“We cannot,” Qingzhi said. He kept glancing at Rainbow Dash, then meaningfully back to Lucky. It seemed obvious what he wanted to do—get rid of her. But Lucky either didn’t notice, or didn’t care what he was trying to imply. But when she didn’t say anything, he eventually went on. “Protecting Motherlode is mission critical. We have invested much in these facilities, and our war will collapse if they fail. Our allies will not get the food they need, or the medicine, or the weapons. Motherlode is the central node around which our entire war must be organized. Unless… we wish to abandon our allies and retreat outside Equestria’s borders.”