The abandoned island floated at the edge of the vast aerial archipelago, a refuge of necessity for the battered airship moored at the eastern meadow. Soon after dawn, crewponies emerged into a damp, grey morning of overcast skies and intermittent drizzle. They began loading supplies and preparing the much smaller dual-rotor aircraft for flight. The Second Chance would be at capacity, carrying seven ponies and one griffon, plus tools and materials to repair the old mine train.
Leading the sortie would be Acting Captain Set Sail, who bore the burden of command uneasily but with determination to do the best for her little ponies. Joining her were fellow pegasi Azure Feather and Cloud Cutter, the former only a pegasus for a week, the later animated by Undead energies. Transformed batpony Clashing Gale and the griffon hen Grenelda would provide additional security, while the unicorn engineer Sprocket was along to handle repairs. The earth ponies Melonwater and Blaze Trails were along as their experts on geology and wilderness survival.
Finally there was the hippogriff Reef Skimmer: with no room left on the copter, he would have to fly alongside in the shape of a great eagle. He was still uncertain of his worth in combat, following the punishing encounter with the 'splatterpillar', but the need for a field medic was undeniable and he could hardly ask Winter Hope or Bluebell to face the spider-creatures. Besides, the captain was going down there...
The flight north to Fellis was uneventful, though they did spot a group of giant flying creatures in the distance, fortunately uninterested in the copter. Set Sail steered the ship to the western arm of the island, once more landing amidst the sheer cliffs above the central valley. It was only a short hop over the top and down to the rock crushing plant at the head of the mine, the flyers carrying the others down to alight on the collapsing remains of the air dock.
Azure Feather and Grenelda went in first and confirmed the site was still free of electric bugs, with Reef and Cloud Cutter close behind. Meanwhile Blaze Trails set about building a fire; there was no shortage of kindling in the half-ruined building. Sprocket watched with amusement as the earth pony fiddled with a bit of flint and steel. “What’re you doing?” she asked.
“Starting a fire,” Blaze Trails said, looking up at her, “Figuring those crystals that power the copter were drained on the way over, what with all the weight. Need heat to recharge, dontchaknow.”
“Yeah I know - Nutmeg told me all about them, before we took the copter out to the air temple.” Sprocket replied, “Just... hey back up from the fire a bit.”
Blaze took a few steps back from the unlit campfire as Sprocket lit up her horn. This was the spell that had earned her cutie mark: a swirly little firebird. Her magic flashed into fire the moment she released it, the flaming missile splashing right over the weathered remains of crates and shelves. A few prods from Blaze's hoof scooted the burning bits together, and soon everything around the fire crystals was burning merrily.
Leaving Blaze to tend her fire, Sprocket joined Set Sail and Melonwater, heading in after the others. Excitement and apprehension mixed on the latter's face as the group trotted into the mine proper, coming face to face with the remains of the splatterpillar.
Grenelda couldn't pass up an opportunity to tease the young stallion: "Ah, ain't she a beaut? Completely and mercilessly beaten down. Only wish I could be there to have done it myself." The hen cackled and flicked her wings, looking around for smaller bugs that might serve as a quick snack, then scowling as she discovered they'd been drained to unappetising husks.
"We could certainly have used your assistance," Reef Skimmer said. After changing back to hippogriff form he'd busied himself strapping on his ornate wing-blades, which hadn't been seen since his unfortunate transformation. "Damned fortunate there were no serious injuries - and that's only because one can apparently survive a stalactite through the chest." The value of the weapons might be as much psychological as physical, but the griff seemed reassured by them and set to dissecting the carcass of the beast, humming happily as he worked.
Grenelda whistled at Reef's tale of seeming invulnerability: "Daaaamn, you can do that now? You're unstoppable, Reef." Another throaty cackle, then: "I probably shouldn't say this out loud, but I am getting a little jealous!" Yeah she was teasing, but there was a kernel of truth: if you could just shrug off injuries, you'd never have to sit there and take anygriff's nonsense ever again, right? Writing off the smaller bugs, she padded over to the hippogriff, wondering if any of the splatterpillar's insides (now outsides) would be worth a nibble.
"Indeed, indeed," Reef said absent-mindedly. Finally registering the griffon's presence, he mistook her hunger for interest and began explaining as he went. "Ah now you see these rings of chitin here? Like ribs, only way something this size could keep its shape. Now look at these bands of tissue below the spines, they must be related to the electrical discharge we-"
Grenelda couldn't look any more bored. "Which parts are the tasty parts? We're not keepin' all of this in some lab somewhere, right?"
"Oh one certainly wishes we had the means to preserve the whole specimen, but alas... a few tissue samples will have to suffice," Reef lamented. "What was that? Tasty? Oh, hmm... one would suggest sticking with the green insects, rather less likely to be poisonous I'd say. The ones in here were, erm, consumed by Slashing Gale, but there are plenty of unaltered specimens out where Azure was fighting. I'm sure she can point the way."
Azure Feather had been silent on the flight over, going over the last encounter in her mind and considering strategies for fighting in the tunnels. Now she was poking into the nooks and crannies, making sure the area was secured before Sprocket got too into the repairs. "My wind blades keep things more... eh, edible, certainly." Azure certainly wasn't squeamish, but consuming the flesh of other creatures... it was hard for any pony to be completely comfortable with predators. "Flying and magic I can do, but cooking... for that you'd have to ask Sprocket." A slight smile. "Shall I show you where they fell?"
Grenelda cocked her beak. "By all means! I'm positively peckish." She brushed against Azure as a cat might when their owner promised food, following behind as the pegasus led the way out of the tunnel.
Azure wouldn't touch the things even if you offered her a fortune, but hey, if Grenelda liked it, well... more power to her, right? She trotted between rusting remains of the rock crushers, watching silently as the griffon searched for morsels.
Set Sail's ears were flat as she inspected the grisly remains; she shuddered as she listened to the rapacious griffon. “Remind me why I’m coming along on this crazy outing again?” She couldn't do anything about the mother beast, but she began dragging the insect husks out of the mine, to be tossed off the edge of the air dock. Nopony should have to work next to that.
Cloud Cutter trotted over to help with the carcasses; exactly the work for a pony like her, she thought grimly. “Because we’re all in danger anyway,” she said flatly to the captain, as she dragged a bug along by her tail, “So you might as well be in danger in a useful way.”
“I know, I know,” Set Sail replied, her frustration clear as she watched the icky things fall onto the scree below. Killing mindless bugs was one thing, but she wondering if she could do the same to something with a face. “It’s just frustrating. Everything’s gone so well, I don’t want screw up now, and have it to all be for nothing.”
“Everything is all for nothing in the very end,” Cloud Cutter pointed out, as she kicked her payload over the edge. The nihilism didn't make Set Sail feel any better. Suddenly a little nervous, the blank eyed purple pegasus added, “That's all of the ones Clashing got. The ones I killed are over there. I think they are lighter with no life left in them.”
A bat-winged shadow passed over them: Clashing Gale, flying a tight patrol above the air dock. He'd make sure they were warned if the locals took a mind to come investigate the mine. If things took a turn for the worse... protecting the Captain was his priority.
Satisfied with her fire and seeing the two pegasi on the dock, Blaze trotted over, her brown tail swishing. "Alright. What's the plan for today? We just wait for Sprocket to do her thing, figure out the train, rest of us just loitering until then?"
Set Sail shot a nervous glance up at the stallion keeping close watch from above, but didn’t remark on his dour attentiveness. There seemed to be an awful lot of smoke coming from that bonfire - she just hoped that cats wouldn't hike up here to investigate. “Pretty much..." she replied, "Let's regroup inside. I'm sure Sprocket's scoped out that train by now.”
Inside Melonwater they found collecting samples from the various hoppers and bins in the crushing mill and from the debris lining the bottom of the mine carts. "Must have been quite an operation!" he said, sucking his teeth. "Granite of course, hematite, cassiterite, galena... several kinds of crystal... I don't even recognise this one. Crazy to seen one mine working so many different kinds of deposit."
Grenelda was picking at a bug carcass with her beak and foreclaws, learning to enjoy it, savouring the textures and figuring out how to break it apart and get at the interior. "Mmmh! Damn. Gustus is gonna want some of this. I'll have to save one for the trip back." She cackled, stopping to give Azure a quick nod of 'thanks', before licking her licking her claws clean.
Cloud Cutter felt like her stomach should have turned at the sight, but as always everything felt... muted and still. “You okay, Grenelda?” she asked over the lady griffon’s shoulder, “Seems like something is really bugging you.”
That got her a piece of chitin spat at her. "Clam it, ghostie," Grenelda laughed, shrugging her wings to indicate it was just a jest.
Azure just chuckled and shrugged. "Griffons, just... let them eat, okay? It's not the prettiest display, but..." She shrugged. She'd seen the lion-birds in action: she knew having Grenelda along would be a substantial boost to the chances of everypony getting through this mission alive.
Cloud Cutter remained obediently silent, with just a little smile as she turned from the griffon and headed further in to see if there was any more that needed cleaning up. Oh, that... giant caterpillar was going to take some doing to get it out of the way. As soon as the hippogriff stopped poking around in it.
They found Sprocket in the driver's cab of the train, whacking valves with a hammer to unstick them from decades of disuse. "Captain! Looking pretty good here, much as I can see at least..." The little oil lamp wasn't doing much in the literally cavernous marshalling yard.
“Sure, take your time,” Set Sail said, “We don't want that thing breaking down at the wrong moment.” Sighing, she turned back to the explorer pony, telling Blaze Trails: “We really don’t know what we’re gonna find in there. The plan was to take the train as far as it will go. We found a map last time; look, Blue Type got it cleaned up and made a copy for us."
The pegasus mouthed the scroll out of her saddlebag. "See, there's a main track pretty much down the spine of the island, and it looks like this branch goes pretty close, maybe right under the pyramid. Assuming it hasn't caved in. Not sure how we're gonna get in... improvise, I guess."
Blaze Trails inspected the rather vague map. "Mm-hmm.... it's all we've got - damn site better than nothing, to be honest. Not that I'm feeling comfy about an epic spelunking trip with untrained ponies and hostile creatures about, so... let's just keep our options open and be ready to retreat if this starts looking like a suicide mission." She sucked her teeth: "Best of luck to us all."
“Woah, hey, you can really light up the place!” Sprocket called out from her perch in the train. Cloud Cutter hadn’t even noticed she started doing the thing, but sure enough an eerie purple glow was emanating from her body.
“I’m just doing it to see,” Cloud Cutter said cautiously, “I’ll keep myself very far away from others.”
“Not complainin',” Sprocket replied, “Could you uh... keep yourself very far away a little closer, maybe by standing right there so I can see what things are like under the boiler?”
With Cloud Cutter’s dangerous but useful light, Sprocket made rapid progress on the engine. Reef Skimmer's fascinating power to create water from nothing took care of the bone-dry boiler. Locked gears were unstuck, linkages were oiled and pistons greased. They regrouped around the bonfire, taking a last chance to enjoy fresh air and sunlight before the descent into darkness. It was burning down to embers now, the thermal crystals glowing bright red amidst the ashes.
“The train was just old,” Sprocket told the crew, “Weren't even broken, just laying there unused for forever and a day. We put those fire crystals in and it should just work. Or it could y’know destroy ‘em completely and leave us stranded... but I’m pretty sure it’d work. Same sorta engine as that copter we, uh, acquired."
"Destroy the power source, what's all this?" Reef Skimmer said, ear-tufts standing up. "Can we risk that? It's a long flight back on wing you know, especially with three passengers."
“Sorry, bad joke,” Sprocket said to Reef with a sheepish smile, “I dunno anything that’d destroy those fire crystals, but I never learned about no engine like this before, so you got me what it does.”
"I found the, uh... explosives." Melonwater said dubiously. "They look pretty old but no, uh, doesn't seem like they're sweating so... should be alright, if, uh... hey Sprocket, you wanna help me out with them? I'll handle the caps and all, just not too keen to put 100-year-old sticks of gelignite in my mouth, you know?"
“Did you say gelignite??” Sprocket declared, with a delighted and eager smile growing on her face.
Clashing Gale tilted his head at the mention of century-old explosives. "Just be careful with the stuff, alright?" he started, sounding concerned. "Really would prefer to keep every creature in one piece."
Grenelda was a lot more enthusiastic. "Explosions? Coool. I gotta be here to see this." She clicked her beak and gaped an avian grin.
"You can't just set it off in the open!" Melonwater objected. "You gotta, uh... hold on." The earth pony disappeared for a minute, then came back dragging a long metal device attached to a coil of flexible pipe. "Look at this! Definitely a rock drill, but no sign of magic. I think it runs off steam! Wonder if, uh... you think this might attach to the train somehow, Sprocket? If not, uh... it's alright, found some good picks back there too and, uh, I've got my chisels. Just take a little longer, that's all."
The dark-haired mare looked up at Melonwater dragging his thing over, whistling, and saying, “That sure is a rock drill. I could try to hook it up to the train I dunno, but you really don’t wanna dig through anything less than solid rock without a full-on tunnelling shield. I mean, you probably know all about that stuff. I just studied the machines and a few things here and there, heh heh...” She blushed, glancing away self-consciously.
"We won't be making new tunnels for sure, uh just, you know..." Melonwater blushed, looked down and fiddled with his hooves. "Just if we gotta use the gelignite to clear some rock, you gotta drill a hole for it first, right? I, uh... are you leaving all the carts attached? 'Cause if you are I'll put some rags in the last one and the explosives can ride there."
“I don’t see why not,” Set Sail said, “We’ll load up our supplies into them, and that way nopony has to fly all the way back to the entrance to get anything. So are we just about ready to get going?”
Grenelda clicked her beak impatiently: "Yeah! I got nothin' else to do here. We gonna get this train rolling or what?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," Blaze Trails mused. She kicked the charred wood away from the crystals: "You wanna grab these Sprocket, then Reef can douse this fire?"
Azure nodded as well: "Good to go. No sense lingering out here, the bipedal cats could turn up any time."
The ponies made their way back into the mine, loading the supplies they'd brought into the mine carts, along with tools and parts from the abandoned workshop. Sprocket lit the lamp on the front of the engine then climbed into the driver's cab, fiddling with the crystals as she brought the old locomotive to life.
Just behind her Set Sail shared the first cart with Cloud Cutter, followed by Clashing Gale squeezed in tight with Grenelda, her feathers tickling his now-membranous wings. Reef Skimmer's larger size meant he had the third cart to himself, followed by the two earth ponies. Last came Azure, in her habitual position of rear guard - she could keep an eye on everypony, while watching out for anycreature following them.
The boiler groaned and creaked as the pressure built up, steam beginning to hiss through the piping. Sprocket kept a worried eye on the pressure gauge, nervously fiddling with the valves and levers. She knew how a train worked, but how to drive the darn thing? Not like anyone else knew any better. The boiler held pressure though, and Sprocket said, “Okay, here we go. Brakes off, condenser on, booster pump... ok, drive set forward... I think this lever'll gets us going.”
Set Sail had enough time to declare, “You think—?” before Sprocket pulled the lever, and the pistons engaged. Everypony’s ears went flat back at an awful screeching squeal, but then the train jerked forward. The engine disappeared in a cloud of leaking steam, then pushed through it, slowly accelerating forward into the tunnel.
Something was clattering around inside the engine, but Sprocket shouted, “It’s okay, I think those are just the bearings! Holy hecking shit we’re doin it!” With a whole chorus of squeals, creaks and rattles, the little mine train trundled forwards on its ancient steel tracks.
The tunnel snaked from side to side as it headed downwards into the core of the floating mass of rock that was Fellis. Side passages branched off constantly, some of them obviously collapsed. The train ran roughly over rusted tracks, the plough on the front pushing aside the smaller debris that had accumulated over the years. Sprocket kept the vehicle at a trotting pace, wishing she could go faster but unsure how well the brakes would perform should the tunnel be obstructed.
"If it wasn't for the m-monsters, this'd be awesome!" Melonwater shouted to Blaze. "Look at all the strata we're passing through! Makes you wonder how these islands were formed, you know?"
“If there are any monsters, they’re definitely headed our way right now,” Set Sail said in an uneasy tone, with unhappily low ears, “This thing is way too noisy!”
Clashing Gale kept his mouth shut. Riding with Grenelda - well, there were worse things, the griffon could certainly take care of herself if they were ambushed, but still... this was less than comfortable. Even if he was a predator of sorts himself now, sitting close enough to smell the blood on the hen's breath was an unpleasant reminder. That and he'd never realised feathers could be so ticklish until his wings changed to skin flaps, ready for a griffon's pinions to poke at. Grimly he tried to push the thought aside and focus on the tunnel ahead.
At the rear of the train, Azure Feather's head was practically on a swivel, peering into every crevice and side passage. Thankfully she was alone in her cart: nopony to get in the way, no obstruction to sightlines as she stood ready to loose air blades at any creatures trying to get the jump on them. As she'd feared, this trip would be anything but stealthy. She just hoped they wouldn't encounter those bugs again; once was bad enough, and that was with room to dodge. Stuck in these tunnels, overrun by a horde, with civilians in the train; she didn't fancy those odds.
Deep inside the southern pyramid, Summer Scribe had been practicing for hours. She'd taken on the countenance, powers and (supposedly) wisdom of the Oracle. The unicorn (or perhaps pony spirit now) was quite thankful for the time to herself, as she had a lot to brush up on if she was going to pull this off. That first attempt with the cat-golem had been embarrassing, and if she was going to take and hold authority here she needed to restore some semblance of glory and dignity fast.
So Summer practiced again and again, making ceramic golem after ceramic golem, attempting copies of her pony friends, of sphinxes, of fellisians and even the centaur-like mystics. She reflected on each failure and consulted the library of memories for applicable advice, slowly improving her craft. It seemed the better she focused on the visual shape, the emotional idea, the feeling of what it is to be something - then held it in her head while raising it from the Earth, the better the result was - more correctly constructed, mobile and dexterous.
Making replicas of ponies like Azure Feather and Blue Type gave her a tinge of loneliness, of homesickness mocked with these lifeless replicas. It made for good practice though, since she could easily picture her friends in her mind's eye, and also yielded useful information. The pegasus golem could fly (though not with any especial prowess) and the unicorn golem seemed to have no spellcasting: despite her commands, the sharp horn remained purely decorative.
The only way she could get anything magical out of a ceramic self was with her own Summer Scribe unicorn avatar, and even then it was like casting through a sock: sparks, muffled telekinesis and dull sensory organs. It was enough to make her mournful; she knew now how Azure Feather must be feeling. You really don't know what you'll miss until it's gone. If continued practice couldn't get her past the limitation, then she'd be reliant on others for any serious magic - while all she could do was throw cheap replicas into the grinder.
Still, it wasn't all negative: what she lacked in quality she could now makeup in quantity. Depending on the quality of her creations, if she focused she could command and gain awareness of multiple golems at once. It seemed her limit was something like seven ponies or five sphinxes - bounded by total mass, perhaps? When she wasn't possessing one it was sort of like reading a written description of the golem's surroundings instead of seeing it for herself.
They could also process instructions with surprising flexibility (definitely not just dumb automatons - maybe piggybacking off of her intellect?) and the more she practiced, the quicker she could make replacements after breaking them. Assuming her real body is as tough to destroy as it looks and too hard to carry around, this could prove surprisingly effective in combat; for how fragile each individual is, in sufficient quantities they could wear anything down.
Finally, the time came for another meeting with the sphinx leader, Ne'kuno. Summer still hadn't settled on a strategy, though she definitely wanted to visit the Pyramid of Gnosym. If the ponies were following her instructions - and made it through the mine tunnels ok - they should be there soon, and it'd be a perfect opportunity to reunite with them.
What next thought - their plan was to shut down the laser, aiding the dirt sharks, who seemed to be considered irredeemable enemies of all the felines of Fellis. Oh well, Summer thought, there wasn't anything to be gained sitting around and worrying about it. Perhaps when the time comes, some excuse could be concocted. If not, then it would be the severing of a new allegiance to reform the old one. Right now she had to focus on getting there: the future remained shrouded in the fog of uncertainty.
The first meeting had been rushed, but now came a much more formal ceremony. Sphinx after sphinx filed into the pyramid - adults, elderly, cubs, most of them dressed in elaborate robes and jewellery. Almost fifty sphinxes - probably the whole settlement, with their finest regalia on display. Several of the creatures carried glowing crystals, which were placed about the chamber, dispelling the gloom. There were introductions and heroic stories, strange chants and prayers to the Elements.
All the time Summer Sphinx sat in the centre, with four sphinx automatons arranged at her side - the same chevron formation she'd seen her guardians assume in the previous encounter. The first guardian, Ne'kuno, was the last to arrive; she seemed impressed and pleasantly surprised by the rapid development in the Oracle's abilities. "With your permission, Oracle..." At a nod from Summer she launched into a short speech about their faith being rewarded and turning a new chapter in the history of the sphinx people. Then she stepped aside and all eyes focused on Summer's ceramic form as she rose to her feet.
She'd been struggling to supress impostor syndrome before, but now it was back with reinforcements. To be sure, Summer had always been excited by the prospect of the archaeological find that shocked Equestria and elevated her into the history books... but that was different from actually being the archaeological find. Looking all around as her sphinxy self at so many real, actual sphinxes who are putting their hopes and dreams into her...
It almost made her want to not let them down, but she knew deep down that someway or somehow she was going to, no matter what. So, with that sad fact acknowledged... she should really stick to the plan and do what she can for all her pony friends. In the mean time at least, she'd do her level best to be a great Oracle. Waiting for Ne'kuno's preamble to end, she considered her words carefully. This wasn't just some ad hoc meeting anymore. This would a guiding direction for all the sphinxes: her chance to show some real leadership chops.
"Sphinxes of Fellis," Summer nodded firmly, putting on her best dutiful and authoritative voice. "I have slumbered for a long time, and awoken to find our island, our people, our alliances in need of rebuilding. Beset upon by scarcity and opportunists - but we need not live in fear, or cower in resignation any longer. I offer, once again, my powers as the Oracle to secure our place in Skylands, to rise up as a proud people once more."
At a gesture from her paw, all the Sphinx golems around her crouched and flare their wings in unison. "For an army of the Earth, unrelenting in its numbers, can drive the spidrow from their nests. Sharks and raiders alike will think twice once they see what they're up against. Once more shall the Sphinxes, Fellissians and Mystics unite and secure what's rightfully ours!"
Growls and roars went up from all around as the sphinxes cheered the Oracle. They'd lapped up her rhetoric, seeing an escape from two centuries of decline. Each sphinx met her in turn, asking for guidance and blessings, while adorable cubs asked if she was really going to make everything awesome and fun again, like in the old stories. At least everysphinx had had their turn, and the ceremony was over. Summer was left with just the seven guardians (though Ne'kuno informed her that four more were away, scouting or hunting on other islands).
"Now, I have a question," Summer asked. "The Pyramid of Gnosym, in the plains to the north - does it still stand? Are its magical reserves still available for our use?"
"It stands to this day," Ze'noath spoke up. "Indeed, unlike the rest of our fair island, by all appearances it has escaped the ravages of time," the older male rumbled.
"Reserves of magic?" Ne'kuno said hungrily. "We always suspected as much... but the interior is barred to us, and the mystics no help. They claim their ultimate sanctuary must remain undisturbed, but do not deign to disclose their plan to us," she sneered.
Summer Sphinx mimed annoyance: "Hmph! Well, this can't do. Perhaps I can convince them to change their minds." She tilted her head. "They know well enough that they're squandering that resource. We do not need a super-weapon to break a fleet with - we need to repurpose its resources for the new problems we face."
"I would bet they are as stymied by the problem as we," Te'kepan opined, "just unwilling to admit it. The secret of passage has long been known to us - the four peoples of the Fellissian alliance, must act in unison to unseal the entrance. Yet few Leonoids remain, and those that endure are unreasoning berserkers."
"A testament to how far the mystics have fallen," Ze'noath mused, "as they once created a semblance of life, now they are powerless to command or restore it."
Ne'kuno waved a paw dismissively. "Oracle, do your memories hold another way inside?" she purred. "Such a grand structure must have its secret ways and passages."
Summer rubbed at her chin. "Hmm... yes, there are the tunnels dug by the molekin, one leads underneath the pyramid. But at this point in time, we'd have to wage a full-on war against the spidrow to clear that path. I suppose if there's no other options, but..." She looks contemplative. "I don't wish to give up on the intended entrance so easily. I would like to at least talk to the Mystics myself. Surely a possibility remains?"
"Of course, Oracle," Ne'kuno said, as if stating the obvious. "Couatan and Mystics alike will be... overjoyed, to know the sphinxes have an Oracle once more. Surely their leaders will wish to meet you - Everdream and Royal Flush certainly. Shall I send sphinxes to summon them here?"
Summer cracks a smile. "Please, at once. The mere knowledge that great things are possible once more should be enough of a morale boost to start turning things around. And once I can see the Pyramid of Gnosym for myself... Yes. Once the magic is once more available for our use..." Summer smiled, her lion tail flicking lazily, "I believe things will be looking up."
"Do not lose hope, Ne'kuno. I look forward to meeting Everdream and Royal Flush. But while you're sending for them to arrive, I believe I will check out this front door for myself." A curt nod; the necessity of being carried there by the sphinxes needs not be said out loud.
"Leave the pyramid?" Te'kepan's voice carried surprise and concern. "But... Oracle. Fellis is beset by raiders! We can guard you best-"
"We are the Guardians of the Oracle!" Ne'kuno interrupted. "We do not cower in our den. Yes... yes, a show of force might be just the thing, to make an impression on Frostpaw and Arcana. We will not be denied passage on our own island!" Summer's talk of ceramic armies was already getting her thinking in new directions.
Summer grinned, and made a swatting gesture with her paw; all four sphinx golems rose and did the same. "While I require an escort to carry me around, I am far from helpless. Any foes besetting me shall be worn down with a display of endless Creation. Anyone who travels with me shall be under my protection. I am not concerned with going where I please. Now then - will you fulfil my request?"
"Of course, Oracle," Ne'kuno dipped her head, her golden mask glinting in the light of the crystals. "Ze'noath, take two guardians to the vault and unearth the Oracle's palanquin." Looking to Summer, she admitted "It may be in need of some... cosmetic restoration, but I am certain it will still bear your form. The rest of us shall fly ahead, and ensure the Spellshatter Flats are clear of those who might defile the Oracle," she purred, concluding with a sharp-toothed smile.
Summer smiled and bowed. A part of her did like the idea of traveling in such luxury: not quite a replacement for having her own four hooves, but a nice consolation prize. "Very good - thank you. The palanquin can be restored later, when there is time and quiet. It will be sufficient in any state for now. I am looking forward to getting to work."
Ne'kuno began to leave, then looked over her shoulder: "Te'kepan will stand watch at the entrance, Oracle, should you need anything further. He seems especially willing to serve you." With that she was gone, loping smoothly out of the pyramid. Te'kepan eyed Summer and her attendant sphinx-golems nervously, saying "O-Of course, I serve the Oracle as she requires. ...Will there be anything right now?"
Summer Sphinx favoured Te'kepan with a sly smile, flicking her tail from side to side as she leaned forward a little. "Hmm, I believe that is all... for now. I welcome your company and your servitude; thank you. For now, I wait patiently until I can see the Pyramid for myself."
'Whew' Summer thought: so far she seemed to be playing the role just fine. She has a decent grasp of her new powers and with the Oracle's memories to tell her what she's meant to know and do... it looked like everything was proceeding smoothly. Unknowns hung in the air, waiting to spring in the future, but she's was doing all she could. Summer allowed herself a small smile: she was looking forward to reuniting with her friends, and hopefully the costs will not be too great.
Alien as it was, she had to admit she was... liking this form. The taste of elemental power. The respect and adoration of the sphinxes. Suppose she remained stuck this way? Perhaps it won't be so bad.
While Summer entertained her new subjects, somewhere deep within Fellis an old mine train rattled through its narrow tunnel, in motion for the first time in over a century. Presently it reached a larger gallery once rich with crystals; broken shards littered the floor, while the walls still glimmered with crystals too small to be worth mining. Sprocket spotted a collapsed roof support blocking the track ahead and engaged the breaks. With a long and painfully loud squeal the train shuddered to a halt.
The others waited nervously as Melonwater and Sprocket hoped out to inspect the wreckage. With some help from Blaze Trails and Reef Skimmer the props were forced back into position, the rubble cleared away and the train was on the move again. Five minutes more slow steaming brought them in sight of a fork in the track, the tunnel opening out into a larger cavern to accommodate the switch.
“Oh for the love of—fork in the track!” Sprocket called out behind her, “I’m gonna have to stop the train again, until we figure which way it’s goin'!”
Everypony's ears (and one hippogriff's ear tufts) went flat at another ear-splitting squeal as the train shuddered to a halt again. Azure Feather in particular grimaced and tensed - any creatures lurking down here would now be either scared, or pissed off - possibly both. Sprocket hopped out of the conductor’s cab, landing on the dusty stone alongside the track and heading up to inspect the choice of tracks. Set Sail jumped out too, walking along the train in the generous space provided for the switch. She trotted over to Sprocket, who was staring down in half comprehension at the entwined bars of steel.
“This isn’t working,” Set Sail remarked quietly.
Blaze Trails wasn't far behind, anxious to resolve the hold-up. "What's the matter now... Oh, a fork in the path?" She looked one way, then the other, squinting. "Err, do we know which way we're goin'? Should be clear from the map, right?" she added.
Grenelda just sat in the cart, preening her feathers and wondering why this has to take so long. Clashing Gale was more proactive, abandoning the griffon to join the others. He frowned as he looked around the cavern, muttering "I'd usually be terrified of being this deep underground... hmm." Maybe it was his newfound ability to see in complete darkness that made the difference? He turned to the issue at hoof: "Fork in the path... yeah, do we know where we're going or is this gonna be a coin flip?" Very helpful batpony here, folks.
"We'll wanna keep right! Unless it's a real sharp turn." Melonwater called out from a few carts back, unwilling to abandon the relative safety of the train. "Pretty sure we're not far enough west for... for the branch we want, you know?"
“The switch is already set to go right, so that's good news at least,” Sprocket said uncertainly, staring into the darkness of the relevant tunnel.
Blaze Trails regards the switch with the air of someone who doesn't know what they're doing, but wants to make sure the world's in its right place, before sagely nodding. "Alright, guessin' we're good to keep goin', then?"
An eagle head poked out of the train and jeered: "'Bout time!", drawing a scowl from a second, somewhat larger avian.
“This train is way too noisy,” Set Sail complained. Most pegasi had at least mild claustrophobia, and she didn't have Clashing Gale's night vision or Undead detachment to take the edge off: the brown mare was nervous as all get out in the dark, confined space. She trotted back to the engine, where the whole crew had gathered for a little conference.
“If anypony didn’t know we were here, they sure do now," she explained. "We should’ve just gone on hoof. Even if there's nothing down here - what about when we get back to the surface? We were counting on our little excursion going unnoticed, so the natives would still think that entrance is infested with giant lightning bugs.”
"It is a trade off, but...given how far away our destination is, that's a lot of walking we'd have to do," Blaze reasoned. "If we do get into another fight, we'd be in all the poorer condition for it."
Azure Feather chipped in with her opinion. "Fully agreed with Blaze Trails on that one. Either we took the silent road and spent hours - maybe days getting to our destination, or we took this road, as noisy as it was - and spend minutes instead. Squad condition after days of travel would have been less than optimal - this likely was our best option."
Clashing Gale just chuckled at the thoroughly military mare. "Sure you didn't spend a spell in the guard, Blaze? You two sound like you could work together in a heartbeat..." He shrugged. He really had no idea what they thought of each other and just felt... like none of this really mattered. He just wanted to get on with it.
Blaze Trail shook her head. "Nothing of the sort, sir - just spouting common sense. You learn a lot from toughing it out in the wilderness." She did smile though, taking it as a compliment from the handsome stallion.
"It rather seems the choice of stealth or speed is done and dusted," Reef Skimmer opined, "nothing to be gained prevaricating now."
“I suppose you’re all right,” Set Sail said unhappily, “I just don’t want us barrelling on into an ambush.” The captain flicked her tail as she passed Grenelda, saying, “She’s right too though. This train is slow! It really must have been left here since ancient times.
Set Sail turned to Clashing Gale and gave him a thoughtful look, before saying: “You can see in the dark, can’t you Clashing? No doubt anything living down here can as well, but maybe you could trot on ahead, to see if there’s anything nasty waiting for us when our train gets there? You and uhm... well I’d say Cloud Cutter, but her glow is pretty noticeable in this much darkness. Oh, but as bait...”
Pondering a moment, Set Sail concluded: “How about you go on ahead, with Cloud Cutter following along behind, and keep out of her light. Anything goes after her, you surprise them from behind, then both try to fall back to the train, and we’ll all be able to deal with it then.”
Clashing Gale would nod as he looked to the right side. "Right-hoof path, you say..." He regarded Cloud Cutter for a moment, then shared a meaningful look with Azure Feather.
"Hold on a second... Captain, forgive me, but this... this idea stinks," Azure said vehemently. "We know spider-drow are down here somewhere, Summer told us as much. We have to assume they know we're here. And no offense to either Clashing Gale or Cloud Cutter - we've seen how these two can fight when they have to - but you want them to walk into a potential ambush on their own? With no cover and no backup? Sure they can see in the dark... for a few weeks. The enemy? Likely spent their entire lives down here."
Azure fell silent, seeming surprised and ashamed that she'd stood up to a superior like that. It fell to Clashing Gale to conclude: "I think what she's saying is, are you sure that's the best course of action?"
“The best course of action is to turn around and abort the mission due to extremely noisy train,” Set Sail said testily, “But the entrance will be better defended if we come back to it later, and honestly I can’t imagine they could ever overcome an amazing pony like you! I mean if you have any... other ideas, I’m sure it’d be better than anything I can come up with.”
Reef Skimmer reared up to put eagle claws on the steel rim of his mine cart, ducking his head to avoid the ceiling. "Not to question your leadership captain, but consider what happened in the pyramid; blighters fired out of nowhere, hit me without warning, came a feather's breadth away from dropping Grenelda. The ponies survived because there was solid cover available, which they immediately availed themselves of." He rapped a claw on the ore truck, looking disappointed when his soft talon failed to make so much as a click. "If we do face such foes again, this is the best protection we're likely to find." He fluffed his wings and looked around unhappily. "Little opportunity for evasion in these tight quarters."
Grenelda clicked her beak: "Hmmm, yeah, come to think of it I'd hate fighting in this damn tunnel - can't do any of my usual tricks."
Blaze Trails pondered that before chiming in: "If we do get into a fight, I'd much rather have the cover, too. Perhaps we should stick to the train?"
Facing dissent at every turn, Set Sail relented with a sigh: “Makes as much sense as anything.” She hopped back into the front car together with Cloud Cutter, saying, “Fine then, let’s get this train moving. This ain't gonna be a stealth mission, so turn all your lights up, and be ready for anything!”
“My lights aren’t that pleasant to sit next to,” Cloud Cutter remarked cautiously.
“Your lights are the most important though,” Set Sail assured her, without missing a beat, “And I trust you not to release it right beside me. So c’mon, let’s go!”
Azure and Clashing returned to their own positions, at the rear and next to the unhappy griffon. Neither said another word, simply hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
Steam hissed, pistons pumped and the train squealed forward, pulling through the switch and into the right tunnel. It had barely made it back up to trotting speed when the sole headlight revealed a fresh obstruction: a substantial pile of rock, right in the middle of the tunnel. A suspiciously neat pile of rock in fact, large boulders placed on the track with no gravel or cave-in above.
Set Sail was growing increasingly uncomfortable next to her deadly companion, so it was with a weird sense of relief that she leaped up as Sprocket again screeched the train to a halt, running over the top of the cab and jumping down to head right up to the pile of boulders. “What a mess!” Set Sail called out around the lantern in her teeth, looking up and around the pile, ears pricked, “We’re gonna have to clear these away to get this train any further.”
Cloud Cutter did not try to hold back a smile.
Blaze Trails stuck her head out the side of the train and sighed. "Damn, again? ... Wait a sec, Set Sail." She squinted at the unnatural-looking rubble on the train tracks. "Doesn't it look like someone put that there on purpose? Fresh, too," she remarked, tilting her head.
"Sails!" The shout came from Reef Skimmer, who was tossing his head back and forth, staring at the walls as if trying to see through the rock. "Grenelda! One has a feeling... something coming! Several somethings!"
Set Sail had since placed down her bright lantern, and surreptitiously taken the handle of her axe in-wing, staring in silence, trying to hear where they were coming from.
"Doc's right!" Clashing Gale exclaimed. "Hostiles incoming!" He quietly nodded to Grenelda - she'd be using similar tactics to his own, so it would be best if they charged together.
Azure Feather, meanwhile, knew she was likely the front line for this assault. Take cover, wait for the hostiles to reveal themselves, then let her wind magic do the rest. At least, she could hope it would be that simple...
Cloud Cutter, the thoroughly purple pegasus, was glowing like a lightbulb, giving her an unfortunately very short-lived advantage. In her unearthly glow, she saw a myriad of spiders scuttling towards her, and an even more gigantic spider with what looked like one of those bipeds embedded into it, holding a bow in its spindly appendages.
“It’s a good thing creatures know not to mess with us!” Set Sail continued to shout, nestled up against the boulders with wings spread, “Because all we want is passage! And we’ll give them no trouble if they chose to leave!”
Given Clashing and Grenelda were pinned down by the deadly arrows hurtling their way, it was pretty obvious their opponents needed some convincing. Cloud Cutter ducked low in the shelter of the train car, watching her shadow as it took on a life of its own, travelling outward in the light of her glow. The archer exchanging fire with Grenelda had just a second to comprehend the meaning of that, when Cloud Cutter burst into existence several inches in front of her.
“Goodbye,” Cloud Cutter said politely. Then she released her unholy light, exterminating everything around her.