Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto


Journey Through the Dark - Part 17

A knock on the door, and it opened for her a moment later. Twilight stepped inside, and undid enough of her spells for the unicorns to actually see her once they had closed the door again. "Everything okay here?" she asked.
The stallion nodded. "No one asked anything. They haven't started sending in subjects yet, we'll see what we can do about it when that starts happening."
"We think we've figured out a way to mess with the transformation in ways that won't turn out to be problematic until they're actually being employed," said the mare, nodding to a pile of used paper sheets on the table. "Of course, we'd rather try to avoid going through the process in the first place, but I'm sure you understand the problems there."
"I do." Twilight nodded. She really did, though she didn't like the fact any better because of it. She'd considered damaging the machine, but that would have meant either blowing her cover or getting her only allies there blamed for it. "Got the map ready?"
"Along with some food," said the stallion, passing Twilight a set of saddlebags. They were tightly packed, but not too heavy.
"Thank you." Twilight smiled at them as she took the saddlebags and put them on. "I've got something for you, too." She took out a thick and tightly rolled up paper cylinder from her own pouch and passed it to the unicorns. "It's enchanted to function like a long distance transmitter. I have the other copy. If you need to communicate something to me, just write in it, and I'll do the same on my end. Start your messages with the word serendipity so I'll know they're from you, I'll start mine with ocean. Destroy the portions you've used or read from once you don't need them anymore, just for safety."
"Alright, will do." The mare took the cylinder in her magic and nodded to Twilight. "Are you planning to cover the whole distance on hoof? That would take you more than a few cycles."
"I can move faster than a regular pony," Twilight replied. "I might hitch a ride though. I'll figure something out along the way. Either way, I'll need some time to study the layout of the laboratory there."
"Wasn't easy getting that on such a short notice," said the mare. "Be careful. It's almost certainly outdated, but it should still give you a decent idea of the general building layout."
"Are you sure you will be safe?" the stallion asked, more than a little worry in his voice.
"I made it here, did I not?" replied Twilight. "I'll be careful. You do the same. And when I'm done, I'll come get you and take you away from this place."
Starburst smiled at her, and so did Sunlight. For the first time Twilight noticed the scars both seemed to have, largely faded and hidden by their manes, on their foreheads or temples. She wondered just how bad things had been for them through their lives, and just how many other scars they might be hiding from her.
All the more reason to do anything she could to stop Nightmare Moon and help them. "I'll be back. Make sure you're safe for when I do."