Small, beady eyes squinted back at them from time to time, their owners quickly scurrying away across the crumbled cobblestones.
Luna stared into the dark, narrow alley ahead, a feeling of unease settling itself comfortably in the back of her mind. “Are we headed... there?”
Hedvika nodded glumly, slowly cantering forward.
The princess stood mesmerized, bathing in the few sun rays that made it between the cramped houses. An elderly stallion slowly trotted past her, sweeping the street with a broom that had seen better days, and whistled an off-tune through what remained of his teeth. When his dirty, tangled mess of a tail brushed against her leg, Luna quickly followed the green mare.
“What happened here?” she asked, catching up to Hedvika. “The rest of Trottingham seems so nice… are we going through here because you fear someone might notice me?” Luna pushed back her newly acquired straw hat, looking back to the remarkably more welcoming street they just came from.
The younger mare released a deep sigh, shaking her head. “After everypony we have met today, I think we can call your disguise—surprisingly—sufficient. As for the town…” She beckoned the princess closer, motioning to a narrow alley.
“I do not want to sound disdainful, but are you sure some of those ponies would not mistake a draft stallion in dress for a mare?”
Hedvika only rolled her eyes at that, a slight smirk flashing over her face. She motioned to the alley again, trotting forward herself.
The alicorn reluctantly inched closer, adjusting her straw hat once more. “I mean, would it come to your mind that this filthy tatterdemalion in a laboratory coat is a princess?” Waiting for an answer that didn’t arrive, Luna peeked over the piles of garbage.
They stood on the edge of the pavement still bathed by the sun’s rays, the colorful, lively city lying below them; the dark maw of the slums gaping behind their backs.
“Beautiful, quaint town, isn’t it?” Hedvika said, the tone of her voice betraying the enthusiasm of the sentence.
Luna just cocked her head, trying to decipher the unicorn’s expression. The green mare just stood there, the afternoon sun lighting up her amber eyes and dancing on the orange locks of her mane. Her ears swivelled from time to time at the faint sounds of a busy marketplace from below, but her face remained cold, betrayed even.
Hedvika shook her head slightly, her eyes drifting to the few manors on the other side of the valley. “It didn’t deserve this fate.”
Luna tilted her head. “Can you be a little more specific, please?”
The biologist fidgeted a little, stepping back into the shadows. When she opened her mouth, the last hint of the light in her eyes faded. “It was the coal mines; the source of this town’s wealth, but also its downfall.” She motioned for Luna to follow, the princess reluctantly following her into the cool darkness of the alley.
“Trottingham coal was one of the best in the land, prized especially for train engines. The mines were expanding vastly, employing more and more ponies and even more unusual beings, like minotaurs. The tunnels are everywhere in the valley, probably under us as well.” Hedvika tapped the ground, a dull hollow sound confirming her words.
Luna raised her hoof, only to be stopped by the mare’s alerted gaze. “Truly safe indeed,” the princess muttered.
Seeing the alicorn put the hoof down without causing a cave-in, Hedvika continued, “A few years ago, the mines started running low and a massive layoff took place. Those lucky enough moved to nearby cities, such as Ponyville or Hoofington. Others were bound here, be it by health, family or money. It was all up to the countess to save them.”
Hedvika released another sigh. “Poor Countess Charred Coal did what she could, helping the needy with the immense wealth her ancestors gained from the mines, making the lives of her ponies better.” She shook her head, looking at an anatomically incorrect graffiti on a nearby wall. “I remember foals playing in her garden everyday and the aged, gaunt mare strolling among them. And the great oaks in her park, full of rare ants… and precious ant-eating spiders.” She pressed a tear out of her eye and smacked her lips, trotting down the alley. “Now only her mansion remains, slowly falling apart behind locked gates.”
The princess bowed gently, taking off her hat and pressing it to her chest. She took one last glance at the sunny town below, taking notice of the shadow of the once-grand house towering over it in the distance. It stood out against its surroundings like a bleak, grey spot with cracked facade, boarded up windows and roof succumbing to gravity.
Shaking her head, Luna plopped her headwear back on and caught up to the mare. “When I get back to Canterlot, I promise to barrage Celestia long enough until she yields and delegates me the key to the royal treasury.”
The unicorn chuckled, nodding respectfully. “There are more pressing matters at hoof right now,” she said, nudging one of her bags with her hoof. “Wake up, Sev, we need you out here.”
The bag groaned and squirmed, the flap lifting slowly. Sev stuck his head out, yawning and revealing his rows of teeth in the process. “What? I and Rocky here,” he pulled out the dead rooster, “were just enjoying our peaceful beauty sleep.” He grinned toothily, letting the poor bird drop back into the bag.
“Refreshed?” Hedvika extended a hoof, scratching his chin. “We need your sharp teeth for a moment.
“And Clam”—Luna snapped to attention, dropping a shard of glass she was inspecting—“give me your goggles. It’s best to hide anything of value before heading into the worse parts… and anyway, it looks ridiculous with your hat.”
The princess fidgeted slightly, faking a snobbish huff. “It tears a gaping hole in my heart to part with such a fitting garment!” she exclaimed, tossing it to the waiting unicorn.
Sev openly smirked, catching the flying glasses and swiftly stored them away. Hedvika’s lips curled into a slight smile, one that withered quickly as she looked towards the dark, winding alley.
“If anything happens, flee in the direction of the clocktower,” the unicorn said, motioning to the high building peeking over the rooftops.
The princess gave her a solemn nod, gulping audibly.
“Oh, don’t worry, running probably won’t save you anyway…” Sev chuckled. “But I will.” He stood on Hedvika’s head, wings spread wide.
He nearly fell off when the unicorn started moving. “Come on, I want to have this over as soon as possible.” She gently patted her bags, their contents rattling quietly. She frowned at the sound, her ears scanning the alley. “Oh, why it has to be gems…” she whispered, adjusting the straps of her harness. “Keep quiet, don’t do rapid moves and don’t look them in the eyes.”
Luna cocked an eyebrow. “From what you say, I would assume we were walking into Tartarus itself.”
“Our little Hedvi here just tends to exaggerate a little.” Sev patted the unicorn’s head. “It’s not like we are heading through Chimera territory.”
Hedvika groaned. “Chimeras are at least predictable. And I just like to be prepared. For anything.” She widened her stance, eyeing the dark alley before her.
Luna stifled a yelp as her horn tangled in yet another clothesline. She yanked her head back to pull herself free, only to send an old apron slapping her face.
Sighing, she focused on her horn, shuddering at the sensation of magic crawling from her hooves and up to her forehead. Drenched in sweat, she willed a small bolt of magic energy out of her horn, burning away the presumptuous rope.
She crouched down with another sigh, creeping below the plethora of lines spanning the width of the alley. They covered her view of the sky like a dirty, old cobweb. It swayed silently above her, humming with the gentle breeze from time to time.
The clip-clop of her hooves was the only sound permeating the street, the smaller mare before her moving unexpectedly quietly.
They passed by grey, soot-covered houses with peeling facades while skipping over the broken pavement.
Puddles of dark liquid pooled where the cobblestones were missing. Luna carefully maneuvered around them, her nostrils twisting at the foul smell. It tickled her throat, willing her last meal up her gullet.
She stopped, bending over and covering her muzzle with the lap of her coat.
“Clam?” Hedvika whispered. “Everything’s alright?”
The princess nodded a few times in a quick succession, her eyes aligning on something on the ground. Receiving the affirmation, the unicorn and dragon moved on, searching the intersection before them.
Poking the mysterious object with a hoof, Luna recoiled instinctively upon the touch of wet fur. The small thing rolled over, revealing a cracked button sewn to its surface.
“Aww.” The alicorn gently maneuvered the dirty plushie out of the water, looking it over. It was weathered and torn in a few places, leaving only a smudged plush mess with two buttony eyes.
A quiet growl emanated from behind her.
Luna’s ears perked up, her fur standing on end.
She caught a glimpse of a movement just to her side. Willing away her shaking knees, she slowly turned around, gazing at a boarded up door.
Two shiny, deep jade eyes gazed at her from between the planks.
“Um, hello?” Luna gulped, mindlessly pressing the toy to her chest.
The eyes widened, staring intently at her breast. A higher pitched growl resonated from the door.
The princess looked at the plushie she was clutching, back to the door and again at the toy. She slowly extended her hoof and offered the toy to the jade eyes, biting her lip, and braced herself for the worst.
A tiny red hoof appeared between the boards, snatching the dirty toy and disappeared just as fast.
“Clam, we are moving on,” Sev called.
Luna threw one quick glance at the door, rushing to the pair, her hooves splashing and skipping on the ground.
As the princess caught up with them, Hedvika looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.
They trotted forward, hopping over piles of garbage and broken crates. Sev growled from time to time, his scales bristling ever so slightly. Still it was enough to send the scarce light reflecting off of them dancing across the walls.
The green unicorn only slowed at his warnings, her ears scanning the surroundings. Luna stopped every time, taking a few seconds to glance around before rushing to catch up with the two.
Luna turned back after another suspicious stop, spotting none of her guides.
Something big and furry scurried over the path in the distance. A lone shirt flapped on a line nearby.
A generic nightmare setting. “Come on, how many times have you seen this? You ought to be immune to such petty fears by now,” Luna whispered to herself. Prancing in place uncomfortably, she twisted her neck around, panic welling up inside her.
Slowly, she started trotting to the next intersection, barely keeping herself from galloping. “Sev?” she whimpered. “Hedvika?” Spotting nopony in the adjacent alleys, the princess hastily returned to her original spot. A broken shutter hanging just from one joint creaked above her head.
She looked around, trying to think of any way of finding her guides. Her ears perked up as her gaze fell on a cracked, rotten crate filled with compost. “Oh, there is a Timberwolf… Hedvika?” Luna tried, listening for any movement. Nothing. “And… it has a really interesting... mould on its head. Great for science!”
Her fur stood on end as a cold grasp took hold of her body. She tried to scream, but the air was frozen in her lungs. She wanted to push and breathe with all her might, but her chest wouldn’t budge. She tried to flail, but couldn’t move a limb. Her vision started reddening, growing dark from the corners.
A strong pull sent her tumbling into a wall, the familiar tingle of a cheap illusion spell passing through her. She landed against something soft and warm. With relief and delight, she could feel her lungs working properly again. Moving her head groggily, the tip of her horn was met with slight resistance.
“If you don’t pierce my lower jaw, I'd be grateful, thank you.” Hedvika groaned from above the princess.
Before Luna could open her mouth, Sev jumped in.
“I apologize, but we couldn’t risk you screaming seeing a hoof suddenly appear from the wall to grab you.” The dragon smirked, looking down at Luna propped up against Hedvika’s chest.
The princess heaved herself up, groaning. “Could you not just called me or stepped back out?”
“Shh,” Hedvika whispered, oblivious to Luna’s laments, “I don’t want them appearing here during our business.”
The princess tilted her head, unease welling inside her. “Business?” she whispered back.
The unicorn just nodded solemnly, stepping over to a door at the side of the alley. This one seemed far more intact than those they had passed by previously, bearing Hedvika’s knocks without a single creak. Luna groaned in annoyance, catching a glimpse of Sev mouthing an apology.
The green mare stepped back, waiting. Awkward silence befell the group, disturbed only by quiet dribbling of water over one of the walls. Luna shuffled around nervously while Hedvika’s hoof quickly checked her bags once more.
“Sev, how many fire rubies did you pick?” she inquired, her eyes piercing the dragon.
He released a tired sigh. “It’s gonna be enough, trust me. I’m sure he won’t make any troubles to his best customer.”
Hedvika started counting, her hoof tapping the ground with each number muttered. Her brow furrowed as the count went higher and higher.
Luna winced, Hedvika’s ears snapping to attention, when a voice suddenly reverberated through the door, “Everything ordered heads towards simplicity and chaos. How come such a complex thing as life still exists?”
Hedvika rolled her eyes, reciting, “Because we keep our inner order at the expense of raising the chaos around us.”
After a moment of silence, the door clicked open, revealing an empty, sloping corridor lit by a single flickering oil lamp.
Luna bent forward, eyebrows furrowed. “Is this some crazy order of Discord?”
Hedvika smirked, trotting forward. “Not at all. After you.” She held the door for the princess to enter, slipping in beside her. The clicking of various locks and latches filled Luna’s ears, her unease growing.
She turned back to the door, spotting Hedvika toiling with the mechanism. “Just a moment,” the green mare said. “We don’t want anypony else coming here.”
“Sure.” The princess’ voice was everything but assured. Taking a few timorous steps backwards, Luna’s whole body tensed as her hoof touched only air.
The alicorn stumbled back, rolling down a short flight of stairs. She landed in a heap on the cold floor, the straw hat falling over her eyes.
She could feel pillows of dust gracing her face, the sweet scent of aged paper and weathered ink penetrating her nostrils. Soft hoofsteps drew near her.
Luna pulled up her hat, raising her eyes to a young, lanky stallion in a grubby pullover towering above her.
He gazed at her curiously, his glasses slowly sliding down his muzzle. “Well, hello there.” He bent down, his brassy curls dancing around his head as he extended a hoof towards the perplexed princess. “Welcome to my antiquarian bookstore. The name’s Entropy.”
“C-Clam,” Luna stuttered as she leaned on his hoof, nearly pulling the stallion to the ground. “A bookstore?”
Entropy straightened up, backpedalling a little. “Of course. What did you expect?” He tilted his head, barely catching his falling glasses with his teeth.
“I… do not really know.” The princess looked around the faintly lit dungeon. Rows upon rows of battered, half-filled bookcases occupied most of the space, the rest was taken up by a few pulpits, armchairs and cobwebs.
“A cult of the Lord of Chaos.” Hedvika chuckled, carefully descending the stairs. “Nice to see you again.”
“Ah, Hedvika, I thought it strange for your friend here to find her way in here alone,” Entropy commented. “And Sev, didn’t see you back there, though I knew you wouldn’t be far.”
“So, about that trade...” Hedvika moved forward, obscuring Luna’s vision of him.
Entropy pushed his glasses up his muzzle. “Oh, straightforward as always. Follow me. Your friend is welcome to look around in the meantime.” He arched his neck past the unicorn, beaming at the disguised princess before he trotted off deeper into the bowels of the shop.
Hedvika sidled up to the alicorn, but still kept her space this time, letting Sev hop onto the princess’ back. She then proceeded to follow the lanky stallion.
“What kind of business it is that she deems it so important?” Luna asked, trying to twist her neck to get a good look at the dragon.
“Well,” Sev scratched his chin, “a book. Quite an old one.You know, just a regular rare book about nature. I don’t think it would interest you that much.”
“Ah, and I expected it would be on the history of music,” Luna uttered, walking between the aisles. She raised her hoof, running it over the dusty covers. A Pamphlet of Prehistoric Poetry. Towels, Trowels and Time Travel. A Collection of Griffon Cookbooks. “Eww,” the princess withdrew her hoof, “they really have everything here. Bound in leather too, it seems.”
Sev craned his neck, pulling out the last book with his wing. “Oh, really.” He skimmed through a few pages. “A roasted ram with cranberry sauce. Sounds delicious. Or this one,” he tapped his claw on one of the pages, almost coming through the weathered paper, “‘Ferret liver stuffed with rosemary and thyme’.”
The alicorn gagged, grabbing the nearest book, fanning herself with it.
“Come on, you should at least appreciate that they have there some greens and not just meat,” Sev added. He wilted under Luna’s gaze, slithering from her back. “A sore spot?” He grinned.
“Before… ahem… coming to your place, I spent over a week in the presence of a griffon convoy. Let us simply say that I do not want to hear of anything that has to do with meat, skin or dead animals in general,” Luna said, fixing the collar of her coat.
Sev’s eyebrows shot up. “That explains a lot… though, what about parchment?”
“Parchment?” the princess asked, leaning against a pile of gardening books and fairytale collections on a nearby pulpit. “What is wrong with it? It is just paper.”
“Paper, you say...” The dragon chuckled, hovering down the aisle.
“Is that not true? Sev?” Luna whispered, trotting after him.
“A tale for another day, I’d say, not sure how you may react… surrounded by all this parchment.” The dragon smirked, the princess giving him a slightly irked look.
An awkward silence befell them, disturbed only by the clip-clop of Luna’s hooves and the occasional flutter of Sev’s wings. A few words from the bargaining bookseller filtered between the bookshelves.
Sev turned mid-air, rubbing his neck. His gaze wandered over the surroundings, the cogs in his brain turning, his mind looking for anything suitable to say.
“Though,” he started, “I have to give it to you, you are brave. I understand that you are unsettled by meat, entrails or hides, many ponies are. Still, you seem genuinely okay in the presence of a potentially dangerous predator… not everypony can—or wants to—do that.”
Luna stopped, eyeing him quizzically. She sat her haunches onto a convenient nearby armchair, plumes of dust billowing all around her. “Oh, pray—” she stifled a fit of cough, tears welling in the corners of her eyes “—tell? What about those fillies or anypony else at the festival?”
“A tip of an iceberg.” The dragon huffed, climbing on one of the armrests. “And many of them were a little scared upon meeting me for the first time. I surely don’t look like a cute chubby dragon baby.” The princess bent down slightly, hoof stretched to stroke his scales. “And some even thought that I possessed Hed—”
An explosion took the words from his tongue, the bookcases around rattling as something big and dark landed against them. Books rained down from the assaulted bookshelves. Luna jumped out of the armchair with Sev in tow, barely avoiding a falling tome of Saddle Arabian legends. They both stood quietly, specks of dust slowly settling around them and the smell of ozone yielding to the funky odor of old paper.
Entropy’s curses echoed through the room, ricocheting off the vaulted ceiling, “Damned grimoire of dark arts, making a fuss again. Just stay away from it.” His voice slowly receded to the bargain with Hedvika, only a louder word or two disturbing the silence.
Luna’s ears sprung up. “A grimoire?” She leapt to the pile where the dark mass landed before, digging in the pile. “I will not allow for a potentially dangerous book to lie around unguarded.”
Sev hovered above her, his tongue flipping through the air. He ran it carefully over his palate, then let it fling out and wipe his nostrils. His eyes widened, a disgusted expression crossing his features. “Sulfane... Burnt fur... Wait!”
He hopped before Luna’s hooves, forcing her to back away. With tongue sticking out of his mouth, he started fishing through the pile of book and scrolls. “Ah-ha!”
With a strong pull of his claws, a blue horn appeared among the books, followed by the head and body of a young stallion.
The unicorn slumped onto the ground to Luna’s hooves, sweeping the floor with his shiny yellow mane. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from his body, his blue coat covered in blotches of dark singed fur.
“Hello, are you alright?” Luna shook his shoulder. No reaction.
Sev sighed, motioning for her to look at his claws. He balled them into a fist, running his knuckles across his own sternum a few times.
The princess eyed him quizzically for a few seconds, then mimicked the gesture with the tip of her hoof, rubbing it across the stallion’s chest.
He jumped up with a cry of pain, clutching his chest. Panting heavily, he glanced around till his eyes aligned on Luna and Sev. He blinked a few times before breaking into a fit of laughter. “H-Hedvika? What in Tartarus happened to you this time?” He guffawed, pulling a hoof around Luna’s shoulder. “Too many blueberries? Nice hat though.” His hoof reached out for the straw hat, only to be swatted away by the princess.
“I am not Hedvika,” the disguised alicorn growled, shaking off his hoof.
The stallion crawled back, releasing a quiet squee. “Are you sure? That lab coat looks pretty much like hers… and so does the dragon,” he strained through his forced grin. He glanced at Sev sitting on a nearby bookshelf, biting his tail to muffle his giggling. “Alright,” he made a futile attempt to groom his frazzled, yellow mane, “name’s Volt-Ampere, nice to meet you, Non-Hedvika.”
“Clam, Hedvika’s friend,” the princess stated plainly. “Would you care to tell me how—”
Volt-Ampere already turned around, starting to dig through the pile of books. “Nice name. Seen my glasses anywhere?”
“No—I—” Luna circled him, bending down so she was face to face with him. He paid her little mind, shuffling among some fallen scrolls. “What was that explosion? How many ponies are down here?”
“That’s a lot of questions. Ah, eureka!” He sighed, his horn coming to life with sickly yellow magic. A pair of crystalline goggles rose from the pile, identical to those that Luna sported just a while ago. Identical except the load of duct tape holding these together. “Much better,” Volt-Ampere commented as he sat them on his forehead. He then turned, walking away without another word.
Luna turned to Sev still occupying the bookshelf. “Is he an acquaintance of yours?”
“A friend, actually.” The dragon hopped down and followed after the pony, motioning for the alicorn to do the same. “And Hedvika’s too.”
“I gathered as much. Speaking of Hedvika...” Luna caught up to him, offering him a hoof to hop on her shoulder. “What is it with her being so nervous? Entropy seems like a very pleasant, if a little eccentric, companion.”
The dragon sighed, lying on his back and playing with a few loose straws poking out of Luna’s hat. “Stress… mostly. She might not let it on, but she is unsure in the presence of other ponies. Tends to act irrationally, just like with the burning tree nonsense. Coupled with this ‘business’ meeting of sorts… well, she doesn’t bear similar affairs well, not after her run-in with the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures and Academy of Sciences.”
Luna cocked an eyebrow, eyeing the dragon curiously. “A run-in? Could you spare me the cryptic game about it?”
“No can do, I wasn’t present and I just know it didn’t go well. It’s Hedvika’s story to tell, not mine.” Sev grinned, drawing a resigned sigh from the princess. “Besides, you should look where you are going, otherwise you’ll have a run-in with Volty’s backside.”
The princess raised her head, just in time to notice the blue stallion before her. He was fumbling with a bizarre tube-like contraption, banded with brass rings. A steady flow of sparks streamed from his horn and into the crystal atop the contraption, turning it around.
“Hello again. Shell, was it?” Volt said, levitating a pair of calipers.
Luna sighed. “Clam.”
The stallion just hummed, occupied with the device before him.
“Say, Volty,” Sev jumped over to the stallion’s head, “how are things going in town?”
“Hmm?” The unicorn looked to the dragon, lowering the caliper he was using to scratch his ear. Sev just drummed his claws on the pony’s goggles, a good-hearted smile gracing his snout. “Well, nothing much. My big brother returned from Tenochtitlan yesterday with some illness. Purple blotches all over and babbling nonsense. Was kinda glad for Entropy’s call for help with this beauty.” He patted the machine next to him.
Meanwhile, Luna plopped down on her haunches, tuning out the conversation. Only at the mention of the illness did she move a little bit farther from the two. She leaned against a bookcase, the uneven shelves pressing into her back and wings, pleasantly surprised that it caused just a slight discomfort.
The princess closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the funky smells of the place trickle between her lips. Opening her eyes again, she scanned the rows of books behind her.
Pulling out a thin booklet and noticing it to be a collection of Equestrian fairy tales, she hesitated, then eagerly started skimming through it. Since her return, all she read were books on history and laws, and an odd novel here and there… she surely didn’t have time for something so foalish.
The book itself was well-worn, with blanched cover and crumpled corners. Though by Luna’s standards, it was still fairly new. The illustrations were printed in colour and the language resembled modern Equestrian. But what surprised her most was how the stories themselves changed.
The little maremaid turning into foam on the waves. A reckless colt devoured by a wolf. A villain of the story sealed in a barrel lined with nails and kicked off a hill. Monsters turning into puddles of bubbling grease upon defeat… all of these disappeared from the pages.
She shuddered, a chill creeping down her spine. Countless nightmares and innumerable amount of pillows drenched with tears all over Equestria stemmed from these old tales alone. While she grew numb to the horrors over the years, a nagging feeling of unease still settled in her gut.
She flipped a few pages, smiling at the familiar illumination of a mare peeking out a window, locks of her mane and tail cascading into the unseen depths below. Still, she felt as if the stories were incomplete. Their dark nature used to serve as an unforgettable lesson. A lesson to prepare foals for the harsh world behind the walls of their parents’ house. Maybe it was no longer needed. Maybe. She let out a sigh, tracing her hoof across the page.
Suddenly, her periphery filled with blinding, white light. She winced, pressing the book to her chest and sealed her eyes shut. A sick crackling sound filled her ears… but in the background, she could hear… laughter?
Luna slowly opened her eyes, staring at the caliper embedded like a hatchet in the shelf above her head. It still crackled with energy, a yellow spark or two shooting off of it occasionally.
Her gaze promptly flitted across the room, settling on the young stallion and the drake. Volt-Ampere was laughing hysterically, an occasional swear word escaping between his chuckles. Sev was balancing on the unicorn’s head, panting. Wisps of steam twirled around the machine before them.
Luna stumbled to her hooves, starting for the pair. She then hesitated, doubling back and plucking the caliper out of the shelf. A tingle ran over her tongue as she grabbed the charged tool.
“I think you lost this.” She dropped it to Volt’s hooves. The stallion gave her a surprised look, calming down a little bit. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah… it just… imploded… a little. Caught it… in my… magic.” Sev panted, sliding limply to the ground, only for the princess to catch him. Luna glanced at his sorry form, then lifted her eyes curiously to the young stallion.
“It’s the capacitor crystal,” the pony groaned, “keeps on collapsing as soon as I charge it. Then, boom.” He kicked the pile of shimmering dust on the floor, causing it to spark. Tiny blotches of burnt fur could be seen as he retracted his hoof. “This was my last one,” he commented.
Luna just watched him quietly, blinking a few times. She raised her hoof to rub her neck when she felt a tiny stab near her heart. She looked down, noticing the cornflower from Cheerilee slowly withering in the lapel. Just below it was outlined a slight bulge in her pocket.
She cocked her head quizzically, groping in the depths of the pocket. Volt-Ampere turned around again, paying more mind to his machine.
Luna pulled out a purple gemstone, blankly staring at it. She slowly turned it around in her hooves before she remembered digging it up on the road. She looked at it again, chewing alternately at the inside of her cheek and her lip.
“Would this be of any help?” she said, holding out a hoof with the crystal.
The young pony turned around, giving her a curious, if a little dismissive, gaze. His eyes widened as she extended her hoof to him.
“Wow, you are a genius!” He levitated the amethyst to his eyes, pulling down his goggles simultaneously. His magic fluttered around the knobs of his glasses, adjusting his vision. “Fine quartz, not pure. Conducts magic just well.” The stone shimmered with light in his telekinetic grip. “Needs a li‘l bit of filing.”
His magic wrapped around the gem with a screeching noise, Luna’s ears immediately folding back and Sev giving a little grunt. As it dissipated, new facets graced the surface of the crystal. “Now let’s see how it works.”
The princess watched as Volt-Ampere inserted the gem into a socket in the centre of the machine, fumbling with the brass clasps around it. “Here goes nothing,” he announced, charging his horn. “Sev?”
The dragon groaned in response, still sprawled on Luna’s back with tongue hanging out of his mouth.
The stallion cast him a sideways glance. “Still flat? Too bad, let’s hope it won’t explode then.”
The alicorn’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging slightly agape. She dove for the floor, curling into a ball and pulling the exhausted dragon into her embrace.
She lay on the stony floor, feeling the cold emitted by Sev, even through the fabric of her lab coat. Her whole body was tense, her muscles starting to shake as endless seconds passed by.
But there was no explosion, not even a burst of energy. A quiet, rhythmic humming filled the dungeon, followed by boisterous, “Eureka!”
Luna slowly unfurled, dust bunnies dancing all around her. She stood up, grabbing Sev by his neck with her teeth. She mentally scolded herself for such animalistic behaviour, setting the dragon on her back. He gave her a quiet purr in response.
The blue stallion frolicked around the machine, its many rings and parts turning and moving. A beam of purple light pervaded through its centre, shooting off into the depths of the underground and bathing the surroundings in eerie hues.
“Let me say,” everypony turned in the direction of the voice and approaching hoofsteps, “this is phenomenal!”
Entropy was trotting to them on his spindly legs, his brassy curls dancing across his brow. Hedvika was following behind him with a visible spring in her step.
As they reached the group, Entropy squinted at the machine, polishing his glasses on his dusty pullover. He put them back on, covered by more soot than before.
Then, he did something that sent Luna’s jaw falling: he spread his wings.
The princess took a few hesitant steps back as the stallion’s greyed, baggy sweater seemingly billowed out, revealing feathers covered by cobwebs and dust.
The lanky stallion hovered through the air around the machine, his movement a little unsteady.
“So, I got what we came for.” Luna started at Hedvika’s voice just next to her. The unicorn heaved up her harness, a large book thick as a brick poking out of her bag.
Sev slowly raised his neck with a few audible pops, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the green mare. He tried to stand up, slithering to her waiting hoof, nuzzling it and then continuing down one of her bags.
Hedvika proceeded to step closer to Luna, only for the princess to raise a hoof in defense of her personal space. But the unicorn didn’t come even close to it, asking, “What made him so tired?”
“He managed to hold down an explosion… or implosion, if I understood correctly,” Luna whispered, her eyes glued to the bookseller flying around the machine. Hedvika just nodded knowingly, following her line of sight.
“There is one thing I can’t understand,” Entropy said, forgetting to flap his wings at that moment, “why is the ray purple?”
Volt-Ampere looked up from polishing his goggles. “Sorta ran out of pure crystals, but Shelly here,” he grasped Luna’s shoulder, the princess only rolling her eyes, “luckily had a purple replacement.”
“Oh, that was very nice of her,” Entropy commented. He pulled a torn, weathered scroll from the confines of his pullover, fixing it into a frame on the machine.
He then started turning the various rings and gears till the light aligned on the paper. Letters started appearing in blotches on the document in bold, shiny violet script.
“Seems to work as before, maybe even better in revealing the lost texts!” Entropy announced. “So,” he pulled out another scroll and a quill, “according to this annal, Commander Hurricane and his private in fact were… oh, let’s save that for later.”
He flew back down to the group, extending a hoof to the disguised princess. “Thank you for your help.” He shook her hoof. “Please, if there is anything in my shop that you’d like, consider it yours.”
The princess hesitated, then turned around, trotting to the spot where she left the fairy tale collection. “Well, I would hate to bother you, but may I have this book?”
Entropy took the book from her hooves, examining it through his lowered glasses. “Of course, great choice!” He beamed, hoofing it back over.
The dishevelled pegasus then took a step back, bowing to the two mares. “Thank you for your visit, it was nice meeting you, Clam. And Hedvika, once you feel it’s ready to go, come to me. Farewell.”
Hedvika just gave him a nod in response, turning for the exit, and Luna followed in her wake. The princess stopped multiple times, trying to balance the book on her back.
“Want me to carry it for you?” Hedvika said, her hoof pointing to her already book-filled bag.
“Oh, I would greatly appreciate that.” The princess slid the booklet next to the tome, catching a glimpse of its cover, Natura Equestriana. She pulled the flap over the pocket, only to come to an unexpected obstacle: the buckle. She fumbled with the strap, only for the metallic hook to escape every time. “I reckon this still is too delicate for my hooves.”
“I’ll deal with it,” Hedvika stated as she started up the stairs. Luna cast one last glance at the dimly lit underground, surprised to feel a little saddened by leaving it behind.
They ascended the stairway up to the massive door when the echo of rushing hoofsteps reached their ears.
Soon enough, Volt-Ampere appeared next to them, panting. “Glad I caught up to you, I just never remember the right combination out. Always have to think it up. Oh, hello, Hedvi, didn’t really notice you down there.”
“I noticed,” Hedvika said, rolling her eyes. A good-hearted smile crossed her lips for a moment. “Any news about your brother?” She grinned awkwardly, showing off her yellowish teeth.
The stallion seemed to hesitate before saying, “Well, he is back”—Hedvika seemed to light up at that, standing more alert—“but ill. And he doesn’t let anypony near him. Trust me, it’s not a nice sight.”
The green mare just sighed, hanging her head, and proceeded to unlock the door. As she shifted a few gears and levers, the whole mechanism started spinning with the door slowly opening.
They all squinted as the bright light assaulted their eyes. They hopped out with Luna almost blinded, blinking wildly. She bumped into Hedvika, who was fighting with the flap of her bag.
The unicorn yelped, stumbling a little and instinctively bucking back. The princess avoided her hooves, but one zap apple flew out of Hedvika’s flank bag. It rolled down the street and into a nearby alley.
“One would almost think you had a mug of hard cider each, ladies.” Volt-Ampere chuckled.
“Great…” Hedvika groaned, trotting after the runaway fruit, the others following suit. They rounded the corner, only to spot a little shadow disappearing with the colorful apple. “Hey!”
The green mare leapt forward and after the shadow. She skidded on the grime-covered pavement, hitting a wall with her side. Looking over her bag with the books and spying no damage, she pressed on.
The alley spat her back onto a bigger street. The culprit, a little grey filly, lay a few dozen steps away from Hedvika, surrounded by two other fillies. She clutched the apple in her hooves, trying to wiggle away from the ill words of the two bullies.
None of the foals seemed to pay Hedvika nor her panting companions any mind. She turned between the road back home, and the bullied filly, then her bag.
“Hedvika, you can spare a few of these apples. The foals are just hungry,” Luna said, meeting the mare’s eyes with an unwavering gaze.
The unicorn just snorted, stomping her hoof. “No, just one apple may be the difference between life and death in the forest!”
“And wouldn’t it be the same for that filly?” Volt-Ampere commented.
Hedvika turned back to the fight, watching the filly struggle for her food under the hooves of her attackers. They mocked her, tears welling up in the poor foal’s eyes. Hedvika turned back to her bag and then the street.
“Fights like this happen here all the time.” She tried to reason. “What difference would it make, stopping one? It spells only trouble in this part of town.”
Volt-Ampere just hummed in reply, on edge himself now.
“A difference similar to a pony with and without a heart,” Luna said, ears crossly aback. She secretly hoped this wasn’t over the line.
Meanwhile, the grey filly stopped moving.
Hedvika’s eyes narrowed, but not on the princess. She gazed over her shoulder, letting out a low, guttural growl. She crouched down.
One of the bullies took the zap apple while the other spat in the limp filly’s face, standing victoriously above her.
“Then let me be the heartless pony.” Hedvika snarled and pounced.
Soaring through the air, she bared her teeth. The bullies looked up as her shadow fell on them. Too late.
Hedvika curled up in her flight, able to grab the spitting filly from behind.
The foal yelped as the blunt teeth sunk into her neck. The pull sent her sprawling across the cobblestones, air escaping her lungs. The fellow bully landed next to her with an audible slap.
They both cowered as the mare towered above them. She bent her neck, slowly lowering her head till it almost touched their dirty muzzles. Saliva bubbled from the corners of her mouth.
One of the fillies shakily held up her hooves in defense.
“A needless gesture. I won’t lower myself to your level and hit a lying opponent. Now, get lost,” she strained through her teeth, standing back up.
As the two dashed down the street, she wiped her mouth and trotted to the bullied filly.
The foal was slowly standing up with Luna’s help, while Volt-Ampere just watched from afar, playing with his caliper.
As Hedvika reached them, the filly backed from her, shaking. She squeaked meekly, bending for the battered, dirty apple.
“No.” Hedvika stepped forward, the filly letting go of the fruit. The green mare glared at her, sweat beading on the filly’s face and trickling through the filth on her cheeks. “That zapple is not good for eating anymore. Take these.” Hedvika turned around, holding out two pristine apples.
The filly’s eyes widened, the little pony snatching the fruits. She then set out to one of the alleys, turning around with a small smile just before disappearing into the shadows.
Hedvika turned to trot back, only to be met with Luna’s smug smile. “What?”
“Nothing at all. I am just contemplating the meaning of the word ‘heartless’,” the princess remarked, pressing her hat to her chest.
The younger mare let out a frustrated sigh, moving away the lock of mane falling over her eye.
“I hate to interrupt your smalltalk, ladies, but we got a problem.” Volt-Ampere pointed his hoof, both mares turning their attention to the direction in question.
There, at the end of the alley, stood a group of earth ponies, easily a dozen and a half. They were all dirty, with dishevelled, greasy manes and torn, filthy clothes—if they had any. Their expressions varied from grim, to determined, to hopeful. The most prominent of them was the larger bully filly from before, her face adorned by a wicked smile. She whispered in the ear of the big stallion bent to her, pointing a hoof at the trio.
“Who is up for a tactical retreat?” Hedvika offered, ears aback. Volt-Ampere and Luna were already backpedalling.
The green mare broke into full gallop, soon catching up to them. The uproar of a few dozen hooves rocked the street behind them.
The cobblestones melted into one blur in their flight. Hedvika zoned out all sounds but the stampede behind and her own heartbeat. Like a well oiled machine, her hooves touched the ground in a perfect rhythm.
Clop. Clop. Sharp left. Clop. Clop. Flying crate from behind. Clop. Clop. Duck.
Splinters washed over her. She skidded on the ground, losing balance on the uneven surface. It broke her concentration, sending her stumbling. The mob drew closer, yet looked far smaller. That wasn’t right.
Luna passed her, extending a hoof and dragging her behind. After a few surprised steps, Hedvika broke into full sprint herself.
“A-alright?” Luna panted.
The green unicorn just nodded, catching up. Spotting a side alley, she took a sharp right, shoving the princess in. Volt hopped in behind them.
They pressed on, Luna taking the lead. A door at the side of the alley burst open, barely missing her. A few brutes poured out, tackling Hedvika.
Her chest pressed to the ground, her hind hooves bucked. No damage, her assailant just laughed, bending down.
“We were told you have some fancy food. Fresh,” the brute stated, drool dripping from his mouth. “Surely you can spare some.”
A beam of magic hit him in the chest. The pony froze, falling backwards. The rest of the gang stopped, seeing him twitch and writhe, only to be met with the same fate. Volt-Ampere jumped over them, Hedvika slipping from their hooves. The scent of burnt fur filled the alley.
They ran on, the main gang at their heels. A skip over a garbage bag. A slip in a puddle. They continued down the winding alley. Luna’s short tail swished before them.
A shadow flitted over them, a loose rafter falling off one roof. The blue colt just slid below it. Hedvika jumped up, attempting a wall run. Landing, she staggered slightly, but pressed on.
Half a dozen ponies followed behind them, pouring over the fallen beam.
Luna saw the shadow flash past her again. And again. The princess pumped her muscles as hard as she could. Her fur stood on end as hooves grabbed her sides.
A quick pull sent her off-course, face-first into a wall. She galloped on, her horn scraping the wall. Her attacker flailed behind her, his wings flapping.
The alley started to narrow. Luna zigzagged across the cobblestones, trying to shake the pegasus holding onto her.
The princess felt him slip, kicking blindly. Hedvika and Volt ducked as the colt soared above them and through a few walls.
The pursuers slowed down at the sight, but soon continued. The alley seemed to be endless.
“I-I don’t think... we can keep up... much longer,” Hedvika called, Volt panting behind her.
Luna looked around frantically. Her vision was swimming, but then something familiar caught her eye. A flash of jade in the dark. “Over here!” The princess pushed them into an ajar door.
They stumbled in, the alicorn shutting the door behind them. The whole house shook as their chasers passed by, windows rattling.
The trio lay in a heap on the earthen ground, most of the floorboards torn away.
A small, blood red filly stood before them, her deep jade eyes staring into their very souls. A black mess of a toy could be seen sitting on her back, even in the dim light. She motioned for them to follow.
The three ponies climbed to their hooves, Hedvika nearly collapsing back to the ground. Volt-Ampere sidled up to her, letting her lean on him.
“I can manage,” the green mare grunted, pulling herself back up. Luna circled her, gasping at the sight of her hind leg. “How bad is it?” Hedvika said, her voice showing only the slightest signs of discomfort.
Luna observed the hoof, corners of her mouth twisting in disgust. “Riddled with splinters and swollen, but it doesn’t seem to be bleeding.”
“Fine, let’s go then. Seems like our little saviour over there is getting impatient.” Hedvika trotted towards the filly, the little one hiding behind the silvery bangs of her mane.
Her tiny red hoof motioned to the boarded up door frame and the vast, vacant street behind. Sounds of the busier parts of the town drifted up to them.
She ran up to the door, knocking on the aged planks and then pushing with her whole body.
“I think she wants us to break the planks,” Volt-Ampere whispered in Hedvika’s ear. “Should I do it?”
The unicorn thought for a while, shaking her head. “Let Clam take care of it, she is stronger than she looks.” She gave ‘Clam’ a wink.
The disguised princess walked to the door, the filly shyly sneaking away. Luna eyed the door up and down, down and up. She let out a sigh, turned around and bucked.
The planks cluttered at the other side of the street. She gestured for the two unicorns to pass through. Turning to the filly, “Do you want our help with fixing the door?”
The little pony just shook her head, ripping another plank from the floor. She waved her hoof, ushering Luna outside. The princess exited the room backwards, pressing her hat to her chest and waving with it.
She joined the two on the street, slowly walking to the livelier parts of Trottingham. The hobble in Hedvika’s gait was now clear to see, the mare wincing anytime she shifted her weight on the injured hoof.
With a loud yawn, Sev stuck out his head from her saddlebag, teeth glinting in the afternoon sun. “Did anything interesting happen?” he mumbled, yawning once more.
The trio looked at each other, chuckling. “Nothing much, just angered most of the gangs in the slums. Oh, and I’ll need your cla—” Hedvika said, interrupted by a quickly approaching, rhythmic staccato of heavy golden horseshoes. “Oh, chickencoop…”
“Stop right there, criminal scum!”