//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 // Story: The Bridge Between Worlds // by Artemis Orion //------------------------------// Chapter 49 "Trotter, I don't think this is the safest thing to do." "Yeah, I don't have exactly the greatest memories from the last time I was down here." Both Twilight and I voiced our reluctance as the seemingly maddened Scholar lead us, by the crimson hue of his horn, a little deeper into the heart of Canterlot's mountain. As we continued inward, the sunlight from the caves' entrance shrunk until it was nothing more than a faint spark among the crystals, as a guide to lead us back. I had to admit, the caves beneath Canterlot, although dark and ominous, held a magical atmosphere unique to such dreary surroundings. As clear crystals of multiple colours pierced, hung and clung in every direction of this tremendous grotto. With Trotter at the front, we lined the edge of a sparkling cliff, hanging above a pitch black abyss. We rounded a giant rock that had to be the largest diamond-like substance I have ever seen. And this cavern was supposedly filled with it, and at many levels of varieties and properties. Every footstep echoed throughout the dank hollow of the mountain, leaving us feeling truly alone, against Trotter's assurance. I figured I was just getting a hint of what Twilight went through on her brother's wedding's eve. "You two need to have more faith in me, you know?" The blood-red unicorn gaited onward, barely taking heed of a crystal stalagmite that could have taken his horn clean off. I wasn't so lucky. "Anyway, we're almost at the first mineshaft. Once we find it, it should be smooth-sailing 'til we get there." "Oh boy, I can't wait." I sarcastically replied, rubbing the newly acquired lump on my cranium. I kicked a broken shard over the ledge, not staying long enough to hear the sound of its landing, and making the depth of the cavern all the more frightening. "Harry, I wouldn't consider these aging mine carts as safe either." Twilight grumbled, "They've been rotting here for Celestia knows how long! There's a reason it's been abandoned." "And there's a reason why we need it again. Twilight, I'm telling you; if Princess Celestia knew it was too dangerous, she wouldn't have sent me down here! Not to mention a few other mechanics and engineers." "Ha! You don't know the Princess as well as I do. You don't know the trouble she'll put you through just to learn a lesson. Trust me." "And besides, Equestria and its residents' survival are hanging in the balance. Surely, an Element of Harmony would know this? Now stop complaining. We're here." We came to a stop at the beginning of a railed track. Locked on top of said railway was a moulding, rickety cart. I assumed the only thing keeping the carts rusty wheels from hurtling over the steep edge were the newly installed stoppers that shined like silver compared to the rest of the cart. It looked like the other ponies were kind enough to think about us. "And this is just one of the many carts that hurtled through the confines of this mountainous grotto during the time of separation." Trotter seemed to enjoy lecturing almost as much as Twilight, though on vastly different topics. "As these shafts were abandoned, so was the secret to the Unicorns' cloud production that forced the Earth ponies into compliance. A dark subject, but quite interesting." Trotter, with his exceptional grasp of magic, levitated himself the short distance into the cart. He landed softly in the center of the cart, calmly testing its stability with his hoofed limbs. It creaked unnervingly, but it held, confirming its ability to hold one pony. But its stability with two ponies and one human was still questionable. But it looked like we had no choice. The only other track available within sight was on the other side of the huge gash that stretched across the cave. Not only that, but it was blocked by an incapacitated cart, broken into a flat platform on wheels by a boulder. I gave Twilight a nervous shrug, who returned it with an equally unnerving smile. Just before I could hop into the cart, a warm fuzz engulfed my body, leaving me without control of my motion. But I had gotten used to such sensations; this wasn't the first time Twilight was levitating me anyway, and it was probably safer than jumping into a cart that looked like it should have fallen apart decades ago. "I'm pretty sure I've read my share of the Canterlot archives, 'Mr Scholar'." Twilight than proceeded to levitate herself into the cart, slower than Fluttershy facing a dragon. "I've heard of some of the secrets and treasure buried down here. So why haven't I heard of this 'Cloudmaker'?" Her questions returned to her in echoes from the entire cavern. "Finally! Something I know that you don't!" The scholar cheered, gracing himself with a hoof-pump in the air. Considering how much Twilight knew, I figured it was worth the small hoot. "But honestly, I found out barely a few days ago myself, when Celestia gave me this assignment. But don't worry, all will come to light soon enough." Without a single word for preparation, the unicorn kicked the hinged lock off the cart, no longer securing our weight over the steep tracks. As Twilight and I gaped wide-eyed at the drop, Trotter only grinned cooly and said: "Trust me!" The rattling wagon went over the edge, its speed increasing rapidly as it went on. So was my heart rate. The damp humid air rushed up to meet our faces, plastering them against our bones as we clung to the reddish-brown sides of the cart for dear life. This was one hell of a roller coaster! And it was a hell of a lot less safe. Twilight's shrill shriek was combined with my cry as we continued falling. In a loud blur, we then shot upwards with the velocity of the drop, rocketing up the incline just before we could enter the blackness. The g-force set me flat on the wet base of the cart, an invisible force that pressed me against the mossy base and almost tripping Twilight over. But it looked like she was about to do the same. Her eyes grew to the size of plates, and the pupils of her eyes were no more than a pin's width. Trotter somehow had managed to maintain a standing position, unfazed by everything. The rhythm of the banging wheels of the cart slowed as we peaked the next part of the track in cold sweat. My head was just beginning to focus, and I was just hoping that the cave would stop spinning. But that mere second was not enough. Before I could get a firm grip, a second plunge slid me to the back of the cart. I thanked Celestia that at least it wasn't as steep as the first. "What kind of crazy mine shafts did you ponies make?!" I yelled over the constant rumble at the scholar, whose only action was to wipe his glasses. "Pretty entertaining ones, in my opinion!" Yup. He's crazy. As I returned to my feet, the cart decelerated, and I thankfully hoisted myself back up. I could have sworn that Twilight had turned a lighter shade of purple, but the gust of wind that battered us made my eyes too watery to tell. Allowing myself a second to relax, I took in the surrounding caverns. And for a moment, the fear of the hazardous confines of this cavern were forgotten, and replaced by a sense of wonder. For the inside of the mountain was more humungous than I imagined. Tilting slightly over the side, Twilight ignited her horn, sending a purple glow resonating through the entire hollow of the mountain. Clear crystals that covered every side seemed to absorb the light, changing to the colour of whatever light shone on it. The magenta light transform the grotto, from a dark and shadowy subterranean area to a magnificent sparkling display of colourful beams and reflections. As we spiraled gradually upward, we circled what appeared to be the center of the hollow. With the new light that shed colour on every object, new links and tracks were tangled in a mess of paths; some destroyed, or on the brink of it, some with shards of crystallized quartz littered on across the rusted metal. There even some tracks that had been bent and severed by crystals. Through time, such rocks grew and protruded over the abandoned shafts, like a tree that grew from the cracks of a forgotten road. Such locations in Equestria never failed to amaze me. It's not everywhere on Earth can such strange yet beautiful sites exist over dark contexts. I took the liberty to let a low whistle reverberate through the mountain. Twilight's expression was a little different. Instead of being amazed, she looked more disbelieving on the side of 'why didn't I know this before?!'. After the few times we circled the central hollow, our visions narrowed once more, and the spacious tangle of tracks was replaced by enclosed walls on both sides. We were swallowed up by a narrow passage, squeezing the cart into the bare minimum of its size. The only thing that made our vision clear was the light produced by both the unicorns. Otherwise, we would have been blind as the bats that lived in here by the hundreds. The cart, on the verge of falling apart, began to ascend slowly. It followed a curving passage that revealed a light at the end of the tunnel, growing bigger as a latch hooked onto the bottom of the cart. "Please tell me we're here." I pleaded to Trotter. "We're here." Like a modern day roller coaster ride, a cranky old chain pulled out cart up the incline, bringing us closer the hole that expanded as we drew nearer. Slowly, ever so slowly, we were pulled up the incline. How high it was, I never really knew. The climb lasted for more than a minute before fishing us out of the shaft with a screeching click and bringing us into another massive hollow. Only this time, it wasn't filled with deteriorating tracks and carts and light-adapting crystals. Instead, what was erected in the clear space was what I, or any other human, would consider a wonder to build. To produce a cloud was and still is an unachievable task by our kind. And here, in this very hollow, a titanic device had been able to do just that for years. The Cloudmaker was of a strange square shape, with cogs, chains, bolts and gears that mounted, entered and connected with its inner devices. They were tended too by a multitude of ponies, rushing about with a number of tools and equipment. Some mechanics lugged along chains to replace those that were broken. Some carried spare bolts and screws to take the place of rusted ones. I even saw a pony jump into the Cloudmaker by a hatch at the top! Pipes were plugged in multiple areas and ran off into different passageways, like veins from the heart. "Look at that, my friends!" Trotter exclaimed, waving a hoof at the monstrous device. He didn't appear the least bit overwhelmed, unlike Twilight. For me, it was an expected unexpected sight. Living in a place as strange and magical as Equestria, I realized one had to get used to such spectacles. "Come on, out we go. This thing barely survived the ride!" Trotter hopped out first, casually gaiting towards the Cloudmaker. Twilight slowly clambered out over the side, groaning as she shook the derpiness out of her eyes. I took the time to catch my breath and stop the throbbing in my head before dragging myself over the other side. As Twilight and I lumbered away from the hazardous coaster, I saw a screw of the cart's base pop off, followed by another, and another. Bit by bit, the four sides of the carrier opened on itself, collapsing into bits and pieces. We stared at it, then at each other, then I chuckled to myself, finding it almost comical that we were just in that. "Yeah, give us a piece of crap to ride in. Why not?" I mumbled to Twilight, who shared the irritation. There were other passages with other carts as well. At this hollow, apart from the Cloudmaker, shinier and more sturdy carts were being assembled. Those of metal and grips, unlike the one we just survived in. The engineers and mechanics were lucky enough to have ridden those instead. Ahead, we saw and heard Trotter, chattering on about this marvelous machine. But only Twilight listened. I had spotted somepony that interested me more in the moment. Popping out of the hatch again was a smoke-grey maned earth pony, a pony whose shade of grey was similar to his fathers. One that I had come work with and know well in my time in Ponyville. Removing his goggles, the young tinkerer caught sight of me, immediately grinning from ear to ear. After sharing a word to his partner, he sprung from the hatch, trotting down the side of the Cloudmaker. He galloped up to the three of us, knowing us all as friends. "Driscoll!" I knelt down to the colt's level. "You're part of this too?" "Keith! I should've known you'd get involved somehow!" I clenched my fist and bumped it against his dirty, oil-covered hoof. Trotter hastily refused the gesture when it was offered to him. "Driscoll, this device is under strict orders by the Princesses. Aren't you a little young to be part of this?" Twilight looked down at the colt, just a few years younger than her when she moved to Ponyville, and compared him to the size of the machine. "Apparently not!" Driscoll replied energetically, slinging a strapped toolkit onto his back with his teeth. "Get this; the day I got here, I met some of my old friends from my old school in Canterlot. Some of them were working in the castle, and I had qualifications to do the same! I even had a word with one of the ponies in charge, and thanks to my friends and my demonstration at the workshop, I got a chance I couldn't pass up! That was, until yesterday..." Driscoll beckoned us to follow him. "I was going to write back today to discuss my decision with my father. But since the attack, there had been a change of plans. All of us, including the team of tinkerers that I was going to be drafted into, was immediately dispatched to the repair and reconstruction of the Cloudmaker and the railways that lead to it." "And you've actually done a pretty good job, haven't you?" Trotter took note of the bustling mechanical works that surrounded us. "You have no idea how fortunate I am!" Driscoll continued with a brilliant smile. "Canterlot's mechanical engineers attended a special school, as I did. These 'tinkerers' are the best in Equestria! And I get to work with them!" The colt could have squealed. "Driscoll, you look like the youngest one here." Twilight nervously looked around the huge hollow. "Hmm? Yeah, I guess that's a little bit strange." Shrugging off the topic, Driscoll turned to Trotter. Friends as we were, there was still business at hand. "Professor, we'll have this machine functional in a few minutes... but... are you sure you want to go through with this procedure?" "What procedure?" Twilight asked. "If Princess Celestia asked me to, of course I'd do it! It is for Equestria after all, and we live in dark times." The scholar, completely ignoring his friend's question, was then guided by another pony, in goggles and covered in dirty marks. He was lead to the side of the old device, where the mechanic set to preparation. While he waited, he began to answer many of the questions behind this magical device. "Now, Twilight, Conway, I suppose you're wondering about everything in and around this machine. Well, Twilight, if you remember from history class, you may recall the time before unity. When the unicorns were the ones to produce clouds?" "I remember." Twilight continued, gazing at the towering machine that shadowed us, "By means of magic, the unicorns, with the requirement of massive amounts of energy, had to produce large amounts of compressed water vapour, as no other means existed in that era." "But there was one thing the textbook did not mention." the blood-red stallion grinned knowingly, "The book only tells us half the story. What it did not tell us was how it was made." "Wasn't it always with pure magic?" I inquired. "Magic? Yes. Pure magic? No. You see, it takes a greater amount of energy to convert magic to a pure elemental property. It cannot be done by magic alone. It requires a catalyst; something important in the process. And it is for this reason that the alternative method of cloudmaking, invented in Cloudsdale, became more ideal. It was less harmful, less costly, and required a lot less effort. Since then, the use of the Cloudmaker was discontinued, and all access to the device was broken and forbidden. Until today! Due to the recent damage on the weather factory and the beginning of the planting season, we have no other choice but to reactivate this machine. Without clouds, there can be no rain water. Without water, crops will not grow. And without crops... well, unless we all become carnivores, let's just say that we might have a hard year ahead of us. This is especially so with the Griffins being hostile." "It's ready, Sir!" The voice of a sweat-covered pony hollered from the top of the machine. Ponies cleared the plain metal top of the device, and the others cleared away from it, as if there was a blast zone. Perhaps it was because nopony in this generation knew the effects of the device. "So what happens now?" I shook off the slight urge to stand clear like the rest of the ponies. "I'll simply activate the machine." Trotter took a deep breath, "Only unicorns can do it, and I had been chosen. I don't doubt my magical capabilities. It should be fine." "You sound like your not very convinced yourself." "Oh, you try sticking your horn into a dirty machine that's been off for years!" The mechanic that guided Trotter flip a small casing on the side of the Cloudmaker. The rusty lid creaked on its hinges, then comically fell to the ground. Beneath it was a perfectly circular hole, narrowing as it went deeper. The mechanic sheepishly backed away to allow the scholar to do what he had to do. Suddenly, a sudden surge of light shone down from above us. Sheltering my eyes, I looked up to find a couple of pegasi performing an astounding feat. A gasp escaped my lips as the pegasi apparently had moved the top of the mountain! The rocky ceiling above us shifted to unveil Celestia's burning sun in the currently cloudless sky. Turning to the scholar, I knew we would get the answer to explain it. "Well of course, that's necessary." Trotter stated matter-of-factly, "How else are the clouds to leave the mountain? However, the mechanism above was made in such a way that only the pegasi could activate it. This was to ensure that the unicorns alone could not make clouds at will, only when it was needed." The beam of light descended on the medieval machine, making its stains and neglected state even more obvious. With the sun directly at the point of noon, it was as if Goddess of the Sun herself was spectating. "And you might not want to be too close for this either." he advised, wiping away the sweat beneath his horn with a magically lifted cloth. Twilight hesitated at first, but complied out of wonder and fear. Driscoll, who had come to join us, followed suit. I could tell that no matter how much time was spent on this machine, the ponies would still be amazed and frightened of its outcome. We joined everypony else a safe distance from the machine. But was it necessary? The question still remained: why did we need to? After our steps echoed through the tunnels, the hollow turned to a complete silence. Somewhere, on the other side of the cavern, somepony had dropped a bolt. We observed as the blood-red stallion, under the yellow pillar of the sun, bent his neck down, aiming his magical conductor at the massive mechanical monster. Slowly, his horn disappeared into the aperture of Cloudmaker 2.0. Nopony said a word, but a small draft generated a whistle from the opening. With a hole that size, I wondered if any nearby pegasi would notice the cavity in the mountain. Soon, the scholar, another student of Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, had fully inserted his horn. What would become of it was unclear to us, but certainly not to him. He probably just didn't tell us. With his head down, he struggled to push up his glasses and exhaled heavily. A look of serious determination molded onto his face, along with the beads of sweat that had formed. Then, he began the procedure. Trotter's face clenched, baring his teeth at the machine that had locked his source of magical control in place. We could see it in his face; the strain and focus that he had to do to generate energy. I was sure that, even though we could not see it, his horn was glowing like a star in the night. The machine seemed unresponsive to the magic. I turned to the engineers and mechanics of all three species on both my sides. Perhaps the work they had done wasn't enough. Maybe more time was needed to fully repair the machine. Maybe it was just too old to work altogether. "Umm... does anyone here that?" Somepony broke the silence. "I don't hear-" "Sssshhh! Listen..." Everyone kept their mouths shut. Except for Trotter. The stallion had turned to panting, and the veins on his neck were popping out. "Do you hear it?" Twilight whispered anxiously, not taking her eyes of former classmate for a second. "Wait..." I had become fixated on a rock by my feet. Not because it was more interesting, but because I just saw it... move... "Yup, I hear it now." I gulped. An almost inaudible rumble reached my ears. From the depths of each shaft and passage, where the metallic tubes ran off, an echo from an unknown origin grew louder and louder. From every direction, the sound grew in unison! The rock that was beneath my feet began to vibrate. "By Celestia! It's going to cave in on us!" Somepony broke out in panic. It caused the others to do the same. "Run for cover! Hide!" "Here! Under this mine cart!" "Forget this! I'm flying out of here!" A unicorn even managed to produce a force field around himself, after which he ran and huddled beneath another cart. The hollow shook with the roaring vibrations. The rock I observed had disappeared, but a lot more of them fell from the ceiling! Stalactites fell like javelins, cracking into bits when they failed to collide with softer targets. I steadied myself on the shaky ground, mixing the rumbles with the sounded of my heartbeat. Now I wish I had run for cover! In the next second, something clamped down on my shirt sleeve. My heart skipped a beat as I thought a piercing rock had barely grazed me. But it was actually Twilight, using her teeth to desperately pull me close. I stumbled over her back as she struck up her horn. One magenta-coloured bolt later, a bubble shield had formed around the two of us as well. "You're not doubting our dear friend Trotter are you?" I teased inside the compressed bubble. "I'm not doubting him! I'm just... taking precautions!" She rebutted. Out of the darkness, the source of the sound surge showed itself. The tubes shook the bolts that held them together, and sparks appeared along the quivering pipes. Surges of what looked like electricity rippled in the direction of the Cloudmaker. Only then did we notice our friend who had resorted to grunting and moaning, trembled at the knees. He was struggling to even stay on his hooves! "Oh my goodness!" Twilight yelped, "Shouldn't we stop him?!" "NO! Don't! This is supposed to happen!" A tap on the bubble shield to my left gave me a shock. Driscoll gave a small nervous smile as he silently asked to join us. A gap in the shield opened for him to join us in safety. "Just another day, huh, Drizzy?" I laughed nervously/ "Yeah, well you get used to this dreck after living in Ponyville for half your life!... Look! Cloudmkaer 2.0 is coming to life!" The three of us stared with our jaws to the floor at the sight. Feeding off of our poor scholar's magic, the monster that would inevitably help in Equestria's survival whirred, growled and screeched into life! The outer cogs of the giant square block began to turn, slowly at first. It was joined with the movements of pulleys, old gauges that increased scales rapidly and a comparatively small capsule that was embedded into the wall that faced us. The capsule seemed to fill itself as the machine grew more lively by the second. The colour was familiar; a bright shade of crimson, almost looking like blood. It was Trotter's magic! And I couldn't quite tell about the blood part. So it all came down to one crucial moment; when the hollow was rocking violently, the life of our friend was apparently being sucked out of him, and a machine that was beginning to make similar sounds to a steampunk robot. Honestly, I was way more fascinated than frightened, and this wasn't the worse I had been through anyway. Falling stalactites could barely compare to the type of blow a certain ethereal warrior could produce. I leaned onto my friend of a purple unicorn for support, smiling sheepishly at the annoyed glance she shot me. My eyes were riveted at the bright red capsule, now completely full and beginning to glow. The machine was indeed fully operational now, although making highly unstable noises. Finally, after what felt like a long time of watching Trotter suffer, the capsule grew pure white. In a single loud pulse, a blinding light filled the hollow, and it wasn't the sun's. The deafening roar that sided it forced me to shut my eyes and cover my ears. I would later come to regret that decision, because in the following second, all the noise ground to a halt. I waited for a few seconds before the realization hit me. And when I opened my eyes, the next thing I saw was the blood-red scholar, eyes shut and falling at the foot of the titanic machine. Twilight's shield had disintegrated, and the hollow stood still at last. Gazing at the machine, I realized that it looked as lifeless as ever, as if nothing happened. Not a single screw was out of place, and it looked as if the vibrations had shook off a layer of unwanted dirt. Oh crap. Trotter! Twilight thought the same. She galloped up to the limp body of my friend and teacher, who appeared almost as lifeless as the machine. Fortunately, his chest was heaving, but not strongly. I knelt down by Trotter, his eyes rolling back into his head. "Hey there, buddy. You alright?" I spoke softly, lifting the stallion's head onto my lap. I had learned how to without injuring the pony. "You did it, pal. The machine worked!" He didn't respond, but his eyes were beginning to steady. Although I could feel the muscles on his neck spasming, he was fine. In an extremely raspy voice, he coughed and whispered, "It... it worked...?" "Of course it did." Twilight comforted, "In fact, you produced... oh..." She had stepped back to view what had been produced by the machine, but by the sound of that 'oh', it couldn't be too good. Placing Trotter's head slowly back down, I too decided to survey the output produced. The funnel above the machine was where the clouds were produced. And indeed it did. It had accomplished what modern day humans have yet to accomplish. But there was one significant problem... "One cloud?" I told myself aloud. There it was, a single perfectly formed patch of water vapour,ready for use. But it was still only one. "One cloud?!" I repeated, "One fu-" "Keith!" "-One bucking cloud for all that trouble?! It looks like he almost died to make this one piece!!" The stone that I had fixated on had returned, but I sent it flying into a mineshaft in irritation. "Hang on..." Driscoll stepped forward after he signaled to the others that it was safe. He scanned the machine along with his colleagues, "Something isn't right. This isn't what we calculated at all!" "It sure as hell isn't!" With frustration, I slammed a fist against the side of the Cloudmaker. *click* Click? The machine began to produce sounds again, whirring on the inside. Ponies that had left their hiding places beneath carts returned to them in a hurry. "Umm... did I just push a button?" I felt my face burn with the blush. Everypony nodded at the same time. Even Trotter grew wide-eyed. The Cloudmaker chugged repeatedly now, and it rumbled it a rhythmic hum. After that, it went no further much to our relief. What's more, the funnel above the machine began to produce more than one measly cloud. White puffs emerged from the belly of the beast at a steady pace! The mechanics, engineers and everypony else cheered. Trotter was still silent, but he grinned. "Wow..." Driscoll burst into laughter. "Just... wow..." "Keith, I don't know what you did, but it worked." Twilight hoof-bumped me in the arm while magically hoisting Trotter onto her back. "Yeeaahh..." I grinned sheepishly, "...I meant to do that..."