S3E05: Double Edge

'''Two cities on opposite sides of the nation succumb to a mysterious silence. Having proven himself to the Nihilius Clan, Executor makes the next move of his campaign to cleanse the world. The other Anathemites have Manifested, but will it be enough...?'''

Plot Summary
The Factory had prepared a meager training area. He was hoping he could have the Anathemites use it and find some sort of progress, though ultimately the Factory was forced to postpone this idea. A new situation had suddenly come up.

Summoning the Anathemites and his other top agents to the war room, the Factory revealed that two of Equestria's cities, Baltimare and Las Pegasus, situated on opposite coastlines, had gone silent. Communication was dead entirely from those cities, both military and civilian. Several hours prior, they had detected two Clan portals near the cities, but they vanished quickly. Fearing the worst, the Factory sent his agents to investigate and hopefully fix this unnatural quiet.

The agents were divided up into two, with Oneiros and Olyn supporting Arachnos to Baltimare while Terminos went with Kanako and Brandon to Las Pegasus. In both cities the situations were identical: Not a single living thing was present. There were no bodies, but they were completely alone. Not even insects remained. The cities were entirely devoid of life. Over in Baltimare, the team decided to look into a nearby bank for clues. Inside they found papers scattered about the floor as if they had just been dropped, along with books, pencils, and various other miscellanea. Clothes were also found on the floor, with their owners nowhere in sight.

It was decided to review the security footage, and playing it back, they saw what began as a normal day. But then, a strange black fog rolled over the streets, its arrival marked by several ponies outside fleeing in terror. It sent the bankgoers into a panic as well, and the camera glitched a little. As the fog rolled over the ponies, they all disappeared, one by one, in the blink of an eye. The fog lingered for a bit longer before continuing down the street to presumably repeat the process. With at least some of their questions answered, the group left the bank, hoping to find more.

Meanwhile, over in Las Pegasus, a large company of Clansmen appeared over the ocean, with a large, completely black tower in tow. A similar group appeared near Baltimare shorlty after. The Clansmen each began to approach their target cities, pulling the towers closer. Each tower was being tugged by a shadow mage, while the rest of the group played defense. The Factory agents engaged the Clan forces, specifically targeting the tuggers.

The Baltimare group had the advantage of numbers, which kept the defenders busy. However, what those in Las Pegasus lacked in manpower they made up for with their unique "support." A black cloud, seemingly intelligent, appeared over the battlefield, and began to attack the Factory's agents. This cloud could harm anyone it passed by, and likewise it could also solidify and change shape. This was none other than Executor himself, fully using his Nihility powers to support his forces.

Still, despite his assistance, the tuggers were eliminated, and the tower floated in the air. Executor moved for the tower himself, encompassing it with an even darker aura. The tower then fell into a horizontal position, its tip pointed at the city. Like a rocket, the tower raced for Las Pegasus, and when it detonated it covered the entire city in a poisonous dome of shadow, ensuring that no life would ever return to it. Terminos, Kanako, and Brandon pulled out, and helped reinforce the Batlimare line. Executor tired to follow, but the combined group and the arrival of the Factory itself managed to destroy the second tower before Executor could throw it against the city. The surviving troops retreated, while Executor faded away into nothing.

Wanting to punish the Clan for what they were forced to bear wtiness to that day, it was suggested that one of the spiders try to track the Clansmen's portals, hopefully leading to their base. A portal was made, but it did not take them to the Clan headquarters. Instead, it led to a large underground cavern, seemingly woven into the earth itself, with large spewing flames and instruments of death and agony spread all over. The Factory said that, while they didn't their base, they did find something almost as important: a torture camp. The Factory explained that when the Clan takes prisoners, said prisoners are deposited in a camp where they meet their end in a multitude of painful ways.

The agents requested that they dispose of the camp, but the Factory denied the request, at least for the time being. He did have every intention to bring it down, but torture camps were heavily fortified. Especially with Executor around, they would need to plan such ana ttack very carefully. Though his reply was met with groans, it was ultimately obeyed, and the Factory returned to its dock above Ponyville.

Back home, the Factory began to consider alternatives. What they had reported about Executor proved the Factory's worst fears: he was indeed making significant progress in his training. By himself he clearly outclassed all three of the other Anathemites. If something wasn't done soon, the Factory's own special "weapons" would be no more effective than a dull toothpick. The problem was, the Factory and all of his other agents were incapable of training them in how to use the powers of the Dark One. The only ones who could do as much...were the Nihilius Clan.

Springboarding off an idea from Arachnos, the Factory suggested what should happen if the Anathemites were to "defect." The Factory could tell that the Nihilius Clan still revered them, so they should easily accept them back. They should also be equally as welcoming to the idea of training them to fulfill the Clan's goals. The only hinderance was Executor; he might be able to figure out what they were up to. The Factory could only offer an excuse along the lines of his paranoia driving them back to the Clan (though in reality, the Anathemites secretly knew that Executor presented a different sort of problem entirely).

The method of the false defection would take place during a battle. And what better battle than the upcoming assault on the torture camp? The Factory's idea was questioned, but he repsonded by saying it was better to let the torture camp stand for a little while longer than it was to let Executor become too powerful. If they couldn't level the playing field, it wouldn't matter how many torture camps were still standing.

Reluctantly, the Factory's idea was agreed to, and they began to prepare for battle...

Soundtrack
-Not available at this time.

Trivia

 * The imagery of the torture camp was inspired by the Darkice Mines location from Star Fox Adventures. In the following episode, this is reinforced further with the use of the aforementioned location's theme music.