//------------------------------// // The Invasion of the Break of Day // Story: Painted Mirror // by Lord of Turtles //------------------------------// Spike folded his arms and scowled. He stared out the porthole at the dark, rolling landscape and the flexing sails beneath the window. He let out a sigh, and when nothing came of that, he sighed again a bit louder. Twilight looked up from a book with sympathetic eyes. “Spike, I know you're upset about us leaving. If you want to talk about that's fine, just don't grouse like that.” “I'm not grousing, I'm pouting.” He clarified, humphing down into his annoyed posture again. “You've been hanging around Rarity too much if you know that difference.” she closed her book. “You heard Rajrishi and Topsail, the Rakshasa and those pirates out there make it way too dangerous to stay out here unsupported.” Spike turned around and fanned his arms wide. “I know, but we didn't even get to go looking for Jolly Roger's ship. We didn't find any treasure, or gems, or anything. Just... dumb floating mountains and junk.” His arms fell to his sides and he looked down at the floor glumly. Twilight put a comforting hoof on the dragon's shoulder. “I agree with them for what it's worth. Ponies died Spike, not to mention all those Goats and Aurochs on those ships. This isn't really Elements of Harmony business, we'll let the Air Navy take care of it.” “But we have the Princess here. Can't she take care of the Rakshasa and the pirates?” Twilight knit her brow. “I'm not sure how fit Princess Luna is after being hit by that cannon. Some time away to recover will be good for her... I think.” her face softened into a smile and she crouched down to nuzzle the little dragon. “Don't worry Spike, if we make good time we'll be back in Ponyville for Winter Roll-Out, won't that be fun?” Spike put a hand on the side of her neck and smiled weakly. “I guess so.” “It will be. And don't worry, we're never going to have to worry about that shapeshifting monster ever again.” It was on that propitious note that the porthole to their cabin exploded inward in a shower of glass and a large form flew on on the sudden gust of air. The form righted itself and slid to a halt against the back wall of the cabin. It cocked it's eagle head towards the pair and dove, scimitar flashing. Only decades of magical training gave Twilight the presence of mind to summon a forcefield over herself and Spike in time. It was soft and un-grounded, but it was enough to bounce the attack back. The shield burst in a flare of magic, but in an instant Twilight had summoned another one over them both. Bakasure struck three more times, each blow coming faster than the last, but each time it was met by a newly formed wall of magic. The Rakshasa staggered back and snarled through its beak. “Very well, the child then.” The thing set its blade and stabbed forward, the tip of the orichalcum sword slicing through the shield far too easily. It slid between the two of them and the thing pivoted the weapon to slap the flat across Spike's cheek. The little dragon let out a cry of pain and he stumbled back, leaning against the side of the shield. The Rakshasa twisted the blade and tore it out the side of the bubble, causing it to flicker and die. In an instant, Twilight had another one lit, but without Spike inside it. The little dragon scrabbled to get away, but was far from fast enough to evade the Rakshasa. The thing dove and grabbed him by his frills, lifting him up bodily into the air. Spike struggled for a moment before he felt a hot sting slicing through the scales of his neck. He looked down to see a shiny, golden blade quivering directly below his chin. “Spike!” shouted Twilight, her voice distorted by her own protection spell. “Let him go!” “Drop your barrier. Now.” Snarled Bakasura, his blade sawing ever so slightly through Spike's scales until a tiny bead of orange blood formed. The forcefield came down in an instant. “There, now let him-” The scimitar flashed out and Twilight suddenly felt... odd. Like her inner ear had come unbalanced. A hard clop echoed from the floor and she looked down to see a small purple nub, about as long as her hoof was wide. Horror washed over her features and she reached up, her hoof rubbing over a cracked nub. It was her horn. The thing had cut off her horn. That realization brought the pain and she collapsed, clutching at the cracked stump and sobbing uncontrollably. Spells came to her mind instinctively and sparks jutted from her forehead, the magic dying before it got a chance to come to life. “You monster!” Spike shouted as he renewed his struggles. “Why did you do that? When I get out here I'm going to burn you to a crisp! I'm gonna-” Bakasura flicked his oddly reversed wrist and tossed the squirming dragon behind him. Spike bounced off the rim of the porthole and vanished out into the darkness. Twilight reached out and cried his name, the room going blurry through tears. Bakasura loomed over her and spat. “Cease your weeping. I could have ripped it out, then your magic would never return. As it stands, do as I need and no further harm shall come to you. After this.” He then reared an arm back and cuffed her across the face, stunning her into silence. * * * Rajrishi thumbed through the book and struggled with the still unfamiliar script. He defaulted to running his finger under the lines as he went to help him keep his place in the oddly swooping pony letrering. Twilight had long since transcribed Luna's Book of Titans to a more conventional one of parchment and glue and he was once again thankful for it. It made studying it all the easier as one did not have to wrestle with twenty pound sheet of beaten copper every time a page needed to be turned. He'd been studying the section on the Asura for hours, taking notes as he went on what might be relevant. Though the pages dedicated to the Asura and his shapeshifting, chimeric children were just as expansive as any other, he found no mention of the odd magic Bakasura had levied against him. He thought back to the flickering hallucinations that had played across his vision followed by the overwhelming vertigo and shivered. He'd experienced a great many traumas since being trapped in Equestria, but that had been a unique one. The door hissed open he glanced at the sound. Luna hobbled in, looking far more like herself though still thin and wasted. On instinct Raj rose to his feet and stood at attention, arms clapped at his sides. Luna waved a tired hoof and muttered. “At ease Captain.” “Yes ma'am.” He settled into a relaxed posture and said. “You're looking much better alreadyPrincess. I'm happy to see it takes more than a direct cannon hit to put you down for more than a few hours. “Not much more than, it seems.” She flapped open a wing, showing immature barbs and stumpy feathers. “We were forced to regenerate our wings in their entirety, as well as much of our skin and muscle. The strain has left us wearied.” “You should be getting some rest then ma'am.” “There will be time for that later. For now, we have come to thou to speak of strategies for our return voyage.” She settled into a seat at the table and glanced at his book. “What is thine subject?” “Titans. Or the Asura specifically. I'm trying to find out about something Bakasura did in our fight. No luck so far.” He picked the book up again and skimmed another line. “Ah, the Asura. Vile schemer was he. Rather than make his own spawn, he stole the secrets of the other Titans and used them to create his own malformed creatures. The Chupacabras, Chimeras, Tarasques, even Griffins were all created by him. So dishonest was his species-craft that his children bleed black, a muddy combination of all other Titanic chroma.” Raj blinked. “Yeah, I know that. I think you just quoted the book word for word actually” Luna shrugged. “We did write the tome.” “Yeah, but some stuff might have been left out. Something you overlooked way back when.” She squinted. “Explain.” “When I was fighting on the junk, after you got hit. Bakasura grabbed me by the head and did... something. I can't explain it very well.” He shook his head, the memory of it fuzzing up his thoughts. She put a hoof on his arm. “Try, Captain.” “Alright, well... stuff flickered through my head. I had just as smear of sensation, like I wasn't just seeing pictures in my head but experiencing the details of it, as well as some electric force running along my nerves. It was... weird. I don't think I have to words to describe it any better.” Luna went silent for a minute, brow furrowed in thought. “That sounds familiar, and worrying.” Luna's horn lit and she floated all the volumes of the Book of Titans in front of her. She scanned the pages, quiet again. “Ah, we did not include it. We thought so.” Raj stood up. “Luna, what's wrong?” “We are not a scholar, Captain. As a result, this tome is far from complete and only holds information relevant to ponykind. Ymir had perished long before, so there is little information on it, for example.” She set the books down and pressed a hoof to her head as if in pain. “What're you talking about?” “Rakshasa have an ability Captain. They are telepathic creatures, a trait stolen from the Titan Kukulcan's creations and bestowed upon them. The Faustmare bartered immunity from that power for ponykind, and as the Asura had stolen it from Kukulcan, it barred against Rakshasa as well.” “But not me.” Raj surmised. Luna nodded, her face going grave. * * * Bakasura lifted Twilight's stunned form and stepped into the passage, already in a crouch to run for the deck of the ship. “Hey!” he heard a shout from behind and whipped around, already prepared to hurl his scimitar and dispatch the speaker. When he saw who it was, he hesitated. Standing in the passage was Applejack, head low and rage painting her features. The Rakshasa blinked its bulbous eyes and growled. “So my eyes did not deceive me. There really is a dirt horse here in the skies. What a novel concept.” “Shut yer trap you slave-mongering demon.” Applejack snarled. “Such venom! I'm surprised.” It cocked it's misshapen head. “You must hail from one of our pens. Tell me, what is your families proper name?” “Smith.” she said sharply. “Not one of my errant families, unfortunately.” Bakasura chuckled. “If memory serves, that would be one of Hidimba's wayward clans. As much as he would love to reclaim his lost property, I do not have the luxury of such.” “Ya ain't taking anypony anywheres.” Applejack declared. “And how exactly is one little runaway going to stop me?” Bakasura asked, mocking in his tone. Applejack's hateful grimace dissolved into a satisfied smirk. “Doin' this.” She lifted one leg and kicked back, her hoof smashing through the door to the shipboard alarm and crushing the button. Instantly the entire ship filled with a blaring alarm, small lights flashing in every room, hall, and passage, alerting the entire ship to the emergency. Bakasura didn't shout, or curse, or even get upset. He just slumped his shoulders and looked annoyed. He slurred, straining to be heard over the alarm. “You have not denied me my victory, little dirt horse. All you have done is ensure that so many more will die in the process.” “You talk too much.” Applejack snarled and broke into a charge. * * * Raj paused for a moment before sputtering. “W-wait, so that means Bakasura knows everything I know. Where I'm from, what we're doing here, shift schedules and crew compliments?” Luna nodded and opened her mouth to reply but her words were drowned out by the sudden whine of alarms. A light started flashing on the ceiling, filling the room with a pulsing red glow. Raj was already moving. He took up his weapon belt and strapped his axes back on. He reached for Crescent but it was wrapped in a scintillating glow and dragged over to Luna. As it moved, its form rippled and shivered, assuming a shape for use by a pony. Raj could almost sense the bow's eagerness at being in the possession of its true owner again. Luna strapped on the quiver of arrows and shouted “We will speak later.” Raj didn't respond, he just kicked open the door and started his way to the deck. * * * The moment the alarm started blaring, Topsail knew it was going to get bad. He jabbed an elbow into the side of the nearest sailor and barked. “Get below and check the engine, make sure we didn't miss no damage that's coming back to haunt us.” The sailor nodded and opened her wings to swoop below the ship. “Everypony else get to battlestations, we ain't getting ambushed twice in one day.” Relays passed the order up and down the ship and the ponies began arming themselves. Afterwards, most of them would say that is what saved their lives. A great, hooting bellow came from above and Topsail twisted his gaze up to see an enormous bull swinging down from the bag. It hit the deck with a mighty crash and bucked its head, both horns catching a crewpony and sending them flying. One landed in a roll and shakily got to his hooves, the other laid on the deck and clutched at a deep chest wound. Topsail hefted up his crossbow and took a snapshot at the thing. The big auroch stumbled and screamed, a hoof coming up to grab at the quarrel sprouting out of its eye. That bought enough time for the rest of the crew to get to their positions and gather their arms. Not an instant later dozens more aurochs and goats repelled down to the deck and engaged the crew. “Repel boarders!” He bellowed out, urging the whole of the crew to action. Snorting derisively, he hooked the stirrup of his crossbow on the railing and yanked the string to cock it. As he set another bolt down he shouted out. “Ms. Windy, get a signaling mirror, I want to see what's above us.” “Sir?” Asked the pegasus sailor through a mouthful of cutlass as she blocked jabs and slashes from a frenzied goat. “I'm a bit busy!” Topsail aimed somewhat casually and fired, the razor sharp bolt striking the goat she was engaged with hard enough to pin it to the gunwale. The thing struggled and bleated, its fight all but forgotten. “There, now do you need me to wipe your brow too?” “On it sir.” Windy belted back. She kicked open a small chest and lifted out a large mirror the size of a dinner plate. She flapped out into the air next to the ship and angled the mirror, allowing Topsail to see the shadow of the junk waiting overhead, ropes dangling from it that had small figures gliding down them like spiders on a web. Topsail frowned at the sight and started yanking on levers, overfilling the bladders in the bag and angling the ship up. * * * Below deck, moments after the alarm, Applejack and the Rakshasa clashed. Bakasura moved forward fluidly, form rippling into a bulky, enormous hyena. Applejack was undeterred and tucked her head, putting on a little bit more speed. They crashed into one another and hit the floor, squirming and rolling over one another. Applejack got on its back and looped a foreleg around its neck, squeezing at its throat. The Rakshasa rolled, crushing AJ under its weight and came up straddling her. It snapped its jaws at her face, managing to catch her cheek. Applejack swore and kicked back, sliding along the floor to get away from the crushing fangs. She hit a snag in the floor in front of Twilight's room and it stopped her long enough for Bakasura to get close. Staring at those teeth, AJ made a snap decision and interposed her foreleg, letting the thing clamp down on the limb. The Rakshasa snarled and squeezed, slicing into meat and bone. Applejack let out a scream and hauled back on the leg, drawing the thing in close enough she was able to hook her other hoof into its jaw. She felt the bone crack, but the Rakshasa did not let go. “Hey jerk!” Came a voice from the side and Bakasura looked over in time to see an advancing ball of green light. The fireball hit it hard and the thing flew, slamming into a bulkhead with a resounding clang. Her limb free, Applejack curled up and clutched it while moaning in pain. “AJ move!” Spike shouted as he fell from the porthole into the room, dangling flags of sailcloth hanging from his claws. Applejack obliged through the haze of agony and rolled from the little dragon's line of fire, closer to Twilight's un-moving form. Spike sucked in a great lungful of air, held it for a moment, and let loose. A thick column of emerald flame projected out and slammed into the Rakshasa, the sheer force of it pinning it to bulkhead. It let out a pitiable scream and struggled to free itself from the overwhelming force of the fire, but it couldn't get traction on its melting paws. Enough heat spilled off of the display it boiled the overhead sprinklers and they burst, spraying stagnant water down that instantly vaporized into hot steam. After fifteen seconds of the fiery treatment, Spike's wind suddenly left him and the fires went out. He clutched at his chest, fighting for air. Applejack rose up and squinted into the cloud of hot vapor, unable to make out the shape of the Rakshasa. “Ah think you got him Spike!” she called out, her voice barely audible over the hissing spray. Something misshapen moved in the cloud and Applejack was bowled aside by a hulking mass of burned flesh. The thing rippled and resolved into the Rakshasa's hybrid form and Applejack snarled an insult. She made to stand but lost her hoofing on her bad leg. She hit the floor hard and feebly reached out for the thing as it rushed past her. Bakasura roughly grabbed Twilight by the mane and flung her over his shoulder before moving for the stairs again. Spike waddle-ran out of his cabin and towards the sound of Applejack's curse. He saw the form of the Rakshasa in the mist and sucked in to breathe more fire. “No!” cried Applejack as she dove to grab his tail. “He's got Twilight, you'll burn her up too!” Spike coughed, his fire aborted, and fell to a knee with a series of wracking hacks. By the time he looked up, the thing was gone. He wheezed. “Thanks Applejack. Are you okay?” “Ah'll manage.” she slurred as she rose up on three legs. “C'mon, let's go get that varmint.” * * * At almost the same moment, Rajrishi and Bakasura emerged onto the deck in the middle of absolute chaos. The ship was covered in skirmishing creatures, everyone slashing and stabbing and bashing at one another in a confused melee. Screams of rage and pain filled the air along with the smell of sweat and blood. He caught sight of the Titanspawn for a moment before he disappeared into the madness of the battle. That didn't dissuade Raj and he moved in a straight line for where he saw the thing emerge. A bucking auroch tore its way past him and he sprang out of the way of the rampage. He spun, expecting the thing to square off with him, and was surprised as it rushed onward. Above it, a quartet of crossbow wielding pegasi hovered, peppering the bovine's back with quarrels in disciplined volleys as the creature tried to escape the attack in vain. No sooner had he turned around from that were a pair of goats rushing him with lances. He swept his axes to the sides to divert them and snapped a leg out, striking one in the side of the head to make it crash into the other. Both creatures fell in a heap, one dead from a broken neck and the other tangled up in his companion. “RAJ!” came a shout from midship. He rose to his full height and scanned around, finding the source after a few seconds. Against the port railing of the ship was Bakasura, sporting a bug-eyes hyena head and surrounded by a vanguard of aurochs and goats. There with him was Twilight Sparkle, struggling against the rope harness she was being forced into. Rajrishi broke into a run towards them, teeth grit in anger. Bakasura saw him coming and gestured with a hand. A phalanx of goats lifted crossbows and fired in staccato rhythm. He dove to the side to avoid the fire, but the move proved unnecessary as a sparkling shield of energy appeared on the deck and blocked each quarrel. A cloud of bats swooped down and re-incorporated into Princess Luna, Crescent clipped to her leg and blood covering her horn. She snarled out. “Foul formless demon! Release Twilight Sparkle and surrender. Cease this mad bloodshed.” The Rakshasa jostled Twilight in her bonds and snarled back. “Isn't this perfect? An Asura Son and a Horsespawn, battling in this blasted place again so many years later. Nothing has changed at all.” “Silence your disgusting ruminations. As diarch of Equestria, we demand you cease this brazen assault on royal property at once.” “You lost the rights to diplomacy when you refused to return our property. Your authority means nothing.” The Rakshasa spat back. Luna screamed something in an ancient language and her eyes flashed black for a moment before scything shards of starry sky ripped from her horn and flew towards the gathered invaders. The goats and aurochs didn't slow the shards in the slightest, they simply passed through them and the creatures fell to the deck in dead heaps. Rajrishi didn't have time to goggle at the display of killing magic as Bakasura was rushing towards them, scimitar up and ready. Luna's eyes flashed again and a sizzle of energy ran up her horn. Instead of a flurry of black shards however, a burst of sparks ejected from the tip and she fell to her knees, grunting with strain. Bakasura closed and Rajrishi interposed himself, their weapons striking with a great crash. Bakasura's scimitar danced in a web of golden strikes that Raj struggled to block, already giving up ground to the aggressive onslaught. After a few seconds of attack the creature slapped Raj's guard to the side and stepped forward in a high kick, sending him rolling back. The Rakshasa sprang towards Princess Luna, hoping to deal with her before she was on her hooves again. She was faster to recover and blocked his initial strike with her bow, the weapons clattering against one another. Luna pushed him away and charged her horn again to launch a crude beam of energy at the creature's face. Bakasura took the hit on the flat of his scimitar and slid back a few steps, the gold of his sword blackened by the hit. Bakasura lowered his sword to stare down the shaft of a metal arrowhead, the fletching held in Luna's mouth. She squinted and released the shot, the bowstring making the air snap audibly. A silver streak tore through the air and retreated towards the horizon. The shot missed but passed so close to the Rakshasa's face it tore the fur from the side of his head with its speed. Raj grinned and moved in on the thing while it was distracted and off balance Just then, Topsail shouted over the ship-wide horn. “Brace for impact!” A second later everything on the ship heaved upwards alongside a terrible pop and a tearing crack. Everyone was thrown violently to the ground, for a moment the chaos of the battle receding in the face of the sudden turbulence. Raj pondered what had happened for a moment before the burning hulk of a Junk fell past the side of the ship, its half-inflated bag trailing above it. Over the loudspeaker, Topsail barked out. “Hostile boarders, your ship has been destroyed. There can be no victory here. Surrender now or die. Combat teams, execute any boarders that do not immediately throw down their arms. That's an order.” It took Raj a moment to figure it out. The Junk had been hiding above the Break of Day, lowering invaders down onto the bag and then letting them rappel to the main ship. Topsail had realized that and set the ship to lift at all speed. It'd taken a few minutes, but the larger ship had lifted the smaller Junk up and crushed it against the underside of the mountain they were flying under. The maneuver was reckless, dangerous, and had probably done terrible damage to the Break of Day itself, but it had worked. Goats and aurochs were throwing down their arms en masse, the destruction of their ship and the reinforcements on board sealing their defeat. Bakasura realized this too and was snarling threats and protests at any of his crew that could hear him. He stepped back, worry in his body language as he searched for a way out. Raj stalked forward, axes forward and bouncing on his feet. Luna floated another arrow out of her quiver and nocked it. She echoed Topsail and shouted. “Surrender or die.” before aiming the shaft at the dog-headed beast. Bakasura looked around worriedly, back pressed against the boards of the reardeck. He saw no way out, no escape from the trap of his own making. He let out a sigh and his sword dipped, ready to give up. Then the door to the belowdeck opened up and Applejack and Spike limped onto the deck, within feet of Bakasura. A great deal happened in the next few seconds. Luna let out a shout as much as she could with a mouthful of fletching and the pair turned to Bakasura, terror washing over their features. Bakasura's form rippled, turning into a hulking gorilla and he reached out at the pair. Before they could react, his rough hands had clamped around their necks. Luna held her shot, forelegs wobbling from the strain. Raj broke into a charge, heading for the thing as it lifted AJ and Spike. It turned on him, arms full of hostages, and flicked them back towards starboard. They arced up, heading for the air off the side of the ship. Luna opened her mouth and turned after the two, going into a dive off the ship to catch the two. The shot still managed to hit the gorilla square in the chest and blow out its back, staggering it for a moment. Rajrishi closed and swung straight for his head. Bakasura's form rippled and suddenly there was nothing for him to hit. His ax buried in the boards and he glanced down to see a squirrel with bulging eyes at his feet. He lifted a foot to stomp it but the thing was too swift. It scampered between his legs and made a beeline for the portside of the ship, towards Twilight's tangled form. Swearing spiritedly, he spun and hurled his spare ax at the retreating rodent. Miraculously, he hit it directly above the hips and sliced it clean in two. The front half of the thing rippled into a whole eagle and it flapped up at it soared towards Twilight. Its claws came down and grabbed at the tangling ropes, it flapped again and lifted her clear of the railing and out into open air. Raj took up Luna's discarded bow and a fallen arrow and rushed to the side of the ship. He nocked the shaft and ignored the strained hum from the bow as it lamented being used by him again. He aimed, focused, and sighted in on the blot of color barely visible in the ship's light. He breathed, settled the sight, paused, and then... lowered it. He drew forward the arrow and watched a shapeshifting demon fly off into the night with a bellowing scream of rage. * * * “What the actual hell!” screamed Topsail as he pounded the table in the library. “You didn't think it important to mention that those things can read minds?!” Everypony had just finished explaining what had led to the attack, the conversation in that very library, the fight belowdecks, and the smashing of the junk all needing explanation for everypony else. Topsail had fixated on Luna's lack of forthcoming, and as a result her reply was clipped, though just as angry. “No. No we did not.” “Why?” Topsail spat at her. “Equines are immune to it, completely and wholly. Thousands of years past, when we wrote that book, we could not imagine there would come a time when we would call any not of the Faustmare allies.” Topsail looked at Raj, then back to Luna, then back to Raj. “Get a better imagination.” “Hey!” Pinkie Pie spoke up. “There will be plenty of time for yelling later. How are we going to help Twilight?” “Yes. Ms. Pie speaks wisdom. We must devise a way to rescue Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said decisively, clearly relieved to be speaking of something else. “Not to sound lazy, but is there any way Twilight might be able to rescue herself?” Rarity asked. “She is a rather capable mare with very powerful magic. Mayhap she'll return to us once she regains her senses.” Spike glowered at the table and reached forward, rolling something along its surface. After a moment, everyone realized it was Twilight's severed horn. Everyone present let out surprised gasps and Spike murmured. “I don't think we can count on that.” his voice was steady, no sign of the terror of falling off the ship evident in his tone. Rarity poked at the grisly object and her face noticeably greened. “Oh my goodness, it will be weeks before she can do magic again. How ghastly.” “Again, I'm sorry ya'll.” muttered Applejack, hat in hoof. “Ah had that thing on its back 'n ah couldn't close the deal. Shoulda hit the alarm as soon as I heard them noises, woulda bought us all a few extra seconds. Woulda made all the difference.” “Nobody is at fault AJ.” Fluttershy whispered with a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Except that Bakasura jerk.” hissed Rainbow Dash, her wings fluttering in anger. “Why would he go and do something like ponynap Twilight anyway? What's the deal?” “If I had to guess? Ransom.” Topsail answered. “From what I understand, Princess Celestia would hoof over every gem underneath Canterlot for her safe return.” A few ponies nodded at that idea. Raj shook his and said. “No, that's not it.” “Why not?” “Because I didn't know that.” Everypony present looked confused for a moment before Rainbow Dash said. “Say wha?” “Think about it. When I was on that junk, Bakasura read my mind. Something he saw there led him to do this. If he knew Twilight was so valuable, then he wouldn't have hit the ship so violently and risked killing her. No, something he saw in my memories led him to kidnap her.” “What could that be?” asked Fluttershy to everyone present. Everyone thought for a moment and then Pinkie jumped up. “Ooh ooh, maybe he needs her to do something. Like he needs her to do some weird, unicorn thing that he can't do himself.” “What? Like magic? Then why would he cut off her horn?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the severed nub and drawing a fresh round of shudders. “Good point. That means it can't be a magic thing. It must be something she knows. Something she...” Raj trailed off as he looked around the library. “Books.” he said quietly. “Um, yeah. Books. We all know Twilight likes books Rajy.” Pinkie said back somewhat dismissively. “No, no, specific books. These, here.” Raj went over to a disorganized pile of tomes, maps, and charts. “These were the maps Twilight was making, what's she'd put together with our time in the Shattered Lands. I was looking at them minutes before Bakasura ate my memories. He took her so he could find something here.” “Like what?” Topsail asked. “Jolly Roger's treasure!” shouted Spike. “I told you he was here for it.” “We need to study these maps.” Raj said sharply. “If Bakasura saw something on them that might lead him to Jolly Roger then we need to figure out what it is.” Spike waddled over. “I helped write them, I can help with that.” “I'll go double time on the prisoners. If we dangle this over them we might be able to squeeze some details out of them. Will probably take time though.” Topsail offered. “Twilight Sparkle may not have time Shipmaster. We need to her before Bakasura finishes whatever task he has set aside for her.” Luna shot. Rarity raised a hoof. “I might be able to use a modified form of my gem-finding spell to locate her, but I didn't design it for that. With some modification I may be able to tune it to provide a general direction of her.” “Then we shall assist you, Ms. Rarity.” Luna stood up and trotted for the door. “We have tomes on the very subject in our quarters. Come.” Rarity hurried after. Applejack stuffed her hat back on her head and said. “Well, ah'm gunna-” A yellow hoof pressed to her muzzle and Fluttershy said. “Rest. You are going to rest.” “Hey, Fluttershy-” “No heys here. You have a broken leg and bruises all over your flank. You are going to rest Applejack.” “But-” “Rest.” Applejack turned away meekly and trudged out into the hall. Fluttershy turned around and addressed the whole room. “In fact, everypony not working should be sleeping. It's late and we've all had quite a day.” A general murmur of agreement echoed in the space and everypony filed out. Raj and Spike sat onto the bench and settled into a companionable silence, prepared for a long night of study. Outside, the pale monsters in the canyon below wiped the blood of a hundred dead off their maws and bellowed at the sky for more.