Due to the age of the air vent, it was prone to creak and groan as Masami and the rest of the strike team made their way through the mazelike ducts, forcing them to move slowly. Rainbow Dash wasn't too thrilled to creep and sneak about, as that was not her forte. She preferred a tactic catered to her personality, like a simple blitzkrieg; a hit and run tactic. The silence was wearing on her, and she looked back, motioning to the others to pass her by until Masami came along. She joined up with her, aching to apologize. Although she didn't fully understand Masami's reasoning, Rainbow Dash was willing to admit she was too steadfast with her.

"Hey, listen. I won't join up with you if you don't want me to. It wasn't really my place to decide since... you know. Sorry..." Rainbow Dash whispered to Masami as she sneaked with her, crouching down low to keep her head from hitting the top of the vent. "It wasn't my-." Rainbow Dash was silenced by Masami's finger pressing up against her lips.

"No, I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong, Kitten. I was being stubborn. I got so caught up in preserving Hiro's honor, that I neglected you and refused your help." Masami apologized as she brushed Rainbow Dash's cheek with her fingertips. "I feel like such a damn fool. I've led this team for... I don't know how long now, and I still act like a prideful little filly."

"I know how it feels. Well, maybe not the leadership part, but yeah..." Rainbow Dash chuckled lightly as she scratched the back of her head. "Hey, Masami..."

"Yeah?" Masami turned her head and was caught by surprise. Rainbow Dash was blushing; not from embarrassment or anger, but nervousness.

"Why did-, you know... why did you jump on me like that night? Just... hook up with me like that?" Rainbow Dash wondered, feeling whisked away by her own question, imagining that pleasurable night at Charles' mansion.

"Why? Well... I don't know. I just... had a good feeling about you is all. It felt right." Masami laughed awkwardly before scoffing to herself. "I'm also kind of a slut... I guess I got that from my mom."

"Yeah, well..." A wide, mischievous grin formed on Rainbow Dash's face. "I think that's a side of you I could get used to, Fox..."

"Fox?" Masami raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, you gave me a nickname. I figured it would only be fair if I had one for you as well..." Rainbow Dash winked at Masami as she gave her a playful nudge, taking care not to cause a ruckus.

"You're a naughty mare, you know that?" Masami purred as she stopped for a moment, trying to focus her hearing. "Hang on a minute, everypony..."

"What is it?" Evelyn whispered back to her.

Masami looked down through a hatch beneath her hooves, opening it ever so slightly to try and identify the area below. They were above a long hallway that appeared to be unoccupied. She opened the hatch more and grabbed her long mane, holding it in her hand so that it wouldn't get stuck in the opening as she poked her head through. There was a small phrase written on the wall. It was hard to see due to the font color and the low light levels, but as she narrowed her sight the words became clearer. It read 'LEVEL ONE'.

"Evelyn. This is the first level of the complex. Do you have your map?" Masami asked her as Evelyn made her way past the others and to the hatch.

"Yes. I should be able to find my way from here." Evelyn nodded as she looked down into the corridor. "I guess I'll be going then. Wish me luck."

Before she could jump down, Butch grabbed her arm and gave her a worried glare. "You be careful now, okay?"

"I can assure you, I will," Evelyn promised as she jumped down, trying her best to be as quiet as possible. "Good luck, everypony. I'll see you soon."

"Let's get moving," Masami stated as she shut the vent hatch, continuing onward with the rest of her strike team.

****

Natascha's power was on par with a giant; her brute strength, her destructive firepower. She was more than a match for Edgar and his two dragon allies. Her speed was also highly advanced, and she used it frequently to batter her adversaries. She moved so fast in fact, that it appeared as if she were fading in and out of existence with each savage assault.

Draven was struck from behind with a firm metal hoof, knocking him out of the air and onto the ground with enough force to kick up a substantial amount of dust. Draven had to take a few moments to recover as he stood back up, wiping off a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Ah, damn it... that bloody hurt."

"Get up Draven!" Edgar shouted as he blocked a barrage of punches from Natascha, waves of concussive force being released with every blow that made contact with his robotic gauntlets. "We have to take her out as quickly as possible! She'll get stronger the longer you fight her!"

"Bloody hell... she gets stronger than this?" Draven cringed as he dusted off his coat and prepared himself, thunderous wings sprouting from his back once more as he dodged a laser beam fired out of Natascha's eyes that melted the ground around where he had been standing. "Keep away from that beam! I don't think our scales can defend against that!" Draven shouted to Spike, who swallowed as Natascha turned her attention to him. "Don't be afraid, boyo! Just be careful!"

"Isn't 'be careful' just a nice way of saying 'be afraid'?!" Spike snapped at him as he evaded Natascha's claws that lashed at him like a wild animal. However, one slipped past his guard, slashing him across his left shoulder. He felt an immediate burning sensation as he retreated, switching out with Edgar. He had felt that stinging sensation before. "Crap! Is that dragon's bane?!"

"That's what she'll do! She analyzes your weaknesses, reorganizes her attacks, then she tries to undermine your guard! Change your tactic!" Edgar instructed the two dragons as he furiously sparred with his cybernetic opponent. "She can't analyze me! That's why she's going for you two first! She's eliminating the smaller threats to focus on me!"

"Then I'll get her attention!" Draven yelled back to Edgar as he let loose a storm of lightning that impacted Natascha's chest, sending her flying back into another section of the ruined fortress' outer wall. Natascha retaliated quickly, charging towards Draven with her crimson red eyes. "Well, I pissed her off! What now?!"

"Use something she hasn't seen before! A different attack if you can! I'll block her, you go around and hit her with something!" Edgar said as he deflected a blast from Natascha's eyes. "Now!"

"Let's try this..." Draven used a bolt of lightning to boost his speed, allowing him to perform a swift loop around Edgar and Natascha. His right hand began to glow the same blue aura his body had before when performing Dragon Wave. The glow of the strange energy became more intense as it climbed up his forearm, eventually manifesting fully within the opened palm of his hand. "Dragon..." Draven raced towards his distracted foe at incredible speed, and he drove his hand forward, striking Natascha in the spine. "Shatter!"

"Aaargh!" Natascha exclaimed in pain as she felt a hammering blow shatter her internal structure like glass. She fell forward onto the ground, coughing up blood as she grimaced.

"What was that?!" Spike gawked at the strange power as Natascha wailed in agony.

"Another Dragon Discipline! Dragon Shatter!" Draven answered him as he clenched his left fist, charging up another palm attack in his opened right hand.

"Whatever that was, it seemed to work! Don't bother using your lightning anymore! She's most likely built up a resistance to it already!" Edgar said as he deflected another barrage of punches and kicks from Natascha, who was beginning to fight like a wounded animal, slashing and growling. "Keep going, Draven!"

"Dragon Shatter!" Draven struck Natascha in her snout, muffling her voice and causing her cries of anger to become gurgled. Draven kept attacking, and a surge of power was expelled each time he landed a blow on her. "Dragon Shatter!"

It was then that Spike heard his communicator buzz; it was Masami. "Spike, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Spike responded as he took a few steps back, distancing himself from the fight. "What's going on in there?"

"Not so loud, we're the air vent right now," Masami whispered. "We're fine here. We're almost at the second level. What about you? Did you find out what that machine was?"

"Sorry, Masami. Yeah, it's one of those Four Founders you told me about, Natascha..." Spike explained their situation as he evaded another blast from Natascha's eyes. "She's strong, really strong. Edgar seems to be handling her well, though, and I think we may have found a way to beat her."

"A Founder? And Chetbrovsky no less? Damn, the plot just keeps thickening, doesn't it? How the hell is that ol' gal still alive? She must be over two-hundred years old." Masami said in disbelief.

"I have no idea, but we can handle her, I think," Spike assured her as he tossed a fireball at Natascha's face, allowing Draven to attack again.

"Okay then, Spike. Give me an update when you deal with her, yeah?" Masami requested as she opened yet another hatch, checking to see if there were any guards present.

"Alright, Masami," Spike replied over his communicator.

"Was that Spike?" Rainbow Dash asked as she held Masami's hair for her.

"Yeah. He's fighting that machine Athena warned us about. Although she neglected to tell us who the machine is. She's Natascha Chetbrovsky." Masami answered her as she turned off her communicator.

"Chetbrovsky?" Butch scoffed at the idea as he crouched on the edge of the hatch. "Shouldn't that old timer be in the ground right now?"

"Yeah, I'm having a hard time grasping it too." Masami shook her head as she removed her head from the hatch. "Looks like it's all clear, Butch. This floor is right above a maintenance room. Be careful when you're on this level. There's a lot of activity, possibly a gathering of cultists, something you can probably handle, tough guy."

"You make sure you stay safe, alright? You don't want to end up lookin' like me..." Butch grinned as he gestured to his cybernetic arms before jumping down into the small room filled with pipes and other numerous electrical devices. "Get going."

"Alright. There's supposed to be a fork in the road just up ahead. See?" Masami pointed down the duct. Sure enough, the ventilation duct broke off into two opposite directions. "It splits off and leads to the last two floors before the ritual chamber, according to this map," Masami informed the others as she tinkered with her holographic map. "Winslow, Fluttershy, you'll take the right one. Rainbow Dash and I will take the left."

"Understood," Winslow said with a slight grunt in his tone as he nodded. "Fluttershy, stay close to me."

"Okay..." Fluttershy squeaked as she scooted over to Winslow.

"You take care of her, Winslow. Okay?" Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a warm hug before letting her go, whispering into her ear. "Don't be afraid, Fluttershy. You've got Winslow with ya, and you're a tough mare. Don't you ever doubt that."

Seeing Rainbow Dash's smiling face bestowed upon her confidence that could not be matched by anypony else. Hearing her laugh, hearing her cocky attitude and wit; it reinforced the timid pegasus' own will. She was truly what her title entailed. Rainbow Dash was an embodiment of loyalty, in its purest form.

"Thank you." Although confident, Fluttershy was reluctant to let go of her, afraid that it may be the last time she would see her again. Eventually, however, she let out a long sigh and released her, mustering up enough courage to power through her doubtful thoughts.

"I swear on my sword, no harm will befall her," Winslow swore to Rainbow Dash as he placed a hand over his heart.

"You're a good stallion, Winslow." Rainbow Dash grinned as she grabbed Winslow's hand and shook it.

"I'm not too familiar with this gesture... what is it?" Winslow scratched his head as he let go of her hand.

"It's a handshake, silly." Rainbow Dash chuckled at the old-fashioned stallion as she let them go down the path on the right, further into the cavernous series of tunnels. "See you soon, fellas!"

"Interesting..." Winslow was still perplexed by the unfamiliar sign of kinship as he walked along the vent. "A hand...shake?"

"It's just a way of agreeing where we're from," Fluttershy informed him, giggling a little at his childlike wonder as he continued to marvel at his hand.

"I see..." Winslow said as he jumped down a slight drop-off in the vent, Fluttershy tailing not far behind.

****

Archibald Mason looked down upon Eisen from his balcony, beaming as he saw children playing in the streets and busy stallions in their business attire, off to a hard day at work in their new jobs. It took less than a decade to build Ausrüstung from the ground up, using nothing but coal and steel to construct their cities. He breathed in deeply as he grabbed the railing, and he picked a bright yellow marigold off of a hanging basket of flowers just above his head; marigolds were always Natascha's favorite.

"You're awfully chipper this morning." A voice as sweet as honeysuckles said, filling Archibald with bliss. A familiar pair of delicate hands grabbed his waist and pulled him in for a hug from behind.

"Why wouldn't I be, Natascha?" Archibald turned his body and placed his arm around his lover's shoulder, pulling her in close, letting her nuzzle against his chest. "Look at this. All of this joy, all of this. This is your reward for all of your hard work."

"All of our work, Archie." Natascha looked up at the tall stallion, whose grin grew wider as he gazed at the sunrise, just rising above the Ministry of Science on the horizon, resting on the very top of the building like a candle. "We all did our part; you, Ivan, Richard. We couldn't have done all of this without you."

"Me? Naw... I just gave them a military and a some robot police." Archibald chuckled to himself.

"You make it sound like it isn't a big deal. Try not to be so humble all the time, Arch." Natascha giggled as her deep, crimson eyes met his. She could tell Archibald was holding back some shred of doubt beneath his joy. "What's wrong, Archie?"

"What do you mean?"

"You always daydream like this when you're troubled. What's the matter?" Natascha rubbed his shoulder, feeling the tension in it.

"It's just-..." Archibald closed his eyes as he tried to find a way to translate his jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions. "I want to see this nation grow old, and I want to grow old with it. I want to see it prosper and thrive in this new world. I want to always be there for its citizens. Don't you want that?"

"Of course, I do, Archie. But, we can't always be there for Ausrüstung, you know that. We all have our time in this world, then we have to go, no matter what other business we may have here." Natascha sighed as she saw Archibald shake his head. "Hey, it's okay..."

"Remember that stone Ivan's been experimenting with over the last couple of years?" Archibald reminded Natascha, who immediately caught on to what he was about to suggest. "He says it can do more than just create AI. He says it holds the secret to extending our-..."

"We aren't immortal, Archie. We weren't meant to be." Natascha tried to comfort him, grabbing his hand and placing it on her chest for him to feel his beating heart. "Do you feel this, Archie? It's my heart, a mortal's heart. And while it may not beat forever, it burns hotter than even the most powerful immortal's breast. It beats for these people, this city, and... for you. I know that, even when I'm dead and gone, my love will always be eternal." Archibald laughed lightly to himself as he leaned forward onto the railing of his balcony, rousing Natascha's curiosity. "What?"

"All these metaphors and abstract thoughts... they're a little too much for a young and dashing military stallion like me, scribe." Archibald beamed as Natascha grabbed the back of his neck with her right hand and brushed his cheek with her left.

"Oh just shut up and kiss me, you bastard," Natascha whispered to him as she pressed her lips against Archibald's, letting her warmth flow into him, filling him to the brim with her passion.

As they pulled away from the kiss, Archibald went down on one knee and brought out a ring, the ring he had been saving for just the right moment. "Marry me, Natascha."

It took Natascha a few moments before she could respond, she was utterly speechless. "I... what about Richard? He said we shouldn't get too-."

"Shut up and marry me, you bastard," Archibald smiled as Natascha leaped onto him, kissing him again and again. "I love you, Natascha Chetbrovsky..."

"I love you too, Archibald Mason..."

****

Edgar's mind returned to the present as he felt Natascha's fist impact his chest, sending shockwaves throughout his muscle-bound body. He had been daydreaming in the midst of battle.

"Edgar, what the bloody hell are you doing? Fight back!" Draven shouted to Edgar as Natascha continued to pummel him with crushing blows to the head and chest.

"I can't do it, Natascha..." Edgar muttered to himself as his heart sank, watching Natascha snarl at him like a mindless beast. "I can't..."

Author's Notes:

Here's a little backstory that'll be further explored as we reach the explosive climax of Arc Two! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!