Sleep was a fickle thing in the darkness. Without the light of dawn, how does one truly know if the sun shines? The sun is deadly, it casts it’s gaze on ponies in hopes of revealing them to others, of exposing shadowy secrets. None held more secrets than the sun itself.
I opened one eye to the darkness, a hoof curled around a knife in the hay. The only sounds the dripping of fetid water and the scratching of rats.
Relaxing myself, I sat up. Hay did nothing for the back, but I was well conditioned to it. This wasn’t the first time I had to use this hideout.
I ran a hoof over my dark coat, the rain had done a number on my disguise, the enchanted charcoal wet sticky after the night of rain.
I set myself to scrubbing the charcoal off my coat, I didn’t need it anymore and at that point it would prove a liability. Using some of the dryer hay, I scoured myself head to hoof. It was difficult to reach the withers, having no such luck as magic, but I made do.
I set the blackened clump of hay to the floor, it’s usefulness expires, and set about looking for a reflective surface.
In one crate, sheets and shards of broken glass proved effective as I lay it against one corner.
The image was one of a mare, striped black and white sporting a closely cropped mane. Several small, but noticeable scars decorated her forelimbs and neck, chipped hooves met the stone floor and her eyes were so blue they were almost black.
That Zebra was me.
With a soft sigh, I took Misty up in my hooves, once more examining the bolt and firing mechanism. No pony had spent the time analyzing the killing machines of the Zebra, they never faced the predators of Roam. Thus, fixing the rifle was impossible to a pony.
E was no pony, he crafted the rifle by hoof, every one of my bullets had the mark of his work. I no longer remember what E stands for, but if the Princess would die, it would be with this weapon. Nothing else could stand against her.
E was a special Zebra, he was a friend among enemies, and never was there a finer gunsmith. Stashing Misty, chose an access tunnel heading east, I needed to get to E on the outskirts of Canterlot, but carrying Misty would be suspicious. I could break her down, but if I got caught with her I was Diamond Dog food.
The tunnel was narrow, as all tunnels were, and recent discoveries in magic rendered them close to useless. It was home to rats now, no self respecting pony would live down here so it was the perfect hideout. Close, under their noses.
The tunnel branched often, snaking it’s way in a veritable labyrinth beneath the timeless city. To a scholar, the tunnels would be seen as an ingenious invention of earth pony technology. The walls coated in slime and muck left much to be desired however. It reminded me too much of the belly of a Korr Toad.
That was an unpleasant experience. I spent nearly an hour trapped inside the steel-strong stomach. Luckily, the toad’s digestion process was incredibly slow. It was not something I intended to repeat.
My mind wandered as often as the tunnels. My thoughts turned to the monarch of the sun. Ponies worshipped her as she brought the sun up every day, and until recently, the moon as well. She was renowned as the protector of Equestria, 1000 years ago she banished every evil that threatened Equestria.
I spent four years studying ancient texts regarding the guardian of the sun, nothing conclusive, the Princess covered her tracks well. But everything pointed to her power coming from an external source. My search lead me to a catacomb beneath the Crystal Empire…
***
Dusty bones surrounded me as I trekked beneath the earth, countless creatures that sought the dark waited just outside the radius of my torch. Ancient crystal skeletons of ages past gleamed in the darkness, wicked grins twinkling in their eternal slumber.
I passed through the narrow corridor to come upon a spacious room. The roof was low and gave the impression of being crushed beneath the weight of the earth.
Approaching the single coffin in the room, I placed the torch in a sconce beside it. With my front hooves, I heaved the lid off the coffin. Inside was a skeleton, obviously a crystal pony by the way it shone in the torchlight. In it’s hooves was a thin book.
I reached inside for the book, but a golden glow surrounded the bones, and in each eye socket of the crystal skull, a golden flame blazed.
Noiselessly, it’s bones connected to each other once again, and it rose from the coffin. I stepped back from the guardian.
“Well, this is new” I muttered, but before I could close in to shatter the skeleton, it shook, the rattling of bones echoing throughout the labyrinth. Jagged edges of crystal sprouted from the bones, leaving every inch a deadly weapon.
I groaned inwardly, but I advanced. The skeleton met me with inequine strength, flailing about dangerously. I ducked and dodged the strikes, countering with my own precise strikes to the ribcage, skull, and legs. The bones cracked under my blows, but were mended instantaneously in a golden glow.
The skeletal guardian turned quickly, much quicker than it should be able to, and planted an applebuck firmly against my side. I felt ribs crack under the strike as I fell to my side, gasping for breath.
The skeleton advanced, a hoof raised, aimed for my skull.
Just before it struck, I tackled it, edges of crystal lacerating my hide as I pinned it with my body weight. It’s burning eyes gleaming as it gnashed it’s teeth.
With every struggle it gave, new cuts were slashed into me, quick, shallow wounds that would bleed me dry.
In a moment of desperate clarity, I rolled to the side, the skeleton on top of me, and bucked it as hard as possible. The skeleton went flying until it crashed against the far wall, bones dislodging from it’s frame.
The bones hovered and reattached themselves, the powerful enchantment maintaining the guardian. I grabbed a nearby crystal leg bone in my teeth and charged.
The bone was gag worthy to be sure, but I ignored it as I ducked strikes back from the guardian and bludgeoned the enchanted bones with the heavy bone.
Damage was swiftly healed, but every break gave me a few seconds where the skeleton was slowed down. Taking an opportunity, I swung the leg toward the skull of the guardian, cracking the enchanted bone.
It struck back, knocking me on my side again, adrenaline kept me fighting as I stood upright again and searched for my weapon.
The guardian didn’t wait, it charged and swung it’s forelegs at me, impacting on bones and lacerating flesh.
Under it’s onslaught, I noticed the crack to it’s skull. It hadn’t healed! I gave a backward roll, the skeleton leapt again, but was met by my hind legs as I kept it at bay. I grabbed another nearby bone, clenching it between my teeth, I kicked upward, sending the animated bones scrabbling.
Quickly, I rose and bashed it’s skull several times with the crystal bone. Every strike cracked it, revealing a golden glow where a brain should be.
With a final swing, I shattered the side of the skull and crushed the spell focus buried within.
The magical feedback knocked me off my hooves, throwing me against the coffin, I heard more ribs break, but was too numb to feel it. Where the skeleton was, a pile of golden dust shone in the slim torchlight.
I sighed, only to turn it into a grunt when my broken ribs reminded me. I took the book and put it into my saddlebags, there was time to read it again later, but I needed to get medical attention before I bled out.
Taking up the torch again, I left the catacombs.
***
“E, I need you to fix Misty.” The elder zebra sighed, then broke into a fit of coughing. I waited silently for him to recover, I knew from experience he would accept no help from others regarding his state.
When he recovered, he slumped into a chair in his cabin. It was a quaint place, unassuming and close to a forest for his alchemical reagents. It was too exposed for me, too many windows, too many entries.
“You missed, didn’t you?” His raspy voice was filled with disappointment.
I bowed my head, “Yes.” What else could I say? “Bent Misty’s bolt when a pegasus guard attacked me. Honestly, I’m surprised that Celestia hasn’t sought Zebra smiths to arm her royal guard. Their current methods seem… Archaic.” He said nothing but closed his eyes. I would’ve thought him dead if not for the slow rising and falling of his chest.
After a long while, and without opening his eyes he said, “I’ll fix her, but you can’t miss again.” His tone brooked no argument. I sullenly nodded.
“Bring her by, carefully, and one other suggestion.” I lifted my head to see him staring right into my eyes. “Go for her sister first.”