//------------------------------//
// Mission 7, Part 6: Night Ride 
// Story: Semper Pie 
// by deathtap 
//------------------------------//

Again she felt it pull.
 
It pulled.
 
And pulled.
 
And pulled.
 
Rarity stopped and looked up at her horn as best she could. “What is going on?” she whispered to herself and touched it. She shrugged when it didn’t react and started on her next concept. The frills were elegantly laid out, but was missing something along the edges. Something that, despite her experience and taste, she could not resolve. Something was missing. But then again, she didn’t have much time to relax and let her mind explore the possibilities. The school play was just around the corner and she needed to get everything ready before then.
 
She placed the cloth in her sewing machine, placed the needle over the part she needed to, and pressed her hoof down. Again the sensation pulled, but this time it was much stronger than before. It actually jerked her head to the side.
 
She blinked in shock.
 
“Okay?” she asked herself slowly, a little freaked out. Slowly, she turned her head back and faced her sewing machine. Perhaps it was a reaction to the cloth she was using. She touched it, apprehensively at first, but she had handled this type many times before with nothing. After a few more moments, she shrugged and resumed her work.
 
Then it pulled her hard enough to move her entire body. It was as if someone were pulling her towards something. But it didn’t hurt. It was annoying, but it didn’t cause any pain. She had been pulled on the horn before, the feeling more unpleasant than being pulled by the mane. In fact, she couldn’t explain it, but it felt ‘right’, and that she shouldn’t be scared or worried. That was why she didn’t call out for her parents. That why she didn’t shout out when it pulled her again. The only feeling she felt was annoyance. Annoyance over the fact that she could not concentrate on her work.
 
Then it pulled her and did not stop. It pulled her right towards her bedroom door. She tried to resist, but it was adamant. She hesitantly reached for the door handle and opened it. The feeling flooded through her and she found herself making her way to the kitchen backdoor. Once there, it waited.
 
“Well,” Rarity sighed, “I suppose that, if you’re so insistent, then I will humor you.”
 
When she opened, she almost flew outside and towards the distance.
 
“Be safe, deary!” she heard her mother call in a sing-song voice from the kitchen.
 
“Thanks,” Rarity growled under her breath as she felt herself being pulled away from her work and her costumes.
 
The funny thing was that she wasn’t scared about what was happening. The only thing that bothered her was how in Equestria was she supposed to finish her work now?
 



 
Providence sat on the edge of the peninsula with a glass of water in her hooves. The Silvers, camels, and Elites had built a small fort using loose rocks to raise the edges of their base enough to protect it from dangers all around them. Over the past few days they had built up their make-shift fortress to keep out the denizens of the Caldera’s inhabitants. Already three Elites had been killed. Two from large scorpions, and one from an oversized serpent that they had originally confused for a wyrm.
 
In the days since Static’s group had split up, Pani and her had been mulling over everything and anything they could trying to understand the puzzle of the tome. They had assigned a few groups of Elites to start exploring a few nearby caves and tunnel systems, but most of them were impassible after a small distance inside. One small group had gone in and had yet to return, and they had to assume they were lost inside a labyrinth of darkness. She hated sending the Elites in like that, but they did not care about themselves. All they wanted was to be of some used to her before their time was up.
 
How had she done it? It seemed unreal. They certainly followed Semper, but they didn’t stay because of him. They stayed because of her. Something about her unique ordeal with the narcotic made her their sister, aunt, or even mother figure in some cases. They followed her through a mix of loyalty, belief that she could cure them, or just because they had nowhere else to go. They knew that as long as she kept searching, they would have something to do. If it weren’t for that, the alternative was to wait and die in agony.
 
“Providence,” Pani said and pointed to the tome that Static and Sonic had brought, “what is this image?”
 
She was genuinely surprised to see that image in there. They had not gotten that far into the ancient book, insisting on understanding and transcribing it page for page in case as opposed to jumping around lest they get unfocused and confused. That, or they might have missed an important clue.
 
“That’s Nightmare Moon. She’s from an old story we tell our foals to scare them.”
 
“Ah, yes. A monster that takes them away should they refused to eat their healthy vegetables?” Pani chuckled lightheartedly. “I guess all of us have similar stories like that. Ours is a sand-beast that takes the naughty ones into the desert forever.”
 
“This one is a little different,” Providence said and looked at the figured. “It’s actually based on fact.”
 
“It is?”
 
“According to the story, Nightmare Moon was banished by Princess Celestia a thousand years ago, or something like that. I don’t know how true that part of the story is, seeing that it says that she trapped the mare ‘within the moon’, but it is known that once upon a time this mare existed, lived here on Equestria and that she was Celestia’s sister.”
 
Pani nodded slowly. “Ah, yes. The Sisters. Our own lore has mention of them as well.”
 
“Well, there was some trouble, I think to do with jealousy or power, and something happened. History is vague about the specifics, probably because the Princess doesn’t really talk about it. Then, after a point, she was banished. The legend of Nightmare Moon grew to what it has become today.”
 
“Well, all stories and myths have their origins in truth. Stories tend to get warped or changed over the years.”
 
“But our Princess is ancient. Most of it is as true as it can be, I suppose. I can’t imagine living for thousands of years.”
 
“And these symbols here?”
 
Providence touched the small drawings that bordered the central image of Nightmare Moon. “I suspect that these are supposed to be the Elements of Harmony.”
 
“The what?”
 
“The Elements or Harmony. They are something that we have recurring in our ancient history, perhaps even as far back as Equestria’s prehistory. Magical elements of a very strong, very old magic. But after a point they just disappeared from all mention. Also, nopony knows for sure what they are, except perhaps the Princess. The story is that the Princess used these Elements to do the banishing.”
 
“Interesting. Are these Elements… stone?”
 
“Dunno. I don’t think any of us do. I’ve never really heard anything more except for the stories I learnt when I was a filly. But what I do know is that they are real. Or were. Powerful magic.”
 
“If such a powerful tool exists, why would she hide them so far away from her protection?” Pani asked. “That doesn’t fit the hypothesis.”
 
“Maybe that’s why. To keep them away from her.”
 
“Why don’t you just ask your princess then?” Pani asked looking down at the tome.
 
“Oh sure. I could just pop on into the palace and have tea with her while I was at it.”
 
“You cannot?”
 
“Um… no. First off, she runs the kingdom and probably doesn’t have time to rehash events that took place so long ago she can barely remember them. Then, even if she did, would she like to think about the period of time that cost her the only family she had. I mean, if her scribes or those closest to her haven’t written public material about it, what chance would she talk to me about them? And that’s all pointless anyway. It would take years for me to get an audience with her, and time isn’t exactly on our side.” She looked at the Elites around her in a sweeping glance to emphasize that point.
 
“I suppose.”
 
Providence sighed and looked out the tent flap as it waved lazily in the wind. “We’re out here alone and we have to make do with what we’ve got.”
 
The old camel nodded slowly. “So, do you believe in these Harmony Elements?”
 
“If I said yes, would think me crazy?” Providence asked shaking her head and chuckling lightly.
 
Again, the camel thought about it. “I don’t know. There are many strange things in this world. Would be it stranger to say that I thought you crazy to not believe?”
 
“Yes, actually.”
 
The two shared a laugh.
 
“And you believe that these Harmony Elements are within the Caldera?”
 
“It stands to logic, yes. I think that’s what’s there. They are ancient and powerful. The Caldera is too convenient of a hiding place to not house them.” Providence looked at the border again. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but it fit. At least to her it fit. “Plus this tome alludes to something about them. I mean, I don’t specifically, just that… it makes sense.”
 
“But why would they be so far away from your homeland?” Pani asked suddenly. “And how did they end up all the way out here?”
 
A noise from the front of the tent turned their attention away from their conversation. They saw a small Elite hovering with his wings near the entrance, his body strangely close to the ground, the legs folded in tightly close to his body. The others called him Pointer, but Providence didn’t like the name and had called him ‘Grounder’ only to find out that it was a rather derogatory word for pegasi. She actually had forgotten that and once she was reminded, she immediately changed it to Sandy, since it was a good fit with his light tan fur.
 
“Enter.”
 
“’Scuse me, ma’am, but Semper Sir has asked me to bring you out to the wall. He says it’s important.”
 
“I’ll be right there.” Providence looked at the elderly camel. “I wonder what depressing news he’s got for me this time.”
 
Pani chuckled lightly. “These lands only bring out the worst in us. But do not be too hard on him, he is here for you after all.”
 
“And that’s the problem!” Providence shouted and slammed the tome shut. “I just don’t know what to think or do or say or… anything! I… I respect him almost as much as I fear him. And I love him almost as much as I hate him.”
 
“You love him?”
 
“No, no. Not like that. No. Just no. I don’t love him in that way. No way. Nuh-uh.” She coughed in her hoof. “I love him because of what he’s done for me. I mean, he didn’t need to help me after he freed me on the…” Providence shuddered as she recalled their fateful meeting, “on that ship. But death follows him wherever he goes. I hate him because of that. He’s the single most dangerous pony here, but I don’t think I’d be comfortable even with the Elites if his presence wasn’t nearby. But at the same time I am really, really afraid of being alone with him too.”
 
“I can understand.”
 
“And I mean, I’ve warmed up to some of them, the Elites I mean. But, apart from a few, they mean nothing to me. When they die, I feel nothing. A little sad, but a little sad isn’t what I should feel. I’m getting used to death, and that’s from him! I’ve gotten so used to it that I feel like I’m just not caring anymore.”
 
“That is a good reason to hate him.”
 
“But it isn’t fair. I know it isn’t his fault, but I don’t know who else to blame. But if it isn’t his fault, then why should I blame him! Is that fair?”
 
“You don’t have to be fair. You’ve been through a lot, and I think Semper understands that.”
 
“But I don’t want to hate him.”
 
“You cannot help how you feel. I think that, once we have discovered what we need to, it will be best to put this behind you and move on. To forget him.”
 
“I don’t think that’s possible. But you’re right. When this is over, I’ll move on. I have to,” Providence replied and placed the tome back into her satchel. “Try to put this all behind me and try to forget everything and everypony.”
 
Both of them walked outside the tent and Sandy bowed awkwardly, his low posture not making the task very easy for him as his legs seemed to try and find the ground. They followed Sandy close behind and it occurred to Providence that something was amiss with the Elite. She looked and noticed that the legs were all wrong. It was then obvious to her and she cursed herself for never noticing.
 
Once they reached the Wall, a crudely constructed barrier overlooking the edge of the peninsula’s drop-off made in a rush as a precaution against the smaller wyrms, Semper walked over to greet them.
 
“What is it now?” Providence asked, annoyance evident in her voice. She didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but such was her ire towards the Guard at that moment.
 
“Skimmers.”
 
“Are the others on their way back already?” Pani asked surprised.
 
Semper shook his head. “No. There are too many.”
 
“Let me see,” Providence demanded and held out her hoof. Semper gave his binoculars and waited silently by her side.
 
She did not need to be told where the skimmers were. The dust they were kicking up made it very clear. What surprised her were the sheer number of them. Several dozen skimmers, perhaps, and that was what she could make out from her vantage. There were probably more following those.
 
“Whoah. That’s quite a lot of them. Who are they?”
 
“Don’t know,” Semper responded in his regular monotone.
 
“What do they want?”
 
“Don’t know.”
 
“Well, what do you know?” Providence asked, the annoyance gaining volume in her voice.
 
“The formation suggests hostile intent. They are travelling in vanguard formation and–”
 
“Suggests hostile intent? What do you plan on doing?”
 
“We will defend this peninsula until the others arrive, or until we find a way through the tunnels.”
 
“And have we found a way in?”
 
“No, ma’am,” Semper replied. “The group we sent in to investigate has not returned.”
 
Providence lowered the binoculars and gave them back to the Guard. “Then why are we having this discussion? For all we know those are fellow explorers looking for the same thing we are. And until we find a way inside, nopony’s going anywhere.” The mare thought for a moment. “Who do you think they are?”
 
“Don’t know.”
 
The pegasus closed her eyes fighting her anger. She knew it was unreasonable to be angry at Semper, but she couldn’t help it. Over time she had come to rely on the blue stallion so much that she had caught herself making increasingly difficult demands. It also didn’t help that he always managed to fulfill them. It was like having her own personal one-pony-army, and she was trying her best not to abuse the power. It was literally going to her head. All of it. The Elites, Semper, total compliance from the camels. And they all obeyed her without question – save for Pani, but he was a scholar. She had unwittingly become a leader the old camel was considered her equal. It was strange that. Pani was to his kind as Celestia was to hers: a beloved leader, well respected and loved. And she had his personal conference for herself.
 
Deep down she abhorred herself for allowing the power to get to her. What made it worse was she knew she was doing it, and that at times she found that she didn’t care. All she wanted was to find the Stone and get her life back. To go home to her daughter. She wanted to believe that was all that it would take. She knew that after this, if she failed, she would have no memories left of her previous life and the Eiltes would be doomed to their fate.
 
A pang of guilt washed over her when she thought those things. She had a home to go back to, but the Elites did not. They were doing everything in their power for her. She understood it was just an excuse for them to at least do one final act of good because most of them were on a severe time limit. She had already seen many die from going berserk from lack of a powerful enough narcotic to subdue the effects. She had insisted she watch every Elite that had to be put out of their misery to remind her that she was not alone. She remembered all their names. Every single one. She would remember them. Write about them in her stories. Make them remembered. She knew that she would forget, so she wrote them down in her journal. Everything. The date they died, their names, where. All of it.
 
But it was their screams of anger, pain, and hatred echoed through her brain every time she had a quiet moment to herself. In a way, those prompt executions were a mercy, or at least she told herself that.
 
But the one thing that she kept seeing were the red eyes of a pony as he held a syringe in front of her face. She relived that moment again and again. She could feel the poison flood her body as the needle sunk in and each time she would awake in cold sweat. She could never fight her tears. On that ship, miles away from Equestria, was where her life truly ended.
 
“No excuses. Find that cave. Find that passage. Or find me another way inside!” Providence shouted and slammed her hoof down for emphasis. “We don’t have time!”
 
“Yes, ma’am.” Semper bowed and saluted before turning and trotting away.
 
“You make for a competent commander,” Pani pointed out watching the Border Guard go. “They all obey you so easily.”
 
“Please, Pani,” Providence growled refusing to look after the receding figure of the Guard, “I’m finding it hard to deal with myself and my memories slipping away. You don’t know what it’s like slowly losing your life and knowing it’s happening but that there’s nothing you can do about it.”
 
“I have heard snippets. The poison is a terrible thing. I’m old, not deaf, and I cannot relate. But I can see that you have been through a lot with them. And through a lot with him.”
 
There was truth in those words.
 
“So, what about our new friends?” Pani asked staring off at the large plumes of sand rising high into the sky. A few skimmers would never raise that much, but this was more than a few. “I am not sure they are here to help us.”
 
“But why are they here at all?”
 
“Perhaps they too are after the Stone? After all, if what we’ve discovered is actually true and not mere legend, then their value is worth spilling blood over for some.”
 
“That goes without saying. The timing of all this points to nothing else. I guess in a way it’s also good for us.”
 
“Why?”
 
“It means that we’re in the right place. I think the other Guard hit the nail on the head.”
 
“The pegasus? Yes. I think you are right. Then I am inclined to agree with Semper. These newcomers are definitely not here on friendly terms.”
 
“What makes you say that?”
 
“Because I know war, dear. I have fought and seen many die on these sands. The dunes are soaked in the blood of untold scores. They are not here to help you. I know nothing of the tactics of war that you ponies use, but Semper is correct. They are here to fight.”
 
Providence narrowed her eyes looking at the sheer size of group before her. “And if we’re fighting against that then we’ll need to step up our searches and find a way through the Caldera. And what is that thing?” She asked pointing at a large series of skimmers carrying what looked to be large pipes cut in half on the rear-most series of skimmers. “Something tells me things are going to get really bad really fast.”
 
“Not a clue. But if their formation signifies their utmost importance. See how they are surrounding it? Perhaps a weapon.”
 
“I think you’re right. Do you see how many there are?”
 
“I think it’s time. You must give the order,” Pani said sadly. “You must once more shoulder the burden of leadership. That is now your duty.”
 
Providence ground her jaw. Pani was, again, correct. She nodded sadly and turned to Sandy. She looked at the Elite in his deep brown eyes. She looked at the setting sun dipping over the horizon. Night was coming. She turned around and looked back at the camp and the Elites that had gathered around her.
 
“Prepare for battle.”
 



 
Sonic was right about the center of the Caldera holding the Stone. He wasn’t smart, but with the skimmer marks on the ground now obvious and gaining more and more note as they travelled, he knew that the others would realize it too. They had missed it because of the sands constant shifting, but as they gained on what was obviously the group, there were a series of tracks that were disturbing, at least to Static.
 
But his mind was on the map. It showed something very interesting. The reason why they would never find a way through the tunnel was because you had to go down deep down below rim of the Caldera. Common sense would dictate going in as straight a path as they could, but the map the Cultists had was very detailed. There was a series of markings along some of the ways that he didn’t understand, but at one point, deep below the surface, there was a straight path that led right into the center. How had the Cultists got their hooves on something like this? Another questions that Static was trying to puzzle over, but Sonic didn’t care.
 
But the strange thing was what was in the middle of The Caldera. They didn’t know if it was accurate or just a vague representation, but they would need to get there to see of themselves. It looked like a square, or at least that’s what it looked like from above. The path leading into it was the only markings on the map, the square itself was devoid of any details at all.
 
Another interesting were the characters written along the sides. Static said that it was something he had never seen before. And neither had Sonic – not that was saying much, he was not a scholar nor part of the Anthropological Exploratory Corps of the Border Guard. That was a group that should have been here. They, who usually spent months away on building friendly ties with other nearby races. They would be the ones better to explore this, not the Border Guard proper. They were different from the Rangers, who took on missions that usually had an end-goal. And this was essentially a Ranger mission.
 
But then again, Providence would know. Even in their short time together, Static had acknowledged the mare’s insights in Equestrian history. It was as if she herself were more than a mere writer, but an actual member of the Exploratory Corps. The things she knew were far beyond what a mere writer could produce.
 
Celestia’s sun had long since dipped over the horizon, and they were travelling through the dark. He turned around and looked back to see the others on their vessel. Static talking to Samidra who was hugging the mast and nervously looking in every direction she could, but it was clear she wasn’t really looking. Her fear was bordering on hysteria, and Sonic was glad she was on the other skimmer and not on his.
 
He smirked and wondered how the unicorn could have so much patient when his eyes spotted something strange. He turned and focused on the area where he had seen it. He rubbed his eyes with his hooves. It looked like a plate rolling across the sand. “What in Tartarus is that thing?”
 
His skimmer was ahead of Static’s, and he saw the unicorn now standing leaning over the edge and squinting his eyes in the darkness. He spotted what the pegasi was talking about and turned to Samidra and said something to her.
 
When the camel did see it, the way she wailed sent a cold shiver down his spine. “A scarab!” she screamed. “The lights! Quickly!”
 
The pegasus’ ability with the wind far exceeded his own unicorn magic and they were pulling further and further away. But the thing that was following them was catching up quickly. As the thing drew closer, Sonic noted that it looked more like a large solid wheel rather than a thin plate. A creature from the desert. A scarab, she had called it.
 
The creature then seemed to impossibly spin faster and it accelerated towards them in a sudden burst of speed. Sonic, out of reflex, pulled the tiller and swerved away just as the beast was about to reach one of the skimmer’s fragile balancing wings that held the steering sleds.
 
The scarab made a high-pitched squeal that made them all shudder. The creature wasn’t one to turn sharply, and it took a large curve before angling itself straight towards his skimmer once again.
 
He looked at Static and saw his horn glowing. It was holding Samidra in a bubble.
 
“The halo!” she was screaming.
 
Sonic pried his attention away from the chaos on the other skimmer and pulled on the tiller again, this time forcing the vessel to go almost back the way they came. He pushed with his wings and thrusted them forwards giving a much-needed boost.
 
The scarab missed them by a wider margin that time, but it only slightly altered its trajectory to head for Static. The unicorn blinked off his spell and spotted swerved in time. His magic was so strong with the wind spell he cast that the skimmer almost tipped too far to one side. Any further, and the wings that held the steering sleds would have broken.
 
But now they were side by side and Sonic looked over to Static who was staring at Samidra. “You try for that halo and you’ll block the sails! Or you’ll get blown off! Stay down!”
 
The scarab, now behind them, was spinning in a mad rush to catch up once again. A bolt sang out and it hit the creature in a ball of light. Onslaught made a face.
 
Static made a sign, something that they had learnt back in training camp. It was the pegasi hoof signs for squadron formations. ‘Split up’, he had signed. Sonic nodded and raised his hoof to acknowledge he understood.
 
The two skimmers moved apart, the scarab still pursuing them in the middle. Then, it decided that it was easier to go after Sonic’s, and started to close the gap between the two. Perhaps the quarrel from Onslaught’s crossbow had given the scarab a little bit more to think about.
 
“Load an ice quarrel,” Sonic ordered. When there was no response, he looked at Raze.
 
“We have a better chance at outrunning that thing then they do with Samidra acting up like that,” she replied.
 
That was true. They did. He moved further away, then saw that Samidra had calmed down enough for Static to turn his attention towards what was happening. The unicorn noticed Sonic looking right at him. Then his eyes moved to the scarab, then back to his face again. The hoof sign was quick.
 
Sonic raised his hoof, not bothering to nod. At this distance, the unicorn wouldn’t have been able to see it in the dark.
 
“What’d he say?” Raze asked.
 
“Hang on,” Sonic replied, “it would take too long to explain.”
 
The scarab closed in. Sonic waited. The scarab drew in closer. Sonic waited. The scarab was right behind them. Sonic waited. He waited because he knew it would happen. This creature was smart, but it was still a creature of instinct, or at least he hoped it was. He waited.
 
Then it surged forwards. Sonic turned and flapped his wings pushing the little boat forwards along the turn at the same time. The creature was so close, that it almost clipped the rear-most part of the sail’s boom. Too close.
 
A high-pitched squeal again echoed in the night that sounded like a metallic rod being grounded sang out in the night sky as the scarab screamed in anger or frustration as it had once again missed its prey. The sound wasn’t alone this time, and almost all around them the sounds of scarabs echoed in the night.
 
This time, due to the proximity of their encounter, the momentum of the scarab had carried the creature further off giving Sonic time to put the plan into action. He angled his skimmer towards Static’s with a little propulsion from his natural pegasi ability. He needed to reserve his abilities for now.
 
Static slowed his skimmer and set his course diagonally estimating the more relevant path as Sonic’s skimmer drew closer and closer.
 
“Sonic!” Static called, barely able to contain his breath. The hoof sign went up. ‘Ready?’, it asked.
 
The pegasus nodded. He raised his hoof, again affirming that indeed he was ready.
 
Using his wings, he forced the wind to fill the sails giving it the momentum he needed to. Each time the surge put his passengers off balance as the skimmer lurched forwards.
 
“You’re going to crash,” Raze remarked from next to him. It was almost as if she were merely commenting on the weather.
 
“You’re awfully calm about this,” Sonic replied concentrating on the sail.
 
“Why wouldn’t I be? If we die, we die. So be it.”
 
The stallion made a face. In the next few moments they could smash or get crushed, and yet here she was as calm as could be.
 
“We won’t,” Sonic replied as calm as he could, but the strain on his wings was beginning to show on his face. Then, when he was satisfied at their momentum, he spread his wings as wide as he could and waited. His eyes never left Static’s skimmer, nor the unicorn himself as he had turned over control of his vessel to Tessa who kept on a straight path. Sonic watched as Static moved to the front of the vessel, pushing past Samidra.
 
It was going to be close.
 
All this time, the creature behind them was catching up quickly. The speed of its spinning throwing up the sand behind it as it inched closer and closer towards them. Like a living buzz-saw. It was clear that it was not pleased with having missed its potential prey so many times.
 
In seconds they would cross each other’s’ path. It was very close. Much too close, but Sonic and Static knew it. They felt it. Their training together had given them an innate understanding of their own limitations and how to compensate for their lacking. It went deeper than mere friendship, it was a level of unsaid understanding that neither could explain. It was as if they could feel one another’s presence. As if something were guiding them.
 
The scarab closed in. Again, it was almost right behind them.
 
“Raze. Keep her straight!” Sonic said, then inhaled deeply and held his breath as soon as he said the words.
 
The Elite did as she was asked.
 
The two skimmers were coming in closer. Sonic glanced over to Tessa who held the rudder straight and closed her eyes. Samidra had slouched into the inner area of the vessel. The scarab was so close, but the momentum was fast enough that, even at its fastest speed, they were able to keep just head of it, but were steadily slowing down.
 
Then sonic knelt and pushed as hard as he could. The upward blast of air pulled the skimmer not only forwards, but upwards as well, sending the vessel momentarily into the sky. There was no chance that the scarab could close the distance with that much wind power and frictionless movement through the way. But it wasn’t so that they could get away from it.
 
Sonic did it to get away from him. To get away from the unicorn glowing at the end of the other skimmer.
 



 
The scarab did not notice as Static’s skimmer was almost by its side. That was how close he needed to be. Static’s horn flared to life, the magic he had stored had steadily grown in his horn and body.
 
That was something that the unicorn learned to do at the Magic Academy where unicorn Guards went to learn how to hone their powers. Water, earth, and other magical-based attacks and defenses were explored and the most optimal training regime for each was selected. After that, each unicorn was expected to improve their own personal abilities alone. This was where Static learned he had a unique power. A power that, for reasons he did not quite understand himself, he kept a hidden from his superiors at his own volition. Maybe Static wanted to keep it a secret because he wasn’t sure what his superiors would say if they found out what he could do. One thing he did not want was to suddenly be reassigned to the Royal Guard, which he had seen being done to others that showed extreme promise. But not just any Guard, but the crème-de-le-crème of Guards. The Solar Guard. The Border Guard, it seemed, did not need unicorns that were capable of excessive strength and power.
 
At the time Static thought himself crazy. Why would he turn down such a prestigious title? To earn a rank within the Solar Guard was every Guard’s dream, whether in the Royal or Border Guard. To get the peytral emblazoned with Princess Celestia’s very own Mark in the center symbolizing herself and her graceful majesty.
 
Plus, the pay was not something one could overlook, and many families of the Solar Guard have propelled themselves into the upper echelons of society. No pony in their right mind would refuse that. Yet Static did not care for bits. He did not care for fame. He never liked the attention. He did not want to join the Royal Guard. He was a Border Guard through and through. He owed them. It was the Border Guard that had fought and died for his life when he was a young colt living on the frontier. He had always wanted to be in the Border Guard. It was where he belonged.
 
It was where he could truly be free. His family, more than well off, never appreciated him. He absolutely despised the way they abused their power and prestige in Canterlot. When he had announced that he was to join the Border, not they Royal, Guard, his father threatened to disown him. A promise that he had fulfilled. Strange that it actually made Static happy to know that.
 
But the magic in his body, the way he had the ability to internally grow the potential might of his internal spell, was his ultimate skill. Yes, it took time to generate the strength, and the longer he concentrated, the stronger the spell got. One spell, but that was all that he needed. Too long, and he was pass out, the magic dissipating instantly. But he had practiced it. A little. But never this much power, and he could already see his vision wavering. It was now. Right now.
 
Sonic’s vessel had whizzed by. Static pointed his horn straight ahead and closed his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he released his power.
 
There was flash followed by a deafening crack as a bolt of yellow-red lightning surged through Static’s horn engulfing it in a bright flame-like light. In the next instant, there was a resounding crash as a bolt of lightning smashed into the scarab’s side – and out the other.
 
The skimmer jolted backwards and turned around, spinning half a circuit before come to a dead stop almost capsizing as it hit the scarab’s deep tracks in the sand behind it.
 
The scarab moaned a sound that sounded like a rusted cage being opened. It continued for a bit before falling to its side and spreading it body out revealing its interiors, huge mandibles, numerous legs with large talon-like spikes at the end, and two huge pincers that it had used to cover the sides while it was spinning. But what drew Static’s focus were the large blue eyes that stared lifelessly into nothing. Those huge things were strategically fit in a circular mold in the scarab’s claw. It had collapsed in a heap, smoke emanating from the corpse followed by the rancid smell of cooked flesh filling the air. It didn’t even shudder. It was completely, utterly dead.
 
“Wha-what was that?” Tessa asked staring at Static with her eyes wide open.
 
“Heavy hitter,” Static replied without looking at her inhaling copious amounts of air.
 
She didn’t know quite what he meant by that, but she didn’t press the matter. She was just glad that the danger had passed for now. Very glad indeed.
 
“Can you do it again?” Onslaught asked, the sounds of the other scarabs closing in.
 
Static shook his head. “’Fraid not. Too much… too much power. Besides,” he looked at her and caught his breath, “if the body of the wyrm is anything to go by, I think we’ll be safe for a while. Let’s move before the other creatures get here and the feeding frenzy begins.”