//------------------------------// // The Beating Heart // Story: The Heartbeats of Iron // by Eric Longtooth //------------------------------// “A man may die yet still endure if his work enters the greater work. Time is carried upon a current incepted by forgotten deeds. Events of great moment are but the culmination of a single carefully placed thought. As all men must thank progenitors obscured by the past so we must endure the present that those who come after may continue the greater work. ” Garba Mojaro, Prefectus (Technomagos) of the Adeptus Mechanicus, "The Chime of Eons", Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader p. 143 A cascade of light, pouring into the vast emptiness. Three hooves below the entrance, the cave opened into a humongous cavern three ponies tall, and almost as long and wide as the Canterlot Throne Room. The other guardstallions had already reached the floor and began searching, overseen by the Sergeant who was barking orders left and right. As Spark lowered himself from the rappel line, he took note of the only opening in the walls. It was two meters high, a meter wide, and stretched beyond even the range of their military-grade light crystals. “Private! About damn time you showed up!” The Sergeant called, a slight smirk on his muzzle. “You’re in charge of the lights, get ready to move!” “Yes, Sergeant!” Spark cried in reply, snapping to a salute before stumbling as he dropped the remaining distance to the ground. Steele let out a light chuckle as she pulled him to his hooves, thankfully the rest of the guards was mercifully distracted as they drew their blades in preparation. “You alright, short stuff?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Spark stammered as he was pushed to the front of the group. “W-what are you doing down here? I thought the Pegasi would stay topside…” She brushed it off with a scoff, her wings de-seathing their blades in a flurry of movement. “You lot need a mare’s touch, and as the others are a bit… flighty, I’m stuck with you.” “O-oh,” Spark muttered, drawing mana into his horn as he battled the darkness. Only to be cut out of his embarrassment as Steele once again chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Sparky. Let’s just find these numbskulls and get out of here. I may enjoy close-quarters, but even I have my limits.” And so they moved on, following the oddly square hallway deeper into the abyss. As they walked, Spark found himself distracted by the scrapings across the wall. Whilst most of them could be written off as marks from whoever had mined this out, there was a few that seemed… out of place. Light burns following the wall for a few hooves before stopping, with the stone left by it lightly blackened and smooth. Other points had no marks to speak of, with entire sections of the wall looking like somepony had polished the stone to a shine. Spark was glad for the latter, it left him that little bit more at ease knowing that this was, at least partially, made by civilised creatures. Even though the spacing was… odd, to say the least, it had an almost… religious appeal to it. And there went the good feelings... Kicked out as his brain voiced its confusion at its own conclusion. “Well… this is off to a great start…” Seconds ticked by like hours, each step seeming to lead nowhere. Stone walls lit by the glow of magic looming at the sides of Spark’s vision, and only the sound of clanking armour to remind him of those following him. Steele had fallen silent decently early in this solemn march, along with the other guards having resigned to watching for any change in the environment. Personally, Spark was debating asking the Sergeant to turn back, but it seemed every time he had worked up the courage to, they would find a tattered piece of clothing to renew their determination. Determination… Spark was almost certain the other guards had it, but by now, he was sure he had lost his own. Even as another bit of clothing, a ruined hat this time, passed them by, he felt his creeping nervousness build even higher. The burns and scratches seemed to appear more often now, lasting multiple pony-lengths now instead of the hoof long indents of earlier. Toll the Great Bell Once... For once, a change. His armoured hooves began to strike upon a metal flooring as the stone gave way to cold metal. Even though the enchantments of his armour, Spark could feel an unnatural chill that followed each step. Pull the Lever forward to engage the Piston and Pump... On the edge of his awareness, he heard the Sergeant give the order to keep moving. Part of Spark’s mind wished he hadn’t, but the other was just glad something had changed for the first time in what seemed to be hours. Toll the Great Bell Twice… He turned his attention to the wall, which, unlike the stone one, was bare of any markings. Leaving a dull shine of grey metal illuminated by his golden magic. And yet, every five meters or so, there was a dull glass box a little larger than his head inlaid in the wall. It seemed to call to him, like a cookie jar to a foal… With push of Button fire the Engine and spark Turbine into life… He shook the feeling off, barely breaking stride as time seemed to slow. His mind raced with possibilities as he moved onwards, only vaguely aware of the guards behind him. An almost primal need fueled him to find the end of this ‘cave,’ to the point that, were he less distracted, he would’ve been reminded of the horror stories of the newest princess’... moments. Toll the Great Bell Thrice… Spark swore he could hear… something, from the darkness. A bell maybe, or even a clock tower, chiming a little further into the darkness. Its moments precisely timed, each with a perfect five seconds in between them. Or was it ten? Maybe even a minute? Steele called for him, yet her voice seemed… unimportant. A footnote in his life. Even as the Sergeant joined in calling, Spark found his body and mind compelled to move just that little bit further. Just one more step. Just one more meter… Sing Praise to the God of All Machines… {---}^v[ Steele ]v^{---} Steele brought a hoof up to rub her temples in a half-assed attempt to ease her headache. For the last hour they had been matching down this hallway, and for the last hour, she had to deal with the damned buzzing. At first, it hadn’t been too hard to ignore, but as time wore on, it became more and more audible. From what she could tell, it was like static on a radio. A near constant buzzing broken up by minuscule changes in pitch. Turning her attention to the stallion leading them, Steele tried to figure out how Spark was able to ignore the noise. If anything, he should’ve been the first guard to complain, as he had never been able to deal with high-frequency noises for long. And yet, there he was. Perfectly indifferent. His attention only ever drawn to the scratches across the walls. She let out a low sigh as she gave her wings a flew flaps in annoyance. Steele personally thought this was a waste of time, a job that should be left to civilians or adventurers, not the Royal Guard. As if to answer her complaints, Spark’s hoofsteps began to strike the metal flooring with more force. Speeding up at a steady, yet slow, pace. “Sparky? Did you see something?” Steele asked inquisitively, taking the time to scan the area ahead of them. She received no response from the stallion, but the background buzzing was soon joined by the slow, methodical, tolls of a large bell. “Spaaaark? You in there buddy?” She called, her pace matching Spark’s as she prodded him in the side. Like a rope drawn too tight, the touch sent Spark rushing forwards with surprising speed. Turning from a slow trot, to a run-or-die gallop. “Private! Get your flank back here!” The Sergeant cried from behind them, his voice joined by the sound of the rest of the guard rushing to catch up. And yet, all his cry did was cut the lights as Spark poured all of his energy into running. What was at least a hundred hooves of light, turned to only ten as their backup gems spurred to life. “Spark! What the buck is wrong with you?!” Steele demanded, taking what limited flight she could to catch up. Of all the times to break… why now?