In which Subtle Dancer discovers a weakness, Pinkie Pie has a bad hair day, and Garnet suffers a relapse.
The plan took a week, mostly to assemble enough tannerite. Doctor Whooves was a bit disconcerted when both Sun Hammer and Princess Luna paid him a visit and made it very plain to the good doctor that he was going to be given access to enormous resources.
For a price.
Matt went along on that trip so he could make a few suggestions on what he wanted as far as packaging. He and the stallion spent a couple of hours trading tips on how to make things explode. Matt talked about how to create shaped charges and the doctor upped the ante with some innovative ideas on the successful inclusion of thermite in the mix. After all, they were trying to blast through ice weren’t they?
You could say the two had an absolute blast.
Of course Princess Luna was very quiet on the trip back to Canterlot. She looked just the slightest bit worried, actually…
While the good doctor was doing his bit for Equestria, Celestia, and lemon cup-cakey goodness, Subtle Dancer brought in experts from the Equestrian Land Survey Group, who sent their fastest pegasus to obtain photos of the target zone where triangulation said Tišina was lairing.
The Horns themselves certainly weren’t slacking off either, gleaning every bit of information about the elusive goddess that they could lay their horns on. The Alene freely shared everything the trolls knew about Tišina—legends, hints, prophecies, all of it.
The Snøskred had sent a courier back to the King of the World Below advising him of the situation. Several pages of his report were dedicated to Lady Teagan and Mountain Heart—and he advised the king not to act rashly during this most perilous time.
His report also spoke at length about the humans, especially the male soldier. He was positively grim when he related what nuclear weapons were and how even the humans seemed terrified of them.
Now if only the king could suffer a modicum of good sense we might even survive this. Bevis thought as he gave the report to the courier.
ooOoo
Everything was prepared. A dozen healing specialists were gathered around the emerald statue now lying on its back. Against Celestia’s better judgment Pinkie Pie and the rest of the Bearers were watching from the observation gallery, along with the humans and Garnet’s parents. She hadn’t wanted Pinkamena anywhere near this, but the pony had unleashed such a devastating plea that even the princess was helpless against it.
The alicorn shivered at the memory of those eyes. She made a mental note to find out more about the pink pony, in light of what the human investigator had told her.
“We’re ready, Your Highness.” Spring Water said.
“All right, my little ponies. When I reverse the stoning there is going to be a huge magical surge. I’ll try to contain as much of it as I can and direct the rest away but there will still be uncontrolled power, so be careful! Unicorns, you must clamp Garnet’s severed blood vessels as soon as you can see. There are four of you, so someone is bound to recover quickly. Earth ponies, do not attempt to channel the magic to ground, it is far too powerful.”
She looked up at the pegasus flying near the ceiling, next to a long rope.
“Open the hatch.” She said, casting the magnification spell.
“Hatch open, I’m clear!” The pegasus called.
She cut the link and dropped the magnification spell, then braced herself just before the tsunami of raw power slammed into her.
She sucked up the energy until she could hold no more, and then channeled all her stored energy into a tube of pure magic, forcing the remaining power up through the hatch.
When it was done she wanted nothing more than to collapse, panting.
“Close the hatch!” She called instead and focused on the bleeding pony in front of her.
So small, she thought as the team moved in and two unicorns clamped the four severed ends of the major vessels with their magic. The ragged ends pressed together. Celestia carefully and rapidly healed the two blood vessels; keenly aware she had only seconds before Garnet’s heart stopped from the strain of losing circulation in the two largest blood pathways her body possessed.
“We losing her! I’m seeing signs of incipient ventricular fibrillation!” An earth pony yelled. “Ember, get your rump over here now.
An orange unicorn crowded in, careful not to jostle the princess concentrating on the tricky repair.
More time, I need more time! Celestia frantically kept on, trying to ignore the way Garnet’s life spark was guttering like a candle in a draft. If it went out…
“Can’t wait!” The earth pony said urgently. “She’s got full blown v-fib now! Ember, hit her!”
The unicorn lowered his horn and two fat azure sparks struck the tiny filly at different points on her chest.
“Vein’s done!” The princess gasped, “Let it go!” She saw the vein relax but didn’t have time to see if the repair would hold, she was too busy patching the artery, not caring if her work was flawless, only that the artery would hold when blood started flowing. She’d finish the repairs when circulation was restored.
There was blood everywhere, the stingers had done their worst damage to the two major blood vessels but they had struck deep, piercing flesh and tearing large holes in the tiny foal’s throat. Even with the two major vessels clamped Garnet was losing a lot of blood.
“No good! Hit her again!” The earth pony called.
“Artery’s done, let go!” Celestia said, casting a general healing to help control the blood loss. It slowed noticeably.
The second shock caused the unconscious foal to convulse, breaking the healing spell.
“That’s done it. Good job, Ember!” The earth pony said. Celestia watched the flame of Garnet’s life steady and get a little brighter, no longer fluttering wildly. She returned to her healing, concentrating on the repairs she’d made. The vein was fine, but there was a leak in the artery, spurting a little blood with each heartbeat. The princess hastily strengthened the arterial wall and poured magic into closing the hole. She spent another five minutes restoring the other torn vessels. By the time she was done Garnet’s wounds had closed, and there wasn’t even a scar remaining.
But when the unicorn Dream Master relaxed her sleep spell on the little filly she didn’t wake up. Spring Water exchanged a concerned glance with the Princess as Dream Master checked her patient.
“I don’t understand it.” The lime green unicorn said. “She should be waking up. The sleep spell’s done.”
“She lost a lot of blood.” The same earth pony that had been monitoring Garnet’s heart said. “Might be a natural healing coma. She’s an earth pony, after all.” The blood red pony concentrated a moment, frowning.
“I don’t like her flow. Something’s not right. Blood’s ok, heart’s settled down, but there’s something strange in her head.”
“What is it Ruby?” Spring Water asked. The red pony was an expert on energy flow, far beyond what most earth ponies were capable of.
“Don’t know. Princess, can you sense anything magical?” Ruby asked, placing her hoof against Garnet’s head, flanges spread wide. Princess Celestia was exhausted and didn’t trust herself to sense subtleties, but she tried anyway.
It wasn’t a subtle problem.
“Oh dear.” She murmured. “Poor Garnet. She’s gone deep into her own mind. She’s hiding. This is very rare—I’ve only seen it twice before.”
“What do we do about it?” Ruby asked bluntly.
Princess Celestia shook her head. “There’s nothing we can do. One of the two ponies I saw do this came out of it on her own.”
“And the other, Your Highness?” Ruby asked.
“He never woke up.” The princess said in a sorrowful voice. “We tried everything. But a week after he went into his mind he was gone. It wasn’t starvation, or dehydration. He just—stopped. As though his soul decided it was time to move on.”
She looked up and saw the look of shock on the faces in the observation gallery. Too late she remembered they could hear everything that went on in the operating room.
“Take Garnet to recovery.” She said, assuming the role of Princess once more. “Tend her carefully. No visitors until we’re sure she’s stable. Then let her parents sit with her. Hearing their voices might help bring her back.”
“At once, Princess.” Spring Water said, bowing. Celestia stepped back and teleported to the observation gallery. She walked slowly over to the two earth ponies, who bowed. Blueberry’s shoulders were shaking.
“Don’t give up hope.” She said quietly. “Garnet still has a chance. She’s young and strong. You can visit her as soon as we make sure her condition is stable. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to do more.”
“We thank you, Princess.” Flint said in a calm voice. “You saved our little filly. Now we just have to wait for her to wake up. And she will wake up.”
His confident tone was belied by the fact his ears were flat against his head.
“Persistence beyond all hope, Flint Stonespeaker. And hope beyond all reason.” The princess said in a firm voice.
Blueberry nodded, visibly controlling herself, only a single tear giving lie to her stoic mien. “Our little Garnet couldn’t have been in better hooves, Your Highness. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“I’m not done yet, Blueberry.” Celestia said in a kind voice. “Your daughter will not pay the price for crimes committed by that monster. I swear to you by the Sun I will not let Garnet die. No matter what it takes.”
The Stonespeakers’ eyes widened in shock. Celestia’s words had echoed strangely, as though the room were suddenly far larger. She also glowed as she spoke, like sunrise on a summer’s day.
“Princess, what did you just do?” Twilight asked urgently.
“I made an oath, my faithful student.” The princess replied calmly. “A binding magical oath. Rest assured my little ponies. I will not let Garnet die. Not today. Tišina will not claim her.”
In the stunned babble that followed no one saw Pinkie Pie slip from the gallery, her normally puffy mane and tail flat and completely limp. Her signature energetic hop was replaced with a deliberate, slow, and above all calm walk. The door closed silently behind her.
ooOoo
Dawn Spire carefully went through the steps with meticulous care as Subtle Dancer watched closely. Suddenly there was a pop and a small circle no more than an inch across formed between the two unicorns.
“There.” She said with deep satisfaction. “As you can clearly feel, Chief Horn, it’s identical to Tišina’s portal in every way but size.”
“Very good!” The unicorn’s smile held a hard edge. “What’s the range?”
“Four miles, give or take.” Dawn Spire said. “But it’s a pain in the rump to cast. Like no other magic I’ve ever used. Not to mention it takes six minutes and you can’t let your attention waver at all. Gives me a raging headache on top of everything else.”
“But it will disrupt a portal?”
“Oh yes. Even this little thing would disrupt one of Tišina’s full sized ones. The good thing about these portals is they’re incredibly fragile magically speaking. Like soap bubbles. One little pin-prick and they collapse. You just have to have a needle made of that weird insect magic. Or throw a huge amount of power at it, like you did during her attack.”
“And once the portal has collapsed?” He asked, staring intently at the little circle.
“Gone for good. No way to reconstruct it, you have to start over.”
“Good job, Dawn Spire. You may have just saved the world.” Subtle Dancer congratulated the rose colored unicorn. She grinned.
“Does that mean I get a raise?”
“No.” Subtle Dancer laughed. “But I’m sure Princess Celestia will give you a medal and a ceremony. Public recognition as a Hero of the Crown.”
“You’re joking, right?” Dawn Spire asked, panic creeping into her eyes.
“Why no. I’d never joke about something like that.” He said with a wide smile.
“I never know how to take you.” She grumbled. “A few more bits wouldn’t go amiss. But a ceremony? In public? No thank you!”
“Then you shouldn’t save the world, young Horn.” He said, shaking his head. “They’ll be calling you Dame Dawn Spire before the week’s out.”
“Not if I can help it.” She shuddered. “Why do you think I’m in Magical Analysis? Spells don’t make you spend a week’s salary on a dress you can only wear once!”
“The price you pay for rubbing flanks with the crème de la crème, my dear Spire.” He said. “How long does it take to learn to cast?”
“Took me almost a week.” Dawn Spire said. “You, with my help, maybe a day. The average Horn can’t even learn it. It’s way too weird. And it makes you feel like your eyeballs are going to fall out. Not pleasant.”
“Hmm. Guess you’re getting promoted, Field Agent Dawn Spire.” He grinned. “You’ll be going with the expedition and popping Tišina’s portals up close and personal.”
“What? Oh, no, no, no, no! Not on the best day you ever lived, fearless leader.” Dawn Spire said flatly. “Not happening. I am not cut out for derring-do.”
“Then I’ll let you explain that to Princess Celestia. I’m sure she’ll understand why the only pony capable of saving the world would rather play with her scrolls.” The black unicorn said sedately.
“I hate you.” Dawn Spire said dourly.
ooOoo
Garnet lay quietly in the white bed, not moving at all. Pinkie Pie stood looking down at the young filly, one solemn eye hidden by the fall of her straight pink mane. The only sound in the room was the tick of the wall clock.
“You just rest now, little Garnet. Cousin Pinkie Pie had to go looking for you, but she’ll be back real soon and bring you a present to make you feel all better. She knows you ran away because you got scared of the big bad Meanie, but don’t you worry. I’ll make sure that Meanie can’t hurt you ever again. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
The silly words were delivered in a dead serious voice, one totally unlike Pinkamena.
She left the room as stealthily as she’d entered. The nursing staff never even knew she’d been there. Her only stop was the Royal kitchens, and she stayed only long enough to find the one thing she needed.
Suitably equipped she headed for Princess Celestia’s demolished chambers in a burst of speed that only Rainbow Dash could have hoped to match.
ooOoo
It took some time for the arrangements to be made, and Princess Celestia stayed with the Stonespeakers until Garnet had been moved to recovery and pronounced stable. Then the alicorn had Spring Water escort her parents to Garnet’s room.
“Has anyone seen Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly.
“Huh? She’s right—” Twilight started to say, and then paused, staring at the empty cushion Pinkie had been sitting on.
Teagan and Evelyn exchanged worried glances.
“That’s weird.” Twilight said. “Maybe she had to go to the Little Ponies Room?”
“Come to think on it Ah ain’t seen her since the surgery ended.” Applejack commented. “She was right up front the whole time, watchin’. We shoulda seen her leave but Ah never did.”
Princess Celestia grew still.
“If you’ll excuse me, my little ponies, I have urgent matters to attend to.” The princess said a bit too quickly. She teleported out.
“I think it would be a very good idea if we went looking for Pinkie Pie right now.” Teagan said carefully.
“Why?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Pinkie’s just being Pinkie. She probably went to see if she could dig up some cupcakes or something. You know how random she is.”
“Maybe she went to see Garnet?” Fluttershy offered quietly. “She’s Pinkie’s cousin and Pinkie never got to meet her because she was born after Pinkie came to Ponyville. With her being sick I’d think Pinkie would want to be with her for a while.”
“That’s probably it.” Teagan nodded. “Why don’t we go check? I’m sure she could use some cheering up.”
“That’s a good idea.” Evelyn said. “We certainly don’t want her to be upset.”
Matt finally caught on. “No, can’t have our favorite pink cupcake maker upset, now can we?”
“You’re acting weird, guys.” Rainbow Dash said suspiciously. “What’s going on? Pinkie’s fine! She’s probably with Garnet like Fluttershy said. Or getting something to eat. The food here is cloud-tastic!” She started to drool, thinking about it before coming to herself with a snap.
“I’m just worried about her, Rainbow Dash.” Teagan said honestly, if not completely forthcoming.
“Ok, ok! Jeez! Let’s go down to Garnet’s room, I’m sure that’s where we’ll find her.
ooOoo
A pink blur blasted between the guards, leaving them startled and in disarray. By the time they were able to pursue there was no sign of the intruder, the devastated chambers held no place to hide, the only other exit the hole in the outer wall.
“Alert the Captain. He’ll want to know about this.” The pegasus said to his companion, who sighed.
“Right. I can’t believe this happened on our watch. Again. Are we cursed or something, Fire Cloud?”
“I wish I knew.” Fire Cloud muttered as the other guard arrowed down the hallway.
ooOoo
Tišina paused in her work, raising her head to listen. There it was again. Slow, deliberate clopping. As though a horse were walking around inside her cavern. She looked around herself in disbelief.
Only silence met her intense gaze.
Moram da se slušneme raboti. She murmured to herself and turned back to the partially completed portal.
Only to hear the hoof beats resume. Listening more carefully she tried to pick them out from the echoes caused by the multiple portals crowded in front of her. It almost sounded like the beast was walking around the edge of the cave.
But that was impossible. She was deep inside the heart of a glacier; nothing could reach her here except a portal.
Or teleportation…
Tišina stiffened, sending her senses outward, trying to find the intruder. But the number of portals crowded into the cave caused weird reflections in the mystical spaces, making it impossible to see anything.
“You shouldn’t have done it, Tišina.” A calm voice said from behind her. In panic the dragon lashed her tail, trying to knock over whatever it was. Twisting her neck around, she spotted something in the dark. It moved with the clip-clop sound of a pony.
Grimly she stabbed at the half-seen shape with her tail stinger. The shape slipped aside and her stinger slammed into the rock hard ice of the cavern floor, throwing sparks.
A mocking laugh echoed through the chamber.
“Blind, are we Tišina? Or aren’t you dragon enough to face an adult pony? Is that why you did it? The only ponies you can kill are little, helpless fillies barely eight years old? Tell me why you did it, Tišina.”
“Who are you?” The insect-dragon hissed, having lost the shape in the darkness, the echoes confusing her sonar.
“I’m her cousin, you worthless waste of scales!” The voice yelled from in front of her. She snapped her head around, her tentacles tensing to strike. Infuriatingly, the shape was gone again.
“Well, honorary cousin, really. Pinkie’s her real cousin. But I can’t be too upset with you, monster. All you did was turn everyone in her home town to stone. No biggie, right? The Princess turned them all back—all except Garnet, of course. Well, she turned Garnet back too, actually. Not that it did any good. Poor Garnet.”
Tišina rose to her feet, spreading her wings and raising her tail to weave back and forth, pointed backward to guard from rear attack. The mystic echoes were starting to give the dragon a headache, but she desperately used eyes and ears to try and locate the nuisance plaguing her.
“Ooh, am I scaring you? Little old me? I’m just a sinner, Tišina. Right? Surely you aren’t afraid of me?”
“Oh, wait. That settlement you attacked? Pinkie’s home town? It’s full of rock farmers, did you know that? They didn’t know how to party until Pinkamena showed them. I do so love Pinkamena. She’s such a happy bubbly pony, you just can’t help it.”
Tišina was thinking furiously. She didn’t dare use her breath weapon in the cavern, doing so might damage the portals, or worse, blow back on her. She couldn’t use her dark sight because of the portals and her echo location was useless with all the echoes. Of course one little pony was no threat to her.
Unless that pony had a weapon like the pink one had had. Pink. Pinkamena. Tišina felt a thrill of fear run through her.
“What do you want, little pony?” She sneered.
“Oh, nothing much. I’m just here to make everything even-steven, Tišina. See, you stabbed Garnet. You ought not to have done that. Cause Garnet’s only a little filly. She’s so tiny. When you stabbed her you made two small cuts, you see. Small to you and me, of course. They weren’t so small to Garnet, though. But the Princess made that all better too. So I can’t really be mad at you over that. Well, not a big mad. Only a little mad. For little cuts.”
“No, what really gets my goat is you scared Garnet so bad she ran away, into her own head. So Pinkamena’s had to go looking for her, to bring her back. But that means Pinkamena’s left the building, Tišina. Happy, friendly, wants everypony to have a good time Pinkie Pie’s not here right now, Tišina. But I am.”
“Who are you?” Tišina snarled, spinning about to face where she thought the voice was now. Her tentacles were out, weaving, waiting for a target.
“Who me? Oh, nopony special. But the thing is, Tišina, I’m not Pinkamena. I’m not happy-go-lucky. When I party it’s hardcore. Cause at heart I guess I’m just like a rock farmer. So serious, you know. So steady. Dependable. Relentless.”
The last word was hissed. Tišina backed up a step, and then spun in case the pony had gotten behind her again.
“Why are you so nervous, Tišina? I’m not going to hurt you—much. Just enough to call it even. That’s fair, right? You gave Garnet two little cuts, so to make things even I’m going to give you two little cuts. You’ll hardly even feel them. Well, I guess you might feel them. Cause I want it to hurt, Tišina. Just like you hurt Garnet.”
Hating herself and shuddering in revulsion, knowing she was damning herself further, Tišina gave in and actually cast a spell, causing the roof of the cavern to glow brightly, lighting the entire cave. Seeing a glimmer of pink she stabbed with her tentacles, only for the pink blob to vanish as her stingers went through a portal instead of flesh. She flinched, pulling her stingers back with a gasp.
The portal held steady, making her breathe a sigh of relief. It hadn’t been designed to withstand the emanations from her stingers.
“Here I am, Tišina! Yoo-hoo!” The voice said from her left. She spun and stabbed, yelping as her tentacles slammed into ice, banging them painfully, like a human rapping the tops of their fingernails into the edge of a door.
Cursing she pulled back the tentacles, shaking them to restore feeling and ease the stinging pain.
“Over here!” From the right this time.
She spun and roared.
“Stand still, pest, so I can swat you!”
“Okie. Dokie. Lokie.” The pony said in a slow mocking voice. “I’m standing right here, Tišina. I won’t move, I promise. Take your best shot.”
The dragon stared. The pink pony was standing calmly not ten feet from her. Carefully she let her tentacles coil. Checking to make sure there weren’t any portals nearby she let herself smile, baring razor sharp teeth.
“Now you die, little pony!” She launched her tentacles in a lightning fast strike.
Only to see the pony slide to the side impossibly fast. She screamed in agony as four hundred pounds of pony stomped hard on her extended tentacles with small sharp hooves, trapping them. There was a flash of silver and Tišina screamed again, drawing back stumps that sprayed blood everywhere. A good four feet of each tentacle’s end lay squirming under the pink pony’s hooves.
The pain was excruciating, causing Tišina to instinctively draw back and whimper.
“Guess what, Tišina?” The pony smiled with a vicious baring of teeth. “I lied. I moved after all! But there’s some good news, too. See, now we’re even. You cut Garnet and I cut you. I’ll be taking these souvenirs back with me, Tišina. But just to show there’s no hard feelings I’ll give you some really important news.”
She beamed at the dragon, who glared at her.
“Ready? Here it is! They know where you are, Tišina. They’re coming for you. Soon. No matter where you run, you can’t hide from them. They’ll find you. And then they’ll use the Elements of Harmony to put you to sleep forever. You’ll be a big stone statue, Tišina. Fooor-eeeev-veeeer. But you know what? The Princess is a very kind pony. She really is! So once you’re a statue she won’t break you into millions of little bitty pieces and throw you in the sun. Oh no! She’ll put you in the same garden your brother is in. So the two of you can spend eternity together. Won’t that be lovely, Tišina?”
Tišina jerked her head up, pain nearly forgotten.
“That’s right. We know who you are, Tišina, Great Mother of Silence. Did you know Pinkamena helped fight Discord? See, Pinkamena is one of the Bearers of the Elements. So she was one of the ones who turned Discord into a stone statue. She defeated your brother. I’m so proud of her!”
“No, that’s impossible!” Tišina said. “You’re just a pony! You couldn’t defeat my dearest enemy!”
“Are you stupid, Tišina? I wasn’t the one who did it. Pinkamena did. You know—that laughing, cheerful, party-throwing pony that likes everypony? The one who isn’t here right now?”
“Who are you?” Tišina screamed.
“I’m the voice in Pinkamena’s head that doesn’t like you, Tišina.” The pony said, no longer smiling. “And you better pray that Pinkamena finds Garnet and brings her back. You better pray to whatever beings made you that Pinkamena doesn’t get delayed coming back. Because she’ll just put you to sleep forever. Quietly. Painlessly.”
The pony met Tišina’s gaze and the dragon shuddered. The pony’s eyes were limpid blue pools of utter madness.
“Me, on the other hand, if I’m still here when we meet? Well, I’m going to eat you all up, Tišina. Bite by delicious bite. With a spoon, Tišina. A very large, very rusty, very dull spoon. I think I’ll start with your eyes and work my way down to your claws. Won’t that be fun?”
She picked up the severed tentacles with her mouth, speaking the final words around them, like a cartoon dog carrying sausage links.
“See you later, alligator!”
Stepping backward, she vanished.
Trembling, the wounded dragon crept forward, waving a paw through the space where the pony had stood. The only evidence the intruder had ever been there were splashes of Tišina’s own blood and the fierce burning from her regenerating tentacles.