The Shadow of a King
Turning up the heat (Part 2)
Author: Draconis187

A Panauan military base was a symbol of the president’s might and frivolous spending as many dotted the islands that made up the country. The jungle trees surrounding one of them gave it ample camouflage from the road several metres away. Soldiers stood with sniper rifles and assault rifles, their fingers twitching by the triggers in anticipation as they hoped someone would be stupid enough to attack and cure their boredom.

Luckily for them, there were two. Sadly for them, they weren’t stupid. One checked the magazines in his pistols while the other smoked a luminous green cigarette which gave off pale blue smoke whilst playing with the colours of a small, indigenous bird. Rico didn’t understand it but as long as Discord kept his brand of chaos to a minimum, he could do his job.

Discord only agreed to tone down as it would have made his time in Panau a lot more challenging and that made it more fun for him. He looted a combat shotgun from a previous encounter when Rico told him to acquire a gun. Rico refused to give Discord a grenade on the grounds Discord would blow them up for laughs. Discord couldn’t fault him there, it sounded like a fun idea.

After a shot crash course in firearm use and maintenance, Discord was ready to help Rico take out a military base or so Rico hoped. Discord stood on a tree branch, hidden within its foliage as he scouted out the base, teleporting to a different tree and taking notes as he observed the guards with a pair of binoculars. He also teleported to one of the concrete towers on the base’s perimeter and stole one of the guards’ coffee mugs, still filled to the brim and piping hot.

Discord reappeared beside Rico as he waited near one of the trees, keeping out of the guards’ sight, “And?”

“Seventy-eight guards in total and that’s not including a heavily armoured general with his own personal guard,” Discord replied nonchalantly as the binoculars flew into Rico’s hands.

“The towers?” Rico asked, looking towards the base.

“Five, each with a guard inside. One drinks the worst coffee ever,” Discord replied, making a disgusted face before he ate the mug and tossed the coffee over his shoulder.

“Ready then?” Rico asked as he pulled out his pistols.

Discord smirked as he cocked his combat shotgun, “Always ready when chaos is involved.”

Rico rolled his eyes as the pair ran up to the tall, thick concrete wall that separated them from the inside of the base. Rico turned and pressed his back against it as he looked up as the tower less than three metres from him. He looked to Discord and nodded, the aforementioned chaos god then vanished in a bright burst of light.

The guard walked over to the north side of the tower and looked out to the base. He decided to let go of his assault rifle, the gun swung under his arm by a strap and reached into his left breast pocket, pulling out a box of smokes. As he lit one, he felt someone tap him three times on the shoulder. He gasped in surprise, hacking and wheezing as he inhaled the smoke. He turned around and came face-to-face with Discord’s shotgun.

“Smoking’s bad for your health,” He said as he pulled the trigger. The gun fired and tore the guard’s face apart, splattering blood and various brain fragments across the floor, the supporting pillar behind him and the ground below. “And so are guns, apparently.”

**** **** **** ****

Rainbow sat opposite Gilda in the VTOL with Jensen as they flew back to Sarif Industries. The cyan mare clung onto the case belonging to Project Excelion as if it was the only thing that mattered in her entire existence. She hadn’t heard the voice again and she couldn’t risk damaging whatever was inside the case if she were right about its contents.

“Jensen, deliver the Typhoon to Pritchard when you touch down,” Sarif’s voice said through the trio’s Infolinks, “I would also like Rainbow Dash to retain possession of the case and I want all three of you to meet me in my office after you have given Pritchard the weapon.”

“Understood,” Jensen replied flatly. Gilda and Dash nodded their heads and responded in the same manner.

“Good, we can discuss the augmented hacker you found then,” Sarif said before closing the connection.

“Yeah, those punks were not supposed to be augmented,” Gilda commented.

“Purity First pride themselves on that. Sanders didn’t know he had augments,” Jensen pointed out, “I managed to save the hostage… by shooting Sanders in the shoulder and then the leg before punching him unconscious.”

Gilda grinned, “I wish I could have seen his face before his lights went out. I bet it would have been priceless!”

“Yeah…” Dash didn’t look at them, just staring at the case with curiosity. She wanted to know what was inside the case, she had it right there in her hooves and yet couldn’t do a thing about it since she risked damaging the contents if she tried to break the locking mechanism.

“You alright, RD?” Gilda asked with some concern for her friend.

“You’ve been eying that case intently, is it bothering you?” Jensen inquired, showing a little curiosity. The man had a poker face professionals would die for.

“Yeah… it kinda is,” Dash replied, looking back at them with a slightly saddened expression.

Gilda just looked at her friend, her confusion clearly evident, “Why?”

Dash frowned and looked away, “Well… I think I heard it, well, I think I heard it speak. And it sounded like Nevan.”

Gilda’s eyes widened ever so slightly, “Nevan… as in the Devil Arm you had? The one that got, um… broken in half?”

Dash gave a short nod in response, “The same. But it hasn’t spoken again…”

Gilda was about to speak but she got cut off by the pilot, Faridah Malik, “We’re approaching Sarif Industries, get ready to land.”

Jensen looked at the pair, “We’ll take this up with Sarif. He will know what Project Excelion is.”

Gilda scoffed, “Just because he knows doesn’t mean he’ll tell. But I can make him talk.”

“If you attack Sarif, all it would get you is arrested and you still won't get your answers,” Jensen reasoned.

Gilda folded her arms and grumbled, deciding to keep quiet instead of trying to punch a hole through Jensen’s face. She wasn’t sure what it was but his voice irritated her and his demeanour annoyed her. No sympathy for her friend at all, it was like she was talking to a complete machine. One she wanted to rip apart and yet couldn’t at the same time.

The VTOL landed as gracefully as a heavy metal-clad flying machine could on the landing pad. The engines whined as they slowly shut themselves down, allowing Malik to open the door for the trio to exit. She wanted to do a post-flight check on the VTOL and so remained behind.

The trio walked through the double doors leading into Sarif Industries. Many of the employees and security guards nodded their heads at them, voicing their approval of the outcome of the mission. Gilda appreciated the boost to her ego while Dash was more concerned with Excelion as it rested between her wings.

Pritchard looked at Jensen with his usual callous demeanour as Adam entered with the Typhoon, “Well, if it isn’t Mahatma Ghandi. What is your next great deed? Stop world hunger? World peace perhaps?”

“Shut up Pritchard,” Jensen replied coldly as he placed the Typhoon down on a nearby table, “I just came to drop this off and then head up to Sarif’s office.”

“Well, pardon me for interrupting the hero from reporting to his superior,” Pritchard replied as he walked up to the Typhoon, “I’m just glad it looks like you handled it properly.”

The trio left Pritchard to play with his new toy and entered the elevator to take them to Sarif’s office. Dash placed Project Excelion beside her and looked out into Detroit as the elevator rose. It was still dark outside, lights were lit and most people were fast asleep in their homes. The only ones still outside were cops, criminals, bums and the odd jogger.

The elevator chimed as it reached the top floor, opening to reveal the reception area of Sarif’s office. It was simple, clean and well-organised. The receptionist sat behind a massive desk, looking down at the computer before her as the group walked towards her.

“Jensen, ladies,” The receptionist greeted in a neutral voice, “Mr. Sarif will see you now.”

**** **** **** ****

“Boom baby!” Rico said with glee as he tossed a grenade towards a group of soldiers.

Several rolled to the side, avoiding the blast while three were not so lucky. The explosion ripped their bodies apart like wet tissue paper, scattering their remains across the base. Discord laughed as he jumped down from a rooftop, landing behind a guard and pulling the trigger. The subsequent point-blank blast tore the guard’s vest as ice shards replaced the standard buckshot. The vest had no chance as the guard’s heart was impaled and torn apart.

The base was in disarray as Discord kept teleporting around the base, shooting guards and laughing maniacally as he did so. It allowed Rico to walk around the base with near impunity, planting C4 explosives on fuel tanks, a radio mast and a transformer. Rico whistled and Discord reappeared beside him in a lime green recliner with a glass of orange juice in his hand.

“I’ve planted the explosives,” Rico said as he tossed the detonator to Discord.

“So I get to blow it all up? You are too kind,” Discord replied with a chuckle.

Rico rolled his eyes as he walked to the entrance of the base and climbed into the driver’s seat of a green, military Humvee and crawled beneath the steering column. He tore off the plastic covering, exposing the wires and proceeded to cut them with a combat knife.

Discord climbed into the front passenger seat and just looked at Rico, “I would ask what you were doing but you’d snap at me and I’d rather not get into an argument right now.”

Rico moved a little so he could stare at Discord’s red eyes, “I’m trying to hotwire this thing so shut up and let me work.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Discord replied, snapping his fingers and bringing the engine to life. “You’re welcome.”

“One of these days I am going to kill you,” Rico said in an annoyed tone. “Why didn’t you do that sooner?”

“You didn’t ask,” Discord answered with a sly smile on his face as he tapped the barrel of his combat shotgun with his right hand. In his left was the detonator. “Can we go now?”

Rico placed the cover back and turned around, sitting in the driver’s seat and putting the Humvee into first gear. “Yes, now just blow this damn place up.”

Discord chuckled and raised his left arm in a dramatic fashion, “One fireworks display, coming right up!”

He pressed the button hard with his thumb, sending the signal to the explosives as Rico drove out the gates like a man possessed. The explosives detonated, creating a shower of fire and smoke as the fuel tanks spilt their fiery payload across the base, setting as much of it as it could on fire.

The fire spread quickly like a hungry beast that had just come across a fresh corpse, reaching everywhere as the grass allowed it to spread to the base’s walls. Soon the fire reached some ammunition crates and the heat caused them to explode, sending bullets all over the place like an old-fashioned shoot-out. Some explosives were in the mix too, creating a display that made Discord whistle slowly as he looked through the rear-view mirror.

The Humvee thundered across the dirt path leading to the road as the radio informed them that there were more soldiers on their way. Rico grumbled as his PDA decided there and then to ring. He ducked his head as a jeep shot past and one of the passengers opened fire, shattering the driver’s door window, missing Discord’s face by mere inches.

“Now’s not a good time Kane!” Rico snapped as he turned the wheel hard, making the Humvee collide with the jeep, sending it into a tree and exploding.

“I swear things here just love to explode, don’t they?” Discord asked rhetorically as he lit another cigarette.

“Look, bonding time with Discord is over. I need you to check up on a guy by the name of Karl Blane,” Kane said flatly, not overly bothered by the sounds of gunfire and the odd curse from Rico as the Humvee screamed around a corner. “He’s a Swedish sleeper agent who may know of Tom Sheldon’s whereabouts. I’m sending you the coordinates for his current residence. I would take you there via helicopter but I do not want to see Discord’s face again.”

“She’s got spunk,” Discord commented as he snapped his fingers, making the tires of another Jeep explode in a burst of assorted flowers and making the occupants eject from the vehicle as it skidded to a halt, sparks flying in all directions before it too blew up. They didn’t survive the collision with the ground.

**** **** **** ****

“Congratulations on a job well done, you three,” David Sarif said cheerfully and with a broad smile on his face. “Not one employee died in the entire incident and you also kept the damage to company property to a bare minimum too. I’m impressed.”

“I’m more impressed by the fact that Purity First had an aug on their team,” Adam pointed out, trying to get back on the subject they were meant to be talking about.

“Ah yes, the hacker that shot himself. I’ve been trying to get the police to release the body to us but they’re stonewalling,” Sarif said as he sat back in his seat. “I’ll need you to get in there and get his neural hub.

“I suggest you three go get checked up at the nearest L.I.M.B. clinic as well for a check-up, preferably after you acquire the neural hub,” Sarif advised.

“Oh for that Neuropro-something,” Dash said, waving her hoof in an ‘I couldn’t give a buck’ motion.

“Neuropozyne, yes. Usually at six months you need to start taking it as the body starts to reject the augs,” Jensen replied matter-of-factly.

“Yes, I suggest going there to make sure everything checks out but again I ask you do that after getting your hands on the hub. We don’t have much time,” Sarif warned. The group nodded their heads but before leaving, Dash placed the case containing Project Excelion on his desk.

Sarif placed his fingertips together and thought for a few moments as the group turned and began to walk out, “Rainbow, I would like to speak with you… alone.”

“We’ll be waiting outside,” Gilda said, smiling at her friend. “If he so much as ruffles a feather or gets one hair in your mane out of place… he will be seeing his stomach from the ground.”

“Thanks, G,” Dash said with a grin as she turned around and walked up to Sarif. “So, whatcha need?”

“Actually it is what you need – or to be more specific – something you lost,” Sarif answered, getting up from his seat.

“Alright, spill,” Dash said with a little of impatience, he told them they had to hurry and now he wanted to speak with her, delaying them. If he was going to get upset if they failed due to running out of time, he would be introduced to her nanoceramic blade, up close and personal.

“Project Excelion started a very short time after you and Gilda appeared, in fact it was because of you specifically that I had it commissioned,” Sarif said, moving around his table to the briefcase and unlocked it via its keypad lock.

Dash gave her wings a flap and landed beside Sarif, trying to peek into the case as it opened. Her heart plummeted and rose all at once when she saw the contents of the case she had in her hooves for two hours. Inside the case were the two halves of Nevan, as it was when it was broken before her very eyes. Her brain struggled to figure out what had just transpired before her, leaving her expression blank to all around her.

Sarif looked at Dash with some slight concern on his face, “We tried to at least copy the weapon’s energy signature to create specific, tailor-made augments for you but the process has been tricky at best.

“The past six months I invested a few hundred thousand credits into the project but very little came out of it. I planned to deem the project a failure and hand the thing back to you but when all this happened I figured you could get it yourself,” Sarif said. “But we did notice it had an affinity for creating electricity and shorting out our equipment. So I had the boys in R&D make some augments for you that utilised high voltage currents. After helping Jensen and Gilda get the terrorist’s neural hub, head for L.I.M.B. and they’ll insert the new augs into your leg and wings.”

Dash placed the pieces back in the case and closed it before placing it on her back again, “Thanks, I guess, Sarif.”

“Anytime, Anytime…” Sarif replied as Rainbow left the office.

**** **** **** ****

“Like this?” Spike asked as he connected a cable to the Celestial Archway, as per N-Twilight’s instructions.

Spike had been spending the vast majority of his waking hours trying to get the Celestial Archway working with the aid of N-Twilight. The sounds of the devil brothers’ fighting was not helping his nerves, he dropped the heavy cable on his right foot twice already which forced him to walk with a limp.

“That should hopefully do it. I just have some calibrations on my end to do and we should be all set,” N-Twilight said from the other end of the Celestial Archway with a small smile on her face, trying to contain her glee.

“Alight, now if I calibrate the time flux algorithm on my side and account for cross-dimensional attenuation, it should stabilise both Archways and make it possible to safely send living subjects through,” N-Twilight said matter-of-factly as if she knew what she was talking about.

“Uh-huh, sure this won’t just blow up in our faces?” Spike asked sceptically as he folded his arms, “This universe or not, you’re still Twilight.”

Twilight scowled a little, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, just about every new spell or contraption you make fails almost every time,” Spike explained, “From what I’ve seen and heard about you, you’re almost identical to my Twilight and she’s a klutz when it comes to new spells and machines. I was surprised this even worked.”

N-Twilight sighed, “I know our experiments have had a rather shaky track record during their first attempt but that does not mean this one will fail. It can not fail.”

Spike shrugged, “I wouldn’t hold my breath…”

N-Twilight glared daggers at him, making the young, little dragon cower just a little. “Alright, I’ll just stand here while you do your whosits and whatchamacallits with that thing on your end.”

N-Twilight shook her head and walked off out of sight, her hooves echoing in the basement she was in on her end. A few odd noises came next, making Spike worry and fidget with his claws, rubbing them over each other with anxiety.

The Celestial Archway arced with pale blue lightning, hitting several objects in the same room as Spike, making him shout in fear and hide under a nearby table. He kept his eyes covered with his claws as he quivered in fear, hoping the Archway would stop.

His wish was granted as the Celestia Archway sputtered and cracked. The portal collapsed with a loud, ear-shattering bang and knocking N-Twilight off her hooves, landing against the wall in her basement.

As she came to, she saw her version of the Celestia Archway lay in ruins on the floor, “That… could have gone better…”

Spike opened his eyes very slowly and his heart dropped like a lead weight. In front of him was a ruined Celestial Archway and only Twilight – both of them – knew how to build it. He had tuned out when his Twilight was rambling on about how the Archway worked as she built it. He cursed himself as he shouted his frustration to the heavens. It made a Diamond Dog whine in pain, clutching its ears before its chest was impaled on Vergil’s Yamato and deftly sliced off.

**** **** **** ****

The air was getting chillier for Celestia as the ship continued to make its way through the choppy waters, rocking to and fro as the bow hit the large crest of a random wave, spraying the deck and Celestia with frigid water.

Luckily for her the Nerevarine was below deck, preferring to stay dry and warm, as opposed to the shipmaster and Celestia who were left out on deck for various reasons.

Celestia was still on the deck since the Nerevarine didn’t trust her enough to stand less than three feet from her and that was with one of her weapons in her hands. It gave Celestia the opportunity to use her magic to keep her coat dry and her body warm.

The shipmaster stood at the helm, steering the ship to maintain their speed and course as seas added ice floes to make her job that much more difficult. The ship lurched violently as it came into contact with one, making Celestia lose her concentration and getting her coat thoroughly drenched as water sprayed onto the deck once again.

“Need help?” Celestia asked as she looked up at the shipmaster.

“Unless you know how to stop us from colliding with ice floes, no,” The woman replied.

Celestia nodded her head but didn’t respond as she walked up to the bow of the ship, standing at the banisters separating her from the waters below. She couldn’t see where most of the ice floes were as they collided with yet another one.

Celestia’s horn began to glow its usual golden yellow, bathing the bow in her aura’s gentle embrace. She concentrated as she felt another floe collide with the ship but the impact was greatly lessened as her aura acted like a large, transparent yellow cushion.

‘That’s one problem down…’ She thought to herself as she concentrated a little harder.

The next ice floe foolish enough to collide with the ship was turned to water in a near instant. The rapid change in temperature to cause that could have compromised the hull’s integrity but the inside of the aura was as cold as the waters they were travelling through.

“I should take you on all of my voyages,” The shipmaster said with a slightly impressed tone.

“It is nothing really. It’s just a little magic,” Celestia pointed out, “I shall stay here at the bow and keep us from flying about.”

“Well, lookie here,” Celestia’s ears perked up as she turned around, hearing the voice of the Nerevarine.

“What do you want? Can you not tell I am trying to assist our voyage?” Celestia snapped before the Nerevarine could object.

“Now listen here. I was not about to say anything about you using your magic to stop our discomfort,” She replied as she folded her arms, “I’d rather you keep it up. I need my sleep.”

“Figures you would only want me to keep doing this for your own benefit,” Celestia said angrily.

“Life’s not all sunshine and rainbows,” The Nerevarine deadpanned as she turned around and walked towards the shipmaster.

Her walk was heavy as she somehow willed her body to not so much as slide slightly on the water-soaked deck. She shrugged off the next spray of water as the ship was hit on the starboard side by a rogue wave.

“What did you need?” The shipmaster asked, keeping her eyes on the waters in front of her.

“Nothing,” The Nerevarine answered, folding her arms once again.

“Well, we are still quite a ways from Skyrim,” The shipmaster said matter-of-factly, “There have been rumours of Ice Wraiths along the route to Windhelm and pirates between here and Solitude.”

“We’ll head for Windhelm. Ice Wraiths are a piece of sweetroll,” The Nerevarine said as she kept an eye on Celestia as the Alicorn kept the ship safe from the ice floes.

**** **** **** ****

Princess Luna was laid on her bed as she waited for either her food to arrive or for one of her ‘friends’ to open up a communications channel to talk to her. She was bored beyond all belief but her knowledge of the base – courtesy of White Knight – meant she knew all the possible escape routes should they decide to remove her.

Her stint with White did not go unpunished or unnoticed. White had strictly cut her diet, trying to weaken her by starvation but Rex snuck her some extra food and by snuck, more like broke down her door and gave her food direct from the mess hall.

This was a popular move to Luna but not so much to Dr. Holiday, Six or White. After the debacle, Luna was scanned for nanites infection and Dr. Holiday made a startling discovery.

Dr. Holiday stood at a control console as Luna laid on a bed, inside a scanning device usually reserved for Rex or other humans. She had to tuck in her wings and lay her back, perfectly straight with her legs close to her body. In order to prevent false readings, she also had to remove her regalia.

“Now, this will not hurt at all,” Dr. Holiday reassured as Luna was inserted into the large scanning machine. “I am just looking to see if your body had absorbed any of the nanites in the air.”

Luna nodded her head, “I understand Doctor. Do proceed.”

Dr. Holiday smiled slightly, “Alright, beginning scan now.”

Luna closed her eyes as the machine began to make a dull humming noise, not much of a bother to a human but to Luna’s more sensitive ears, it made her a little uncomfortable.

“This will not take too long, Princess Luna. Try think of something to take your mind off the noise,” Holiday advised.

Luna thought about it and began to let her mind wander, reducing the humming noise to nothing more than a delicate whisper. She thought about everything that brought her joy. Her sister, seeing the happy faces of her subjects, guarding the dreams of those who were lost and many other memories she cherished, laughing at Joystick’s GLaDOS costume during Nightmare Night.

Her eyes shot open as the bed she laid on jerked backwards as it began to exit the machine. As it stopped, Luna slowly rolled off the edge and landed on her hooves. She retrieved her regalia that had been laid on a nearby table for her and stood beside the doctor as several images appeared on the screen before them.

“What is your diagnosis, Doctor?” Luna inquired.

“Well, according to this, your body is taking in nanites but… they’re deactivating,” Dr. Holiday said flatly, placing her hand on her chin in thought. “The only one who can deactivate nanites is Rex but there is no indication that your very limited physical contact with him transferred that trait to you. It could quite possibly be your body that is forcibly deactivating them. Your magic could be acting as an EMP shield, protecting you.”

“So, I no longer need to reside in that white prison cell you call a room?” Luna inquired.

“It wouldn’t do you any good as your body has already been infected by nanites,” Dr. Holiday stated, pointing to one of the images to illustrate her point.

Luna smiled and looked at one of the cameras, “Looks like we shall not be having one of our discussions anytime soon, Mr. Knight.”

White Knight raised an eyebrow as he looked at the picture of Luna as he sat on his chair in his office. He was relieved, although his expression didn’t change. The gears in his mind began to turn as he considered letting Luna leave the base with Rex. She had nowhere to go, no friends but she did have power, power others would manipulate her to get. It made her a threat and an asset.

**** **** **** ****

The ship had stopped, the ice fully encasing the hull of the ship. They had run aground onto a frozen tundra of ice and snow but it was unnatural. It was made by flying, transparent, snake-shaped creatures Celestia discovered to be Ice Wraiths.

The monsters were a plague upon many an adventurer or caravanner. They were beings of ice, given form and an animalistic instinct to freeze and kill every living thing in their path. The ship was surrounded and the shipmaster had found her body frozen solid before anyone on the ship knew what was happening.

Celestia stood atop the frozen waste, losing her stability a number of times as her metal shoes provided zero traction. The Nerevarine was showing zero difficulty as she ran across the tundra, firing gouts of flames towards the creatures, setting them alight.

‘This is not working for me,’ Celestia thought as her horn glowed and a pillar of searing light came down on one of the Wraiths, melting it and the ice below. ‘Alright… time to try something else…’

Celestia spread her wide open and flew up into the air. The Nerevarine picked up Sunder after having pounded the fragile head of a Wraith into paste. Celestia’s horn began to glow a brilliant, intense yellow before flashing and creating several pillars of light to come down upon them, melting the ice and the Wraiths.

A few tried to fly upwards after her but were cut short as some arrows flew through them and shattered them like glass. The Nerevarine was slowly making her way back to the ship, keeping an eye on Celestia and the Wraiths, bow in hand and an arrow notched.

The pillars moved across the ice like searchlights, the source too high to see correctly but were nonetheless effective against the living ice elementals. As the remaining Ice Wraiths were turned to vapour, Celestia flew down to the helm of the ship and stood before the shipmaster.

“We should help her,” Celestia stated as she placed a hoof on the poor woman’s frozen body.

“Get the ship free first. The longer we stay here the more likely more Ice Wraiths will come and they may eventually succeed in freezing us,” The Nerevarine pointed out coldly, “She was stupid enough to not keep a sword or bow around, it’s her own fault she’s a statue.”

“That is a horrid thing to say!” Celestia exclaimed, glaring daggers at the Nerevarine. “How was she to know we would get attacked?”

“This area is famous for it, or at the very least infamous.” The Nerevarine said, folding her arms.

Celestia sighed, there was no getting through to the woman in front of her and her callous disregard for life irked her to no end. She resolved to simply abandon the Nerevarine the moment she found Baral. They would be better off parting ways anyway.

Celestia walked up to the bow and her horn began to glow once again as she prepared another spell. The hull of the ship became encased in her golden aura, melting the ice carefully.

“Hurry it up!” The Nerevarine shouted, looking out beyond the stern of the ship, seeing the ice encroach on their position as more Ice Wraiths made their way towards them and cutting off any chance of retreating.

Celestia’s horn began to glow brighter still and a small area around the ship was bathed in a single pillar of light, melting all the ice around the ship and forcing the Wraiths to keep their distance. The Nerevarine saw this as an opportunity and began firing at them, killing them one by one.

The pillar then moved forward, melting a path through the ice, large enough for the ship to easily pass through. Celestia was sweating slightly, having not used that much of her magic in many centuries. She had to rest on the way back from the Crystal Empire when Mundus attacked.

“We haven’t got long before the Wraiths return again. They are nothing if not persistent and territorial,” Celestia’s ears perked up and she looked back to see the shipmaster thawed and back at the wheel.

She looked at the Nerevarine as she noticed a small flame resting just in front of her hands, the source of what thawed the shipmaster out. ‘Maybe she is not so bad after all…’ Celestia thought, a small smile appearing on her face.

“Focus on keeping the path clear,” The Nerevarine said, looking at Celestia.

‘Or… maybe not,’ Celestia thought as she turned her attention towards the waters just beyond the bow of the ship.

**** **** **** ****

“So, what? We’re bringing her along too now?” Rex asked, his left hand rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at the large video screen before him.

Rex, Six, Holiday, a chimpanzee by the name of Bobo Haha and Princess Luna were all standing in the situation room of Providence, being briefed by White Knight himself as usual. The pale man looked at Rex with indifference and slight annoyance.

“Yes, Rex. Given how she has abilities that Van Kleiss or anyone have no understanding of, she can make a valuable asset to our efforts,” White explained, his hands clasped together as his elbows rested on his desk. “Luna will be earning her keep in Providence and I expect her to work.”

Luna rolled her eyes, “Thou hast little understanding of the enemy thou can make of me.”

“Wait what?” Rex looked at Luna in confusion.

“Old English,” Six answered as Luna gave a small giggle.

“Ah, great. Just what we needed: another comedian,” Bobo said with annoyance in his voice.

“I would be careful if I were you, Mr. Haha,” Luna warned, “The very little display of magic I displayed in my cell and on White Knight are parlour tricks compared to my true might.”

Bobo grunted and folded his arms, choosing to sulk a little. White cleared his throat, “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way. We have a situation in downtown Manhattan. There is a small E.V.O. outbreak that is tearing through the city. You are to take the Keep there and neutralise the threat.”

“So go to New York, cure some people and all before doing a little sightseeing. I can do that,” Rex said with a smile.

“This is not the time to think about sightseeing, Rex,” Six reprimanded, his tone flat and emotionless.

“He’s right, Rex. You need to focus on your mission, then you can sightsee,” Dr. Holiday stated, leaning forward enough for her to look at Rex.

“I know, Doc. No sightseeing until the baddies are dealt with,” Rex said rather dejectedly.

“Good, now get moving,” White ordered and sighed in annoyance when Rex gave him a mock salute.

Luna chuckled a little and followed the three humans and the chimp back the way they came and through the base. The soldiers all wore matching uniforms consisting of mostly black while their vests, boots, the pouches on their legs as well as their belts and weapons were white as sheets.

Luna was sure there was a joke about their laundry in there somewhere but she gave the soldiers’ weapons an odd look as they were more like oversized building blocks than firearms. Nevertheless, the soldiers kept them at their side at all times as they walked past the group, many ignoring them. The ones that did acknowledge them only stole glances at Luna.

The hangar they entered was gigantic but Luna quickly saw why. She saw images of the Keep from White’s memories but even he hadn’t stepped foot in it since he never left his White Room. It was a sight to behold but was similar to Providence’s firearms as it was more like a flying brick made from steel with sharp angles as well as a large, singular ring near the rear of the ship, giving it some definition and shape.

The differences between the Keep and Bloodwing’s Arbiter were staggering. The Griffon airship looked like a massive flying monster, ready to obliterate anything that was stupid or brave enough to cross its path while the Keep looked like it couldn’t scare a fly.

The inside was clean and sterile just like the halls of Providence Headquarters. More agents walked past them or sat in the bridge, awaiting permission for take off. The air felt strict and regulated just like the men inside it, save for Bobo, Rex and Luna.

Rex leaned against the wall as Luna stood near the helm, standing next to Six who kept his focus in front of him, staring out the windscreen and towards the wall that stood quite some distance away.

“Keep, you have permission for take-off,” A voice said through the intercom system.

A slightly muscular man at the ship’s controls nodded his head, “Thank you, Control. We are taking off now.”

The man was known as Captain Calan. The man was almost never seen with his helmet like other normal Providence agents, possibly due to his rank. He had a single, long scar running down the right side of his face, over his eye but didn’t cause enough damage to force him to keep it shut. Another noticeable feature was his short, blonde hair and brown eyes.

The Keep’s engines powered up as the ceiling slowly opened up. The hangar for the massive Hellicarrier was hidden beneath the ground, next to the base as the building did not possess a hangar large enough to house it.

“Hold onto your hats, we’re heading out,” Captain Calan stated to the group as the ship rose higher into the air, moving forward slightly before picking up speed. “Next stop: Manhattan.”

**** **** **** ****

Soarin could see all of Canterlot from the main balcony Princess Celestia used for public addresses. He could see buildings burning as some dragons spewed gouts of flames at them, engulfing shops, homes and somepony’s cabbage stand in the searing heat.

The sight seemed like a ruler’s worst nightmare come to life: they were unable to do anything while a strong, merciless enemy tore apart everything they worked so hard to build. It took Celestia around one thousand years to create such a peaceful land and Soarin helped tear it apart in days.

Yet, when he should be happy, it only created a pit in his stomach for reasons he could not understand. As he and the rest of his colleagues returned, the dragons were finished, only the younger drakes were setting things alight as they placed bets on who could burn down the city the fastest.

“Soarin?” Surprise’s voice snapped Soarin out of his musing.

He turned his head quickly towards Surprise, “Yes, Surprise?”

Surprise looked at him with an expression that made her look like she hadn’t slept in years, “Are we done?”

“Done with what?” Soarin asked as Surprise’s question was too vague for him.

“Are the rest of us done with what you wanted? Can we go now?” Surprise asked, her voice heavy and slow as if she was on the verge of collapse.

Soarin processed her request for a few moments, “Gather the rest. You all can go, there’s nothing else I’ll need you to do for now. Doubtful I’ll need your help again either. Once I see every Changeling lying dead at my hooves, I’ll join you.”

Surprise smiled as best she could, “Thank you…”

Surprise walked off, her hoofsteps as heavy as her voice had been. Soarin turned his attention back to the city that lay in front of him. The sun was setting once again on the day. He gathered some unicorns must have taken over the duties for lowering the sun thanks to the news of the Princesses’ disappearance, “I do believe it will be soon…”

**** **** **** ****

Nyx and Twilight sat next to each other on a bench as Sven spoke with Rinslet, Train and Eve. With their mark dead – or now a centrepiece at the botanical gardens – they were no longer able to claim the bounty. Twilight could see Sven’s anger while Train seemed indifferent. Rinslet looked like she was trying her best to diffuse Sven’s anger and frustration. Eve however seemed to not even care as her face was as blank as ever.

“Twilight… what do you think they are talking about? Think we’ll get the money for Planter?” Nyx asked with some concern.

After her Devil Arm Trigger ended, she remained at full size, dwarfing her old size as a filly. She looked every part a full grown mare, standing taller than Twilight even. Her purple mane had begun to shine and sparkle, akin to Luna or Celestia’s, her tail included. The two masses were slightly ethereal as they rippled in an unknown wind and they had gained size as the tip of her tail could touch the floor when she stood.

She was unsure if she preferred being a small filly, easier to hide from the people that just stared at them, pointing fingers. It was quite late still but the gunshots and lightning show that came from the gardens attracted quite the crowd. Most of the town had pitched up in the name of curiosity but upon seeing the source were two ponies and four humans who were all Sweepers, they kept their distance for the most part.

“I don’t know, Nyx. Sven seems upset so I think we might not get paid,” Twilight answered as she observed the argument, “I think when it comes to Sweepers, is that the target still has to be alive or at least identifiable if he/she is dead.

“It will be hard to convince anyone that that tree used to be a homicidal human who drank a mysterious potion that gave him control over the very plantlife he adored more than his own kind. I guess all we can hope for is for either of them to find a mark that won’t try to feed you to a plant.”

Nyx looked back at the gardens behind them and shuddered. What would have happened had she and Eve been eaten? Would they have returned as plants or would they simply die? She purged the thoughts from her mind, not wishing to dwell too much on what might have happened if weren’t for Twilight, their Sweeper friends and Alastor.

The Devil Arm in question arced happily on Nyx’s larger back, feeling at home as he met her in her current form. The source of her size that time was an infusion of demonic magic that brought her to Twilight’s universe.

Nyx peered over Twilight’s shoulder as the four humans returned. Sven was sulking, lighting up a cigarette as he looked at the mares. Train was standing with Eve, telling her how he was impressed by her abilities against Planter and called her ‘princess’ again. She didn’t seem angry or offended by the nickname as her face decided to bear the look of confusion.

“Well, we can’t cash in Igor Planter’s bounty,” Sven said rather dejectedly, “I propose we go sit down at the café again and figure out our next move.”

“You could help me with my next target,” Rinslet offered, “Sadly he’s also the last one so if I can’t get the potion Igor drank from this guy, I’ll be in a bind.”

Sven sighed, “Fine, who’s the mark?”

Rinslet smiled as she opened her bag and pulled out a wanted poster. The picture depicted a dark-skinned man with a massive afro atop his head. He smiled at the camera as if it were for a school photo. The group looked at the picture with indifference, all except for Sven.

“Gyanza Rujike?!”