your shining light, but as nothing more than a book."
"What?"
"She's dying, Mistress," Vita snapped. "She's dying and she isn't letting us help her!"
"WHAT?!"
Reinforce closed her eyes. "It is for the-"
"You IDIOT!"
Reinforce blinked as Trixie glared up at her, her body trembling with rage. "You big, stupid, inconceivably moronic MORON! After all we went through last night, you're just going to fade away?! Just like that?! No, no, no, you don't get to just lay down and die Reinforce. Remember what I said? I'm not going to run away, so don't you dare run either!"
"But Trixie…"
"But nothing Reinforce. I am your Mistress and your friend, and I'm not just going to let you disappear! Do you hear me? The Great and Powerful Trixie does not do tragic endings!
"Life hurts, Reinforce. Life is painful and sad and ugly. But life is also wonderful and beautiful and filled with incredible things. Now granted, you've probably seen more than your fair share of the horrible stuff, but that doesn't mean that all the good things out there don't matter! Look around you! For the first time in a long time, you're not stuck in your cage! Are you going to tell me you're not going to take advantage of that? That you don't want to see the sky? That you don't want to experience… everything?!"
"I…" Reinforce gulped as the blue mare grabbed her head in her front hooves, pulling her down to eye level.
"You don't get to lay down and die, Reinforce. Not now, and not here. Now pull yourself together filly, and let's fix you!"
Reinforce stayed silent for a moment, then closed her eyes. "Very well, my Mistress… I'm s-s-sorry."
"But," Shamal glanced at Luna. "can she be fixed? I mean…"
Luna smiled slightly. "Well, we may know a way…"
Reinforce stood quietly in the center of the array, the numerous circles slowly cycling beneath her hooves. Her body crackled and rippled slightly as she glanced from side to side, looking to the mares surrounding her.
To her right side stood Twilight Sparkle, her staff Raising Heart raised and its core glowing. A faint pink haze of light glittered around Reinforce's body, emanating from the Mid-Childan circle beneath Twilight's feet. To her left stood Fate, Bardiche raised before her as golden lightning crackled along her horn, her eyes focused and determined. Static mingled with the haze of pink light, prickling over Reinforce's form.
Before her, however, stood Princesses Luna and Cadence, the two alicorns flanking Trixie. The Wolkenritter stood beside them, Signum's hands resting on Vita's shoulders, Shamal's hands clasped before her, while Zafira stood by, his arms folded across his chest.
"Energy levels are holding steady, Princess," Twilight said, her horn glowing softly.
"Good," Luna replied. "My thanks to you both. I know that you two are no doubt exhausted from the battle…"
"It's fine, Teacher, really." Fate replied, her eyes closing. "But it'd probably be best if we hurry…"
"Indeed. Trixie?" Luna glanced down to the blue mare.
"Are you ready, Reinforce?"
"Y-Y-Yes, my Mistress," Reinforce replied. There was a soft hum of magic as the white-covered Book winked in before her, the pages flapping as the tome opened. She slowly turned the Book upwards, the pages facing skyward as a glowing circle of light opened above it.
Luna nodded to Cadence and Trixie, stepping back slightly. The two took a step into the array, the cloud of magic crackling around them. Cadence carried a small box with her, the container hovering beside her in her magic field. There was a soft click of the latch as Trixie opened the box, carefully lifting the small, many-faceted jewel from its velvet bed.
"I've taken the liberty of charging the gem," Cadence said, shutting the box. "It should have more than enough power within it…"
"Th-Thank you," Reinforce replied, turning to Trixie. "M-Mistress… if I should change… or-or-or not return… it was… an-an-an honor "
"Enough of that," Trixie shook her head. "You'll be fine, Reinforce. Now, are you ready?"
Reinforce nodded. "C-C-Core programming exposed. Error: s-s-system core not found…"
Trixie inhaled, then settled the gem into the hovering ring. There was a soft click as the Examia shard hovered in the center of the ring, then a crackle of energy as the ring began to spin. Two other rings formed around the top and bottom of the jewel, slowly sweeping over the gem's surface as they rotated. Blue-white lightning crackled over the Book's pages, light spilling out in all directions.
Reinforce closed her eyes as she slowly lifted off the ground, her mane and tail whipping about in all directions as lightning licked along her skin. "Beginning re-initialization of Core," she said calmly, even as the power washed over her. "Administrative program Reinforce… accepted."
The Book snapped shut, swallowing the Examia shard.
The world erupted into white light as Reinforce's body shook and arched, mana crackling along her body in long, blistering arcs. She could feel her programming accept the new Core, the protocols altering to accept the Examia shard, her systems rebooting.
And then, it was over. Reinforce landed on her hooves, her head hanging as she exhaled.
"Reinforce?"
"I-I'm still here, Mistress." She opened her eyes, then blinked. "Um… Mistress? When did you get taller than me?"
Trixie laughed, quickly embracing her, the blue mare standing a full head taller than her now. "I don't care how you look," Trixie replied, "I'm just glad you're alright."
"It may have to do with the reinitialization," Luna posited as she stepped forwards. "Because your system was adapted to a corrupted Core, your programming must have reformatted itself in order to make use of the replacement. It will likely be some time before your capabilities will return to their former level…"
Reinforce shook her head, looking at her slim hooves, a few strands of silver hair falling into her face. "That's acceptable. At least my spell archives remain intact."
"I actually think it's kinda cute," Shamal giggled. "You look so young…"
"Not as cute as me, though," Vita snorted.
"I didn't expect jealousy out of you, Vita" Zafira chided gently, eliciting a glare from the short Knight..
"Hey! Who asked you!?"
Reinforce blushed as Trixie laughed.
"That's good, at least," Gil conceded, his hands folded in his lap as he sighed. "I had hoped to see her again..."
Chrono shook his head, but held back his retort. "Did you pay much attention to the trial? You would have seen her then."
Gil shook his head. "No. Between my own hearings and dealing with the fallout, I didn't particularly have much time on my hands. I heard things turned out alright, in the end."
"You could say that. The Wolkenritter aren't locked away in jail forever and Reinforce isn't being disassembled, so I'd count that as a victory."
"…given the nature of the Book of Darkness revealed during this incident I cannot, in my professional opinion, state that the Wolkenritter were performing their actions of their own volition."
The gavel rapped loudly to quell the loud murmuring of the court's audience. Chrono sat calmly before the panel, straight and firm, eyes locked on the prosecutor as she approached, her short-cropped pink hair contrasting against her dark blue uniform tunic..
"Enforcer Harlaown," Prosecutor Taunus asked, "given your personal stake in the Wolkenritter's case and the Book of Darkness incident, can you honestly state that your professional opinion is unbiased?"
Chrono nodded. "I can."
"Please explain?"
"If you're insinuating that I'm defending the Wolkenritter out of some misplaced form of sympathy, then I can assure the court that I am not. The Book of Darkness was the primary cause for the destruction of the Estia and the death of my father, Admiral Clyde Harlaown, and the Wolkenritter were, at that time, its agents.
"However," he continued, "given the revelations of recent events, I have reason to adjust my professional assessment of the defendant's behavior. This is simply based on the facts observed during my investigation, and backed up by the evidence currently on file with the court. In accordance to article twenty of the Artificial Living Creature Crimes Act-"
"-the destruction of the defense system, Nachtwal, was successfully achieved," Yuuno concluded, gesturing to the hovering holographic chart beside him. "It should be noted again, for the record, that Nachtwal was a program of Ancient Belkan origin and not the original controlling intelligence of the Book of Darkness."
"So you're saying that this… Nachtwal program was the cause of the incidents," the Defense Counsel Granada asked, her dark brown fingers tapping on her desk.
Yuuno nodded. "I am. Nachtwal alone was the source of all of this destruction. The current administrative program, Reinforce, and the Wolkenritter are merely victims of a greater evil."
The judges murmured amongst themselves softly as the Prosecutor cleared her throat. "Permission to cross examine, your honors?"
"Granted, Counsel Taunus."
"Thank you. Yuuno Scrya, you are saying that this program was the cause of the Wolkenritter's attacks. However, the Wolkenritter still committed their crimes against the Bureau."
"Indeed, but under the amended Lost Logia Salvage and Security Act of NCY 0011, the actions of a hazardous Lost Logia are legally attributed to the core system administration of the Logia in question. All subsidiary systems are considered non-liable if there is a demonstrable effect on their behavior that can be rectified by the dissolution of said core system. I believe the legal precedent was set in reference to a rogue Belkan-era control system, which makes it particularly relevant in this case…"
"Miss Signum, you state that you were compelled to perform the acts you and your associates are accused of?"
"That is correct, Counsel Granada." Signum replied stiffly.
"Can you please explain to the court the nature of that compulsion?"
"I can." Signum closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, then spoke. "During the time we were beholden to Nachtwal, we were compelled both by force and by necessity to capture external Linker Cores and drain individuals of both their magic and their magical knowledge. Failure to do so would result in the absorption of energy from our Master and his or her eventual demise, after which the Book would repeat the process.
"Furthermore, we were completely beholden to the will of our Masters. We had no recourse; any order was to be followed, no matter the personal or physical toll. We were essentially slaves to the Book of Darkness, unable to do anything to prevent its completion."
"Were you following your Mistress's orders during the recent incident?"
"No. Our Mistress had no knowledge of our actions, nor did she order us to hunt."
"Miss Signum," the head judge stated after he quieted the court, "the court reminds you of the right against self-incrimination. Are you confessing to willingly committing these crimes?"
"Not willingly, no. If a madman were to put a blade to the throat of your child and ordered you to commit murder, would you say that you did so willingly? That is the choice we faced; the death of our beloved Mistress, or the scorn of the authorities…"
"I hate waiting like this," Twilight murmured to Chrono as the two of them sat in the gallery.
"The judges are deliberating, Twilight," Chrono replied. "They've already called nearly everyone directly involved in the incident. We've done all we can."
"I know… I just keep wondering if I should have done more during my testimony…"
"You did fine. Heck, aside from the special closed session with Princess Luna and Reinforce they had yesterday, your testimony was the longest."
Twilight blushed. "It wasn't too long, was it? I mean, I combed over every scrap of legal material I could find to build my case, but I'm sure I-"
"You did fine, trust me." Chrono looked up as the doors at the far end of the room opened, the bailiff calling for everyone to rise. "Here we go… I'm surprised they took only a few hours…"
The judges took their seats, the gavel clacking out to call the court to order. The head judge cleared his throat loudly before he began to speak.
"We have reached a verdict. Will the defendants please step forward?"
Chrono heard Twilight swallow loudly as Reinforce and the Wolkenritter rose and stepped forwards.
"Given the evidence that has thus been presented to this tribunal, we the judges have come to a decision. Given existing legal precedent, this court cannot charge the defendants with the crimes surrounding the previous Book of Darkness incidents."
"Therefore," the judge continued after the audience was quieted down, "we can only render a judgment on the crimes committed by the defendants in this most recent incident. In addition, the evidence presented and testimony given over the past few days has further muddied the waters surrounding the culpability of those involved. Though the crimes committed have been exceedingly wide-ranging in scope, the fact of the matter remains that the defendants directly aided in the destruction of the Book of Darkness as we know it."
There was a pause.
"In light of this evidence and the testimonies presented, this court finds the defendants not guilty of all charges, predicated on extraordinary and forcible compulsion…"
"Yes!" Twilight squealed, only for Chrono to shush her quickly.
"Given the degree of their crimes, I'm surprised the court found them not guilty," Gil frowned.
"I wasn't there for the entire trial," Chrono replied. "Their decision may have been swayed by Princess Luna and Reinforce. Then again, that was in a private session. Even I wasn't allowed to attend it, and the records aren't currently available."
"Still…"
"I don't think," Chrono interrupted, "you have any place to question their verdict."
Gil sighed, nodding quietly. "You're right."
Chrono snorted softly and derisively. "How you managed to get off with just your resignation is beyond me. By all rights, you should have been court-martialed and locked away."
"You'd be surprised what having allies in high places can get you," Gil replied softly.
"Of course. At least Elantra and her minions have been locked away for good."
Chrono paused as Gil looked at him calmly, then slowly picked up his teacup and sipped. "What?"
"Nothing… so, I assume the Wolkenritter are still in Equestria?"
"Not exactly. After the trial, Princess Luna had a talk with Director Gracia. Apparently…"
Chrono exhaled as he stepped out into the evening air, leaning against the stone wall of the banquet hall. It wasn't that he didn't mind the loud, cheerful music playing inside the hall. He should have expected it, once he'd eben invited to Pinkie Pie's 'Hooray, Everything Turned Out Well And Nobody Went To Jail Forever' party. Still, it was nice to get some fresh air and peace for a few minutes.
At least until he overheard a conversation.
"You're leaving?"
Chrono paused, glancing over at the source of the conversation. Shamal was seated beneath one of the trees in the garden, a hand resting on Fancy Pants' back as he sat with her.
Shamal nodded softly, looking at Chrono for a moment before turning back to Fancy Pants. "I'm afraid so, Fancy. At least for a while. Carim Gracia of the Saint Church made us an offer to work with her organization… as a way for us to atone for the crimes we've committed…"
Fancy nodded. "What about Trixie?"
"Our Mistress will be joining us as well. Apparently, Princess Celestia has appointed her as a 'cultural liaison' to the Saint Church. Considering she's Reinforce's current Master…"
"Good for her," Fancy replied with a smile. "Though I must admit that's probably not where she expected her career to take her."
"Yeah…"
Fancy looked up at her, then leaned over and nuzzled her side. "Shamal…"
Shamal shook her head. "I… I'm not sure if I should go, Fancy. This might be a chance for us to put our talents to use for good for once… maybe even find out more about where we came from. My duty is to my Mistress and the other Wolkenritter… but I can't just abandon you."
"Who said you had to?"
Shamal blinked as Fancy chuckled. "Like you said, it's just for a while. If some time later, you want to come back, then come back. But I'm not going to ask you to turn away from your calling just to stay with me Shamal."
"Fancy…"
"Besides, it's not like you'll be that far away," Fancy smiled warmly. "I'll still be able to write to you. If you don't mind pursuing a relationship with an old stallion like me, that is."
Shamal giggled softly, even as she sniffed. "Fancy, I'm exponentially older than you are…"
"Well, Proper Practice has always pestered me about dating mares closer to my age… give or take a few centuries."
Shamal shook her head, giggling again as Fancy glanced past her to Chrono. "Young man, if you don't mind-"
Chrono lifted a hand. "Don't worry. I was just getting some fresh air. I'll leave you two be."
"My thanks."
Chrono nodded and turned, though he did pause as he saw Shamal lean in to kiss Fancy. The stallion leaned up and obliged her.
As he turned away and opened the door, he heard a soft giggle. "Your mustache tickles, Fancy…"
"I suppose I should have expected Carim would have gotten her hands on the Wolkenritter," Gil said as he poured himself another cup of tea. "That way the Bureau will be able to keep an eye on them."
"Yes. I'd imagine that was part of the negotiations."
"Oh?"
Chrono nodded. "I wasn't exactly privy to what happened when Princess Luna spoke with the Board of Directors, but I've heard enough second-hand to know that she wasn't exactly pleased with what happened. After all, having hijackers nearly destroy Canterlot while a high-ranking member of the TSAB attempted to make off with one of their citizens, interrupting a very delicate operation… well, it'd be enough to make any government a little grumpy."
Gil nodded silently, sipping his tea.
Chrono swallowed, glaring at the older man. "Why?"
"Why?"
"Why did you do it?" Chrono's good hand clenched tight as he tried to control his volume. "I want an answer, Gil. Who put you up to-"
There was a click as the front door opened. Chrono could hear a young girl shouting just outside. "Bye Nanoha-chan! Bye Alisa-chan! See you tomorrow!"
Chrono blinked as a young, brown-haired girl ran into the room, the red and yellow ribbons in her hair swaying as she did so. She paused as she caught sight of Chrono, then glanced at Gil. "Uncle, who's this?"
"Ah, Hayate-chan, this is Chrono. He's a former student of mine visiting from overseas. Chrono, this is my niece, Hayate."
And this is why I'm thankful for translation magic, Chrono thought to himself as he nodded to Hayate. "How do you do?"
Hayate bowed quickly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry I'm late, Uncle, but me and the other girls were over at Suzuka-chan's house and-"
Gil chuckled. "It's quite alright. Just make sure to call next time you're running late, alright?"
"Okay!"
Gil smiled, leaning over and giving Hayate a hug, then gave her a gentle pat on the head. "Now, why don't you run along and do your homework? Chrono and I were having a private conversation…"
"Okay! It was very nice to meet you, Chrono-san."
"Likewise," Chrono replied as the girl jogged off, climbing the stairs.
"She's a sweet girl," Gil said solemnly. "Quite interested in fashion and costumes. You should see her handiwork sometime."
"Does she-"
"No. For all she knows, I'm just her uncle that used to be in the military in another country. She's better off not knowing…"
Chrono nodded. "I see…"
"I'm not sure you do," Gil said sternly. "I regret the actions I had to take, Chrono. I sincerely do. But if I hadn't, the cost would have been far more than I'd have been willing to pay. But that's the cost of falling in with the wrong people."
Chrono frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't give you specifics, Chrono," Gil continued, picking up his tea cup. "But I can tell you this… there is a faction within the Bureau that fears the changes that are coming, that view the Equestrians as a threat to the Bureau's power. This faction was behind the Arthra's high-jacking and my own actions."
"A faction within the Bureau? Who?"
Gil shook his head. "That is all I can safely say. I dare not risk going into specifics. They're likely still monitoring me, even though I'm no longer useful to them. I wish I could say more… God, I wish I could tell you everything Chrono, but I can't. Not with Hayate's life at risk."
Chrono inhaled slowly, then nodded. "I understand."
"Just be careful Chrono. There are changes coming, and not everyone will be as accepting of them as you might think."
Meanwhile…
"Lindy?"
Admiral Harlaown looked up as a communications window popped up on her desktop, the holographic screen hovering off to one side at eye level. "Leti! Sorry, I was just trying to get some paperwork done. What can I do for you?"
The purple-haired Admiral adjusted her glasses as she spoke, "I hope I'm not interrupting, but there's been a development in your case that I thought you'd like to know. You remember Duo Monza? The member of the hijackers that was unaccounted for? The one we assumed escaped during the raid Enforcer Harlaown was conducting?"
"Oh yeah, him. Did someone find him? Is he in custody?"
"Not exactly. I just got this in from the Enforcer's office on Mid-Childa. Hold on, I'll send it to your desktop."
Lindy blinked as a file appeared on her holographic desktop. She reached up, scrolling through the text and images, her eyes narrowing. "Leti, this is an autopsy report…"
Leti nodded. "I know. Apparently, Duo Monza's body was found in Cranagan Bay by some local fishermen. He was found stabbed through the heart three times. If the autopsy's right, though, then Duo Monza's been dead for at least three weeks…"
"What?! But... but that's impossible," Lindy shook her head. "I saw him Leti. I welcomed him onto the ship. I shook his hand and everything."
"I don't know what to tell you Lindy…"
Lindy leaned back in her chair, a hand going to her forehead. "I don't know either. This doesn't make any sense. If Duo Monza's been dead since before we left port, then who the hell was on my ship?!"
Meanwhile, Somewhere Hidden...
"Gentlemen, I'm very disappointed."
The slender, violet-haired man tsked as he shook his head, his hands tucked neatly into the pockets of his pristine white coat, the lights under the floor casting ominous shadows across his face. He looked up at the three hovering red glyphs with an irritated smirk, his golden eyes narrowed. "I thought we had an agreement."
"The Equestrians do not concern you," the lead voice stated.
"Your purpose is to provide us with the necessary technology to maintain order," the second, lower voice added.
"You had no right to interfere with our operations," a third, higher voice snapped.
"I do if it would prevent you from making a clumsy, childish mistake," the man replied. "Really? Attempting to blow up a planet full of ponies without finding out if they would be useful? Tsk, tsk, tsk, shameful. Incredibly shameful and short-sighted of you three."
"It is our duty to eliminate threats to the Bureau's primacy, not to provide you with entertainment."
"And that's where you're wrong," the man replied. "Need I remind you three that you need me more than I need you? I can hardly do my work if you blow up anything that might be interesting..."
"Your-"
"Let me be clear," he interrupted, "this is not up for debate. The Equestrians are off limits. If I discover you've tried to pull something like this again, then our little deal is finished. No more advanced technology. No more scientific breakthroughs. Do I make myself clear?"
"You think to threaten us? The High Council?"
"You have grown too arrogant, Scaglietti."
"Hardly," Scaglietti smirked. "As I said before, you need me more than I need you. And if you want to learn how to exploit this new resource you seem so eager to squander, then you'll do as I ask. After all, who knows what sorts of advances could come from the Equestrians… particularly their Princesses."
The High Council paused. Scaglietti waited; he could almost hear the rusty gears turning.
"Very well," the lead voice said.
"We will consider this," said the second.
"We will contact you again," concluded the third.
"See to it that your research continues," the first said with a note of finality as the glyphs winked out.
Scaglietti snorted. "Fools, the lot of them. They have no conceivable idea of the treasure they were about to throw away…"
"You wished to speak with me, Doctor?"
Scaglietti turned as a slim, petite young man approached him, his platinum blonde hair pulled back in a short ponytail. "Ah, Due, excellent. Though really, I don't think you'll need that shape right now."
The young man shrugged as pale green light flowed over his body, his appearance rippling as he revealed his true form; a slender woman of average height with dark eyes and golden hair that reached down to her mid-back. The Bureau uniform was replaced by a two-toned blue body suit, the symbol 'II' decorating the armored collar. "I was hoping to come in while you were talking to those fools on the High Council."
Scaglietti chuckled. "Now now, we mustn't aggravate our backers too much just yet. Now, as to your next assignment…"
Due smiled, her right hand flexing as three long, knife-like nails extended from her thumb, index and middle fingers. "I'm all ears, Doctor," she almost purred.
Scaglietti nodded, smiling thinly as he gave one of his darling daughters the mission. And like a good girl, Due nodded. "When do you want me to leave, Doctor?"
"At the earliest possible opportunity, my dear. Time is of the essence, after all."
"Of course. I'll go and get prepared, then."
Scaglietti nodded, turning back to the large, holographic screen hovering overhead. "Uno?"
A communication panel winked in, the screen filled with a lavender-haired and golden eyed woman in a blue and white dress shirt and bolero tie. "Yes, Doctor?"
"I think it would be wise to move ahead with the schedule. Begin waking the others up."
"Of course, Doctor. I shall prioritize the completion of my sisters."
"Excellent. After all, we're going to need a good deal more space for my next projects… Oh, I can't wait to get started. So many new subjects! So much to DO!"
Scaglietti chuckled softly at first. Then, the chuckle slowly grew louder, until it became a rolling, maniacal laugh that echoed off of the high, carved stone wall of his laboratory.
Twilight And Company Will Return
In
Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight
StrikerS