//------------------------------// // Chapter 43: The Healing // Story: Dissonance: A Hidden World // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She was in a cave, surrounded by softly glowing , blue crystals. She could feel the warm blanket over her, as well as something soft and rubbery underneath her. Changeling resin, she thought, and instantly the events of the morning started coming back to her. I must’ve been really exhausted, she thought to herself as she rolled over to take a look at her friends.  They were in a changeling hideout close to Canterlot, a place Obsidian had learned about during their stay in the hive, and which he had, with some help from the changelings, attuned a retreat spell to. It wasn’t much, but it had food and shelter. It was warm, thanks to a ball of hot air Obsidian periodically conjured in the middle of the cave, and it had enough ambient aura to mask their presence as long as they didn’t do anything spectacular. When they arrived there some hours before, with a collection of cuts and bruises, a shot wing, some deep burns, a dangerous concussion, and what amounted to a total of eleven minor fractures, they gave healing magic priority, and then decided to rest; even with the life-threatening injuries taken care of, they were in no shape to teleport long distances. Twilight looked down on her shoulder. It no longer hurt, but it was still ugly, as if sloppily branded. She was fairly sure Obsidian could show Fluttershy how to smoothen her hide later, but for now she would have to deal with a nasty, hairless scar. She looked around, and found her friends looking no better. Dash hadn’t yet finished regrowing her lost feathers, Aurora was sitting stiffly, trying not to move her wing, and Pinkie was sitting in the corner, away from others, muttering something, and giggling to herself. “Do you think she was telling the truth?” asked Aurora suddenly. “About Aquila? Do you think, she’s really… gone?” Her friends shifted uncomfortably on their spots. “I dunno,” started Rainbow Dash. “I am sure she only said that to cause you pain,” said Rarity. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true,” said Aurora. “What if I really got my sister killed?” “You didn’t know that would happen,” whispered Fluttershy. “We still don’t know if it happened,” said Applejack. “Obsidian?” asked Rainbow Dash. Obsidian took a deep breath and blew, exhaling another ball of swirling hot air to replace the previous one that had just disappeared. “I honestly don’t know,” he answered. “There is no precedent for that. It has literally never happened before. Rarity is right though. Whether it is true or not, Envy only said it to cause you pain. She knows your sister is your weakness, and hoped to provoke you to some reckless action she could exploit. I know I will be disliked for saying this, but it might be better if you assume she was telling the truth. I know grief, and how painful it can be, but doubt can be a fatal distraction, fatal for you or your friends, just as Envy has planned.” Aurora avoided his gaze, instead staring into the heat ball in front of her. “You expect me to just…” “I expect you to try,” said Obsidian. “I don’t know if you can. But a lot depends on you, and nopony can do this for you. Either you do it, or you don’t and… I have only seen Aquila in your memories, so I can’t claim to know her, but-” “But what!?” snapped Aurora, finally meeting his gaze. “But from the little I’ve seen,” continued Obsidian, “she wouldn’t have wanted you to lose this war on her account. There is too much at stake.” “I think I’m rested enough to continue with the healing,” proposed Fluttershy, eager to change the topic. “I could take a look at your wing now.” Sighing, Aurora turned and slowly extended her wing, a visible wince on her face. Fluttershy sat next to her and put her muzzle over the wing elbow joint, where missing feathers, and inflamed, scarred skin marked the spot where the tendons were damaged. Fluttershy looked at it with worry. “This will take some time,” she sighed, lighting up Kindness. Rarity and Rainbow Dash moved to her sides, ready to support her with their Elements. “I’m not experienced with burns.” Rarity looked over her shoulder, and judging by her expression, instantly regretted it. “Ugh, I’m so glad we have the power to fix this,” she said, gently projecting her energy towards Fluttershy. “Does it always end up like this?” she asked. “Quite often,” said Obsidian with a nod. “It is only logical.” “How so?” asked Twilight, finally joining the conversation. “You’ve all seen how long ordinary ponies last against the Shattered,” said Obsidian. “They’re exceedingly deadly. But you, with the magic saturating your bodies, are extremely tough. You can survive attacks that would crush or fry almost anypony else. So, coming home injured is the logical result, and much better than the alternative. You’re actually tougher than the Shattered, because their powers don’t offer any inherent increase in resilience. They can dampen magic with their pattern aura, but beyond that, they need to use their abilities actively to defend or toughen themselves. They are much more likely to fall in battle than you. But then again, they keep coming back, learning new tricks all the time, while if you slip up, we’ll have to look for another bearer.” “We already know that part, thank you,” said Rarity. Obsidian looked at her over Fluttershy’s shoulder. “No need to be so glum. We didn’t win today, but you did very well supporting us, and keeping yourself alive. I know how much you doubted yourself after the test. I doubted you too. But it seems the heat of battle has tempered you. Your connection to the Element might be imperfect, but your combat skill is already much better than one would expect from a hastily trained civilian. You’re actually earning my respect.” “Well, we’ve had our deal of adventures before,” said Rainbow Dash. Rarity clenched her jaw and looked away. “I’m not that good,” she said. “I would never have come back in one piece if not for Twilight, Dash, and Fluttershy protecting me.” “That’s what teamwork is all about,” said Twilight. “We all saved each other there. Although… Fluttershy, you needn’t have jumped in front of me like that.  I can teleport, you know. And that was horribly scary. Please don’t do that again.” “We were all lucky you could stop Hate with your powers,” said Applejack. Fluttershy looked up from the wound she was trying to heal. “I… I don’t think I did. I think he missed me on purpose.” “What?” asked her friends in astonishment. “I could feel him hesitate,” said Fluttershy. “He didn’t struggle against my aura, he just hit something else instead. And then...he never attacked me again. He tried to crush Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight, but he never targeted me again, even though I was there in the middle, healing and protecting everypony.” “He didn’t try to hit me either,” pointed out Dash. “You were busy away from him,” replied Obsidian. “And this is indeed strange. It’s unlike Hate to not hit ponies.” “Perhaps it has something to do with how he called me Gentle Touch?” asked Fluttershy. “You never did tell us who she was,” said Rainbow Dash. “A pegasus from our unit,” explained Obsidian. “Hmm… she was yellow too, but a lighter shade than Fluttershy. She also had a shorter mane, and she had fangs, as pegasi used to have in our times.” He paused, and looked at Fluttershy. “So, she didn’t really look anything like you.” “On our very first day together,” continued Obsidian, “Lightbringer got into a fight with another pegasus named Dusk. Gentle tried to break up the fight, and got a black eye for her trouble. That should have made her avoid him, but somehow she and Lightbringer became almost inseparable later on. Everypony could see that she was no soldier material; she wasn’t a coward, but she was far too meek and kind hearted. But she managed to make some friends who supported her, and then we started practicing with the foci, and it turned out she was highly compatible with Kindness. I think that’s the only reason they kept her in the program - better ponies than her dropped out.” “So, she and Lightbringer liked each other?” asked Fluttershy. “Yes,” said Obsidian. “I never learned if they ever became lovers, but she was the first friendly face he found there. The only times I ever saw him relaxed and content were at her side.” “And then she was one of the Elements, and he became one of the Shattered,” finished Twilight sadly. “Oh, she never got to be an Element,” said Obsidian. “She used Kindness back when it was still an ordinary focus, but when we finally went to battle, she died on the very first day. From what Lightbringer told us, she’d tried to help an injured enemy soldier. The griffin regained consciousness, and clawed her through the throat.” Silence fell, with nopony able to think of anything to say. Finally, it was Rainbow Dash who spoke. “And all of that happened before the whole Shattered business even started? No wonder Hate has issues.” “Issues?” piped in Pinkie. “He’s got a subscription.” “Pinkie…” said Applejack, “That’s not a laughing matter.” Behind her, Rainbow Dash snickered. “Nothing here is,” said Pinkie, frowning at her. “I’m working with what I have. And besides, it was me he nearly squashed today. If anypony has the right to make jokes about him, it’s me.” “It is true, that the story of the Shattered is tragic,” said Obsidian, seemingly ignoring Pinkie’s comment. “All that has just been a huge, awful mess. But don’t let your guard down. Whatever their past, the Shattered have destroyed whole civilisations since. And sympathy for the enemy is precisely what got Gentle Touch killed.” “Speaking of enemies,” said Twilight. What should we do with Discord?” She looked at Pinkie Pie, who flashed her a smile. “I’ll put him somewhere where nopony will find him,” said Pinkie. “Which is where?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I won’t tell,” replied Pinkie. “Why not?” asked Twilight, puzzled. “Easier to keep a secret if fewer ponies know it,” replied Pinkie Pie. “We’re doing it Obsidian’s way this time,” she finished, poking out her tongue. Obsidian looked at her for a moment, considering the situation. Finally, he chuckled softly, and as he did, so did the others. *** Spitfire’s eyes shot open. She was inside a glass jar, suspended in clear liquid. As her senses adjusted, informing her that she wasn’t drowning, she calmed down. One of Eve’s healing tanks, she registered. That means we have won. There are rising bubbles, I’m being woken up. Probably after surgery. I was damaged in the battle. She returned to the last memory she had. The fight destroyed a large part of the palace. I was hit. Eve must have brought me here to fix me. Or one of her assistants did. Twilight and her friends used the Elements before we arrived. Was Eve captured? They also used Honesty on the palace staff. This is a major setback. She closed her eyes, trying to remember more details. How many ponies escaped the courtyard in the confusion? As the memory replayed in front of her mind’s eye, she analysed the scene, paying special attention to unfamiliar faces and cutie marks. It won’t be enough, she finally conceded. There were ponies from outside the castle, and some had already escaped before we arrived. We will have to quarantine the whole city. The level of liquid was falling slowly. By the time it receded enough for her hooves to touch the bottom of the tank, Spitfire was fully awake and angry, her brain churning out a detailed plan for containing the situation. She had hoped against hope that it would not be needed, but she was prepared - this was not the first time Honesty had done something like that, and though the objectives were now different, with Libra no longer in charge, the principles of the plan remained the same. She only needed to know the exact situation, and adjust accordingly. The last of the liquid swirled away through the holes underneath her hooves. She bent forward and focused her pattern inside, cancelling the magic of the liquid, and then pushing it out of her system, her custom-modified lungs smoothly re-adjusting to breathing air, sparing her the coughing fit an ordinary pony would experience. With a soft hiss, the tank was lifted off her, leaving her on a small metal platform, facing a solemn-faced assistant. “Where is Dr. Stone?” she immediately demanded. “Busy in lab B," replied the stallion. “We’re experiencing a severe staff shortage.” So, she’s okay, thought Spitfire with some relief. But then, what were the Elements used on? Lab B is where the Wonderbolts are. They are being healed and modified. What a bad timing to be attacked. “What are our losses?” she asked. Her first order of business was to establish if the other Shattered made it through the battle. “Seven guard golems,” recited the stallion, “five assistants, thirteen of Dr. Stone’s constructs, and eleven modified specimen. Also… we’ve lost miss Tourmaline’s body. The plants were attracted to the emergency power source, and the life support failed.” That’s half of our work force, realised Spitfire. And one full lab of replacement bodies. But the girls would never murder ponies. Was it Obsidian? Or perhaps the fight caused a power outage?  “What exactly happened while I was away?” she asked. The assistant took a moment to formulate and answer. “We were attacked, twice. First, twenty minutes after you left for Ponyville, the plants responsible for abduction of Princess Luna invaded again, breaking in from beneath. They caused significant damage through the complex, breaking through structural elements,  draining magic from power sources, and attacking staff. Their main target were the containment cells and the magical objects secured within.” “Discord,” breathed Spitfire. The assistant nodded. “The second attack, five minutes later, a group of eight ponies, including the Elements of Harmony. They fought their way through the palace grounds into the labs, targeting Dr. Stone. After a battle against her constructs, they apparently confronted Discord, and unable to locate Dr. Stone, retreated towards the surface. Soon after, Dr. Stone was able to create a formula that killed the vines, stopping their attack.” Spitfire took in the information, her plan readjusted with new variables. “What happened to Discord?” she asked.  “He’s not here, and he hasn’t penetrated the outer wards,” replied the assistant. “Also, he hasn’t manifested anywhere else since. It is a reasonable conclusion that the Elements must have sealed him and taken him away with them.” “Let’s hope so,” replied Spitfire. “And what of Dr. Bluebonnet? Is it possible to replace Tourmaline?” “Sadly no, she was the one who discovered the malfunction, as soon as the battle was over. She’s currently taking part in operating the lab. Agent Pierce is guarding her, watching for any unusual behaviour.” “What about Luna and Lightbringer?” inquired Spitfire. “Both suffered some injuries in the battle. Princess Luna returned to the surface after receiving the most basic healing. Lightbringer joined her half an hour ago, as soon as his body was fully healed.” “What is the situation in the city?” This was the question Spitfire dreaded to hear an answer for. “There have been riots. Unfortunately, most of the castle garrison has been exposed to Honesty. At Dr. Stone’s advice, Princess Luna decided against culling those affected - reinforcements from Cloudsdale have been brought in to contain the situation.” “It’s time I rejoined them then,” said Spitfire, evaporating the rest of the liquid from her coat. The assistant turned, pulling out a piece of paper. “Before you go, there are parts of the complex that have become unstable. Dr. Stone requested your help in securing those.” Spitfire looked at the list. It looked as bad as she had expected from the initial description.  “Priorities are priorities. I will help. But then, I’m needed elsewhere.” *** “That’s the last of it.” North Star looked at the table with disapproval. His gaze slid over the titles of the gathered tomes. “That’s not what we’re looking for,” he said with a scowl. “Perhaps they took them when they escaped?” suggested the soldier. “That’s really all we have found.” North Star turned slowly, glaring at the unicorn. “Then go back to looking,” he barked. The soldier looked at him in fear, saluted, and galloped out. North Star turned towards the table once more, growling in frustration. The first time they discovered a secret compartment behind one of the tower’s bookshelves, he was drunk with excitement. But everything from that point onward had been a bitter disappointment. The tower was riddled with secret passages and rooms, old spells and clever tricks concealing them even among the smooth crystal walls. But nothing they found within justified the effort put into searching. The magical trinkets - barely anything sinister, and even then, unrelated to what they were seeking. The books of dark magic - simple and boring, merely older versions of what could be found in the restricted section of Canterlot castle library. The most interesting things they found, the history books that Shining Armor had used to justify his treachery, were not even hidden at all; they found them by the night light in the royal bedroom. The musty tomes were now at the side of the pile, displayed as if to mock North Star’s efforts to redeem himself. “You really scared him, sir.” The voice came from the other side of the table. North Star looked over the books, only now registering the presence of his pegasus adjutant. “He’s doing what he can,” continued the soldier. “We all are.” North Star realised, to his annoyance, that he couldn’t remember the pony’s name. I used to know everypony in the palace, he thought. Is he a Kicker? Probably. Sometimes it seems half of them are Kickers. Have I even asked his name… Probably not. He’s not important. We have a job to do. Once we’re back in Princess Luna’s good graces, I can make a list, and learn everypony’s names. For a moment he imagined himself standing in the Canterlot throne room, Princess Luna smiling at him benevolently, his past mistakes erased, his shame replaced by glory. He felt a pleasant warmth on his chest, spreading through his body. His eyelids closed slowly, and he smiled underneath his moustache. “... Sir, are you listening to me?” The return to hard reality was a sudden shock, like falling out of bed in the middle of a pleasant dream. North Star struggled to maintain a neutral expression, hiding his annoyance. He was to be an example to his ponies after all. “Please repeat the last part,” he said calmly. “This gemstone,” repeated the adjutant, pointing his hoof at the gorget around North Star’s neck. “You’ve been angry a lot since you started wearing it. The soldiers are worried. And even I must say it does look a bit sinister…” In his mind’s eye North Star lashed out with a tendril of magic, scattering the books as he lifted the pegasus by the neck, squeezing him until he heard a whizzed apology. But a commander couldn’t do such a preposterous thing. He silenced the adjutant with a gesture, and watched the vision in his head for a couple more seconds, calming himself down. Finally he spoke, slowly, with emphasis that added an unspoken threat to his words. “The gem is a gift. From Her Majesty. A tool for me to use in this task, and a token of her trust. You badmouth her by warning me against it.” “I... apologise,” replied the adjutant. “That’s it for now,” said North Star. “I won’t be needing you anymore this evening.” “Yes, sir,” said the pegasus, saluting North Star before flying out through the balcony door, slightly faster than it was polite. North Star was left alone, facing the stack of books. What now? he thought. He had no further plans for the evening, and no ideas for how to break the impasse. With a sigh, he picked a book from the table. It was one of the ancient history books. For a moment he considered burning it. It offended him just by existing, and it was something his princess wanted destroyed. But right now he couldn’t afford to destroy anything that could provide him with a clue to his investigation. I need to kill some time before I go to sleep, he thought. Perhaps reading about the past of ponykind will give me some inspiration for tomorrow. Who knows, I might even learn something useful from this wretched thing. *** “What’s taking them so long?” whined Apple Bloom for the fifteenth time. She was in the main chamber of the sanctuary, just below the gatehouse, trying to play hopscotch with Sweetie Belle. A bunch of crystal growths illuminated their vicinity with a soft, moon-like glow.   “I told you, I don’t know,” said Sweetie Belle. “The sky is okay again. That means they fixed whatever was wrong, doesn’t it?” “And what if it was… Princess Luna that fixed it?” asked Apple Bloom. “Oh, come on!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle, rolling her eyes theatrically. “Do you really think Pinkie Pie would let them go there if she knew they were going to lose?” “Well,” hesitated Apple Bloom, “She did say her Pinkie Sense was getting wonky recently, didn’t she?” Before Sweetie Belle could retort, there was a sound of beating wings. Scootaloo had jumped out of a window overlooking the gate. Beating her wings, she descended at an angle, finally touching down, tipping forward, and rolling before coming to a halt on her back, all hooves in the air. “Eh!” she sighed loudly. “I almost had it this time.” “No, you didn’t,” stated Apple Bloom, looking down at her. “Hey, she is getting better,” protested Sweetie Belle. “She hasn’t landed on her face for an hour.” Scootaloo picked herself off the ground. “If only I could spend more time as a bird, I’m sure I could work it out. I really am getting better...” She looked up towards the window. “Anyway, just wanted to tell you that the sun has set.” Although the light inside the cave didn’t change, the statement itself seemed to chill the air. The three fillies looked at each other uneasily. “So… what do we do?” asked Sweetie Belle. “We should have supper,” said Apple Bloom, “And then…” “I don’t know about you,” said Scootaloo, “But I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I guess I’ll keep training, unless one of you has a better idea?” They looked around the cavern pensively.  “Applejack was very clear,” said Apple Bloom, suddenly stern, “No going over the chalk lines.” “Hey, we’re not stupid,” protested Scootaloo. “We don’t want to end up as chalk outlines,” added Sweetie Belle, rolling her eyes again. “And besides, I don’t think it’s a good night for Cutie Mark Crusaders ruin explorers. I’m nervous enough as it is.” “Then what do we do?” asked Apple Bloom. “We could tell stories,” suggested Sweetie Belle. “Stories?” asked Scootaloo. “Well, yes,” explained Sweetie. “We’ve already told each other about what’s been happening to us. But you said you got to see what Aurora’s past used to be like.” “Yea,” replied Scootaloo. “She’s a great hero. Though I’m not quite sure it’s the kind of story you’d like to hear right now. A lot of it is about the Shattered, and really creepy.” “It’s not like we have anything better to do,” said Apple Bloom. “We just need something to keep our minds busy,” said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo shrugged her wings. “Ok... if you're sure. I can tell you. But first, let’s go eat something.” “Agreed,” said Apple Bloom, “Let’s go.” She headed inside the gate house, her friends following her upstairs. Sweetie Belle stopped at the door and sighed. “I really wish they were back already.” *** It was the middle of the night, but the corridors of the ruined underground complex still echoed with the sounds of work.  Bluebonnet felt an onset of a headache. She hadn’t really spent much of the day in close proximity to the drills and hammers the assistants were using, but in the tunnels there was no escaping the noise.  This will take whole days, she thought. Her gaze went towards the ceiling, the eyes of her imagination pushing through rock towards the ruins of the palace, where Luna and Spitfire were busy keeping appearances, trying to repair the damage and restore order. It would have taken Spitfire mere hours to fix everything in the lab. But dire as the situation was, the ex-princess could only spare enough time to restore the corridors that were in danger of immediate collapse; less than a quarter after emerging from her healing tank she went upstairs to support Luna. The remaining lab assistants were left to struggle with the rest in her absence, finding all the other high risk spots, fixing or disconnecting systems that could destructively malfunction, and propping the unstable parts. You don’t realise how many things are inside the walls until you need to get to them in a hurry, mused Bluebonnet as she walked. Her own steps, muffled by the protective lab hoofwear, were almost inaudible now. No, focus! You have a job to do! She shook her head to clear it, then reached to her side pocket, found a small pill, and swallowed. She stood with her eyes closed until she felt the drug take effect. I better hurry, she thought. I really can’t go on much longer without sleep. Bluebonnet checked her watch. It was almost time. She walked purposefully towards the containment area, where the noise was the worst. She passed carts filled with moved rubble, then pieces of broken equipment, some of it priceless artifacts now turned into worthless junk, either drained of their magic, or simply smashed by the vines. This was where the plants had wrought the most destruction, piercing through solid rock and ripping solid metal doors off their hinges in their zeal to get to their prize.  Bluebonnet walked past an empty frame left of a tall magical mirror, now shattered and useless, and turned left into a corridor leading to her goal. The large room had once contained over a dozen heavy doors leading to magically warded cells, a containment area for the highest security magic phenomena. Now it was in ruins, most doors hanging off their hinges, the door frames cracked, exposing the magical runes embedded in the walls. A trio of assistants toiled there, among deafening noise, working by the light of three lamps put there to replace the broken lighting system. As she entered, they all paused and looked at her.  “This is an unstable area,” said one of them. “Dr Bluebonnet, Agent Pierce was supposed to accompany you,” said another. Bluebonnet forced her face to remain calm. She had expected this issue to come up. She had left Pierce in the staff room, having washed the cuts on his body with an extra dose of Dr. Stone’s detoxifier formula - enough of it to counteract the zebra elixirs he had been using to keep himself upright for the last day. By the time she finished changing the bandages, he was fast asleep, and would likely remain so for hours. She knew he would feel horrible about failing at his duty, but it was the only way to get rid of him that she could reasonably get away with. “He has already retired for the night,” she said firmly, “So need I. I came here, because I need you to take over while I rest.” “This is a high priority task,” protested the last assistant. Having succeeded in changing the topic, Bluebonnet pressed on. “Her Majesty has already contained the most dangerous… objects, has she not?” She allowed the impatience to be audible in her voice; the assistants didn’t really care about emotions, but were designed to react accordingly. “There are procedures that can’t be left unsupervised.” They looked at each other, as if communicating wordlessly. Finally the closest one spoke. “Where are we needed?” “Biomodification labs B and C,” replied Bluebonnet. “I have been keeping watch over both for the last hours, but right now the muscle growth sequence is approaching stage three. One of you is watching them right now, but he won’t be able to complete it alone. Two staff per lab room are required to finish the procedure.” This they surely understood. The assistants were far from imaginative, but the technical knowledge required for their work had been hardwired into them. They knew she wasn’t lying. “This is indeed urgent,” declared one of the assistants, putting away the drill he was using to pry a damaged runestone out of the wall. He took a close look at it, making sure nothing was unstable, and satisfied with what he saw, backed off. The others were doing the same, securing their workplaces to make sure the situation wouldn’t deteriorate in their absence. They walked towards the exit together. Bluebonnet could see their nostrils move as they walked past her. She knew what they would smell; a mix of chemicals and sweat, high levels of stress hormones, and the dangerous mix of stimulants and calming drugs in her blood, accumulated effects of long hours of trying to both keep herself awake and not freak out. This only supported her story - she really needed rest badly. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Bluebonnet froze. She slowly turned to look at the stallion who had spoken. His face was solemn, quite indistinguishable from his default expression. No, you’re not, she thought angrily. You’re just following some Sun-forsaken algorithm. If Dr. Stone could make you really feel, the others wouldn’t need to murder real ponies each time they come back. Outwardly, she just gave a sad smile. “This… is a loss… I have already suffered. I know Dr. Stone was keeping the machines active for my sake… but my daughter has already been gone for some time.” The assistants nodded their heads. The one who had given her his condolences stopped by her side as the others walked away. “I will escort you to your room,” he said. “There might still be hazards along the way.” “Yes, of course, thank you,” replied Bluebonnet, but inside, she cursed. This would be a fifteen minute delay. She was pressed for time as it was. With no other solution in sight, she picked up the pace following the white stallion as he chose the most efficient route to her quarters. The primary security grid will be back online by tomorrow. This night is my only chance. She finally reached her room, walked in, and closed the door, mumbling a quick thank you to the assistant. She then waited with her face pressed against the door, as the sound of his hoofsteps disappeared in the distance. Once he was gone, he wouldn’t come back - the procedure in the lab would require his constant attention, and he would not defy orders. But she needed to get back to the containment area, and past the remaining security systems before anypony noticed her absence - or stumbled upon agent Pierce. She looked into the harness under her lab coat to once more recheck her equipment - a mix of lab tools, her own inventions, and even some gadgets made by her daughter. Satisfied that she had everything, she waited until she decided that enough time had passed. She slowly opened the door. There was much less noise in the complex now, but still enough to conceal her hoofsteps, even at a trot.  When she returned to the containment area, she checked the time, then looked around the chamber, reading the markings over the doors. Just as she had expected, there it was: behind all the destruction, there was a section of the room conspicuously undamaged. The vines struck there too, but only got as far as eating into the magical security systems. They did not pierce deeper through the stone, or ripped the door open, because behind those there was no strong magic to be felt. These cells did not contain dangerous artifacts, but something Bluebonnet had discovered by checking through the lab files - Dr. Stone’s own top secret archive. Bluebonnet approached the rightmost door, and pulled out a thaumometer. She waited for the device to give her a definite reading, watching the small indicator twitch. She gave a small smile despite herself. I was right. The binding runes are broken. With the alarm system offline, I just need to get past the locks. Unless she’d risk contaminating the lab by filling the vault with poison. How paranoid are you, Dr. Stone? And what are you hiding there? I will find out your secrets, even if I have to translate ancient Equestrian to do it.  *** ”No awakenings this time.” “No, but we have made progress nonetheless.” “They’re powerful. More powerful than they should be after such a short time.” “Things change. Rules do too.” “I think it’s time to move onto the next stage then.” “Do not worry. It’s already on the way.”