//------------------------------// // 06 Challenge // Story: PONY Legacy // by RBDash47 //------------------------------// Celestia came into the main room of the Smokey Mountain hideout. She saw Spark curled up at the cavern entrance, alternating between reading a few lines of the large tome laid out before her and gazing out at the pseudo-Equestrian landscape. Dash was nowhere in sight. “Spark?” Spark jumped and looked around guiltily. “Oh! Hello, Celestia. I… thought you’d be resting longer.” Celestia frowned. “Where is Dash? I wouldn’t have expected her to be able to nap—though I suppose that wouldn’t be terribly unlike her…” “I’d hoped you’d be resting longer,” Spark mumbled. Celestia’s eyes narrowed, and she felt an unfamiliar sinking in her stomach. “Spark,” she said warningly, “where is Rainbow Dash?” The throbbing of the club’s music was reduced but not eliminated by the walls of Pie’s office. She led her buoyant way up from the dance floor with Dash and Jewel in tow. When the transparent doors sealed behind them it was like a breath of fresh air. Or whatever passed for air here. “D’you like my club, Dashie? It’s like one big party all the time!” Dash looked out at the club below, the riot of neon oranges and blues all writhing together as brilliant beams of light strobed above the crowd. “Well, yeah, it’s pretty awesome, actually.” Pie beamed and bounced around the room. Jewel trotted to a chaise lounge against one wall and composed herself upon it, watching Pie with a smile. “So when do I meet Diana?” Dash pressed. Anxiety was niggling at her mind. Staying too long in one place with the whole of RBD’s Black Guard out searching for her seemed like a bad idea. Pie giggled and bounced back over to her, pushing her pink snout up against Dash’s. “You already have, silly filly!” “I… what?” Dash looked over at Jewel, who gazed back, blinking innocently. “I told you everyprogram knows Diana; I didn’t say they knew she was Diana.” Jewel offered her a small pleased grin. Pie took a step back and sketched a deep, formal bow before straightening up and grinning hugely. Dash groaned and nodded. “Of course. Hi, Diana.” “Pretty great prank, huh?” She appeared next to Dash and elbowed her in the ribs, still grinning. “All these programs think I’m one program, but really I’m another!” Over on her lounge, Jewel rolled her eyes. “Yeah,” Dash muttered. “Good one.” She cleared her throat. “So—Diana—word on the street is, you know how to get out of the city undetected.” “You bet I do! Lots of programs didn’t want to stay here when RBD took over, so I built an easy way out her guard doesn’t know about! I call it the Underground Railroad—d’you know why?!” “Because it’s underground?” Diana gasped and stood back. “How’d you know?!” Behind her, Jewel rolled her eyes again. “Just a feeling,” Dash offered. She moved to sit opposite Jewel. “So how do we get to it?” “Oh, that’s the best part, Dashie!” Diana leaned in to whisper conspiratorially again. “It’s right underneath the club!” “You sure about this, Shy?” “Um, well, the spectral pattern is an exact match for Rainbow Dash, as recorded on the Challenge Grid…” The two programs gazed up at a wall-sized display, which showed a rainbow streak leading out of a distant mountain chain towards the city. “You know what this means?” Shy squeaked. RBD grinned a feral grin. “It means we’ve gotta see a dragon about a cave.” “How could you let her go?!” Celestia cried. “The Portal is sealed! There is no reason to take such risks, not now!” She paced back and forth across the cavern mouth, her cloak swirling in agitation. “That’s what I said! But she made some very compelling points—” Celestia snorted irritably. “Yes, I’m sure Rainbow Dash had to try very hard to convince you to do what she wanted.” Spark froze, a mixture of embarrassment and hurt playing across her features, and Celestia instantly regretted her loss of control. “Spark, I’m so sorry. That was completely uncalled for.” She went over and offered her a hug, and after a moment, Spark accepted it, cheeks still burning. Quietly, from within her embrace, the program continued. “The only thing that could have shut the Portal down ahead of schedule is Twilight Sparkle, and she’s smart enough to work out what she’s done and re-open it. The sooner we can safely begin the journey to the Portal, whether or not it’s active at the time we depart, the better.” Celestia sighed and pulled back to look down at her student. “Yes, of course Twilight must have closed the Portal. And of course she will work out what she has done, and how to reverse it. If she’s spent ten years with my notes and built her own working model, there should be very little she cannot accomplish within the System.” Spark blinked and shook her head, stepping back as well. “But—if you know all that, what is the problem? Dash went out to secure safe transport for us, and I remained here to guard you.” “There are bigger issues at stake here, Spark. To begin with, she will likely as not be executed on the spot if she is discovered.” “I warned her—” “But larger still,” Celestia pressed on, “why is she here in the first place? How did she—did Twilight—gain access to the System at all? It was well hidden; you have some idea as to my methods.” She gestured around at their secret sanctuary. “Dash said Twilight Sparkle received a letter from me, calling her here. RBD must have sent that letter, must have wanted Twilight in-System. Perhaps as a hostage, to be used as leverage against me somehow. “But in Rainbow Dash…” Her magenta eyes grew wide. “In Rainbow Dash, RBD got more than she could have bargained for.” Celestia stared out at the distant city lights shimmering on the horizon. “Could she…?” Spark watched her mentor carefully, waiting for the end of the thought, but it never came. Celestia drew herself up, and there was steel in her voice. “Rainbow Dash may be in greater danger than either of us realized. We must recover her and protect her. Under no circumstances can RBD be allowed to find her.” Spark nodded and drew herself up as well. “What do we do?” Celestia turned to her virtual protégée and smiled. “We go downtown.” Dash glanced around Diana’s office. “Underneath here? How do we get to it?” “There’s a secret button in the elevator! Below the button that takes you back to the ground floor, it just looks like the wall—but if you press it, you go past the ground floor to the secret station!” “Ha, cool!” Dash jumped up, energized by the confirmation there really was a way forward. She stretched her wings and pawed at the floor. “Thanks a bunch, Pie—er, Diana.” Diana bounced to the office’s doors and hit the open control. As they parted and the noise of the club spilled into the room, she exclaimed, “No, thank you, Dashie!” Dash frowned and glanced at Jewel, who shot her a bemused expression and a shrug. “Uhhh… for what?” Diana spun to face Dash and began giggling madly. She threw her front hooves in the air as black-suited programs crashed through the glass roof of the club, the thuds of their impacts overwhelmed by the screams of the club patrons, who immediately began to scatter and retreat to the edges of the room. “For finally giving me something I could trade to RBD! You.” A final thud shook the building, and Dash looked down to see Cracken in the center of a squad of Black Guards, her wings folding to her sides. That faceless helmet stared up at her. The hot, sick feeling of betrayal coursed through Dash’s veins. “Blue suit, huh?” she growled, glancing over at Diana. “Oh, Dashie,” Diana said, fluttering her eyelashes. “Orange just isn’t my color!” Dash turned to throw a vicious glare at Jewel but found the unicorn horrified. “Diana!” Jewel gasped. “How could you?!” Diana threw back her head and laughed. “Don’t you see how funny this is?” she cried out in joy. “Surprise!” “Hilarious,” Dash snarled as she bolted, shoving past Diana and rocketing down the stairs. Her sights locked onto the huge bay window behind Cracken, opening out over the city. She leaped into the air, spreading her wings and throwing her forehooves out in front of her, streaking towards the window—but almost faster than the eye could see, Cracken jumped and bucked, catching Dash in the chest and sending her spinning across the club. Terrified programs dove out of the way and Dash smashed into the wall, sliding to the floor and groaning. She shook her head and looked up; Cracken towered over her, Black Guard goons flanking their leader. Maybe Spark will still be able to get Celestia to the Portal when Twilight opens it again. Cracken raised a hoof and Dash cringed back, anticipating the strike, but it didn’t come. The elevator dinged. Dash, Cracken, and the Black Guards reflexively turned to watch the doors as they parted, revealing a lavender unicorn with a close-cropped mane in a yellow-lit bodysuit. Behind her, another much larger pony in a black cloak had to duck her head as she stepped out of the elevator, lest her long, slender horn scrape the doorway. “Hello, my little programs.” A hush fell over the room. Blue-suited programs fell to their knees in deep, reverential bows. Orange-suited programs tensed and looked to Cracken, who stared at Celestia for a moment without moving before growling and nodding her head forward once. The Black Guard leaped forward, blades of orange light materializing on their forelegs, but Spark ignited her horn and a shield of sunlight-yellow energy sprang into place between them. The Guards’ energy blades crackled against it but did not penetrate. Spark grunted with effort and pushed, and the shield flew forward and dissolved, scattering Cracken and the Guard across the dance floor. Dash forced herself up and galloped over to the entranceway, taking her place next to Spark in front of Celestia. “Met Diana,” Dash said out of the corner of her mouth as they eyed the enemy programs struggling to their feet. “Kind of a party pooper.” Spark threw her an exasperated look. “Clearly. Did you get what you came for?” “I think s—” But Dash was interrupted by Cracken launching herself towards them, black wings spread. Dash ducked and pivoted and kicked, knocking her up and over the group. She managed to twist and land on all fours, skidding to a stop in front of the elevator. Dash looked back and forth between her and the rest of the Guard: now they were surrounded. “Oops.” “Oh, Dash,” Spark groaned. There was another moment of silence. Celestia had closed her eyes, breathing slowly, almost humming to herself. Cracken and the Black Guard were tensed, waiting to make a move. The rest of the crowd looked on, their breath held. Above, Diana and Jewel watched from the top of the stairs: Diana gleeful, Jewel terrified. At the back of the room, the DJ clambered back up onto the stage and peered over her turntables. Dash narrowed her eyes and snapped her wings to full extension. “Get ’em!” she roared, and surged forward. Spark’s horn lit up and fired a blast of yellow energy at the closest Guard, sending him spinning across the room. Dash caught another Guard in a fierce uppercut, shattering his helmet. Behind her, Cracken galloped and leaped, spreading her wings and arcing over Celestia to smash into Dash, knocking her to the ground. Around them, the other clubgoers dissolved into their own fights, blue- and orange-suited programs shouting and scuffling. The DJ appraised the situation for a moment. After a thoughtful pause, she flipped a new disc onto her turntable. A pounding dance mix filled the room, and she unconsciously bobbed her head to the beat as the brawl played out before her. Dash rolled on her back and bucked, kicking Cracken’s legs out from under her, the black-suited pegasus falling to the side. Spark spun and punted one guard as she blasted a second, and Dash scrambled up to launch herself at a third. “We have to get out of here!” Dash shouted as she grabbed a guard by the wings and threw him into Cracken, who had just managed to stand back up. They both squealed across the floor into the far wall. “You think?!” cried Spark. She looked toward the elevator. Celestia was still standing there in meditation and there was no one blocking their exit route, but there was no way they could make it to the doors without the guards taking them down. Dash was looking the same way, and so she missed Cracken’s attack. The black pegasus landed on her, forcing her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her before kicking off and flying towards Spark, an energy blade extended before her. Spark turned at Dash’s grunt of pain and Cracken swung, her wicked blade slicing neatly through Spark’s horn. The unicorn program screamed in agony as her severed horntip exploded, a miniature shockwave knocking everyone back a few feet. Her eyes sought Dash’s before rolling back in her head as her limbs went slack. She slumped to the floor, shuddering as vicious energy crackled from the smoking stump on her forehead. Celestia’s eyes snapped open, glowing pale yellow. She took in the uproar: the riot of programs scuffling with one another, the Guards descending on her incapacitated companions, the DJ watching her in awe. Her cloak began to shift around her body, billowing in an unseen breeze. Above, for the first time, Diana began to look scared. The Princess of the Sun stepped forward and ignited her horn. “Let us bring the dawn to this dark place.” Programs fell back, startled by the sudden blaze of energy and awed by the sight of Celestia rising into the air, her hooves outstretched, her cloak burning away into nothingness, her mane and tail whipping in a wind no one else felt. The guards had dragged Dash to her feet but they dropped her, forgotten at the sight of the alicorn floating above them. Celestia threw her head back and spread her wings. Her horn pulsed with power and fired into the sky, shattering what remained of the ceiling glass and blowing it outwards. The sun rose. Brilliant light streamed into the room from the horizon and everyone cried out as their eyes attempted to adjust to the onslaught after hundreds of cycles in the darkness. Even with the protection of her smoky black helmet, Cracken shied away, throwing a foreleg up in an attempt to block the blazing warmth. RBD whirled, flaring her wings to skid to a midair stop, flapping to maintain altitude. She was nearly to the mountain range where her nemesis had apparently been hidden all these cycles. Golden light streamed across the land from the opposite horizon, casting long shadows from the mountains and city. Her visor darkened automatically and she glared into the sunlight, ignoring her eyes’ pain as she scanned the landscape. Yellow light shone brightly—too brightly to be mere reflection—from the top of one of the towers in the city. “The Elements,” she growled, and shot towards the light. About a mile on she blew past another pegasus, struggling to fly the original course. “Come on, Shy! Quit lazing around.” Shy gasped and nodded, coming about and following RBD back towards the city. Dash winced, but her eyes adjusted quickly to the brilliance of the day and she coughed, drawing in deep lungfuls of air. She looked around. Spark was motionless where she had fallen, her open eyes blank white orbs. Celestia was slowly drifting back down to alight on the floor, deep exhaustion etched on her face. The rest of the programs had collapsed, unable to handle the full brightness of the sun after a thousand years without it. Dash squinted out the window and was surprised to see the sun already retreating back below the horizon, the sky turning from brilliant sapphire blue to deep orange-red and purple. “Time to go, Dash,” Celestia called softly, and Dash turned. “Right. Get to the elevator!” Celestia slowly began making her way to the doors, which slid open at her approach. Dash ran to Spark and nudged her; she didn’t respond. She scooped her up and threw her across her withers, then galloped for the exit. Celestia sat heavily in the elevator and Dash dropped Spark next to her, as quickly and carefully as possible. She turned and saw Diana glaring at her from the top of the stairs across the dance floor. Cracken was pushing to her feet, shaking her helmeted head in a daze. “Yeah,” Dash said. “We’re outta here.” She slammed a hoof into the elevator wall below the ground floor button. Light glowed from beneath the panel’s surface and the doors sealed. A moment later the elevator hummed to life and sped down the tower, carrying its occupants underground.