It was late at night when the Elements of Harmony returned to Nevercrest. They appeared in a flash, on the patch of bare rock where the improvised barrier had split the descending avalanche. Fluttershy’s barrier spell expanded immediately, shielding everypony before the night mountain wind could chill them to the bone.
“I wish we could’ve just teleported directly into the cave,” said Rarity, looking around, lighting up her horn to light the way.
“Perhaps when we’ve done cleaning,” said Obsidian. “We’ll look into finding a smooth path inside. For now,” he said, pointing his staff upwards, “we have a climb to make and a blizzard to go through. It should be easier now that you know the way.”
It was. With a couple spells to make their climbing faster and Applejack actually knowing what she was looking for this time, it took them less than ten minutes to navigate the slope. Obsidian approached the gate, and checked the alarm spells he had set. “Nopony went in or out in our absence,” he announced before pushing the gate wing open.
They walked in, instinctively shaking their withers, even though Fluttershy’s magic hadn’t allowed any snow on their coats. They managed to get into the cave proper, when something small and fuzzy pounced at them from behind the corner.
“Rarity!” screamed Sweetie Belle, hugging her sister tightly. “I was so worried!”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom appeared from behind her. While they were more subdued in their reactions, their relief was almost palpable.
Rarity returned the hug. “I’m so sorry Sweetie,” she said softly. “We intended to come back sooner, but some of us got hurt in the fight, and we needed to get properly healed before we could cast a spell to return.”
“Hurt?” repeated Sweetie with worry, breaking the hug to get a good look at her sister.
“I had a cracked skull!” screamed Pinkie cheerfully, pronking past them.
Twilight facehoofed. “We’re more or less okay now, and that’s all that matters. I think we could use a bit more rest, and return to work tomorrow. Except you, Obsidian. Don't you ever need to sleep?”
“Not really,” replied Obsidian. “It costs me some extra energy to stay awake, but it’s not like I’m going to run out of power in here.” His staff pointed at the glowing crystal growth closest to the gate.
“I’d be grateful if you could try to restore the vegetable garden while we sleep,” said Twilight. “If it can really grow plants with magic, that would save us a lot of trouble with getting food up here.”
Obsidian nodded. “Indeed. The power flowing through the Sanctuary has powered a lot of wonderful things. But for now we need to prioritize. I will restore the garden, some lighting and some more heating, but the rest of the magic will have to go into the Void Passage ritual. The quicker we get our access to the Amaranthine back, the better.”
***
“This is wonderful!" exclimed Applejack the next morning, staring at the garden patch in front of her. It was deceptively small, a ten by ten yards square in a side alcove of the cave, illuminated by a glowing relief of the sun at noon. Right now there were some carrots planted in a part of it, growing so quickly she could almost see them move. “Even I couldn’t make them grow that fast.”
“Actually,” said Obsidian, "the power of this place is very much like earth pony magic, only more focused.”
“And this could feed the whole town?” asked Applejack in amazement.
“As long as you change the soil from time to time. The spell doesn’t conjure food out of nothing,” explained Obsidian. “Now, with that done, we can get to work,” he added, heading off towards the spot where the team had fought the crystal spider construct.
Applejack looked towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Can ya take it from here, Apple Bloom?” she asked.
“I think so,” replied the filly. “It really does grow itself. But don’t expect anything fancy; we don’t have any real tools here.” She pointed towards the remains of the garden shed - they had tried to open it first thing in the morning, but the ancient wood crumbled to pieces when disturbed.
“We don’t need fancy,” said Applejack, before turning to follow Obsidian. “Just dinner that isn’t cold hay.”
***
The part of the plaza in front of the inner sanctum gate had been cleaned and prepared for the ritual, a large circle drawn on the floor, the remains of the spider construct’s crystal legs arranged around it to help focus the energy.
“Everypony ready?” asked Obsidian.
The six ponies standing in a circle around him all confirmed their readiness.
“So, the changeling mirror only needs to be tapped with a hoof, yes?” asked Aurora, who was standing just outside the circle.
“Yes,” answered Twilight. “The spell I cast will provide the power. So if Chrysalis wants to talk, you’ll be able to hear her out without needing any of us.“
“Of course, with her spy in the palace lost in yesterday’s chaos, she’s unlikely to have much to report,” added Obsidian. “So mostly we just need you to keep an eye on the mirror watching the outside.”
“And the fillies,” added Applejack.
“We’ll take turns, don’t worry,” said Rainbow Dash. “We just need all the Elements the first time, to make sure it works.”
Aurora waved her off with a wing. “It’s not a problem at all. I can handle a bit of foal sitting.”
“Let’s not delay then,” said Obsidian, tapping his staff into the floor. The six Elements of Harmony activated their powers, and soon everything disappeared in swirling colors.
***
The Void Passage was just as they had left it. Obsidian immediately approached the flower, while the Elements gathered around him, taking their spots on their cushions.
Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, preparing a spell, which she then cast on a notebook in front of her.
“What are ya doing, sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
“It’s a transcription spell,” answered Twilight, visibly proud of herself. “This notebook is a reflection of the real one I had with me in the waking world. The spell connects them, so now the notes will stay with me when I come back. Since today is all about learning, and not just watching the story, it is important that I write down everything that I discover.”
“So, we’re ‘researching’ today?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Sounds boring to me.”
“Don’t say that,” said Twilight. “This really is important. This war has lasted as long as it has because the Shattered could never be defeated for good. They keep coming back. But if I can learn about how they were created, perhaps I can find a way to undo whatever gave them their powers, and end the war once and for all.” She looked around the chamber. “If you do still get bored, you can always ask Verba to conjure an extra room and train with you.”
“So, where do you want to start?” asked Obsidian.
“I think I’ll start with the second ritual,” said Twilight. “The one where the Shattered were created. That’s the most obvious place to start.”
Nodding in agreement, Obsidian lowered his face over the Amaranthine, his form blurring a little as the mystical plant fed off his essence. The magic of the flower flowed upward, spreading over the ceiling and the walls, which soon began to shift and change. Everypony looked as the swirling images around them coalesced and fell apart again and again. The process lasted long minutes before it gradually dawned on everypony that nothing was going to happen. It wasn’t even a particularly dramatic nothing.
Twilight looked at the jumbled mess of images around her, then at Obsidian. “What’s going on?” she asked impatiently. “Why aren’t we seeing anything?”
“You think they removed it?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Obsidian shook his head, and stepped back from the flower, cancelling the vision. “It is not within their power to do,” he said. “Dissonance echoes. Once something gets there, it will remain there forever in one form or another. For there to be no vision at all, the event would have to never reflect in Dissonance in the first place. Which is not much of a stretch. The event flooded the sanctuary with a massive amount of pattern energy. And the only ones to witness the ritual were the ones who took part, the Shattered themselves, blocked from becoming one with the Dissonance by the fate they brought upon themselves. I’m sorry to say it, but the Amaranthine seems unable to show you what you want to see.”
“So, what do we do now?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Perhaps there is something else we could see that would help us?” proposed Rarity.
Twilight scratched the floor with her hoof in thought. Her ears perked up when she got an idea. “I think there is,” she said. She turned to Obsidian. “You said the Shattered were created when their ritual went wrong. We can’t see what the problem was, but perhaps we can at least see what they were trying to do? Can you show us the ritual where the Elements of Harmony were created?”
Obsidian did not reply at once. Twilight kept looking at him, and for the first time since she met him, she found him averting his gaze. Soon her friends too were staring at him.
“Is there something wrong?” asked Fluttershy.
“It may have been fortunate for Aurora, that the Equestrian army interrupted our last vision,” said Obsidian, looking askance at her. “She had to go to battle, but she didn’t have to watch the rest of the worst day of her life. I would much rather go to battle now than show you this, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to be interrupted by anything.”
A series of short gasps followed, as one by one the Elements all understood the implications.
“For you, that was the worst day of your life,” said Fluttershy softly.
“I can’t rightly say,” said Obsidian, turning once again away from the Elements and towards the wall. “I have been through many horrible days in my life. But this one was special in how it focused so many hopes, and instead planted the seeds of so many disasters.”
Twilight looked down into her notebook, as if it could hold the solution to their current predicament. "Perhaps you don’t need to do it? This is something you have seen with your own eyes. That means the Void Passage should already know all about it. Can’t you have Verba show it to us?”
“Do you expect me to remember every detail?” replied Obsidian. “The Passage may filter my memories to recreate everything that I as much as skimmed through, but it will fill in everything outside my field of vision. And I wasn’t one for technical details back then. Verba was, but in his current state…”
“Hey, give him some credit!” interrupted Rainbow Dash. “He figured out how to help me and Aurora share our powers. You say he’s just a spell now, but he’s more alive than you believe.”
Obsidian turned slowly to look into Rainbow’s eyes. “I have known him for several thousand years longer than you.”
Rainbow returned the gaze. “And how often were you in the mood to really talk to him? You were crazy, remember?”
Obsidian flinched, as if stung, his jaw clenching. “In that case… it still has to be me. If he’s as alive as you claim, you wouldn’t want him to suffer in my place, would you? In any case, he’s unable to use the Amaranthine, and you do want every detail, in case it turns out important. I’ll let my memories drive the vision, but lend a bit of my essence to the flower to fill in the gaps. Once it is complete, you can check the technicalities with him. If he can explain anything to you, all the better.”
He looked around the room, as if waiting for somepony to challenge him. What he received instead was looks of worry. Seconds passed, but nopony came up with an alternative solution. Finally, Twilight slumped onto her cushion with resignation, preparing her notebook.
Obsidian inhaled deeply and leaned over the Amaranthine again. This time the vision came almost instantly: the whole wall disappeared, opening into an image of the sanctuary they had just left. It was mostly as they’d remembered it, but some details showed that it was another time - the surrounding buildings were free of the weight of ages, instead bearing signs of recent use. The glowing crystals were more abundant. There were also armored ponies there, carefully picking their way through what was clearly the remains of a recent battle. Dead ponies littered the ground, their bodies covered in cuts and scorch marks. Around the gate to the inner sanctum, three ponies stood embedded in ice, their faces stuck in the final gasps of mortal terror.
“What kind of magic did that?” asked Twilight, pointing with her hoof. ”A windigo?”
“Yes,” said Obsidian bluntly. “They had one trapped there for research, and unleashed it on us when we broke through. And contrary to what your stories tell, getting frozen solid by a windigo is irreversibly fatal.”
“There you are,” called out Rainbow Dash from her seat.
And indeed, there was Obsidian among the ponies examining the battlefield. His dark coat was mostly hidden beneath a silvery armor, but the staff flying at his side was the same, only different by channeling the orange light of Honesty on his chest, the light that also flowed on the outside of his plates, surrounding him with protection spells.
“So, there are the first Elements,” said Rarity, looking at Obsidian’s companions. “I remember seeing some of those faces before, when you brought in chimeras to fight Celestia for us. And these other ones must be the Shattered?”
There were ten ponies moving around the sanctuary; five unicorns, two pegasi, Obsidian - the only earth pony present, and a pair of alicorns, who seemed to be in command. One was a white mare, who Twilight quickly recognized as Vengeance - she was armored, and covered with dust from the battle, and her body lacked the eery perfection it would develop later, but she was unmistakably the same pony. The other was a navy blue stallion, who could only be Verba; even though his focus was a necklace, like the others, Twilight instantly recognized the gemstone within as Magic.
Each of the ten ponies was wearing a focus around the neck, and they kept them all alight, keeping up the protection spells as they checked every nook and cranny around the inner sanctum, careful to cover each other in case of an ambush. Twilight watched as they entered inside.
The inner sanctum was a round temple, dominated by four alicorn statues opposite the entrance, two of white marble, and two of black granite. The floor was covered by a mosaic of spiralling stars, converging on the symbol of the moon in the middle, while the ceiling was painted with spiralling swirl of clouds, centered around the sun. Stairs ran around the circumference of the chamber, extending down to the levels below and up towards the top of the mountain.
Right now though, it was no place of worship. The temple was littered with strange devices, some destroyed in the battle, some still beeping or flashing with their crystal displays. In the center of the chamber, over the moon symbol, there stood a round container, the size of a large cider barrel, but made entirely of metal, and reinforced with silver bands bearing runic inscriptions. The top looked partially open, thin mist still seeping from the hole. As the team split up to check the stairs up and down, Verba walked in to examine the devices, disconnecting them, and clearing the middle of the chamber.
Pinkie Pie hopped up from her seat, and walked closer to the vision, looking from pony to pony. “Pegasi with fangs look so weird,” she stated to nopony in particular. “So, these are Verba and Libra. The white one that flew up is Surprise, The big orange one must be Lightbringer. The green unicorn with a goatee is Absynthe, he’s princess Luna now… and the shy, orange one must be Evening Embrace. She didn’t really change that much.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” said Obsidian. “Being able to change one’s shape comes with many benefits, like being able to choose your identity no matter how life changes you.”
“So, the yellow one must be Gloria,” continued Pinkie. “Am I right?” As Obsidian nodded, she went on. “And those will be Winter Gem, and Diamond Dust,” she said, pointing towards two fair mares bearing Kindness and Generosity.
“Winter Gem?” asked Applejack, her ears perking up. “Was she an apple farmer?”
Obsidian turned slightly, to look at her without breaking connection with the flower. “Her parents were. The war took that from her too.”
“Pinkie, how do you know all these names?” asked Twilight, quick to change the topic before it became uncomfortable.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Obsidian keeps talking about them whenever he feels nostalgic. You’ve all been there for most of his stories. I just remembered the details. I would be a poor party planner if I couldn’t remember a pony’s name. So, who’s the red pegasus over there?” she finished, pointing at the vision again.
Rainbow Dash squinted. “I thought that was Loyalty, but that crystal is a different shade of red.”
“That’s Courage,” explained Obsidian. “There were thirteen foci users among us at that point. There had been more foci initially, but some of them were lost to the enemy as their wielders died. Dusk… was the last one left who didn’t end up as either an Element or a Shattered. He wasn’t very good at making friends, and though he learned to work in a team, he never really bonded to either group. He died soon after my disappearance, a victim of circumstance to the mad scheming that saw the Empire burn. If you’re looking for Shooting Star, the bearer of Loyalty…”
The vision shifted back to the main cave. Obsidian pointed his hoof towards the main entrance. “There he is.”
Three ponies had just entered through the gate, and started moving towards the inner sanctum. Two of them were pegasi, pulling small chariots packed with strange metal contraptions that were obviously more lab equipment - one of them was red, with Loyalty on his chest, and a glowing crystal replacing a missing eye; the other was dark grey with matching armor, seemingly designed for hiding in dark clouds, his face stern and vigilant.
Between the two there walked a white unicorn mare. She was delicate and beautiful, long mane flowing from under her winter hat. Though her overcoat was clearly military issued, designed to ward off cold, one would be forgiven for mistaking her for a rich filly heading to the opera. Alone among the present, she wasn’t wearing a focus. Neither did she look ready to fight, instead keeping pace with the carts, to keep them between herself and any potential threats. She was barely containing her revulsion at the sight of the bodies sprawled before her, even as she tried to project an aura of confidence and professionalism.
“Ooh, and who is that?” asked Rarity, eyeing the newcomer curiously.
Obsidian lowered his gaze. “That’s Indicina. She was the daughter of the scientist who came up with the whole idea. After he was killed, she was the only one with the knowledge of what to do, so the Emperor made her the new head of the project.”
As the three ponies joined the group, they started preparing for their work. Excess equipment was brought out of the inner sanctum, most bodies moved out of sight, the contents of the two chariots unpacked. Twilight watched with curiosity as the various metal and crystal components were connected, trying to sketch them in her notebook, listening intently to every word as Verba, Gloria and Evening Embrace discussed the technical details with Indicina during assembly. Despite her earlier misgivings, Rainbow Dash kept observing too, having exchanged her cushion for a thought-up cloud for a better view, though she seemed to focus more on watching the heroes than on technical details.
The array started taking shape - a five-pointed star with standing spots for six ponies, and multiple metal prongs extending upwards, Twilight made several attempts to draw it, before coming up with a new idea - she stared at the contraption intently for a couple seconds, and then a miniature of it appeared next to the notebook in front of her. She started sketching the model, still keeping an ear on the conversation - the group had just come up with an idea to use the enemy sealing container as an extra failsafe - the metal barrel was set next to the ritual circle, thick cables connecting it both to the array, and to the control console Indicina was going to use.
They were dividing now, the future Elements of Harmony preparing to take their place in the circle, removing their armors, and any magical items that could interfere with the ritual, leaving only their foci, as Indicina was making the last adjustments on the instruments, while the remaining seven retreated to the main cavern to protect the experiment from any enemy interference.
Shooting Star tapped the side of his head with a hoof, removing the crystal eye, and pulling the fringe of his mane over the empty socket. Obsidian took his staff and set it outside the door, and then went to hug Indicina before taking his place in the circle.
Twilight froze with a pencil hovering over the page. The hug had only taken a second, two ponies standing with their necks entwined, and their muzzles over each other’s withers, but there was no mistaking it for anything else. Despite the brevity, the hug was as intimate as it was reassuring.
“Oh,” stammered Twilight, her mind stumbling over what she was supposed to say next. “You mentioned losing your… love.”
Suddenly everypony was looking at Obsidian again, eyes full of softness that wasn’t usually directed at the grumpy old soldier.
“So… it was her you meant…”
Obsidian turned back towards the vision, giving no reply to her comment. Everypony had already taken their places in the contraption, five focus bearers standing around Verba. Indicina put on a pair of protective goggles, and threw the first switch on her console. As first nothing happened, but as the six ponies in the circle started concentrating, the crystals in the array lit up with a soft glow, strands of multicolored light spiralling up towards the ceiling.
“Mind if I accelerate it?” said Obsidian. “It took us hours to do it the first time, and I don’t want to link to the Amaranthine for that long. You can watch it later at normal speed if you want.”
“So,” asked Twilight, as the images started flowing faster and faster, the array slowly glowing in brightness, “What exactly is it doing? It looks very much like what we did when you summoned the chimeras, directing the power from the leyline to pierce into Dissonance. But if the mountain is supplying most of the power, why is it taking so long?”
Obsidian smirked. “You still don’t realise how powerful the Elements are. The leyline is a great source of magic, but they are a great source of magic that can be precisely directed. If you were there, even at your current awakening level, this would have only taken minutes. And yes, the idea is the same, but we were trying to punch a much bigger hole.”
The perspective of the vision shifted, following the beam of light through the ceiling, to the meditation chamber above, then through the layers of rock, and finally over the mountain and into the sky.
The girls gasped. What was visible inside the sanctum didn’t do justice to the whole event: outside, the mountain top was on fire with ghost lights, a pillar of light stretching into the sky, clouds for miles around slowly spiralling around it. Far in the distance, airships battled over the mountains - clearly the magical display had attracted attention from the enemy forces.
“Well, that looks ominous,” said Pinkie Pie.
Then there was a loud noise, like a boom of thunder, and the clouds exploded away, as the sky above Nevercrest literally ripped open. There was a giant hole there now, the alien stars of the Dissonance visible within. From the hole, a wave of multicolored light, like a liquid aurora borealis, cascaded down onto the mountain. The snow melted, coming down the slopes in avalanches, and the rock itself seemed to pulse and writhe under the overwhelming magical power. And in the center, the beam that had been reaching into the sky was now a spinning funnel, a storm of magical power coming down into the sanctuary.
The vision followed the beam down, reaching the inner sanctum just as the array exploded with blinding white light. The six ponies were hanging in the air, glowing white silhouettes, their foci blazing six colors in front of them, points of light freed from the constraints of their amulets. Indicina was ducking behind her console, screaming over the noise as she flipped the switches, trying to prevent the raging power from reducing her friends to cinders.
A powerful pulse came down into the chamber, splitting in the air over the array - the six colors became blinding light. The sealing barrell lit up too, its binding runes glowing blue as the excess power was directed there. It glowed brighter and brighter, suddenly turning red hot, but the cables melted first.
Indicina rolled away, curling into a ball, and instinctively shielding herself with magic, as the console exploded with sparks. The array stopped glowing, its task already completed, but the remains of the magical vortex still hung above it, and were now discharging in a slow motion explosion of multicolored balls of magic, shooting uncontrolled energy in all directions, causing the walls it hit to shift and deform. The ones that flew down were harmlessly grounded by the array, which protected the ponies standing within. But the last pulse of magic turned, as if alive, flying straight at Indicina.
Her shield was too puny to withstand magic of this magnitude. It couldn’t even stop Obsidian, when he dashed in, just before the anomaly could hit her, tackling Indicina out of the way, and taking the brunt of the magical explosion on his own, improvised protections, the newly empowered Honesty creating an explosion of orange.
The vision broke, the last second becoming a freeze-frame projected on the wall: the light starting to fade, the Elements of Harmony looking around with their new, changed eyes, their foci transformed as they merged with their essence.
Verba’s magic was an elaborate helmet, with the gemstone sitting right above his horn. Shooting Star’s Loyalty became a half-mask, with the focus replacing his old prosthetic eye. The others’ were still gorgets, though each subtly changed to reflect its wearer.
All five were looking with fear towards the two inert bodies on the floor, away from the circle.
“What happened?” asked Twilight, looking from the vision to the real Obsidian, and back. “Did she...?”
“No,” said Obsidian sternly, stepping away from the Amaranthine. “That mercy was denied her.”
“Me… mercy?” stuttered Fluttershy.
“What do you mean?” demanded Rainbow Dash from her cloud.
Obsidian met her gaze. “Do you remember what happened to you, when you were thrown out of the Void Passage?”
The pegasus shuddered. “I got dropped into a sea of memories... that weren’t mine. I almost ended up crazy, but Verba... fixed me up,” she replied with some hesitation.
“What happened to us,” said Obsidian, “was both similar and different. While your experience was like being thrown into deep water, ours was like standing in front of a dam as it broke. Our friends were very relieved when they saw us alive. But they didn’t know what really happened. Unlike you, we were in our bodies. Honesty protected us from direct physical damage, and we seemed unharmed. But that only meant there was no clear sign of what had happened to us. There were pieces inside our minds that did not belong. And even we ourselves had no idea at first. We were busy with the aftermath of the experiment, ignoring the first warning signs as simple results of stress. I was stubborn, and strong willed, enough to suppress the foreign influence, at least while I was awake. Indicina… didn’t want to worry me. She felt something was wrong, but kept her facade for my sake, and then the Elements were sent to the front lines, and she was summoned to the Emperor’s side. I barely had a chance to see her, not enough to notice what was really wrong until it was too late. And at night, when we slept, when our minds touched the dreams of Dissonance, we were no longer protected. We dreamt nightmares that weren’t our own, anguished over things that didn’t happen to us. Eventually, I noticed. Perhaps it was my training, perhaps it was Honesty revolting over being bound to a mind that was no longer true to itself. But being aware of the problem seemed to only aggravate it. I tried to see my loved one. What I saw instead was…”
The six ponies released the breaths they didn’t realise they’d been holding. But Obsidian didn’t finish the sentence.
“Enough to say that it eroded my will to fight at the worst possible moment. Losing myself, I tried to protect everypony by sealing myself away, leaving Honesty behind. It took a century for my mind to recover some equilibrium. And when it did, it turned out all I had done was make sure I couldn’t help.”
“I tried to protect my love, but all I did was leave her. And without me, she was consumed by her madness.”
An awkward silence fell, the six mares around Obsidian buzzing with questions they dared not ask. Fortunately, after a moment, he continued.
“When I disappeared, she thought me dead. Though she kept maintaining the facade, using illusions when her own composure failed her, she went mad with grief, and blamed the Emperor for losing me. She… manipulated his pride to turn him against the Shattered, making sure they’d become the monsters everypony feared they would, all to destroy everything the Emperor had ever built. And when the war started… my disciples never knew, and I never used the Amaranthine to look… but I am certain she was the one who took the sealing container, and put the thing inside into Hate.”
“What happened to her?” asked Twilight, finally asking a question.
“According to Concilio, the second bearer of Honesty, she was in the palace when Vengeance burned the capitol down. She gave him Honesty, and pushed him through the portal just before the fire rained down. She had a soft spot for him, and that act of kindness was what allowed the Elements to… ‘win’ the war the first time.”
“For it to hurt so much after all this time…” whispered Fluttershy. “You must have really loved her.”
Obsidian smiled sadly. “Oh, you have no idea. We used to be one soul. If she had disappeared first, I might have been the one to burn the Empire down. And now, let us finish and recover. Your sisters must be waiting with the food, and I’ve had enough of watching my own past for the day."
***
Three days later, Dr. Bluebonnet found herself completely stuck.Three days later, Dr. Bluebonnet found herself completely stuck. She had managed her break in without being noticed, and the vault contained a hidden archive as she had hoped, but there was little there that seemed relevant. And the parts that did were a mix of crumbling notes, more fit for an archeologist to read than for an engineer. Also, only the more recent half was written in anything resembling Pony. As she moved back in time, the language changed, until she could no longer make heads or tails of it, before switching the alphabet to something she couldn’t even read. Sadly, it seemed that her resolution to find out the whole truth of what her employers were hit a major roadblock - she had no idea how to translate ancient languages. She ended up copying some schematics, putting them among the notes for her current projects, and was now sitting over them while pretending to work, trying to make sense of them without any sort of proper labelling.
“Where is Doctor Stone?”
Bluebonnet turned nervously, her hoof shutting a notebook she had in front of her, quickly pushing it deeper into the chaos of the deliberately cluttered desk. She turned her eye towards Pierce, who was sitting in the corner of the room, but he didn’t seem to pay attention to it.
I should have left it in my room, and worked on it during the night, she thought irritably, turning towards the source of the voice. There was somepony in the corridor outside, talking with a stern, soldier-like voice.
Bluebonnet left her station and peered into the corridor. There was a white pegasus guard standing there, outside the line on the floor marking the high security area. A guard golem and a white-coated lab assistant were standing in front of him, blocking his path.
“I need to relay an urgent message,” insisted the soldier.
The assistant’s expression remained unchanged. “The area is off limits,” he stated calmly.
At that moment the soldier noticed Bluebonnet, and his eyes flashed with recognition. “Dr. Bluebonnet,” he said loudly, “I have an urgent message to Dr. Stone. Do you know where I can find her?”
“Is there a problem?” asked Pierce from behind Bluebonnet.
She twitched nervously, and suppressed a yelp. She hadn’t heard him move from his seat.
He must have used magic to silence his hooves, she thought. He must still be angry over that trick I played on him…
“He claims to have an urgent message,” explained the assistant impassively. “But he has no authorisation to enter, and I have no authorisation to leave my post.” He eyed the soldier sternly. “And a truly urgent message to Dr. Stone would be given by Princess Luna personally. She can get down here faster than any messenger.”
The pegasus stared him down, and ground his teeth. “We’ve just set up the new teleportation wards up top. And the Princess doesn’t have the time for you lab…” He caught himself, seeing Bluebonnet’s eyes grow. “Uh… either way, it is a written report. Princess Luna requested that it be delivered. Urgently.”
“We can't let you through,” said Pierce with a sigh. “Not while the emergency security procedures are still in place. But we can relay your report to Dr. Stone.”
The soldier hesitated, looking from Bluebonnet to Pierce, and back. Finally he lowered his head under his wing, to retrieve a thin bundle of papers. Bluebonnet went ahead, and grabbed them with her teeth.
“Have it your way,” said the soldier as soon as his mouth was free. “I know you two are trusted staff, so I entrust it to you. I hope it will be okay.”
“It will,” assured him Pierce. “And it will be faster than getting Dr. Stone up here. Let us not waste any more time,” he finished before turning around to walk away. When Bluebonnet noticed that he stopped, she followed. It was obvious he would not leave her side, so that trip to the lower levels were for the both of them.
They walked down the corridors towards the high energy lab, where they knew Dr. Stone to be. Most of her remaining staff would be there, helping her install the new equipment to replace the devices wrecked by Discord’s plants. As she walked, letting Pierce lead the way, she chanced a look down her nose at the paper in her mouth. It was signed by Captain North Star, and the title described the report as pertaining to the search for the rogue Elements of Harmony.
An urgent report… has he found something?
She tried to flip a page to get a look inside, but she could not do it without breaking her pace. Glumly, she followed Pierce down another flight of stairs. She could already hear the voice of Dr. Stone, coordinating the efforts of her crew.
“Ten inches to the left,” said the scientist, as the two entered through the armored door. A bipedal clay golem, three times as tall as she was, moved its thick arms, lifting a heavy converter to the spot where it was to be attached to the floor. The rest of the crew were scattered around the room, wrench in mouth, attaching various bolts and cables to minor devices. In the center of the room, behind Dr. Stone, there was a metal star on the floor, surrounded by a ring of crystal spikes.
It’s a thaumic modulator, isn’t it? thought Bluebonnet. We haven’t had one since Twilight blew up our last one. But why would Dr. Stone need one now, let alone give it priority over other repairs? We have nothing down here to charge it with quickly. As it is, it would take months before it will be ready for… wait a moment. That’s what those schematics were! It was older, and way more primitive, obvious considering its age… but the basic principle was the same. It was made to harness great magical power and apply it in a predetermined manner. Was that how they were created? Magical splicing?
“Dr. Bluebonnet, please stop chewing the documentation,” said Dr Stone, turning her eyes away from her work. “What brings you here?”
Pierce stepped forward. “A report from…” he turned to look at the papers in Bluebonnet’s mouth. “Captain North Star. Princess Luna said to pass it to you. We were told it was urgent.”
“Put it over there,” said Dr. Stone, pointing her muzzle at an empty table near the door. “I’ll look at it in a minute, but our task requires my full attention now. Actually, you can help me while you’re there. I need to connect these couplings, and telekinesis will have an easier time reaching there than mouth tools.”
Pierce stepped closer to help her. “Please wait a second,” he said over his shoulder as he approached the devices by the wall, and looked in. The problem seemed to be a logistical one. All the machines had been designed for easy use by earth ponies, with all the relevant parts conveniently accessible. What they weren’t designed for was being clumped so closely together.
That’s right, remembered Bluebonnet. All the big lab chambers are either damaged by the fighting, already taken, or too close to the main lab. We don’t want the situation from the last time to repeat if anything goes wrong.
She had a quick glance around the room. Everypony seemed preoccupied, but they would only remain so for a couple of seconds. She leaned over the table, and flipped the page with her lips. The report was a list of items found while searching the crystal tower. It didn’t look interesting - apparently the search teams didn’t return with anything important.
However, the fourth page was covered with writing describing some discoveries from the history books found on the scene. Somepony had marked the most important parts with red ink:
“That ‘Nevercrest Sanctuary’ was mentioned several times, and seems connected to the history of the Elements,” wrote North Star. “If you could confirm its existence, and if it really is a unique place of power, as claimed, it might be worth investigating as a potential spot to search for clues.”
Nevercrest! thought Bluebonnet. It was in Stone’s notes. They had been there definitely, long ago. And it’s a place of power? If they used the modulator there, with it as the power source-
“Dr. Bluebonnet, we could use another pair of hooves here,” called Dr. Stone from her spot among the machinery.
Bluebonnet turned towards her, passing her hoof across the paper to close the pages. “Right away.”
That Obsidian… he would be old enough to remember. Luna must think the Elements are at Nevercrest. Is she right? She must be. Whatever they’re planning, it must require all the magic they can get, I’m sure of it!
***
It was already late at night when Bluebonnet finished her preparations. She looked once again at the items gathered on her bed. There was a backpack filled with food and basic survival equipment, a saddlebag with one pocket full of emergency gadgets, and the other with her notes - she opened it for the last time, cramming in a thick black book with a swirling stars pattern on the cover.
That’s all I can manage to take, she thought. I hope it is enough.
She put on her coat, pulled all the bags on on top of it, then checked her pocket for the map -- the mountain wasn’t hard to find once she knew exactly what she was looking for, but it took a lot of her precious time to do so discreetly.
Finally she took a helmet, and put it on her head. It was white, with a soft cap inside, like a like a fancier version of a construction worker’s hard hat. But on the inside, between the cap and the shell, there was one of her own inventions - a thin layer of pattern-infused tinfoil. She was very proud of being able to make it hold a charge - it wasn’t enough to shield her mind from magical attacks, but it would be enough to hide it from magical detection.
Have I remembered everything? she thought, suddenly frantic. She checked a small side pocket in her backpack, making sure she had packed her pills, a drug made to let her sleep easily, with a convenient side effect of making her nights dreamless.
Everything’s ready. I can’t stop shaking. Did Tourmaline feel like that? If they find out before I get far enough away… She took a gadget from her nightstand and stuck it to the door - a round box with a suction-like bottom. She put her ear to the device and listened intently. There was nothing. Nopony’s there, she thought. So Pierce finally went to sleep, and there was no assistant left to take over, just as I thought. It is now or never.
She put two pairs of slippers on to muffle her steps on the stone floor, took a deep, deliberate breath to calm herself, and slowly opened the door. To her relief, there really was nopony there. Carefully, with her ears constantly turning in search of suspicious noises, she closed the door behind herself, and started sneaking away from her room.
For the first time in days, the compound was silent, even most of the tireless assistants ‘asleep’ in the healing tanks for maintenance. Bluebonnet walked purposefully past the main labs and towards the cellblocks. She paused as she was passing her own lab. Should I take the pattern gun with me? No. I wish, I could, but I can’t carry anything more. It’s ‘travel light’ or not at all, and the notes are more important.
She walked past the cells and towards the big elevator connecting the lab level with the hangar far in the mountain top.
And what if I’m wrong? What if Luna is mistaken, and the Elements are not there? I’d be stuck in the mountains with no help or… No, I must not think like this. Princess Luna may be wicked, but she isn’t stupid. And she’s experienced. If she thinks they’re there, she’s probably right. So, how much time do I have before she gets there? After the last time with Lightbringer, I don’t think they’d just sent him alone. They will want to examine the situation carefully, and then go in there in full force. I should be able to-
Bluebonnet froze. There was a sound of hooves approaching.
Who’s there? she thought, her heart racing. It's coming closer.
She looked around, but there was no hiding spot in sight that she could reach in time without making noise. And whoever it was, there was just the corner of the corridor between them now.
Making a quick decision, Bluebonnet reached to her saddle bag. She found what she was looking for, just as the white muzzle of the assistant passed the corner. The stallion looked at her in surprise, his mouth opening to ask a question she couldn’t lie her way through. Bluebonnet swung her neck, tossing a small wood and metal disk. It landed under his hooves and opened, shooting up with metal tapes that wrapped around the assistant’s barrel. There was a crackle of a charge released, and the stallion fell with a gasp, his legs twitching. Bluebonnet leapt over him, and galloped, not even trying to be silent anymore. She reached the elevator, and pulled the door shut behind her. She pressed the button, and then slumped to the floor, as the small room started moving upwards.
So, they’ll know immediately, she thought. I upped the charge, but these guys aren’t ponies. I have no idea how long he will be out. He’ll trigger a secondary shock once he tries to free himself, but now I have very little time. I hope my authorisation will be enough to get me past the air patrols before a full alarm is sounded. Oh, this is not working out at all!
She stood up, trying to control the rising panic, as the elevator reached the top floor. When the door opened, she found herself standing face to face with a guard golem.
It was one of the animated pony armors, only slightly bigger than her, but designed to look imposing, and right now there were two points of red glowing in its eye slit, making it all the more menacing.
“Emergency override access, Doctor Bluebonnet,” said Bluebonnet quickly, almost shouting. The magical construct hesitated. “Code red emergency password… strawberry cake!”
The armor stood still, taking in her answer. After two excruciating seconds, the eyelight changed to orange - using emergency override password put the golem on high alert, but it would not hinder her. She pushed past it quickly, exhaling in relief. The passwords haven’t been changed. Now I just need to find the right machine.
She walked away from the elevator, picking up pace, past the ruined chamber, still not fixed after the battle that claimed the life of her daughter. Suppressing the temptation to pause there and reminisce, she went into the next hangar, filled with flying machines. There were several blimps there, but they were not fast enough for what she had in mind. She went right past them towards one of the prototypes - a sleek machine with multiple propellers, a simple magical engine replacing the need for pony muscle power. Bluebonnet got inside, checked the engine, and tried to start the propellers. They worked fine - it seemed Discord’s vines hadn’t caused any problems here, and the power crystal would not need to be replaced. Relieved, Bluebonnet turned off the engine, dropped her bags into the cockpit, and got out.
Now I just need to get the hangar door open.
She rushed along the hangar towards the large, sliding gate that served as the exit. Right next to the gate, there was a heavy winch protruding from the wall. She reared, to press upon it with all her weight.
A needle flew from behind the nearest blimp, zipping in front of her face, and embedding itself in the wall. Bluebonnet flinched back with a yelp, lost her balance and fell backwards. Who? My gadgets are left in the bags!
She rolled back onto her hooves, and got up, turning towards the attacker. A familiar face looked back at her.
“So, I risk my life in battle, go for days without sleep to stay at your side, and do all in my power to keep you safe from harm, and you… What. In. Tartarus. Are. You. Doing?” barked agent Pierce.