Las Pegasus, Solar Empire | November 6, 1502 | 17:00

A large group of thick clouds began to form over the booming city of Las Pegasus, soft thunder beginning to roll as quick discharges of lightning lit up the atmosphere for only a few seconds. While the day was eternal, the clouds occasionally would block the sun, allowing a team of six operatives from the Solar Intelligence Agency to attempt locating the Junior Mindcarrier. While magic served as a simple method of communication between most unicorns, it was both difficult to hide and limited, of course, to the few unicorns capable of communication-based magic. Thanks once more to seized Griffonstone tech from the Lunar State, the operatives were able to communicate via earpiece along with the attendants of the war council table in Canterlot, including Daybreaker, Nightmare Moon, and Thorax.

"I want to make something abundantly clear," Thorax said through the table, which had a spell cast on it to send and receive sound to and from the magic-compatible earpieces, "the Junior Mindcarrier must be terminated as soon as the opportunity is provided, the six Changeling operatives must be SECURED and taken to me for questioning as agreed upon by Empress Daybreaker. Do not let his title deceive you, Junior Mindcarriers are long-distance communication drones that sustain the hivemind over a vast distance. They are incredibly intelligent, offering them such an ability, and loyal to their Queen to the most radical ends. When separated from the hivemind, a Changeling will begin to feel vulnerable, and terrified. They will likely lose their ability to shift under the circumstances, so be prepared for public response."

Upon his mentioning of the Changeling's disconnection from the Hivemind, a few of the advisors looked at each other and mumbled quietly, thinking back to the odd behavior of the Changeling's executed thus far. Thorax picked up on this, turning to them.

"Yes, they felt the same as your people did," he said quietly, "but let's keep our focus on the plan, please."

Daybreaker turned to Thorax with a slight smile, Nightmare Moon having a rather amused expression herself as the table pinged from three locations.

"Unit 1-1 Lead, we hear you," a voice said, "awaiting go order."

"Unit 1-3 Lead, ditto," another voice said, "awaiting go order."

"Unit 1-5 Lead, ditto," the final one said, "awaiting go order."

The advisors spoke to each other a bit more, discussing the plan and possible fallbacks for a brief moment before Daybreaker gave a nod to them, looking over to Nightmare Moon.

"Plan is active," Nightmare Moon said, "Lunar Intelligence is in position and ready to provide backup. Bomb squads are en route from the White Tail Woods by train, they will be arriving within thirty minutes."

"Unit 1-1, beginning our search."

The six equines were split into three groups, all wearing the inconspicuous earpieces and dressed to fit in with the environment. Each pair, a male and female, were positioned at three separate densely-populated spots around the city. Thanks to Thorax's intel, the search radius from the Las Pegasus ARC was reduced to only one-and-a-half miles from the center of the ARC. The plan was to trigger particular events and investigate responses. This was by no means easy, but of course, these operatives were well-trained, albeit rather recent training.

Lunar State agents were likewise strategically placed, although having to remain hidden in the shade of the storm so as not to draw too much attention, yet keeping an eye on and coordinating through direct communication to Nightmare Moon the location of the six Changeling operatives that had been discovered already. The Changelings were already identified, and were in similar groups operating near-identical to the employed task force. This made them easier to track, but ran the risk of early detection due to the foreknowledge of such a tactic.

"Remember, we have an estimated 30 minutes before they move in to activate the detonation," Nightmare Moon said, "LS Agents will provide an immediate signal when Changeling agents are observed actioning their mission."

The equines and Changeling at the table all looked at one another, and while they maintained a professional appearance, they all had the nerve-wracking feeling within them. Only hoping that it didn't go wrong.

???, ??? | November 6, 1502 | 17:30

Slyphani was facing the wall of the carriage, visibly stressed and more so frustrated as he pondered the different outcomes. There was never an event he wasn't prepared for, and this vile feeling of unpreparedness was greatly unfamiliar to him. He let out a quiet sigh, attempting to calm himself down. His calmness didn't remain, however, as he heard a soft chuckle from Sunrise. The alicorn was simply fiddling with her hooves, brushing off a smudge of dirt or clacking them softly together. It seemed she was impatient, anticipatory, but smiling. It was playful, and infuriating.

"I could kill you now," Slyphani barked, "none of them would know."

"C. . ." Sunrise said softly, "or D."

"What?"

"Chrysalis, or Daybreaker. Your choice."

She smiled, as Slyphani realized she called his bluff immediately. She was right, if he killed her, not only would he have Daybreaker to deal with, but also Chrysalis who personally wanted to kill Sunrise herself. He looked outside, seeing that they were approaching Sire's Hollow. It would take several hours to transport her all of the way, and at this point he was beginning to think that there might have been an issue in the plan Chrysalis put together. It seemed flawless, but Flash Sentry was the rogue element. He stroked his brow with his talon, gripping the detonator in the other as he gave a soft huff.

"You're smart, I'll give you that," he said. Sunrise paused, turning to him with a quirked brow as he faced her.

"Thank you," she said, "I'd say the same for you. Avoiding us all those years, managing to come back from the dead—though with one less eye."

Sunrise started to laugh a bit, and after a moment Slyphani joined in. At this point, he realized the original plan was already a failure, and that there was no salvaging it. He turned to face a small compartment on the opposite side of the carriage from where they were sitting, using his talon to open it and taking out a bottle of whiskey.

"Well, as long as I have leverage," he said, lightly shaking the detonator, "perhaps we could have a drink and enjoy my last moments."

"Did the magic of friendship rub off on you~?" Sunrise asked tauntingly, taking a shot glass from the gryphon as he poured it for her. He shook his head with a snicker.

"The magic of impending doom with just enough control to somewhat determine exactly what time it should be," he corrected, holding the glass up, "a toast to the horrors of war."

"To the horrors of war," Sunrise said, clanking the glass with him as they both downed the shots. Sunrise suddenly coughed, her expression showing almost a shock from the strong taste.

"Now there's something you can't fake," he said, pouring another shot for himself, "alcohol tolerance."

Sunrise laughed, holding her glass over to him. He poured another glass for her, and with another tink, they both drank. After a few more times, they both began to feel tipsiness as time slipped by. Laying back, Slyphani gave a sigh.

"Have you ever stopped to wonder about your enemies," he asked, "what brought them to the point they are? What convinces them that they are correct and you are not? Aside, well, supremacists of course. They're easy to figure out."

"I can't deny that," Sunrise said with a chuckle, "but I suppose I've made the mistake of empathizing with my enemies more times than I can count. Back in the day, it was as simple as a motivational speech to convince them towards harmonist values. It was like a child's theatre play, where everything was just alright despite any atrocities committed."

"The wonders of old Equestria," Slyphani replied, "speaking of wonders, how did you get to where you are now? You used to be so. . .perfect. . .the goody-two-hooves of goody-two-hooves. Incredibly bright, but never cynical. What changed you?"

"I suppose part of intelligence is adaptation," Sunrise replied, "and when Celestia decided it was time to relinquish herself to Daybreaker, I knew I had to relinquish myself to Sunrise."

"And the sun surely rose," he said, "it was all the talk with the Griffonstone War Council. They were terrified!"

The two laughed a bit more, eventually deciding it was time for another shot. After poured, toasted, and drank, Sunrise turned to the Griffonian spy.

"What about you?" she asked, "I and most former Equestrians operate with loyalty. The Changelings, the Polar Bears, the Drakes, and likely even the Griffons all operate under the same ideal of loyalty to a superior. What ideal do you hold?"

Slyphani opened his beak for a moment, before closing it and turning away to ponder. He sat down the glass and gave a small chuckle before leaning back in the chair. He held his talons behind his neck to rest his head, crossing his legs. After a sigh, he looked up to the ceiling of the carriage and answered.

"Everyone lies, and everyone changes," he said, before turning to her and raising his brows, "say I was loyal to Twilight Sparkle, well, I'd be thoroughly disappointed with Sunrise Sparkle. If I were loyal to Celestia, I would likewise not be loyal to Daybreaker. To Luna, not to Nightmare Moon—and vice versa. It seems to me that it is always the case that no single being on this planet is consistent with themselves, the only difference between I and they on a personal level is that I make a living from my inconsistency. Hell, I might even work for the Empire some day—assuming I'm not dead by the next hour."

They both laughed heartily.

Las Pegasus, Solar Empire | November 6, 1502 | 17:35

"Command this is Unit 1-5 Lead, we have no notable activity."

Daybreaker put her head down, gritting her teeth. The flames upon her had only flared up slightly, but she was doing everything in her power not to ignite the entire room. She turned to Nightmare Moon, giving a shrug. Nightmare Moon turned to Thorax, giving the same shrug. Thorax sighed.

"As far as I see it, taking a risk for success is better than taking a guarantee for failure," Thorax said, "but the operatives haven't moved in yet, we still have time."

"But how much time is the question," Nightmare pointed out, "for all we know, it could be at any moment now."

There was a moment of silence as the creatures in the room thought to themselves. Suddenly, Daybreaker raised her head and spoke up.

"No, they're waiting for Sunrise to get to Chrysalis," she said, "we overlooked the obvious! Sunrise isn't leverage against us, the MTEC detonations are leverage against Sunrise!"

"Which means we have upwards of four hours to locate the Junior Mindcarrier," Thorax said, lighting his horn and speaking through the table again, "the attack is a leverage against Sunrise Sparkle, keep searching."

"Unit 1-1 Lead, hear you loud and clear, continuing the search," the equine said. The six dots continued to move around on the map, searching around as the Lunar State agents created small distractions as subtly as possible to cause a crowd reaction. Minutes passed, then minutes more, the impatience in the room gathering until one of the dots lit up.

"Unit 1-3 Lead, we have a candidate," the equine said, "awaiting interception order."

"You are go to intercept 1-3 Lead," one of the advisors said through the table, "Changeling agents are out of view, the Antihive spell should disorient the rest of them. Stay cautious, if it's the wrong one, there's a chance the Junior Mindcarrier would be able to detect the disturbance and send a distress signal."

"Unit 1-5 Lead, we have eyes-on. Two hostile agents in view," another said, "prepared to engage."

"Loud and clear 1-5, standby," the advisor replied, turning to Daybreaker and nodding.

The unicorn and accompanying pegasus inconspicuously walked by the potential Mindcarrier. As they passed, the unicorn feigned a sneeze and flashed his horn with the spell which faintly covered the body of the creature. It turned around to face the unicorn, noticing the shield around it immediately.

"Changelings are responding! We have contact!" 1-4 shouted, the respective groups engaging with the now-revealed changelings and quickly being backed up by the Lunar State operatives. The crowds around them quickly took notice, some running and others keeping a distance to watch with intrigue. While the Changeling agents were easily subdued and restrained by spell, the Junior Mindcarrier immediately leapt for the unicorn who exposed him, hissing as he changed his form to reveal the mandibles of his helmet. Before the Changeling could make contact to the unicorn, a loud bang sounded from the left of him a millisecond prior to a bullet shredding his skull. He collapsed, immediately lifeless as the pegasus went to help the unicorn up. Shortly after, they regrouped, a few agents departing to alert the local authorities as the Nightmare's bomb squad arrived by train just late enough to be on time.

"1-1, 1-2, 1-4, and 1-5, this is Empress Daybreaker," Daybreaker said, "prepare for mass teleportation to the holding cells of Canterlot."

She smiled, looking at Thorax, who gave a reassured smile back.

???, ??? | November 6, 1502 | 18:03

At this point, Slyphani and Sunrise were both laughing with one another, like pals who had known each other for years. Telling jokes, stories, and sharing cultural differences as if nothing was going on. Sunrise felt a spark of friendship to Slyphani, as strange as it was to say. Of course, it could have been the alcohol, but that was fine. There was nothing he could do until she was with Chrysalis, and she knew that wouldn't happen.

"Oh, I haven't had such a relaxing time in years," Slyphani said, still laughing softly to himself as Sunrise joined him. His smile quickly faded to a frown as he looked at the near-empty bottle, "one shot, I think you need it more than I do."

"Oh, what makes you say that?" Sunrise slurred with a quirked brow and a chuckle. Slyphani turned to her with a deadpan expression.

"You'll probably get onto your own ass later for nearly befriending a war criminal over some foreign whiskey," he said, before suddenly letting himself go to laughter. Sunrise, of course, joined in, as Slyphani held the bottle up to her, "come on, down the hatch! Chrysalis won't be for another four hours!"

"Oh trust me, Chrysalis won't be," she replied with a chuckle, downing the bottle quickly and giving it back to the spy who sat it down beside him, "by the time we'll have gotten there, Daybreaker will have already gotten everything in order and would come to find us both."

Slyphani frowned, looking at the floor.

"That is right, isn't it?" he question softly. Sunrise turned to him with a bit of concern.

"Well, you said so yourself," she said, almost in an attempt to console him, "or, well, you implied it at least. You knew it was your last moments, but maybe I could fix that! I'm sure Daybreaker could use your intelligence! Sure, it might not be the best of conditions, but it's better than dying. Yeah, she would definitely let you live!"

"No, she wouldn't," Slyphani said with a sigh, "not after what I've done."

"Oh, come on," Sunrise said, "you've done a lot of foreign interference and whatever, but we still won! You haven't even harmed a civilian directly!"

Sunrise was smiling, until she saw Slyphani lift up his talon. He was holding the detonator, but was just now lifting the opposable talon from the button. Sunrise's heart sank as she heard the click, before the ground suddenly shook and an incredible thunder sounded across the sky. Slyphani shook his head, tossing the detonator aside. He looked at her, seeing the shock in her eyes.

"It's like you said, Sunrise," he said, "Chrysalis, or Daybreaker. The way I see it, Chrysalis isn't happening, and Daybreaker won't be convinced. I'm more afraid for what would happen if you tried to convince her—but just for the record, you're the smartest pony I've ever met. Perhaps the only creature to nearly match my intelligence, you're just too friendly. Hell, maybe I am too, though you may not see it that way after this."

Before Sunrise could reply, Slyphani took the glass bottle and smashed it over the Princess' head, immediately rendering her unconscious.

Canterlot, Solar Empire | November 6, 1502 | 18:03

The war council sat in silence and shock as they observed the portion of the magical map which was now jittering from the explosion that had leveled not just the complex, but twelve blocks of the city around it. Like a small nuclear weapon, but without the fallout. It would have taken time for the estimates to come in, longer so for the exact numbers, but Daybreaker knew her population. She knew her people. She knew that at least fifty-six thousand were killed from that blast.

Nightmare Moon was silent, trying to bare a straight face but unknowing of her open jaw and confused eyes. She thought she didn't care about the Empire, but something in her heart twisted at such a loss of Equestrian life, including her own Thestrals. They did everything right—they caught the Mindcarrier, they apprehended the Changeling operatives, and the bomb squad was even on time. If they didn't cause the detonation, then it had to be Slyphani, but why would he do that? If he was in range, he couldn't have been near Chrysalis it was just impossible.

Thorax simply stared at the table, unable to express anything. His face was deadpan, and his body weak as he simply sat in his seat absolutely still, and unable to move. Nothing was going through his mind, he wasn't pondering anything. Just the word failure, and images of Drizzlepop plaguing his mind. He didn't even try to stop it, he just believed he deserved it.

"Field Marshal Morning Sky, Admiral Daydream, Field Marshal Flash Sentry, General Cider Twist and Director Flare," Daybreaker said softly. The four of them looked up to her in silence as she looked back to them with flame-laden eyes, "leave."

The five of them promptly left their positions, leaving the room without a moment of hesitation as they all knew what the look meant. They knew she didn't want to harm any of them specifically, because they had nothing to do with causing what happened, though they all believed they did. The remaining two in that room could either handle her rage, or would be deliberately killed by it. It was easy to guess which, but they made no mention of it—they simply left.

As the door closed, Nightmare closed her eyes, preparing for what was likely to be aimed at her. However, after a moment she opened one of her eyes to see that Daybreaker wasn't even facing her. Not as much as an eyeing in her direction. She was focused on Thorax, who hadn't budged from his spot as he looked at the table. The silence was beyond uncomfortable, five minutes of stillness that felt like centuries. Finally, Thorax turned to face Daybreaker.

"Go ahead," he said. Daybreaker lit her horn immediately as a warm aura covered him, beginning to get painfully hot at a very quick pace as he felt his exoskeleton begin to singe. Suddenly, a cold feeling interrupted the heat before a blast of wind brushed over his body as he found himself being thrown towards the door.

Daybreaker spun around to see that the Nightmare had taken it upon herself to lift Thorax out of the Empress' spell and cast him to temporary safety. Nightmare Moon looked her sister in the eye with a stern expression, having stood up to face her.

"You would regret killing those not responsible," the Nightmare said. Daybreaker let out a gnashing shout as she lit her horn and fired a projectile of pure sun towards her sister, who responded by calmly lighting her horn to produce a shield that broke it apart. While Nightmare Moon felt the heat of the blast, she remained unharmed as she dropped the shield.

The Empress let out another shout, and another blast, blocked again. She continued, firing blast after blast as Thorax simply watched the torn Empress trying her best to kill her sister, yet knowing she was unable to do so with such a spell. It was as if she wasn't truly seeking to kill her, only to lash out the rage she must have felt.

"Fifty-six thousand, Nightmare Moon!" Daybreaker cried in agony, as she fired again, "Fifty-six thousand of my little ponies butchered by that griffon menace! Who else am I to blame? If not the Changeling, if not you, myself? Am I the cause of this? Have I failed my people?!"

Daybreaker broke down into what would have been tears had the overwhelming heat from her body not vaporized them instantly. She screamed, she sobbed, she wept greatly as the blasts got weaker and weaker until she finally collapsed. Crying like Celestia would. When she did so, Nightmare Moon simply walked up to her, leaned down, and gave her a hug. It nearly burned to the touch, but it wasn't near enough to harm her in the primordial state. Her sister continued, for she was not only weeping for the death that occurred, but for what she believed only happened due to the death of Sunrise Sparkle. The Nightmare cast a spell as her sister cried, and a faint aura of her magic filled the room as a soft melody played. Daybreaker began to calm down, leaning her head up to see what had now become like the night sky in her very castle.

"The Filly on the Mount," the Empress whispered, "the song our parents used to sing to us a millennium ago."

"Do you remember why they would sing, sister?" the Nightmare asked. Daybreaker closed her eyes, softly mouthing the words as she leaned into Nightmare Moon's embrace.

"To calm us in trying times," Daybreaker softly replied, continuing to mouth the words.

"The Filly on the Mount she walked, to seek the pre'tiest view; she stopped to hear the old mare talk, to tell of what she knew. The days had passed, and at long last, the Filly, she could see," Nightmare Moon sang quietly, before Daybreaker chimed in with a smile.

". . .the pre'tiest view of that she knew, a sky so filled with glee."

Thorax watched as the two stayed there, humming to each other as the melody continued from the magic. He sighed quietly, turning to the door and getting up to leave. Before he could, he heard his name called out to him by the Empress.

"Thorax," Daybreaker said, looking at him. He turned to face her.

"Yes, Empress Daybreaker?" he replied. She smiled.

"You did well today," she said, "we at least saved some, and that is better than none."

"If Slyphani defied Chrysalis' orders, I don't believe it was because Sunrise was harmed," Thorax replied, "I will find her."

Daybreaker pondered for a moment what exactly lead Thorax to that conclusion, but decided to hope rather than overthink.

Las Pegasus, Solar Empire | November 6, 1502 | 18:35

Las Pegasus was in shambles. The ARC had collapsed, the surrounding buildings were nearly demolished and anything directly outside of the twelve-block radius was roughed up beyond use. Several unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies both employed by the military or simply by civilian equine resources rushed to retrieve as many survivors from the rubble as they could. Some buildings were still collapsing, trapping more inside who had bravely rushed in to protect the others, while others were just lucky enough to barely escape.

"Hey, hey! You're alright, just hang in there we'll get you out!" an earth pony said, who was rather out of his element and far more talkative than usual. He lifted up a large piece of debris with overwhelming strength, but it was only one of three that had laid over and impaled the equine beneath. The pegasus smiled, coughing up a bit of blood as he looked at the earth pony's eyes.

"If you ever see Dewberry, tell her that papa went down fighting the bad guys," he weakly said with a chuckle, coughing more, "tell her I took three down with me, if it's just one it won't be that impressive."

"Come on now, don't say that," the earth pony said, "you can tell her yourself once I get you out of this. Alright? Hey! Hey!!"

The earth pony closed his eyes after noticing that the pegasus was no longer moving, swearing lightly under his breath. Another earth pony walked up to him, patting his hoof.

"There's going to be a lot that don't make it today," she said, "try not to let it get to you so much that you're unable to help the ones who do."

"I know, it's just. . ." the stallion sighed, "I wish my sister was around to help, Redheart. I keep wonderin' if she got into a situation like this and—"

"Oh, I know it plagues you," the nurse said with a smile, "but I'm certain Applejack is out there saving the world with her friends. You know her well enough to know she wouldn't have gotten wrapped up in a mess like this without a solution, am I right?"

The stallion smiled.

"Eeyup."

Author's Note

Chapter 12 and on: Lullabies suddenly become a prominent storytelling device!