Like a shadow projected against the bottom of the clouds, Valey glided south, wind chasing the loose ends of her mane with dying sunlight spilling over one horizon.
Around her neck, a pendant charm pulsed with light, the magical pager responsible for her sudden detour. She growled at it, conscious of the Earth District's tempestuous wind barrier only winglengths above. A slight ascension was all it would take to send her hat whipping away into the sky before being tossed downward like a rag, and the journey was made slightly more interesting by teasing the distance. But she didn't want to fly south. She wanted to be in Gnarlbough, watching and waiting for Maple and Starlight and possibly snooping in the shadows, or at the very least teasing Howe.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
She adjusted her course, centering on the yak embassy near the southwesternmost part of the Stone District's curved mountain wall. Far to her left, Blueleaf's lighted stack rose, and to the right, another Earth District town sat that seemed much less familiar with the concept of industrial lighting. Most of the space was dedicated to fruit groves, and having gorged herself in the loading depot less than an hour prior was the only thing stopping her from diving and helping herself to a snack.
That and she didn't feel like it. She pumped her wings, pushing faster to the embassy where she had been summoned.
POW!
The yak embassy's front door burst open, nearly flying off its hinges as Valey cartwheeled through. "Yo, what's up?" she loudly announced, paying no heed to the building's interior.
"Knock that off!" From behind the reception desk, a younger mare slammed her hooves on the table, suddenly steaming... until she realized who she was talking to. "Ahem... I mean... Yak Lackey not make so much noise. It disturb Maia's nap." She tried to smile, and failed. "Pretty please with yak cherry on top."
Valey straightened some fur on her shoulder, idly glancing at the room's many painted, wooden clocks, stone brick walls and ceramic-potted plants. The only source of light seemed to be a single bulb hanging above Maia, casting a full compliment of shadows everywhere shadows belonged.
"Eh... Don't blame me." Valey shrugged, voice quieter. "This thing was beeping for some reason. I think it means Herman wants me to bring him his coffee? I just work here."
"Herman in yak office." Maia frowned, refusing to make eye contact. "Please... hurry up with business."
"Oh, really?" Valey took the time to smirk, wandering slowly towards the back door... and closer to the reception desk. "Hurry on through? You look kinda sad about that, short stuff."
Maia's candy-colored coat turned a slightly brighter shade of pink, and she kept looking away. "Seriously, could you leave me alone? Herman is really really mad about something and if he catches us slacking off right now..."
Valey's lips pursed. "He is? Okay, yeah, see ya. Stay frosty, or however that saying goes."
She kicked the door closed behind her as she wandered into the back hallway, fidgeting with the beeping pager. If Herman was upset... Well, better to get in and out as fast as possible. Angry yaks set her brand prickling at all hours, and she really wasn't fond of seeing just how far he could be pushed.
"Hello?" She rapped on the door to Herman's office, its cleanly lit interior preventing her from shadow sneaking past... that and the danger of walking in on something she wasn't supposed to. Valey straightened her hat before knocking again.
"It is about time you showed up."
The door opened of its own accord, a wave of sharp-edged whiteness pouring out from behind as the geometry of Herman's lair came into view. Glyphs swirled atop a nine-sided prism that served as a desk, every wall and seat and object in the room made of perfectly-aligned polygons of white and gray that differed subtly in shade to emphasize the borders between them. Behind the desk sat Herman, and to his side stood a heavily-cloaked pony whom Valey immediately identified as a mare.
"Hey, boss." Valey held out the pager, mirth missing from her tone. "This thing was going off. What needs doing now?"
"You did well to come," Herman rumbled, his voice like a distant avalanche. "There has been an unexpected advancement in scheduling. This is Fire." He tilted a hoof in the direction of the cloaked mare. "She is an important representative from Infinite Glacier whom we expected tomorrow evening. You are needed to take her to the project room."
"The capital?" Valey frowned. "And you want...?" Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute. You guys actually decided to go through with it?" She glanced to the mare. "And how did you get here so fast? It takes months to cross that distance by airship, accounting for weather!"
"Technological advancements," Herman growled. "Even then, we were expecting an arrival tomorrow. That is why we were... less prepared." Behind his desk, he was motionless and monolithic, like a woolly gargoyle or golem. "As you are the key to the project room, this falls as your job. Take the most direct route, and do not delay. Are there questions?"
His face made it clear there weren't supposed to be questions, so Valey nodded. "Yeah, sure thing, boss. Come on, Missus Mare..."
She stiffly turned and walked out of the room, letting out a breath and enough tension to power a catapult as soon as she was beyond the gray yak's sight, stopping to lean against the wall.
The door clicked closed behind her, and a tinkling, musical voice spoke. "He's intimidating, isn't he? I was expecting the ambassador to Ironridge to be friendlier..."
Valey looked up to see the cloaked mare standing behind her. Hesitant to badmouth her employer in front of anyone who could get between her and her job, she shrugged. "I guess?"
"We should hurry, if you don't mind." The mare began walking forward, and Valey paid extra attention to the way her legs swished beneath her robe. "This task is very important, and if I don't complete it, it won't be good..."
Following along behind, Valey shut the hallway door with her tail, noting that Maia had left the counter. "...Okay."
Halfway through the lobby, the cloaked mare spoke again. "I haven't had much of a chance to see the city, but Ironridge seems like an enjoyable place."
"Yeah... uh..." Valey scratched at her neck. "I might not actually be the best to attest to that. Think what you need to, though. Let's get this over with; I have some friends to get back to."
The cloaked mare stopped walking. "Why not? I heard about the Defense Force before coming here. Aren't you making sure the city stays a good place?" Beneath her hood, she tilted her head. "Or do you mean you've seen and dealt with things that aren't good to keep it safe?"
"You... could say that..." Valey shuffled. "Look, I... don't really know exactly how important you are, and I mean no offense, but you sound kinda naive, here. I'm on edge, you're on edge... can we get this job done and over with?"
"Oh, no!" The mare shook her head. "I'm well aware Ironridge is not a bastion of the nine virtues. I wasn't expecting the Plains of Harmony, or anything."
"He said your name was Fire, right?" Valey leaned forward. "Look, it would really be great if we could hurry. Herman was definitely mad about something, and I do have something else I need to do."
Fire started, then nodded. "I... right! Yes, we need to hurry. Sorry. I guess I should have prepared a normal visit, instead of just business. I've been a little overwhelmed with how many ponies there are here, all at once..."
Shoving open the door to outside, Valey muttered under her breath, "Loads of ponies? Aren't you from the capital...?"
"...It's all the way over there," Fire said, staring far to the east with her cloak waving in the wind. "Really. The place I just walked three hours from, in the rain..."
"Yeah, uhhh..." Valey flexed her wings apologetically. "It kinda is. Sorry about that. Unless you secretly weigh twenty billion tons, though, we can fly to save time?"
"You can carry me?" Fire stepped forward, interested.
"I can, but..." Valey hesitated. "You know, that full-head-blocking cloak you've got is kind of weirding me out. Not being able to see facial expressions, and all? Is there some super-spiritual reason you've got going on for that, or...?"
"Oh! No, actually." Fire shook her head. "I just look very... interesting. I thought covering myself would make it faster to move around here, since I'd get stopped less. Do you know how that feels?" She paused. "Since you're a batpony?"
"I'm... less likely to get recognized for my species as for other reasons, but yeah..." Valey shuffled.
"I can take it off if you want to see," Fire offered. "Here. Let me..."
Her horn lit, undrawing the string that pulled the face of her hood tight, loosening it and slipping it back over her head. A full, off-teal mane spilled out... and the reason she had covered herself immediately became obvious. Instead of visible fur, her coat gleamed prismatically in the dim light, every bit of her textured with crystalline polygons just like the architecture of Herman's office, only smaller. Every insignificant move she made changed completely the pattern of refractions, until it was less like looking at a pony than through a kaleidoscope, every part of her shimmering and pure.
Valey whistled, long and low.
"You haven't seen a crystal pony before, have you?" Fire giggled. "Almost nopony has. It's very fun watching new ponies get introduced to us. Still think you want to carry me?"
"Uhhhhhhh..." Valey paused, gulping. "I think I'm a little more sure of that than I was before..."
Valey almost considered deliberately stalling, but a combined fear of Herman and need to get back to Starlight and Maple pushed her onward. She landed near a sparsely-guarded tunnel entrance to the Flame District, crouching and letting Fire dismount.
The crystal unicorn had drawn her hood again, though not tightly enough to block out her face. "Whew..." she panted, having been unable to speak during the ride. "Flying was... definitely something..."
"Eh. We're here, though." Valey shrugged. "Done with outside stuff, at least. And hey, you agreed to it!"
"I did..." Still catching her breath, Fire straightened her cloak. "I'm ready. Shall we go?"
With hard, clattering hooves, Valey and Fire trekked over floors that alternated between metal and stone, skirting the edge of the Flame District's central mineshaft. Lighting that hung from ancient wiring flickered overhead, sometimes supplied fresh from uncovered manaconduits installed and maintained by a firm believer in not fixing what wasn't broken.
To the left, windows occasionally passed by, offering smoke-stained views into the murderously red central cavern. The titanic, cylindrical core of the mine's drill vibrated with a power that resonated in Valey's chest, a three-dimensional maze of bridges and walkways alternating between using it and nearby pipes for support, a vast network of coolant and filtration that powered the smoking vents and open flames burning impossibly far below. Every now and then, the aesthetic would break off into cooler stone, the red rock of the Flame District being replaced by white-paneled metal that felt like a realization of what the Defense Force base wished it could be.
In those rest areas, which Valey could have sworn were enchanted to emit frost, sweaty workers cooled themselves on break, the mine's ore exports proving too valuable to afford not to run a night shift. She wrinkled her nose as she passed, and instinctively walked a little closer to Fire, since it was clear the ponies wouldn't mess with anyone while she was around.
Fire took the rooms with wide eyes, stepping carefully to avoid discarded objects and random piles of dirt. "I never knew ponies could get so... grimy..." she whispered, in the corridor after one transition.
"Yeah, yeah..." Valey glanced down an open tunnel to the core, a thin metal bridge sitting dully beyond. "There are some jobs that get a little gross. It's hardly dumpster diving, at least. And this place has a world-class shower system, too. Believe me, I've seen it."
Fire shot her a curious glance, but didn't press as they continued.
The two mares made their way further counterclockwise around the shaft, Fire's gaze fixed to every window they passed. "I've never seen anything like this," she breathed, fog having no opportunity to form due to the heat of the glass. "I wonder how many other things in the world..."
Valey interrupted, confidence slightly growing around the awestruck mare. "Y'know, Herman said you're from the capital of Yakyakistan, but unless that place is just as much of nowhere as the back-mountain town where I, uh..." She stopped, carefully choosing her language. "Once lived... And I don't think it is... You haven't seen much, have you?"
"My situation is slightly special," Fire admitted. "I'm from a place very few ponies enter or leave. I'd love to tell you about it, since you seem nice, but unfortunately it's very classified. I'm sorry..."
"Meh." Valey pouted, taking a turn to the right. "First Maple, then you. What is it with isolated ponies and being far too nice? Maybe I'm losing my touch... Oh, and this way!"
Fire perked up. "Are we almost there?"
"Yeah, sorta." Valey shrugged. "There's this long elevator we need to take, but the floor we want is protected. Gotta use my specific card key on a particular terminal to access it, and that involves coming at it this back way. Herman programmed the thing, don't ask me why. I guess he's really paranoid about secrets."
"Well, this is top secret, isn't it?" Fire blinked. "You're going to keep it hidden once we leave, aren't you? Ponies shouldn't be finding this place after we're done..."
"Oh, sure." Valey flipped over, hovering as the corridor transitioned to metal once more, far narrower and less-used than the main walkway they had veered off of, a lonely security camera sitting up in a corner. "I mean, we can even bury it if you're sure you'll never want to come back. But that's for you and Herman to deal with. I just fight stuff, look cute, and eat fruit all day."
"Hahahaha..." Fire giggled. "Well, I would like to come back, if I can get the right ponies to agree to it. I'll be here until tomorrow night, at least, to ensure everything goes well, though. Maybe if we have some downtime later, you could show me some other-"
CLAAANGGGG!
"Eeeeeep!" Fire jumped nearly to the ceiling at the swift rush of metal, rushing next to a wall and covering her head.
"What the-!?" Valey spun, barely having time to react as a pair of hidden security doors descended from the roof, slamming down and interlocking perfectly with the floor and walls. She rushed to one... and the tunnel's lighting gently changed, taking on an unnatural, purple tint.
Everything was still.
"What happened...?" Fire asked, chest heaving as she nervously approached Valey.
"Ugh..." Frustrated, Valey kicked a door. "Some kind of security mechanism got triggered. I have no idea how. Herman had this put in to protect the elevator console in the event of an invasion against the Stone District, but the controls are all the way up in the Defense Force base..."
Fire stared, wide-eyed. "Is it dangerous?"
"Nah." Valey shrugged. "Not unless you get squished by the doors, or something, and that's not supposed to happen. Really, it's just supposed to be impossible to get through. If this is Selma messing with me as a prank..."
"Who has access to the control room?" Fire asked, uncertain.
"Me, Herman, the other commander called Selma." Valey hummed. "Anyone any one of us gives express permission to enter. I've never done that, Selma never would, and who knows about Herman? Probably trying to prank us."
Fire squared her shoulders, frowning in determination. "Well, this isn't a thing to joke about! Yakyakistan has been investing in this mission since longer than I've been alive, and it's serious! Come on. Hold onto me, and I'll teleport us through."
Nonchalantly, Valey took the invitation and laid a wing on Fire's back.
"Okay..." Fire squinted, lit her horn... and it went out. "Huh?"
"It's that light," Valey explained. "Anti-magic. That's the first thing they thought of."
"What...!?" Fire flinched. "But we have to get out! I can..." She stuck her tongue out in concentration, managing a field... and it died after several seconds. "No!"
"If it's a prank," Valey said, "someone will be by to taunt us in a bit, and then we'll be fine. Just chillax for a bit. Like I said, we're not in danger."
"Why would somepony try to prank us?" Fire's ears folded. "Shouldn't everyone you mentioned know how important this is?"
Valey laid down against a wall, slumping comfortably. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure your idea of how the yak embassy runs the Defense Force is wildly optimistic and not in the least bit correct. It's one hundred percent dysfunctional. You'll see. And stop worrying! Even if it wasn't a prank, Selma would still come taunt me for getting stuck, and you can order him to let us out or something. You outrank everyone here, right?"
"Ohhh..." Fire drooped. "I don't think you realize how important this is, though... Are you absolutely sure there isn't a way out of here?"
"Hey, I helped design it." Valey shrugged. "We even tested it on me to be sure I couldn't shadow sneak my way out. Give it to me square, though: exactly what will happen if we just chill here for a few weeks?"
"Aside from starving to death?" Fire frowned. "Well... I'm really not supposed to talk about it..."
Valey scoffed. "Yeah, but bureaucrats are the worst. Come on, I hate secrets! At least, ones that are kept from me. Spill the beans!"
"You don't understand," Fire said softly. "As in, it would be a big enough world security risk to allow anyone in Ironridge to know, if I told you, we'd have to take you back to Yakyakistan, and probably put you in an area of government control you could never leave."
"...Oh." Valey scooted away. "Yeah, that sounds dumb. Fine, then, count me out. On a scale of one to ten, with one being eating a banana and ten being kissing Herman, how bad would it be?"
Fire frowned. "What's a banana?"
"Look... ugh..." Valey grunted, standing up. "Never mind! If you really want to get out that badly, I might have half an idea... Like... how long can your magic last before it goes poof in here?"
Concentrating, Fire lit her horn. "If I don't try to form a spell, I think I can stabilize it like this... but it can't do anything. Why?"
"Eh, good enough." Valey lifted her hat, and popped free a dormant crystal. "Keep doing that, and let me hold this. I've got some friends of friends who maybe maybe maybe would be willing and able to bail us out... but we'll see."
Far away, on the completely opposite side of Ironridge, an airship rested in a warehouse, awaiting the day it could fly. In a cabin deep within, Maple and Starlight lay curled on a plush mattress, slumbering peacefully. Gently, Maple's cutie mark pulsed with light... and the night continued, nobody awake to notice.