//------------------------------//
// IX - Surrounded by Secrets 
// Story: Stranger Magics 
// by GMBlackjack 
//------------------------------//

Inside one of the base's buildings, there was a table.

On either side of the table was a pony.

On the far side was Sunset Shimmer, her front legs on the table, her hooves pressed together, her eyes narrowed and contemplative.

On the near side was Surprise - her wings and legs tied up with neon blue anti-magic ropes. Even without her powerful wings, she still managed to communicate her power with her deep, intense eyes that locked with Sunset's own. 

Neither blinked for the longest time. 

"...You know..." Sunset spoke first. "It didn't have to be this way"

Sunset didn't move an inch.

"You were doing good work here - work that, may I remind you, you volunteered for. We were on the verge of a breakthrough and you would have made history. The world would always remember us. But now...? Look where we are. We didn't trust each other, and it's all falling apart."

Surprise twitched visibly, a slight scowl forming on her face.

"All I did was for your own good."

"She's gone," Surprise blurted. 

"Yes. She is. She was getting in the way. It had to be done."

Surprise refused to dignify that with a response. 

"You can come back, you know. I'll take you back in. We can still search for the secret. Solve the mysteries of magic itself." Sunset paused. "...We could even give you more free time once this whole Geist thing is taken care of."

Surprise's glare didn't falter.

"Surprise..." Sunset said. "You won't get anything for defiance. You'll just be locked up. You can't pull out now, it's too far along. I will use you, willingly or not."

"Not," Surprise said. 

"Can't you see it's in both our best interests to work as one? To be a team again? There is a monster out there - one we are responsible for!"

"You."

Sunset bristled. "You aren't blameless. I only went there because you stopped cooperating."

"You took her."

"Years ago! You should have gotten over it!" 

"Over my daughter!?"

"You barely even knew her! How can that thing that had barely stopped being a fetus hold such control over you?"

Surprise screamed, trying to unfold her wings and failing. This did not stop the scream of utter rage.

Sunset slapped her. "You're a grown mare!"

Surprise growled. "...Hypocrite."

"You'd do best not to enrage me further."

Surprise stuck her tongue out. Making Sunset mad was exactly what she wanted.

Sunset knew this, and it just grated against her further. "Why can't you see? This is only going to give you living Tartarus!"

"Serving you was living Tartarus."

This gave Sunset pause, doubt crossing her face for a second. She shook her head - banishing the line of thought. "Fine then. We're enemies. It... It saddens me, but that's that." She folded her front legs again. "Cooperate or I start hurting ponies."

"You'll hurt them anyway."

Sunset frowned - she preferred a quiet Surprise by a long shot. "They'll be set free and left alone. You have my word."

Surprise shook her head. Sunset's scowl deepened. This pegasus really didn't believe her. But it wasn't like Sunset was lying now - she had meant every word she said since the start of this conversation! They would be let go. They had so little use to her, so long as they all agreed not to go running to Celestia...

Sunset leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips. "I guess I'll make them disappear then, to be fair. You'll never know what happened to them. They'll just be gone without a trace, leaving their close ones to suffer for eternity. Do you want that? Do you want to consign dozens of ponies to that torment? Cause you sure seem to hate it!"

Surprise cracked. "Me? Stop you from doing something horrible? Ha! Like I could! You're just psychotic and evil. Nothing I do is going to change that! Go ahead, I'll rest easy knowing I screwed you over like you screwed so many others in your filthy time on this planet!"

Sunset launched a fireball at her, launching the pegasus through the door and out into the base proper. "Agent! take her back to her cell! Now!" 

Bon Bon did as was asked. She carted a giggling Surprise away quickly, leaving Sunset alone

The fiery unicorn sighed, looking at her own reflection in the window. Gone was the powerful mare she'd been barely a week ago - or even just a moment ago. In her place was a frantic mess who was unable to clean up her own mess. Make one hard call, a friend condemns you forever. Make one mistake, you might doom the world. You're cursed, Sunset. Her eyes were tired, her mane was mangy, her coat was dirty... it was all finally taking its toll on her. 

She should never have let Surprise ever hold that kid. That was where everything started going downhill. The white pegasus had gone from happy with her place in the world to dissatisfied and defiant because of that one variable... Sunset didn't understand. She couldn't understand. That filly hadn't even been named. How had it caused all this!?

Bon Bon returned to the room. "Sunset?"

Sunset put on her commanding face. "Yes?"

"What now?"

"We question the others. Then..." she sighed. "If we can't think of anything, we're done."

"You don't think Surprise will help with the Geist?"

"...I think she'll do that - she hates it just like us - but... beyond that, nothing. Which means all our work is next to useless."

Bon Bon nodded. "I'm sorry."

Sunset's ears twitched. "I'm not admitting defeat this easily - bring me the other prisoners one at a time. After that, go find Granny Smith. She's formed a connection with Surprise. It's ripe to be exploited..." She smirked. "Yes... Yes, I'm not done yet, universe! I'll show you yet!"

Bon Bon looked at her boss with concern. 

"Just see to it. It's time to fight."

Bon Bon obliged, leaving to grab the others.


~~~


Rarity was dumped unceremoniously into a chair in front of Sunset. Sunset grinned the grin that only a pony who had gone slightly mad could manage. "Hello, little Rarity."

"Hello, baconface," Rarity snarked. 

"Right to the insults I see? Predictable bratty child."

Rarity narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

"So, you're the last one I need to talk to. Isn't that an honor? Roseluck wouldn't crack, that Tree Hugger never said anything that made sense, and Derpy just wouldn't stop crying. Seems you're all convinced I'm the bad guy. I'm not, you know. I'm trying to make Equestria a better place. I'm trying to stop this mess."

Rarity huffed. "Don't care."

"I should have expected as much from a child," Sunset shrugged. "Oh well. Let's just start from the top shall we? What were you doing in that cell?"

"Praying to the Geist not to eat us."

"Wrong. You were contacting the Doctor through a ritual," Sunset said. "I'm not clueless - I got that much."

"Want a medal?"

"Oh, that'd be nice, wouldn't it? A medal for little mean Sunset. Wouldn't that be fun."

"...I think you're losing it."

"You've seen the patterns too," Sunset said. "You know."

Rarity blinked. She felt it too. "...What's it feel like?"

"I can see the entire world but I know not what to make of it. I know I 'm close to understanding everything around me, but I cannot complete the puzzle. I am so close! I have the resources, the minds, the power! I just need a little more!" 

Rarity grinned. "That's it exactly! You could use that portal!"

"What portal?" Sunset asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, the one-" Rarity slapped her hooves over her mouth, whimpering.

Sunset smirked. "I suppose I'll answer the question for you. It's the portal at the Tree of Harmony - the one I created when Surprise had crossed the last line. The one that told the Geist how to get here. The one the Doctor and his friends escaped into. Apparently, it's perfectly safe. You were successful in contacting him."

Rarity refused to say anything. 

"Afraid of telling me some more information? Letting something slip? Rarity, what would I do to you with such information? After the Geist is dealt with I will just let you all go. The only reason you're here now is because you might have something that can help. Can you think of anything?" Sunset looked at her with pleading eyes.

Rarity shook her head. 

"Please, Rarity. I'm just trying to fix my mistake."

Rarity paused, looking sunset in the eyes. She still saw the mare driven to absurd methods by herself, but she also saw the tired and broken unicorn behind that. A pony that was probably on the verge of just throwing themselves into that magic portal regardless of any possible consequences. 

Somepony like Rarity herself.

Rarity sighed. "Okay... They found Aloe. She's safe. Golden's in the Geist. Applejack's still missing. He specifically didn't tell me much, he knew you were going to question me."

"That's fine - his problem," Sunset said. "Anything else? Anything at all?"

She frowned. "...The cycles that make up the Geist are connection cycles. Or combining. Some magic of that kind."

Sunset's eyes widened. "...There's something I didn't know."

"Can you use it to stop it?"

"...I don't think so..." She rammed her head into the table. "Why doesn't anything work!?"

"You okay...?"

"No! I'm not okay! You can't tell me anything! Nothing useful from any of you! I can't use the Doctor's toys, I can't stop the Geist, it's all ruined because you can't think of anything!"

"I... I'm sorry..." Rarity thought very hard, thinking back. "Uh... I didn't get a good look but... Vinyl might have done something to it...?"

"What?"

"I don't know!"

"Come on! Remember!"

"I can't!"

"Are you going to leave me like this!?"

"Me? No I-" Rarity stopped in her tracks as she realized something. "Hey! I know this trick!" 

Sunset blinked. "What."

"Take pity on me oh woe is me help me!" she growled. "Get over yourself."

Sunset leaned back - and smiled sinisterly. "Well, I guess I tried. Tried to be reasonable. Tried to get information and help legitimately. I always try that first - it's... a much better method. But you're all so convinced I'm the bad guy. Fine then." She slammed her hoof on the table, cracking it in half. "Time to fill my role."

She grabbed Rarity with her magic, squeezing her hard enough to prompt tears. She tore the door off its hinges and charged outside, drawing the attention of all the soldiers and scientists. She marched right to the holding cell, opening the door considerably more delicately than the previous one. She tossed Rarity back in, knocking her head against a back wall. "So! Here's the deal, prisoners! I'm getting desperate. I'm beginning to suspect you all have nothing useful to offer me - but you know what? I don't care! I'm done! Screw this, screw you. Surprise? You're now Geist-bait. Roseulck? I'm charging you with trespassing and treason. And as for you three kids, you'll go free. But you'll be sent far, far away from Ponyville, out of Equestria, so you'll never see your families again! And you know the best part? I can do all this without retribution! It'll all be legal! Just exploit the foster care system - it isn't hard. We'll find Granny as well - charge her with something - and then you're all done! All of you! You'll wish the Geist took you to that magical Realm! I certainly won't stop it if it comes to get you!" 

"You monster!" Roseluck shouted.

Sunset sighed. "Sure. Fine. I'm the monster. You pushed me to this though. Until now, everything I did had a purpose. But nopony cooperated, and now we have this huge mess! So I'm done trying. My life is ruined, so is yours. Deal with it." She slammed the door shut, leaving the five of them alone in the cell.

Rarity trembled. "She... She's serious, isn't she?"

"There's... No way she can do all those things, right Rose?" Derpy asked.

Roseluck refused to respond.

Rarity gulped- she couldn't help feeling like this was her fault. Again. 


~~~


The Doctor was leading the group of pony essences through the Thaumic Fabric, searching through the Everfree Forest for Grany's group. his vision had become completely adjusted to the Thaumic Fabric at this point; he could make out trees, manitcores, poison joke - and even insects if they were moving. The details were still muddled by the spirals. He doubted he could figure out what anypony was saying like this. But that probably wouldn't matter - what he had was enough. All they needed to do was find Applejack. 

They were moving in relative silence - occasionally Cheerilee and Aloe would whisper to each other and Berry would ask the Doctor a question, but otherwise they moved in silence. They ignored the scenery - they just searched, searched, and searched. They'd covered most of the area Granny could be already. 

"They're probably at the base by now," Berry said. The Doctor realized she was probably right - so he changed direction to the base without so much as a word. Aloe and Cheerilee followed suit. 

The Doctor took a moment to reflect - here he was in the Thaumic Fabric with two beginners and a mare who'd been here far too long, trying to rescue a filly from a monster beyond anypony's comprehension. It was baffling to him - how could such a thing come to exist within the Thaumic Fabric? What was it? It sure didn't seem material... Magic needed something in the real world to be attached to, the only exception were things that had physically entered the Thaumic Fabric from somewhere else, like himself. What did it mean?

His ponderances didn't make it far - a spark appeared on the edge of his senses. "Hey!" he called. 

The spark let out a voice wave. "Huh?" The unsure voice of Applejack came to his ears - soft, shaky, and scared. "...Doctor?"

"Yeah... It's me. Cheerilee, Berry, and Aloe as well."

"Hey!" Berry called. "You feeling okay?"

Applejack made a sniffing sound. "...Granny's ignoring me. I keep calling... Poking... Flashing... Nothing..."

The Doctor looked on ahead - he saw the essences of Granny, Big Mac, and Vinyl standing at the edge of the base's clearing, examining the ponies within closely. Applejack poked Vinyl's horn again, making its magics surge - but none of the three ponies looked at it. "What's wrong?"

Aloe floated in. "...They see it. They just don't know it's you."

"But why not?" Applejack cried. "I'm right here! I'm me!"

"Not right now you're not," Aloe said, monotone. "You're a spark of magic, l like us. We're not ourselves. Not even ponies."

Applejack made crying sounds from her spark. 

Cheerilee flashed. "...How's she doing that?"

"Thinking tear sounds," Aloe said. "Crying on the inside, as it were."

"It - it's not funny!" Applejack blurted.

"...I'm not laughing."

Applejack fell silent, letting out the occasional sob. "I just want to be with them..."

"We can take you home!" Berry said, grinning. "We have a portal! it's actually somewhat close by!"

"Really?"

"Really," Cheerilee confirmed.

"Let's go now," Applejack said."Ah... Ah need Granny."

"We should check in on Surprise first," the Doctor said. "She'll be in... That building there. I can see her. Easily."

Surprise's signature in the Thaumic Fabric was unlike anything any of them had seen. She was as bright as a unicorn in all parts of her body. She seemed to flicker like the forms of the Doctor and company, giving her the impression of being both in the Fabric and the real world. The cycles of magic around her stretched with every breath she took, letting the Fabric know she was in charge. 

The Doctor approached her. "Amazing... I wonder if this is what Celestia's shadow looks like..."

"Huh?" Surprise said - in a voice the Doctor could hear. 

"...Surprise? Can you hear me?"

"Yes! - I hear the Doctor," she said, her spark sending out bolts of speech into the Thaumic Fabric. 

"Amazing..." the Doctor said. "You're attached to the Thaumic Fabric somehow. I don't think anypony even knew! This explains so much! Surprise - can you see the patterns? The... Things I'm moving?"

"Yes," she admitted. "Only after I saw the Geist."

"So, you connected to it somehow. Or it just let you realize something in yourself... Yes..." He would have grinned if he was able. "She can close that portal!"

"What? Why'd you do that?" Applejack yelled.

"After we get back," the Doctor hastily said. "She can close it and stop any other 'Geists' from showing up. Part of the problem - solved!"

"Shush, trying to listen to the Doctor," Surprise chided somepony they couldn't hear.

"Right, right..." the Doctor shook his head. "We need to get you out of there, Surprise. We need to get you to the portal so no more ponies will be drawn to its mind-tearing grasp!"

"Right," Surprise said.

"How do we get her out?" Berry asked. "She's a super-pegasus! What can we do?"

"Granny, Mac, and Vinyl are making plans over there," Aloe said. "They aren't very good ones."

"Well then we'll just give them some assistance..." the Doctor grinned. "Applejack, do you mind waiting a bit before going home?"

"Ah... Ah think Ah can wait. And help. what do you need, Doc?"

"This is a top-secret military-science installation. There are going to be a lot of magical devices laying around. Unstable magical devices. So..." he smirked. "It's time to go haunting!"


~~~


Granny looked at Big Mac - then Vinyl. "You got the plan?"

"Eeyep!" Big Mac affirmed. Vinyl just nodded with a determined expression. 

"Good. Before we do it - Ah want y'all to know how proud Ah am of both of you for comin' this far. Big Mac, you're makin' the whole Apple family proud. Vinyl, you had no reason to come help us at all, but you've stuck with us through this whole mess. You're a good kid - better than most adults!"

Vinyl smiled coyly. 

"Now... We're gonna bust Surprise out and teach this dump a lesson or two. Then we're going to find Applejack and tell Celestia what her student's up to with all the evidence we can get! We're takin' this place down!"

"Yeah!" Big Mac cheered.

"Vinyl, you're up girl. Do your thing."

Vinyl lit her horn - creating a light that looked awfully similar to an Everfree Light. She sent it into the camp, followed by another magic light, and another. The lights drifted lazily into the camp, catching the eye of many ponies. The effect was instant - they began to panic. They glanced back and forth between what they were doing and the "Lights", but besides a few picking up weapons and taking up positions, the rest went about their work. It just put them on edge. Apparently, Everfree Lights didn't always mean Geist here.

"That's not distractin' them very well..." Big Mac said, frowning. "It seems to be makin' them more watchful if anythin'."

Granny scowled. "Can you agitate the lights Vinyl?"

Vinyl shook her head. She created a new one of a higher energy level, but couldn't alter it after it was created.

Big Mac facehooved. "We need a new distraction."

"We don't have one," Granny muttered. "We're just goin' to have to charge in..."

At that point, one of the laboratories exploded in a cloud of rainbow energy. The deactivated crystals on the opposite side of the clearing began flashing like mad and the horns of many unicorns started blinking rapidly. Chaos broke out - ponies ran around, trying to deal with the malfunctioning magic equipment, only to get a tingle in their wings or a flash in their horn. The earth pony workers were fine - but were scared by the panicked scrambling of the others. A laboratory window blew out, spewing red smoke into the sky.

"...What in Equestria...?" Big Mac said. 

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Granny said. The three of them ran as one - making a beeline right for the prison building. Nopony paid them any mind - there was too much magical exploding chaos. 

That is, nopony but Bon Bon. She launched at them from the side, tackling Vinyl to the ground. "Nice trick," she said. "But your Everfree Lights leave a trail."

Vinyl shot Bon Bon with a blast of blue magic. Bon Bon shifted to the side, dodging the bolt and kicking Vinyl right under the horn, stopping the magic flow to and from her brain. Vinyl froze in panic - she had never felt this before. 

Granny and Big Mac continued running for the holding cell, ready to bust in the back wall - only thirty yards away. Bon Bon didn't waste time - she bounded after them, her extremely agile body making her much, much faster. She grabbed Granny's back legs and with a twist dislocated the limb from the old mare's hip. Granny fell to the ground with a howl of pain. 

Big Mac kept running, eyes on the target. Fifteen yards. He knew Bon Bon was right behind him and that she'd have him subdued the moment she touched him. All she needed was one touch and she was in control - to make this all for nothing. All he needed to do was ensure he crashed into that wall... For Applejack. 

His sister was lost somewhere with some horrible creature because of these ponies. And this particular mare had already made a fool of him - twice. He couldn't let that happen again - nopony made a fool of Big Macintosh three times. He heard her hooves hit the dirt behind him - light, agile, and precise. he knew she was going for his back legs, just like she'd gone for Granny's. She'd yank it out of his pelvis and he'd fall to the ground...

Unless he performed the most perfect buck in pony history.

He leaped into the air slightly, just enough to land forcefully on his front hooves. Pushing off the ground with all his might, he extended his back legs in the way he would if he were trying to fell a dead tree. Bon Bon had some time to react - enough to cover her face with her front legs, but not enough to get out of the way. Big Mac's back hooves made contact with her hastily arranged front limbs, pressing them into her face. She was sent flying backwards, end over end, landing on her rear in the dirt. 

She got back up and continued pursuit immediately - but it was too late. Big Mac took four more bounds and crashed into the back wall with all his power. A properly constructed structure would have resisted his power, but this wall had been hastily slapped together only a few days prior. It wasn't soft, but it crumbled away from the impressive force big Mac brought to bear. He flopped into the cell, laying next to Surprise. "...Ow..."

Surprise wasted no time - she flew out of the opening and glared at Bon Bon. The agent stopped her advance instantly. The two stared at each other.

Bon Bon sighed. "You don't have to do this, Surprise."

"Yeah, she does!" Granny shouted. "Teach 'em all a lesson! get 'em to find Applejack!"

"The Doctor already found her!" Roseluck yelled. "She's fine!"

"Oh thank Celestia... Surprise. These ponies still need to pay."

Rarity called out of the cell. "I... No! They don't! They're trying to fix their mistakes!"

"They need to pay for their mistakes!" Granny shouted. "Give it to her Surprise! Do it!" 

Surprise took one look at Bon Bon - then once to Granny, then once to Rarity. She blinked, power surging through her wings...

She pointed a wing at Bon Bon and launched her deep into the Everfree Forest. With the next wing she turned the rest of the cell to rubble. She rose into the air - staring down at all the ponies beneath her, watching them panic at the flashing magics and Everfree Lights. She raised a wing, destroying another building. The scientists began to flee and the soldiers turned on her, tossing spears at her and firing off lasers. She deflected them all with a magic shield. 

Sunset made no appearance to challenge her. Surprise had free reign to do whatever she wished. Nopony could stop her. There might as well not have been an opposing force.

Rarity gulped. Ponies were getting hurt all around - she couldn't watch. She told herself she should just be happy she was free. She shouldn't worry a bit about what was happening to the bad ponies...

Ponies who just made some mistakes...

Next to Granny, BIg Mac shook his head. "Granny... This is wrong. We... Ah didn't think it needed to come to this."

Granny snorted. "She's not killin' them, they're fine. These ponies destroyed Surprise's life, experimented on ponies, and are responsible for the Geist. This place deserves to be wiped from the face of Equis."

Big Mac baked a few steps from Granny - he knew when not to question her further. This was the decision she'd made- he didn't have to live it.

Surprise razed the base to the ground - simply wiping away what she found annoying. She was done being submissive. 

It was time to find Sunset. 


~~~


Sunset Shimmer stood at the edge of the clearing with a clear bottle held in her magic. She took a swig and watched the base - her base - burn. all her work, all her sweat, all her tears, much of her life... Destroyed by a mare who hated her for trying to help her. 

If only she knew. Sunset would never tell Surprise now - the pegasus had gone too far - but if Surprise knew... She'd lose all her motivation, her drive. She'd realize she was wrong. 

But no - Surprise would never get that now. All of them - they were all dead to Sunset. Every last one of them had been a pain in her side for far too long. She was wiping her hooves of all this. She took another swig - and considered teleporting to the portal and jumping in, taking her chances with the Geist. She knew she'd be at home in there... That all her questions would be answered...

She felt it call to her...

She looked at the bottle - half-empty. She'd go when she was done - the portal could wait a few minutes. After all, she'd just lost everything. All she had left to care about were things she hated or hated her. 

She'd tried to change Equestria, and it had rejected her. 

So here she was. Watching it burn.

She had no idea what she was doing here. She had no more plan, no thoughts, no reason.

Why couldn't she take her eyes off the destruction?


~~~


"Well... There we go," the Doctor said, a little off-put by the destruction. "We... Should probably return to the portal now."

Cheerilee made no response - she couldn't take her eyes off the jarring waves Surprise was sending throughout the Thaumic Fabric. She watched as invisible blades cut through the patterns around her, shredding them - and her. She yelled, the force tearing at her being and tossing her a fair ways back. She felt her patterns come back together wrong. She still felt like herself, but weaker - looser. This is probably what Golden feels like except a whole lot worse.  She made sure not to let any of Surprise's attacks go through her. 

Aloe floated to Cheerilee. "I guess I was right."

"Huh?"

"Casting magic clearly destabilizes us," Aloe said. "I've felt weird around unicorns before, but it's strong enough here. I'm sure that, eventually, the magic power would loosen us to an absurd degree."

Applejack spoke up. "Do we need to leave?"

"Don't think it's enough to cause permanent damage yet - souls are powerful things. But I wouldn't want to be here for very long."

The Doctor made a 'hmm' noise. "Is casting magic in and of itself... Unnatural?"

"Can you imagine being stuck in here?" Berry asked. "Forever, without any sleep, slowly being drained away whenever a spell's cast near you... No wonder nothing lives here..."

"Except the Geist," the Doctor muttered. "It draws power from the Fabric itself. But..." He trailed off, mumbling to himself, deep in thought. 

Cheerilee shook her head. "Let's... Just go. Get everypony home. We can worry about this later-"

The sound rippled through the Thaumic Fabric, alerting all the ponies to its presence - except Surprise. She was too occupied to pay attention to the Fabric. 

Everypony who knew became motionless and silent as the Geist slid into view, floating along, following the trails Surprise was sending out. There was now only one spark within the Geist's core, the rapidly-dimming spirit of Golden. Nopony wanted to think about what had happened to the other one.

The Geist moved towards Surprise, grabbing her spark with its outer layers - but it found that it couldn't take her in. Not all of her was in the Thaumic Fabric, most of it was in fact somewhere else. The Geist knew exactly where. The outer patterns of the beast straightened, spiking into the Fabric, creating a field of Everfree Lights in the air, mixed alongside Vinyl's false lights.The patterns of the Geist began to excite the Fabric, moving the Everfree Lights ever more rapidly, swirling the ancient magics of the fractals around itself in a hurricane. The vibrations of the Everfree Lights did not do justice to how spectacular the portal looked from this end - a section of space folding in on itself until it became a hole. The Geist made the sound - the horrible, gnashing, leafy, scratchy, pouring sound - and rammed its core through the hole in reality. It appeared in the real world bit by bit, changing from an amorphous blob to the rigid many-limbed creature that was flat and yet not, with the light of Golden deep within its central fractal pattern. 

It stood still for a moment, allowing all the ponies - the 'heroes', the 'villains', the scientists, the soldiers; Surprise and Sunset - to have a good long look at its horrifying visage.

And then it grabbed Surprise.