“I-I have an innumerable amount of questions…” Starlight managed.

The parenting unicorn mare’s mind worked overtime with the sudden rush of information she had to process. Queen Umbra stood on the opposite side of Starlight’s containment, who, by all rights, was her mother-in-law.

Then there was the lab coat-wearing ‘Rainbow Dash,’ now resting her back against the wall to Queen Umbra’s rear, standing on her hind legs while crossing her forelimbs.

With confirmation via Queen Umbra’s words, Starlight had now met another version of the rainbow pegasus, but one she had already known through the recollective story told by her own Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Factory.

Even though Brainiac was long gone, the monstrous brain’s actions left several everlasting marks on the captured ponies since the battle of the Crimson Biome.

However, there was also mention of a collective resistance--what resistance?

“You two mentioned a resistance?” Starlight inquired, halting the chatters of Queen Umbra and Factory Dash that transpired during her inner thoughts. They both turned their attention to the prisoner in tandem, seemingly pondering on a response.

“What resistance?”

“Well, as the old saying goes, dearie,” Queen Umbra began with a seductive flourish. “War. War never changes.” She giggles. “Even the GrimDark has its share of conflicts, you know.”

“And, sadly, we’re the losing side…” Factory Dash drops monotonously.

“Oh, cheer up, Dashie.” The umbral mare raised a forelimb as if to make a royal declaration. “In war, the side remembered is the side with the most,” She drapes a forelimb across her chest region and poses like a model, “style.”

“...or the side that just ain’t dead.”

“Ugh.” Umbra rolls her eyes, “You’re such a boring GrimDark, you know that?”

“Well, excuse me for arguably being THE reason why a certain Jaw doesn’t consume us all!” The lab-coated Rainbow snapped. “Not even Oblivion or Silence has sacrificed as much as I have! You’d be boring, too, if you had to carry that shit on your back all the fucking time!”

“And I love you for it, darling. Even if everyone else can’t appreciate your efforts, I do. However, if you wouldn’t mind doing a favor for me, my grandchildren are present, so do try to watch the language, mmkay?”

As was stated, the duo of fillies hiding behind Starlight peeked around their mother’s frame, ears tilting and swiveling throughout the affair.

“Whatever,” Rainbow Factory begrudgingly relents, sighing with pent-up frustration. “It’s just frustrating, you know?” Her body slumps as her gaze falls downward, “We can’t even tell anyone about… it.”

“I know, dearie. I know. But we need to play this safe. Too much is on the line for either of us to slip up.” Queen Umbra flashes a toothy grin. “Luckily for us, I’ve got a…contact.”

Rainbow Factory raised her head instantly with those words, eyes locking with Umbra’s. “What? Contact? What contact?”

“Oh, no one too special, dearie. He just has a lot of information to give, more or less.”

The rainbow mare facehooves, “Damn it all, Umbra,” She lowers her appendage, “Silence would get detected-”

“Not Silence, Dashie, although you’re on the right track. Just think about it briefly; it’ll come to you.”

Starlight had been trying to decipher everything laid bare throughout the conversation as the lab-coated rainbow mare pondered with a forehoof resting under her lower jaw. A few key details stuck out to the entrapped unicorn, specifically:

‘Jaw.’

‘It.’

And from what Rainbow Factory insinuated, both terms referred to an individual she claims to have kept in check through great sacrifice. But as the seconds ticked by, Starlight had been increasingly growing impatient, along with a dash of frustration.

“Ok, seriously,” She began, rubbing at her temple. “What is going on here, exactly?”

“I’ll get to that in just a moment, daughter-mine,” Umbra responds over her shoulder before averting her eyes back to Rainbow Factory. “You figure it out yet?”

“No way…” Rainbow Factory’s eyes widen in realization. “You got a Guide to help us out? How?! How the fuck-?!”

“Language. Grandkiddies. Thanks.”

“This is serious!” Factory Dash shot back. “Why would a Guide help us? Their views on the world are often so black and white. In their eyes, we’re no different than demons. At least with Silence, it’d be a GrimDark helping his fellow GrimDarks, but a Guide?!”

“Well, to be fair, those Guides aren’t wrong to think that. After all, we don’t have our reputation for nothing, you know. But this Guide is different… He has a certain perspective on things.

As you said, Guides see the world in black and white, but this one? He’s gray.”

“Ok. I’ll bite.” Rainbow Factory pushes herself from the wall, landing on all fours before trotting closer to Queen Umbra, hooves clopping along the way. “Let’s say I believe you; what’s so special about this Guide? Isn’t he just a weaker Silence?”

“Weaker, yes. And yet, he’s several times far more clever than Silence… and has a willpower that could keep even Oblivion on edge. But you know what makes him truly terrifying? He’s unpredictable.”

Rainbow Factory raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, no. Sorry, but I call horseapples on that - you’re welcome for the kid-friendly vocabulary, by the way.

Still, more clever than Silence? More willpower than Oblivion? And, come on, we have several GrimDarks that give a whole new meaning to unpredictability. Point is; you’re speaking quite highly of this Guide, yet I’ve yet to see any feats of-”

“He killed her, Dash.”

Factory tilts her head inquisitively. “Who?”

“Destavia Melody, one of Rainbow.EXE’s generals? He killed her. I gave him an impossible task… and he freaking did it.

As you know, the severity of our deaths determines how long it takes for us to reform in our respective realms. We’re just like demons in that regard. Of course, there are ways to kill us off permanently, but that’s neither here nor there.

What I’m trying to say is that he killed Destavia so severely that she won’t be reforming for quite some time. I didn’t care how he did it, or even for his methods, only that I wanted her out of the picture.

And he delivered. Flawlessly.”

The effect of those words was instant as Factory Dash took several steps back and fell on her flank. At the same time, her dumbfounded state was plastered on her features.

“Wh- how… who the fuck is this guy?”

Queen Umbra sighs. “And you were doing so good in watching your language…” She looks back to Starlight, “I’m so sorry about this.”

Starlight slowly nods. “I-it’s fine… I think. But I agree with Rainbow Da-”

“Factory Dash,” The pegasus corrects. “Trust me, getting our names right makes things easier for distinguishing purposes. Plus… it’s how I sign my paychecks back home.”

Starlight stares at the pegasus in shock. “What?” Factory asked with a raised brow. “I’ve got to earn a living in my world, too, you know.”

“O-oh. Right then,” Starlight responds, shifting her sights back to her mother-in-law. “I agree with, um, Factory Dash - who’s this Guide you’re talking about? The last one I met was Tanner, although…” She sighed somberly, “He didn’t deserve all the horrible things that happened to him.”

Queen Umbra chuckles, trotting away toward a barred window that depicts a black realm with lines of white flowing through the blankness like a current in the ocean. She looks outward, resting a forelimb upon the black stone window frame.

“The Guide I know is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer unwavering will. He is a Guide unlike any other I’ve ever seen before…”

“Ugh, enough already,” Rainbow Factory spat with a groan. “Just tell us who this fucking nobody is.”

Queen Umbra ripped her gaze away from the window, resting on Factory Dash. “That fucking nobody… is Pomp Neigh.”

Factory Dash rolls her eyes. “Right. Cute name. But seriously, aren’t you kind of overestimating this guy?”

“Trust me, Dashie. If you saw him in action, you’d be just as impressed as I was. He’s not very powerful like many others we know. Actually, he’s barely got any power at all. And yet… he’d outsmart each and every one of them. He’s that good.”

“How did you two meet?” Starlight asked in interest. “The fact that this Pomp person is a Guide is good enough for me.”

Queen Umbra nods. “It was perhaps three or four months after his birth, give or take. I was one of the last remaining GrimDarks in Terraria before returning here. But before my departure, I had the pleasure of speaking to Pomp.

We actually met within a Crimson Biome, one of the last few remaining after the fall of the recently revived Nyarlathotep. It was there that Pomp aided me as I was in the middle of facing a strange opponent.”

“Yeesh. Yeah, those flesh monsters are something else…” Starlight comments.

“Mommy?” The black pegasus asked her mother. “When are you done talking to the pretty lady? I’m hungry.”

“F-f-f-flesh m-monster…?” The dark unicorn sibling feared.

“Pretty lady, hmm~?” Queen Umbra giggled. “Ohoho. You are just a treat, my dear. Oh!” She shouts in realization. “Pardon my manners. How foolish of me; I’ve yet to get the names of these bundles of joys.”

Starlight turns sideways and gestures with a forehoof. “The pegasus is Nightbolt, and the unicorn is Moonlight. Girls, this is Queen Umbra, your grandmare from your father’s side.”

“Hi, grandma,” The duo greets in unison, waving a forelimb.

“That word makes me feel so old…” Umbra dramatically emphasizes by resting the back of her forelimb against her head. She suddenly switches to a neutral state and shrugs, “Then again, it’s not inaccurate, either.”

“Girls,” Starlight began, “Mommy promises to feed you both in just a bit.” She nuzzles her fillies. “Go on and wait for me on the bed; I’ll meet you there.”

“Ok,” The duo responds before obeying their mother’s request.

“Those two are just precious.” Queen Umbra sighs. “I’m sorry that they have to be raised here of all places. If I could, I’d remove them immediately from this cell and turn them over to Pomp in Terraria. He’d know what to do from there.

Sadly, that would only alert my son which, in turn, would alarm the resistance's main target.”

"A target?" Starlight questioned - but earned a waving 'No' gesture from Queen Umbra.

"Sorry, dearie. For now, that one's classified."

……….

However, unbeknownst to Starlight and Queen Umbra, Rainbow Factory had since forced herself to look away during the familial moment. Seeing that tender scenario caused something to stir within the lab-coated mare’s psyche.

With regretful features, while also trying her damndest to fight back the tears, a small equine-shaped orange presence practically drew itself onto the canvas that was Factory’s memories.

-Scootaloo…-

……….

“So, you mentioned a strange opponent?” Starlight inquired.

“Strange only in the sense of its origins,” Umbra answered. “See, I’ve met monsters of that biome before, but this one was clearly different. Its origins were more along the lines of being man-made rather than a natural occurrence within the biome.

It was as if someone took one of those Golems the Lihzhards often fashioned in their temples and cramped some flesh into it. The result was a creature who referred to itself as The Ravager.”

“Wow.” Starlight blinks. “You were able to decipher all of that in one meeting?”

“Nope. It was Pomp who relayed that information to me. Let me tell ya, there’s nothing more beneficial than having a walking encyclopedia at your side.

Sadly, we couldn’t kill the damn thing; only drive it back with some Purification Powder Pomp had on his person. Apparently, he had been tracking it down to keep tabs on it as it had laid waste to numerous settlements. But because he chose to save me, he couldn’t concoct a plan to kill The Ravager after returning to that location later.

It also didn’t help that that freak learned to make its own personal Crimson Biome mobile. So when it fled, it literally took that place with it in a sudden and massive red cloud.”

“Sweet Celestia… So, what happened next?”

“Well, It turned out that Pomp has also been tracking me. Can you believe that? A GrimDark being hunted. Many of my brethren would laugh at the idea, and yet…

What I saw him do… The levels of calculation and precaution he employed… Words can’t do it justice, daughter-mine. It’s an experience one has to see with their own eyes.”

“A Guide hunting GrimDarks, huh?” Factory Dash mocked, having recovered from her recollection of her world’s Scootaloo. “Yeah, weak ones, maybe.”

Queen Umbra chuckles. “Like I said, it’s something you have to see for yourself.”

---

“Like I said, it’s something you have to see for yourself.”

Within the Guide’s underground laboratory, graciously ‘lent’ to him by one Dr. Draedon, (Stolen), Pomp listened intently to the conversations of Starlight Glimmer, her two offspring, Queen Umbra, and Factory Dash, all while seated at his computer, multiple screens flaring before his eyes.

Ever since he had met the Umbrum, Queen Umbra’s species, he had tactfully injected her with a nano-sized tracker capable of latching itself onto its’ host’s consciousness and even adapting to their anatomy.

When Queen Umbra turned into shadows, the tracker would adapt fluently. It would go with her if she traveled between realms, although it needed a moment to re-establish a connection. Every thought, every emotion, everything about the Umbrum Queen would be transmitted and broadcasted to the Guide. It was through this connection that Pomp had been able to stay up-to-date with matters of the GrimDark.

Some people weren't omnipotent. Some people actually had to work hard - looking at you, Terra, Pomp thought.

Of course, the fantastic device had one big weakness: should the subject ever become aware of it, it would be rendered useless.

Dr. Draedon was far more adept than he let on, which often led Pomp to wonder, did the cyborg have their own plans and machinations? With technology like this at their disposal… and in the right hands…

One could terrorize Terraria without even needing to be there personally. However, a sudden rumbling in Pomp’s stomach causes him to lose focus. He was starving.

“Gideon?”

"Yes, Pomp?" Gideon’s mechanized female voice echoes all across the lab.

“Is lunch ready yet? I take it Sun-Butt and Dense-Rek are upstairs finishing things up?”

"My calculations dictate lunch will be ready in- oh, dear. Uhm, Tirek seems to have dropped the lasagna. Hehe, er… order out? How's Torinagan sound?"

The Guide groans as he runs a hand down his face.

“Damn it, Tirek… Daedalus, you seriously need to babysit your own bloodline. I feel like a nanny now, and I’m not even getting paid for it...”

Next Chapter: Chapter 109 - Bitterness, Infections, and Cryogen Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 2 Minutes