//------------------------------// // Chapter Five - The Scientists // Story: Axioms // by NoPoemGuy //------------------------------// Several hours passed. For Rainbow Dash, the past day had felt like flying headlong into a brick wall. Fluttershy's predicament had left her dazed, confused, flustered, scared – she had barely even been able to comprehend what had happened, and the few thoughts and realizations she had pulled together had caused her awful pain. But with time, the pain had subsided to a dull throbbing in the back of her head; Fluttershy was still trapped inside an impenetrable magical prism, and that was a horrible, horrible reality, but it was now just an event that had happened, a fact of life. She was, at the very least, able to think again. And it had been some time since she'd felt the urge to violently kick a rock into something valuable. Dash now found herself at the Sugarcube Corner, hastily stuffing her face with pie, muffins, pancakes, whatever food she could get her hooves on; she hadn't eaten a morsel since dinner the day before. Her friends were seated across the table, and judging by the way they shoved bite after bite of food into their mouths, their meal schedules were all in a similar situation. Pinkie seemed to have been particularly affected by the hunger strike; entire pies vanished down her throat faster than they would have disappeared if the shop had been struck by a tornado. In between bites, she offered up little wisecracks to the table in typical Pinkie fashion, to which Applejack politely chuckled while Rarity chided her for talking with her mouth full. After all the rage and anxiety that had been incurred that day, her friends seemed to have returned to their usual selves. ...Except for Twilight, who stared blankly at the muffin she had been slowly nibbling at for the past few minutes, taking no part in the conversation at all. Even for an egghead like her, this behavior was a little disconcerting. “What's on your mind, Twilight?” asked Dash as Pinkie returned to the table with yet another platter of refreshments. Twilight's head jerked up. “What? Oh, nothing. I'm just...thinking.” “Ooh, what are you thinking about?” Pinkie jumped in. “I'm thinking about which of these delicious pies I'm going to eat next. This strawberry one looks super-duper yummy, but I've already had two of those, so I think I might try the hay, or the oats-and-grass – but I know how much you love those, Twilight, do you want it instead?” “No thanks,” said Twilight. “But I was actually thinking about Aurora.” “Oh, come on!” groaned Dash. “Why would a smart pony like you waste your time on a villain like her? Celestia's about to come back with her scientists, and they'll just...science Fluttershy out of that crystal while Celestia goes off and kicks her evil flank back to wherever she came from. What's the point in worrying about it?” “I really hope you're right,” said Twilight. “I wasn't worrying, though. I'm simply trying to discern as much information about her as possible, given the limited knowledge we have to go off of. For example, just now I was pondering Aurora's motive for attacking a harmless pony like Fluttershy in the middle of the night –” “Because she's evil!” Dash thumped her hoof against the table for effect. “Actually, Twi has a point,” remarked Applejack. “Even evil ponies don't do evil things just for the fun of it. There has to be some reason behind what she did.” “But why would anypony want to hurt Fluttershy?!” Dash demanded. “She's the nicest pony I've met in my entire life, she's literally never harmed a fly, she's the freaking Element of Kindness for Celestia's sake –” “Exactly,” said Twilight. Dash's mouth snapped shut as all eyes in the room fixated on the unicorn. “The Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magical force in Equestria's history. As long as the six of us are united in friendship, we can stop any evil that threatens us in its tracks. But if just one of us falls astray, the Elements become useless. And that explains why Aurora attacked Fluttershy. She's clearly planning something, probably something really dark...and now that she's separated Fluttershy from the rest of us, the Elements can't stop her.” All the camaraderie the group of friends had worked up over the past several hours instantly sublimated. “But...what?” whispered Applejack. “What is her plan?” “I don't know what,” replied Twilight darkly. “But I do know when. Do you remember when Celestia described her previous encounter with Aurora? She said it happened seventy five years ago. And seventy five years is just about the period of –” A small gasp from Rarity's corner of the table interrupted her. “Of Hayley's Comet,” the white unicorn finished. Twilight nodded. “Celestia didn't say it outright, but I'd bet you anything that Aurora used the comet's power in her attack. And if that's what she's waiting for, then whatever she's planning to do, we have six days until it happens.” A brooding silence descended upon the group. Dash turned back to her plate of apple dumplings, which she had been eagerly devouring just moments ago; now, they seemed more like ugly deep-fried lumps of soggy dough. Twilight's deductions were foreboding, ominous, even downright horrifying...and worst of all, they were perfectly, unquestionably correct. So she's right again, no surprise there, Dash thought. She probably should have congratulated Twilight on her spotless logic, or thanked her for what amounted to a warning of what was to come. But meanwhile, the unicorn had ruined a delicious meal, and all because Dash had asked, 'what's on your mind'... She'd remember never to ask Twilight that question again, at least not over dinner. “Welp,” said Pinkie Pie at long last, “I don't know about you, but I could sure go for another pie or two.” With that, she hopped to her feet and trotted away. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to deliver a rude comment about the pink pony's inevitably expanding waistline, when – “CARRIAGE ALERT! SHE'S BACK! SHE'S BACK!!” Sure enough, the silhouette of a pegasus-drawn carriage was visible through the window, descending to earth near Fluttershy's cottage. Dash was out the door before most of her companions had even gotten to their feet. She launched herself high into the air and kicked her wings into top gear as she turned in the direction of the cottage. She tore through the sky with all the speed she could muster, far in excess of the Ponyville aerial speed limit (which she herself was almost solely responsible for, the mayor having gotten one too many complaints about broken windows and terrified migrant birds). The speed limit rarely got her consideration anyway, and it certainly wasn't going to slow her down now. Fluttershy's home was soon below her, and as she descended in a not-so-graceful circular arc, her eye caught the large purple carriage on the ground, the team of pegasi before it just now furling their wings. Dash's hooves smacked into the dirt beside it, and she stood there panting, just as much with excitement as with physical fatigue. The carriage door swung open, and one by one, unicorns began filing out. Each one was pretty tall, and pretty old, and, judging by their upright posture and sharply inclined chins, pretty pompous as well. They all reminded Dash of a particularly boring history professor she'd had in junior high, whose class had been the site of almost as much snoozing as her own bedroom. The fourth one out the door was different, though; he was much younger, and his bright red bow tie stood in stark contrast to the drab suits of his comrades. The fifth and final pony to emerge was Princess Celestia. “Welcome to Ponyville, for those of you who have never ventured here,” she announced. “Air's a bit dry here,” one of the unicorns muttered to his neighbor. “I do hope we can find a quick fix, air like this does dreadful things to my mane.” Celestia pranced past them. “Where are your friends, Rainbow Dash?” she asked. “They're right over...” Dash turned to the winding road that led to Ponyville, and beheld nothing but dirt. “Over there...somewhere. I guess it would've been better to wait for them, huh?” She grinned sheepishly. Celestia shook her head in admonishment. “I suppose I'll be doing two sets of introductions, then.” She turned to face the unicorns, who were now levitating a number of trunks and boxes out of the carriage. “Gentlemen, this is Rainbow Dash, friend of the pegasus who has been imprisoned. And Rainbow Dash, these are four of the finest academics and scientists in Equestria. They are tasked with releasing Fluttershy from her spell.” The tallest unicorn stepped forward. “I am Reginald Pranceton of Her Higness's School for Gifted Unicorns – just Pranceton will do between those present here. And these are my fine colleagues and friends: Nick Clopernicus, Charles Darwhinny, and Bill Neigh.” “Pleased to meet you!” said Bill Neigh, the unicorn with the bow tie. The other two barely managed a curt nod. “Likewise,” Dash returned. She was starting to feel confused by the group's outward appearance. This was what scientists looked like? From the science fiction books Twilight had lent her, Dash had pictured nerdy young stallions and mares with scruffy manes and unkempt coats, their noses constantly stuck in books and telescopes and all manner of strange instruments. So she'd been expecting a bunch of Twilights, more or less. Bill Neigh sort of looked the part, but the rest would seem more in place at a board meeting for the most boring company in Equestria. Celestia now addressed the scientists. “You will be staying at the Ponyville Inn. I will arrange for transportation to and from town whenever you require it. Additionally, you will have a courier to bring you whatever you need from Canterlot. If you wish to be shown around the village, I'm sure Rainbow Dash and her friends would be happy to help you – ah, here they come now.” Dash whipped around to see the distant figures of her friends on the dirt road. “Hey, girls! Over here!” she shrieked, not quite registering that they were far out of earshot. The scientist named Charles Darwhinny cleared his throat loudly. “Not that I wouldn't adore to spend all afternoon meeting your young acquaintances, Princess, but should we not begin our examinations of the subject post haste? The situation you described to us sounded quite dire, and we wouldn't want to stand here and let it evolve into something worse.” “My apologies,” said Celestia gracefully. “Fluttershy is just inside the cottage – I will join you there shortly. The carriage will wait for you here, whenever you wish to travel to your lodgings in town.” The scientists moved toward the door to Fluttershy's house, with Clopernicus putting on a quick burst of speed to reach the head of the pack. “As the senior among us, I will naturally lead the proceedings,” he declared. “Report all of your findings to me at once.” “Oh, you always did think the world revolved around you,” chided Bill Neigh. Dash automatically fell in behind them, a droplet of excitement welling up inside her. The experts were here; there was no more need to fret about Fluttershy. More likely than not, one of the scientists would instantly fire off a quick shot of magic and melt the crystal prison on the spot. Dash wanted to be there when it happened, to see the look on Fluttershy's face when she – “Rainbow Dash, may I have a word?” Dash jumped as Celestia's voice rang out from right behind her. She followed the Princess away from the door. Dash cast a puzzled look around as she was led all the way around the side of the building, fully obscuring her from view of her friends, who were just now rounding the final bend of the winding path behind her. Celestia only stopped when they were directly behind the cottage. She turned and gazed down at Dash, who looked back up with a face full of innocence. “I'm really, really sorry I left my friends behind,” she said immediately. “I was thinking only about myself, I forget sometimes that they can't fly around like me. I promise I'll write you a friendship report about it tonight.” “I look forward to reading it,” said Celestia. She was giving Dash a very deliberate stare, bringing up a sudden unease inside her. “But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I have a request to make of you, Rainbow Dash. Know that I will not be troubled or offended if you decline; I can easily find another pony to fulfill it instead.” “Okay, I'll do it,” said Dash. “No.” Celestia shook her head slowly. “I'll require you to hear me out first; I am asking quite a lot of you. This task would force you to put aside your weather duties for a while, and likely some of your free time as well. It would also entail a certain amount of danger – real danger, nothing you would find any delight in facing.” That dampened Dash's resolve somewhat. But at the same time, she felt her chest rising up with pride. Whatever Celestia was trusting her with was obviously important. “Normally, I would give a job like this to a highly experienced member of the Guard,” the princess continued. “I offer it to you because of your athletic ability, and because it would give you an opportunity to aid in Fluttershy's rescue –” “I'll do it,” Dash repeated instantly. “If this is something to help Fluttershy, then that's all I need to know. Tell me what the job is.” “Well then...so be it.” The faintest trace of a smile had flashed across Celestia's visage, quickly replaced by her expression of seriousness. “Those unicorns will need materials brought to them from Canterlot. If you are willing, I would like you to act as their courier.” Dash gasped audibly. “A courier? You mean...a royal courier?!” Celestia's couriers were some of the most highly trusted ponies in the kingdom, with access to all kinds of sensitive information. Dash had never met one in person; they weren't supposed to have much personal contact at all, in case they made an ill-minded acquaintance who could talk them into revealing something secret. “Not exactly, but your responsibilities are similar,” said Celestia. “You will fly to and from Canterlot, bringing them books and whatever else they may require. I do not need to tell you that you must treat this material with the utmost caution. I'd expect much of it to concern very powerful and secret spells, as they search for whatever magic has imprisoned Fluttershy. Most of your trips will be to my personal quarters, to access the private areas of the Canterlot archive.” “The Canterlot...wait, you're actually letting me into...” Wow. Just...wow. Dash suddenly had trouble containing her excitement. This was an honor beyond the capacity of words to describe. Twilight, the Princess's prized student, didn't even have an inkling of what lay in the private archives. And Dash was about to learn all about it...first-hand... “It goes without saying,” Celestia said loudly, jerking Dash back to attention, “that you are to do nothing in those sections except to retrieve whatever books the scientists need. Nor are you to read any of the material yourself. The unicorns should tell you enough to identify their requests by the covers alone, and you should ask the guards if you need help finding anything. But do not open a book so much as a crack, or unravel a scroll so much as a millimeter.” Dash nodded fervently. Then a thought popped up from her mental background. “If some other pony wants a book, can I bring it to them, as long as I get your permission first? I mean, Twilight said she wanted to look at some stuff in there.” All of a sudden, Celestia's expression became frighteningly severe. “No. I need you to make me a promise, Rainbow Dash. I know your loyalty well, I will trust your word. Promise me that you will share the things you find in those archive with no one except the scientists. Not the Royal Guards, not your friends, and certainly not Twilight.” “I...” Celestia's severity had startled Dash a bit, but she collected herself and stared up at the alicorn. “I promise.” “Good.” The princes smiled down at Dash. “A few more details about your assignment, then. Professor Pranceton will be in charge of requesting material from you. I won't require you to spend all your time at his side, but you should check with him as often as possible to see if his team needs anything. And you must not leave any books in Fluttershy's cottage overnight – we cannot risk them being read or stolen. In the evening, gather everything the scientists have left and transport it to Zecora's hut.” “Zecora?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “You want to leave a bunch of secret books in the middle of the Everfree Forest?” “The forest is more secure than you know,” said Celestia. “Ancient magic is at work there. To the best of my knowledge, it is impossible to use any sort of scrying spells in Everfree, and I have added some of my own protection to the meadow where Zecora lives. This is not the first time I have stored secrets there; it is the safest place you will find anywhere near Ponyville.” Dash nodded slowly, though she was not at all happy about this caveat. Journeying to Zecora's place and back every evening – and every morning, she realized, to bring everything back to the scientists – would take up a whole lot of her time. For some reason she didn't care to explore, it didn't seem possible to find the hut by flying overhead, so she would have go the whole way by foot. “Lastly, and most importantly, I must urge you to be careful. Be. Careful. Do not forget that Aurora has returned, and as you venture to and from Canterlot, you are likely to be noticed. Your speed is part of the reason I am allowing you to do this. If you are followed, if you even suspect you are being watched, do not be foolish enough to stand and fight. Fly to Canterlot at full speed. Luna and I can protect you.” That left Dash feeling quite nervous indeed, but her resolve did not waver. “I understand. And yes, I still want to do this. Nothing is dangerous enough to make me abandon Fluttershy.” “I thought not,” said Celestia with a warm smile. Now, let us join the scientists and see if they have made any progress. Your friends are already inside.” Dash followed the princess back around the exterior of the cottage. She still carried around like an overfilled water balloon in her chest. This was the most responsibility she'd ever been given, maybe the most she'd ever have. Her concern for Fluttershy was almost eclipsed by how much she couldn't wait to tell her friends about her new status as courier. The cottage had transformed into a bustling center of activity. Fluttershy stood in the middle – still trapped, still unmoving, Dash registered with an unpleasant throb of her stomach – and all around her ponies were pacing, conversing loudly with each other, occasionally taking a moment to stare intently at the pegasus's crystalline prison. Twilight Sparkle had joined the scientists; she was hopping back and forth between them, unabashedly eavesdropping on their discussions and throwing in a sideways word wherever she could, though the larger unicorns were ignoring her almost completely. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood against the wall near the door, looking a bit lost. “It kind of looks like a giant ruby, you know?” Bill Neigh was saying to one of his colleagues. “I've heard about enchanted gemstones with all kinds of unique magical attributes; could that be what we're dealing with here?” “Oh, I know all about those!” exclaimed Twilight, running beside them and trying to catch both of their attentions at once. “I live in a library in Ponyville that has several books on the subject, I can go and fetch them if you'd like.” “I am familiar with such gems,” replied Clopernicus to Bill Neigh, deliberately keeping his eyes far away from Twilight. “This is clearly not one of them. The largest rubies in the world are the size of your hoof; this is many thousands of times too big.” “But Aurora sounds like a pretty powerful pony,” said Bill Neigh. “Consider the following: could she be able to make an enchanted ruby on her own, only bigger?” “Certainly not,” scoffed Clopernicus. “Conjure a six-foot ruby out of thin air? The idea is absolutely ludicrous. I will not waste my time pondering such ridiculous notions, and on matters such as these, you would be wise to follow your elder and do the same.” Twilight let out an incredulous gasp. “You're not even going to consider it? You can't just throw out a hypothesis because it falls outside the parameter space you arbitrarily set up for yourself! That isn't how science works at all!” “And the same to you,” said Clopernicus with a condescending glance down at the lavender unicorn. He and Bill Neigh turned their tails and pranced over to a different corner of the room. Rainbow Dash slowly approached her friend, who was shaking her head in muted disbelief. “Made any progress yet?” “None at all,” said Twilight impatiently, and she strode off to listen in on whatever Charles Darwhinny was saying to Pranceton. Dash stared after her for a few seconds. She then turned to the rest of her friends, who shrugged back in unison. “That's about as much as she's said to any of us,” Applejack offered. “You know Twi when she's really set on figuring something out. These folks don't seem to appreciate the help, though.” “That's a shame,” said Dash. “I hope she calms down soon, there's something really cool I need to tell you all –” “Ahem,” said the voice of Celestia from behind her, and the entire room turned to the princess. “My apologies to the scientists; please carry on with your work. Twilight, I'd like a word with you and your friends outside.” Twilight obediently followed her teacher out the door, followed by Dash and her companions. Once outside, Celestia faced them and cast a stern gaze over all of them. Dash thought her stare fell on Twilight longer than the rest. “I understand your concern for your friend. And I know you will all want to be here with Fluttershy as often as you can; you would do so even if I commanded you not to. But you must allow these scientists to do what they came to do. They are the best chance Fluttershy has of being released quickly and safely. Come to observe quietly if you wish, aid them if they ask for anything particular, but do not interfere with their work.” “Gotcha,” said Dash and Applejack. “Yes, Princess,” said Rarity. Pinkie nodded energetically. Twilight pawed the ground nervously, then raised her head to meet Celestia. “Princess, I swear I'm not saying this out of pride or selfishness: I truly, honestly think I can help them. You know how good I am at figuring things out! And I obviously know Fluttershy really well, so if the spell turns out to have anything to do with her specifically, I would be invaluable.” Celestia's expression was hard as stone. “My orders go doubly for you, Twilight. You are not to interfere, and that is final.” “But –” Twilight's voice broke off for a moment, “But what if they –” “That is FINAL.” Dash stumbled backward a couple steps from the forcefulness of Celestia's sentence. Twilight instantly dropped her head to her chest. With a nasty jolt, Dash noticed a slight hint of tears welling up in her eyes. And suddenly, it all seemed very wrong. Twilight wasn't allowed to help Fluttershy? Twilight, who had proven time and time again that she had brainpower in almost legendary amounts? Twilight, who the princess had raised as her own protege...and the princess herself had denied her the ability to use her intelligence to save a friend? It was unfair enough to boggle the mind. Even more, spurning the aid of such a brilliant pony was just plain – Dash would never utter this out loud – stupid. Instead, it was Dash who would get the opportunity to… “I'm going to rejoin the scientists,” said Celestia, walking around the group and back to the cottage. “I think it best that you all return home for the day. If any new developments come up, you will be told immediately.” She paused in the doorway, and looked straight back at Dash over her shoulder. “Rainbow Dash, I'd like you to join me at your convenience. We need to discuss your assignment with Pranceton and the others.” Then she was gone. All of her friends were now giving Dash highly quizzical looks. Her heart sank into her hooves. All of a sudden, being the only one of them not expressly forbidden from helping Fluttershy didn't seem like such a great deal. “Whatever did she mean, your assignment?” asked Rarity politely. Keeping her voice somber, and trying to ignore the look of shock growing on Twilight's face, Rainbow Dash told them everything.