As Irony’s 442 speeds on towards Portland. Moon Shadow is curled up, as an experienced dreamer, she can pretty much will herself to sleep. Normally, she would enter the world of dreams, the mirror world to the waking world. But this evening, she’s between both of those world, where the dreams of the living reside. To her senses, billions of stars are within her realm. This is where her and Princess Luna patrol, to help find the humans turning pony, as well as helping those with nightmares, to soothe their dreams. Tonight, like every night since Dust was taken, she’s here for one purpose. To find the dreams of the pegasus that has been lost. She casts her mind around. To the untrained, every shining globe around her looks the same. But to Moon, each one looks as individual as the ponies and humans they represent. She wills herself closer to one, reaching out a hoof to touch one. Helen, Dust’s human wife, is not dreaming peacefully, and the desire to help the human’s terrible nightmares is nearly overwhelming. But she can’t, not right now. Another’s dream has come to her attention. A simple thought has her before the bright, glowing orb. The dream is dark and turbulent, far more than most other nightmares. This dreamer is living out their own personal version of hell.

Moon tsks to herself. Should she enter the dream herself, she would likely be caught up in the terror the pony is feeling. That simply won’t do. So, she takes a moment to concentrate, making her own little pocket of stability in the chaos. As it’s ready, she reaches out her will, pulling the pony into the reality of her own design. Unceremoniously Lightning Dust tumbles across the floor. She stops, sitting on her rear with her wings spread wide, her eyes spinning. Tear tracks are thick down her muzzle, and her normally tousled mane is matted and tangled. Moon smiles sadly as she takes a moment to force her will on Dust, restoring her back to how she usually is. As she completes her work, the pegasus takes a deep, calming breath and looks around. She sees Moon and in a streak, she latches on to Moon Shadow.

“Moon, oh my Moon!” Dust murmurs softly as she hugs Moon Shadow. Moon holds onto the pegasus as tightly as she’s being held. In moments Dust goes from holding her tightly to hanging off of her as her sides heave and the tears flow. “Oh, Moon. You have no idea.”

“Tell me.” Moon says simply.

Dust takes a moment to compose herself, though sniffles and snorts are still commonplace. “After they did what they did to my wings.” She holds one of the feathered appendages out for a moment before folding it back. “They put me on a plane, they flew for hours, south, always south. Then I ended up in a truck, then into some kind of barn, I guess. Then that man…” She sobs. “That man…he…”

Moon gathers up Lightning Dust. “Shhhhh, I understand. He will get his comeuppance as soon as we find you. But where are you?”

Dust sighs. “I don’t know. The only thing I’m certain of is the language, they are speaking Spanish. Some of them speak English, but mostly Spanish. Could be Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, one of many countries. I wish I could tell you more.”

Moon groans inwardly, she hoped that she could simply get the information directly from Dust. “It’s fine, sweetie. We will keep searching for you.”

Dust’s body jerks, she looks back over her shoulder. “He’s trying to wake me up.” She leaps towards Moon. “Please, don’t make me go. Please, it hurts. I hate this.”

Moon reaches out, trying to keep Dust close, but she’s being forced awake, Moon strains, trying to keep her, just for a moment more. Though Dust is pulled away with a painful howl. “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaassssssseeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!”

Moon jerks awake, finding her own tears have been flowing. She wipes her eyes with a fetlock. She looks up at Irony. She’s already been nearly continuously enraged since Dust was taken. It’s not the time for her to hear the details of Dust’s conditions. She sighs. “Dust doesn’t know where she is.”

Irony’s eyes flick towards her as she blows past a Ford truck, “Oh?”

Moon sighs. “Yeah, she’s not having the best of times in her captivity. We need to find her.”

Irony grimaces. “No worries, love. We will find her.”

Cloud Kicker pokes her head over the seat back, “Moon, can you help?”

Irony nods at Moon before shifting lanes rapidly to bypass a car hauler semi. She climbs over the seat to join Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker. “What’s going on?”

Cloud looks at Irony, though Moon can see Irony’s eyes flicking back and forth towards the rear-view mirror, one of her ears is rotated towards them. Moon smiles as Cloud starts. “I like the idea of a smash session on those assholes. And we know this lab has held ponies against their will. So as far as we are concerned, they deserve what is coming to them.” She huffs a couple of times. “I totally agree with Irony on dismantling Spectrum completely. A person like that really doesn’t deserve to live. But one lab, I don’t see it doing all that much.” She pulls out her phone. “We’ve identified a few other places owned by them. I think we should do a multi-pronged attack.” She glances at Irony then back at Moon. “One is in the Czech Republic, the other is in South Africa. Ponies have been found near both places then disappeared. Given how they acted here, we have two groups, and a couple of unicorns strong enough to do a long distance teleport to get them close. We can attack three places at once.”

“Do it.” Irony growls.

Moon nods, her phone is brought up and dialing. After a few moments. “Mindy, two teams need to be dispatched.” She reads off the information off of Cloud Kicker’s phone. In a matter of moments, she smiles and hangs up. “Okay, we’ll give the go signal, and hit all three at once.”

***

While the higher speed and convenience of the pegasi drawn chariots is appealing. There is something special about driving my own car. Moon and I have shifted driving duties as we’ve again headed west. Though simply having Moon say she’s got it and I don’t even have to move from my seat while she controls the car from the passenger seat is pretty nice. I can relax onto all fours and curl up to sleep while she has control. Driving becomes seamless, though at my request, we do stop for getting fuel rather than her little tricks of taking sips of fuel from passing cars. She works overtime during fuel stops, ensuring the humans don’t notice us. I’m controlling the 442 as we pull up towards our destination. This is where Dust got shot, this is where we rescued ponies.

I open the door, we aren’t here to rescue. We are here to find information, find out where Dust is, and to begin the process of dismantling of Spectrum. Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker are the first to be handed the tubs with their armor, I pull out mine and take only a few moments to fit it on. The ponies at the farm have been busy with the armor, it’s lighter than it was, and even stronger. Tests have shown that a .50BMG won’t even put a dent in the plate. Finally, I pull on my helm and I can feel the world shift subtly, a part of the standing flows that Moon and some of the armorers have set into all pony armor now. Similar flows were in the Celestial Guard and the Night guard’s armors, though they made the ponies look the same, white unicorns, gray pegasi, and blue earth ponies. With this, a version of the misdirection spell is there, I can be seen, but you have to focus on me to be able to aim, to be able to hit. Moon has been working on her own armor as well. It flies around her and assembles itself at her magical direction. As she becomes harder to see, she looks at me, a loving smile on her face. “Let’s find out where they took Dust.” She murmurs as she leads us down the street. She pulls out her phone. Sending off two text messages. After an agonizing wait, she smiles at the responses. Everypony is ready.

I take up at her side with the two pegasi flanking us. It looks like the minimal damage we did outside the last time we had visited has long since been repaired. Moon Shadow’s horn lights, the gate groans before it slides open. The rent-a-cop is pressing a button with a confused look on his face when Moon’s magic grabs him, pressing him against the back wall of his shed. His gun is brought out, disassembled, and mangled. Along with his cell phone and radio. They aren’t going to get much warning as we approach.

A loud horn starts blaring. I glance at the two pegasi, who take to the air. “Oh shit.”

Moon glances around, “Cameras.” She surges magic and then smiles, “Well, now they can’t track us that way anymore.” She glances at the main entrance, a bit more damage was done there, but in the last couple of months, it seems to have also been repaired. Time to reverse that. Moon shouts as she surges her magic again, the front face of the three story structure is demolished and the debris crumble to the sides. The two pegasi streak in, with me hot behind them. The guard at the desk in front has zero chance, he barely pulls out his weapon before taking a wing blade to the throat from Blossomforth. Cloud Kicker zooms past, we have a good idea of the layout of the building, three stories above ground, five below. The underground part of the complex has a larger footprint than the building itself. More extensive labs are underground, and we will be searching those. But the executive offices are on the top floor. Our first stop will be there. I walk past the elevator and slam through the stairwell door. I draw my mace and take the stairs three at a time, Moon flanking me with the two pegasi flitting around.

A low whistle from Cloud Kicker has me darting up the final few stairs. “Not many guards, but lots of people in suits.”

I nod and slam through the door, No need for stealth, Moon made enough commotion with our entrance that everyone knows we are here. Humans yelp as they get out of our way. Without weapons or presenting any threat to us, we leave them be. But I know where the director’s office is. I reach to open the door. I grimace. “It’s locked.”

Before Moon has a chance to do anything, I take a step back and swing my mace, the ornate wood door splinters and flies open. The apparent secretary is diving for the floor as we head towards the inner office. Eschewing simply opening it, I swing my mace again, the heavy oak doors don’t stand a chance. Just one human is there, cowering behind his desk. He’s balding, with a dark fringe of hair, thick spectacles and a thin moustache. The pegasi take a covering position by the front doors as Moon and I advance.

“Where’s Lightning Dust?” I growl.

He lifts his hands, only to have Moon encase them in her magic. “This is the last time we ask nicely.” She growls.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know who that is. We were told you coming here is a possibility. My boss has a message for you.”

I glower at him before he looks plaintively at Moon Shadow. She lets him loose and he turns his laptop around. A familiar face is smiling on the screen. I reach out an tap the space bar, and the video starts to play.

“Well, you know where one of my labs is. Yes, ponies have had some misadventures here, but that’s irrelevant to your reason for ransacking my property. I’ve instructed the guards to accept your surrender. I promise your ending will be relatively painless. But you must know, Miss Shieldbreaker, your mission is in vain. No one here has any clue where your leader is. I’ve got her, and I’m not letting her go.”

Moon Shadow slams the computer closed with her magic before glaring at the human.

“Are there ponies here right now?”

“I’m not authorized…” His words choke off as I reach over the desk and pull him up by his throat.

“I don’t give a fuck what you are authorized to say or not. You will answer the question or I will kill you.”

Well, it’s not the first time I’ve caused someone to piss their pants. He nods frantically in my grasp.

Moon steps up next to me and rears up to see him better. “You don’t know where our friend is?” At his frantic shaking of his head she looks sad. “Very well, we will give you humans a short time to exit the building as fast as you can, before I reduce it to a smoking crater. You will want to find new jobs, perhaps with someone who has better ethics than your soon to be former employer. Now, go.”

I throw him at the office door, he rolls and is on his feet in an instant before fleeing the room. Moon smiles back at me. “Okay, non-combatants should be evacuating. But I have a feeling that we are going to not have the easiest of times today.”

***

On top of parking structure, Winter Storm and her team are milling around, a quick teleport and a short flight have them close, but the team in the Czech Republic and in Oregon are all getting in position as well. Winter is quite happy to be helping finding the humans responsible for the loss of Lightning Dust. The teams have been in a mute rage for the last few weeks. Though they are ready to exact some vengeance.

“Winter.” Trixie’s voice impinges on her thoughts.

“What?”

“There are ponies in the building. At least a few unicorns. I can feel a resonance from them.”

Winter growls, this confirmation says that they are doing the right thing, even if not for Dust. She adjusts the brand new pony manufactured gun hanging over her right shoulder. After being rescued from that damned basement in Colorado, she’s been so grateful to the ponies, not just for saving her, but for everything, family, friends, home. She owes Lightning Dust and her family more than she could ever repay. She looks down at her phone when it chimes.

Mission is a go.

With that text message, Winter taps out a reply and looks to the rest of her team. She nods and Trixie lights her horn. In a flash they are walking towards the Spectrum owned building. Winter Storm stalks through the lobby Trixie is walking at her side as they stalk through in their armor. Two armed guards are sitting at the lobby desk, Winter walks over and rears up to place her forehooves on the desk.

“You have ponies here, we are leaving with them. How hard do you want to make this?”

The guards look at each other before looking back at Winter. “Sorry, if any ponies are here, they want to be here.” One of the human’s says.

Winter narrows her eyes. “If they want to be here, then we can confirm that.” She glances back at the others of her team. “But forgive us if we doubt your word. Enough ponies have been confined and mistreated by humans. Let us see them and confirm, then we will be on our way.”

Both guards stand up, one placing a hand on the gun on his hip. “You aren’t authorized.”

Winter grins. “The hard way it is.”

***

Sparkler, as a human, had been a jet setting daughter of a billionaire before becoming the daughter of a President. Now she’s turned into a pony, learning of her life before she was banished to Earth. She’s probably visited more countries than most others. Though the Czech Republic is not one she had visited before. She walks up to the guard shack for the Spectrum facility. She looks at the small sign designating the owner of this facility. Another lab, according to the information gleaned by Cipher Splash over in Army CID. She trots up to the guard shack. “Good morning.” She chirps.

The guard looks at her, then looks back at his TV.

She takes a step forward. “Good morning, sir.”

He chatters at her, and it takes a moment for her to recognize the language. It’s Polish. She smiles, her human dad had made her learn several languages so she would be able to understand what people thought they could slip by her by not speaking English. She frowns. Finally she repeats herself, though in Polish. Which gets the human to flinch.

Finally, in heavily accented English, he stammers out. “No ponies here.”

She lights her horn for a moment before sighing. “Now, both of us know that is a lie. Buttercup?”

The large earth pony walks over to the gate before whirling around. In one massive buck, the gate is off its tracks, a second buck is accompanied by the sound of rending metal and the gate crashes to the asphalt. She smiles at the guard. “We’ll just go in and find them ourselves.” She lights her horn. “So, be a dear and just sit right there, why don’t you?” As she speaks her magic has him bound to the seat, his phone is crushed and his submachine gun is disassembled.

She smiles brightly at the human before leading her team into the lab.

***

I stalk through the executive offices, they are deserted now. A glance out the windows show quite a few cars are fleeing, though there are still quite a few left in the parking lot. Moon looks up at me. “I wonder if they called the police.”

I shrug, “I doubt it. They are arrogant enough to think they can handle us themselves.”

She nods. “Yeah, that’s the impression I got.”

I turn the corner and come face to face with a guard. He swings his baton at me, I catch it on my shield and grab him by the face. Flinging him down the hall puts him out of the fight as he lands heavily. A loud bang announces another guard firing. Though with our armor on, he doesn’t really have the ability to aim, he seems to be firing blindly. Cloud Kicker flashes forward and a short scream announces his demise. I get to the elevator. “So, which floor?”

Moon closes her eyes, her horn lighting. “I would think the second level underground, and the fifth. More ponies seem to be on the lowest level.”

I nod. “We’ll hit the bottom level, and work our way up.” I growl.

We all file into the elevator, Moon’s horn lit to prevent any of the humans messing with the equipment. As we slowly descend, I find my anger rising. I bang the side of the elevator with a fist.

Cloud Kicker shakes her head as the elevator descends, "Irony you really need to calm down."
I slam my fist into the wall again, leaving a deep impression in the metal. "NO! I need to stay angry, these people have ponies. They have Dust!”
An evil smile slowly spreads over Cloud Kicker’s face as she starts marching on the spot, marking time, her tail swishing in counter beat to an unheard tune.
My eyes widen. "Oh don't you dare! No... NO!"
With a firm nod, Cloud Kicker starts to sing. "Let’s get down to business... To defeat... Spectrum..."
As if on cue, the elevator doors open with a loud “Schwa!” sound.
Covering my face, I whimper, I can feel my own tail flicking to the beat involuntarily. Stepping out into the hall, Cloud Kicker points to a group of security guards running towards us, "Well keep battling guards, till we find... the one!" Cloud Kicker continues.
I step out of the elevator, following the smaller mare, I look at the approaching guards, "They’re the saddest bunch I’ve ever seen," I sing out, almost in a whimper.
"And they haven't got a clue..." Cloud Kicker responds in song, shaking her head.
Tapping my mace, I smile, “Oh Honey, I’m… gonna make a smear… out of you!”
Sticking her tongue out, Cloud Kicker shakes her head, “Gross, excessive, but now you’re getting it…” She takes a fighting stance beside me while singing out, “Be a mare!”

The guards rush at us. Blossomforth vaults over us, curling her wings around her body as she bowls into them with a shout. Several guards evade her attack and barrel towards Cloud and I. Moon stays in the background as I slam the mace overhead into the helmet of the first guard to meet me. His helmet splits, along with his skull. The other guard in the narrow hallway raises his asp, only to be taken by two wingblades to the chest. I put my booted hoof on the guard’s chest as I pull my mace free before elbowing a third guard and breaking his clear Plexiglas face shield. Cloud leaps into the air, slicing the guard with the broken face mask in the neck before whirling and bucking with all of her might a fourth guard. I grin as the two remaining guards look at the ones we’ve just dispatched. I twirl my mace, “We’re fighting for friends and fam-a-ly.”
“Be a mare!” Blossomforth chirps out.

The humans turn tail and run as we make it into the lab itself. Moon crushes the door and tosses it to the side. As we get inside, I find my heart dropping. A pony is there, or was. He was a unicorn. His horn seemed to have been surgically extracted, judging by the damage to his forehead, his mouth is frozen in the rictus of a scream. I grab one of the humans, this one in a lab coat. “Were fighting for harmony too.” I sing into his face before tossing him at two other humans cowering against another table.
“Be a mare!” Cloud Kicker sings as she starts opening up the cages, stacked three high against the wall, every one with a pony in way too small confinement.

Moon’s eyes glow as she starts pulling ponies that are unconscious. The pain and rage she feels is painted across her face as she turns with all the rescued ponies in her magic. She sings as we head up the stairs. “We’ll stand against this injustice.” As we climb and exit on the second lower level, we all skid to a stop.

Standing before us is a full two dozen guards, all in riot gear. Though my eyes are fastened to what could best be described as an absolute monster of a human. He’s maybe chest high to me with my best judgement, but his arms are as thick as my thighs, his blue uniform shirt is straining to cover a massive chest. He’s holding a steel baton, and he’s actually bending the steel. The look on his face chills me to the bone as the magic pushes me to finish off the song. “And I can’t believe, this song, came out of the blue!!!!”

Next Chapter: Chapter 44. Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 54 Minutes