The Axis

On what was supposed to be a normal day in a universe of infinite. People were going by their lives like any other. The civilians of this planet were shopping, taking their children to school, going to work, or just hanging out with their friends and family. All was supposedly normal, but that was until large blooming spaceships entered their atmosphere. They were clearly from beyond their own planet’s reach amongst the cosmos. Highly technological and giant, scaring everyone as the spaceships descended and hovered over the planet's surface. 

At first, nothing happened which left the people of the planet confused. They even started to think that the visitors came in peace. Then several explosions erupted in various others across the planet. Then beams erupted from the spaceships, revealing humanoids in dark gray and black camouflage military outfits, carrying rifles with a strange glowing substance. They wore helmets over their heads with a red visor over their eyes, unable to see beneath it. 

Instantly, the soldiers started to fire upon the civilians. With each shot, they managed to strike someone perfectly, killing them and turning them into ash. The intruders exploded and destroyed any and all military equipment that the civilians of the planet held. With every direction a resident of the planet looked, more spaceships and soldiers were seen. Annihilating anything and everyone that they came across. It wouldn't be long until there was no more fighting force that the intruders could face. Leaving only a significantly smaller portion of the population, all of whom were captured and placed in magical handcuffs. 

The entire planet was taken over in less than two hours, leaving nothing but a mess. All of the remaining residents were captured and taken away. After a while of taking the remaining people, the intruders left. With nothing behind on the planet, one may think that this world would never see the light of day. However, only another few hours had passed before several appearances of animal-like creatures started vaporizing into existence. Almost like they had teleported from an unknown location. 

“Axis soldiers, create a perimeter!” One of the animal-like creatures yelled, being a cheetah in a suit meant for their feral body. They had a device wrapped around one of their paws’ wrists. They ran in and started to help the rest of their team begin to examine the scene. Many more animal-like creatures started appearing as well, not wasting any time to run forward to their newly designated areas. “Try to find any survivors if you can! That's the most important goal in this!” The same cheetah yelled to the other group members as they went past him. 

“Maghony, sir!” Another animal-like creature called out to the cheetah, who was named Maghony. This animal-like creature was a female red fox, carrying a tablet in her paw. The cheetah paused and waited for her to catch up with him. 

“Yes Sarah, what did you find?” Maghony asked, letting her show him the tablet.

“I was able to get traces of the Leftists’ whereabouts at this point in time. It appears they have gone back to their stationary state. I haven't found or detected any of their forces in other universes.” She exclaimed, tapping on the tablet. Which showed colors depicting various parts of the top of a brain. The color of it was yellow, which meant that it was in an idle position. 

“Keep an eye on it for me, alright? Let me know if they start moving again.” Sarah nodded and started to go back to what she was previously going. Maghony continued forward, finding that the rest of his team was busy setting up magical fields and magic weapons. Which was mostly as a precaution in case the Leftists returned. It wouldn't be much longer until another voice called to Maghony, running over to him. This time it was a lion, containing the same clothing and device around the wrist of their paw. 

“Maghony! So good to see you!” They then gesture to the large turret aiming towards the sky. “Defense mechanisms are active and ready to be triggered at any time. We also haven't found any survivors yet, but we are still looking.” 

“What about the Grainy Fields, surely you have some checking there, right?” Maghony asked, turning to him curiously. 

“I have yet to receive any reports from them. I'm sure they’ll come back with any news if they do find something.” The lion mentioned with a half grin. “I even sent some soldiers to the other side of the planet. No reports of living organisms anywhere.” 

“Unfortunate.” Maghony said with a sigh. “Well, keep looking around however best you can. We can't leave without ensuring that there aren't survivors trapped in rubble somewhere. You know what to do when you do find them, right Gadeon?” Maghony asked, wanting to make sure that he remembered the procedure. Maghony knew that the Leftists never leave behind survivors, but it was always best to double check just in case. They even had to have a procedure in place, as sometimes the Leftists left behind diseases or fungi to kill off whatever is left. It's a good thing Maghony and the others were immune from such stuff. 

Gadeon nodded his head, grinning a little wider. “I do sir. Extract them, check for any injuries, clean them off to the fullest extent, then care for wounds before sending them to the survivor camps back at home base.” Maghony smirked after hearing this, lifting a paw up and parting him on the shoulder. 

“Good, good, just making sure.” Before either of them could go back to what they were doing, they heard someone shout from behind. Maghony nearly thought it was a shout of warning, but he soon calmed down after hearing what they said. 

“ETA, thirty seconds! Joraline is arriving, everybody gets into positions!” This animal-like creature was a wolf, wearing a headset with a microphone. Maghony turned to Gadeon and gestured for him to get back into his usual position. Then Maghony walked over to the wolf, recognizing him as Gilby. The both of them stood side by side, awaiting for Joraline’s arrival. Which didn't take much longer. They both turned as soon as they saw the blue unicorn with a brown mane vaporize into existence. 

He stepped forward as his eyes examined his surroundings. He grew distraught and horrified by the sight. Then Maghony and Gilby stepped forward to greet Joraline. “Sir, everything is being handled now. As of right now, we have yet to find any survivors.” Maghony mentioned to him, his tone a little sad and guilty from saying it out loud. If only we got here sooner. Maghony thought to himself, nearly wanting to kick the ground. 

“Typical Leftists, they never leave anyone behind. I just wish we could find one, just one person.” Joraline exclaimed, kicking his hoof into the dirt. “They disgust me, always have and they always will.” 

“I understand sir.” Gilby said in a saddened tone. “I'm sure we’ll find someone. Just because everything is destroyed doesn't mean they are all gone.” Maghony watched as Joraline’s expression shifted to a look like he knew that. However, it was clearly still hurting him deep down. The aftermath of such places like this never get old. It was awful to witness with one's own two eyes. No military power has managed to outwit the Leftists. Unless one wanted to count the mysterious legend from thousands of years ago. Where one person managed to obliterate the Leftists, which ended up being the first recorded incident of such a thing happening in millions of years. Although, it didn't exactly last long as the Leftists returned several weeks later with no form of a scar from the incident. 

Joraline paused and started to look around amongst the destruction. Maghony sighed sadly as he looked down at the ground. He felt guilty that any of this even happened in the first place. So many lives were lost and yet they could only get here after it happened. Maybe Sadi could increase our detection system. Especially this far out from the hub. It wouldn't be much longer until Gilby spoke up. “Sir, Starlighter needs you.” 

Joraline turns around and gives him an odd look, even raising an eyebrow. “I'm kind of busy here. I think she can wait, can't she?” Gilby spoke into his microphone to repeat what Joraline told him. A moment of silence passed and Maghony could barely hear a feminine voice through his headphone set. Then Gilby sighed and looked into Joraline’s eyes. 

“She says that it's urgent. She told me to tell you that it's about the monthly home sleepover.” Maghony looked over at Joraline and noticed his face going pale. Almost like this was something that he was extremely nervous and scared of. He took a deep breath, his voice going lower. 

“Right, okay. Tell her I'll be there in a minute.” Gilby did exactly as he demanded. Joraline walked past both of them, now containing an aura of worry around him. “I nearly forgot about this.” Joraline said quietly to himself as he went past Maghony. 

“Should we leave Poriah in charge while you are gone?” Maghony asked him, watching as Joraline walked away for a bit, then paused. He shook his head and turned back to face them. 

“No, just keep doing what you need to do. This shouldn't take long, promise.” Joraline informed them, lifting his hoof with the device around it. He spoke into it, which soon resulted in him vaporizing out of existence. Maghony felt Gilby pat him on the back and shoulder. 

“This is going to be golden. Just wait until Starlighter gets back. She's going to be so mad, I wouldn't be surprised if she creates another star near home base.” He says with a light hearted laugh, before turning around and walking away. Leaving Maghony to contemplate what he just said. Then he turned and looked over at Gilby as he started to leave. 

“Wait, she did that?” As he continued on, not responding to him. He then started to run after him, hoping that he would explain what he just said. “Wait, hold on! What do you mean she created a star? Gilby?”

Joraline appeared back in the home base, within the center room of the space station. He was instantly greeted by chatter from all directions. He stepped forward from the teleportation pad. He started glancing around, remembering how large the space station was. As he looked around, he found four tall open archways leading off into different directions. As well as many shops littering each corner. There was a room only ten meters above him, which accumulated the different floors of the space station. As Joraline glanced behind him, he found the center of the space station. Containing a beacon within an enclosed glass chamber. He wasn’t able to see where the beacons were going due to the floor blocking his view. However, he knew that it was all leading into a crystal. Along the side of the beacon’s chamber was the pods that allowed for teleportation from and to the station. 

As Joraline walked around and over to an elevator nearby. Which was constructed along the other side of the beacon’s chamber. He heard a voice call over to him. He turned and found one of his friends running over. This one was a pegasus, wearing the same kind of device around his hoof. The pegasus was a male with a green coat and a dark blue main and tail. The pegasus had a neatly combed mane and tail, nearly looking like they cleaned themselves often. Joraline recognized them as Baily, who was known for his knowledge in teleportation technology. “Joraline! I wanted to talk to you about something that I found.” 

Joraline’s ears went flat as he continued onwards to one of the elevators. “I’m sorry, Baily, I can’t really talk right now. Starlight needs me for that monthly weekend thing.” Baily followed Joraline over to the elevator, his voice growing nervous as he tried to speak. He was shifting with his hooves and body, almost like English wasn’t his first language. Which Joraline knew all too well to be the case with him. 

“It is kind of important with the Leftists.” Baily mentioned, “I thought that it would be something you would want to hear, you know?” He exclaimed, nervously rubbing his hoof. The elevator doors opened and Joraline stepped inside. Baily remained outside the elevator, watching silently. 

“Can you save it until I get back? Starlighter always comes first, you know that.” Joraline told him, giving him a half smile. “I promise, alright? It shouldn’t take that long.” The doors began to close. 

“Alright, meet me at my quarters…” Baily said right before the doors closed. Joraline took a deep breath, sitting down and placing the back of his head onto the wall behind him. This is going to be nightmarish. I hope Starlighter will be okay. He attempted to remind himself to not be too harsh. After all, it wasn’t like this was going to be the last time he was going to see Starlighter. It’s just for the weekend, that’s all. The elevator soon stopped ascending, stopping with ease before a ring erupted, the doors opening for him. Joraline then stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway. He began walking down the hall, noticing the various other doors on either side. It nearly felt like he was in some sort of fancy hotel, especially with the clean walls and floor. Not only that, but the decorations sprung around on the walls and the side, including tables, vases, or even pictures. 

It didn’t take Joraline long to reach a familiar door. It had a name label on the door with the word, “Joraline homeroom.” His horn lit up with magic and he unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal his bedroom. A queen size bed with a small kitchen and bathroom, which had its door closed and a light shining through the bottom of it. Joraline instantly knew who was in there. He used his magic to close the door behind him and go over to the bed. He placed his front hooves onto the bed and kicked himself up. Then he sat down, beginning to wait patiently for Starlighter to leave the bathroom. His eyes slowly went over to the rest of the room. All of which was neatly cleaned and organized, which could give someone the impression that it was never used at all. Although, there was no such thing as room service in a place like this. It was all thanks to Starlighter for taking care of the room while he was gone. 

It wouldn’t be much longer until the bathroom door opens. Joraline turns his attention to the bathroom, instantly spotting the familiar red skinned lizard-like creature stepping out. Unlike most lizards, Starlighter had skin, but was known to be extremely thick and impervious to heat and energy. She had a long, thin, and very cat-like tail behind her, with the tip of it being arrow shaped. She wore a black dress with leggings beneath, as well as earrings that were shaped like fire. She had horns on her head, makeup around her eyes. Her eyes were lizard-like, but they shifted into ordinary shape as soon as she saw Joraline. The colors remained to be yellow for the iris and red for the pupils themselves. While Joraline has gotten used to the space station mostly only containing animal shaped residents. He never got used to the fact that Starlighter was a demon. 

“Well, it took you long enough. What were you doing again? Running off to fight your archenemy again?” Starlighter said, placing her foot against the doorway behind her, leaning up against it. 

“Sorry, you know who they are and what they can do.” Joraline informed her, “I can’t let them keep doing this.” 

Starlighter shrugged her shoulders, “You might be right, but I like to think of it as just unnecessary.” She then began to walk over to him, her eyes locked with his. She glanced over to the bedroom door, thinking of something. “At least when it comes to interfering with something out of your control.” 

“Starlighter, we can do it, okay?” As Starlighter started to look back at him, she sighed at his words. “Listen, I know it sounds crazy and outlandish, but we can do it.” Starlighter sat down on the bed beside him. She didn’t stop him from continuing on with his words. “I know we’ve failed many times, I know the legends have too, but that doesn’t mean they are unstoppable.” Joraline moved over to her side. “You understand? This is what we do, I’ve told you that many times before. This…” Joraline then gestures around himself to the room and beyond that, which was the space station. “This is what I was built for, I know it is. I can’t just use this sentience or body for nothing. I have to use it for something more.” At this point, Starlighter looked over to him, her eyes meeting with his. “Just… Give me faith okay? That’s all I’m asking for, especially from you.”

She simply nodded, not saying anything else, her eyes going to the floor below.This reminded Joraline that Starlighter never lived in the mortal plain before. She never properly understood the ways of living organisms. She considered everyone and everything pointless. However, the only positive that Starlighter had for the mortal plain was that she was free from her father’s control. At least, she was somewhat free from him. There was only one exception to that. Which was the very reason why he was in this room in the first place. “You know why you are here, right?” Starlighter asked, “I don’t want to go.” 

“I know.” Joraline told her, nodding his head and looking over at the floor sadly. “I wish you could stay without him constantly bugging you.” Joraline told her, “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” She told him sternly, “This is just how it needs to be.” She sighed again, running a hand over her face and head. “It was the deal after all, remember?” Joraline nodded, remembering the deal from so long ago. During the dark times, before he knew anything about himself or why he existed. Now that he did, he felt good enough for what he needed to do. Not only that, but he felt like he needed to do something. Anything to make lift a reason to live for. While he didn’t know exactly what Starlighter got into while he was gone. He did know one thing, which is that she always came back and considered this place her home. Not even just that, but she never wants to leave Joraline’s side. The others claimed that she has a crush on him, but he never understood what that meant. 

“Will you um… Be okay?” Joraline asked, turning to her again. He hoped the answer would be positive or hopeful. After all, it wasn’t like she was going to be gone for a whole week. 

“I should be fine, yeah.” Starlighter told him, shrugging her shoulders and sighing again. “Try not to miss me too much.” She said jokingly, nudging him on the shoulder with her own. He chuckled and grinned, nodding his head. 

“I’ll try not to.” He told her, “But I’m more concerned about how angry you will be when you get back.” Joraline turned to her, meeting with her gaze. Starlighter groaned and cocked her head back in annoyance. 

“Ugh, with this again…” She clenched her hand into a fist. “Everybody keeps saying that I have anger issues, I don’t have ANGER issues.” She raised her voice, which made Joraline wrap a hoof around her. 

“Woah, relax. I’m not saying that you do, okay? I’m just saying that you are usually very tense after these weekends, that’s all.” He begins to rub her back with his hoof. Hoping to use it as a way to calm her down. Starlighter’s breathing slowed down and her body stopped tensing up. Her fist went back to a normal hand, placing it down onto her knee. She sighed deeply, shaking her head. 

“No, I should be fine. I will be fine. Don’t worry about it.” She informed him, nearly sounding like she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Joraline didn’t want to upset her or push too much. She simply nodded in understanding, glancing away from her. “Just try not to get killed while I’m gone, okay? It’s the last thing I want to come back home to.” She turned to him, which forced him to do the same. Their eyes met with each other again, which made the room go silent. 

“I’ll be okay.” Joraline then goes back to rubbing Starlighter’s back, trying to comfort her for the days ahead. While Joraline didn’t know what was going to happen. He did know that he wasn’t going to lose hope, no matter what the results may provide for him and everyone else around him. After some time comforting Starlighter, the bedroom door receives a sudden knock. Joraline sighs, pushing himself off the bed and onto his hooves. Starlighter’s expression turns to sadness and slight annoyance. Though, she doesn’t say anything as Joraline makes his way over to the doorway. He uses his magic to open it, which reveals another Axis member that Joraline knew all too well. A female snow-wolf stood with a bright smile, which Joraline remembered to be named Lilith. 

“Lilith, hey.” Joraline said with a small grin, “Um, what is it? I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.” Joraline says, glancing back to Starlighter. Who hasn’t moved from the bed, simply running a hand against the sheets and looking away from them. Although, she was clearly still listening to their conversation. 

Lilith’s expression fades from her face and turns to seriousness. “Its Baily, sir. He says that he needs you right now.” Joraline sighs, scratching the back of his neck. While he didn’t want to ignore the problems, he also didn’t want to leave Starlighter so soon. After all, she had to leave for the weekend. 

“I told him to wait for me like five minutes ago, I’m sorr-” Before Joraline could finish what he was about to say. Starlighter chimed in, his tone while annoyed and impatient, sounded defeated. 

“It’s fine.” Starlighter exclaimed, making Joraline turn around to look at her. She shrugged her shoulders and met with his gaze. “You should go.” She said, returning a half smile. Joraline looked at her like she was crazy. 

“Are you sure?” He asked, “I can just put this to the side for now if-” He tried to compromise with her, but she shook her head before he could say anything else. 

“No, just go.” She said, waving him off with a hand. “They need you, that’s more important than me being gone for the weekend.” She chuckled, showing off her sharp teeth and fangs. “I’ll be fine, go on.” She told him, waving him off with her hand again. Joraline sighed as he looked deeply into her eyes. He felt bad, but he also knew that she was right. He nodded his head then stepped out of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him with his magic. Then he glanced over to Lilith, who’s been standing beside him the whole time.

“Alright, let’s go.” He told her, then they both started to walk down the hallway, beginning to head back to the elevator. While Joraline didn’t want to go so soon, he knew that she was right. Joraline was in charge of the Axis and needed to stay on call whenever something new came up. Joraline and Lilith arrived at the elevator, stepping inside of it, watching the doors close then feeling the elevator begin to descend. “Do you know what Baily needs from me?” 

Lilith glances over to Joraline, her expression shifting to obliviousness. She shrugged her shoulders as she looked forward again. “Wish I could tell you. From what I’ve heard, apparently it has something to do with their teleportation technology.” Joraline raised an eyebrow as he listened. What about it? Their teleportation technology hasn’t changed drastically in thousands, to maybe even millions of years. What could possibly be any different about it now? His thoughts seized as soon as the elevator finally came to a stop. The doors opened and revealed a new kind of hallway. This time, they were standing within a three way intersection. In all three directions were doors that were closed. The glass chamber where the beacon was contained was right behind the elevator. 

Lilith turned left and Joraline did not hesitate to follow. He knew exactly where Baily’s office was located. He often went there to check up on any new research that he worked on. The door opened and revealed another hallway, this one containing a single restroom area along the left side. There was no room on the right side, only a blank wall. They contained forward and past another door, stepping into another hallway. This time, four offices were visible with glass doors separating them from the hallway. Joraline glanced into each of the offices, only spotting one coworker inside a room. They were behind their desk, logged into their computer and typing on their keyboard. This Axis member was a female leopard called Jayna, best known for her knowledge in computer science.

Joraline and Lilith walked through another door, revealing another hallway with the same layout as the last. However this time, the first room on the left was Baily’s personal office. Joraline and Lilith walked over and opened the door. Upon stepping into the room, Joraline was greeted by two other Axis members. One of them was Sadi, a lion that often considered themselves nonbinary. The other Axis member was someone that Joraline didn’t see that often. A red tailed fox neatly sat in a chair in front of Baily’s desk named Piltry. Baily was behind the desk, pulling out folders and papers from his drawer. “Joraline, how wonderful for you to come!” Baily exclaimed with a grin. “Thank goodness too, I thought you were going to break our promise.” 

“What’s going on, Baily? What’s so important that you need to tell me?” Joraline asked, walking over in between Piltry and Sadi. Lilith remained by the door, blocking it from anyone else from coming in. Baily took one of the folder’s and opened it up, then flipped it and pushed it closer for the three of them to look at. 

“This.” Baily exclaimed, “This is bad.” He then takes a pen into one of his paws, then begins underlining a specific line in the document. “Piltry here, told me that he’s observed the Leftist using a hyper focused form of teleportation.” 

“Well, yeah.” Joraline said, shrugging his shoulders. “They are known for that, what’s the difference?” He didn’t even bother to look at the document. Instead, his eyes went straight up to Baily’s. 

“Between universes.” Piltry exclaimed suddenly, which made the whole room go silent. Joraline and Piltry’s eyes met with one another’s for a split second. 

“What?” Joraline turned to Baily, “That’s impossible, they were never able to do that.” Joraline said, staring directly into Baily’s eyes. “Tell me you are joking.” 

“Read it.” Baily demanded, pointing to the sentence in the document before him. He patted the line with his pen. Joraline licked his lips and shifted forward, looking into the document at the underlined section. Joraline began to read what was underlined, it read as follows; “Upon my scouting to observe the Leftist much closer in action. I have found that the Leftist upon leaving the universe, were able to go hyperspeed. Unlike usually using portals, they were able to vanish much faster than what they were normally capable of. This hyperspeed is not like normal hyperspeed however, as they vanished within a split second with no trail or indication of where they went.” Joraline’s eyebrows furrowed as he read the section. “I have checked through the documents and have come to the conclusion that this is hyperfocus universal teleportation, which is not easily possible.” Joraline stopped himself before proceeding further, he sat back and rubbed a hoof over his mouth. 

“This is not good, Joraline.” Baily informed him, breaking the silence. “We always thought their progression in technology has halted, but that’s further than the case. You can clearly tell that they are still getting stronger.” Baily said, pointing to the section with his pen. 

Joraline didn’t know what to say for the longest time. His eyes slowly went over to Sadi. Wanting to know what he had to say about this. “What are your thoughts on this?” He asked, holding his breath for what he was about to say next. 

Sadi glanced at the document, up at Baily, before meeting with Joraline’s gaze. “They can use this to leave and appear without warning. If they really do have something like this, then we need to do something and fast.” Joraline nodded his head, turning to Baily and Piltry. 

“Thanks for bringing this to my attention.” Joraline told him, “Our attention.” Joraline said, glancing over to Sadi. “I will make an announcement. To start with some changes, Sadi…” Joraline stood back up to all four of his hooves, looking over to Sadi. “I need you to start working on the new emergency and detection systems. Try to find a way to detect them before they arrive, do you think you can do that?” 

“I can try.” Sadi got up to their paws. “But it’s going to be really difficult. I’m not as smart as some of those Jon Alliance people.” Joraline light heartedly chuckled, nodding his head in understanding. He then turned to Piltry, pointing at him with a hoof. 

“Piltry, keep up the good work and keep tabs on them. Make sure they aren’t hiding anything else under their belt.” Piltry simply saluted without making a response. Joraline glanced over to Baily and thanked him again. Baily nodded and smiled, nearly showing his teeth again. Then Joraline turned and started to make his leave from the room. Lilith gladly allowed him out, opening the door for him. Joraline took a deep breath as he stepped out of the room, feeling the fresh cool air from the ventilation. Hearing such news about the Leftists ability to hyper travel between universes. It made him nervous and deeply anxious for where things were going. If we don’t get alerted before they arrive, then we are screwed. He took some steady deep breaths, relaxing his nerves for a moment. Then he turned and started to make his way back to the elevator. 

As the elevator ascended upwards to the top of the Axis space station. Joraline began to think about himself and his fellow companions. Last he recalled, there were approximately three million of themselves out there. Last time he was told was a long while, but he remembered that one of his friend’s diagnosed a name for him and the others' species. Due to the weird nature of their bodies and how each of them depicted the same kind of animals, Joraline and the others were called Animtects. 

Joraline couldn’t help but glance down at himself, examining his hooves and body. He felt sick to his stomach that he was even alive. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do about it. Besides, Joraline has tried to get in contact with his creators, but they refused to acknowledge his presence. It was almost like they were pretending that he didn't even exist. Is it because they pity us? Or was there something more to the story that we don't know about? 

Joraline snapped back to reality as soon as heard the elevator doors ringed. He took a deep breath and looked ahead, watching as the elevator doors opened before him. Revealing not a hallway, but a tall room with many gadgets and computers. Joraline stepped into the room, glancing around at the lights flickering upon each of the computers. Then his eyes spotted the familiar Animtect from many years of working with them. A male coyote with a mixture of a brown, gray, and tan coat named Grilda. They looked up from their monitor and met with Joraline’s gaze. 

“Joraline, I was expecting you.” He told him with a cheeky smile. 

“Were you watching me?” Joraline asked jokingly, stepping further into the room as he looked over at the computers as he passed them. 

“Well of course. I keep tabs on everything here, you know that.” Grilda grabbed his glasses that were sitting on his desk. He put them on and started to type away on his keyboard. “So, what brings you here Joraline? Do you need something from me?” He asked, his eyes going forward to focus on what was in front of him. 

“I need to broadcast a message to everyone.” Joraline exclaimed with a sigh. Slowly going over to the station that contained the controls of tapping into everyone’s headsets and wrist bracelets. “Will that by chance get in the way of your work?” He asked, glancing back to Gilda. 

“It shouldn't, no.” Gilda informed him, “What’s the broadcast?” He asked curiously, stopping what he was doing to meet with his gaze. Joraline began setting up the computers and the microphone, opening up the programs to allow him to manipulate the frequencies and channels. 

“You’ll see.” Joraline commented without giving much information. After making sure what he had was all working correctly. He clicked the broadcast button, watching as it collaborated before finally showing the timer, which started from zero. Joraline leaned in closely to the microphone, pulling it closer to him. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. He took a deep breath, then started to speak into it. “Attention all Axis staff, I have received news that the Leftists have evolved. Evidence suggests that they are now capable of hyperfocus teleportation between universes. Sadi and the entire weapon and defense ministry is working on better security for the Axis. Be safe out there and keep on the lookout. Thank you. This is Joraline of the Axis organization.” 

Joraline clicked on the broadcast button within the desktop application. Joraline sighed and he slumped forward, letting his thoughts race into his mind. He didn't hear Gilda say anything or even move from his spot. Although, Joraline could tell that he was staring directly at him, burning holes into his back from his gaze. What am I supposed to do? If they keep evolving like this, we will have no chance of pushing them down again. He rubbed his muzzle as he stared at the monitor in front of him. Which is when Gilda’s voice chimed in, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room. “If I could say something?”

Joraline glanced back in his direction, quickly noting that he wasn't paying him attention. Instead, his focus was primarily on the monitor in front of him. “If… The Leftist really do have hyperspeed for between universes. Then that also means there's a way to slow them down, right?” Joraline scoffed, turning fully to him as he sat down onto his haunches. 

“What do you have in mind?” He asked, their gaze locked with one another’s. He watched as Gilda started to move around sheets of paper on his desk. Then he started to type onto his computer. It took a few minutes, but eventually a holographic image appeared above them both along the ceiling. It was large enough for Joraline to see clearly. The picture depicted several images of various things. The first was clearly a virus, the next was a force field, but with a much thicker exterior, then the last showcased something that Joraline had never seen before, a lock over what was meant to showcase a universe. 

“The first is self explanatory, we import a virus that will run in the background of their usual programming. It will slow down their speeds drastically whenever they attempt to use hyperspeed.” Gilda explained, but Joraline sighs and rolled his eyes. His expression shifted to look like he was uninterested or bored. “The next one is that we implement much sturdier or thicker barriers. Something that the Leftist machinery is forced to take into account with hyperspeed. Otherwise if they impact, they explode.” Joraline nodded slightly as he listened to him continue. “Last but not least, this is something that I've heard Sadi mention before. Apparently, there's either a myth or a theory of blocking or locking up universes.” 

Joraline tilted his head in confusion after hearing the last one. He gave Gilda a strange look, raising an eyebrow at him. Noticing that Gilda was finished, he started to speak next. “Okay, first off. We’ve tried countless viruses on them. They’ve always managed to annihilate it within less than a week.” He said, gesturing up at the picture of the virus. “Secondly, I'm sure Sadi is working on thicker fields. So, we got that one covered already.” Then he paused as he looked at the picture depicting a lock. “And I don't know where you heard of this lock thing, but that doesn't sound very feasible in my head.” 

“You said countless times before that you have traveled far and wide. You have met Amu on your own. Has he ever mentioned anything of this sort of thing happening to him before?” Gilda asked, giving him a look like he was crazy. Joraline just returned the look as he thought back through the years. Even to the times before he even created the Axis. Not once was he able to recall Amu saying anything of the sort. Not even during the times that he caught Amu alone. The only thing he remembered was a book that Amu often carried around. Although, the book didn't really appear that important to him, not unlike the ancient ones from when he met Hallsworth & Lancon Malldoor. 

“I don't remember him saying anything like that.” Joraline informed him, “But I'm pretty sure if he did, it would've been a common topic of interest by this point.” Joraline told him, locking eyes with him again. 

“Like I said, it's either a myth or a theory. Sadi mentioned that he knows some personal friends on the front lines that have observed Amu struggling to access certain universes. Almost like he’s been blocked out of them.” When Gilda said this, Joraline stood up to his hooves. 

“How long has this been a thing? Who are these friends that Sadi has talked about? How long has he known of this?” He asked, stepping over to him with a serious demeanor. 

Gilda simply shrugged, “Like I just said, it's probably just a myth or a personal theory from Sadi. If you want to know more about it, just ask them.” Gilda said, gesturing to the elevator. Joraline glanced between him and the elevator. Then he turned around and started to leave the room.

“Thank you for informing me of this. I didn't know that Sadi was keeping secrets from me. I'm going to have a little chat with him now.” Gilda didn't respond, only readjusting himself in his spot and going back to typing onto his computer. Joraline went over to the elevator as the holographic picture above vanished from the ceiling. He pressed the button to go down, which didn't take long for the thing to arrive. The doors opened and Joraline stepped inside, pressing the necessary floor button then watching as the doors closed before him. Then the elevator began to make its descent.

Eventually the elevator stopped at the floor that Sadi’s office was on. He stepped out and began to march forward. Other animtects were minding their own business, waving at Joraline as he went by. He returned the gestures, but kept his eyes and head forward. He continued on down the hallway before arriving at Sadi’s headquarters. Which was significantly different than any other office. Sadi had a personal workshop with several machines to assist him, as well as a table, tools, a desk and even filing cabinets. The room took up six office spaces, three lengthwise and twice wideways. Not only that, but the room was lit up by fluorescent lights above and the walls were made up of a mixture of marble and polished concrete and tiling for the floor. 

Sadi was seen rummaging through their treasure chest. Taking out a few tools from within it. They didn't acknowledge Joraline’s presence until he was standing barely a meter away from him and Sadi turned around. Their heart had stopped for a split second and they screamed as soon as they saw Joraline standing before them. Completely not expecting him to be there without any signal of arrival. “Goodness gracious Joraline, you scared me.” He said, placing a paw onto their chest. 

“Sadi, I need to know if I heard this correctly. Do you know some friends that have observed Amu struggle in accessing universes?” Sadi was caught off guard when Joraline asked this. Sadi’s grin faded and a look of confusion plastered onto their face. 

“Um, where did you hear that?” Sadi asked, looking a little nervous. 

“Gilda told me. Now is it true? He says that there's a myth that universes can be blocked or locked from entry. Do you know anything about this?” Joraline asked, his tone starting to show seriousness when he asked this. 

“I mean, yeah? But it's not a proven concept yet.” Sadi mentioned, “For something like that to work, you would need to access every form of star energy in the universe, combined with a strong source of magic.” 

“Why did you never mention something like this to me? This could've been useful information.” Joraline explained, which made Sadi’s expression turn to guilt. They shrugged their shoulders and looked away embarrassed. 

“I just… I wanted to wait until I got more information on it. It's not scientifically possible, at least not right now.” They then started to walk over to his desk and filing cabinets. Sadi opened a few cabinets, then pulled out a folder. They placed it onto the desk and opened it, revealing several sheets of blueprints. Sadi checked through them until he found one in particular. They handed it over to Joraline to look over. Joraline examined what was on the blueprint, noting first that it was large. Nearly three times the size of Sadi's own room. Not only that, but it required nearly every energy in the universe. It also listed several other parts and sections of the machine that were difficult to make or come across. 

“If it's really that difficult to make something like this, then how is it that Amu struggles to go into certain universes?” Joraline asked, looking up from the blueprint and meeting Sadi's gaze. 

They shrugged their shoulders, “I don't know where you got that from.” He told him, clearly oblivious to what Joraline was talking about. 

“Gilda just said that you know some friends who have told you directly that they observed Amu struggling to access them. Why would he just make that up?” Joraline asked, growing a little impatient with Sadi. Sadi must not be telling me everything. 

Sadi shrugged their shoulders, “I hardly ever talk to Gilda. The last time that I did was two months ago during the whole Jon Alliance incident.” Sadi informed him, “Although, the only thing that we talked about at the time was to find where the intruder was.” Sadi scratched the bottom of their neck, using the claws to get beneath their fur. Then realization struck him seconds later. “Wait, unless you are talking about Sadi from the floor below him? She's often the one talking to him.” 

Joraline was taken back by this. He jerked his back as he contemplated what Sadi just said. “There's another Sadi?” He asked himself out loud for the Sadi in front of him to hear. 

“She's… Well, not well known around here. I know she exists because she has the same name as me.” Sadi chuckled to himself, “But yeah, you might be thinking about her. She might be the one that has told Gilda about the universe blocking thing. I know that she has friends that are on the front lines. I've just never met them though.” Sadi took the blueprint from Joraline and put it back into the folder. Then he slipped the folder back into the cabinet before closing it. Meanwhile Joraline thought about what he was saying. I guess I read Sadi wrong. 

“I'm… I'm sorry for accusing you. It never crossed my mind that there are two Sadi’s. I completely forgot about that.” Joraline told him in a guilty tone. 

“Eh, don't worry about it.” Sadi exclaimed with a dismissive wave of their paw. “It happens to us all.” Sadi then went back over to the treasure chest with gadgets inside of it. 

“So, anyway um… You think that you could build something like this though? Like if we were to somehow get all of the necessary parts. What do you think?” Sadi paused and thought to himself silently. 

“Maybe? Honestly though Joraline, I wouldn't work yourself up about it too much. Even if we could get all of the supplies to build the machine. We’d need a lot of energy and a good, strong source of magic. Both of those are not easy to achieve.” Sadi crouched down beside his chest and went back to rummaging through it. Joraline stared and watched him for a bit. Then he sighed and turned around, deciding to leave Sadi to get back to work. 

Joraline decided to raise his device up to his mouth so he could speak into it. “Hey, Gilby, how is recon? Find any survivors yet?” A moment of silence fell through the speaker. After a bit, Gilby’s voice was heard from the other end. 

“Unfortunately no. It looks like the Leftist left nobody alive this time around.” Gilby paused before speaking in a saddened tone. “I'm sorry, sir.” 

Joraline stopped walking and sighed. He looked down at the floor sadly, in complete distraught of the news. He couldn’t quite believe that this was his reality. Will we ever find survivors? He then lifted his device back to his mouth to resume talking into it. “It's not your fault, it's the Leftist. Keep doing what you need to do and I’ll-” 

Suddenly, he was cut off by another voice. This time it was new, yet he recognized it as Hermin the snow wolf. Who often watched over the different universes in his own station. He worked with two other animtects called Josiah the tiger and Noah the leopard. “Joraline sir, we have a red light in quadrant three.” Joraline paused when he heard this, lifting his head up. “We’re detecting a source of power causing death and injury at a fast pace.” 

“Gilda, do you copy that?” Joraline asked into his device. A few seconds passed of silence, but eventually Gilda begins speaking. 

“Yes sir, it appears that the universal cameras are not able to capture what it is. I'm going to have to switch over to the overview display. Give me just a second.” Gilda went silent again, supposedly to do what he said. 

“Hermin, Josiah, and Noah, what does your end say?” Joraline asked as he began heading back to the elevator. Whatever is going on, we aren’t letting it hurt any more lives. “Can you tell me which universe it is?” 

“Within quadrant three, it appears to be the universe labeled Clifftop, number code 65.642;1008. Do you copy that Gilda?” Hermin asked. 

“I have the overlay display working on my end.” Gilda responded, “I can safely confirm that it's the correct universe. I'm currently checking the overview now.” A few seconds passed by until Gilda started talking again. This time, he sounded slightly nervous. “Um, I believe we have a code redxblack. Joraline, can you please come to my headquarters please?” Thankfully right as he said this, Joraline arrived at the elevator. He pressed the button and watched as the door opened. He stepped inside then pressed another to let it go back up to the top where Gilda resided. 

“ETA is less than a minute from you.” Joraline called back through his device. He felt the elevator begin to move upwards, feeling his heart pump fast in his chest. 

“Sir, the defense ministry has contacted us. They are requesting our assistance immediately. They have just alerted me that their defenders have fallen and the military is unable to harm the target.” The voice of Noah came over the speaker. Joraline acknowledged his words but didn't respond. The elevator came to a stop not long after. He stepped out of it and into the control room before him. Gilda was seen behind his desk, frantically typing and moving between monitors. Joraline went over to Gilda’s side and checked the monitors. 

Which is when he saw what appeared to be a humanoid. They were hunched over with a completely black wizard outfit that looked like it has seen better days. Gilda zoomed in closer onto the intruder, noting that the skin of it was nearly rotting off, but not revealing any muscles, blood or bones. Despite this, it looked disgusting for Joraline to look at. He glanced away from it, his eyes going to Gilda. “What the heck is that?” Gilda gestured for him to look back at the monitor. He did so and watched as the camera showcased the surrounding area of the creature. Which is when he noticed that there were corpses around it, as well as the grass already dead. 

The corpses were still wearing clothing. Scattered around the creature in different directions depicted the universe's defenders. Joraline remembered them from years ago and noted that they were very strong, smart and very kind to talk to. Seeing this with his own eyes made him angry. Though, he took a deep breath and glanced over to Gilda. “Keep watching over this, okay?” Then he stepped back from the computer and raised his device. “I need a recon team to prepare for a possible Life Reaper cascade event.” Joraline said into his device. “I'll send the recon team the coordinates of my location.”

“Roger sir.” A deeper voice responded from the device, which Joraline recognized to be a recon leader named Jaden. Joraline then glanced over to Gilda and exchanged a departing nod. Then he began to leave the room, heading straight to the elevator. Even if this isn't Amu or the Leftists. It's still part of our duty to keep the multiverse safe, no matter what. He took a deep breath, watching as the elevator door opened. Then he stepped inside and pressed the button to go to the main hub. Joraline sighed as the elevator’s door closed, reminding him that there was no turning back now. 

Joraline managed to arrive back to the home room. Which contained all of the different shops, four large halls perpendicular from each other, as well as the teleportation pad. He went over and used the device around his hoof to connect to it. He adjusted the necessary coordinations and location into the pad. Thankfully as soon as he finished, the voice of Jaden came from behind him. “Sir, we're ready.”

Joraline turned around to find Jaden, who was a brown wolf. He had six others behind him, consisting of different species. They all wore the same familiar Angelic armor, all glowing bright purple which told Joraline that they were enchanted in magic. While Angelic material was strong, it wasn't the most powerful material that they use for armor. Regardless, Joraline wasn't going to complain of their choice of wear. 

“Alright, stick behind me until I can get an idea of what's going on.” Joraline informed Jaden, before turning around and stepping onto the pad. He would soon vaporize and reappear in a new location. He found himself standing upon a hill, completely void of life. He started to look around and he noticed that he was within a valley. In every direction that he looked, he found tall masculine mountains surroundings him. It was oddly beautiful, but Joraline tried to not focus to dwell on it for too long. 

He stepped forward a bit, hearing the others from Jaden’s recon team appear from behind. It wouldn't be long until Joraline arrived near the ledge. Spotting a human in a worn out tuxedo, his legs dangling off the edge. He was overlooking a city below, which was rapidly decaying from an unknown source. Joraline made his way over to the strange man. Although, it soon occurred to Joraline of who this was. His name was Rodriguez, known for running the defense ministry of his country. He took a sip from his bottle and glanced back to Joraline. 

As soon as he saw him, he got up to his feet, pushing himself away from the edge. “Now you guys show up! Where the hell have you been?” He asked, stepping over to Joraline in a frustrated way. “A lot of this could've been prevented if you guys had actually shown up sooner.” He told him, gesturing to the city below. Joraline saw a building completely demolish with his own eyes, leaving nothing but debris in its wake. 

“We didn't get the news until the last minute, I'm sorry.” Joraline told him apologetically. 

“Well, because of your communication error or whatever, we lost our entire defender team. The ones that went out of their way to keep us all safe.” Rodriguez explained, gesturing to the city below. “I sure hope you guys know how to put a stop to this.” 

“Well first, I want to know where it came from and what it is.” Joraline asked, sounding a little serious. He glanced back at Jaden and the rest of his crew and nodded at them. Which told them to start heading in. 

“All I know is that it came from a cave in the mountains.” He then points to the cave on the left side of the valley. “We believe that it is from old legends, they used to call them the Navoja. Where a person gives up their soul to achieve power of absorption. Where they take power and energy from those they deem unworthy.” He then gestures to the city again. “We thought they were killed off centuries ago. But of course, given the current circumstances, that appears to be not the case.” He exclaimed, clenching his fists to his sides. 

“I see.” Joraline said, taking a deep breath then sighing. He scratches the bottom of his chin as he thought to himself. Okay, so they take power. But can they take magic? Joraline thanked Rodriguez then teleported himself down to the city. He was introduced to dust in the air, making it harder for him to breathe. It was also hard to find where Jaden and the others went. As a result of this, he lifted up his device and spoke into it. “Jaden, where are you?” 

It took a moment for Jaden to respond from the other end. “We are further into the city, near a park.” Upon hearing this, Joraline begins to run further into the city. He runs past destroyed cars, buildings, and even what appeared to be corpses. All of which was decaying which twisted Joraline’s stomach to disgust. It wouldn't be much longer until he found Jaden with his group. They were looking out amongst a field of dead grass with all of the trees leaving behind only bark, the leaves on them were gone. “There you are Joraline, we thought you were going to get lost.” Jaden exclaimed with a light chuckle. 

Joraline ignored his joke and turned his attention to the park. Where he saw the humanoid wizard in the center of it, walking slowly away with its head hung. Joraline squinted and examined the scene for a moment. A big open field like this is perfect. Joraline then turned to Jaden and the rest of his crew. “Alright, this is how we are going to do this. We need to surround it and cast Upeng. That should limit what it's doing around the area. Enough time to apprehend it.” 

“Upeng doesn't disable its powers entirely though. What if it attacks us?” One of the members asked, which Joraline barely recognized as a yellow pegasus with a blue mane and tail named Orion. 

“It doesn't, you’re right. If it does go in for an attack, then here. This should help.” Joraline then lit up his horn, casting a quick spell upon the whole group. Magical armor appears on all of them, covering their entire bodies. It wouldn't be long for the armor to vanish, almost like it was invisible to the naked eye. “Alright, let's go in.” Joraline watched as Jaden ordered everyone to get into a proper position. Jaden would do the same, but following Joraline as backup. They made their way over to the wizard creature, who didn't know of their presence until they stood right in front of it. 

Jaden stood right behind Joraline, serving as cover fire. Joraline stepped forward, making contact with the dead grass. All of which was deeply dried up, every strain fallen over onto the ground. Joraline looked at the Navojo before him. The Navojo paused and lifted its head, revealing a wrinkly and disgusting skin. Its rure was fully blacked out, showing no pupils. Right beneath the eyes were purple indications, showcasing pure evil and darkness within it. Joraline gulped as he took a few more steps forward. This is such a stupid idea. 

“Navojo?” He called to the creature, watching it grin with anger after hearing him say that. “That's what you are called, right?” Joraline asked, “This can go the easy way, or the hard way. I’d much rather do this now with ease on both sides.” Joraline exclaimed, taking a deep breath as he stood there staring at the motionless creature. “Which would you prefer?” 

The Navojo didn't respond, only stared at him. Joraline took another step forward, “Listen, seize these actions now or you will be taken away by force.” With no response coming from the Navojo. It eventually turns perpendicular from him and begins to walk away. Almost like it was ignoring him completely. Joraline stepped back over to Jaden’s side, giving him the signal with a head nod. Then Joraline watched as Jaden lifted up his device and started to create magic with it, making several gestures in the bright green glow of energy. 

It wouldn't be long until he pushed the energy out to the Navojo. Joraline watches as the Navojo hears the energy coming towards it. It turns and its expression shifts to shock. Then the energy strikes it, causing it to be lifted up by the magic. The others in his crew soon followed along, casting bursts of magic with the same green glow. The magic collides with the Navojo, soon beginning to scream in pain. It nearly sounded inhuman as it screamed in a high pitch frequency. The whole group finally stops and the Navojo falls over onto their side. 

Seeing that the Navojo was on the ground. Jaden gives the order for everyone to start moving in. They carefully and slowly did so, keeping their eyes on the target, fully prepared for it to make a move. Joraline kept close behind, a little anxious that the Navojo would attack. Once the group was nearly close enough to apprehend it. The Navojo lifts its head up, turning its attention primarily on Jaden. “Don't get up!” Jaden yelled at it, not stopping his approach. “Stay on the ground!” 

The Navojo then slams the ground with its hands. Suddenly, the ground shifts upwards from in front of the whole crew, causing them all to be pushed backwards. The Navojo takes this time to get back up to its feet. Turning its focus on one of the unsuspecting crew members. It jerks it's arm out towards the member. Joraline watched in horror as the grass around them began to move inwards to bury them alive. The crew member beside them crawled over and started to use their magic to fight off the grass. 

While the Navojo was distracted, one of Jaden’s crew members went up from behind. They used their magic to strap the Navojo in pure magic, strapping their arms and hands to its side. They fell over onto the ground, allowing for everyone to regather their bearings. Then Jaden and the help of two other teammates apprehended the Navojo. Joraline watched as no further incidents occurred as they did so. Joraline breathed a sigh of relief, glad to find the situation getting resolved with no further incidents. We are prepared for anything.

The whole crew made their way back to Rodriguez. Who to their surprise, already had a helicopter and several other vehicles waiting for their arrival. Rodriguez motioned for his soldiers to move in. Jaden and his crew handed over Navojo to the soldiers carefully, ensuring that it couldn't escape. Rodriguez then walked over to Joraline. “I was hoping you guys would kill it, but this works too. Maybe we can get some information from it. At least, I hope it can even speak English.” He chuckled, slightly grinning after saying that. 

Joraline nodded his head, acknowledging his words. “Will you guys need us to stay around a little longer? The spell that we casted on it won't last long.” He mentioned, glancing over to Rodriguez. 

“Thankfully, my men back at the facility managed to find a way to deter its abilities. At least within an enclosed space. We are still working on a proper weapon.” Rodriguez told him, gesturing over to the Navojo. “Did it give you guys any trouble? Is that why you’re a little concerned?” 

“Not really concerned. I mean, I personally believe that there might be more out there. Possibly even more powerful than that one.” Joraline said, “If there is one, there’ll always be more where it came from. That's just how it works, even in the megaverse.” He tells Rodriguez, watching him nod his head in approval. Though, his demeanor suggests that he didn't like that news. 

“Hm, well if there really is more out there, then we’ll let you know. Promise me that you’ll respond quickly next time?” Joraline still didn't like that Rodriguez was blaming him for all of this destruction. Despite the fact that Joraline and his crew responded as soon as they got the report of it. Joraline sighed and nodded, not wanting to escalate further. After all, he knew that regardless of what happens in the future, they will always return and take care of business. Joraline followed the rest of Jaden’s crew away from Rodriguez, beginning to prepare for their trip back to home base. 

Jaden glanced over to Joraline, returning a half smile. He examined Joraline’s face before speaking. “Your expression tells me that you were expecting more than this.” 

“This entire event made me realize that we are wasting time. The Leftists are still out there, hurting lives every second, every day.” Joraline said with a sigh, hanging his head. Jaden then paused and placed a paw onto his shoulder, forcing him to face him. Their gazes met with one another’s. 

“Joraline, you know more than anyone that no matter how many lives are in danger, we keep them safe.” Jaden reminded him, “I understand the Leftists have become a major problem. They are a problem for all of us, but just because smaller problems arise, doesn’t mean they aren’t important too.” Jaden pats Joraline on the shoulder and gives him a reassuring smile. “I promise, we will put a stop to them. Just try not to lose focus on the reason we do this. We were never built on just the Leftists, we were built on much more than that.” 

“I know.” Joraline told him with an approving nod. “It’s just hard to think of anything else when an AI such as the Leftists, have little to no regard for life. Constantly killing innocent lives and using them to replenish numbers. We’ve annihilated them twelve times and they continue to come back. Do you have any idea how concerning that is? It’s almost like they are unstoppable.” He sighed and ran a hoof over his head. “But I refuse to believe that.” 

“I understand, Joraline.” He patted his shoulder more firmly, giving him a comforting smile. “I promise, we will get to the bottom of this.” Then Jaden started to guide Joraline forward, resuming following the rest of Jaden’s crew. One by one, they each teleport back to the home room of the Axis. Joraline would soon follow, appearing back in the base room. He saw the crew of Jaden’s beginning to depart through one of the large archways. Joraline took a deep breath, glancing around the home room. Noticing that everyone was going by like normal. Showing no form of concern or interest in the Axis’ active presence throughout the cosmos. That’s when Joraline felt a yawn come to him. He covered his mouth and raised his device to check the time. Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to call it off for the day. He turned and started to make his way to the elevator so he could head up to his and Starlighter’s bedroom. 

Remembering of Starlighter’s existence made Joraline give pause for a split second. His memories flooding in from earlier when Starlighter left for the weekend. Which told him that he was going to be sleeping on his own. A sad sigh emanated from him as he resumed onwards. He went over to the elevator and pressed the button, watching the door open in front of him once it arrived. Then he stepped inside, breathing out a long exasperated sigh. He lifted up his device whilst the elevator door closed in front of him. 

“Hey Gilby, any news about the Leftist area?” He asked into his device, letting his hoof fall back down to the floor. He let his ears perk up and listen to whatever is said back through the speaker. It was silent for a few minutes before Gilby’s voice came through. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened, allowing for Joraline to leave it. 

“Unfortunately, it appears to be of no luck out here. We’ve searched all day and haven't found a single thing.” Joraline sighed as he hit his head against the wall behind him. Then he stepped out of the elevator to begin heading back to his bedroom. He lifted up his hoof to speak into it again, but not for Gilby this time. 

“Hey Sadi, I'm heading to bed. If you have time, can you talk to the other Sadi for me? Just to see if she knows anything.” A moment of silence went by from the receiver. 

Eventually, Sadi’s voice responded in a calm tone. “Sure thing Joraline, get some good rest.” Joraline flicked off the device, then continued onwards down the hallway. Where it would barely take much longer for him to arrive back to his bedroom. He used his magic to twist the doorknob and push it open. Which revealed a dark empty bedroom, void of Starlighter. He sighed as he stepped into the room and used his magic to close the door behind him. He then reached down and started to take off the device from his hoof. Placing it down onto the bedside table, followed by turning on the light to the lamp beside it. 

Joraline then went into the bathroom to begin doing his usual business. Even taking a final shower after such a long day out. He got to thinking about himself and the future of the Axis. Then his thoughts went back to Starlighter, which the feeling of missing her presence was getting to him. He hung his head as he cleaned himself off, getting beneath his fur and mane so it got every inch of his body. Then when he was done, he shook his body harshly to get the water out. Then he used a towel to help dry himself off, using his magic to move it around all over his body. 

Once Joraline was finally done, he left the bathroom. He went over to his bed and hopped on top of it. The cold air around him mixed with the blanket and sheets was comforting and soothing. He used his magic to put the blanket over him, flopping over onto his stomach. Resting his head down onto the pillow and using his magic to turn off the lamp. He tried not to dwell too much on Starlighter’s missing presence. Instead, he closer his eyes and thought about the Axis. How much it was important to him and why he made it. These thoughts soon turned into confidence about defeating the Leftists and any other threat in the cosmos. Which wouldn't be long until he fell asleep, letting his mind guide him away into a dreamscape full of thoughts and desires.