//------------------------------//
// Chapter 42 REVISED 
// Story: A Journey Unthought Of 
// by Hustlin Tom 
//------------------------------//

The flash had engulfed us, and the ground beneath me had disappeared.  Lyra, the Doctor, and I now tumbled through a disorienting kaleidoscope of colors and patterns.  With the stress of what we had just gone through I had already felt ready to vomit, and the visuals we were getting weren't exactly helping to make things any better.  I could account for the others as they were right in front of me, but it was only after I turned my head to the left that I finally saw our rescuer.  Princess Luna looked no different than if she were gliding across open air, her wings keeping her steady even as we all tumbled through the hole in space she had forced us through.  It was then that I noticed that the Maiden had in fact come with us, her particles spiraling along just after us until finally she was just behind the Princess.  A hole in the nether-splotch finally appeared, one with a simplicity of color waiting just on the other side; dark purple, white marble, and shadows.  Even as I was relieved to see it we were already through to the other side, back in the reality I was comfortable with.  I slammed down onto the floor with a thud, the wind forced from my lungs.  Even as I groaned from the sudden impact I was left wheezing for air.  

"Ugh," the Doctor said as he already began to right himself and get to his feet, "I've had worse.  Sometimes a bad transmat feels like a parade of elephants walked right through you.  This was more like a...tower of giraffes."  

"I literally have," I started to say before I had to take a breath, "no idea what the hell you are talking about."  

"Finally, someone gets the usage right," he said with a chuckle as he once again pulled me to my feet, "We'll make you a full-fledged English student yet."  

I looked over to Lyra to see how she was doing, and found her shaking her head a little as she stretched one foreleg, and then the other.  The Princess looked at each of us in turn, and I was struck by the look in her eyes.  It seemed like it was one part panic because of the situation she had found us in, as well as another part relief that she was able to get there in time.  "You were," I said with a breath and a quick smile, "cutting it kinda close there."  

"I'm simply glad I was not late in your time of need," she declared.  The Maiden's points of light began to descend on the Princess, so even as she was in the moment of asking, "Who is this second of your own kind," she was already being influenced by the ghostly presence.  

"How is this possible," the Maiden exclaimed even as she sifted through the alicorn's memories of ages gone by, "I had thought by now that the first set of Tessaractal batteries would have been completely depleted."  

"First set," I said, before I looked to the others, and my anger spiked.  I then turned back and yelled at the Maiden's essence in Luna's chest, "You mean to tell me that us almost getting killed was completely pointless?"  

"Even if you could have charged those crystals it would have been pointless," Lyra said as she too came closer to the Princess, "The 'first set' she's talking about are the Elements of Harmony I told you about!"  

"If they have lasted this long they should suffice as the power source you desire," the Maiden declared, "I shall have Dusk light your way to them, but it is up to you to retrieve them first.  I need to explain what is happening to her, and how she might be able to help in all this."  The Princess' eyes were vacant, staring off into the distance, but her horn still lit up with her power.  A small ball of magical energy appeared from the tip of her horn, detached from it to float before all of us, and then began to gently drift towards the set of doors leading out of what I now realized must be the Princess' private room.  "Follow the light, and you will find what you need," the Maiden said more urgently.  We took the hint, and we jogged for the doors, opening them quickly and running out to the halls beyond.  Finding herself now alone with the Princess, the Maiden's voice turned inward, so that only Luna could hear, "Hello, my sweet Dusk.  It has been so very long since last we spoke."  

The mare's eyes became more focused, and a new set of tears began to fall down her cheeks all over again, "Mama?  But I don't remember you being like-"  

"I know sweetie, I wasn't like this before," she said, sadness tinging her words, "You can remember me as I was, but we need to save your ponies and everyone else.  Listen closely; this is what I need you to do..."





"Why didn't you tell me you had the Princess in your back pocket," Lyra asked as we made our way down a set of spiraling stairs after the glob of light the Maiden had given us, "You could have had us all out of the dumb prison situation we were in, and we wouldn't have had to have been on the run!"  

"I sorta thought that the promise she made wouldn't matter since we were in the prison she rules over, probably under her orders," I said as I jumped down the stairs two at a time, "I figured another potential round of prison vs being eaten alive by tiny robots was a pretty good move, but she still seemed to be concerned about us, so I don't know what is going on.  All I care about is fixing this stupid mess we've made."  The spiraling stairs now opened up into a plastered white hall as we made our way down them, a railing appearing at our left that merged seamlessly with the walls of the tower we had just exited.  

"Coming through," we heard from behind us, and then from closer, "Mind the fingers!"  

Jerking my hand away just in time from the marble it had been touching I saw the Doctor and his Converse shoes grinding down away from us, leaning into the curve to avoid being tossed out, his trenchcoat and buckle billowing behind him as he made his rapid descent.  One of the night staff who had been ready to go up the stairs to begin dusting and changing the sheets of the lunar tower was caught by surprise when a large primate being came blazing past, only to be be nearly trampled down by another similar creature and a unicorn.  After an initial cry of alarm she called out for the guards to come to her aid.  With a push off the stairs and a leap the Doctor tucked and rolled down the hallway after the light, and with a quick start was back on his feet again.  I jumped off the stair third from the bottom, Lyra not far behind me.  The guards were quick to respond, barreling in from other rooms of the castle only to see us, "It's him: the Ruined One!"  

I grumbled under my breath, "Yes, mortals: cower in fear of the mighty crippled hobo."  

"Come on Adam, let your stride out," the Doctor called back to us, "You should stick with me; cardio will become a regular part of your routine."  

"I'm an American," I yelled out after him as Lyra began running ahead of me, "All we're good for is sprinting to the next burger joint!"  

He looked over his shoulder with a toothy grin and laughed, "Well we can all learn to overcome our disadvantages with patience and practice, now put some effort into it before I have to rescue you again!"  

I let out a frustrated sigh as I ran after my two compatriots, the guards still on our heels.  As we passed through a set of thick wooden doors, I thought aloud to my new arm, "Close them, close them, close'm close'm close'm!"  The nodes on the Dominion Gauntlet did flicker a little, and it did look like they shifted slightly, but I couldn't tell for certain.  Hearing what I was trying to do but seeing that I was failing, Lyra reached back behind and brought the doors closed behind me after I'd passed through.  

"I wish I knew how this stupid thing worked," I said angrily.  

"Frankly, me too," Lyra replied as we ran down a corridor to our immediate right.





"Sir, there's been a Ruined sighting," a young soldier said as he burst into Bunsen Burner's office, "It's here in Canterlot right now."  

Bunsen's eyes went wide as he looked up from the journal he had been reading, "Party size?"  

"Just two," he blurted.  

"Their target?"  

"They seemed to have come from inside the Castle somehow, but they've left.  We have eyes in the towers and sky following their every move.  Should we have them taken down?"  

Bunsen left his seat and quickly opened up a drawer on the right side.  From out of it he pulled what looked like an oversized jeweled pendant and placed it around his neck, "No.  Let them go wherever they need to.  We need to find out whatever it is they're after before we capture them: from that we can deduce their end-goal.  You've done well, Sergeant."  

"Thank you, sir," he said before he quickly exited the room again.  

The old stallion slammed his hoof down on the speaker button to all the PA units throughout the facility, "Attention RSD, there's been a Ruined sighting in Canterlot.  Echo Squadron, prep for Upper Tier insertion at elevator 17 and await my arrival."





The light lead us out from the castle into an open garden area, only to then take us into the city interior.  Most of the guards broke off pursuit after we left the building, but an earth pony and pegasus kept on us following from behind and above.  

"They could catch us, but they're not," I thought aloud as we ran, "Why aren't they trying harder?"  

Unseen to us, the pegasus was receiving a signal of flashing lights tell him to give us space, and their partner followed suit.  Finally the light brought us to another open space, where we saw a large ornately designed building, stained glass arrangements dotting its structure: it was the Cathedral of the Elements.  We each took the stone steps up to the large doors as quickly as we could.  The soldiers who had been chasing us now did so in earnest, quickly gaining back the distance they had initially given us.  Before they could catch up to us we closed the doors behind us.  Lyra and I held the door shut against their banging their hooves on them while the Doctor picked up a thick piece of timber that slotted straight down into several supports spread across the door's interior.  With the timber in place we were able to back away from the door and take a quick breath.  

"Wooh," Lyra let out a heavy breath as she put her hooves to her sides as she leaned back on her haunches, "I have stitches in places where I didn't know I had places!"  

"You're telling me," I breathed.  

The ball of light had at least given us a reprieve before it began to pulse softly and float away towards the back where could be found doors made of ornate stone carved with mysterious patterns.  

"I can't remember the last time I'd have been in a place like this," I murmured as we walked towards it, my eyes wandering to the stain glass and the stories told there.  

"What do you mean," Lyra asked as she looked up to me.  

"I just get the feeling like this place is sort of...special.  Like there's some innate respectfulness called for here.  It reminds me of my Aunt's church a bit."  

"I do admire places like that," the Doctor said as we caught up to him, "Even if I'm not able to join in all the way because of a, well, lack of applied belief.  The vaulted places full of memory, steeped in worship.  They can become points of stability in ways people couldn't possibly imagine.  With enough presence and faith buildings of all kinds can become anchors in time, homes away from the metaphorical storm of life, and even enriching and preserving the soul."  

"Doctor," I asked, and he turned to me with an airy smile.  I began slowly as I tried to gather my thoughts coherently, "With everything you've had to have seen and done...Is there anything out there?  Like, at all?  Or have we gotten it all wrong and been chasing after myths?"  

"Just because there's a myth about something doesn't mean it's not real," he intoned, "but if you are asking 'Is there a god or gods out there,'" he blew out his cheeks, "Well, I've seen a lot of posers: a lot of charlatans both powerful and not so powerful.  I've even met and made friends with beings worshiped as gods.  If you're thinking of the one I expect you are, no, I haven't seen God."  He gave a bit of a smile, "Still, it's a big, wide, and aging universe, and I haven't seen everything yet.  Believe whatever you want, Adam, but don't look to me as a cheat sheet: make your own choices and decisions, but work with what is unequivocally good in terms of morals, and you should turn out fine."  

We had neared the doors during this time, and as we watched the light entered a small cavity near chest height for the two of us.  The sudden presence of it within the stone doors seemed to activate some magical mechanism, and light began to flow out through lines in the ornate patterns throughout their structure.  The doors split along what had been an unseen seam, and slowly began to open wide, revealing six artifacts: five clasping necklaces and a regal tiara, each with Twilight's and her five friends' Cutie Marks somewhere in their design.  

"They, uh, don't look much like batteries," I said matter-of-factly as I pointed to them, "Did this just become the most high profile jewelry heist in all of history?  I, uh, was typically the getaway guy, so I'm outta my element here."  

"Does it really matter what shape they are in," Lyra said with a roll of her eyes as she brought the tiara over and stuck it on her head and clasped another around her neck.  Even as she handed over two for me and the Doctor to hold she declared, "What matters is that apparently these are going to save the world again, so let's stop wasting time and get moving!"  

The Doctor gave a mock salute even as he stood at attention, "Oh, yes ma'am."  

Suddenly from behind us there was a bright burst of light.  When we turned we found that a strange jewel, initially unnoticed by any of us was now beaming a strange light down onto the floor, and out of that light stepped a stallion.  It was the crazed scientist from before.  Immediately I was put on edge, and the nodes on the Dominion Gauntlet seemed to resonate with the change in the situation, thrumming with a strong grey light.  Silently the stallion turned back to the door to the cathedral and raised the timber locking the way in.  A group of soldiers came in once the way was clear, and they quickly trotted in with their guns pointed right at us.  

"So, this was your plan all along, hm," the old stallion said, a triumphant tone in his voice and a smirk on his face, "Attempt to deprive us of our nation's most powerful tools and bend them to your own designs?  And now it seems you've turned Ms. Heartstrings to your side, a traitor to her fellow citizens and nation."  He seemed to now notice the change that had happened with my left arm, even arching an eyebrow and frowning, "That's an interesting piece of equipment you've got there."  

The lights on my arm flashed brighter than ever, as now all my mental energy, concentration, and will was focused on the one who had been my warden and tormentor.  "Yes, it is," I replied, my voice filled with growing rage, "You want to see what it can do?"  

"Adam, stop," Lyra said as she put a hoof to my right arm, "We don't have the time, and he's not worth it."  She turned to the other ponies and tried to plead, "Look, the Void hole we told you about is only hours away from completely opening.  We have it on good authority that the Elements of Harmony will help to seal that hole forever."  

"And where are Twilight and her friends," he asked bluntly, "They seemed to have been very friendly with your group after they broke into my facility, and yet they're not here.  We won't negotiate without proof of life."  

Lyra snorted angrily, "The Elements are working with our friend Ditzy Doo right now to build a device to channel the Elements' power.  We need to get back to them as soon as possible to get that device working.  If you don't believe us, ask Princess Luna!  She's the one who sent us here."  

A strange look came into Bunsen's eyes upon hearing that, "The Princess' judgment on these matters is in question.  I don't know by what sorcery you've twisted her mind, but she is no longer able to keep a focused perspective on the issues here that are truly of importance."  The soldiers under his command discretely began to cast odd looks at him before refocusing their attention back on us.  "The game is up for all of you," he said with a tone of finality, "There will be no escape this time.  I've instructed my soldiers to open fire if you," he pointed to the Doctor, "even so much as reach towards your coat pocket.  Now, with the current state of emergency in place I have unilateral authority to take you all into custody, where upon you will be examined and incarcerated."  

"There is no way you have that right," Lyra finally angrily burst out, "The princesses would never give you the power to virtually replace them."  

"These are dangerous times," was his simple reply, "Under such conditions in the eyes of the law I can in fact do just that."  

"Only if we so deign to allow it be true," a familiar voice intoned icily from nowhere.  Suddenly from out of the shadows between the light coming in through the cathedral's stained glass windows rose the form of Princess Luna to stand between us and them.  Almost at once the soldiers took a knee to bow before their royalty; Bunsen noticeably did not.  Stepping into the light, she flared her wings and glared at the old stallion, "We hath heard many audacious things in our time, but this is sure to be the chiefest among them!  Thou would usurp our sister's, our authority, and claim it to be lawful in so doing?  Outrageous!"  

"Princess, you are not well," Bunsen said flatly, "Please step aside; I'm only doing what is best for the herd."  

This last pronouncement seemed to at last cause the Princess to snap, because she then yelled in a voice louder and deeper than I'd ever heard before, "BE SILENT, THOU IMPUDENT FOAL."  I could almost swear I heard a thunderbolt fly outside, and the hall became deathly silent.  The soldiers took a step back at their ruler's now darkening visage, but still Bunsen stood his ground, looking no different than he would if he were in an art gallery scrutinizing a particularly complex piece.  

With a sharp intake of breath as she strode forward, the Princess roared, "Thou hath abused our authority, and the trust of thy teacher, Princess Celestia!  Thou hath betrayed the values you were beholden to under my sister’s tutelage, and thou hath nearly cost every single being in this world their lives to pursue thine own intrigue and agenda!  Were it solely for me to be the judge I would have thee banished to beyond the reach of any warm and loving star in the night sky!”  

The two ponies were now face to face, nearly snout to snout.  

"Then do it," he replied in an even tone, anger seething just beneath the surface, "Do it and watch this world crumble before the likes of his kind.  If not him, there are other monsters hiding in the dark, waiting for us to show our weakness, and even then there's always you."  The Princess blinked in surprise and leaned back somewhat.  The stallion continued on in a raised voice, "The world will always need ponies like me, ready to face any threat with steely eyes and fire-forged hearts, whether from within or without.  You are no different, Princess.  When the gods of Equestria become its demons, who but me is to stand in their way?"  

The Princess' head drew back, and there was a cold fury in them.  For the briefest of moments one could see the flicker of draconic irises just behind her eyelids, but surely it was a trick of the light.  The shadows throughout the room did grow deeper for an instant, but only long enough for us to nervously take notice.  "Do.  Not.  Test me," she said in a deep, haunting voice.  

It was at this point she noticed something about her mortal adversary.  This close to his face she only just did notice the half-moon shape of his glasses, but it gave her pause for thought.  As she continued to look at his frames and not into his eyes he became increasingly nervous.  The old adage went that one could not harm one's own self with their magic, and it seemed now the Princess understood why she could not read his thoughts: he had taken on a likeness of her magic, allowing him to be shielded from her attempts at connection with his mind, but no more.  

"Adam the Human has proven himself trustworthy to me," she declared firmly, "by his actions and his openness.  You have proven otherwise for yourself at every turn."  

With a sudden burst of magic she ripped the spectacles clear of his head, leaving him mentally unprotected.  He attempted to run over to retrieve them with a quick shout of, "No!"  

"Let us see if you can pass muster," she cried, "Your mind, your memories, every wicked thought is now mine, and I take them thusly!"  

Shocked by her seeing through his machinations at last, and for the first time showing fear, Bunsen Burner was unable to do anything as the Princess of the Night forcefully entered his mind and crashed into his consciousness, laying his soul utterly bare before her.