The Electric Fields were covered in an extremely dense layer of fog. It was difficult to see passed even a couple feet. It wasn’t like the fog in the Frostfalls; this fog carried an odd feel to it. It felt like it contained some kind of charge to it. Despite the way it felt however, it looked like an ordinary fog.

“Does something feel wrong to you guys?” Sunset asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Doesn’t it feel a little too clean for our taste? This place almost looks normal. Are you sure these are the Electric Fields Octavia?”

“Yeah, this should be the place. I followed the directions correctly. I’m certain that these should be the Electric Fields.”

The sparkle zone wasn’t as clean as this place. There were still pieces of debris and looted shops in the sparkle zone, but this place was completely intact. There weren’t even any reanimated virus victims here.

“It doesn’t matter what this place looks like,” Twilight said, “we can’t forget that this place is the Electric Fields. Which means that the Xenomorphs here most likely use electricity as their ability. Who really cares about the details after that?”

“I guess,” I said thoughtfully. “Man, I am not looking forward to meeting the Electro Squids.” I decided to call the Electric Fields Xenomorphs “Electro Squids.” We called the Infernoland Xenomorphs Pyronocks and the Frostfalls Xenomorphs Cryo Spiders, so calling them Electro Squids seemed appropriate.

Sunset took point and carefully walked forward with her berettas already in hands. Twilight and I followed with our own weapons raised. We walked a couple of blocks with no problems at all. After reaching the forurth block, Sunset suddenly stopped. Twilight and I stopped and stayed still as Sunset listened. I tried to hear whatever Sunset had heard, but as always, I wasn’t able to hear a thing. “What is it?” I finally asked, but before I could reply I saw what Sunset must have heard. There were two Veltromites flying towards us.

Sunset still didn’t seem to notice them advancing towards us. I had to push her out of the way of one or the bright blue bolts of electricity that was flying towards her. Twilight ducked down and ran for cover. I helped Sunset up and ran for cover afterwards. Sunset and I hid ourselves in one of the open buildings. We went inside and stayed near the entrance in case we needed to escape quickly.

“They’re just as silent as you are,” Sunset said. “There’s no way we’ll be able to sneak up on them, especially with all this damn fog in the way.”

“Oh we’ll see about that,” I said determined to win. “Can your power over water affect the fog?”

“I’ve tired, but it won’t work,” Sunset replied. I was only a good fighter when it came to close combat. The two Veltromites had a long range advantage against me. The only way to win was for me to get close enough to the pair to assassinate them, but for that to work I needed a distraction.

“I need cover,” I said. “Can you shoot a few magma balls?”

“Not a problem,” Sunset replied.

“Good. If my plan works then this will be done quickly, so just wait for me to call you.” I ran forward into the street while Sunset began to fire wildly into the fog. I had to be careful not to get hit by any of the magma balls while at the same time try and listen for any sounds to indicate where the two Veltromites were.

I used my stealth skills to remain unseen by the Electro Squids. I was having difficulty finding them. I suddenly hear a faint cracking sound like someone had just stepped on some paper. I quickly and quietly ran towards the sound and pulled out my knives for close combat. I lunged forward the moment I saw the figure.

I was careful not to strike the Electro Squid at that moment. I wanted to its eyes and make sure it was bound to the X.X.X. Plague like the other virus beings I killed were. It was a woman. He had electric blue eyes the same shade of the electricity they used. I stabbed him in the chest five times and quickly ran off back into the fog from the other.

“You’re the stealthy one aren’t you?” He asked. I could suddenly feel his presence near me. “You’re the one who killed all the other corrupted monsters from the shadows. She warned us about you.”

“Who told you about that?”

He just laughed. “You don’t know? That’s good,” he said as he appeared in front of me. “But the power of the Electric Fields are also well versed in the art of stealth.” He walked backwards and the fog seemed to swallow him up and just like that he was out of range of my senses.

“Octavia!” Twilight called. “Is it clear?” I stayed silent trying to listen in for any movement.

“I don’t know,” I finally admitted. “This bastard is pretty stealthy. He could still be here, or he could be gone.”

“Figure it out!” Sunset shouted. I began to walk silently as I had done before. I was careful not to let myself stay in one place for more than a few seconds.

“Sunset,” I called out. “Can you hear him?”

“I hear breathing,” she replied, “but it’s getting further away.”

I sighed. “Then I think it’s safe to come out guys,” I said. Twilight and Sunset walked back into the street.

“Where’d you go Octavia?” Twilight asked. I was still in my stealth mentality and difficult for Sunset and Twilight to see.

“Octavia, don’t un-stealth yourself,” Sunset said. “Just follow me and be ready to fight.”

“Alright,” I said. I decided that I wouldn’t just stay near Sunset and Twilight. It was best if I explored a little ahead in case there was an ambush nearby.

“So who was stealthier?” Twilight asked. “Was it those Electro Squid things or Octavia?”

“I could still hear very faint sounds of movement by the Electro Squids, but Octavia completely disappeared.” I felt a little pride at Sunset’s words. I liked to believe that I was good with sneaking around and evening the odds when it came to fights. Sunset already thought I was a good fighter even though I didn’t have powers. It was nice to feel needed.

I rushed forward as silently as before. “We should find a Electro Squid that we can interrogate,” I suggested.

“A Electro Squid with free will would be better,” Sunset said.

“Or you can use your power to skip interrogating,” Twilight suggested. “Maybe you can sense Chimeras.”

“Is that possible Tavi?” Sunset asked. Her question surprised me. She clearly knew that I had more information on the X.X.X. Plague than I was giving, but she didn’t know that I had almost no information on what she was.

“How would I know,” I answered trying not to sound defensive.

“I don’t know,” Sunset replied. “It’s just that you know so much about, like, everything here and I figured maybe you knew something about this.”

“Sorry Sunset,” I replied. “I don’t know anything other than what I already told you both.” I was hoping that Sunset wouldn’t catch my lie. She looked away and didn’t question me any further. I wasn’t entirely convinced that Sunset trusted me, but I couldn’t afford to jeopardize our partnership over a few lies. She was still my ace in the hole against Gloriosa. If she didn’t fight, then there would be a good chance that Gloriosa would tear me apart even with my stealth.

I started running through the streets. Sunset didn’t seem to react to me separating from the group. I doubted she had even noticed. The land was great for me. I had a place where I could fully utilize my abilities. The infected her might use my style, but I was miles ahead of them on raw talent. I could easily take on any of them by picking them off in small groups, but I knew I was screwed if there was a large group.

I recognized where I currently was. I was near a tall freeway that lead to the middle of the Electric Fields. I waited for the others to catch up before I said anything about what I found. “Hey guys, there’s a freeway that goes right through the Electric Fields,” I said.

“So we can use it to travel faster?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah, and maybe it doesn’t have as much fog as the rest of this place,” Twilight commented.

“Aright Octavia,” Sunset said, “lead the way.”

“Follow my voice,” I said. I walked to the freeway and continued going forward. The fog seemed to stop at the top. All we could see was a giant cloud of fog covering the entire Electric Fields.

The actual freeway was different from the rest of the town. It looked like people had tried to use it as a camping ground. There were tents and fires set up in this place. Sunset, Twilight, and I walked out of the fog together. We walked to the tent ground. There was a fire pit enclosed by ten large pink tents. There didn’t seem to be anyone outside in the open.

A teenaged guy opened his tent and walked out. A look of surprise washed over his face. He looked at each of us in the eyes as if he was looking for something. “Who are you guys?” he asked. “What do you want?” He looked like a kid in his teens. He was skinny and slightly pale. He had dark blue hair and green eyes.

“What’re you doing here in the middle of the Electric Fields?” I asked completely ignoring his questions.

“I’m here cause it’s safe,” he said as if his statement was oblivious.

“How the Hell is it safe here?” Sunset asked with notable confusion.

“It doesn’t matter,” Twilight said apathetically to Sunset. She turned to the kid. “Do you talk to any of the Electro Squids here?”

“Why the hell should I tell you?” the kid answered.

“Sunset,” I said, ”burn him.” Sunset opened her hand and forced a magma ball to appear.

“Wait Wait Wait!” the boy said rapidly. “I’ll talk just don't hurt me.” The kid was breathing hard now. Sunset extinguished the magma and waited for him to talk. I waited for the kid to stop hyperventilating before interrogating him because it seemed like the polite thing to do.

“Okay,” I said after the kid finished. “I think we’ll start with something simple. What’s your name?”

“My name’s Button Mash,” he said still half panicking.

“Are you corrupted?”

“What?” he asked nervously.

“Sunset,” Twilight said. Sunset held out her arms, creating a magma ball in one hand and a small ball of still swirling bits of ice in the other.

“How do you think your world will end little Button?” Twilight asked. “By fire or ice?”

“Wasn’t that poem about the end of a relationship?” Sunset whispered to me.

“It’s up for interpretation,” I replied. “Next question,” I said loudly. “Are you infected?”

“No,” he said. “I’m not infected or corrupted or anything.”

“Do you know anyone who can throw electricity?”

Button looked hesitant for a moment. “Yeah," he said timidly. “One of my friends got corrupted or whatever and got powers.”

“Did his eyes change colors?”

“No,” he said still on edge. “He looked just like he used to look like that girl.” He pointed to Sunset. “The same as before.”

“Did your friend ever mention a leader or the first creature who could use electricity?”

“Yeah, he told me about both of the leaders.”

“Both?” Sunset asked in surprise. The three of us looked at each other in shock.

"Just when I think I understand everything,” I complained.

“What?” Button asked with a new wave or fear in his face. “Is there something wrong? Are you girls going to let me go?”

“Relax kid, we’re not going to hurt you,” Sunset said. “You’re going to be fine as long as you cooperate.”

“Did he tell you where the leaders were?” I asked.

“Yeah, they're both near the end of the freeway. The strongest of the leaders lives in Filthy Rich’s mansion. The other lives near. They’re fighting to take control of this place.”

“What else should we know?” I asked.

“That’s all,” Button replied.

“Okay, thanks for the information. I’m just going to talk to my friends real quick,” I said. I turned and led Twilight and Sunset away from Button. “What do you guys think?” I asked. “Think it’s a civil war between the Chimera and a Beta?”

“It could be,” Sunset replied.

“So we could use this against the Chimera,” Twilight suggested. “We could get the Beta to help us to kill it and when we’re done we’ll kill him too.” I felt a little disturbed at how cheeky Twilight was when she made her suggestion. I felt like the further we explored the Black Plaguelands the darker she became.

“Maybe we could help one side and get their help against the next Chimera,” Sunset suggested.

“That’s a great idea,” I blurted out. I could fight Gloriosa with the strength of the Electric Fields on my side.

“We need to find the Chimera, the Beta, and Discord’s safe house,” Sunset reminded us. “It isn’t a very easy task.”

“I can travel through the streets unseen and find the safe house,” I said.

“No,” Sunset replied. “We need you to fight. Give Twilight the directions and come with me.”

“Because that doesn’t sound stupid,” Twilight commented sarcastically. Twilight was now beginning to annoy me. I ignored the comment so that I wouldnt cause any problems. I gave Twilight the map and walked back to Sunset. We both watched as Twilight walked forward through the highway and disappeared in the distance.

The freeway was actually a lot shorter than I had expected it to be. It dipped into the fog a few times, however, Sunset and I had to take it to the Chimera. While it did impair my stealth abilities severely because of all the areas free of fog, taking the path would allow Sunset to use her abilities with a bigger chance of hitting the enemy. The Veltromites would also have their stealth abilities impaired too, so at least I wasn’t the only one losing something.

Sunset and I left Button and the other people in the camp that we hadn’t seen with the belief that we would return and take them to the main outpost in the inner city. We had also told Twilight to help lead them to Discord’s safe house in the Electric Fields so that they could meet the people in the police station after traveling through the main safe house.

Sunset and I walked through the freeway towards the first dip back into the fog. We entered cautiously. There were no signs of other than our own. The dip in the freeway wasn’t very long; it only took us a few minutes to clear it and reach the other side. I was half expecting to be attacked by a horde of Veltromites, but that was just my paranoid nature.

We rose back out of the fog and back into another high part of the freeway. This area wasn’t dirty at all. There weren’t even any cars. It was just a straight walk into the next dip into the road. “Hey,” I finally decided to break the surprisingly comfortable silence. “Did Twilight seem odd to you? Or is that just how she’s always been?”

“Well she was always a bit quiet in school,” Sunset replied. “I had no idea she was so trigger happy.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “The first time I met her she seemed normal, shy, and a little depressing at times, but nothing that seemed too bad, but now she’s so energetic at the thought of killing the Chimeras.”

“It almost sounded like she thought we were hunting,” Sunset said. We continued walking until we reached the second dip. This dip wasn’t as short as the last one. It looked like it stretched out for a while longer. We would have to be extra careful.

Sunset and I reached the second dip and slowly sank back into the fog. This time Sunset walked very carefully. She got one of her guns ready in one hand and freed the other so that she could use her abilities through it. I instantly blended into the background and followed Sunset forward.

I could tell that Sunset was trying to listen for any signs of movement. She moved her head sharply towards sounds I couldn’t hear myself. I felt a change in the wind and knew that one of the Electro Squids was about to attack. I ran towards Sunset with both of my knives at the ready. I pushed her out of the way in time to dodge a blue lightning bolt.

“Run,” I said. The two of us sprinted towards the other side of the fog. We avoided the lightning, but came dangerously close to being hit by a giant bold that went right in between us. I could feel the Electro Squids following us towards the end of the fog. Sunset and I both knew that once they were out of the fog, they wouldn’t stand a chance against us.

We finally reached the end of the fog and passed without slowing down. Sunset and I continued running until we saw the first Veltromite cross the fog. We stopped and turned to face them. Now I had no idea what to say about what the Veltromites looked like. They looked similar to the Cryo Spiders in the Frostfalls, but they looked more like squids with wings and hands. Five more Electro Squids came out of the fog following the first. We were outnumbered, but they were outmatched.

Sunset and I quickly switched to the offense. I lunged at the Electro Squids, but they were quicker than the Cryo Spiders and Pyronocks were. They were able to move with god-like speed. It almost looked like they could teleport around at a short range. I ended up turning back towards Sunset trying to avoid being surrounded by the Electro Squids. Luckily for me, my speed and Sunset’s cover fire allowed me to escape just before they had me cornered.

“We need to fight smarter,” Sunset said. “I think I can kill at least half of them, but it will use almost all of my energy.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “Exhausting your energy here might screw us over in the future.”

“You have a better idea?” Sunset asked.

“I don’t,” I admitted. “Just don’t overdo it.”

Sunset chuckled. “When have I ever—“ Sunset seemed to stop herself. “Never mind.” Sunset launched a volley of magma balls towards the Electro Squids. They easily dodged them and seemed to regard the attack as a mere joke. They laughed demonic laughs as they dodged the magma balls with almost playful movement. After the attack, they advanced towards our location. They produced streams of electricity from their six hands and readied themselves. “Get ready Octy,” Sunset said confidently. “If we do this right, we should be able to get them all.”

“Alright,” I said. I still didn’t like the fact that Sunset never let in on her plans until right before the point that I needed to help, but it has worked in the past so I wouldn’t complain.

Sunset dropped her gun on the floor. She lowered her head and clapped her hands together making her look like she was praying to Celestia. A moment later the fire Sunset had spread around the freeway erupted into a flame ten times its original size. Then I noticed what Sunset wanted me to look out for. All six Electro Squids were too busy to notice the true weapon Sunset wanted to conceal them from. Me.

I silently ran to the closest Electro Squids and stabbed him in the chest with my knives. The other Electro Squids became aware of my presence and focused their attention to me. Sunset took this opportunity to launch magma balls from one of the fire pits she had created. It was able to blast two of the Electro Squids off the freeway.

Only three remained. I thought it would be just as easy to kill these three as it was their associates, but I was wrong. They constantly used their short range teleportation to dodge my knives. Sunset had exhausted herself and wasn’t in any condition to fight.

I had no idea what to do now. We couldn’t kill them, and even if we did, at the rate we were fighting we would be too tired to fight against their Chimera.

“Now what do we do?” I asked hoping Sunset would have an answer. “These things are too fast for us. We can’t win like this.”

“Think of something Octavia,” Sunset said. “You always have good ideas.” I struggled to find a way to win. There was an obvious way we could win, but I didn’t want to risk losing Sunset to her dark abilities. It seemed hopeless until I remembered one of Sunset’s comments about my stealth compared to that of the Electro Squid’s. If I could go back into the fog I should be able to at least kill one of them, but the fog was too far away. I thought of a way to fix that too.

“Sunset can you manipulate the fog?” I asked.

“No, for some reason I can’t manipulate it,” she replied.

“Then make your own.”

“I can’t make water, ”Sunset said after a few moments, “but I can hear running water nearby. Follow me.” Sunset ran forward through the freeway away from the Electro Squids.

“Where are you going Sunset?” I asked.

“I can hear water flowing,” Sunset answered. “That will give you all the water that you need to do whatever it is you’re planning to do.” We ran together and dodged every few seconds to keep from getting hit by the lightning the Electro Squids continued to throw at us.

Sunset suddenly stopped. She clapped her hands together again and assumed the celestial prayer stance I had seen earlier. A moment later, a dense cloud of fog flooded the top of the freeway and provided the perfect cover that I needed to end this. I instantly disappeared into the fog and began looking for the three remaining Electro Squids.

I stood near Sunset so that I could see them try to attack her. It didn’t take long for one of them to fall for my trap. One of the Electro Squids flew for Sunset with electricity in hands. I stabbed him quick and clean. He fell to the floor motionless.

“Something’s happening,” Sunset said.

“What?” I asked.

“They’re leaving,” Sunset let go of her control over the other and began to walk forward again. I exited the fog and followed a few feet away from her. I wasn’t very tired from our past two encounters with the Electro Squids, but I was sure that Sunset was exhausted by now.

“Are you alright?” I asked her.

“I’m just a little tired that’s all.”

“I think I have something to help get your strength back.” I rummaged through the supply bag until I found something to eat. I gave Sunset a cupcake and closed the bag again.

“Thanks,” Sunset said as she ate the cupcake. I was almost horrified by how animal-like Sunset ate. She ripped away at the food like a crazy wolf. The poor cupcake didn’t deserve such a sad fate, but then again, the Pinkie Pie back in Equestria always loved to eat food like that.

There was another cupcake meant for me, but I offered it to Sunset instead. She was still noticeably hungry and I didn’t want to risk running into more Electro Squids without her.

“This is delicious,” Sunset said.

“Glad to hear it,” I replied. We sat down on the floor and took a small rest. When we finished we would surely finish off the next Chimera as we originally intended on doing.

Dr. Gloriosa Daisy was performing more experiments on her next test subjects when her visitor Krystrus returned to her lab. “Gloriosa, how’s your progress on the X.X.X. Plague coming?” she asked.

Gloriosa suppressed a sigh as she tried to hide her irritation with the woman she believed was beneath her. She tried her best to keep herself composed. “I have almost obtained all the information I needed. Have you finally retrieved your targets?”

“I sent out a team of my finest agents to retrieve the second,” she replied. “But I must wait for the third and fourth to be available.”

“Agents?” Gloriosa asked. “I thought you were alone here?”

“Nope,” she replied. “I have a few highly trained field agents out in the city.”

“What’re they out for?”

“They’re retrieving combat data on each of the infected,” Krystrus replied. “By the way, I was told by my mentor that you were working on a project for yourself. ‘The Giger Project’ I believe it was called.”

Gloriosa was shocked. The Giger Project was the pinnacle of her planning. She wanted to combine the power and strength of the Black Plagueland monsters into her own body. She would be a god, but now it was over. Krystrus would now shut her down and end her dream of power. The desire to kill Krystrus and the other two superiors of Umbrella Yutani was now overwhelming her.

Krystrus seemed to read the worry and desperation in her face. “Don’t worry,” she said calmly. “I won’t try to stop your little project. I just wanted to make sure it was true. You see, Gloriosa,” Krystrus walked closer to her as she spoke. “You have the kind of ambition that makes you much more valuable than Discord ever was. I can’t afford to lose a valuable asset such as you.”

Gloriosa didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t trust Krystrus, and she knew Krystrus didn’t trust her, but there was a power to her words that intrigued Gloriosa. “What do you get out of this?” she finally asked.

“That isn’t important and it won’t affect you in any way,” she replied. “Think of this as a loose partnership. I get what I want and you get what you want.”

“And let me guess, what you want is my research?” Gloriosa asked.

“Oh I want much more than that,” Krystrus answered as she put her face close to Gloriosa’s face. She began walking away from Gloriosa and back to the entrance of the lab moments later. She stopped a few steps away from the exit. “Prepare the last of your experiments for departure, because as soon as I get the last two Chimeras, we’re leaving.”

“Why should I help you?” Gloriosa blurted out.

“Other than the fact that I’m your superior?” she asked with an edge to her voice. “How about the fact that I have Discord’s research too? You have no idea how important his findings are, but you could see for yourself if you agreed to share your own research.” Krystrus opened the door out of the lab and walked through them. “Oh and Daisy? Don’t be late. Canterlot will be cleansed soon whether you and your work stay here or not.” And with that she closed the lab doors.

“You feeling better?” Octavia asked.

“I think I’m getting my strength back,” I replied. “I’ll be able to take on the Chimera in no time.” Octavia and I were almost ready to fight the next Chimera, but before we could do that, we still needed to become allies with the Electro Squids that defected from the Chimera. They would be able to help us bring down the Chimera with less of a risk. The only issue that came to mind was that we had no way of talking to them. “How exactly are we going to get the Electro Squids to cooperate?”

“I have no idea,” Octavia replied. “I think we just have to hope they believe we’re on their side.”

“I hope we didn’t accidentally kill their men.”

“I honestly doubt they’ll care if we did or not,” Octavia replied. “They barely care about themselves let alone others.”

“Let’s get going,” I said. “So the next dip in the freeway will take us to the Chimera’s mansion?”

“Yeah,” Octavia replied. Octavia and I prepared all of our supplies and began walking forward. We walked for a few feet before we heard a familiar voice.

“Guys!” Twilight shouted. “Wait up!”

“This won’t end well,” I whispered.

Octavia didn’t speak. She looked like she was in deep in thought. “How did she finish so quickly?” she finally asked.

“Luck, Maybe.” I could see that Octavia wasn’t satisfied with my answer. “Just let it go. Don’t drive yourself crazy thinking about stuff like that.” Octavia exhaled loudly and shrugged.

“Wait!” Twilight called out again. It didn’t take him long to reach us. “Good thing I came when I did.”

“Did you take the people in the camp back to the police station?” Octavia asked.

“I didn’t have to,” Twilight replied. “I just told them where to go and they went.” Octavia looked at Twilight with an expression of disapproval, but Twilight was too full of herself to notice.

Octavia began walking forward. Twilight and I followed close. We walked through the freeway until we reached the last dip into the fog. Octavia disappeared with the use of her stealth skills as soon as we were fully covered by the fog. I didn’t know why I couldn’t see or hear her. She didn’t just become hard to find——— it was as if she stopped existing.

We continued following the freeway until we reached one of the exits that branched into the streets I knew the mansions were in. “Octavia, scout ahead and tell us what we should be worried about,” I said.

“Alright,” Octavia said from in front of me. Twilight and I continued forward. We each looked around the place carefully. I didn’t want to be taken by surprise again. This time, I listened and adjusted my movement with every sound. I could hear some faint traces of movement, but the Electro Squids were too far away to pose an immediate threat. I could hear some movement fairly close by. I began to wonder why so many of them were trying to hide in their own territory. I remembered their civil war they were having, but then I wondered why they were having a civil war in the first place.

The sudden sound of fighting caught Twilight and me off guard. We rushed to the battle ground, but it was silent when we got there. We found four bodies with stab wounds on them. It must have been Octavia because no one stabbed creatures and just left them behind like that. “Octavia are you there?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said from behind Twilight and me.

“Warn us next time you’re going to do something like that okay?” I asked. There was another sudden sound of fighting near us. “Goddamn it, Tavi.”

“What? I’m still here,” Octavia said defending herself.

“Then what was that noise?” I asked myself. It still sounded like the battle was going on. I could hear the sound of electricity being manifested and used as a weapon. Twilight and I rushed over to the scene, but were careful now to get in the middle of the crossfire.

“Don’t fight,” Octavia ordered. “Just watch.”

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“It’s because she wants to learn how they fight and see which ones are against the Chimera and which ones are its followers,” I answered. “Am I right?” Octavia nodded. I agreed with Octavia’s analytical approach towards the fight. I didn’t want to ask the wrong side for help, so this was a good way of finding out where the leader of the rebels was.

There were two groups of twenty one Electro Squids fighting each other. One side had the same dark electric blue eyes I had seen with the other kind of Electro Squids. The other group had a mix of pink, green, and gray colors. The free will group fought strategically while the dark electric blue-eyed Electro Squids fought with more savage maneuvers.

We hid in the cover of the fog as before. Neither group noticed us.

“Maybe we done need to get the rebels on our side anymore, Octavia said. “All we need to do is ride their distraction until we reach the mansion.”

“It sounds safer than talking to those lunatics,” I agreed. The three of us traveled in silence to the mansions of the town, JR didn’t take long to find the mansion we were looking for. It was the biggest and most expensive looking mansion I had ever seen. I didn’t know much about architecture so I wasn’t sure what to make of all the pillars, columns, and archways that held parts of the mansion. It was the size of a small hospital and must have just been as many rooms.

“That’s one amazing mansion,” Octavia said. “Look at all those pillars and archways. "It’s beautiful.” Octavia clearly loved the mansion. She seemed to study it carefully. I looked at the building and began looking for the only thing I cared about, an entrance.

I saw many guards around the mansion and knew that it would be difficult to pass without a distraction. Unfortunately, the rebel Electro Squids were too far away to provide a big enough distraction for us. I could only think of one way to lure the guards away from their post smother I could fight the Chimera alone. “Octavia, attack one of the Veltromites and lead them to the rebels,” I commanded. “That way I can fight the Chimera alone.”

“Alright," she said after a moment. Octavia didn’t sound happy about my plan, but I knew she couldn’t think of anything better. She wasn’t in any real danger. She was better with stealth than the Veltromites were, so she could slip by them if they became too much of a problem for her.

I was so busy justifying sending Octavia alone that I didn’t notice that she had already left. I heard the sound of clashing metal and then silence. I could hear the subtle movement become distant as Octavia led her followers away. “She works fast,” Twilight said in surprise.

“We have to work just as fast and clear a path for Octavia,” I said. Twilight and I ran forward as silently as possible. We weren’t as silent as Octavia or even the Electro Squids, but there were enough guards gone for us to go unnoticed.

I looked to the direction Octavia led the guards in. I couldn’t see anything through the fog. I began to wonder why the fog in this area wasn’t as thick as the fog in the outskirts of this Black Plagueland. I wasn’t even sure what the source of it was. It seemed too well placed to be just fog, and the Electro Squids seemed to be skilled in using it as cover. The odd thing was that even with the fog thinning, Octavia could still somehow blend herself completely into it.

Twilight and I walked to the front door, and to my surprise, it was open. We both slowly entered the mansion. I didn’t really look at the design or beauty of the inside of it, instead I began to look for the Chimera. There were five doors on the right side and five on the left. There was also a stairway that led to a second floor, and behind that was another door. I was sure the Chimera would be passed that door.

Twilight and I rushed over to the door in the back of they stairway. Twilight scanned the second floor and I decided to do the same. There were a few more doors in this room, but nothing else. I turned my attention back to the door and put my hand on the door handle. I turned back to look at the room one more time before I entered the next area. I opened the next door.

The room was as extraordinary as the entire house was, but the only thing that caught my eye was the woman in the middle of the room. She had long black hair and teal eyes behind thick glasses. She wore a dark blue shirt and a light blue skirt. She didn’t look like a threat, but I wasn’t going to let my guard down.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“You come into our home and ask who I am?” she asked annoyed but surprisingly calm given the circumstances.

“Are you the leader of the Electro Squids?” I asked her as matter-of-factly as I possibly could.

“No,” she answered. “What’s your business here?”

“We’re here to see the Electric Field’s Chimera,” I responded.

“Chimera?” she asked.

“A Chimera is a Xenomorph that goes through an abnormal evolution and gains an ability that can be passed down to everyone else it infects,” Twilight answered.

“Why would you want to see her?” she asked.

“Because we’re going to kill her,” Twilight said.

“Twilight, What the hell,” I whispered. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Look at her eyes Sunset, she isn’t under her control,” Twilight answered.

“You think I would sell out my mistress,” she answered.

I scowled at Twilight. “Then again maybe I should have asked whose side she was on,” Twilight said.

“You think?” I replied.

“Great, I guess we’ll do this the hard way then,” Twilight said with a smile on her face, but before we could do anything, the woman in front of us began to speak again.

“I will show you where our ‘Chimera’ is, but I am only doing this by her request.”

Twilight and I looked at each other. “She knows where we are?” I asked.

“No,” she replied, “she ordered me to escort anyone who managed to get into the mansion to her more specifically anyone who was looking for her.”

“Why? Does she have a death wish,” Twilight said with a devilish smile.

“No,” she answered, “but there’s no possible way you can kill her. And she’s actually expecting someone.”

Twilight and I followed the Chimera’s servant through th mansion until we reached another large door like the one at the entrance.

“Shes in there,” the Chimera’s servant said. “Do yourselves a favor and don’t go in.”

“We have to,” I said.

“If that’s how you feel,” she said as she turned her back on us and walked out the room.

“What do you think?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered, “I doubt Octavia is going to be with us anytime soon, so I guess there’s only thing we can do: go in and hope to God and we can win.”

“You took out two other Chimeras, this will be easy.”

“Yeah,” I replied, “but this time is different. This time I can’t use that alabaster aura. It’s too dangerous.”

“No risk, no reward,” Twilight simply said. I was now beggining to understand why Octavia was becoming uneasy around Twilight. Either she really didn’t have a clue how dangerous this was going to be, or she didn’t care. Either way, I had to be on my guard around her. Her solutions to most problems seemed to violence.

I opened the door and Twilight and I walked in. There she was, the Electric Fields’ Chimera. She stood in the middle of the room and didn’t even bother to look in our direction as we entered. I created a magma ball in my left hand and an ice ball in the other. The sounds of the newly created fire and still shifting ice seemed to get her attention. She finally looked towards me. “What do you want?” she asked.

“Your power,” I said.

“That’s something I’m not gonna give,” she said.

“I know. That’s why I’m going to take it from you,” I said.

“Oh I see now, so you’re the one who’s been killing the Black Plaguelands’ leaders? Well I’m not like the others. I’m smart. I know how to fight.”

“Is that why half of the Electro Squids are rebelling against you? Because you’re smart?” I asked insultingly.

“Actually, yes,” she answered. “The rebellious Electro Squids, as you call them, are useless. All they know and desire is to infect and destroy.”

“And what, you’re different?” I asked insultingly again.

“I don’t want to fight or rule. I just want to leave this place.”

“My God,” Twilight said annoyed,” can we just kill her and get it over with?”

“Fine,” I said halfheartedly. In truth, I didn’t know what to make of this Chimera. She wasn’t outwardly aggressive and didn’t become defensive until we threatened her. She didn’t seem to be all that bad, but I knew that there was no way to go about taking her powers without fighting her. I knew that Octavia would encourage me to do what needed to be done.

She whistled loudly. I could hear growling coming from two corners of the room behind her. Two massive gray dinosaur-like xeno-lizards emerged from the shadows. They each slowly walked to the Chimera’s side. They both seemed normal with the exception that they’re xenos and their massive size.

The Chimera looked at me and smiled. “They’re my pets,” she said gently as she caressed both of their heads.

“Great,” I whispered to Twilight. “I bet those things can use electricity too.”

“How do you figure?” Twilight asked.

“The last two Chimeras had animals that could use the Chimera’s abilities,” I answered. “So there’s a pretty good chance that it’s the same deal now.”

“How did you beat them?” Twilight asked.

“I didn’t,” I replied. “I just killed the Chimeras first. Distract the lizards so that I can get a shot at the Chimera.” There was no avoiding it; I would have to use my alabaster aura power again despite the risks. “Let’s go.”

I ran towards the Chimera, and two wolves countered me almost immediately. One moved to the front of me and formed a shroud or electricity around itself, while the other positioned itself behind me and charged towards me forming another electric shroud. I panicked and fired the magma ball at the wolf in front of me and the ice ball to the one behind me. The attack confused and disoriented both of the wolves long enough doe me to get away from danger.

Bang-Bang-Bang. Twilight began shooting the beasts, but the bullets didn’t seem to be affecting the duo. The Chimera walked to a chair near the end of the room. She sat down and looked towards us with mild interest. I tried to run towards her, but the lizards seemed to notice my change in direction and positioned themselves to counter me.

The lizards were faster and stronger than Twilight and I were. I didn’t understand why they didn’t just kill us and move on. That thought troubled me until I realized what was happening; they were toying with us. They were just playing with us, but not the way a dog would play with his master; it was more like a predator plays with its food.

I sighed heavily and began concentrating on using my ace in the hole. Twilight ran in my direction and began shooting the lizards to keep them away from me. It didn’t take long for me to begin to feel the energy flowing like the previous times I went into my celestial warrior trance. The power surged through me and I could begin to feel the thirst for power I had before. Suddenly, Twilight and pair of wolves began to slowly drift into the background. It felt like the only people in the room were the Chimera and me.

I ran towards her. She suddenly understood what was happening and began shooting bolts of electricity towards me. I easily dodged them and continued running towards her. I could feel the lizards still busy playing with Twilight. They were too far away to protect their master now. I was about twenty feet away now and ready to finish her. I extended my hand forward, ready to take all of her power.

I suddenly felt a swift strike to my side. I was sent soaring to my left by an undetected enemy. I tried to compose myself as quickly as possible. When I was back on my feet, I noticed that my alabaster aura had shut itself down.

“Octavia?!” The Chimera shouted in surprise.

“Octavia!” Twilight yelled in anger.

I looked towards the Chimera and saw Octavia in front of her as of she was protecting her. “Octavia? What the hell are you doing?” I asked in confusion. “That’s the Chimera.”

“I know,” Octavia replied.

“Then why did you stop me from getting her fucking power?!”

“Relax Sunset,” Octavia said. “Just calm down so we can get what we want without causing any unnecessary deaths.”

“What?” I asked. “What does it matter if she dies? She’s corrupted and a Chimera.”

“So?” Octavia asked. “What does that matter? She wants the same thing we want.”

“She can’t leave because the X.X.X. Plague will leave with her,” I responded.

“Discord thinks that he can keep it from spreading,” Octavia answered.

“Octavia,” the Chimera said, “I thought you were dead.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Octavia said halfheartedly.

“But Tavi,” she continued.

“We need to get Sunset the power to control electricity,” Octavia continued. “We’re going after the woman responsible for the infection.” The Chimera paused for a moment then nodded. “Come over here and I’ll walk you through it,” Octavia said to me. I walked towards Octavia and the Chimera. I wasn’t sure what to make of this at all. I was too tired to argue and I just decided to go along with it.

“I won’t die from this?” The Chimera asked suspiciously.

“Why would I’ve stopped Sunset from killing you if I just wanted to kill you now?” Octavia replied. “And besides, I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”

Octavia turned to me when I reached her. “What do I do?” I asked.

“Just touch her and I’ll do the rest,” she replied. I touched the Chimera’s shoulder. She looked nervous.

“Alright,” Octavia said. “I’ll start the process.” Suddenly, I felt my white aura return to me. My hands were completely covered in it, but it felt different. The white aura felt controlled and reserved. It didn’t fill me with the impulse to fight as it usually did. It moved independent from my command and began draining the Chimera. I saw her slowly begin to fade away. She looked like she was dying, but before I felt the last of her energy fade, the alabaster aura faded.

“You alright Moondancer?” Octavia asked.

“I’m fine,” she answered.

“How about you?” Octavia asked me. “Did you gain control over electricity?” I forced electricity to form above my hand. I dispersed it as fast as I could.

“It feels more like lightning in my hands than electricity,” I said.

“Good to hear.” Octavia turned to the Chimera Moondancer. “Moon I have a way for you to escape this place, but I need to take down the last Chimera before I can do that. Would you be willing to help me stop it and fight the woman responsible for all this?”

“You said you can stop us from spreading the X.X.X. Plague?” Moondancer asked. Octavia nodded. “Good, I’ll promise to help you if you promise that you’ll help cure my people,” she said.

Octavia looked at me for a moment. Discord might have a way to stop the spread, but he told us he was unable to cure it. We couldn’t promise her anything. Octavia held her gaze for a second longer then turned back to Moondancer. “Deal,” she lied.

Next Chapter: Chapter 14: Octavia’s Dark Past Revealed Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 56 Minutes