Chapter 8 A Blast, For The Past
"Mr. Buckingham...Come here will you?" Nova said as he stared out his office window.
Bradshaw who was standing by the door, stepped forward, "What do ya need sir?"
"How is project Meteor coming along?" He asked.
The southern stallion smiled, "Were beginning construction as we speak sir. I gave em the go ahead an hour ago. May I ask you somthing?"
Nova turned his head to the side, "You may."
"Why are we goin ahead with this? Aren't you satisfied with this? Equestria."
He turned back to the window and smirked, "...Equestria is not enough, Mr. Buckingham...When we have this kind of power...Why stop?"
Bradshaw nodded, "I understand sir. I'll be taking a stagecoach back to the mine this afternoon, make sure everything is goin as planned."
Sparks continued to peer out his window, "Excellent Mr. Buckingham, and if you could. When you come back, bring a batch of the refined manarite would you? Mr. Comet and our other Unicorns are running low."
"I'll see it done." Bradshaw said, leaving the room.
Nova stepped away from his window and sat down at his desk. Still smirking, he pressed a button on his desk that activated an intercom. He spoke into the mic that lay in front of him, "Calling Dr. Tavor. Repeat, calling Dr. Tavor. Report to head office at once..."
He switched off the intercom and rested his elbows on his desk, put his front hooves together in a thinking pose. A lime green Unicorn, wearing a white lab coat, entered the room, "You called Mr. Sparks?"
He glanced up at him and dashingly said, "Please have your scientists finish up on the new machine. I wish to test it on Celestia tonight."
"Affermative sir."
The scientist Unicorn left the room, Nova thought to himself, "Tonight Celestia, you will hand over what I value most, or I shall take it by force. Either way, tonight I will be reunited with my horn once again..."
-----
Back on Sweet Apple Acres, it was still early in the morning. Applejack, Rainbow, and Twilight were getting ready to pack up. AJ had already made her good-bye's with Braeburn and Granny Smith. Braeburn had agreed to stay there until they returned (whenever that may be). She was about to open the door to Appleblooms room. Though she stopped half way through to think about the wonderful memories they shared, their times apple bucking, even though Applebloom was never very good at it. The memories of the sisterhooves social, working chores around the farm. They had bonded so closely, it stuck in Applejack's heart like a knife. But it had to be done, for Appleblooms safety, her and the girls had to leave Sweet Apple Acres. She slowly opened the door, Applebloom slept ever so sweetly. AJ smiled warmly at her, she wanted to close the door and let her sleep. But she knew Applebloom would be upset if she didn't see her off. She sighed and approached the side of her bed. Applebloom continued to sleep away as she sat down beside her bed. The little filly snuggled up with a stuffed pony doll that Applejack had passed down to her long ago, seeing the doll filled Applejack with nostalgia of when she used to take her little sister for walks when she was much younger, how Applebloom would drag it along as they went for gallops in the fields. It was her best friend until she met Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but it was still her bed time buddy. Applejack began to cry softly. She concealed it enough so Applebloom wouldn't awaken. She felt horrible, leaving her family yet again. Especially sweet, sensitive Applebloom who so much, looked up to her big sister. Applejack continued to sob, as she brushed her hoof through Applebloom's mane. She looked over on to her sister's nightstand and seen her school note book, with a pen. She glanced back over to Applebloom and smiled through her tears. AJ took the pen and paper and began to write a note for her little sister, instead of waking her up. She knew it would be easier for both of them this way, especially for Applejack. When she was finished, she laid the note on her bedside clock, she wouldn't miss it there. As she wepted away more tears, she tucked Applebloom in to get her comfortable. She kissed her and caressed her mane one last time. Before Applejack changed her mind of leaving, she took a deep breath and left the room.
Twilight and Rainbow were downstairs, packing their saddlebags for the journey. Where they were going? They didn't know, but they weren't staying. Twilight packed the book Berry Punch sacrificed herself for. She loaded three hoof-held mirrors they could use against the rebels overwhelming magic. Among other things packed were limited food supplies, and a few survival tools. Twilight was incredibly tired. She had been working early that morning on her plan. Rainbow and Applejack were yet to find out what that was. It must have been heavily detailed, she was only able to get a couple hours of sleep. She spent the entire night going over her research on the manarite. She conjured up what she learned in magic school, and it was theoretically possible that even this kind of magic could deflect off mirrors. It was still a theory otherwise, it would have to be tested if they were about to be caught. Applejack hollered from the top of the stairs, "You gals just about ready?"
"Almost, AJ!" Twilight replied.
Rainbow threw one bag over her, "I'll carry the food."
She tosses another saddlebag up to Applejack, "Here AJ, you can carry the tools."
Twilight put her bag on, "And I'll be carrying the books and mirrors."
Applejack looked puzzled, "Uhhhh Mirrors?"
Twilight smiled cleverly, "It'll all make sense when I explain, lets get going."
As the girls trotted out the door, Applejack's heart sank, but she confidently broke a smile through her sadness. She knew she'd return one day. To spend all the time she wanted with Applebloom. It's what she would want. When they got to the road, they started heading away from Ponyville, in the other direction on the road. Rainbow asked Twilight, "Ok, so. What's this big plan of yours?"
"Girls, were going to canyon." Twilight said proudly.
"The canyon?" Dash questioned.
"Yep. I did a lot of studying last night, and the rock that produces their powerful magic is located somewhere in the canyons."
Applejack was confused, "But those canyons are huge! It could take days to find them. It's going to take hours to get to the canyons anyways."
"Not necessarily AJ, the rock was produced by a large meteorite that hit the planet centuries ago. It can't be that hard to find a crater in the ground." Twilight clarified.
Applejack nodded lightly, "Yeah I suppose yer right. Still gonna take a while though. Rainbow, how much food did ya pack?" She asked.
"I stuffed the bag as much as I could. It may only last us a couple days though." She answered cautiously.
"Don't worry girls, I'm sure we'll find it." Twilight gladly assured.
"Why do ya got them mirrors packed anyway?" Applejack wondered.
Twilight smiled, "Thanks to Rainbow Dash, I was reminded of my studies in magic school. Magic works similar to light. It may be slower, but it has no mass, and it can reflect off mirrors. Yet with Nova's magic, I'm not 100% if it will work, but it's our only shot...Girls, if anything should happen to any one of us, I just want to say I love you girls..."
Applejack and Rainbow looked at each other, glanced back and nodded, "We love ya too Sugar Cube." AJ happily confirmed.
"Yeah, we always will." Rainbow added.
Twilight smiled confidently, "Then lets get to it! Let's find out the secret of this manarite, foil Nova's plans, and save our friends."
And with that they galloped off, destined for the desert where the canyons were located. They didn't know how long their trip was going to take but it was their only chance at finding out what lies behind the secrets of Nova's manaressence magic.
-----
Later that morning, Applebloom had finally awoken. She looked around her room confused, she thought Applejack was going to see her before she left. Applebloom sat up cheerfully, she figured that maybe she didn't have to leave. Then she seen the note on her clock that AJ had left, that clicked her back into reality. She was puzzled once again, she pondered why Applejack wouldn't wake her up. She leaned over and grabbed the note to read it.
It read;
"Dear Applebloom,
If you are reading this, then I am already gone. You looked so happy sleeping this morning. I didn't want to disturb you. I just want to let you know that your the most important thing in my life right now. Knowing that you'll be safe is more than enough to keep me going. You listen to Cousin Braeburn and Granny Smith while I'm gone you here? You stay away from town until I come back. Braeburn will take care of everything you need. Believe me, this is harder for me then it is for you. I would never leave you if I didn't have to. This is for your safety. I love you Sugar Cube, I always will.
Love, Applejack"
After reading the letter, Applebloom remained silent. She looked out the window, out in the distance. She held the letter close to her heart and started to weep. But then Applebloom understood what Applejack did for her and the family. It was for the best. So she picked herself up and wiped away her tears, "Good luck AJ...Be safe ya hear?"
-----
Meanwhile, back on board Nova's ship, Spike and the others were trying to scheme a way for them to escape. Spike tried to visualize the path they had taken in their first attempt for freedom. He was trying to contemplate another escape route, "You think of anything yet?" Asked Pinkie.
"No Pinkie Pie, stop asking. Thats the 10th time you've asked me already." The annoyed Spike answered .
"Oooh, I hope the girls are alright. I'm worried about them." Said Fluttershy, timidly as always.
Rarity fixed her mane, "I'll never find my prince. I am cursed. Blessed in beauty, cursed in commitment..."
Spike put his arm around Rarity, "Don't put yourself down like that Rarity, your bound to find someone. Perhaps your problem is, your looking too far. For instance, Prince Blueblood is royalty, and Buckingway is from New Buck City. Maybe your prince, is closer then you think." He said nonchalantly.
Rarity looked at him and nodded, but didn't catch on to what he really meant, "Oh maybe your right Spike, maybe I just...Wait a minute, Buckingway?"
Spike realized what he just said and it refreshed his memory, "Oh Thats right! Girls, Buckingham isn't his real name."
Rarity was lost, "Then...Who is he?"
All the girls listened in, "His name is Diamond Bradshaw Buckingway. I found his name in a book. I came across a section called New Buck Cities Most Infamous Con-Artists. Ten years ago, he was banished from Equestria for commiting the biggest heists ever to be pulled off. A few times, he even got away with as much as over a million bits! He was eventually tipped off and sent to Canterlot court where he was trialed for illegally having over 50 million bits in his possession. The Princess convicted him and banished him from Equestria. He changed his name to Bradshaw Buckingham shortly after."
"My goodness, I've been so oblivious." Rarity said as she put her hoof on her head.
Fluttershy assured, "Rarity you did nothing wrong. None of us saw it."
"Oh my gosh! Did you hear that Princess?!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Celestia was lying down in the cell on the otherside of the room, "Yes little one, and I remember it easily. I remember Nova just as well."
Spike and the girls were curious, "What about Nova?" Asked Spike.
"Nova was known as the smartest pony in Equestria at one point. He had won many awards for his knowledge. Unfortunatly, he used his prize money for...Unusual research."
"What do you mean your highness?" Fluttershy wondered.
Celestia closed her eyes to think for a moment, she sighed and firmly continued explaining, "Nova Sparks wanted to learn ways to enhance the powers of magic. I told him time, and time again that magic wasn't meant to be used for scientific experiments and it could've landed him in a lot of trouble, which it did. He and his accomplices at the time, performed experiments and surgery on Unicorn test subjects. Injecting them with different hormones, chemicals, and implanting microchips. Well most of the time the results came back negative, no difference...Except for one incident."
Rarity cringed slightly, "W-w-what happened?"
"He was a colt, his name was Boxer. He desperately needed the bits for his family, so he accepted the experiments. Unfortunatly after his surgical implant, he was cleared to go out in public. On his way home, he lost his sanity and went on a violent rampage. His magic had enhanced, but his fury had increased much, much more. I guess you could say he had more heat, then light. Anyway, he used his magic to injury many ponies on the streets, and thanks to his involuntary acts, three ponies...Passed away from their injuries. Boxer lost everything and is now in intensive mental care. Nova was snooped on by one of his fellow scientists. He was put on trial for illegal use of genetic research, involuntary mareslaughter, and of course malpractice. He was found guilty and the jurors wished for capital punishment so I had no choice but to revoke him of his horn, and banish him. Yes, Nova was a Unicorn. And now that he's discovered this powerful magic, he's taking revenge for what was his fault. He must be stopped, but this device he attached to my horn, renders my magic useless. I'm afraid our only hope relies on Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash."
"Oh my..." Rarity said, who shivered at the story.
"There has got to be someway for us to get a message to Twilight." Said Spike.
"I'm afraid we'll just have to wait Spike." Celestia stated.
-----
Up in his office, Nova was over looking some schematics, when there was a sudden knocking at the door, "What is it? I'm very busy!" He exclaimed angerly.
"It's Comet sir, we have Ponyville's former Mayor like you requested." The golden pony responded.
Nova's eyes widend, "Uhh, Right, I had completely forgotten. You may enter!"
Nova shoved his blueprints in his desk drawer and sat down. Comet, accompanied by Big Macintosh, entered with the Mayor. Her legs shivered in fear, and she felt intimidated as Big Mac sat her down in front of Sparks desk, "Ah Yes, the former Mayor of Ponyville. I've been expecting you."
The Mayor spoke nervously and kept studdering, "T-t-thank you M-mr. Sp-sp-sp-SPARKS!"
Nova chuckled, "Please calm down my dear, is that anyway to respect your dictator?"
"I'm s-s-s-sorry sir." Madam Mayor apoligized.
Nova placed his elbows on his desk, his hooves once again in that thinking pose. He made motions with his hooves as he spoke, "Anyway, let's get down to business shall we? I believe I recall you on a particular selected jury years ago at a certain court hearing, do you remember that?"
The Mayor tried to calm down, "Y-yes, I do."
Nova laughed, "Ah I knew you would! I also remember that you read the deliberations, isn't that correct?"
"I did yes. But please be reasonable..."
Nova cut her off and thrashed off his seat, "DON'T TELL ME TO BE REASONABLE YOU TROLLOP!"
The Mayor put her head down and began to pout. Nova continued, "I was removed of my horn, EXILED from Equestria; and you are so bold as to ask me to be reasonable? I'm afraid your wrong my dear. Do you have any idea what it's like to be banished? Exiled from society forever? I distinctly remember you gladly, proudly, confidently reading out the deliberations! (Mocks her) We the jury, find the Unicorn, Nova W. Sparks. Guilty on all three accounts. Illegal genetic tamporing, malpractice, and involuntary mareslaughter. All three with capital punishments. All capital? ALL OF THEM? You've got some nerve down playing me!"
He furiously went around his desk and pulled out a concealed firearm from inside his coat pocket. A silver plated energy blaster, he pointed it directly at the Mayor who quivered down at his hooves and kept whispering while weeping, "Please don't shoot, please, please, please don't shoot me. I don't want to die."
He looked at her with a blank, pitiful look on his face, "I'm not going to shoot you."
The Mayor kissed his hooves with joy, "Oh Thank you, thank you ever so much."
Nova pulled his hooves away, concealed his gun back in his coat, and trotted back to behind his desk, "Macintosh...Shoot that sorry excuse for a justice representative..."
The Mayor suddenly had a look of despair, shaking her head rapidly, "No, no, no, PLEASE!"
Big Mac looked over at Comet who nodded at him for approval, and with that, raised his hoof and shot the Mayor in the heart. She fell to ground with a petrified look of terror on her face. It satisfied Nova Sparks and he made a very sinister smirk, "Get her out of here. Dump her anywhere you feel like, just out of my sight."
"Big Mac, do it!" Ordered Comet.
Big Macintosh lifted the bloody, lifeless body of the Mayor and trotted out the room. Comet approached to the front of Nova's desk, "Sir, is there anything else you need me to do?" He asked.
Nova, stared out his window yet again, turned his head to the side, "As a matter of fact. There is."
The golden horned colt grinned, "Anything at all sir."
"Please collect Celestia for me. Take her down to the new laboratory. I want to her prepped for the experiment."
Comet was confused, "What experiment sir?"
He turned back to Comet and sat down, sternly saying, "I'm not paying you to question me, I'm paying you to take my orders now go! And get someone up here clean up the blood on the floor."
Comet nodded and backed away, "Right away Mr. Sparks."
Nova once again removed his gun from his coat. Caressed it, and sniffed the barrel of it, and chuckled as he stated, "Ahhh, I love the smell of blood and silver in the afternoon."
[...To be Continued]