Though Morgana was able to discern many things, she was aware that she possessed several weaknesses. When the journey was finally completed and she beheld Yggdrasil- -or what Hoig had called “Yggdrasil”- -she became acutely aware of one of them. In her rush to reach the Cult of Humanity’s stronghold, she had not devoted thought to what Hoig had meant, or why the structure was described as an enormous tree- -or who had named it.

When she saw it, though, she understood- -and everything seemed to click into place. Far overhead, traveling through an incomprehensibly vast spherical room, she saw it for what it was: a massive, tree-like tower of metal, its pipes rising into the vast overhead space and spreading apart like the limbs of a great tree, feeding through the Depths and rising up into Bridgeport itself while the trunk extended deep into the ground, forming a massive and impenetrable tower.

“That’s an air handler,” said Morgna in awe. “That…why isn’t this on any of the maps?!”

Jane Doe shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

Morgana stared up at it. “Those pipes, this thing…it has to connect to everything in Bridgeport. Do they even know it’s here? That it’s still active?”

“What part of ‘hell if I know’ don’t you get?”

“I think I remember it,” said Forth. “Pipes…lots of pipes…”

“It’s how we get places,” said Jane Doe.

Morgana had already assumed that, but Jane Doe had confirmed it. This unnamed system was pumping air throughout all of Bridgeport, perhaps even making a substantial part of the lower levels actually habitable. It led to everywhere and to everything, reaching out through the forgotten partitions between levels and districts. That was how the Cult of Humanity moved so quickly.

“But who built it?” asked Lilium. “And when? I mean, SOMEBODY has to know it’s here. Unless they’re totally disorganized.”

“Nobody knows,” said Morgana. “And if I had to guess? It was put here when Bridgeport was still young. To power the lower levels when there were only two or three. It’s grown since then.”

“But why?”

“Why? Lilium, I think they built it. The Cult. Because they knew they were going to need it.”

“What utter shit,” said Jane Doe. “Probably true, but still utter shit. I’m not the one you want to talk to. I do the fun work.”

“Then who do I need to talk to?”

Jane Doe looked somewhat indignant. “You really expect me to remember their fucking names? Hell no. Talk to the Lyra. She’ll know. She’s the one who sent me. Thought you wouldn’t make it on your own.”

“We were good,” said Hoig.

“Confident for a guy who’s about to be my dinner, aren’t you?”

“Could shoot you.”

“No. Look.” Jane Doe pointed. Morgana saw little, but she noticed that there were numerous dark shadows nestedhigh in the branches of the air-handler, and in the supporting structures that surrounded it. All of them stared with vaguely orange eyes, all waiting to attack at a moment’s notice.

Hoig may or may not have seen them, but Lilium did. Her pace quickened, and Morgana took notice.

“There,” said Jane Doe, pointing to a large door. It was blank and nondescript, appearing exactly like an access point appropriate for a skyscraper-sized air processing unit. Lilium paused, as did the others, but Jane Doe did not hesitate. She entered the door and paused in the dark room beyond.

“Are you coming or not?” she asked. “Because if you’re not, I’ll give the ‘suggestion’ that they shoot you. The Cult wants you alive, but I don’t. I don’t like most of you that much.”

Morgana stepped forward, and Lilium followed her. “Then why don’t you?”

“Because only one of you is edible to me, and I’m going to eat him anyway.”

Morgana stepped into the dark area. Forth followed, as did Elrod and Hoig behind her. As soon as they had all entered, a door sprung up from the ground and sealed shut behind them.

Forth unfolded and pointed her weapons at Jane Doe. “It’s a trap!”

“What was your first clue?” Jane Doe raised her artificial hand and a framework of orange energy appeared around it. Forth cried out and shuddered as her body was forced back into its pony conformation, and her guns were hidden from use.

“Stop it,” snapped Morgana. “Both of you!”

“Testy. Someone’s in a hurry. Don’t worry. If that gets you, this next part should be fun.”

“Next part?” asked Lilium.

“Oh yeah. I hate this part.”

The room suddenly ignited with blinding light. Lilium screamed and fell to her knees as her program was distorted by the radiation that surrounded them. It burned into her surface, etching away her suit. Morgana’s hologram faded and vanished. The same occurred to the others as well, and all of them were put in extreme pain, save for Forth and Elrod as neither of them had a concept of it.

Then, as quickly as it started, the surge stopped. Jane Doe was left on her knees, her body smoking as she gasped for breath. A system of swear words escaped from her that were not comprehensible to human ears and likewise could not be spoken with a human tongue. Then she stood shakily.

“What…what was that,” said Lilium.

“Delousing.”

Suddenly, the door on the far side of the room opened. Light flooded into the airlock, although it was far less harsh than the light that had burned through it before. Lilium’s eyes took a moment to adjust. When they did, Morgana was able to see several figures silhouetted against the light.

“I do apologize,” said one of them, stepping forward. She was a Lyra unit, notable only in the fact that she bore a thin scar on her upper front leg. It had healed nicely, but it was still enough to distinguish her. She was the Lyra who had been present at the Bottlebrush Society party.

The Lyra smiled. “The decontamination cycle can be somewhat…harsh. But it is important. We can’t have radionuclides or unwanted pathogens in our workspace. I’m sure you understand.” She turned curtly and walked into the main building. “Please, come.”

The group did. As they entered, the door closed behind them, and the remainder of the figures who accompanied the scarred Lyra became visible. Three of them were Lyras that were, save for the scar, identical to the first. There were also two anthros, their rifles held at the ready.

“The journey must have been long,” said the main Lyra. “Please, have some food and water.” She motioned toward two of her Lyra compatriots who bore trays balanced on their backs. They brought food, which consisted entirely of freshly grilled meat. Neither Lilium nor Forth took any, and Hoig seemed highly hesitant. Elrod, though, gladly took a large piece and removed his helmet to eat it.

“Elrod,” said the Lyra, smiling. “You cannot conceive how deeply it saddens me to see you here.”

“Um…why?” said Elrod.

The Lyra sighed. “If you don’t already know, I can’t bear to break your heart.” She looked around, enumerating the guests. “Ah. Morgana? Where are you? I don’t have cybernetic eyes or an external connection. However, every room in this facility is equipped with complete high-resolution holographic projectors. Please feel free to use them.”

Morgana did so, materializing herself as a hologram beside Lilium. She found that, to her surprise, the system she was accessing was elegant but incredibly effective. Not only was she able to project a complete hologram with little graphical delay, but she was able to perceive the room around her completely without the use of Lilium’s eyes.

“There you are. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

“What is the thing people used to say? ‘You have me at a disadvantage’?”

The Lyra looked confused for a moment, and then smiled. “Oh. Of course. I should probably expect literary anachronism from a Twilight Sparkle, shouldn’t I? I’m afraid your disadvantage will need to remain. I have no name. But you can call me Lyra, if you like.”

“I’d rather have a real name.”

“Of course you would. But I don’t intend to give you one. You are guests here, and I intend to be a good host- -but remember that. You are GUESTS.”

“You were the one who summoned us here.”

“Not me personally, no. Me in general? Yes. We would have liked it to be easier, but I suppose it only matters that you actually did arrive.”

“Why?” asked Lilium. “Why us? And why here?”

Lyra stared at her for a moment, and then turned around. “Walk with me. Elrod may walk behind, if he likes, as I have a very well-formed rump.”

Morgana did as was suggested, and she fell into step with Lyra. Lilium did as well, remaining near the front, while Jane Doe retreated to the back with the anthro guards. Elrod, Forth, and Hoig were left somewhere in between while the other Lyras had departed completely. The group proceeded down a long, curving hallway that did not look at all what the inside of an industrial air purification system should have looked like. Everything was stark but pleasant and filled with bright, soft light that did not seem to come from any distinct source. To Morgana, it looked more like the inside of a scientific laboratory.

“So,” said Lyra. “As I understand it, Morgana, you are a detective.”

“I am.”

“Excellent. We can start with what you know, then. Or what you think you know, if you only have that.”

“That’s something I’ve been wanting to know too,” said Lilium.

Morgana did not hesitate or pause. “I know that your body is a biological construct. And those other three, they were as well.”

“A biological construct?” asked Lilium, clearly confused.

Morgana nodded. “A being made piecemeal from artificially produced biological components. When you were hit at the party, you bled. And look.” Morgana pointed to the scar. “That isn’t sculpted. That’s skin. Real, living skin.” Morgana looked forward. “You’ve clearly been taking your time building it, too. The blood at Hexel’s apartment. That was yours, wasn’t it? From when he tried to fight back.”

Lyra nodded. “It was my blood. But fighting? No, it’s much more mundane than that. Your friend was far more civil than you take him for. We sat down to tea and spoke.”

“Then the blood?”

“If you would believe it, I dropped a teacup and cut myself. I am a bit clumsy.” Lyra signed. “It’s sometimes a burden not having any hands…”

Lilium spoke. “But Elrod analyzed the blood. He said it couldn’t be from a living thing.”

“I did say that!” called Elrod.

“Which is correct. It was grown from synthetic marrow. None of my parts have the same or complete genomes. They are produced individually.”

“P…parts?”

Lyra smiled. “I’m not unlike a real human. Morgana is correct. I am a construct. This is real hair, real skin. These eyes are real, as are my muscles. I have a heart, a liver, a lung, a kidney. Of course I’m not entirely biological either. A substantial portion of my body is machine. My bones, nervous system…it’s necessary to maintain the tissues.”

“But not all your nervous system. Part of you isn’t synthetic.”

“Oh?”

Morgana looked into Lyra’s genetically engineered orange eyes. “Growing skin? Hair? Blood? Even a liver or a heart, that’s easy. Growing a brain in culture is impossible.”

Lyra smiled broadly, revealing perfect dentistry that no doubt included a number of living, organic teeth. “Then you know that too. Excellent.”

“It’s why you needed natural-borns. Blank slates. No cybernetics to get in the way. No transgenic to contaminate the procedure. Am I right?”

“I don’t understand,” said Lilium. “Morgana, what are you implying?”

“I’m implying that she’s not a pony at all. She’s human.”

Lyra seemed both taken aback but also tremendously pleased. She paused for a moment to regain her composure. “Well,” she said. “I could not be paid a higher compliment. And yes. My brain is, in fact, human. It was harvested, reprogrammed, and grafted into this body. Such is the case with all of us.”

“All of you?”

Lyra pointed forward as a small group of Lyras in pony-size lab coats emerged from one of the branching hallways. They smiled and nodded and passed between the group and the wall, heading on their way. Lilium watched them go, clearly horrified.

“How many?” asked Morgana.

“That number is classified, at the moment. Let’s leave it as a lot, but never enough. Although, Morgana, I have to admit. I am curious as to how you discern my nature.”

“I don’t give a damn about your nature specifically. But all this work harvesting natural-borns? Containing them, bringing them out of hiding- -picking out only the most perfect, free of disease or alteration. And then taking only the heads. You had to be using them for something.”

“So it was that obvious, then?”

“It was. But it was what Elrod found that really tipped me off. A pony that bled, and that left behind a cybernetic connector unlike any even I had ever seen before. One that you sent your non-human pony soldiers to terminate.”

Hoig had been listening, and he suddenly realized the implications of what Morgana was saying. He rushed forward, pushing past Elrod and Forth. “YOU!” he cried, his pig-eyes narrowing as he moved. He suddenly stood beside Lyra, towering over her. “The one shot, that one- -you did this to Jen-fer! To DAUGHTER!”

Lyra’s expression fell, but she did not take her eyes off Hoig. “Yes.”

“What you saw,” said Hoig, facing Morgana. “Horse killed…horse with…with her brain…made dead- -” He suddenly roared wordlessly in despair, grabbing at his head with both hands. “D- -Daughter! Jen-fer! Why? WHY?”

“Hoig,” said Lyra, the sternness of her voice seeming to freeze the room. “There’s nothing worse than seeing a Delver cry. Your view of what happened is incomplete. I happen to know something that you do not, that will make it a little bit more…tolerable.”

“What…makes this…tolerable…”

Lyra smiled. “Natural-born human brains are precious. Unbelievably so. Only a small percentage are acceptable in quality alone, and even then, many fail to survive the reprogramming. As such, we strive very, very hard to maximize them.”

“What are you saying?” asked Lilium.

“I am saying that we let nothing go to waste. Morgana, are you aware that the human brain can still function even if exactly one half of it is removed?”

Morgana’s eyes widened. “You goddamn bitch…”

“Not the way I would put it,” laughed Lyra. “But you seem to understand, at least.” She turned to Hoig. “Your daughter, Jennifer, was a perfect specimen. The Cult could not bear to waste her brain. So we sectioned it. The pony that Elrod was unfortunate enough to witness being eliminated was her right half. I am the left.”

Hoig’s eyes widened. “Jen…Jen-fer?”

“That’s right. I’m her. Hello, dad.”

Hoig dropped to his knees. “You…how do…how can know?”

“I have her memories. I remember that when I was five, you suddenly stopped eating. Claiming you weren’t hungry anymore, or that you were trying to lose weight, or too busy at work to eat. I started to get scared that you weren’t eating because we didn’t have enough money, and I tried to eat less too. Then on my birthday, you came home with a used bicycle. Like the ones in the old pictures.”

Tears fell from Hoig’s eyes. “Jen…fer…”

“And not a week later, Jeremy Sont from down the street stole it. You chased him three blocks, screaming at him the whole way. You didn’t catch him, though, and you came back looking so sad. It was okay, though. I cried, but only because you were so sad. I didn’t give a shit about the bike. But then the next day? You came in with oneyou tried to make.” Lyra laughed. “The tires weren’t even round, but I was even more happy than when you gave me the real one. I will never forget that, dad. Not ever.”

Hoig burst out crying. As he wept, he wrapped his arms around Lyra and hugged her tight. “Jen-fer! Thought- -though lost you! That failed! But here…here you are! Am sorry! Sorry didn’t look! Please forgive! I love you! Always know that!”

Tears welled in Lyra’s eyes as well. “I love you too, dad. Thank you for everything. I’m just sorry it had to be that way.”

“Don’t be sorry. Live your life. Know Hoig was proud.”

“I do, Dad. I will. And I will always remember.” Lyra looked over her shoulder and nodded to one of the anthro units. It sighed and nodded back. Then, with one swift motion, it brought its hand down, severing Hoig’s cervical spine in one swift motion. Her closed his eyes and gasped, but then fell onto the floor.

Lyra turned away and wiped the tears from her eyes as though nothing had happened. She raised one hoof as she did, and Jane Doe smiled gleefully at the signal. Before Hoig’s body had even stopped twitching, she descended onto it, tearing away chunks of his face with her teeth.

Lilium watched in absolute horror. “But- -but- -”

“Lilium, was it? Do you know why I ordered my sister be terminated?”

Lilium did not answer. She just shook her head.

“It was because her mind did not accept the reprogramming. It’s a critical part of our personality. To understand who we are, and what our purpose is. What we mean to the Cult, and what it means to us. The process is not that much different from how humans are trained in birthing tanks, although infinitely more subtle. Yet, somehow, it still remains…unpredictable.”

“And she escaped through the ventilation system,” said Morgana.

Lyra nodded. “She did. I dispatched two of our soldiers to retrieve her. They succeeded.” She looked over her shoulder to where Elrod was watching Hoig be devoured with complete indifference. “But Mr. Jameson was unfortunate enough to witness the termination. My soldiers attempted to remove the witness.”

“But you weren’t expecting to be fighting an agromorph.”

“No. And frankly we were not sure how to respond. Who was he, what was he doing there? We pulled back. Perhaps an error on my part. We tried to cover our presence by finding alternative ways to eliminate him.”

“The technomancer.”

“Who we anonymously tipped to his location, being fully aware that the majority of males of his species do, in fact, resemble the late young Bronislav Spitzer.”

“And when I got involved?”

“We tried to demonstrate his nature without giving ourselves away. Of course, that inevitably failed.”

Lyra sighed, and began walking again. The guards stepped over Hoig’s body, leaving Jane Doe alone with it.

“I kept digging,” said Morgana. “At least until suddenly the whole world turned to shit and every single Corporation in North America decided to try to off me.” Morgana paused for a moment. “That’s what I thought you were, at first. Part of the Corporations. Maybe a special project of some kind. Except that they want me dead, and you’ve had every opportunity to kill me…and you haven’t.”

“And the party,” said Lilium.

“Exactly. You slaughtered the heirs of several major subvassals as well as critical management. Why?”

Lyra frowned, and then sighed. She turned toward one of the walls and waved her hoof. The apparently metal surface of the wall lifted up and shifted as though it were unfolding, spreading outward and propagating until what had seemed to be solid and opaque was replace with thin, transparent glass.

Morgana looked through. A large room sat on the other side, and it was filled with a number of tables and pieces of well-maintained equipment. Ponies were sitting at the tables. Many of them were Lyras, either ones that were biological in nature or ones that were clearly ordinary ponies. With them, though, sat different ponies. They were in general white; their proper color had not yet grown in, nor had their horns. A few of them were old enough to begin to show teal highlights in their manes and tails, while others were beginning to show just the faintest blush of green-blue in their coats. They sat with the older ponies, apparently learning how to use their bodies.

“Look at them,” said Lyra. “Aren’t they beautiful? Just brought into the world. The eldest of them are only two weeks old. They weren’t even born when all of this started.”

“You’re evading my question.”

“No. I’m providing visual aid. Look at them. Do you think making them was easy? Each one is a priceless being. Their cost cannot be measured. But we do spend money. Each one costs an inconceivably high amount of vod. So…we made a proverbial deal with the devil.”

“With the Corporations.”

“It has not been the first time. Our history stretches back far. To before ponies, even. But this was the closest we came in recent memory. They would provide us with resources, and we would share our technology.”

“Technology? They’re leading Corporations. Their technology is the best in the world.”

“Is it? Don’t be an idiot. Look at who- -at WHAT- -you are talking to. Our development has been long and uninterrupted. Granted, we are lacking in some areas, but what we do have is far beyond what can be found in this world. Look.” Lyra pointed through the window. As Morgana watched, one of the horns of a more complete Lyra unit erupted with orange light. An orange disk of energy traced itself around a rubber ball in front of her, and her eyes lit up as she lifted it into the air.

Lilium’s eyes grew equally as wide. “Magic!”

“In a sense. The Corporations of the world paid dearly for what we could offer. Just look at your friend.” Forth stepped forward. “This body? We built it. But we did not design it. High Point did. A prototype, built from schematics of our anthro-type bodies. I honestly doubt they will ever sell it, of course. Too expensive. But who knows. In ten years, armies of these could be marching across battlefields across the planet.”

“I think I would like that,” said Forth.

“I wouldn’t,” said Lilium. “You just let them have that? That technology? And they made weapons?”

“Of course. It’s only human nature.”

“Then why turn against them?” asked Morgana.

Lyra paused for a long moment. Then she turned suddenly toward Morgana. “Because that was the predicted outcome of the whole thing. The Corporations became too overbearing, treating us as little more than a research and development department. A thing meant to serve them instead of your own goals.”

“And you resisted.”

“Not at first. We were not quite in a position to. I’m sure you’ve wondered, haven’t you?”

“Wondered what?”

“Why you are still alive.”

Morgana shrugged. “I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.”

“Because you proved to be unbelievably valuable to us. When the Corporations sensed you investigating, they overreacted. Badly. Hence the unfortunate bounty on your head. We never ordered that. In fact, we used it to justify yourselves.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” said Lilium.

“Doesn’t it? If we had outright rejected them, their response would have been unanimous and swift. But if we had justification? Their boards of directors were split. They couldn’t decide if they wanted to appease us or slaughter us. Add to that the confusion and expense of trying to track you down. It gave us the distraction we needed to strike.”

“You were keeping me alive,” said Morgana. “I was the fulcrum.”

“Indeed you were. We could not have made the necessary preparations without your help. The Corporations doing everything in their power to take control- -and to kill you- -and us slipping through their fingers like sand as they tightened their grips. Poetic, don’t you think?”

“A lot of people got hurt because of you.”

“Yes. But ask yourself: do you really care? I already know the answer. You don’t.”

“But I do,” said Lilium.

“Really. Well, then you can take consolation that you have made sacrifices for a good cause.”

“Oh really?”

Lyra smiled and nodded. “Come with me. Let me show you the future you helped create.”

Morgana slowly descended down a long, sloping, curved hallway beside Lyra. This hallway was neat and orderly, and more ponies were visible walking quickly about at various tasks. They seemed to be in a hurry, although otherwise in good spirits. All of they were Lyra units, and most were organic.

Windows were visible on both sides of the hallway. To the left, Morgana was able to see large windows that led into various laboratories holding bizarre equipment of various strange types. Had she more time, Morgana might have been able to discern what any of it was for, but they moved briskly past. In addition, much of the equipment was being packed away and removed, with only the heaviest or least valuable pieces left behind.

On the right, a large central room was visible. This part of the hallway, it seemed, curved downward around a large cylindrical courtyard. It was filled with bright light and, of all things, trees. A few benches were present, but they were not in use. The many Lyras that might once have taken their lunches there or read books under the bright artificial light were now busy elsewhere.

“Do you like it?” asked Lyra. “The light is perfectly matched to be the same intensity and spectrum as natural sunlight. It helps our bodies form the proper amount of vitamin D. Most of our bones are artificial, but it’s important to keep the few natural ones we do have nice and strong.”

“It’s too bright for me,” complained Elrod. He squinted against the light. “I don’t like it.”

Morgana ignored him. She instead looked out through the window and into the courtyard. “This place isn’t really an air handling facility at all, is it?”

“Oh, it is,” said Lyra. “It’s just that the actual filtration and processing unit fits into a single medium-sized room.”

“For an entire city?”

“No, just part of it. And as I’ve said: our technology is vastly superior to all others. When we do turn off the air supply, I’m sure there will be some substantial consequences.”

“Wait,” said Lilium. “What do you mean ‘turn it off’?”

“That isn’t important,” interrupted Morgana. “I’m more interested how this place even exists without anyone in Aetna-Cross knowing about it.”

“Aetna-Cross did not built Bridgeport. They just inhabit it. If you were to have access to our records of the last two thousand years, you would find that there are a lot of things missing from mainstream history that we still remember.”

“Because others forgot, or because of forcible omission?”

Lyra smiled slyly. “From their perspective, there isn’t a difference, is there?”

The air beside Morgana distorted as a second hologram ignited into existence. Her form rendered in seconds: a unicorn pony slightly shorter than Morgana with a fuzzy white mane that matched her otherwise colorless body. She emerged already walking, and Lyra- -like Morgana- -recognized her immediately.

“Ah, Dr. van der Kriegstein. I’m glad that you could make it. I had been informed that you were indisposed.”

The War Stone smiled. She had neither teeth nor gums, and her smile held no joy. “‘Indisposed’. Do you have any idea what they did to me? They built an inescapable prison. Seven thousand four hundred and fifty two Divers linked in unison, plus a system that they spent the better part of the last thirty years preparing. All for me.”

“And how long did it take you to break out?” asked Morgana.

Josephine looked up suddenly, her white eyes growing wide. She had apparently not bothered to realize that Morgana was present, or even more likely had not recognized her outside of the virtual world. “You,” she said. Her eyes darted to Lilium. “And you. You’re both here. And less dead than I expected you to be.”

“It’s not so prosaic,” sighed Morgana. “I’m out a body.”

“Is that supposed to be funny? Welcome to my every waking minute. And I spent EVERY minute awake. Not fun, is it?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“About thirty seven minutes. Which is incredibly impressive. I spent most of that time just admiring their work. Ugly as hell but remarkably annoying.”

“You’ve been gone a lot longer than thirty seven minutes,” noted Lyra.

“Of course. I needed some time. To deal with loose ends.”

Lilium frowned and slowed her pace. “What…what did you do?”

“I slaughtered the Divers.” Josephine spoke without hesitation or remorse. “I made it as painful as possible. Divers can’t wake up when the torture starts, after all, and their brains can handle time extension surprisingly well. Then I tracked down everyone who worked on the prison, and I forced them to drive sharpened pencils through their own ovaries.”

“What about the men?” asked Lyra, seeming mildly interested.

“The what?”

“Surely the programmers weren’t all women. What did you do with the men?”

“Oh.” Josephine waved dismissively. “I had them drive pencils through their wives’ ovaries. Or daughters, or mothers, I don’t know. Whatever women were nearby at the time. Strangers for all I goddamn care.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“You made sure they won’t bother our work, didn’t you?”

“Meaning?”

“She wants to know if you killed them,” said Morgana. Lyra smiled, quite pleased that she could be so easily understood.

“Oh no. They challenged a god. Death is too good for them. I burnt away their sanity. I tore apart six technology Corporations and salted the earth below them. You’ll find the liquidated funds in your accounts. I have no need for mortal money.”

“Excellent,” said Lyra. “That solves more than one problem. Your work is impeccable as always, Herr Doctor.”

“I’m Dutch, not German. And of course my work is goddamn impeccable.”

“Sure you are, Oorlogssteen,” said Morgana sarcastically.

Josephine glared. “And why exactly are you here, anyway?”

“Because we wanted her here,” said Lyra, firmly. “I was just on the way to show her some of your work.”

Josephine suddenly smiled. “You mean my real work? Not this phony programming shit?”

“Of course. You are an incredible asset. We could not have come this far so quickly without you. I think they will like it.”

Josephine continued to smile, seeming quite pleased with herself. She fell in line beside Morgana and, despite her small size, nearly pranced along with them.

Then they came to the room. Unlike the rest of the facility, it was kept in near-darkness, lit only by intense but tiny lights that lined the surface overhead, forming something that almost looked like a sea of stars that cast diffuse, soft light. Despite the dimness, Morgana could see perfectly. She had no eyes, and whatever allowed her to perceive the world did not require light to operate.

Several key lights increased intensity as Lyra led the way into the room, illuminating her path. The room was long, consisting of a central pathway that was lined on either side by rows of large, semi-cylindrical pieces of equipment. This one hallway branched at points, connecting to others that were similar save for the fact that they curved away into darkness.

The room was not empty. Several Lyras in heavy protectives suits were inspecting the equipment, taking readings and making adjustments as necessary. When Lyra entered, they turned to her and nodded, departing past the group as it entered. The two pony Lyra’s who served as guards waited until they had passed and then folded themselves, resuming the form of ponies instead of anthros. Morgana was not sure why, but it almost seemed to be out of respect.

“I…I don’t like this,” said Elrod, suddenly stopping. “Something isn’t right here.”

“Nerves, probably,” said Forth. “It seems fine to me. Look, stars!”

Lyra chuckled and spoke softly. “We believe it helps keep them calm.”

Morgana’s gaze hardened. “Keeps WHAT calm?”

Lyra did not answer immediately, but rather walked slowly down the central hallway. “We have worked continuously for centuries. You are aware of that. We saw Elrod’s analysis of our genetics, and yes. He is correct. However, we have reached the limits of what can be accomplished by conversion. I am proud to be one of the last of my generation. I am so grateful for what the Cult gave me, but…I am still incomplete.”

She lifted her hoof and tapped the front of one of the large machines before her. The metallic surface lifted like a sea of scales and peeled back, disintegrating as it retracted, revealing a diamond tank beneath. The same occurred on the remainder of the units lining the room. Each was a tank, all of them filled with a luminescent amber fluid. The fluid itself had begun to crystalize, the nanotechnology within it assembling thin wisps of machinery lines that spread and branched from the walls of the containers into a thin network, all converging on the objects in the center of each tank.

Lilium looked into the center, and she gasped and nearly cried out when she saw what sat in the center. Morgana had already seen them, and understood instantly. In the center of each tank was a tiny, perfect fetus- -not human, but pony.

“These- -these- -”

“These are the future of Humanity,” said Lyra, gently placing her soft, organic hoof on the glass in front of the tiny foal inside. “A new race of humans. Not limited by construction or conversation. One that doesn’t need us to harvest human brains. They will be born alive and complete, as will their children.”

“This is insane,” whispered Lilium. “You…you can’t…”

“We have. These are my children. Our children. Our future. This will be the first generation. Save for the prototype…”

Her eyes tilted toward, and Morgana followed her gaze. On the edge of the room, Josephine was standing in front of one specific tank. The pony inside it was nearly its complete adult size, but quite clearly not a Lyra unit. Her mane was fuzzy and soft where it had started to grow in, although little of it was visible. The rear of that pony’s head had been removed, and a cybernetic system built around a single blue-red crystal had replaced her brain. Josephine could not take her eyes off that one pony, and she could not stop smiling viciously.

“Why?” asked Morgana, suddenly. “Why go through this? What’s the point?”

“It’s in our name. You should know that. Especially if you actually talked to Elrod. We are the Cult of Humanity. Our purpose is to safeguard the human race.”

“By building living ponies?”

“By building better humans.”

“But then what happens to the old ones?”

Lyra’s expression fell somewhat, and she lifted her hoof to the tanks. The coating that protected the infants from light restored itself, much to Josephine’s disappointment. Lyra began walking toward the end of the hallway where there were no more tanks and no more lights, allowing Morgana to follow her in the process.

“That’s something of a problem. And a sad one. The older aspects of Humanity will need to be replaced with new ones. We will orchestrate that effect. You do not need to concern yourself with it.”

“Yes, I do. Because I know what you’re referring to. And it DOES concern me.”

“Really?” Lyra looked over her shoulder. “That is the first thing you’ve said that has surprised me, I think. I did not take you for one who cared about humans so deeply.”

“Damn the humans. You’re going to burn the world. The world I live in.”

Lilium gasped, clearly understanding what Morgana already knew. “You can’t!” she cried.

“We have already started. There will be war, and plague, and strife. Engineered carefully to excise the failures of the human population. Controlled and shepherded by us, Humanity’s guardians.”

“But that’s a paradox! You can’t protect humans and destroy them!”

“Why not?”

“Because all that death- -”

“Lilium. Do you know Philomena?”

Lilium blinked. “You mean…Celestia’s bird? The phoenix?”

“Yes. Consider it an admittedly trite metaphor.Humanity is old, ugly, and sick. It will burn, and from its ashes, new humans will rise. Our humans. Perfect humans.”

“We won’t let you!”

“Really?”

“More to the point,” said Morgana, “do you really think you can contain that much chaos?”

“Destruction does not necessarily arise from chaos. I assure you, from our perspective, the fall of the governments and Corporations will be quite orderly. Look at what we’ve already accomplished in Bridgeport with barely any difficulty. How long do you think it will take before the gangs tear it apart entirely, or Aetna-Cross burns itself up trying to stop them?”

“You turned on the Corporations. I’m guessing that was always your intention.”

“Not all the Corporations, Morgana.”

Lyra smiled, and as she did, a hulking figure emerged from the darkness, its body seeming to materialize from nothing. Morgana immediately recognized what it was. She saw the spines and armor of transgenic bone that lined its upper shoulders, and saw the three sets of arms with extra joints that each terminated in long claws. On its face, it wore a mask that gurgled slowly as it breathed a contained liquid atmosphere through its gills. It stared down through many lenses with unblinking eyes, and though it was not human- -not anymore- -it still wore complex and strange armor etched with familiar script.

“A Micronesian,” said Morgana. “You’ve allied yourself with MHI.”

“Among others, yes.”

As she spoke, Jane Doe emerged from the darkness behind them. Her abdomen was hideously distended, and her entire body was covered in blood. Somehow, though, she still managed to look hungry. Her position beside the two Lyra-guards had boxed the rest of them in: Elrod, Forth, Lilium, and now the War Stone herself, standing to one side and watching with amusement.

“So,” said Morgana. “What is it you want?”

“Firstly, I’d like to apologize. As much of annoyance as you are, you never asked to be put in the middle of all this. And yet here you are. But I can help.”

“By…?”

“Your friend, Roxanne. Are you aware that she is not dead?”

Lilium gasped. “Roxy is alive?!”

Lyra nodded. “Indeed, she is. As is the centaur Valla. Even Lynnette O’Toole. She was stronger than we expected. The virus we implanted in her did not fully overtake her mind. Our programmers believe she can be cured, with only moderate lasting psychological trauma.”

“And the others?”

The Micronesian held out one arm, holding a case made of transparent plastic. Two objects were visible suspended inside: both of them were the central brains of ponies, removed expertly and perfectly preserved in an inactive state.

“Hexel and Jillian. I succeeded in preserving them. You will find their bodies in a storage unit in Essex if you care to have them repaired. And in the current state of things, I do believe the lieutenant is due for a promotion.” Lyra paused. “However, that is all I could save. Your barkeep friends did not survive.” Lilium’s expression fell, but Morgana’s remained the same. She did not care terribly much. Lyra continued: “in addition, several plans are about to converge. The intricacies of it are complex, but the gist is that the bounty on your head is about to disappear. You will be a free pony-woman, allowed to go back to your ordinary life.”

“You…you can do that?” asked Lilium.

Lyra smiled and nodded. “We also would like to present you with a gift.”

The Micronesian made a strange motion with one of his many-fingered hands. Many feet skittered in the darkness behind him, and several bizarre creatures emerged. They were strange, distorted hybrids of technology and flesh, likely that had been derived from some animal that had undergone the same sort of controlled mutation that the Micronesian himself had. These asymmetrical crab-things pulled an object into the foreground and set it beside Lyra.

They grasped it with their many small hands and peeled away the fleshy surface. It made a sickening sound as the wrapping was removed, but it came away cleanly without residue. In a matter of seconds, they retreated to the lightless shadows. Left in their wake was the skinless body of a pony.

It stood, but did not move. Morgana stared at it, awe-struck for the first time since she had entered the Depths. Its body consisted of wires of black synthetic muscle that merged with thick, flexible surface armor covered in pores and polychromatic plates. Though it had a face roughly in the shape of a unicorn, it had no eyes; rather, the spaces where both of them would be present were connected by a single opaque gray visor-plate that curved across the face to fill both eye sockets. The mouth had no cheeks, and was open in a silent and horrifying roar. All of the teeth were needle-like and pointed.

“This is a MHI prototype unit,” explained Lyra. “Created by a shared venture between us. It is the only one of its kind, and the most advanced of its kind. Ever. It is far stronger and more durable than the one you possessed previously, and the central processor consists of an admittedly smaller type of the one we are using for Josephine’s body. It is over eight hundred thousand times faster than any on the market, even in Micronesia. And it comes with a class VII uplink default.”

“Is that even possible?”

Lyra nodded. “This body currently contains your friend’s core processes.” She pointed to Forth. “It has since we rebuilt her. Your body was destroyed because of oversight on our part. We would like you to have this one now, as a replacement.”

Morgana stared at the body. Lilium whispered to her. Morgana did not need to hear what she said to know what it meant. “And why?” She looked up at Lyra. “Why do all this? Why give me all this? Why don’t you just kill me, here and now?”

Lilium’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Morgana to react by offering a suggestion like that. Lyra, though, barely paused.

“Because we do not want you dead. The Corporations do, of course. And we oppose them. If you were allowed to perish, it would be a victory for them, over us. And we cannot allow that.”

“So this is all for the sake of a pointless gesture?”

“No. The gesture is secondary. The true reason is so obvious I did not bother stating it.”

“Well, consider me an idiot. Enlighten me.”

“You’re a Twilight unit, aren’t you? The Princess of Friendship. And that’s exactly what we want. We want you to be our friend. And we can’t do that if we let you suffer for our mistakes.”

Morgana grimaced. “Ah. I see.”

“Morgana?” said Lilium, confused.

“You’ve had this conversation many, many times,” said Lyra, stepping forward toward Morgana. “Our work is not done. Not by far. There is still so much to do.”

“What are you saying?” asked Lilium.

“It’s the same deal I had with Maurice,” sighed Morgana. “And others…”

Lyra nodded. “A true friend of the Cult of Humanity- -and of myself, Lyra Heartstrings- -would help us in the same way we want to help you. When chains of investigation lead to our work, you turn them away. Lead them elsewhere. When dangers present themselves to your keen eyes, you can warn us. And when we ask for help…you help us in the same way we are willing to help you.”

“You just talked about genocide,” spat Lilium. “You’re asking us to be complacent in that!”

“No,” snapped Lyra. “I am asking HER. And complacency might not be enough. There might come a time when lines are drawn, and sides are chosen. And I want to be sure that I can count on my friends standing alongside me.”

“That’s insane! Morgana, she’s asking you to sell your soul!”

“I accept,” said Morgana, calmly and without hesitation.

Lilium’s eyes widened. “Morgana, you can’t- -”

“You want to see Roxanne again, don’t you?”

“I- -of course I do- -”

“And now you will. This isn’t the first time I’ve made this deal, Lilium. She’s right about that. There’s a reason Roxanne hates me. Because this? I don’t care. The case is solved. It’s over. And I come out on top.”

“But- -but you can’t! It’s not right!”

Morgana turned her holographic head and stared into Lilium’s eyes. “Right and wrong don’t concern me. They never have. I’m just not that selfless, Lilium. You always knew that. Now stop being a little shit and let me make my own choices.”

Lilium gaped, not knowing what to say. Lyra’s smile grew somewhat more sadistic as she looked at Lilium, clearly enjoying her confusion. Then she turned back to the Micronesian and took her place beside it. “Then it is settled. We will vanish from Bridgeport and go elsewhere. For all I know, you may never see us again.”

“I doubt that,” said Morgana.

“As do I, in all honesty. But you will not be able to find us gain. We will take what is valuable and detonate this facility and everything in it we can no longer use.” She paused, and her expression grew stern. “However. Before we progress, there is something else I very unfortunately have to deal with.”

“What?”

Lyra stared past Morgana, and her eyes met Elrod’s. “You,” she said.

“M…me?”

“I warned you. I tried to warn you. At great personal risk to myself, mind you. Because I found you innocence endearing and your story almost romantic in a classical sense. An outsider fleeing from persecution, from the destruction of his people, only to live a quiet, humble life. I wish it could have ended differently. But you didn’t listen.”

“L…Lyra, I don’t understand!”

“If you had stayed away from this, I could have avoided dealing with you. Ignored you. But you came here, following HER. Now I have to deal with you.” Elrod’s eyes went wide. Lyra sighed. “Our other principle partner has their own plans for the world, plans that are startlingly similar to our own. Ones that may lead to war in time, or not. But that’s the far future at the ends of our respective paths.”

“Monsanto,” said Elrod. He shook his head. “It doesn’t have to do with me. I’m not them. I’m not like them.”

“That doesn’t matter, does it? Because if you were to be discovered, it would derail everything they’ve planned. You’re outside their influence. And because of that, you have to die.”

Elrod’s expression suddenly became curiously blank. He rotated his head slowly, first looking at Forth longingly but seeing nothing but empty blue eyes staring back. Then he looked to Lilium pleadingly.

“…that is,” said Lyra, “unless someone would like to attempt to stop me?” She looked to Morgana, and Morgana turned to Elrod. Her face was impassive and her eyes dead.

“Morgana,” said Elrod. “Please…”

“The case is over, Elrod. I don’t need you anymore.”

Lyra smiled. “Excellent. Forth?”

One of Forth’s arms unfolded and she did not hesitate to fire a single bullet into Elrod’s back. Elrod’s eyes went wide, and he took a step forward as herbicide the bullet contained began to course through his body. He took a step and shuddered, then dropped to his knees as the connection to his lower legs disintegrated.

“ELROD!” cried Lilium, rushing to his side. She grabbed ahold of him, steadying him, but there was nothing she could do. The dose was already far above what was lethal for an agromorph; the would was lethal.

Elrod, though, did not show any signs of fear or pain. He did not even look confused. Only sad. He looked up, and his eyes met Morgana’s as his neck began to necrotize. “I was kind,” he said, his voice garbling as dark, fetid fluid dripped down his lips. “I did not breed. I did not hunt. I only wanted to live. But I am not the last. Monsanto failed. Below the fields of the Middle West, my kind wait, sleeping. Countless millions.”

“Elrod, don’t talk,” said Lilium. “It’s going to be okay, I- -I- -” She suddenly screamed to everyone else in the room. “WON’T SOMEPONY GODDAMN HELP HIM?!”

No one moved. Elrod leaned forward, defeated. His head was beginning to fade into indeterminate rot, and he turned to face Forth. He opened hismouth to say something, but when he saw her staring back- -smiling, as if mildly amused by his death, with otherwise complete disinterest- -he shook his head and turned away. Instead, he addressed Morgana.

“Take care of Forth,” was all he said. Then he collapsed, and was dead.

Lilium screamed and grabbed at him. “Elrod? Elrod!”

“He’s dead,” said Morgana.

“Indeed,” said Lyra. “And I must compliment you, Morgana. You are indeed a loyal friend.”

“Loyal?!” Lilium stood suddenly, glaring at Morgana. She was attempting to cry, but her robotic eyes could generate no tears. “You- -you’re a monster. He was your friend, and you…you let him be murdered. For what?!” She grimaced and gestured wildly at the body that still stood beside Lyra. “A new body? For your own gain? I- -I- -” She shook her head and backed away. “I respected you, goddamn it! I even admired you! I wanted to be like you!”

“Then you were an idiot,” said Morgana, darkly. “And who knows? Maybe you still will be.”

“NO!” spat Lilium, her voice shrill as she suppressed weeping. “I can’t- -I can’t do this! I wanted to believe that you were good, that there was something redeemable! But you didn’t even try! Your eyes- -they didn’t even change! Roxanne was right! I hate you! I hate you, Morgana Twilight Sparkle!”

“And I don’t care.”

Lilium took a step back as if she had been struck. Her eyes became wide in shock, and then in seconds she came to understand what she had hoped Morgana would refute. “Get out,” she whispered. “Get out of my body.”

“Lilium- -”

“Get out of me. NOW.”

Morgana sighed, and her hologram vanished. As it faded, she activated the optic sensors of her new body. The world suddenly appeared to her with a level of clarity that she had never before witnessed. The whole of the room was available in perfect detail, to the point where she could count every hair on Lyra or Lilium’s bodies, and compare the difference between the artificial threads in Lilium or Forth’s manes and the natural, growing hair of Lyra’s. What had once been solid, likewise, seemed to have no bearing on her vision. She could see Lyra’s heart beating, and the blood pumping through her brain and various organs all linked together through an artificial network. In the tanks, she could see the heartbeats of the new humans as they prepared to be born.

“Do you like it?” asked Lyra.

“It is adequate,” said Morgana. She took a step. The body moved smoothly; it was far lighter than her previous one, but at the same time showed signs of being immensely stronger. Every muscle worked perfectly, with not even the most infinitesimal amount of lag. Every artificial nerve presented her mind with perfect feedback. Morgana wondered if this was how organic beings felt, and if this was the closest she could come to that state.

She took another step, and then was fully walking- -toward Lilium. Lilium took a step back, but then steeled herself and retreated no farther.

“Are you going to kill me?” she asked. “Because I will fight you. If that’s what it takes.”

“Why would I kill you? I brought you into this world. Hate me as much as you want, but I see you as something like a daughter. And to be honest? I really hope you don’t end up like me. If you do, I’ll kill you then.” Morgana turned to the pile of fluid that had formerly been Elrod. She focused her mind, and felt her horn ignite with violet energy. A complex shape traced itself in the air, and she reached into the corpse.

“What are you doing?!” gasped Lilium.

“There’s a bounty on his head, isn’t there?”

“There is,” said Lyra. “We had actually hoped you would kill him yourself and attempt to claim it. You seem to be too nice, though.”

“Maybe.” Morgana removed a piece of decayed tissue, one that still retained its integrity- -and the epigenetic signature of true core death. “And you know what? Maybe if I was younger, I’d stand here and fight you. I’d even die trying. Fuck the humans, just because I really don’t like you.” Lilium continued to stare, and Morgana stared back with her eyeless face. “But you know what? I’m too old. I’ve seen too much. I just don’t care anymore.”

Lilium’s jaw dropped, and for a moment Morgana was sure that she saw a real tear run down her face. Then she turned and ran, pushing past Forth. The other Lyra’s allowed her to pass, as did Jane Doe, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle thoroughly.

“I would rather like to have her killed,” said Lyra.

“No,” sighed Morgana. “There’s no point in it. What is she going to do? Claim that a semi-human cult is stealing brains and taking them to the depths to build ponies out of them? No one will believe her even if she does talk. Just let her go try to live her life.”

Lyra paused, considering for a moment. “Well, I don’t think I can deny a request from a friend. I will allow it. You have already more than proven your loyalty. Feel free to keep the Monsanto bounty. We have no need for it.”

“Thanks,” said Morgana. She motioned to Forth, who almost skipped toward her. She was clearly incredibly happy to no longer be alone; her and Morgana were once again sharing a body. “Forth. Take Hexel and Jillian. We’re leaving.”

“Already? But I wanted to see the trees!”

Morgana did not bother responding. Forth would follow orders; she always did. Morgana did not speak, and neither did Lyra. She followed the same path that Lilium had, and although they both marched toward the same exit, Morgana knew that their paths had diverged permanently. Mentally, she tried to convince herself that it was irrelevant. The case had been solved; it was all over. Yet, somehow, despite all it had taken to get this for, she gained no satisfaction from any of it.