“What do you think he meant about their ace in the hole?” Applejack remarked, scratching her chin. “You don't think they got a nuke or something, do you?”
“That hardly seems to line up with Foxtrot’s goals,” Rarity replied. “Causing massive collateral damage and wiping out a city would only help the people he believes are his enemies.”
“I know that, but maybe he figured out how to get to Equestria, or where Perfect’s base is?” Applejack posited.
“I mean its possible. If the Equestrians can drop stuff here, why can't we drop stuff there?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Its not impossible, but I have a feeling that isn't it,” Sunset Shimmer answered.
“Its gotta be a giant mech suit. Its always a giant mech,” Pinkie Pie confidently declared.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “They don't have the technology for that. Nor the resources or manufacturing capabilities.”
“What if its a magic mech?” Pinkie Pie retorted. “Huh, betcha never thought of that.”
“They only have what. A single magic user?” Rarity exclaimed.
“That doesn't seem very likely,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Hey. A girl can dream, alright?” Pinkie Pie retorted.
Sunset Shimmer chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Well whatever it is. I have a feeling that by exploring down here we’ll find out.”
“And hopefully get a chance to stop them before they activate it. Whatever it is,” Rainbow Dash declared.
“I sure hope so, cus for once I hope Applejack is wrong,” Twilight stated.
“Thanks. I think,” Applejack murmured.
The endless white quarry walls that had been sliding past them for the better part of fifteen minutes sudden gave way. Revealing a small circular space roughly the size of a classroom with only a single exit directly in front of them. A moment later and the elevator came to a jerking halt, its metal door rattling out of the way, allowing the group to exit.
Sunset Shimmer took the lead, inspecting the room carefully for anything that could be useful in their investigation. There were a few terminals, computer stations and desk assembled near the right wall, though they were all dark as well dust covered. A small armory within a caged off section nearby also seemed to have been forgotten, its racks of weapons stocked to the brim.
The lone exit lay directly before them, just beyond which was a long hallway cut from the same stone as everything else. Wide enough for a city bus to pass through, the hall had a mine cart track and more then enough room for a group of people to walk on either side of it. Like the room they were standing in, the walls of the hall were cut so cleanly that Sunset didn't even see any tool marks.
“Its so smooth,” Rarity whispered, hand running across the wall.
“This place must be a lot older then I thought, or that pony you mentioned musta done all the digging using some kinda magic,” Applejack added.
“Could be both, or either. He has been on earth for a while,” Sunset Shimmer answered, turning to the computers. “Any luck on those, Twilight?”
“There is no power source. It looks like there was a generator down here at one point but its gone,” Twilight replied.
“Makes sense. This is where the lights end,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The speedster pointed up to where a trio of lights wired in from above were screwed into the ceiling in a rough triangle shape around the elevator’s final resting place. There were no more wires leading deeper, or any manner of illumination beyond, just a long, dark passageway. As the girls stared into its depths, a sudden tremor shook the entire room, startling the group from their tunnel hypnosis.
“Flashlights on. Twilight?” Sunset asked.
Twilight nodded. “Right.”
The other girl concentrated for a moment before conjuring forth a glowing purple orb of light. Which, with a bit of prompting, began to float down the tunnel, illuminating more of the stone hallway and the mine cart tracks that ran down it. The rest of the girls fanned out, the unspoken command to ready themselves being sent by the simple order to ready flashlights.
“Hey Sunny. Why don't you do the orb? You have the fire magic after all,” Rainbow Dash asked, the girl raising her gun.
“Precisely,” Sunset replied. “I have fire. If there was a gas leak or something I’d rather we detect it using a safer method. Rather then the entire cavern exploding as we detonate a ton of methane.”
“Point taken,” Rainbow Dash murmured.
“Speaking of which…” Sunset Shimmer turned. “How are those readings looking?”
Fluttershy tapped the handheld measurement device once before nodding. “Looks good. There is a bit too much C.O.2, but that's to be expected given our depth.”
“Good. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, you’re on point,” Sunset Shimmer ordered.
The girls moved as commanded of them, with Applejack standing to the right while Rainbow was on the left. Together they began to move deeper, flashlights clicking on the moment they left the glow of the overhead lights. Though bright, not much else was revealed save for more walls, floor, and ceiling that were all the same glassy smoothness as the rest.
Forward they pressed, pausing briefly when the tunnel bent suddenly to the left. After ensuring there were no traps or other surprises, they continued on in relative silence, the only noise being their boots. A few more minutes passed before finally someone spoke up, the quiet broken by the timid voice of Fluttershy.
“This feels strange,” muttered the girl. “It's like we’re walking inside of a giant artery or something.”
“Don't be ridiculous. It's all stone,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“I know that,” Fluttershy retorted. “But that's just how it feels.”
“The smooth walls, and rounded roof certainly do evoke organic feelings,” Rarity agreed.
“It’s definetly odd. Lets press on,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.
A few seconds later, after a rather sudden right turn, they came upon the first path splitting off from the one they were already on. Freezing in place, Rainbow Dash pointed her weapon to the entrance while Applejack continued watching the main path.
“Rainbow Dash, check it out, but be cautious,” Sunset Shimmer exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash nodded before turning into a blur and vanishing down into the gloom, the light of her flashlight barely keeping up with the girl. A few pained moments later and Rainbow Dash returned with a rather confused look on her face.
“Theres nothing down there,” stated the speedster. “Just a weirdly long space thats been carved out using whatever magic this pony has.”
“Alright lets keep moving, this time Rainbow Dash, I want you scouting a bit further ahead. Just beyond Twilight's orb and no further,” Sunset Shimmer half ordered, half offered.
“Good thinking. I’m on it,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
“And take it slow, bonehead!” Applejack shouted after her departing partner.
Who’s snickers were audible for a full second after she vanished down the hall in a blur. Leaving her friends to slowly walk after her, their weapons raised or ready. Together they all silently waited for Rainbow Dash to return, some a bit more apprehensive then others. In the end they didn't get far before the speedster reappeared, this time standing at the end of another bend.
“I think you guys should see this,” Rainbow Dash whispered, cupping her hands around her mouth.
“Double time it, girls,” Sunset Shimmer declared.
Walking a little faster, the group made their way towards the lone member off on their own.
“Twilight darling. I’m curious. Why haven't you been more insistent that you remain our groups’ leader?” Rarity asked in a hushed tone.
“I talked about it before, but it just never felt right,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “It was like some force was pushing me to lead you girls.”
“The elements,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Those damn things seem capable of twisting anyone they come in contact even long after the affect should have worn off,” Sunset Shimmer muttered.
“Shh, were here,” Applejack hushed.
The group fell silent for the last few feet to Rainbow Dash’s position. Once they rounded the bend, and followed the speedster’s finger, they quickly realized what had spooked the girl. There only a dozen meters away was a massive open pit, over which ran a bridge with a minecart at the other end of it.
“Woah,” Applejack muttered.
Sunset Shimmer kept one hand on her weapon as she looked around, taking in the suddenly much open space. The ceiling went so far up that their lights couldn't even pierce the gloom which gathered there. This cravasse like opening stretched far to the right, but didn't go far in the other direction before ending at a wall. On the left there was another smooth wall that went up about ten meters before turning into a cave opening overlooking their position.
Every bit of stone had evidently been extracted by magical means, as there didn't seem to be a single tool mark visible. Indeed the only thing that looked out of place was the wood and metal track as well as the minecart itself. Though they couldn't be certain if that trend would continue as their flashlights didn't banish enough of the gloom that they could see very far across the expanse. Twilight's magical orb wasn't much help there either, the thing flickering briefly before finally dying.
“Thats odd,” Twilight murmured.
“Wait,” Sunset Shimmer declared, stopping Rainbow Dash right before she was about to move. “There is something off about this place.”
“You’re telling me. It feels like were in the belly of some kinda beast,” Applejack whispered.
“Oh pisha. Its more like we are in the lymphnode system of a giant monster,” Pinkie Pie retorted.
“Regardless,” Twilight interrupted.
“Yes, either way it doesn't feel right. Rainbow Dash could you perhaps fly over to the right and see how far this goes? If anything happens come back immediately. Don't try to fight by yourself,” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“Can do,”Rainbow Dash declared.
With a bit of focus and a few seconds to concentrate, Rainbow Dash had summoned her wings. The brightly colored appendages sliding out from precut holes in her clothing.
“Don't be a hero. You come back to me, ya hear?” Applejack barked.
“As if I could leave that apple bottom of yours,” Rainbow Dash shot back.
Applejack blushed and grumbled but said nothing.
Without another word spoken, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and took off, flying into the gloom to the group’s right. A few quick hand signs were all Sunset Shimmer needed to make her squad spread out and take up defensive positions. Guns were trained in nearly all directions, while spells were called to the forefront of two girl’s minds.
There they remained for nearly ten whole minutes, the silence only broken by the occasional distant rumble. They came every two or three minutes like clock work, shaking loose a bit of rock, and sending dust to drift down from above. Though nerve wracking, the events didn't seem violent enough to destroy anything but none of the girls could be certain of that.
Either way they were nearing the end of their collective nervous rope when they saw Rainbow Dash’s light. The girl was moving quickly in their direction, concerned, but not injured, or at least not visibly anyway.
“See anything?” Pinkie Pie half whispered, half shouted.
“Yeah there was a ledge not far, it looks like there was another bridge at one point but it collapsed,” Rainbow Dash answered, landing next to Applejack. “I think it might be worth checking out though.”
“Why? Its just another bridge,” Applejack stated.
“The one tunnel’s collapsed but the other opens up into what looks like a work station of some kind,” Rainbow Dash stated. “I saw a bunch of books, and tools and stuff.”
“There could be a clue as to what they are doing here over there,” Twilight offered.
Sunset Shimmer bit her lip and thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Alright. Twilight you practiced that weightless spell right?”
“Err ya, why?” Twilight replied.
“We’ll hook you up to Rainbow Dash, and the both of you can fly over there together,” Sunset Shimmer answered.
“Are you sure thats wise? It would probably make more sense for me to go,” Applejack offered.
“No,” Sunset Shimmer retorted. “We need you here. And these two will make a perfect team.”
“They’ll be fine darling,” Rarity reassured.
Applejack huffed. “Fine.”
“You’re so cute when your being overprotective,” Rainbow Dash remarked, flashing Applejack a wink.
To which the farm girl grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
Twilight pushed a bit of magic into her fingers and began inscribing a rune onto her pant leg. Once it was complete, the glowing purple lines flashed briefly before dulling to the point of no longer being visible. After waiting a few seconds, Twilight jumped in the air to test it, and found that it worked as she hung weightlessly at the apex of her jump.
“Huh, it worked,” Twilight whispered.
“Did you not expect it to?” Fluttershy asked.
“I mean. I hadn't actually used it before so, kinda,” Twilight admitted.
“Alright Rainbow, hook her up, and go slow,” Sunset Shimmer cautioned.
“You better not start as well,” Rainbow Dash shot. “Cus I think I’ve gotten just about enough overprotectiveness today.”
Sunset smiled. “Just remember to watch each other’s backs. I know we haven't run into any trouble yet, but that doesn't mean there aren't traps or other kinds of obstacles out there waiting for us.”
“Aye boss,” Rainbow Dash replied, giving Sunset a lazy salute.
Stepping closer to one another, Twilight used a few straps, some rope and a bit of magic to bind herself to the other girl’s chest. They looked almost like a pair of sky divers, with Twilight facing forward, while Rainbow Dash was on the back. A few tests later, and Twilight gave her flying partner a slightly shaky thumb’s up.
“Were good. Or at least as good as were going to get,” Twilight exclaimed.
“Alright, hold on tight,” Rainbow Dash declared.
“Yeah just a seeeec,” Twilight screeched as she was launched into the air by an impatient Rainbow Dash.
Sunset Shimmer wanted to tell Rainbow to slow down and to think of Twilight, but bit her tongue. The pair were already a dozen meters away and Susnet didn't want to distract them at such an important moment.
“What do we do now?” Rarity inquired.
“Just wait here, right?” Fluttershy asked.
Sunset Shimmer nodded. “We sit right here and not move an inch, or touch anything.”
Pinkie Pie paused, and took a step away from the bridge. “Hehe, sorry.”
“I know its rude of me to ask this of you darling, but do try to sit still,” Rarity urged.
“Oh fine. But I’m gettin real tired of all this spookiness and-” Pinkie Pie paused just as the entire cavern began to shake, the vibration beginning from somewhere far below them.
The group braced themselves, riding out the surprisingly long tremor.
“Its getting worse,” Fluttershy stated.
“It is. They better hurry,” Sunset Shimmer murmured.
“Oh my goodness, thats a long drop,” Twilight muttered.
“I told you not to look,” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Now would you quit squeezing my legs so much. I swear I’m going to lose feeling in them pretty soon.”
Twilight released the deathgrip she had on her companion’s limbs and focused on breathing. By the time she got her blood pressure under control, the aforementioned bridge had come into view. Broken right in the middle, two good chunks still hung out over the abyss like a pair of broken, jagged teeth.
Ascending up to its level, Twilight could tell that Rainbow Dash’s assessment was indeed correct. To the right the tracks didn't go far before the entire tunnel collapsed, filling the opening completely with broken stones. On the other side, there was a narrow passageway that opened up at the very edge of the light shed by Twilight's flashlight.
“See? Just up there,” Rainbow Dash remarked.
Twilight nodded, bracing herself as the pair landed just beyond the broken remnants of the bridge. Unhooking from each other took little time, with Rainbow Dash’s dexterous fingers making short work of the knots. Once apart, the pair drew their weapons, and exhcanged one another nod.
“I’ll take front left,” Rainbow Dash offered.
“And I’ll take back right,” Twilight replied.
They then crept forward in unison, sweeping the ceiling, walls and floor with their bright flashlights. The eagle eyed Twilight immediately noticed that their surroundings were much more angular and far less organic then the other sections. The mark of a human digger was clearly evident, though Twilight quickly pushed such thoughts from her mind.
For by then they had entered into the main room, where a plethora of strange sights awaiated them both. The most pressing was the fact that the only other exit, secondary tunnel that angled down and right, had collapsed at some point. The other less distressing feature were the several short desks sitting inside of an alcove a little further up.
Rainbow Dash swept her flashlight across the dusty pages and paused as a tremor shook the entire cavern. For a moment both she and Twilight wondered if the roof was about to give out. They were pleasantly surprised when that did not happen, allowing them to continue their investigation.
“Wait. Gonna check for traps,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Kneeling down, the speedster pointed her flashlight this way and that, seeking out some detail that Twilight wasn't cognizant of. A few minutes later, and Rainbow Dash holstered her weapon, a confident look crossing her features.
“Looks clean. I’ll watch our back while you check it out,” Rainbow Dash offered.
“Right,” Twilight murmured.
Steppin past her friend, Twilight walked over to the desks and crouched down low, noting just how close to the ground the work stations were. They reminded her of the grade six class room that she had volunteered in as an teacher’s assistant not long ago. Inspecting the various scraps of paper littering the area, Twilight quickly found herself confused and a little unnerved.
“Something is attacking my mind. I can't focus on anything, my memories blur. Why is this happening after so long? What changed?” Twilight read aloud, putting the sheet of paper aside.
“Work continues smoothly. The excavation wont take much longer, but the carving will take considerably more time. Foxtrot urges me to hurry, but this work cannot be rushed. Not with so much at stake,” Twilight murmured.
Picking up another, Twilight found that the contents were little more then gibberish. Barely a coherent thought to be seen, Twilight dropped it in the growing pile to her right. Several more sheets of paper soon joined, the writings contained within a mix outright nonsense to just barely comprehensible rambling.
“Hows it going back there?” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“Its going to take a minute,” Twilight warned. “I think um, the pony had a bit of a mental break down.”
“Well make it quick. I don't like how powerful these quakes are becoming,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“I’m working on it,” Twilight retorted.
Flipping through papers, Twilight picked up one that contained mostly legible words strung along into a mostly coherent statement. Twilight cleared her throat, and narrowed her gaze before continuing to read aloud.
“The construction of the golem is proceeding nicely but I cannot remember why it was decided we should build it in the first place. I spoke to Foxtrot alone and he remarked something similar. He wanted to protect humanity, while I wished to destroy Celestia. Yet here we are, bunkering down in anticipation of fighting Perfect Tempo. Why? This is counterproductive to what we want yet…” Twilight paused and turned the page over. “My mind grows fuzzy, even now I can feel images of those girls popping into my head and triggering the bile in my gut to rise. Why do these seemingly innocent creatures cause such a response? What has happened to my mind. I can't remember…”
Twilight looked down, ignoring the writing she could not make heads or tails of.
“Gotta seal off this area.Trick myself into slowing construction. Whatever the reason we are making this thing it can't be good,” Twilight continued. “I must clear my head of whatever is affecting us. I must ensure I don't destroy documents once the miasma settles over me completely. I’ll destroy the tunnels, that should do it. Just have to hold onto this thought for a little longer.”
Twilight paused.
“That sounds kind of messed up,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “What do you think happened?”
“I don't know, but it can't be good,” Twilight replied.
Brushing aside a clump of dirt and dust, Twilight picked up a stack of papers and began to read. She didn't make it far before discovering a rather detailed drawing of a pony. It wasn't just any mere equine though, and with fear pounding through her veins, she turned to Rainbow Dash.
“We have to get back, now. Sunset is going to want to see this,” Twilight proclaimed, raising the stack of papers.
“Alright lets-”
A sudden rumble stopped Rainbow Dash dead in her tracks. Though it started as a distant vibration the shaking swiftly turning into a tremor powerful enough to knock Twilight from her feet. Rainbow Dash remained standing, scanning the area for anything out of place.
Dust fell from the ceiling, accompanied by the occasional clump of freed dirt or small handful of rock. The violent shaking lasted for a lot longer then anticipated and causing a sliver of fear to worm its way into the pair’s hearts. Twilight pulled herself into a standing in the midst of the earthquake and was about to stand up fully when Rainbow Dash grabbed her.
The other girl’s powerful arms then wrenched the book lover out of the way just before a hunk of stone hit the ground where Twilight had been crouched. Landing atop Twilight, Rainbow Dash fanned her wings wide, and braced herself as best as possible. Only a few more hunks of dirt and debris fell before the shaking finally stopped.
“You alright?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yeah, just a little shaken is all,” Twilight muttered, accepting the hand offered to her.
A sharp tug pulled her back into a stand alongside Rainbow Dash. Together they dusted themselves off and were about to go back to what they were doing. When a sudden loud crack echoed from far in the distance.
“What was that?” Twilight whispered.
“Sounded like a gun shot,” Rainbow Dash answered.
A flurry of shots, yelling, and thumps interrupted Twilight before hse had a chance to speak.
“Hurry, hook yourself back up and get that spell going again!” Rainbow Dash demanded.
“Right!” Twilight replied.