//------------------------------// // Applied Science // Story: Imperial Forclousure // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// "Ten, plus eight... eighteen?" "That's right," Twilight smiled. "Rich taught you well enough. Now, divide by six." "Three." "That's right. How about multiplying? Multiply three by nine." "Twenty-seven," Tiny answered without hesitation. This was largely trivial for her at this point. Twilight did load her with more books to study, but so far she never actually checked if Tiny even opened any of them. "Twenty-seven by three?" "...Eighty-one?" this one was a bit harder, she had to spend a moment counting. "Correct!" Twilight beamed, pleased to have such a gifted student. "Okay, let's be done with the basics for today. Would you like a little break before we go on with the lesson?" "I am not tired yet," Tiny didn't understand exactly why Twilight asked every twenty or so minutes. She wasn't going to tire in twenty minutes, Nightmare sometimes had her study the whole day. "Okay then, one more basic question: Can you repeat the law of energy conservation for me?" "Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form to another." "Great!" Twilight excitedly clapped her hooves. "You know, you are gifted! You know so much more than any filly would usually know at your age!" Tiny looked down, under the table, in embarrassment. It had to be the first time someone made her a compliment like that. "I wish we could have access to the royal library in Canterlot," Twilight ruefully sighed. "Anyway," Twilight dropped a new book down at the table, a smile already coming back to her face. "As good a time as any to learn some geography!" Tiny loudly dropped her head down on the table with a loud groan. When Nightmare left her behind with Twilight, of all ponies, Tiny actually thought that it might not be so bad. Sure, she would have to be away from some of the only creatures she actually cared about, but at least she would get to study under the best scholar in living memory. Well, it was true, she supposed; she just didn't know that the things Twilight found 'useful' would be equations, numbers and scientific laws Tiny had absolutely no idea how to apply. "Princess Twilight, can you teach me a new spell instead, please?" Tiny mumbled into the table without much hope. "Spells?" Twilight sounded surprised. "But geography is so much more fun!" "Well, Nightmare promised to teach me magic!" "Come on now," Twilight managed to keep her composure, Tiny wished she would at least get mad at her. "Lady said you should learn something useful, there's nothing more useful in the world than science." "If you are a builder!" Tiny groaned without enthusiasm. "We won't be building a bridge or an electrical chain. We have ponies for that!" "Hey! Just because you happen to know Lady doesn't mean you can behave so stuck-up!" Tiny shrugged, "It works for her." "What works for her is being good to others so others are good to her! Lady takes care of us, so we take care of her." "Aunty, Tiny is just a filly; there's no point in yelling at her over this," Flurry placated. Both Tiny and Twilight turned to look at the princess casually leaning in the doorway. "How long were you standing there?" Twilight asked. "The whole time?" Flurry answered with a satisfied grin. "Anyways, Aunty, you look like you should have a break. Have a coffee, I bet you don't remember the last time you got any since Hippogriffs only got tea in their area." Tiny could tell that the offer was enticing, Twilight even bit her lip to hold back a grin at the memories. "Yes, a coffee would be nice. But we are kind of in the middle of something," Twilight sighed with audible regret. "The break isn't going anywhere, I suppose." "Oh, come on! Aunty, there's nothing wrong with just having one coffee! Moony won't be coming back for a while, you got all the time in the world to teach Tiny all the boring numbers you care to. Besides, Tiny looks like she could use a break too." Twilight gave Tiny a skeptical look. "Well, I guess I could have a break," Twilight unsurely stood up. "That's right, Aunty! The staffs' room is at the end of the hallway, enjoy!" "Thanks," Tiny said after Twilight left. "Nah, it's nothing. Besides, I gotta tell you something. I may have screwed up a bit," Flurry nervously smiled. "I won't lie, you aren't supposed to be here right now. I saw you going with Moony and right now you would've been meeting someone very interesting instead of sitting here with Twilight. I gotta arrange that, somehow." "...Okay, why?" "Well, unless you are there, with them... well, no beating about the crystal growth, Nightmare's gonna die." "What, die again?" "Yeah... again. You'll see later. But what's even worse is that Big D is gonna die trying to save her." Tiny was taken aback by the sudden revelation. No, she wouldn't want any of her sisters to die, even if some of them were mean sometimes. "Why can't you just tell Twilight?" "Well, because then she would make me go through ten billion tests so that she can measure me before she makes any decision at all and we don't have enough time for that. Look, I am telling you cause you gotta be ready." "Okay... what do I need to do?" "First, you need to get your helmet. It's paramount. Life and death kind of paramount. Once you have it, don't take it off. I mean it. If you lose it you all gonna die." "Alright." "Then, you gotta watch out. There's gonna be a weird pegasus mare right here in the Palace. She's gonna have a rainbow mane and tail, and a very cute baby blue coat. Not sure the name she goes by right now, but back in the day she was Rainbow Dash. You gotta use your helmet with her and her alone. This is important, there's probably gonna be someone else with her. I'll deal with them, but you can't bring them along. Also, don't let Twilight see them or you won't hear the end of it, I would also have to do a lot of explaining and I don't want to. Got all of that?" "Sounds easy enough..." "Okay, so once you both pop out of the back of your wagon, I'm gonna be there waiting with a circle. You gonna be away in a flash. Once you are in the castle though... well, it can't really be helped, get ready to get yelled at. But Nightmare probably won't bother Big D to make another circle just to send you back, especially since she's still mad at D, so you are probably safe afterwards. The person you need to talk to once you are clear is a zebra, you know who that is, right? She's like a pony, but with stripes, can't miss her. Also talks really funny, you'll see. Just try not to die of laughter and she'll get you on the way. Now, Twilight's about to be back and I got places to be. See you in a few hours." Divine Wind stepped on the pier and almost fell over. Many days spent on the shaking deck of their ship made the solid land feel uneasy. Balance quickly returned to her and she stepped up to meet the approaching port official. "Captain, I presume?" the old hippogriff in glasses asked. "I'll pay for tying up the boat," she said, surprising herself with her sudden heavy accent, it has been a long time indeed. "Five golden bits," he said without further delay, understanding her haste quicker than even her own master did. She reached to her bags and retrieved her purse, she counted out the sum and laid it out in his outstretched claw. "Enjoy your stay," he said monotonously: making a note in his ledger. Rainbow quickly went around him, eager to get the business over with. Her way led her to meet the current Queen and as loath as she was to do so, she had to rely on her old connections to get what she wanted. "Divine!" the cry caught up with her. "Wait up!" a cold shiver ran down her spine. During her time on the ship, she already regretted telling his lordship of her mission. He simply wouldn't hear of him staying home afterwards. The worst part is that she had no argument to counter with. He was the lord of the Hirokawa clan and it was his right and duty to protect it in any way required. She had no choice but to comply with his desire to come with her to this, potentially, dangerous negotiation. She had to insist on them leaving their armor and weapons home, to which he agreed surprisingly quickly, which did no favors to her mental health. Lord Snow Strike tumbled along the pier to her, narrowly avoiding colliding with the portmaster. "Your Lordship, it is perhaps unwise to rush," she cautioned. "Sealegs need a moment to wear off." "Nonsense! You just stepped on the dry land as if nothing happened! Hirokawa clan takes inspiration from you and so shall I," he declared with his unchanging optimism. Rainbow bowed her head at the compliment, but on the inside, she was screaming. She had to find something to distract him with, not just to protect her sanity from constant reminders of him proposing to her, but also so that he won't embarrass them with his woefully inadequate manners. "Now, where are these barbarians we shall meet?" and his ignorance too. "My Lord, perhaps it is better that I speak to them myself. I speak their language." Snow Strike smiled at her, but went onward nonetheless, "I appreciate your concern, Divine, but I shall look the warrior in the eyes before I ask him for help." Divine Wind dared not to express her protest, it was not for her to protest against her master's desire. "Lead our charge, I am looking forward to meeting these friends of yours." Divine Wind was forced to comply and lead her Lord up the mountain to where she knew the royal catacombs were. In all honesty, she wasn't looking forward to this. She was disciplined enough to not allow the thoughts of her old friends' reactions to her fill her head and it still was hard to go there again. "Impressive place," Snow Strike thought aloud. "All this... stone. It must be taking them such monumental effort to build like this..." Divine Wind smiled despite herself. Her Lord never saw anything grander than his own estate. She even allowed herself to imagine his reaction to old Canterlot, that was a fine place. "It is not just stone, My Lord, but concrete," Divine Wind corrected. "It is a liquid solution that can be made solid in any required form. It is not as hard as natural stone is, but it can be reinforced with metal grids, almost like our blades have harder steel cores." "Metal inside stone?!" he said in disbelief. "Oh, that must be a truly strong stone!" "It truly is, My Lord. A mangonel would struggle to knock down a wall made of reinforced concrete." "Fascinating! I would have you explain more of how this solution is made later, but now back to the task. You were decisively tight-lipped on the subject of who we shall be meeting." "My Lord, I told you that it's old friends of mine, that much is the only thing I can know after this many years," while technically she spoke the truth, she indeed preferred to remain tight-lipped. He needn't know the entirety of their relationship... and the degree of her shame. "I see," he said simply. "Your trust in them perplexes me now." "It is simply our only option. As I showed you, our new enemy has the means to render our weapons and armor useless. Foreigners can help and our best chance for help is here. There is... a powerful noble lady living in the caverns under this mountain. She knows many things and she may be gracious enough to aid us in some small way at least," Divine finished her deliberately vague explanation, she doubted the specifics would be of any use to him right now anyway. "Are you familiar with the ruler of this place then? You are always full of surprises, Divine. It's as if I didn't know you my whole life." Divine bit her lip at that. Her release did come quickly after, as they stared at the suddenly locked gateway. "This is irregular," Divine said pensively. "Queen Sky Star doesn't usually lock her gates so early in the day." "She must be praying at her shrine and doesn't want to be disturbed at this time of day," Snow Strike proposed. "That... could be the case," it was for how much they knew. "I suppose, I would have to find her all the same. Since our matter is urgent, I expect she will understand. If you would wait for me here, My Lord." "I suppose, you are the one with wings, Divine," Snow Strike half-heartedly agreed. Divine Wind was quick to fly over the gates and land on the other side, she didn't normally fly much anymore, but she managed rather easily nonetheless. She was overjoyed to have a way to separate herself from her Lord, even if just for the moment so she could think about what she was going to say. She was terrible at planning her speeches and always improvised before, but she needed to at least figure out how to get Twilight to actually help. If nothing changed from the last time they've seen each other, Twilight will be less than eager. She resolved to try to ask Sky Star first, she might be able to do something to help as well. But when she tried to do just that, she discovered that the estate grounds were empty. No gardeners, no guard on patrol around the house. She tried going directly to the main doors, but they were locked. Did Sky Star move house? She could have, that would explain why there was no one there. As a last-ditch effort, she tried ringing the doorbell. In retrospect, the gates had one too so it was great that she didn't think about it sooner. To her great joy, someone did come. "Can I help you?" the question came from behind the locked door. "I have to see Princess Twilight Sparkle or Queen Sky Star," Divine Wind answered back. "They know me and it is urgent." "I am afraid they are unavailable, regardless of the urgency, Lady..?" "Rainbow Dash," her old name rang unfamiliarly in her own ears. "I will mention your name to the noble ladies once they have returned, have a nice day," her invisible interlocutor answered back. "No, wait! I really cannot wait! My... my family will suffer!" it wasn't the exact way to translate the meaning, but it had to do in a pinch like this. "If they aren't here, tell me where they went! Please." A delay passed before the hippogriff on the other side answered, "I fear I cannot help you, Lady Dash," they said with honest rue. "We are not privy to the wishes of our Queen. She went on a diplomatic visit, to where I do not know." "Let me in Princess' library, she keeps notes of everything she does. You can watch me the entire time, so I won't take anything!" "Lady Dash, it is an open breach of conduct to let a guest in without invitation, much more to allow her to-" "Didn't you hear me?! My family will get killed if I won't find help!" Rainbow cried out at the locked door. "I don't have anyone else to go to! Do whatever you have to, but let me see Twilight's notes! She ain't gonna fault you, I swear on my honor!" After another long pause, to Rainbow's great relief, she heard the lock on the door click. The door slowly moved out of her way, on the other side stood a hippogriff young enough to have Rainbow as her mother. "Come in before I realize what I am doing," she said with a heavy sigh. "Thank you!" Rainbow beamed at her. "I'll find a way to repay you somehow for this." "I said: 'Come in," she repeated much more deliberately. Rainbow wasted no more time. She let the hippogriff take her to the catacomb entrance and down the stairs, they were familiar but deliberately forgotten. The door to Twilight's cave was still in the same place, just like the interior. The urgency and excitement burned away the dreamy feeling she was having from walking the same rooms again, she knew exactly where to look. The library also looked exactly the same as she expected it to, the shelves arranged under precise angles and spaces between each other with a single table littered with papers. "There!" Rainbow pointed at the table. "That has to be it!" "It?" the new voice suddenly emerged, forcing Rainbow to freeze. A large unicorn mare stood up from behind the table, still holding a piece of chalk in the air. She wore a comfy-looking cloak that concealed most of her physique apart from her curly mane and light pink coat, "You two lookin' for something?" Rainbow gave her guide a stunned, questioning look, but the hippogriff looked just as surprised as she was. "Hey, I am pretty sure Twilight doesn't like when someponies touch her stuff, so unless she told you to..." "W-we just need to look at her notes," Rainbow tried to explain. "Never heard her ever mention that," the mare shook her head. "Who are you, anyways?" "My name is Rainbow Dash, I am Twilight's friend. I need to find her," Rainbow spilled the beans. "Oh, so that's who you are looking for! Well, she ain't here." "Well, y-yeah... I know," Rainbow suddenly stammered. "That's why I need to look at her notes, she must have written down when she was going somewhere." "She's at Crystal Empire," the mare said with a shrug. "That's kinda why I am here. I am helping her set up this here teleportation circle. She had one outside, but the wind and rain just kept messing with it, nasty things here at the ocean banks, let me tell you." "Wait, are you saying you can take me to Twilight?" Rainbow broadly smiled. "Don't see why not, I am just about done here with this circle. Just gotta put up the focusing rods and we are about good. By the way, you wanna bring the missy you've got there too?" Rainbow again glanced at hippogriff, "Eh... no. She's just here cause she watches the house for the Queen. There's someone else I have to bring along, is it fine if I go for a moment?" "Whatever suits you," the mare said without a care. "Except I ain't going to be here when you are back, so I hope you ain't afraid of portals." "No..." Rainbow said with a hint of caution. "Well... t-thank you. I'll just have to come back in a moment. "Uhm... hey, you think you could let my... ehh... Lord too? He's just outside the gates. We'll be gone before you notice, I swear," Rainbow tried putting on her friendliest smile for the occasion. The hippogriff sighed and rolled her eyes. "Divine, what is that!?" Snow Strike cried out upon seeing the shimmering gates. "That is a... it is like a door, My Lord," Rainbow Dash attempted to explain. "It is a door that, when opened, allows travel over great distances instantaneously." Snow Strike gave her a whole series of glances that could be summed up as a doubt in her continued sanity. "My Lord, I am ill-equipped to elaborate," Rainbow Dash apologetically bowed. "I only know what it does." "You cannot possibly suggest that we use it!" Snow Strike exclaimed, still shocked. "I am afraid we must. We have missed our meeting and must go after them," she could have turned the situation to her own advantage and said she could do it herself if he was scared, but that would be a low blow. "I promise, it is safe." "Is there really no other way?" "I am afraid not," Rainbow shook her head determinedly. "Very well then..." Snow Strike composed himself and bravely stepped towards the unknown. Rainbow was relieved to see that her master would not display dishonor in cowardice. The proving of a warrior is not in battle, it's in uncertainty. And only one who can face uncertainty with a hardened spirit is worthy to be a leader. "How does this work?" Snow Strike asked her. "We must walk into it. It is simple." "Well, fine then. No more hesitation!" he proclaimed and walked straight into the shimmering gate, disappearing. Rainbow did not wish to stay behind and followed suit. A sudden burst of light blinded her, it was extremely bright compared to the muted light of Twilight's library. Her eyes did get used to the luminosity eventually and she could see that they were surrounded by walls of bright crystals, which were what was magnifying the light this much. "Where are we?" her Lord asked. "It's so bright here. As if staring at the sun." "I cannot say for certain," Rainbow admitted. "But we must be on the correct path, dwellings fashioned out of crystal are favored by the noble Lady we are after." Rainbow then spotted a window on the wall and went to see. The landscape outside was familiar to her, it couldn't really be forgotten. The rows of sparkling crystal houses and regularly branching roads, surrounded by endless white. They had to be in the Crystal Empire, there could be no other place like this. "What is..." Snow Strike approached to take his own look. They just stood there silently for a while, Rainbow swimming in memories, "I've never seen anything so... beautiful," Snow Strike said breathlessly. "Within the montain's deep I found a door. To gem-like pastures among the white of snow," he made a short poem, a custom in their culture. "My Lord, we should be going. It can't be far now," Rainbow dragged herself away from the window. "Yes, I believe you are right. I would let you continue being our guide here then," he said with unbecoming warmth. Making Rainbow remember why she wanted to be away in the first place. "I feel... naked without my swords." "Warrior's weapons are not merely his swords, My Lord. At times the best way to disarm an enemy is to bring no weapons yourself," she said to him as one of the warrior school teachers would. "Diplomacy is a great weapon in and of itself." Snow Strike only huffed in response. He did agree with her, but that made him no happier. "I believe I may know where the throneroom is here, My Lord. Right this way, if you please." "Hold on! Divine, explain what is going on! It seems to me we have had enough of keeping in the dark. Who are we searching for? How can she help us?" "I suppose," Rainbow deeply sighed. She hoped to get this over with before she had to explain herself, she did not enjoy remembering. "We are searching for a great sorceress that I used to know. She is very powerful, more than enough to give us a fighting chance if it comes to that, but an even better option would be if she gave us intel about our enemy. I only hope that she will still be willing to help even though we didn't part on the best of terms." Snow Strike raised his brows at her. "You knew someone so powerful in your time here? Divine, the more I learn about your past, the less your present makes sense to me." Rainbow could only awkwardly shrug. "That is why I didn't want to tell you, My Lord." "S-sorry!" "Hmm?" Rainbow and Snow Strike both turned their heads to the source of the sound. "Are you Rainbow Dash?" a small foal with a blue cover on his head was hailing them. "I am supposed to help you, I think." "Help me? Do you know Twilight Sparkle? We are looking for her." "Well, Twilight is here," the foal shrugged. "Oh, thanks!" Rainbow gratefully smiled. "Can you show us where?" "Sure... Come," the foal stretched his hoof to Rainbow. From up close though... something didn't look right. "Wait, little one, where did you get that?" Rainbow was certain she saw the helmet before, she even knew where. "Well... it's a gift." "A gift? Who gave it to you?" "Ehhh... Well..." Rainbow got the feeling that he was trying to figure out how to lie. Though he evidently realized that too. The foal suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Rainbow by the leg. Rainbow didn't see exactly what he did after. Suddenly they were both falling downwards before hitting the wooden floor. Curios began falling, with loud jingles, from the surrounding walls down on them both. "There you two are," an already familiar voice called to Rainbow. "I was starting to think that I would have to put Richy to sleep." "What the hay?!" Rainbow pushed the foal off herself and tried to get vertical again, all the junk atop her jiggling down to the floor. "The hay did you do to me?!" "She didn't do any bad, Aunty Rainbow. Just got you to where you are needed. Don't worry about your coltfriend, by the way." "He isn't my coltfriend! I don't have-" "Yeah, Aunty, we really don't have time for this. You wanna find some help, right? Well, you gotta go then and quickly." "Go where? Who the hay are you?" "Oh me? Just someone helping you out." Rainbow suddenly felt herself being grasped in a magic field and forcibly dragged outside. There was the already familiar mare with a circle on the ground. "About ready to depart. Tiny, get over here and don't forget to tell Aunty Rainbow what's up." Before Rainbow could get her bearings again she was moving again. Pushed into the circle, she tried to get up again. The foal was already beside her. "Bye!" the mare singsonged and then suddenly everything was dark. "Hey! Hey, the hay are you doing!? Where the hay are we?!" Rainbow tried asking again. "You better not be there when I am up! Why is it so dark?" Suddenly someone lit a flashlight. The vaulted ceiling was the first thing Rainbow saw. She lifted her head and tried to spot the source of the light. "Ah... horsecrap!" Rainbow tiredly groaned, lifting her hooves up.