They soon arrived at the bar Verdure had hinted at. Like much of the level, it looked more like rusted metal sheets hung up in a convincing veneer of a stout building. A sign hug over the top. "Last Call". They proceeded over the threshold to find it moderately occupied with idle conversation in quiet tones. There was some energy in the air, more than the street, but perhaps not as much as one would expect around a lot of drink and good times.

There were two copperlings, unicorns in other terminology, throwing darts at a board. Their horns could not be used for such tasks, so they flung them with flicks of their head. The wild array of darts around the target implied they were of mediocre skill at the game, but were giving it their all. In the corner, on a slightly elevated platform, another pony was singing along to a phonograph in a slightly off-tune but true enough attempt to mimic the song. A few eyes were resting idly on their performance.

The tavern had a very shiny and classic tone to it, although the round seats at the bar had a strange style to them. They were round, and the red cushions were overlapped on their sides by two rings of a silvery metal. The bar itself was polished wood of an impossible cleanliness. There was a large assortment of shelves behind the counter containing bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors, and this was discounting the many small barrels of basic alcohol below them. The tavern owner was cleaning a large, glass mug before placing it on his side of the counter to pick up another. There were quite a few long, red cushions along the walls with a brown wood similar to that used in the counter’s construction. These ones were elevated and housed a few minotaurs who paid little mind to anything around them.

The entire place was somewhat dimly lit by the lamps dangling above, but it was enough for one to view everything without much difficulty. Verdure and Milk looked at the tavern and saw two free seats.

“Hey. There’s some spots over there.”

Milk moved pointedly for the seat with a smile. "So what do they serve here that has your interest so worked up." An ear turned towards Verdure. "Has to be good if you're dragging me here."

“This lightweight want a Golden Ladle?” the barkeep asked Verdure.

The stallion pondered for a moment, then stomped on the bar with his hoof. “Sure. Give him that ‘gentle’ beverage.”

“Alrighty then.”

Without hesitation, the stallion turned away and grabbed some of the bottles from the wall and started to mix them up within metal shakers. Verdure leaned against his foreleg and looked at his friend with a smile.

Milk tilted his head at the mixing going on. "What's a 'golden ladle'? Sounds...more like soup?" Then he perked up. "Is it soup?" Maybe he liked soup.

The barkeep looked up from his preparation and looked at Milk with a very serious stare. “Yeah. Sure. ‘Soup’.” The atmosphere became slightly tense, but it quickly changed when the stallion’s rough voice changed tone. “It’ll be soup of intestines when it reaches them through your stomach.” He and Verdure burst into laughter at the joke.

Milk looked a little baffled at the joke, ears going back and an uncertain glance at Verdure. Deciding to just wait and see what was coming, he shuffled in place and shut his mouth a moment before curiosity built in him again, "Is it spicy?"

“It melts spice,” the Barkeep added. “It might even be used for steel beams.” He grinned a bit more while pulling out two small glasses.

Milk shrank a bit, gazing fearfully at the drink that may be the end of him. "Oh...OK…"

Verdure’s smile turned into irritation when a griffin’s claw landed on his left shoulder. The griffin was clearly drunk and came from the higher levels of the city. What he was doing down here was unknown. It was known, however, that he was acting...weird, and was holding a tall mug of beer in his right claw.

“I...Blah, I don’t know what you’re doing down here in this, woah...in this place of the town. Ah’m gonna give you what’s comin’ to a, griffin…”

Milk turned to look at what was bothering Verdure, looking uncertain at best. He peered at the odd birdcat as if he perhaps hadn't seen many griffons before in his life. A hoof reached out blindly for the drink half-heartedly, most of his attention on the interruption. The stallion was jolted back to reality when the Barkeep slammed the two new drinks on the bar. They were yellow colored but had a red film fizzing at the surface of the glass.

“There’s your new drink,” The stallion said with a smile.

“Hey. You...you look like a pretty MAre…” the griffin hiccuped when he looked at Milk.

Milk colored swiftly. "Uh, I'm… not a mare…" He pulled the glass closer into muzzle range and sniffed at it with building dread. "You're a griffon, right?" His voice quavered in a mixture of curiosity and fear, clearly uncertain how to react.

“Noooo. I’m a minotaur! Of COURSE I’m a griffon! What’d you think, taurus?” The griffon giggled a moment. “You’re really weird.”

“Get off me,” Verdure ordered.

“HEy! Who...who you think you are?” The griffin started shouting and waving his right claw, spilling beer everywhere. “I’m from the UPPER levels. I’m better than youuuuuuuu…”

Milk swallowed heavily before he marashalled his bravery and sat up straight. "So… what's it like up there? Is it nice?" Riding the same wave of bravado he suddenly took a deep sip of the drink.

“I’m...notallowedtotellyou…” the griffon was shoved off Verdure’s shoulder and bumbled his way across the floor. Then he spotted the special drinks on the counter. “Saaaaaaaaay...Is that a Golden Ladle?”

“Hey, HEY! Stop throwing beer everywhere! You keep that up and I’m going to make you lick every inch of this bar,” the barkeep threatened.

“Oooo...Can I do it anyways?” the griffon asked.

Milk gagged at the powerful taste of the alcohol burning its way down his throat, but the warmth in him seemed to bolster his spirit somewhat. "What can you say? Ever been down further?" Milk pointed at his drink. "I'll share if you share."

“Ummm...I don’t have any more mmmOney...I do have this pass for the lower levels...Only engineers can go down there,” he ‘whispered’ casually.

"It's your lucky day!" announced Milk, nudging the glass closer by an inch. "You can have this glass for nothing at all, just that cruddy pass. They'll replace it anyway, so it's basically free, right?" Milk gave his best big grin, trembling on the inside.

“Ummm...Sure! Here’s the pass.” The griffin handed over a plastic casing holding a paper id of the griffon, along with a folded batch of punctured cards. Verdure looked at them and had no idea what they were for. “Now lemme have that drink.”

Milk surrendered the drink. "Of course. A deal's a deal. Drink it in good health." He reached for the ID and cards and tucked them away quite hurriedly. "Oh look at the time! We'd better get home before curfew, right?" He looked at Verdure pointedly. "Thanks for the drink!"

“Ahhhh. A nice beverage of--” The griffin wasn’t able to finish his sentence that he fell, face first, onto the ground, dropping both the glasses of beer and Golden Laddle.

The Barkeep groaned in irritation. “Oh, come on! I just opened this bar! Ugh. Well, I guess every bar needs a drunk mascot.”

“Let’s get going,” Verdure said. “Ha. What an idiot.”

Milk hopped to his hooves and nodded at Verdure. "Yeah, let's go. Sorry for the mess!" He moved to hurriedly vacate the bar, as if the enforcers were already on his tail.

The two rushed out of the bar and into the streets, allowing Verdure to think for a moment as he tried to remember the direction for the foundations of Secantor.

“Never met a drunken idiot like that. What luck he came by us like he did.” Verdure rubbed his chin and had a look of suspicion on his face. “Kind of a bit too coincidental, if you ask me.”

Milk perked an ear. "Why look a good thing too closely? This is our big chance! We can, uh, say we're on a job for the griffon on the card, and they'll let us past."

“Hmmm. You’re right, but I never saw what the entrances look like. I’ve only ever seen the steps leading there. Plus, there’s these weird punched cards in this pouch that I don’t know the purpose of. What do you think they are?”

Milk shrugged softly. "No idea, and we won't pretend we know. We're just two stupid copperlings trying to get a job done. Right? Play the dumb we are, let them figure it out, and we're past."

Verdure frowned internally at the idea of being a supposed idiot, but this was the best thing they could do. The green stallion hurried his friend to the many steps going lower into the tower. They stopped briefly at a break in the steps, allowing one to carry heavier loads more easily or drop them momentarily for rest, but they still lead straight down into the city.

“Shall we?” Verdure asked.

Milk bobbed his head eagerly. "Yes, before I lose my will. Let's do it." He licked over his snout, then dug out the card. "Remember, we were told to report to the lower areas, and he gave us this card and told us to show it, and that's all he said. Why? Don't know. Who? Don't know. He just shouted at us and said go, so we went. We're good copperlings."

The two slowly descended into the dark intestines of this vile place, cautious for anything that might arrive and attack them. To their relief, nothing happened, but it was clear no one was allowed down here simply by the fact that there was no garbage of any kind.

They entered a tunnel at the end of the stairs and looked around to see a variety of pipes of and clockwork working in these hot and humid tunnels. A few pieces of large machinery could occasionally be seen through the wall, but they were protected by fences and grates. Continuing through, they started to notice something weird.

“Where is everypony?” Verdure asked. “I mean, we were told to stay out of here, so why isn’t anypony stopping us? You think they’re further in?” Verdure asked.

Milk shook his head slowly as his hoofs clopped on the floor. "Maybe… they only check when something goes wrong?" He swallowed ahd pushed onwards. "Let's hope we never have to find out. I don't… see anything yet?"

“Neither do I. It’s so dark in here. How do the engineers manage to see anything? Ah? I see something down there. It looks like a red light.”

The moment the two stepped too close to the red light, the floors shifted and two turrets came from the floor and the roof by flipping on a tile. They had a single gun mounted into the middle of their bodies, and a red light shining above the gun, but, besides the gears at their base and in their thin bodies to help rotation and elevation of the barrel, they didn’t seem very complex. They were protecting a checkpoint in the tunnels. A checkpoint that was much larger and less scalding and humid than the rest of these horrid pathways. There was no way to get the sentries simply due to the fact that they were standing in front of a fence with a locked door. A rounded cylinder, most likely a camera, stared at the two from its position and shone its bright scanner at them.

Milk did himself proud by not making a puddle on the floor. He held up the card with a quivering hoof. "Reporting f-f-for duty, sir?" His eyes darted from one death dealing tool to the next, wondering if his little life was about to end as sadly as it was lived.

There was only a virring sound coming from the camera and the turrets as they both followed every movement the two stallions made. Verdure lift his package and showed the card to the camera, hoping it would do something, and moved slightly forward, then a dangerous sound resonated from the turrets as they whirred and beeped at him, causing him to jump back in fear.

“No access without authorization,” a monotone voice spoke. It was from a recorded tape that was clearly in a poor state judging from the variations in tone the voice had.

“Woah. That was scary. I...My heart is racing and I feel like I’m sweating ice.” Verdure put a hoof to his chest and gasped for air.

Milk dug out the punch cards he had gotten and looked over the machines and the checkpoint in general before he spotted the slot that seemed to be the right size. "Uh, I'm going to put this in here. Please don't shoot me." He edged closer and held up a card in his mouth, trying to feed it in.

The turrets only produced a constant beeping sound, expelling steam erratically while Milk leaned closer to the camera. It did not react, but a large machine with a slot lit up on the fence and next to the door.

“Insert cards for authorization level approval.”

“Okay then. Here. Take the other cards. I think it believes you’re the quarter master,” Verdure whispered.

Milk took the next card from the stack and fed it in before moving right to the next. Unlike most unicorns, his mouth was his primary manipulator, and he had no idea how many cards the death-dealing machine wanted from him.

The machines whirred a bit, and the sound of something popping came from behind the walls, but the red lights on the sentries and camera turned blue.

“Authori-Authori-Authori-Authori…” The voice clip buzzed into a long bout of static, making the camera malfunction slightly.

The door clicked and screeched open rather loudly, making the two’s ears clamp against their skulls in fright.

“Eugh. That was still...unexpected. I really hope that we don’t have to deal with any more death machines today,” Verdure said.

Milk tilted his head with a sudden thought. "Do we get the cards back?"

“It might give them back when we leave.” Verdure shrugged.

The stars were especially brilliant that evening. Luna gazed at them proudly a moment before turning her vision onto the pony beside her, standing there in the silvery glow of her own moon. "Good that you could make it. This is a matter of utmost importance for all Equestria." She held up a hoof. "Before we proceed, I must have your word of secrecy to anypony, even should Celestia ask questions." Her wings fluttered with the faintest of unease, eyes wandering over the gardens they found themselves in.

The unicorn stallion in question was nothing but a shade of green. His coat was base green, his mane and tail were olive green, and his eyes were a bright, jungle green. Being a guard who took his work very seriously, he had his mane and tail shaved into flat tips. His cutie mark was simply a bullseye formed from three white rings and three red ones. He wore a golden armor, as did the usual solar guard, but it was, additionally, encrusted with several emeralds. Three were places in the armor around his chest, one on the front of his cornets, and a large one placed right below his neck. The stones didn’t agree with the blue light of the moon and did not shine in the presence of it nor its owner.

He coughed a bit then looked at Luna with droopy eyes and a faint smile. “Ya called, Luna?” he asked casually.

Luna softly snorted. "So casual. This is an important matter. Do I have your word?" She raised a brow at the unicorn high, watching him intently for any sign that would reveal hidden emotion. "If I have to find another, then so be it."

“Yes, Ah’m certain ya’ll find another of my rank ‘n ‘special’ talents that’ll go behind Celestia’s back.” The stallion stared at the princess with a rather aggressive ardor, but it quickly turned into chuckling. “Ah’m kiddin’, m’am. A ‘course ah’ll keep mah word.”

Luna gave a slow nod. "Save those glares for our mutual enemies, who I turn you against. You have heard of the island nation, where they hate magic, have you not? They continue to make outrageous demands, and Celestia plays them lip service while they grow in power." She clopped a hoof on the ground. "I will not stand for it any longer. They are a mounting threat to our ponies. Become as one of them, learn their ways, and see how they can be taken apart from the inside. Do this, and Equestria will be safer."

The stallion nodded and walked over to one of the many trimmed bushes in the garden to admire it while he thought. “Yes. Secantor Island, no?” He tapped his horn a few times and laughed quietly. “Yeah. Ah know ‘em. Quite a few of mah own cap’ns ‘n sergeants have been a bit on edge wif ‘em but put confidence in your sister.” He shrugged. “While unicorn magic comes from their horn, ah’m not yer usual unicorn. Whatever they do ta suppress unicorn magic or counter it ain’t gon’ work on me.” He turned to Luna and spoke in a reassuring tone. “Ah’m a bit of an aberration, ya know? Unless mah superiors di’n’t tell ya.”

She waved a hoof at Bullseye. "I will not lie, this is a most perilous task. Your superiors mentioned something of your abilities, enough that I thought you may be better suited than most to the assignment. All other agents we have sent have gone missing, I do not wish for another." She sucked air through her teeth in a hiss before clucking her tongue. "If you refuse, I will not think less of you, but Equestria requires your service, that other ponies need not die on the battlefield."

Bullseye waved a hoof at her. His casual attitude towards royalty, if not any social status, was somewhat irritating, although he always avoided to be too impolite. “Pffff. Ah’ve met quite worse ‘fore coming here to Equestria. Ya rest assured that ah’ll get the job done. Now, what exactly ya’ll want me ta find in that copper tower ‘o theirs?”

Luna smiled, a bright gesture in the darkness of her fur. "Good. I want to know what they do. Do they use magic? How? I am certain they are not telling us everything. They make mighty claims to the heights of their technology, but my intuition refuses to accept that at face value. Learn all their strengths, and bring it to us, and we will learn their weaknesses from it."

“Alrighty then. When do Ah depart, and what means of transport should ah utilize? I’m reckonin’ this is the kind of mission that prevents me from communicatin’ with the outside on account’a it bein’ a ‘secret mission’ ‘n all.” Bullseye sat on his haunches of waved his forelegs while doing the ‘oooo’ face.

Luna put a hoof up to her chin. "We don't wish to arouse suspicion. I will arrange for you to arrive on a common trade vessel, and you will slip off while they're docked. I will watch for you in your sleep, but there will be very few other ways to reach us, I'm afraid." She set the hoof on the ground. "At least there is that. Count it as a blessing."

“Oo hoo. I haven’t been neck deep in dangerous territory since Motel and I--” Bullseye cut himself off, realizing he was about to divulge something he couldn’t have. “Anyways, I’m excited to perform this task. By the way, it’s best you choose a vessel that doesn’t have Equestria’s markings or design.”

Luna nodded at him quickly. "Of course, a prudent thought…" She pointed at Bullseye. "Why don't you select the vessel? You have an eye for this work. You have our permission for funds to see the task done correctly. It may be better to have distance between myself and your departure in any event." She looked up to the moon then. "Harmony watch over your steps, and return to us whole."

“Oh, Ah won’t be needing your funds. Heheheh.” Bullsye rubbed his two forehooves together menacingly.