S3E02: Vile Truths

'''Executor initiates his Canterlot offensive, permanently earning him a place in Equestria's history books as a monster. Meanwhile, Tarachnos' device is put in use against him, and a very devastating revelation will haunt the Gifts forever.'''

Plot Summary
The episode begins as the Factory asks for confirmation regarding their killswitch project's completion. Tarachnos replies that, yes, the device is done and ready. Meanwhile, Orachnos was shown some of Arachnos' work, particularly the Avenger unit, a machine that equipped to Arachnos like powered armor that essentially enhanced Arachnos' battle prowess. Olyn, still deeply saddened by Executor being left behind, tried to defend him. The Factory replied that, even if he admitted he could just as easily become Executor himself, the fact remains that he has a job to do and people to protect. At all costs, he had to be stopped. With the killswitch, all they would have to do is wait for Executor to make his first move.

They did not have to wait long. Alarms went off all across the Factory as they learned that a massive Clan portal had opened near Canterlot, with a smaller one near Manehattan. Deciding the capital was a much more important location, the Factory commanded his troops to ready for battle. Another psychic wave then hit them, as Executor announced his intent to raze the city and murder the Princesses.

The battle for Canterlot opened with a powerful set of elemental attacks by the Nihilius Clan. The air, ice, and water mages summoned a massive tempest that surrounded the city, flooding it and putting weight on the platform the city rested on. Magma streams burst forth from the city streets, showering the capital with molten death, as fires formed blazing lines that burned alive any caught in their path and set fire to buildings the magma didn't. Fierce lightning bolts rapidly struck down from above, even further disturbing the city's foundations as every impact weakened its hold to the mountain. Executor himself led the assault.

The Factory's transports and pegasi soldiers opened fire on the Clansmen, with the "Gifts", Arachnos, and Kanako not far behind. The latter group were also told to keep an eye out for Executor so that they could use the killswitch, though he couldn't be found. The Factory questioned Executor's strategy; attacking the capital of the entire country was brazen and foolhardy. He should have expected the heaviest resistance possible. The only possible answers were that Executor was either dumber then Factory had expected, or that he was playing a harder game.

Suddenly, Canterlot Castle exploded violently, showering the storm-ridden city with debris as two streaks blasted into the sky. One was bright as the sun; this belonged to Princess Celestia. The other was darker than the sky, only visible due to how it appeared as a hole against the backdrop of the storm clouds. This was naturally Executor. The two combatants were engaged in a fierce duel, ascending higher and higher as they traded blows. The Factory's special agents and the Gifts rushed to help back up their Princess. Executor was eventually sent careening into the castle ruins, where he was soon bound in place by Orachnos and Olyn. Tarachnos attempted to use the killswitch, though naturally it didn't work (his device was designed to be faulty).

Celestia readied to deliver the final blow, demanding Executor return her younger sister, the Princess Luna, to her. Executor only sneered at her, saying she'd get her back in a bodybag. Executor turned his bile towards his friends as well, who could only look at each other questioningly as they found his remarks to be a little too real for them. They began to wonder if perhaps it wasn't all an act after all.

Executor's bonds tightened as they prepared to put an end to his reign right then and there. However, just as he was about to be removed from the world, an unholy black light emanated from Executor, and he was suddenly spatially displaced far from where he was bound. He was covered in a thick black aura, and seemed just as confused as everyone else.

Executor received a report from the rest of the Clan, saying that the city of Manehattan had been wiped out, just as he planned. All along the attack on Canterlot was a distraction while his real attack force slowly amassed itself near Manehattan. While they were busy with him, the Nihilius Clan eliminated a large, populous urban center. Executor ordered the Clan to retreat, leaving behind one city wiped out and another in ruin. Another black flash took Executor instead of a portal, leaving a burning question for everyone present.

The Factory's forces returned to base, defeated. Princess Luna had been taken, and Executor managed to pull a victory behind their backs. The killswitch didn't work, and somehow Executor managed to escape death through an unknown power. The implications of the latter were not lost on the Factory or Arachnos, and a test was issued. Orachnos and Tarachnos, understanding what they were being tested for, agreed. Olyn, however, was more hesitant. She was afraid of being analyzed, though truthfully she was more worried about the result.

Eventually, they managed to convince her, and a handful of skin cells were shaved off of her, along with little fragments of the spiders' carapace. They were each analyzed in special machines, but the machines didn't work. As far as the machines could tell, nothing was put into them. No matter how many times they tried, the machines simply didn't register the Gifts as existing. Arachnos tried it on himself to made sure it still worked, and it did. That left only one conclusion: the "Gifts" before them were, in fact, Nihility constructs. They were not real. They were actually what the Clan said they were.

This shocked and devastated the Gifts, especially Olyn. Now faced with the reality, they couldn't argue against the evidence. Especially not after what they saw with Executor. The question of what it all meant came up. It was theorized that they were not the originals at all; but rather copies created by Anathemus for an unknown reason. It was believed that the real ones had died at the hands of Anathemus, with the "Anathemites" before them being possibly mistakes.

Orachnos tried to question how Anathemus could have made a mistake, to which the Factory replied that He might not have and they're all still faking it. But if it wasn't a mistake and they weren't lying, how else did they explain knowing nothing about being "Gifts?" How did they not know they were supposed to help the Nihilius Clan with their goals? The Factory theorized that, because Anathemus had been disturbed from His slumber, He wasn't fully aware of what He was doing, and by accident copied the memories and forms of the originals and transferred them to the Gifts.

There were still questions, but it was the most sound explanation they had at the moment. Olyn, who had throughout this conversation had been crying on the floor, stood up and denied everything. Unwilling to accept that she wasn't who she thought she was, she eventually fled the Factory.

Arachnos suggested they take advantage of the memory confusion. With the Anathemites previously unaware and currently unwilling to help the Clan, he thought to use them to counter Executor. The Factory agreed, but said that they would have to begin training right away. He didn't doubt that by this point the Clan was already training Executor. He had an advanced lead on them and the advantage of being taught by people who actually understand Anathemus to a degree. They would have to begin training as soon as possible, though they knew nothing about it. The Arachni tried to use Executor's ability, but found they couldn't.

Privately, the Factory, Arachnos, and Kanako began to discuss how exactly they planned to do train the Anathemites. The Factory believed that their encounter with Executor was a clue: he was about to die. The Factory supposed that perhaps extreme mental and physical stress might cause them to unconsciously unleash their hidden power. If they could do that, then they could possibly call on it more often. A plan was set in motion: Arachnos would devise a robotic Executor lookalike called EXE. It would be designed to take on the Anathemites and beat them, while the Factory would provide the voice. He would pretend to be Executor, for they thought that being beaten by their old friend would fit the bill quite nicely.

Arachnos went to work right away, while Kanako requested a temporary leave of absence to find Olyn. The Factory granted the request, on the condition that Kanako would report back to the Factory should something arise. Kanako agreed, and then departed, taking a transport with him.

Soundtrack

 * 1) Executor's Announcement - The Incomplete Stone -Acapella- (NieR)
 * 2) Battle of Canterlot - Drain Damage (Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex)
 * 3) The Truth - The Last Judgement (Super Robot Wars 3)

Trivia

 * This was the first episode to feature a pre-emptively planned soundtrack, and this would continue throughout the rest of the RP.
 * SDM would later go on to confirm that Tarachnos' killswitch would not have worked, even if he had designed it to be fully functional.