//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Secrets of the Everfree // Story: Defect // by CroakyEngine //------------------------------// Everfree Forest, Everfree Region, Year???? After Nightmare Moon Light was a commodity in the mostly frozen wasteland of former Equestria. No princesses, no sun, no moon, no stars. There was only an ever-present cloud cover that lit up ever so slightly during the day to separate it from the night. As such, when the little amount of light that managed to puncture the cloud covers did illuminate the way, one would be wise to use it as effectively as possible. Unfortunately, at this moment, ManeFrame learned that light does not work by conventional means in the Everfree forest, or at least the mockery of a forest that stands in its place. The thick foliage overhead seemed to twist the very essence of the already dampened light, and reflected it off silvery coloured shrubberies. The frost-covered plant life bore a sort of pale green bioluminescence, causing it to sparkle. Some leaves appeared almost as if they were ornamental glass, refracting rays of light into beautiful patterns. Crisp sticks and leaves lay scattered on the ground, making a crunching sound almost like snow when she stepped on them. Frankly, ManeFrame was baffled by the diverse variety of flora and how they came to be. The sunlight certainly wasn’t abundant enough to provide such a boon of energy for the local plants. Then there were the sounds. Scratches and shuffles in the undergrowth all preyed upon ManeFrame’s paranoia. Her sensors didn’t work correctly and her infra-red vision saw nothing besides the two of them. Surely there must be at least some wildlife still left alive , thought ManeFrame, her thoughts darting back to the pair of blue jays she had seen before. Determining that there was no point dwelling on the thought, she instead turned her attention to her silent company. The stallion had a barely-visible sheen of ice coating parts of his barding, but his eyes skimmed through the forest as if they were a torchlight. The distracting reflection of lights and glimmers didn’t faze him one bit, at least from what ManeFrame could observe. Occasionally, he would glance at the little compass pinned to the barding on his forehoof to confirm his direction. His helmet was attached to a strap next to his withers, something about the headgear being too ‘stuffy’ and ‘intolerable’. After several moments of silence, ManeFrame coughed awkwardly and broke the silence. “Are you sure this is the fastest way to the nearest Equestrian outpost? My data records on this region are rather… incomplete, to say the least.” Jade glanced at her, followed by a more specific glance at the shotgun secured within her harness. The clear distrust of the gesture hurt her a little, but she had started to grow accustomed to it. ManeFrame had yet to decide whether that a bad thing or not. Jade shifted his gaze forward again as he spoke. “From what I remember, this is the safest way through to the border of the Equestrian territory. Everywhere else will be crawling with Equalist patrols and interceptors. It will likely take a few days at the most to travel through the forest; less if we cut right through the center.” ManeFrame’s eyes bugged out at that. “A few days!” exclaimed ManeFrame loudly. She quickly shrunk back from the glare Jade had directed at her and continued in a smaller voice, “Sorry, but can you last a few days in this condition? As unreliable as my scanners are, I can’t imagine edible plants and shelter are plentiful here.” “I’ll manage,” grunted out Jade. ManeFrame decided wisely that he didn’t wish to converse anymore, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have her own doubts. She resumed her silent trotting when she remembered what she had found the old barn they stayed at. Carefully, she took out the golden necklace she had stored in her saddlebags. Strangely, her touch sensors detected that it was slightly warm, and a soft glow seemed to emanate from the object. There was no signs of any internal thermal reaction by non-arcane means. Perhaps this is some sort a magical artifact, thought ManeFrame. She gave a small, annoyed pout when she realized that her theory couldn’t be tested at all due to the disrupting magicks of the Everfree. “What is that?” ManeFrame raised her head suddenly towards the direction from which the voice came from. She saw Jade curiously looking at the necklace, a soft green tinge in his eyes. “From the contour of the centerpiece and clasps, it is likely to be an ornamental bijouterie of some kind with potential for thaumaturgical capabilities.” Jade blinked, his face blankly looking at ManeFrame. “What?” asked Jade. “Please repeat that again, this time for non-computers.” “Uh, it’s necklace of some sort? It could be magical, but I’m not really sure,” said ManeFrame with sheepish smile, though silently wondering about Jade’s sudden interest in the jewelry. “Here, you can have it if you want.” Jade’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced at her warily, prompting ManeFrame to give an annoyed huff. Sighing a little, the stallion carefully reached for the necklace, only to suddenly retract his hoof upon touching it. A thin smoky green wisp darted away from the point of touch, though it dispersed in the air before ManeFrame could properly inspect and record it. “Ouch! What in Tartarus is that?” he exclaimed, jumping away in shock. ManeFrame giggled at the act, but it died down upon seeing the serious expression. “That thing just shocked me!” “Weird… my sensors aren’t picking up anything unusual, though I suppose they’re not the most reliable right now. I have to remember to test that some other time,” muttered ManeFrame, then with a small amused smirk playing at the edge of her muzzle, asked, “I take it you don’t want it then?” “No, thank you,” said Jade with a frown and narrowed eyes. His interest from earlier seemed to dissipate. “It felt as if a damned current ran through me. I hope this isn’t some elaborate part, or perhaps, your whole plan to assassinate me. If it’s the latter case, I feel obliged to tell you that your efforts have failed.” ManeFrame didn’t dignify that remark with an answer, instead fastening the rather eloquent jewelry and possibly magical artifact around her neck. “Too bad.” ManeFrame gave a small smile to the stallion. Cheerfully, she trotted to the nearest glass plant and took a gander at her reflection. “It’s looks pretty!” And it would allow me to test prolonged contact with non-living beings and close exposure by air with living beings, mentally added ManeFrame. “Of course, the only Equalist defect in history had to be a mare, at least in personality. Why couldn’t they have just given me a stallion with whom I could develop an extremely hostile friendship with?” Jade deadpanned. ManeFrame, in a rare moment of boldness, tossed him a smile. “You consider me a friend?” Jade’s lips thinned, and his ears twitched in irritation. The pair passed stepped across a toppled tree trunk, the prints on the ground went unnoticed by both of them. The scent of tree sap had started to condense in the air. “No,” answered Jade, rubbing his brow in agitation. ManeFrame expected the reply, but she wouldn’t let herself be torn down this time. “Well, I think you’re my friend,” proclaimed ManeFrame loudly. The stallion stopped walking and wheeled on her with a growl, shocking ManeFrame. “Why? I tried to kill you. Why do you want to be my friend?” ManeFrame shook off her surprise and took a step backwards, trying to suppress the little shudder that rolled down her shoulders as her ears flattened. She opened her mouth, and closed it a moment later, almost looking as if trying to emulate a fish out of water. Jade winced and his shoulders slumped, his eyes turned downcast. “I’m sorry, I–” started Jade. A stick snapped. Both ponies froze at the sound. The crystal-like forest was suddenly too quiet. Another rustle and crunch to their right motivated them to pick up the pace. “We’re moving. Now,” whispered Jade harshly, his voice full of authority. ManeFrame gave a hasty nod, and followed Jade. No, ManeFrame, panicking is bad. Don’t Panic, don’t panic, don’t panic… ManeFrame felt like freezing up, but her built-in precautions differed in opinion. The robust and powerful pistons in her hooves ignited as she moved faster than before. “Okay, where do we go?” Jade didn’t answer, but after squinting off towards their right, he motioned for her to follow him. The crinkling and shuffles of their bodies against the plant life was loud, enough that ManeFrame grimaced every time they moved. If her data was correct, the animal, likely a predator, was stalking them. If they started galloping, they would most certainly be done for. Jade stepped into a small clearing, quickly followed by ManeFrame. A few crystal-like bushes lay scattered, and the ground was covered by thick frostgrass. Muffled growls, grunts and scrapes could be heard all around them. It was too late for them to escape. A dark shape walked out into the clearing, and another dozen followed suit. ManeFrame slowly backed away from the wood-textured creatures, bearing a striking resemblance to the build of the dire wolves that roam the frozen plains. ManeFrame tensed when she saw small, glowing coldsteel ingots embedded in the paws of the creatures. Her database notified her to identify them as ‘Timberwolves’. Her processors were already making lightning fast equations for multiple ways she could handle this problem, and she was sure she would survive the timberwolves even with the enchanted coldsteel. Then again… She glanced at Jade, remembering the serious wound he had sustained. Her in-built rocket launchers had long since run empty, and she doubted that her combat shotgun could quickly incapacitate a timberwolf. The margin for error was just too high. “ManeFrame, do you have a plan?” hissed Jade, not breaking his glare with the timberwolves. Wait, he’s asking me? When did I become the leader? ManeFrame closed her eyes. Now was certainly not the time for reflective ponderings. Then, out of nowhere, the word leader brought to mind an unbidden image, an image of a pony to be more precise. She couldn’t make out the details but… tones of purple coat, and something else… a horn? And suddenly, ManeFrame was in a different forest, but it wasn’t quite her. It felt vibrant, more… alive. Sounds! There were somepony talking around her! Five ponies chatted to each other, sometimes even to her, and she responded back to them. What they were saying, though, was lost to her. It sounded like they were having a hushed conversation. Something new, another beast this time, appeared on their path. All of their party reared back, and a debate of sorts started. A tiny voice came forth through the argument, but this time it had some clarity to them. Wait. The others, including ManeFrame herself, ignored it. The small voice spoke again, but everypony ignored it. It was slightly louder this time, too. They paid no heed- “WAIT!” They all stopped and stared at one of the ponies, a timid butterscotch mare with flowing pink mane and tail. The beast growled menacingly, but the mare straightened and fearlessly walked up to the beast, then started to console it. “Shh… it’s okay. Oh, you poor, poor little baby…” An unbelieving chirp came from one of the other ponies, and ManeFrame felt herself agreeing. She tried to move forward to save the unfortunate mare, but find that she couldn’t, well… do anything. “Now this might hurt just a little bit,” said the butterscotch mare, then leant down right in front of the creature’s giant, gaping maw. A ferocious and feral roar ripped from its mouth. ManeFrame watched, wide eyed, unable to even shut her optical sensors as she witnessed the no doubt violent end of the mare. She waited, and waited, but it never happened. A short moment later, she rose again with a thorn in her hoof. The beast, instead of the terrifying monster moments beforehoof, was now nuzzling and embracing the yellow mare as if it was her cub. When ManeFrame looked closer, she found a small, hole on the creature’s paw, roughly the same size as the thorn. “Aw, you’re just a little old baby kitty, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Yes, you are,” whispered the timid mare as she parted with the creature, only to be embraced by all of the other ponies present. ManeFrame didn’t need her emotional sensors to know that everypony was overjoyed and relieved. “How did you know about the thorn?” murmured ManeFrame in awe. Amazingly, the mare had somehow heard her and a small, beautiful smile started to spread across her face. “I didn’t. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness,” she said simply, shocking everypony present into silence, including ManeFrame herself. Then, everything started to fade into black and felt as if she had just finished hibernation. Like waking up. Something was shaking her. Her eyes snapped open and her internal visual HUD lit up brighter than a Behemoth’s engine. It had been ten seconds. “ManeFrame!” Jade whispered harshly, finally drawing ManeFrame back to reality. “What are we going to do?” With a lurch, ManeFrame saw that the Timberwolves were steadily advancing, and that they were surrounded. Her battle prepped reflexes itched to be activated, but the voice in the memory echoed in her mind. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness. ManeFrame gritted her teeth, and her artificial pupils darted side to side. No, it was too dangerous… impossible even. A little kindness. Something strange struck her mind. She shook her head and tried to focus on one of the timberwolves in front of her, currently pawing at the ground and baring its teeth at her. A stray piece of information from her database. Timberwolves were eldritch versions of wolf, but their behaviour were often identical with the exception of some arcane variations. Timberwolves always hunt in packs so they wouldn’t be this cautious if they were just guarding their territory. A small, almost playful yelp came from behind beneath her. ManeFrame’s eyes widened. “Jade, slowly lower your weapons,” said ManeFrame, a new calm filling her. “What? That’s insane!” Another small noise came from underneath and ManeFrame saw a small, timberwolf pup trying to crawl out of the thick, bioluminescent overgrowth. One of its wooden legs was trapped in a tangle of metal that looked like… ManeFrame gasped when she realized she was looking at an Imperial bugbear trap. Pale green, bioluminescent blood stained the otherwise silvery colour of the metal. A pair of pained emerald eyes gazed up at her. All the timberwolves around them snarled ferociously, causing Jade to bump up against ManeFrame. She glanced at the injured pup, and the snarling timberwolves, her mind quickly connecting the dots. “Please, just do as I say,” replied ManeFrame as evenly as she could. “There’s no way–” started Jade, but stopped once he saw her pleading eyes. Slowly, he lowered his blade. “You better have a plan.” ManeFrame didn’t reply, but she gave a slight tilt of her head in understanding. Carefully, she knelt down to the pup. She raised a single hoof and closed her eyes. With practised execution, she activated a small blue flame and cut into the metal trap. The timberwolves watched silently as she worked, no longer ferocious and threatening. Even Jade was watching her with his jaws hanging. She worked through several loops of barbed metal, until finally a satisfying snap graced her auditory sensors. The timberwolf pup stared at the disabled trap with wide eyes, and then turning that intense gaze on ManeFrame. A high-pitched chatter came from it as it started to move. It stopped, though, when it shifted onto the injured leg too much. Slow, thundering footsteps reached ManeFrame, and she realized that she had already been hearing the sound for minutes. She looked up, and jumped backwards as a timberwolf larger than any other towered over her. The presence of the wolf seemed to equally placate and inspire fear among the other, smaller timberwolves present. ManeFrame’s database immediately recognized it as an Alpha. It didn’t even look at her, however, and instead focused its attention on the freed timberwolf. The Alpha gently grabbed the pup by the scuff of its neck and carried it back to the others. It lowered the pup onto the ground and watched as it yelped excitedly and clambered to get under one of the adult timberwolves. A short moment later, it appeared again and approached ManeFrame. A decisive snort from Alpha, though, seemed to stop it short. Head downcast, it limped back to the adults. ManeFrame ached at the sight, but a sort of bittersweet warmth replaced the normally cold sensation. It disappeared when she saw the Alpha Timberwolf approach her. It watched her with an unmoving stare, before slowly shifting to Jade and his dropped weapon. The Alpha timberwolf leant in towards ManeFrame and gave another tentative sniff, before backing away and straightening itself. The magical creature gave a loud grunt to the other timberwolves and they turned tail and sped off into the forest. Once again, ManeFrame marvelled at how silent they were, her own enhanced sensors only barely able to pick out the sounds. She turned towards Jade. “How did you know?” he asked, his expression torn between astonished and relieved. There was something else in his eyes, though. It was the first time she had felt it. Respect. “How did you know they would leave us alone peacefully?” “I…,” ManeFrame trailed off, mind wandering off to the seemingly real memory she just had. Suddenly, she knew just how to answer him. “A nice mare once taught me that sometimes…” “…sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.” ManeFrame felt tempted to giggle at the baffled look on Jade’s face. However, her attention was focused on other things. In the hidden recess of her mind, ManeFrame had just retained a new memory … something that didn’t belong in her three days’ worth of information. Already, most of it was fading but one small piece of information remained, cycling through her connections over and over until ManeFrame could recognize it as a word. In fact, it sounded almost like a name. A pony’s name. Fluttershy. Darkness was falling. The timberwolves they had seen earlier hadn’t returned, but on their path they hadn’t stumbled upon any more of the ‘local wildlife’. Another boon to their journey was the discovery of a special kind of berries that looked like a crystallized version of blueberries. She had diligently tested and catalogued them with her on-body equipment before deeming them safe to eat. So far, Jade had shown no noticeable symptoms after he ate them, but ManeFrame still kept an eye on him. Just to be safe, thought ManeFrame. Unbeknownst to ManeFrame, Jade occasionally glanced over at ManeFrame as well, his eyes still containing a little sliver of amazement from their timberwolves encounter before. “Over here. I think I see a cave,” whispered Jade. ManeFrame shook her head slightly as she quietly trotted over to where Jade was. To her chagrin, Jade’s night vision was at least on par with her own, if not slightly better. It definitely didn’t help that her other sensors failed to live up to her expectations. However, her sharp eyes did immediately lock onto a peculiar, dark blue container laid eschewed in a nearby bush. The edges looked battered, and it lay in a small crater of dirt, likely fallen off from whatever aircraft “Jade, I think I see a small cargo container there,” said ManeFrame, slowly advancing on the object. Jade shot up and trotted in front of her. “I’ll go check it out,” said Jade immediately. “Are you sure? It could be dangerous-” said ManeFrame before she was interrupted. “It’s fine. Please, I can do this at least.” His tone brooked no argument, and ManeFrame saw no point in stopping him from searching through the container. He nodded his thanks and crouched next to the bush. His horn lit up, illuminating the area a little as he rummaged through the box. After a few moments, Jade stood up and walked back to ManeFrame. “Did you find anything?” enquired ManeFrame hopefully, to which Jade shook his head. “There’s nothing there. It must have been an empty container, or whatever was in there have been scavenged away.” ManeFrame felt downcast by that, hoping that there would’ve been some new equipment in there; or better ammunition for her rocket launchers. Deciding to leave the container itself where it was, ManeFrame and Jade moved on to the cave. Once inside, ManeFrame saw that the cave was much bigger on the inside, and the entrance had partially collapsed. The entrance led further underground, where it started to become increasingly more damp than the surface. Stones and rubble were strewn across the ground, and the passageway expended to a size where a dozen ponies can walk side by side. “Dear Stars,” muttered Jade in front of her. ManeFrame quickly galloped to catch up with him, fearing another attack. However, what she saw instead took her breath away. The tunnel opened up to a mammoth cavern that slid downwards for more than a hundred metres. That, though, was not what caught her attention. In front of her, the colossal skeleton of a creature lay half sunken into the deep murky limewater, and stalactites and crystals had formed on some parts of it. Gargantuan ribs stood bare behind a pale white skull that resembled a bear’s, albeit ridiculously oversized. Strange, bioluminescent fungi covered the tips of some bones, giving off eerie blue and green lights. Whatever this creature was, this was its final resting place, possibly the last of its kind. ManeFrame’s database definitely showed no other creature that matched its description currently alive. The giant cave stretched even further into the darkness, and even ManeFrame’s night vision couldn’t penetrate it. There was no doubt that the creature’s remains extended much farther. A small motion detector warned her that something had created a ripple on the surface of the murky water far below them. ManeFrame felt uneasy as she stared into the gloom, and her eyes shifted back to the skeleton. “Maybe we should go somewhere else,” said ManeFrame uncertainly. If there was something this large that once lived here, she didn’t want to think that there might be others like it out there. Or worse, if something had killed it. Jade, however, had gotten over his original shock and had already taken off his helmet. “It’s just a skeleton. We’ll be fine to rest here for the night.” Jade collected some moss together and made a makeshift mattress. He took a swig from his canteen before fastening the cap on it again. Without another word he laid down on the moss and turned away from ManeFrame. “Good night,” said ManeFrame. The only reply she received was Jade’s quiet snoring. With an inaudible sigh, ManeFrame laid herself down onto the cold, rocky ground. She closed her eyes. ManeFrame woke up to the sound of shuffling. Her internal clock told her that it was still hours before light. ManeFrame tensed, her hooves twitching as her combat overrides tried to kick into action. It was trying to fight an invisible foe. Calm down, girl, thought ManeFrame to herself. Jade promised he would give me the benefit of doubt. He wouldn’t go back on his word… right? She turned off her combat systems, if only to have a little more peace. The moment she turned it off, ManeFrame almost sighed in relief at how quiet it had suddenly become. No longer was warnings and notifications blaring in her head constantly, with her construct body itching to turn to maximum fighting efficiency. She was tempted to turn off her motion sensors as well, but decided against it. It was a good thing she didn’t. She could feel Jade sitting up, and then trying to reach for his canteen- No. ManeFrame’s eyes widened. He was so close behind ManeFrame, she could feel the small vibrations coming off of his breath. She begged for him to stop in her mind. It would take at least a little while to reboot her combat systems, time that she didn’t think she had. She tried to move, but found that she couldn’t. Her sensors were saying there was a construct incapacitation device nearby, but ManeFrame didn’t find any back in the abandoned town. Wait! How could I have been so stupid! The container from before must have had one, and ManeFrame was so foolish as to trust him. Any moment now, Jade would reach her and… And kill her. Not destroy her, but kill her. As ManeFrame waited for her inevitable demise, a small pebble was bumped. It rolled down the clearing at almost a leisurely pace to land in the limewater with a loud splash. A few tense seconds passed, and ManeFrame didn’t sense any more movements from Jade. Slowly, however, he placed the dagger onto the ground and backed away. ManeFrame waited for the expected death, the sudden loss of connection or something as horrible. However, nothing came, and the sound of scuffling and scraping died down. A little while later the incapacitation field must have ran out of power, and she could move again.. She wasn’t sure how long it took for her mechanical heart to exit overdrive, and even longer for the sting of betrayal to dissipate. ManeFrame opened her eyes. Her sensors detected small slivers of light. Her timer informed her that it was late in the morning, and that she had stayed asleep much later than necessary. Strangely, she felt a yearning to remain at rest, if only for a little while longer. Sadly, it was rudely interrupted as the memories from the night before clawed its way towards the front of her processors. ManeFrame bolted upright, her sensors as clear as freshly polished steel. She looked around and found Jade missing, an empty canteen sitting solemnly on the ground beside his improvised moss mat. No, he’s gone.. It felt as if an coldsteel sword struck into her. The fear that ManeFrame was detecting increased tenfold, but this was not like being afraid last night. Instead, this was pure terror. With a lurch, ManeFrame realized it wasn’t because she felt fear for her own being. She was terrified of being alone. Without a thought, she leapt to her hooves and galloped towards the cave entrance. The cave opened up to the lush, glowing forest outside. Without thinking, she called out. “Jade!” There was nothing. The forest was silent as always. She galloped deeper into the forest, sensors blazing as she caught sight of a set of hoof prints. “JADE–” Her shout was interrupted as something tackled her to the side. She struggled briefly, but stopped when a familiar armored hoof wrapped it around her muzzle. “ManeFrame, what are you doing?” hissed Jade as he crouched low, gesturing ManeFrame to do the same. The helmet had muffled some sound but ManeFrame knew that it was definitely Jade. A smile threatened to break her metal visage in half as Jade glared at her with tinted visors. “Remember what happened with the Timberwolves?” “I-I… you’re here!” she whispered, almost giggling in relief. “Of course I’m here,” answered Jade. ManeFrame supposed he would be bearing a confused frown were it not for his helmet. “I know… it was just me being stupid but…” trailed off ManeFrame. “… you didn’t leave me.” Jade stopped moving momentarily before the sound of a rush of air echoed out of his helmet, akin to somepony sighing. “Of course I didn’t,” he said finally. However, it wasn’t good enough for ManeFrame and she surprised him by hugging him. An involuntary flinch answered her gesture, but she didn’t mind. She felt relieved, happy and a million other emotions she couldn’t comprehend, at least not yet. Reluctantly, Jade slowly placed his hooves on ManeFrame’s back. “Thank you,” whispered ManeFrame as she parted the hug. Jade didn’t respond and turned back towards their cave. There was still some rigidness in his movements, however, and ManeFrame once again thought of the night before. She called after him before she could stop herself. “Jade…” He turned to look at her. “Yes?” A long moment passed. Were there any crickets to be found, ManeFrame was sure they could have started a band during the lengthy silence. “Nevermind,” she said lamely. Her mind yearned to ask Jade why he didn’t destroy her when he had the chance, but her heart, or rather the crude mechanism in its place, didn’t want to. She pushed past Jade, heading towards their cave. In her haste, she missed the guilty expression on Jade’s face. And there was no end in sight. “We are walking in circles,” muttered ManeFrame. The exact same crystalline tree passed by them as they walked, or at least, ManeFrame couldn’t detect any discernible difference. “You don’t know that,” replied Jade with an irritated huff. “Directions in here are not working like they’re supposed to. I know your compass is definitely not working.” “It’s saying that there are four north poles,” said ManeFrame dejectedly. “And I can’t find out where the interference is coming from since it's, well, everywhere.” ManeFrame sat down and played with her necklace, enjoying the calming red glow coming off of it. A ticklish warmth filled ManeFrame, causing her to giggle. She shifted around and held the rather beautiful ornament up in the sky to get a better look at it. The glow brightened. ManeFrame’s eyes widened and she turned around. The glow of the gem diminished but it did not disappear. “What are you doing?” inquired Jade as he walked over to her. He had his helmet off, drinking from his canteen of water. “Look! It’s glowing brighter whenever I point it in this direction. I… I think this necklace is telling us where to go!” ManeFrame got up and ran towards a seemingly random direction. “Come on, this way!” “Wait!” cried Jade, but it was too late. Cursing under his breath, he put on his helmet again and followed her into the under bush, muttering to himself. “Where in Tartarus are you going, ManeFrame?” ManeFrame ignored him as she went ploughed onwards, ignoring the occasional trips as she tumbled over large rocks or tough clumps of half-frozen vegetation. Her only focus was the on the pulsating glow of the necklace. At last, she stumbled through a wall of solid looking vines, almost getting tangled within them. The plantation opened up to reveal a clearing. A slow breeze brushed against her as ManeFrame stood silently, her necklace no longer flashing like a beacon, only glowing faintly against her chestplate. “ManeFrame, dammit! You can’t just run off without warning.” Jade staggered next to her, trying to regain his breath as he sat down on his hump. “There’s a castle.” The way ManeFrame had spoken was akin to a statement, which led to Jade determining that perhaps ManeFrame had finally broken down, and that her defective nature reached its inevitable conclusion: obsoleteness. Of course, being in the exhausted state as he, he put it in a much more straightforward manner. “What? No, you can’t just have a random castle pop out of no…” said Jade, He looked up and saw what ManeFrame had been pointing at. “No way…” Ahead of them, there was a large clearing. An enormous castle ruin sat on the opposite side of a giant ravine, two rotted wooden snubs on either side the only remains left of a possible rope bridge that existed long ago. A thin mist clung to the bottom of the ravine, all but obscuring what was hidden beneath them. The walls of the ravine were steep and scarred, as if something large and powerful tore into it. From ManeFrame’s sensors, it must’ve happened over a millennium ago. The castle, however, was another story. The roof and walls had completely collapsed in some places, with crystalline plants overgrowing multiple patches of ancient stonework. Slender cracks in the masonry had snaked down from the highest peaks to the lowest bricks, some spread wide. What were evidently added later, though, were the metal barricades that ringed the castle and mortar craters that dotted the outside of the castle. Of the twin towers of the castle, only one was left standing, the other having completely buckled and had fallen into the ravine, its base protruding from a sea of white greys. ManeFrame closed her eyes. She could feel the history of this ruin, and almost felt connected to it in some way. “How did we not see that? This building must be twenty meters high!” exclaimed Jade, inching over next to the wooden snubs. “We should rest in there for now and try to get up to a high vantage point.” ManeFrame nodded and peered down into the ravine. It was shallower than what she had expected, and a set of steps led down to the bottom. ManeFrame decided not to risk it, however. “I’m going to have to fly you over,” she said, causing Jade to give a small grimace. ManeFrame rolled her eyes. “I’ve flown you worse through much longer distances, and while you’re unconscious at that,” replied ManeFrame. “I’d rather be unconscious for this,” he muttered, though quickly backtracking when he saw the unspoken question upon ManeFrame’s features. “Nope, nope, I’m fine retaining my consciousness, thank you very much.” “Alright, you said it!” she said with a big grin before taking a running start. Jade didn’t have a chance to react before he was plucked off the ground within her forehooves. Her hind hooves, meanwhile propelled them forwards. “What are you- ARGHN WALL!” screamed Jade. ManeFrame was laughing as she easily dodged the ravine wall opposite of them, doing a small twirl in the air. “Don’t. Ever. Do that again,” managed Jade as he collapsed onto the ground. “No promises,” said ManeFrame, smirking. With a groan, Jade picked himself up and trotted over to the entrance of the castle. He jumped back suddenly when the door easily fell apart as he tried to push them open. The previously wooden door had been mummified into frozen pieces by the frostbite-inducing cold. The scene inside the castle ruin was awe-inspiring yet tragic, further reinforcing its past glory and modern decrepitness. The barbed barricades from outside had made their way inside as well. The enormous halls beyond the entrance gates were scarred, and whole chunks of its walls had crumbled completely. Two, rotten banners hung solemnly from the sky railings, their silk tattered. Despite the damage, ManeFrame could make out a symbol of the sun and a symbol of the moon on the two flags. “Jade, look at the flags. Does this mean the castle belonged to the Sun and Moon princess?” asked ManeFrame, wonder in her voice. Jade shrugged nonchalantly. “It wouldn’t have been. Their castle was situated in Canterlot. Besides, they ruled much of the mainland, so the banners could just be something made as a tribute to them.” Undeterred, ManeFrame continued to explore the smaller hallways. Some held delightful treasures; old armour of dark purple that reminded ManeFrame of herself while others had long passages lined with hoof like torches. At one point, they had even came across a peculiar organ room, though multiple pipes had snapped off and crashed into the knobs and pedals, making it unusable. More than once, she heard Jade mutter, “This place gives me the creeps.” When confronted, though, he only replied that she must’ve heard him wrong. With a heave, Jade pushed the double door open. Rows upon rows of bookshelves greeted them, each towering up to a dozen meters tall dominated a great open space. The ceiling looked as if it had port lights from the missing holes. Beautiful swirls of intricate patterns were carved into the ancient timber that made up the book shelves. “Whoa… there must be over thousands of books in here,” breathed ManeFrame, utterly transfixed at the library while she pushed past Jade. She was disappointed when she saw that most of the tomes themselves were too damaged from weather and natural erosion to be read. Words melted together into indecipherable messes that made ManeFrame’s head hurt even to just think about. In the center, though, a single, brazened pedestal of solid gold stood firm, miraculously free from the battered state shared by its surroundings. When ManeFrame approached it, though, there was nothing to be found on the stand itself. Only the slight imprint of a book on the heavy coating of dust even hinted that there was a book here. “I’m going to go ahead and look around,” announced Jade. A slightly muffled “go ahead” was heard from ManeFrame, having already wandered off into the expansive library. ManeFrame leaned against the pedestal to just enjoy the smell of dust and old paper. However, upon touching its sides, an opening appeared and a dusty tome fell out. Her curiosity piqued, she picked up the tome and walked over to one of the large loose stones on the ground. Well, there’s nothing else to read, thought ManeFrame, shrugging as she begun to read the discovered text. “The Elements of Harmony, a new reference guide. Huh, weird title. Wonder what happened to the old one. Foreword: The Elements of Harmony were a set of powerful magical artifacts known to ponykind, and had seen common usage throughout the Discordian Era as well as during and immediately after the return of Nightmare Moon. There are currently six known Elements of Harmony. (While experts say that a seventh might exist, not enough evidence has been found to corroborate these claims.) These are known as: Benevolence, Mirth, Generosity, Loyalty, Veracity and… Arcane. Together, they are judge, jury and executioner. However, there hasn’t been a single recorded case of violence or death caused by the Elements, only reformation or imprisonment. “It is unknown how the Elements were first found and the subsequent bonding of each element. For security reasons, a picture of the Elements in their present states is not shown. However, the previous forms are shown here.” ManeFrame paused in reading and looked down at the provided image, its colors having already faded with time. In the picture were five stone globes lying on the ground next to each other. ManeFrame frowned and glanced at her own apple shaped necklace. Well, I don’t suppose you had once looked like one of them? she thought playfully. “For over a millennium, the Elements of Harmony were secretly hidden in the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. However, upon the successful retrieval by their current wielders, the Elements are now transferred either to the wielders’ persons or...the high security vaults in Canterlot.” At this, ManeFrame stopped reading. Her database held little information on the site, other than the fact that it was secretive even to many Imperial intelligences. If an element was kept there… ManeFrame glanced over the rest of the foreword and introduction, her mind only partially keeping track of the various feats performed by the Elements. Most of the names and their significance were lost on ManeFrame anyways, such as Discord, Sombra and Chrysalis. However, the last line of the section caught her attention. “The majority of the Elements were scattered when their wielders passed on. However, the last known location of the Element of Arcane was at the Siege of Manehattan, where it was lost along with Princess Twilight Sparkle’s entire garrison, herself included.” Twilight Sparkle, why does that name sound so familiar? thought ManeFrame. She searched through her files on this princess, but came away with nothing. Perhaps she was a descendant of the Sun and Moon princess? As she mulled over the idea, a voice pierced through the silence. “ManeFrame, where are you?” shouted Jade, knocking ManeFrame out of her trance. She grabbed some nearby vines and used it to strap the thick tome onto her back. “I’m here!” ManeFrame shouted back. Several echoing hoofsteps later, Jade appeared around the bookshelf. He gave her a questioning look when he saw the book, but didn’t comment on it. “I went up the tower and took a look. I think I know the direction we’re supposed to be heading towards,” he said. “We should move now and get a good head start before dark fully sets in.” ManeFrame hesitantly looked at the huge library around her. She gazed at the shelves upon shelves of lost texts, all just itching for her to rediscover and document. She realized that she had somehow discovered a passion for knowledge. She wanted to find more on the Elements of Harmony. Passion… Was it even possible? Silly ManeFrame, of course it is. After all, it couldn’t have been… reprogrammed into her… right? Jade patiently waited for ManeFrame to responded, taking a seat next to her. Eventually, she turned back to Jade and gave him a reluctant nod. “Right,” said ManeFrame with a tight smile, putting both the book and the necklace into her saddlebags. “Let’s go then.” Jade was eating slowly. ManeFrame felt another bout of irritation sprouting within her. “Listen, we can’t get out of this forest if we don’t know where we are going. I need to fly above the treetops.” said ManeFrame, her beautiful bronze wings giving a few pseudo flaps in impatience. “We’ve been here for days already.” Jade stopped eating, swallowing the last of his berries before talking. “And if we get spotted by a Glider how would that help with this?” he asked. “At least we’ll know where we are,” said ManeFrame. She grabbed another block of ice and activated her hoof thrusters next to it to melt the ice. After filling up the canteen with water, she checked her fuel supplies. A frown graced her face and she glanced at Jade worriedly. While her construct body itself didn’t need fuel to function and survive, her thrusters definitely did. It was already starting to run low. “Five minutes,” Jade finally said with a sigh. It took a moment before ManeFrame realized what he meant, and when she did a large smile appeared on her face. “No lingering. Just go up, take a look, and get back down. Promise me that.” “Fine, I’ll come down as soon as I take a look,” she whispered before activating her hoof thrusters. The ice and snow below disappeared in a small explosion of water vapors as she launched herself upwards. The size of the forest was much larger than what her mapper had described. The horizon of pale luminescent blue and green seemed to stretch for dozens of kilometers. ManeFrame zoned in with her long ranged cameras, and her eyes bugged upon seeing the distance to the nearest forest edge. That’s… almost five days of walking! How did we manage to go this far into the forest! ManeFrame was tempted to fly higher to see further into the distance. Mirages were also not unheard of, and the forest was quite literally made of glass-like materials. Still, a promise was a promise. With one last dejected glance, she noted the direction and angled her wings to glide downwards. “Jade?” “Shhh, we’re not alone,” whispered Jade. “Timberwolves again?” “No. Ponies this time.” “Ponies?” asked ManeFrame, alarmed. Her mind immediately flashed back to the Ponyville gang she had come across. She hadn’t told Jade about it. Perhaps they were coming looking for revenge. ManeFrame shook her head to dispel the thought. Focus! The air stilled, and ManeFrame and Jade had stopped moving. Their pursuer was absolutely silent. However, one thing they failed to account was ManeFrame’s ability to account for specific motion. Especially since her systems were designed to prevent her from being ambushed by resistance ponies. As sneaky as they were, they were far from the Timberwolves earlier, and also lacked the advantage of literally being part of the forest. ManeFrame snapped her head left, maneuvering her body to narrowly miss a darkened silhouette of a pony. A swift motion saw her combat shotgun unsheathed. It was anticipated by their attackers, though, and was batted away by a surprise crossbow bolt. Beside her, Jade was tackled by a large, brutish earth pony. His helmet flew off as one of the earth pony’s hooves slammed into his head. Snarling in pain and anger, Jade leapt on top of the earth pony. A split second later, he was slammed bodily into the ground, a groan escaping him as he struggled to rise. ManeFrame winced at the sight, but she didn’t have the leisure of time as she detected another pony sneaking up on her. She left her weapon lying on the ground and instead jumped into the air. She aimed herself towards the pony attacking. While focusing on the earth pony, she had forgotten about the second pony who had shot at her. A single fast travelling bolt slammed into her shoulder plate. A second later, she fell towards the ground, arcs of electricity shorting out her internal circuits. A slim pegasus jumped out of a nearby tree, gliding gracefully as she landed next to ManeFrame and bounded her. “Urgh, I will end you,” cursed Jade, breathing heavily even as he was pushed face first onto the ground. A moment later, he too was restrained in what appeared to be thick, rope-like bindings. It evidently wasn’t rope, though, as ManeFrame couldn’t overpower it no matter how hard her mechanical pistons worked. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” grunted the large earth pony, a stallion now that ManeFrame saw him up close. “That stuff conducts electricity.” ManeFrame stopped her struggles immediately, her ears involuntarily laid flat against the side of her head. Her eyes, however, had not stopped analyzing their captors. Both were ponies, one a slim pegasus mare with a khaki coat while the other was a bulky earth pony stallion with an obsidian coat. A scabbard was by each pony’s sides, and a coldsteel long sword lay embedded within it. She also had a metal crossbow, likely the one that shot the electrocution bolt at her. The stallion, on the other hoof, wore heavy iron cast metal hoof stompers. From the fact that Jade had bruises instead of broken bones after tangling with him meant that they wanted them in mostly one piece. “What are we going to do with you two stragglers?” asked the stallion, his face looking as if it had never smiled in its existence. “You can both go and eat a piece of shit,” snapped Jade, though he gave a pained wheeze shortly after. He strained against his restraints.. “And free us while you’re at it.” The earth pony stared at him before giving himself a nod. “I was planning to ask chief what to do with you two, but I think I’ll start the interrogation early this time,” said the stallion. ManeFrame honestly didn’t know whether he was actually offended or was following some other, unmentioned rule. Before he could do anything, the pegasus mare held up a hoof to stop him. “Wait, I recognize that armour. You’re with the rebellion, aren’t you?” asked the small, lithe mare, curiously walking around the bound stallion. Her piercing gaze locked onto Jade’s, who held his own. A word seemed to roll out from her mouth, “Infantry.” “You seem to be confident with your answer. To whom are your loyalties aligned to?” he examined, calmly observing their captors. ManeFrame’s own panic died down, and she stayed silent, letting Jade deal with the conversation. “If you were with the Empire or aligned with raiders, you would have either killed us or at least knocked us out.” “The Agency,” grunted out the burly stallion, before narrowing his eyes at ManeFrame, her magical vortex almost freezing stopping cold at the sheer killer intent in his gaze. “You said ‘us’, do you mean this Imperial grunt?” A small bead of sweat formed on Jade. He glanced over at ManeFrame, indecision clear in his eyes. All he had to do was say that she was not afflicted with him, or worse, had captured him. Even her armour could not withstand multiple slashes of Rebellion coldsteel in her already vulnerable state. Finally, he broke her gaze after what felt like minutes, though likely no more than a single second. “Yes,” said Jade, but quickly kept talking as he saw the two ponies reach for their coldsteel swords. “Wait, she isn’t just an Imperial grunt.” “She?” asked the stallion. “Yes… she’s a... a rogue.” said Jade. The duo burst out laughing. “Rogue? You’re pulling my hoof, right?” asked the mare, still chuckling. “Dead serious,” replied Jade, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. All traces of humor were wiped clean of their muzzles as the two stared him down. A few tense seconds had passed when the pegasus backed off, shortly followed by her partner. “That… does explain a few things,” muttered the pegasus mare, giving her partner a meaningful glance. Her partner shrugged off the look and focused on Jade. “You said you are part of the Rebellion, do you have a rank?” “I’m part of the Equestrian proper, twenty-sixth Division, Captain Jade Grayling,” said Jade, his steely gaze silently clashing against the earth pony stallion’s equally unyielding eyes. Suddenly, the stallion broke eye contact and brandished his sword, gripping it firmly in his mouth. Jade’s eyes widened and he flinched as the blade came down. The bindings came slack as it was sliced neatly down the center. Beside him, ManeFrame was receiving the same treatment from the pegasus mare. “You’re letting us go?” probed Grayling, working his hooves to get the kinks out. “No, but you’re no longer a prisoner,” answered the mare before giving him a sharp smile. “We’ll need to validate your claims, of course. If we think anything is too fishy we won’t hesitate to end you.” ManeFrame shuddered. They didn’t even try to be subtle with that threat. She shook her head and tried to focus on other thoughts. “Wait, I never caught your names,” asked ManeFrame, drawing attention to herself. The ponies she directed her question to looked surprised for a second, but it was gone as soon as she had seen it. “My name is Sanguine, and this is Bloodlust,” said the stallion, pointing at himself and his partner respectively. “What’s yours, if you still remember it?” “Um… I call myself ManeFrame now,” said ManeFrame meekly. “Cheery names,” stated Jade flatly as he turned towards their former captors. “So what happens afterwards?” “You two want to get back to resistance territory as soon as possible, right? We know the fastest and safest way out of the forest. Our chief also wants to see her,” said Bloodlust, pointing a hoof at ManeFrame as she hovered parallel to the ground bound ponies. “Me?” spluttered ManeFrame, spine straight with wide eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t know why before, but now it makes sense. Is it really so bizarre that the Agency would want their hooves on the most reliable informant on the Empire in decades? A rogue at that, too. If you can tell us how you managed to get free, well… the possibilities are endless!” ManeFrame exchanged worried glances with Jade, the interaction missed by their excited ex-captors. Jade’s improvised plan to hide ManeFrame’s ‘Defect’ status could rapidly backfire if this ‘meeting’ proceeded. I seriously doubt that I can force these ponies onto the brink of death and save them in order to convince them of my genuine intentions, thought ManeFrame. Jade’s expression suddenly went blank, and his mouth became slightly agape. “The agency…” trailed off Jade. “You’re the Equestrian Intelligence Agency?!” “Allegedly,” said Sanguine with a knowing smirk. He turned to ManeFrame with a proud smile. “We supply the big heads in the rebellion with most of their Intel; where and when to strike, Imperial war camps, Behemoth factories, etc. But of course, you already know that.” “Yes, of course…” said ManeFrame, her metallic voice doing a good job at masking her confusion. Her eyes caught Jade’s, who was staring at her, as if trying to say “betray us and we both die. Don’t screw this up”. A giggle from the pegasus mare drew her attention back to their former captors. “I almost forgot. You also get meet her for the first time,” said Bloodlust, giving ManeFrame a mischievous grin. “That would be an experience unto itself. I know it was for me when I met her.” “Her?” “Yep, San and I know her as chief, the founder of the intelligence. But you two…” she trailed off, giving both Jade and ManeFrame a devious grin. “You can call her Miss Rarity.”