Approaching Apotheosis

Rainy Day slowly paged through the notes, nodding slowly. She nodded once to her companion, who left immediately to fetch the payment.

“This lines up with the scraps we have,” she said, closing the binder full of stained papers. “The physical quality could be better, but it's all here.”

“It wasn't easy to get out,” the seller said. “Security is tighter than a hangmare's noose.”

“We know,” Rainy sighed bitterly. “You upheld your end of the bargain, professor, so we'll uphold ours. I'm just surprised you managed to pull it off. The Princesses have everything sealed in vaults.”

The seller pushed her glasses up her nose, “Plenty of reasons for an entomologist to be interested in changeling biology. The Crown is interested in getting access to healing pods; with the right honeyed words, you could even meet the Princess herself.”

Rainy scoffed, ”Yeah, I'm sure Princess Daybreaker has plenty of time to meet up with us. No, we'll wait till she's saved before approaching directly. Thank you, Ladybug.”

Ladybug was a false name for their accomplice. At least, Rainy Day hoped it was a false name. Their teams had confirmed some presence of a Ladybug within the biological research teams at Locksdale, but it was never clear if this was a pseudonym used by the staff there, or an actual pony.

Her minion returned with a small crate. He pulled off the lid, wood creaking as the nailed popped out. Ladybug leaned close, craning her neck to see inside. Rainy stretched a wing out and scooped out the trinket, letting it dangle off its silver chain. A four leaf clover of emeralds glinted in the evening light.

“Hope's Ward, in perfect condition.”

Ladybug took the charm with her own yellow wing, inspecting it closely. Rainy saw the gems sparkle in Ladybug's dark rose colored eyes.

“I can feel it's magic,” the pegasus whispered. “This is the real deal, alright.”

Rainy Day quirked an eyebrow, “Few non-unicorns can feel magic like that. I'm surprised you can.”

Ladybug folded her wings, vanishing the charm from sight, “It pays in our line of work to be quick witted, doesn't it? I'm sure you have a dozen tricks up your sleeves.”

Rainy gave another nod to her companion, “We're done here. Keep your ears out, Ladybug, for Equestria might need your help again.”

The two turned to depart, stowing away the crate in their wagon and setting off. Ladybug watched them go, before taking out a small wand and tapping the necklace with it. The wand glowed green.

She let out a sigh of relief and put the necklace on without delay. Then, with a mighty flap of her wings, she took to the sky. Once she was far, far out of view, she switched wigs mid-flight, her multi-toned gray hair showing for only a moment.

‘One down, three to go,’ Daring Do thought.

“It's done,” Celestia said with finality, slumping into a high backed chair.

I slowly lowered myself to the couch, unwilling to unwind.

“We should toast,” she said, nodding towards the fully stocked bar in the back of the sitting room.

Coxa cheered, “Agreed! If there's one thing to be thankful for, it's having our afternoons back.”

“I am in agreement,” Vigilance said, taking an armchair as if it were a throne. “This farce trial was a toll on my time. We must turn our attention to the war.”

“What do you want, Cadance?” Celestia asked, already pouring herself a drink.

She was also either pouring a drink for the rest of us- and only bothered to ask Cadance what she wanted- or was planning on draining four additional glasses. Both were equally likely.

“Camomile, please,” Cadance countered politely.

“I shall order a drink from the kitchen,” Luna furthered. “I was offered an Iced Mocha while in Seaddle, and it is quite the refreshing beverage. Would you care for one, Phasma?”

Celestia wilted, “I thought I was supposed to be the boring one. Come now, Chr- North Star has been defeated, thoroughly and for good! We shall be dealing with her as a headache, but no longer as a threat. I for one welcome the chance to celebrate banishing the fear of her from our hearts! It's time to have fun- and that's an order!”

Luna sat down next to me. She turned towards me and pulled me into a hug. The shorter mare rested her chin on my shoulder. I returned the hug, squeezing her gently.

“How are you faring?” She quietly asked.

‘How am I faring? Chrysalis is gone. Out of my hair, out of my life, sentenced and banished from my daily life. She'll be far removed from her little loyalist faction. Her political power has been killed and buried. She can't hurt anyone with her stupid plans anymore. I should be happy.’

“I don't know,” I said.

“Tis better to be unsure than to feel unwell,” Luna said.

I resolved to bury myself in work.

I broke the hug and cleared my throat, “Coxa, where do we stand on Division-P?”

The drone scrambled up onto a couch sized for an alicorn, “You gotta ask Lace that.”

“We'll meet tonight in the Hive and figure out a plan. With them pushing for the Vote of No Confidence, now is the time to put pressure on them.”

Celestia waved a glass in the air, “Why is no one having a good time? I specifically ordered everyone to have fun!”

“Yes, sister, we shall toast,” Luna accepted a glass. “This is one more nightmare to put behind us. Let us hope for more to be buried soon!”

“A worthy cause to celebrate,” Vigilance agreed, taking a glass immediately.

‘Boot licker.’

“To the Canterlot Confederacy,” I reluctantly joined the toast.

Shining strode in, stopping to give Cadance a kiss, “Your Highnesses, that was an excellent-”

“Captain! Drink!” Celestia grinned as she poured and dispensed out another tonic.

“To good health and a better future,” Cadance toasted with her partner.

Coxa raised the final glass,”To winning tomorrow's battles.”

‘We have a war room,’ I thought, practically prancing as I entered the war room.

Situated between the royal wing and the military section of the Crystal Caves, it was perfect for planning operations with high security. It was located behind several layers of security, and each adjacent room could not be lurked in by spies listening through walls. The securest location for secrets would always be in the Dreamscape, but you couldn’t bring written materials into there.

“I want a giant map of the world on that wall,” I said, pointing to a blank surface. “This circular map of Equestria is good and all, but I want the wooooorld!”

Lacewing shook her head, distributing little miniatures across the map table of Equestria, “Phas, focus. From what we can tell, Division-P is preparing to ramp up. We need to hit them now and hard while we still can.”

“Easier said than done,” Luna replied, slowly rubbing her chin as she relaxed in her chair. “How does one hit a foe who remains elusive? This is the problem that has hounded Equestria for six months now.”

“Our spies have reported many holdouts and sympathetic government officials,” Coxa said, adjusting many of the red-colored markers in the South. “We can sap much of their support by going after all these ponies now.”

“And then what?” Luna said, frustration painting her posture. “Say we arrest these nobles. How long can we hold onto them? On what charges can they be found guilty of?”

“Supporting Equestria’s enemies,” I said, returning to the table, circling it slowly while dragging a hoof across the rim. “Conspiring against the Canterlot Confederacy. Conspiracy to commit regicide. High Treason. Take your pick.”

“What of the optics of the maneuver?” Luna flicked a hoof dismissively. “A political party introduces a Vote of No Confidence and suddenly we start arresting its supporters? Princesses of Equestria or not, we would lose support of any remaining politicians within a fortnight. As much as I vie for a return to the way things are– with these petulant fools’ powers curtailed, we cannot lose the support of the ponies the Crown relies on to keep society functioning. Perhaps if a war was not on the horizon, we could endure such chaotic transitions of power, but we could spend centuries pondering what ifs.”

“Are you suggesting we just let them get away with it?” Lace scowled.

“Nay,” Luna shook her head slowly, “we must be more clever than them. We must chase them out into the open and arrest them on something the public can get behind.”

“Does the public have to get involved?” Coxa asked. “What if we just quietly take out these traitors?”

I clicked my tongue, “Their absence would be noted quickly by their friends, who would then make all the noise they could. No, that is not an option. Did Celestia say how long she would be?”

Luna shook her head.

Coxa tapped the head of a red miniature, “Can we set them up? Blame them for something they didn’t do, and use that as reasoning to arrest them?”

“They would decry that with the loudest voices they could,” Luna replied.

“They’re gonna do that anyways,” I said. “That’s… not a bad idea. It won’t hold up for long, though. Might have to save that for a desperate, last-second maneuver.”

Lace bared her fangs, “Damn it! We know who’s siding with who! We should just be able to bring them all down! There’s got to be a solution, something we’re not seeing…”

“There is a nuclear option…” I trailed off.

“Nuclear?” Luna leaned forward. “As in… irrevocably destructive?”

“Precisely.”

“What is it?”

I looked towards the door, “Best wait for Celestia and Cadance to show up before I introduce that idea. I’m sure they have their opinions on it.”

“Tease,” Luna grunted, leaning back in her chair.

“Their attacks are growing,” Lace reiterated. “They are hitting convoys with more and more frequency. It’s been mostly minor injuries so far, but we are losing a lot of product. And, far more worryingly, it’s only a matter of time before ponies and lings start dying by the clutch. We know they’re going to escalate. We can’t just let public opinion dictate how this war is fought. We can’t let drones die because we are afraid of how the public will view us.”

“I agree,” I said, placing both forehooves on the edge of the map. “We need to do something drastic.”

The doors slowly creaked open, emitting a pair of pony princesses. The four Red Right Hoof soldiers outside saluted and pulled the doors closed behind them. Cadance and Celestia hurried over to the table, grabbing their seats quickly.

Celestia cleared her throat, “Something drastic? I do hope you are not planning on making headlines in my kingdom without at least letting me know.”

“I am here,” Luna said. “It is not your kingdom, sister. It is ours.”

“Yes, of course, I apologize, Luna.,” Celestia recovered. “My point remains, I need to be informed of anything that alters our political schemes.”

“What held you two up so long?” I asked. “What was so important that you two are an hour late to plotting our New World Order?”

Celestia and Cadance shared an uncomfortable glance.

Cadance smiled awkwardly, “We’ll tell you in a minute. It’s going to derail this whole meeting if we bring it up now.”

“Agreed,” Celestia added.

I was now even more intrigued, but Luna had other ideas, “Sister, Niece. Phasma was just about to share his more dangerous plots, you are just in time. Phasma, your… nuclear option?”

Slowly, I reached out with my magic, drawing a line with it across Equestria. I divided up the Kingdom into several provinces. The North, the East, the West, the Center with Canterlot, and the South. I divided the South further into ten provinces, drawing their lines across mountain ranges, rivers, and deserts.

“We must control Equestria,” I began. “We need to enforce borders between its many settlements. Our enemy moves with impunity, fleeing our patrols with ease. By placing Royal Guards all across Equestria, namely the South, we stand to nail these bastards down long enough to hit them hard.”

Luna, Coxa, and Lace nodded, while Celestia ruminated on my plan. Cadance grit her teeth as she took in the implications.

“That’s going to stir up a lot of problems,” she said. “Not to mention the obvious consequence of spreading the E.U.P. out when we need them ready to fight in the North.”

“That last part is what gives me pause,” Celestia agreed. “I am not comfortable with placing the bulk of our forces too far to recall in a moment’s notice.”

“We can hold several divisions back,” Luna offered. “The forces destined to fight within Nisir and the closest around the mountain can be stationed here in Canterlot. We have the airships needed to move them. That way we can both secure Canterlot and the future battlefield against the Nightmares.”

I grinned, “The Red Right Hoof will be deploying in a similar manner. If we keep the core of the E.U.P.’s spear tip as a rapid response force, we can get the defenses in Nisir garrisoned in two days flat. Given the distance from Nisir to where you two say the Crystal Empire was, that gives us two days of wiggle room.”

Celestia tapped her armrest, “... We do not have enough airships. It will take seven months to make more.”

“Requisition them from the public,” I suggested.

Cadance flinched, “That’s… If we must, we can.”

“Let us do it,” Luna matched my grin. “Our greatest warriors shall descend from the skies, clad in midnight black! We can scour this world of the Umbrum blight!”

“We can leave behind support in Nisir,” I suggested. “Prepare it and the outer defenses for rapid garrison.”

“What would that look like?” Celestia asked me.

“Air strips, supply depots fully stocked with non-perishables ahead of time, security perimeters, semi-permanent housing– trenches, preferably. Yes… trenches. We need to prepare Nisir and the surrounding valley for war.”

“Trenches?” Luna frowned, “What on Equus would we need those for? We are not holding nor assaulting a castle. Barricades would be more preferable.”

“I’ve been taking inventory of what tools your army has,” I said slowly, “and I have a few ideas. I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but it’s time to take some ideas from Earth’s wars. Celestia, Luna, you two will need to come with me tomorrow. Bring your royal checkbook.”

“We shall have to make it short,” Celestia said, “there is still much to do.”

I tasted disappointment from Luna, “This is all well and good– and enticing, but hardly worthy of the moniker of ‘nuclear option.’ Unless the stories you have told were overblown?”

“No, these are all steps we should be taking immediately, no matter what,” I explained. “My nuclear option targets Division-P; we must take them down. No matter the consequences, they cannot be allowed to cause strife while we fight for the future of our world. But legality and public outrage bind our hooves, preventing us from going after them.”

“What do you suggest?” Cadance prompted me.

Slowly, I leaned forward, “If all else fails, we must take down every supporter of Division-P. We cannot jeopardize the war effort. I motion, should every scheme fail, to arrest each and every one of them simultaneously.”

Celestia snorted, “Hah! Even if we do accomplish that, there will be many more supporters who we failed to identify.”

“That’s why we institute the nuclear option: we declare martial law across Equestria. No crossing province borders. Sundown curfew. Override the authority of any local guard. Reevaluate any sentencing for those guilty of treason or disrupting the guard– tripling them if we have to. Suspend any rights ponies have to a trial until the crisis is over. Shut down any public radio station and clamp down on freedom of press. No one moves unless we say so. No one says a word without our permission. Divide and conquer, the old fashioned way.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Luna agreed instantly.

Lace cheered, “Hard and fast! Quick and dirty, just like the invasion!”

“Agreed,” Coxa tacked on.

“Surely you can’t be serious,” Cadance said quietly. Quickly, she found confidence, “That is simply going too far! I agree, if it comes down to it, that might be a necessary move, but we are so far removed from the worst case scenario that there’s no point even considering such options. I mean, honestly, restricting a right to a trial? Shutting down the entire country? We cannot lose our morality during this fight. Celestia, tell me you aren’t considering this.”

Celestia let out a sigh and looked down at the floor, “In truth, I struggle to find reasons to not enact that plan right at this moment.”

“Auntie–”

“No, Cadance,” Celestia closed her eyes. “Just no. I have seen so much of the kingdom I held together for the past thousand years simply… drift away. So many ponies have been hurt, and many killed. I watched my four most trusted guards, the Swords of Morning, get cut down in front of my eyes. Something must change. We… we cannot allow Equestria to fall simply because we are too afraid of violence.”

“I believe in Harmony,” Cadance said, gathering herself. “I believe that ponies strive to be better every day. I believe that we are working to achieve something great, and that we don’t have to throw away what we worked for and become tyrants at the first sign of trouble. With the power of friendship, we stand a better chance at finding allies and strength within ourselves than with the power of domination. I understand what’s at stake, yes, but now is not the time to throw ourselves into the fires of self-sacrifice! How many innocents will be thrown into cells? How many will lose their livelihoods from the economic shutdown? We have months till the most likely Nightmare invasion window– years at the most. How long would you imprison civilization?”

“As long as it takes,” I said. “The time has come to revolutionize how Equestrians see war. This isn’t some casual affair to be discussed over tea time, eating apple fritters and marveling at the weather. People are going to die. It’s time we take their sacrifices seriously.”

Celestia chuckled, “And to think, this time last year, I was preparing for Hearths Warming, wondering if I’ll spend the next with my sister at last. Now here we are, Hearths Warming Eve, discussing topics reserved only for Equus’s darkest of ages. My heart says to end the pain, no matter the cost, but my mind says to listen to Cadance. We will file this idea away, ready to be called upon in Equestria’s darkest hour.”

I shrugged, “I called it the nuclear option for a reason.”

“We have enacted martial law in the past,” Luna said. “I see no difference between this invasion and prior ones.”

“... Thank you for listening, Celestia,” Cadance said, gently laying a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder.

“With that decided,” I said, “care to share the reason for your tardiness?”

Celestia straightened up, “Oh. Yes. We received a visitor. Someone you will find most interesting, Phasma.”

“You had my curiosity,” I raised an eyebrow. “Now you have my attention. Just who is it?”

I emerged from the portal sprinting. In the cold courtyard nestled deep within the gardens of the Royal Palace, my breath billowed like steam. Behind me, the royal sisters, Cadance, and my two friends followed. But my entire attention was what lay before me. Just behind the ruins where a fountain once stood, the very same fountain where Chrys– North Star and I fought and determined the future of the Hive Eternal, a lone sapling stretched bare limbs into the sky. It was hunched over, curled not just from the weight of its new occupant, but from the snow that had covered it like a blanket.

That snow was gone now, and its greatest limb was charred black. Orange talons clutched onto the sapling, its owner’s pure yellow eyes looking back at me as it cocked its head to the side. Philomena the phoenix firebird had returned.

Between her talons and trapped against the charred bark was a shattered silver chain. Strung at its apex was a dented golden charm, set with a cracked emerald that pulsed purple with energy. The energy rippled as a feminine voice issued from it, beamed directly into my mind.

“Well, well, well,” Princess Prochorodes said. “If it isn’t the royal that I’ve heard so many whispers about. King Phasmatodea, I presume?”