Chapter Two
Wanderlust woke on his back, staring at the sky, screaming. The sky is wrong! That panicked thought ricocheted unchecked through his mind over and over again. Any shred of self control or rational thought had long since fled his mind; only blind terror remained. A hoof slapped him sharply across the muzzle, buying the unicorn a few seconds of clarity. The sky blue pony, Allegro, he vaguely remembered, was standing above him.
Wanderlust managed to draw in a single deep breath before his eyes strayed past the other pony. What he saw made him want to scream again. I can see land. Why can I see land? Oh, dear Celestia, there’s land in the sky. There’s a ribbon of land cutting across the sky. A massive arch soared into the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon and gradually narrowing until it was almost invisible before passing behind a giant square of black far above. Mottled patches of brown, green and blue covered its surface under evenly-spaced squares of light and shadow.
Allegro must have seen the crazed look in the unicorn’s eyes because he quickly flung a leg over the other pony’s face. “Wanderlust, I know you’ve only just met me, but I need you to trust me. Everything will be okay, just take a deep breath.” The unicorn managed a ragged gasp. “Good. Nothing’s going to hurt you; you’re among friends. I went through the same thing not long ago; you’ll be bored of it soon enough.”
Wanderlust managed a few calm, deep breaths. The other pony’s words seemed reasonable enough.The unicorn repeated them to himself over and over again until it seemed he finally believed them. I’ll get bored of it. I just need to get over the shock, and that’s not going to happen with somepony covering up my face. “I think I’m okay.” He finally said, his voice shaking slightly. “I can deal with it now.”
Allegro pulled his leg back and Wanderlust instantly regretted his decision. “Oh, Celestia, I was wrong.” He said, slapping one of his forelegs over his face. “What is that thing?” He asked, his voice cracking.
“It is a ring.” Luna’s voice replied matter-of-factly.
“A what?” Wanderlust positively shrieked. It was definitely an answer, but not one that made any sense.
“More specifically, it is the portion of the ring on which we are not currently standing; a construct-”
“What are you talking about?” He was on the verge of screaming again; the unicorn was confused, terrified and rapidly losing his grip on reality.
“You need to stay calm. This will be hard enough to take in without panic getting in the way.” Allegro said and waited while the unicorn took several deep breaths. “Wanderlust, Equestria is on a ring.” The earth pony said as calmly as a teacher instructing foals on their multiplication tables. “A massive ring orbiting the sun and spinning quickly enough that we can stand on it without floating away. You remember basic physics, right?” Wanderlust nodded tentatively. “Good. I know it sounds crazy, but can you understand all that?”
“But I thought the world was a sphere.” Wanderlust objected. “I’ve never been to Canterlot, but I’ve seen pictures of the models in the Royal Observatory. The mass of the planet-”
“And all of that is according to whom?” Allegro interrupted. “Nopony ever really thinks about it because it’s what we’ve always lived with, but Wanderlust, we have to change the seasons in Equestria ourselves. Think about that for a minute. How does it make any sense at all that on a spherical world we’d have to work to change the seasons? More than that, why would anypony need to raise the sun and moon? Why would the weather just stop working on its own at the border of Equestria? Nothing about our world is at all natural, but nopony ever thinks to look long enough to see it.”
“But how can nopony have realized this by now?” Wanderlust asked, his head spinning and his leg still thrown over his face. “How is it even possible to hide something like this?”
“The princesses have been deceiving us. From what Princess Luna has told me, raising the sun and moon is just a cover; what they’re actually doing is maintaining ancient, unfathomably powerful enchantments that hide the truth from everypony in Equestria. They only allow us to see what they’re ordered to let us see.” Wanderlust had nothing to say for a few long minutes.
Finally, the unicorn took a deep breath and forced himself to uncover his face. The sight of the arch cutting across the sky made his breath catch in his throat and his heart jump like it was trying to escape his chest, but if he tried, he could keep the terror in check. Allegro was still standing over him, but Luna was somewhere outside his field of vision. I need to look her in the eye for this. He thought and reluctantly rose to his hooves.
The unicorn shivered as he cast a glance back and forth before finally finding the Princess standing solemnly a few feet away. “Why, princess? Why would you hide something like this? What do you gain by concealing this?”
The princess tried to look him in the eye, but the betrayal on his face was too much. “We gain nothing, but my sister and I were never given a choice in the matter.” She said as she looked down at the ground. “We were given orders; disobedience is not an option.”
“Of course it is. You’re meddling in the lives of who knows how many ponies. How could any orders come before their rights?”
“Constructs aren’t known for their free will, Wanderlust.” Allegro interjected quietly, sounding almost apologetic. Seeing the confusion on the unicorn’s face, he turned to Luna, whose head had drooped lower still. “Princess, you can explain this far better than I can.”
Luna’s voice was quiet, and she still refused to meet his gaze as she started speaking. “My sister and I were created at the same time as the ring and set in place as caretakers. We are artificial beings: flesh and blood, but engineered, nonetheless. It has been our duty for so long that the time has blurred to protect, monitor and maintain, but I fear that time is quickly coming to an end: my exile was the first sign of a massive system failure.” Wanderlust’s confusion must have been written plainly on his face, because the princess continued, her voice growing even more solemn, a feat the unicorn would have thought impossible. “My sister and I are dying, Wanderlust. Our creators feared what they wrought, and forced mortality upon us as a final check to our powers. They would be terrified to discover how far we have extended our designed life spans, but even we cannot stave off time’s advance forever.”
“But you’re gods!” Wanderlust objected stubbornly. The very understanding of the world that he had built piece by piece from when he was just a foal was cascading to rubble around him; the unicorn was loathe to let any more pieces of normality fall away. “Gods can’t just die!”
“Would gods have been at all inconvenienced by Discord? Would gods need the Elements of Harmony to fight their battles for them? Would a god have fallen to hatred’s siren call and turned upon her own kin? We are nothing of the sort: my sister and I are as much alive as you are, and all life must eventually fade.”
Wanderlust stood in silence for several long minutes, trying to take it all in. When he finally spoke again, even he could hear the fear in his voice. “Why are you telling me this?”
“My sister and I have held this threat at bay for most of our lives by using the kingdom’s location to our advantage. Right now, we stand within a box that measures a million miles to a side; bounded by the port and starboard rim walls and two mountain ranges, both so high that in places they pierce the very atmosphere. The only ways to breach those defenses are over the walls, not an easy feat to accomplish, or underneath, through tunnels; tunnels my sister and I control by virtue of our unique birth.
“We exist as living extensions of the ring.” The princess continued. “I can control its systems as easily as I can blink. That ability has allowed us to keep Equestria locked away from the rest of the ring and keep it safe for all these years but when we die, and that moment is swiftly approaching, all our protective measures will die with us. Soon after, this world, this incredible, fairytale kingdom, will be ravaged by all the horrors that lurk behind those walls in the real world. We have tried every possible solution to no avail. After my exile, my sister even labored for a thousand years attempting to create another to serve as successor: Cadance was the closest Celestia came to success, and she lacks the abilities necessary to take our place. There are no options left to us.”
“Princess, you’re speaking of spells that can affect thousands and machines larger than worlds. What can I possibly do to help that you can’t do for yourself?” Wanderlust asked, his voice shaking slightly.
“You have one ability that we lack: you can leave.” Wanderlust stared at the princess, befuddled. “There is another intelligence somewhere within the ring’s systems, probably within the central control complex. It has systematically locked us out of everything beyond our walls. It took all of the guile my sister and I possess to isolate this land from outside control, and to isolate ourselves from further orders, so long as we remain here. We cannot ignore our standing commands, but when our charges are threatened we can bypass certain restrictions: most importantly, we can allow a select few to break the quarantine. Whatever force controls the ring must be destroyed for Equestria to survive. That is something you can do that I cannot.”
“How can I trust you, princess? You’ve been lying to me, and to all of Equestria for thousands of years. How can you expect me to believe a word that comes out of your mouth now?” Allegro glared at the unicorn, but Wanderlust ignored him. Princess or not, I don’t like being lied to.
“I cannot blame you for feeling betrayed, but we had no choice in the matter. There are no assurances I can offer you of my sincerity, but,” Princess Luna said, looking him in the eye for the first time since he had woken. “what do I gain by lying to you now?”
Wanderlust glanced upwards at the new sky, spanned by the arch and adorned with foreign stars. She’s making a disconcerting amount of sense. Still... “What if you’re wrong?”
“I am not. If one can see from the right perspective, the signs of violence are all too clear. The eternal winter that drove the ponies of Equestria from their original home was not caused by some magical beast, it was caused by a weapon impacting the ring near the port rim wall: a weapon of such titanic power that it shattered the enchantments that govern the ring’s weather for nearly half a million miles in every direction. More obvious than that: the pegasi cities have statues of ponies bearing arms, and our capital houses an armed guard. Both are relics of a barely-remembered warrior tradition, and such a tradition implies enemies.
“I suppose it is possible that things could have changed during our isolation, but even then, you lose nothing by leaving. If I am correct, however, all of Equestria will be put to the sword. Every pony you have ever met, all those you hold dear, will be subjected to horrors that surpass your most hideous nightmares.
“You are far from the first to come this far, and with luck you will not be the last, but we need every pony we can gather working towards this goal to increase the chance of success. Right now, you need to ask yourself how much you care about your home and the ponies you have left behind.”
Wanderlust stared at her, the wheels turning in his head. What if she’s telling the truth? He had a sudden vision of ponyville in flames, the sky dark with smoke and black wings. He shuddered at the thought; it felt so real that he could almost smell the smoke. The unicorn took a deep breath. “What’s our next move?”
The princess nodded, apparently satisfied. “There is an outpost set into the mountains a few days’ walk to spinward.”
“Spinward?” Wanderlust asked.
“The direction towards which the ring spins.” She turned and started walking slowly towards the mountains. “This way. Once there I will see that you are properly equipped for the journey to come, and tell you what I can about what lies ahead.”
“Princess, my pack is still at our camp.” Wanderlust called after her.
“Unless there was something of sentimental value inside, just leave it. You will have enough to carry shortly.”
The unicorn glanced down to make sure his brother’s locket was still around his neck, then fell in behind Luna, next to Allegro. The earth pony had a rather odd smile on his face. “Are you okay?” Wanderlust asked his new traveling companion, cocking an eyebrow.
“Better than you know: I’ve been stuck under those mountains for three months. I’d almost forgotten what the sky looked like.” The blue pony chuckled. “Of course, it’s still not quite the sky I’m used to.” Wanderlust gave Allegro a quick glance, sizing him up. He was a bright sky blue with a messy tangle of a mane the color of the ocean atop his head and matching eyes that seemed to laugh on their own. His back leg had a few dark blue musical notes splashed across it. Was my choir guess right after all?
“I was a composer.” The pony replied to the unspoken question. “In Manehatten. I’m not sure why the princess chose me, but one day a pony from the Royal Guard showed up on my doorstep. I’m guessing you know the rest. So how did you get roped into this?” The blue stallion asked warmly.
“It’s a long story.” Wanderlust evaded; he didn’t feel like sharing his family troubles at the moment. “The short version is that I just sort of blundered into the middle of things and ran with it.”
That set Allegro laughing again. “Well I’m glad somepony finally came along, I just can’t stand waiting. So what did you do before all this?”
Well, I’ll certainly never want for conversation while he’s around. Wanderlust reflected. “I was apprenticing in a print shop in Ponyville.”
“Ponyville?” The earth pony asked. “I’ve heard it’s a nice place to live. A bit rural for my taste, though.”
“Yeah, we are sort of right on the edge of things.” The unicorn agreed.
Looking ahead, Wanderlust saw daylight sweeping towards them; the harsh line dividing day from night clearly advancing across the ground. With a glance upwards, the unicorn realized that the vast square of nothingness he had seen earlier was exactly that: the sun was slowly sliding from behind a massive, black square. That must be how they simulate day and night. The pony stopped in his tracks, his head swimming. For a moment, he felt as if he would faint.
Allegro set a steadying hoof on his shoulder. “You get used to it.”
*
Wanderlust was back in the broken temple, the wolves closing in around him. He held firm against his aggressors, the sharp knives of their teeth always failing to connect. When he tired of dancing away from their attacks, he conjured up a wall of fire and bathed in the cleansing heat of the flames. He laughed in triumph as the inferno surrounded him, until the flames started to laugh back. Dark, twisted visions danced within the inferno and cackled at the unicorn, mocked him, screamed at him with words that he could not understand.
As the flames died, he felt relief: his torment was ending, he was safe. He swept his gaze across the charred ground around him and gasped in horror at what he saw. The wolves were gone, but in their place upon the blackened paving stones lay the bodies of a dozen small fillies and colts. What am I? The unicorn asked himself as he stared in shock. Just children, barely getting their first taste of life and I cut them down like wheat into a thresher. That was when they started getting up.
Wanderlust’s heart stopped as the blackened ponies one by one rose slowly to their hooves and turned to stare at him with their cold, dead eyes. “I didn’t mean to.” He whispered, backing away. The sound of hooves clattering across stone made the unicorn spin; there were more behind him. “You have to believe me, I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to.” He pleaded as they continued their slow advance. He turned, sweat beading on his brow and his heart pounding, trying to find a way out, but everywhere he looked all he found were dead, accusing eyes staring back at him. “Celestia help me, I didn’t know!”
Wanderlust bolted upright with a gasp. The unicorn was soaked with sweat and shivering in the cool night air. The feeling was not an unfamiliar one: it was far from the first time he had suffered through that particular dream. His frantically beating heart was the only sound breaking the perfect stillness of night. At least I didn’t wake the others. He laid back and closed his eyes, but there was no way he could sleep, not while he could still feel those accusing stares boring into him. Opening his eyes, Wanderlust lay there until morning, staring up at the ring.
*
Their journey had taken the three ponies high into the mountains. The thin air and steep trails were taking their toll on Wanderlust and Allegro as the two stallions struggled to keep up with Luna’s longer stride. “Are you doing okay?” Allegro managed to blurt out between labored breaths.
“Yeah.” Wanderlust gasped in reply. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve been talking in your sleep, thrashing around, one time you woke up screaming. Can you really blame me for being a little worried?”
Wanderlust turned red. “Just nightmares. Sorry if I bothered you.”
“Nothing to apologize for. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed after a nightmare, though. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I mean, it’s kind of what I’m here for. Other than carrying all the heavy stuff.” The earth pony finished with a laugh.
“The dream is always about the wolves. The ones in the temple. I just can’t get them out of my head. They were just animals and they were trying to kill me. Why is it bothering me so much?”
“Probably just means you’re normal. To be honest, I’d probably be more worried if it wasn’t bothering you.”
“We are here.” Luna announced, putting an end to the conversation. Set several inches back into the face of a cliff was a black metal door wide enough that ten ponies could have walked through it abreast and three times as tall as any pony Wanderlust had ever seen. The princess approached the door and pressed a hoof against it. The two stallions watched silently as she whispered something. After a moment, the door began sliding upwards into the mountain.
As soon as the door was high enough, Luna ducked under it and proceeded inside. Allegro trotted forward to follow her. “Come on, Wanderlust. I’ve been here for weeks; nothing to be afraid of. Except crippling boredom, of course. Plenty of that to go around.”
Wanderlust warily followed after the earth pony, who was still busy laughing at his own joke. Waves of warm, dry air rolled forth to meet him as he stepped across the threshold. The floor and ceiling were made of some sort of black metal, perfectly smooth and polished to a mirror finish. The walls were made of the same material, but they rippled as if they had been poured into place, giving the entire structure an almost organic feeling. Wanderlust watched his reflection in the ceiling and walls as he advanced, marveling at the architecture and listening to the clacking of his hooves on metal rebounding back at him.
With a soft thump that made the unicorn jump, the door to the outside world sealed behind him. He gulped as he looked at the massive wall of black metal standing between him and everything he had ever seen, everypony he had ever met. Too late to back out now. He forced himself to turn and broke into a trot to catch up with the other two ponies.
The entry corridor was longer than he had expected and by the time he caught up to his companions, Wanderlust was out of breath. A massive archway towered before them at the end of the hall, and the unicorn could just barely make out a darkened room beyond.
“I wish I had a camera.” Allegro said suddenly.
“Why is that?” The unicorn asked, still a little short of breath.
“I want a picture of the look that’ll be on your face in a minute.” The blue pony replied with a wide grin.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” Allegro told him conspiratorially, still grinning ear to ear. This can’t be good. Wanderlust thought with sudden unease.
A few minutes later when they passed under the arch, Wanderlust’s jaw dropped and Allegro laughed. It was the single largest room Wanderlust had ever seen in his life; he couldn’t even begin to estimate its size. Spinning around the center of the room, hanging far above their heads, was a translucent model of the ring. The princess hadn’t slowed her pace and the unicorn came close to tripping several times as he tried to follow and gawk at the same time. “What is this place?” Wanderlust asked in awe.
“This is the map room. We will return shortly, but first we need to retrieve your equipment. Storage is to the left, living quarters are to the right.” She led the two stallions across the titanic room to the wide hallway that gave access to the storage wing. Only a few strides later, they started passing doors. Each one was made of the same polished black metal as the walls and looked to be thick enough that Wanderlust suspected they could have kept a dragon at bay for as long as he might care to wait.
The storage wing hallway dead-ended into a door so massive that Wanderlust couldn’t help but think that if the entire mountain around him were wiped away by the hand of some angry god, this door would continue standing its vigil, exactly as it had before. It was so thick that the unicorn couldn’t imagine how it could ever be moved, and he could feel the magic radiating off of it in waves. Whoever had built this place had spared no effort to try and ensure that this room was never breached. “Celestia, what’s behind that?”
Luna was otherwise occupied, pressing a hoof against the door and chanting, so Allegro answered for her, distaste dripping from his voice. “It’s the armory.” The massive door swung inwards soundlessly on unseen hinges and the princess stepped through. Wanderlust hesitated just an instant before following: the sheer power flowing from the wards on the door was more than enough to put him on edge. Allegro followed quietly a few steps behind.
The armory was a large, circular room with a vaulted ceiling. The walls were lined with silver lockers and a platform raised above the ground to about knee level stood in the center.
“Wanderlust, could you please stand on that platform for me?” Luna asked as she moved towards one side of the room.
“Why, exactly?” Wanderlust replied as he warily approached.
“I need your measurements for some of your equipment. It is just like being fitted for a garment, except faster.” The unicorn looked at her skeptically. “You will not be harmed, trust me.” Not exactly easy to do. Still, I’m already committed. The unicorn slowly did as he was told and stepped onto the platform. “Excellent. Now close your eyes.”
“What?” Wanderlust asked in alarm, tensing to dive away.
“The machine you are currently standing within will shine a bright light at you from all directions. If you would like to be seeing spots for a week, by all means, be my guest.” Luna replied dryly. Wanderlust blushed and stepped back into the center of the platform as Allegro laughed from behind the princess. “Ready?” She asked.
Wanderlust closed his eyes and nodded. A gentle hum filled the room and a few seconds later something extremely bright passed in front of his face. “Princess,” He asked as he waited. “what exactly is this place?”
“This room or the entire facility?” Luna’s voice replied from his right.
“Yes.”
There was a short pause. “I cannot tell you everything.”
“What can you tell me?”
“The facility was built as an outpost to support personnel operating in the anti-spinward quarantine zone.”
“The what?”
“The area that contains Equestria.” Luna explained before continuing. “This room houses both stockpiled weapons and miscellaneous supplies of a martial nature as well as a micro-fabrication plant for producing more specialized equipment to demand.” The humming stopped suddenly. “Done. You can open your eyes and come down now.”
Wanderlust did as he was told, gingerly stepping around a strange device that had been lowered from the ceiling by an odd, articulated arm. “What exactly were you measuring me for?”
“This facility’s records refer to it as ‘Type A Combat Barding’. It should offer you some protection from any dangers you may encounter, as well as providing a number of other benefits.” Just a few seconds after she stopped speaking, a second arm lowered from the ceiling, carrying an oddly shaped black object that it passed off to Luna. The princess set it gently on the ground and motioned to Wanderlust.
The unicorn approached and took a closer look. It was a contoured sheet of metal with four holes near the center. He looked at Luna and cocked an eyebrow.
“Put one hoof into each hole and raise it to your chest. The movement will be awkward, but you will find that it is quite light. Once it reaches your chest, the barding will fit to your body like a piece of clothing, so do not be alarmed. You will also feel something on the back of your neck, another device will move into each of your ears and a fourth piece will fit around your jaw. It will no doubt feel rather strange, but you are in no danger.”
“You know, hopefully. I’m just glad we’re testing it out on you first.” Allegro said with a grin. Wanderlust glared at the earth pony, took a deep breath and stepped into the holes and lifted the barding with a forehoof. Luna had been correct: it was extremely light, but he had to bend rather awkwardly to fit it into place.
“Princess, couldn’t I just lift it with magic instead?”
“Of course. I just wanted to demonstrate for Allegro; my apologies.”
Wanderlust was about to respond when he touched the barding to his chest. Despite the warning, he jumped as it closed around him, fitting almost like a second skin. A moment later, something gently pushed against the back of his neck and something metallic snapped around his lower jaw. The unicorn stood completely still for several long seconds, holding his breath as his heart raced. “Is...is that it?” The section around his jaw moved with him; he could still speak perfectly, although his voice was a little shaky for other reasons.
“One question, Wanderlust. Where do you hide them?” Allegro asked, struggling to keep a straight face.
“Hide what?” The unicorn replied, utterly baffled.
“Well, I had always thought that chickens had wings.” The earth pony replied with a wide smirk.
“Does it fit well?” The princess asked, ignoring the earth pony.
Wanderlust cast a brief glare at Allegro, then hopped up and down a few times before trotting around the room once for good measure. “I can barely even feel it.”
“Good. Allegro, climb onto the platform and it will make one for you as well. Wanderlust, if you would come with me, please.” The princess led him to the far side of the room and opened one of the lockers. After a moment’s consideration, she retrieved two strangely-shaped silver objects. She tucked one into an open-topped pouch on Wanderlust’s left shoulder and held up the other so he could get a better look. It was an oval with a strange, pointed tail extending out the top of the rear end and an aperture at the front.
“Wanderlust, this is most likely the single most important piece of equipment you will be carrying. It is a plasma weapon designed for use by a unicorn.” Wanderlust reached out a hoof, but the princess pulled it back out of his reach. “This is not a toy, Wanderlust. It is not a rock, it is not a spear. This is a device that was conceived, designed and constructed for the sole purpose of taking lives. It projects a burst of superheated gas at whatever happens to be in front of it when it fires. This will burn through flesh, bone and metal: you can easily kill somepony without even meaning to unless you are careful. Do not point it at anything you would not wish great harm upon, keep it facing upwards when you are not using it, and hit this button if you won’t need it immediately; doing so activates a mechanism that should prevent the weapon from firing. Never rely on it alone, though. It should always be a back-up.”
With that, she passed it off to the unicorn, who took extra care to make sure it wasn’t even remotely pointed in Luna’s direction. “How does it work?”
“Just like any other magic item: you focus on your target and will it to work. It requires a power source, though. The weapons, and your barding, are powered by crystals that store magical energy. I will give you a supply and teach you to charge them before you leave. Theoretically, you should be able to power your own equipment indefinitely.”
There was a frightened yelp from behind them and the two ponies spun in alarm to see Allegro wearing his own set of barding, frozen in place with eyes as wide as dinner plates. “Don’t say a word.” He ordered as Wanderlust started laughing.
“Who’s the chicken now?” The unicorn asked as he crossed the room beside the princess.
“Sure, let’s all laugh at the earth pony. Racists.” Allegro replied with a sly grin.
Luna looked at them disapprovingly. “If you two are finished, perhaps we could get back to business?”
“Of course, Princess.” Wanderlust said, blushing. “What’s next?”
“A quick explanation of the barding’s functions. The jaw piece contains most of the controls; you can activate them with your tongue or your chin, whichever is most comfortable. The primary defensive feature is activated by the button on the far left. Please press it now.” Wanderlust pushed the button with his chin and his vision instantly narrowed. There was some sort of black substance that rippled like water encasing him head to hoof except for a narrow section in front of his eyes.
“What is this?” Wanderlust asked, holding a hoof in front of his face for closer examination.
“The barding projects a defensive field that should grant you reasonable protection from kinetic threats.”
“What?” Allegro asked.
Luna sighed deeply before responding. “If something hits you really hard, this should keep you safe.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” The earth pony said. “How am I hearing you through this? It feels solid.”
“It is, more or less. Air tight as well; the barding will recycle oxygen for roughly two hours, by the way. There are microphones and a speaker on the main body of the barding that feed your earpieces so you can hear and transmit anything you say using a microphone that is set into the jaw piece. If you press the far left button again, the defensive fields cover your torso as well. This will give you additional protection at the cost of deadening your senses and cutting you off from your equipment. You can turn them off now; second button from the left.”
“Luna,” Wanderlust asked as soon as the field had disappeared. “exactly why is the entire thing opaque? It kind of makes it hard to see.”
“Passive defense against visible-spectrum lasers.” Luna replied offhandedly. Wanderlust quirked an eyebrow and the princess sighed again. “Nevermind. It does serve a purpose, though. Moving on, you will notice a small tube on the right side. That connects to a water reservoir in the main body of the barding. It cannot store enough water to be your primary source of hydration, but in extreme conditions it could keep you alive long enough to find another source.”
Luna went on at some length, explaining the various features of the barding from how to work the radio, to disabling the external speaker, to the controls for the flashlight on the right shoulder. She then started distributing equipment to both of them.
Allegro was loaded down with water jugs, food for three weeks in the form of survival rations that the princess warned would keep for ages but taste dreadful, an automated medical kit and an assortment of vehicle repair tools Luna had scrounged from the outpost.
Wanderlust was saddled with a portable map of the ring, and a communications device that would signal Luna instantly from any distance but would require two days of charging for a ten minute conversation. He was also given an entire pouch of the crystals that would power his weapons along with a belt slung around his neck that would hold even more. Luna patiently explained how to charge them, apparently most unicorns could train themselves to do so automatically after only a few days.
Finally, Luna secured a strange device to the unicorn’s leg. “What is that?” He asked, examining it closely.
“A combat knife. It is a weapon for use in case all else fails, or if silence is necessary. The blade is stored inside the main body and is attached to a hinge: you can open it using magic, or pushing a hoof against this tab. Once open, it will lock into place for use. To close it, push this button here and fold the blade in the opposite direction. Safety is straightforward enough.”
“Right. This isn’t exactly the first knife I’ve seen.” Wanderlust agreed, eyeing the device with more than a little dread. Of course, I’ve never seen one this big, or this sharp. I doubt the princess intends for me to use it chopping carrots, either. The unicorn had a brief, vivid mental image of plunging the blade into somepony and shuddered.
“Hey, Wanderlust.” Allegro said, poking his head back through the door. The unicorn realized with a jolt that the others had left while he had been distracted. “Are you coming?”
“Right, sorry.” Wanderlust trotted out into the hallway and fell in beside the blue pony. Something finally struck the unicorn’s mind. “Why didn’t Luna give you any weapons?”
The earth pony looked sideways. “I don’t like violence. That’s actually why I failed the tests: even when they were trying to kill me, I just didn’t have it in me to fight the wolves. If Luna hadn’t been there...” His voice trailed off and he was silent for a moment. “Some things are bred in too deeply.” Allegro said so quietly that Wanderlust barely heard. Then the earth pony spoke up. “Anyway, that’s why I’m tagging along with you: you do the hard work, I make sure you don’t go all screwy on us.” Their conversation stopped as they reached the map room.
It hadn’t gotten any less intimidating during their absence, and the long walk to the center didn’t help. When Luna finally stopped, the model of the ring dropped to eye level and spun at a dizzying speed before stopping at a line of small mountains. “This is our current location.” Wanderlust felt like fainting: the mountains had looked frighteningly large when they approached, but compared to the ring they might as well have been pebbles. Judging by the whimper from behind him, Allegro was having similar thoughts.
Luna, oblivious to their discomfort, spun the ring quickly to another location: a large, flat plain near the ring’s center line. “This is your destination: roughly five million miles due spinward.”
“Did you just say ‘million’, princess?” Wanderlust asked, aghast.
“I did. A relatively small distance compared to the ring’s total size, luckily. It could easily be much worse.”
“I think it’s bad enough already. How are we supposed to get there? Wouldn’t it take hundreds of years by hoof?”
“Closer to a thousand.” Luna replied, spinning the ring again and pulling them closer in. When the image stopped moving, it was focused on a large stone structure at the meeting of two wide rivers. “This is the nearest access point to the ring’s transit system, about three weeks away. If you can utilize that transit system, you can reach your destination in under a year, depending on how far the systems have deteriorated. These images have not been updated in some time, so I have no way of knowing if the entrance is still standing. As such, I have marked several dozen of the closest access points on your map.”
The walk to the exit was long and silent. When they reached the tram that would take them to the other side of the mountains, Allegro walked quickly inside and found a seat on one of the couches, but Wanderlust stopped just inside the door and turned to face the princess.
“They were ponies, weren’t they? The ones who built the ring.”
Luna looked at him for a moment before speaking. “Goodbye, and good luck.” With that, the doors slid closed and the tram silently accelerated away, leaving Luna on the platform to watch.
“There’s a problem with your theory, Wanderlust.” Allegro said as the unicorn settled himself onto another of the couches. “If ponies built this ring, why are we prisoners on it?”
“I don’t know.” Wanderlust replied, staring back the way they had come. Luna had passed out of sight, but he could almost still feel her watching. “But before this is over, I’m getting some answers.”
*
The two stallions had stood silently in front of the door to the outside for close to an hour, just staring at the thick slab of black metal. Neither one wanted to be the first to suggest that they leave.
Wanderlust finally sighed. “First step’s the hardest, right?” He said, moving towards the door.
“That’s what they say.” Allegro replied uncertainly.
The unicorn moved to put a hoof against the door and then checked the motion. He drew one of his weapons and loaded it, being careful to point it at the ceiling, then switched on the barding’s protective field. “Just in case.”
“Right, just in case.” The earth pony replied, activating his as well.
Wanderlust pressed a hoof to the cold metal of the door and chanted the words that Luna had taught him. When he had finished, the unicorn stepped back and held his breath as the door silently slid upwards, flooding the tunnel with the day’s last light.
Two nervous steps later, the ponies were in a new world. This entrance seemed lower than the other, and stood only a few hundred feet from a dense forest. Wanderlust looked at the trees and then shot a glance at his companion.
Allegro shrugged. “I slept on the train.” The unicorn nodded and started towards the trees as the door to the world they had known slid shut behind them.
Progress was slow. There were no real trails; the ponies had to hike through thick brush and over fallen trees. Wanderlust did his best to scan the forest for danger, but life in Equestria hadn’t prepared him for this: even the wilderness had been relatively tame, and civilization had never been all that far away. “What kinds of things do you think live out here? Whatever they are, they don’t leave much of a trace.” The unicorn grunted as he pushed through a particularly stubborn bush. While they walked, he was trying to train some part of his mind to keep their equipment charged. It wasn’t easy: he rarely used complex magic. It almost felt like exercising an underused muscle.
“Could be anything, really.” The earth pony’s voice drifted through the radio. “I heard somepony a few years back talking about some creature that lived in the forests beyond griffon territory. Apparently they can spend their whole lives without touching the ground, living in the trees.” Wanderlust cast a nervous glance upwards. “Not dangerous, though. Supposedly they’re these cute, fuzzy, little things. Some ponies apparently keep them as pets. Other than that, we just start hitting legends, though. There are old stories of giant bugs with hives the size of cities, spiders as big as carriages that hide underground and snatch you as you walk past.” Wanderlust tried to seem nonchalant as he eased his second weapon out of its holster and loaded it. “Then there are cockatrices, hydras, I even once heard a story about a creature that changes its shape into something harmless and then leads unsuspecting ponies into the forest to eat them. Rather grisly stuff.” Wanderlust shuddered. “Of course, those are all just stories. I suppose that most legends have some kernel of truth behind them, though.”
“Maybe we should find something else to talk about.” The crack in Wanderlust’s voice was just barely audible.
“Oh, did I mention dragons? There could definitely be dragons out here. I’ve heard of dragons that live in forests: massive things that sleep for hundreds of years, so long that trees grow on top of them and they look like just another hill. Supposedly they can roll over in their sleep and crush anypony unlucky enough to be nearby.” Wanderlust gulped. He was far too nervous to notice the other pony’s stifled laughter.
The unicorn spun in alarm. “Did you hear that?”
“Just the wind, Wanderlust.” Allegro assured him without breaking stride. “Anyway, new topic: nicknames.”
“What about them?”
“You need one. Your name’s too long to keep using over and over again.”
“Just be careful what you pick. My name lends itself to some things I’d rather not have associated with me.”
“How about Wanda?”
“How about we see if that shiny new medical kit actually works?”
Allegro started laughing. “Oh, Celestia, Wanderlust. Was that a joke? I was starting to think you didn’t have it in you.”
“Somepony has to do the work around here.” Wanderlust replied with a small grin.
“Fine, Mr. Magic McSeriouspants. How about Wands?”
“Yeah, that’ll do.”
“Good, because I doubt you would’ve liked my next suggestion.”
*
The morning of his fifth day beyond Equestria, Wanderlust woke staring at the sky. The sun was directly overhead, as it always was, and by the position of the shadow squares it had only been light for an hour or two: still plenty of time left in the day.
“About time. I’ve met corpses that don’t sleep as soundly as you.” The voice was unfamiliar and carried a note of disgust and disbelief but it unmistakably belonged to a pony. Wanderlust jumped to his hooves and activated his barding in one smooth movement that belied the terror he felt. The unicorn tried to draw his weapons and found that they were gone.
“Looking for these?” The cloaked mare, Wanderlust had decided that the voice was definitely female, lying on the ground a few feet away had a black hoof on his weapons. “As I said, you sleep much too soundly.” He couldn’t make out any of her features below the hood of the cloak: it was like a shadow was speaking to him.
“Allegro,” Wanderlust said slowly. “get up.”
“Five more minutes, Wands.” The earth pony groaned, rolling over.
“Allegro, we have company.” The unicorn said more forcefully. The earth pony scrambled frantically to his hooves and was covered in rippling black a heartbeat later.
The stranger didn’t react as far as Wanderlust could see. “I’ve been tracking you for days and you never even noticed. You didn’t try to conceal your trail and you didn’t post a watch. I’ve seen yearlings with more sense than you two. However, you’re carrying tools so powerful that even I can feel the magic bound up in them, and that means you’re not one of his. Who exactly are you?”
Wanderlust took a deep breath. “Travelers from the far side of the mountains. We’re trying to reach a structure about two weeks’ walk that way.” He pointed with a hoof.
“You mean the transport hub? Razed and filled in years ago by order of Flamerage, the one who falsely claims dominion over these lands. The nearest intact connection I know of is two months’ flight to spinward, across one of the lesser seas.”
Pegasus. Wanderlust noted; it was impossible to tell underneath the cloak. “I guess we’ll find another way, then.”
“If it’s transport you need, I may be able to offer help. My price isn’t cheap, though.”
“What do you offer, and what are you charging?” Wanderlust asked warily. He was trying to steel himself: if the pegasus didn’t return his weapons, he might have to overpower her and take them back.
“I offer a vessel, most likely in working order. It should take you to your destination almost as quickly as the transport system. As to my price, I need your help with something. I grew up in a small village on the plains to port. We kept a low profile and avoided the notice of the larger powers until Flamerage decided to expand his holdings. I watched as he personally burned my home to the ground, and I saw his minions murder everyone I held dear. I mean to get revenge, but I can’t do it myself. I need allies, or I need more firepower.” She looked pointedly down at the weapons under her hoof. “You appear able to provide both. Help me kill Flamerage and I’ll tell you where to find the ship.”
Wanderlust weighed his options for a few moments. One life against all of Equestria. He flipped the radio on and cut the speaker. “What do you think?”
“As distasteful as it might be, the faster we’re done, the better chance we have of saving lives.” Allegro replied a moment later, a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
“Are you sure, Allegro? I thought you were opposed to this sort of thing.”
There were a few seconds of dead air. “We both knew it might be necessary, and he doesn’t exactly sound nice. If we can take one life now and avoid taking more later, I say we do it.”
Well, I guess we’re assassins now. “Deal. What’s your name?”
The pegasus stood, kicked Wanderlust’s weapons back to him and tossed her hood back. She was darker than night, with piercing emerald green eyes and a mane that could have been spun from the first golden rays of a sunrise, something that Wanderlust realized with a pang of sadness he would never see again: the sun would never ‘rise’ as seen from the ring. “My full name is ‘Dawn’s Fire Brings the Cleansing Light of Truth.” She said. “You may call me Dawnfire.” With that, she turned and walked away.
“Wait.” Wanderlust called after her. “You’re planning on going into this without a weapon?”
The pegasus held up her leg and displayed a strange contraption affixed to it. “Spear-thrower. I paid a unicorn to make it. Craftsmanship doesn’t come cheap, especially not out here.”
Wanderlust smiled as he secured his weapons in their proper place. “Dawnfire, it’ll add a few days to our trip, but I think I know where you can find something better.”