Twilight Sparkle looked over the side of the rock, into her own reflection in the water. She saw the purple unicorn stare back into her eyes. Twilight tapped her head slightly with one of her hooves. She thought she saw her reflection change, but upon closer examination, it was the same as it was a couple of seconds ago. She then looked at her hooves, which felt fine as if they weren’t even hurt.
“I... I need it to get it together.” she said to herself. Twilight spotted a rocky tunnel leading out of the cave, and she teleported herself over to it. She also saw some mushrooms along the side of the walls, and promptly picked them. Her transceiver buzzed, and she answered it.
“Snake, what’s the situation?” Luna asked.
“Nothing. I think I’ve found the exit to the cave.”
“Good. Get moving.”
“SNAKE!” Lyra shouted, and Twilight recoiled from the loud noise.
“What?” Twilight said angrily.
“Oh... sorry! Too loud?”
“Yes...”
“I’ll try not to do that again. Anyway Snake, you sure you’re okay?” she asked. Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. Why would you ask?”
“I don’t know... your voice sounds a bit... off.”
“I’m fine, Para-Medic.”
“Well, okay. Call if you need to ask anything.”
“Right.”
Twilight walked further into the tunnel, and saw the rocky roof begin to give away to a brilliant orange sky. She smiled as she gazed into the beautiful clouds and the colors they displayed before she was interrupted. Two griffons, wings outspread in the wind, flew over her head and circled the area. Twilight tip-toed through the rest of the rocky area, but came to a stop at a river that flowed from the stone below. Twilight looked at her sides quickly, and then up above. She dived into the river, but soon discovered that it was extremely shallow. She could barely fit her entire body under the water. Twilight swam slowly down the river, stopping periodically to breath in more air. On one of her oxygen stops, she saw that the griffons paroling the river had vanished. Twilight rose from the water, dripping wet and soaked. She walked forward, but soon found her body slipping into the deeper waters, until she was up to her head. She paddled over to a nearby rock formation, and lifted herself up on it. Shaking the water off, Twilight slipped around the jagged rocks and found herself in a tiny alcove. On one side was a stone structure that jutted out of the cliff side. On the bottom of the building was a small wooden dock, with several boats and rafts tethered to it. Twilight saw some figures on the dock, and took out her binoculars. Through them she saw Sokolov being pushed around by a griffon soldier, and Trixie was watching them both. She was walking back and forth along the pier with a anxious look on her face. Out of the entrance to the building came Rainbow Dash, closely followed by Octavia. Sokolov kicked the griffon in his shoulder, and the griffon snarled at him. Rainbow Dash called him off with a wave of her hoof. Sokolov looked to her angrily.
“I’m not going anywhere!” he said, trying to sound brave. Rainbow Dash laughed.
“Really now? How many times must I tell you?” she rhetorically asked. Rainbow raised her hoof, and struck Octavia with it, sending her careening into the concrete. Sokolov gasped in horror. “Each time you resist, your lover will suffer the consequences! Is that clear?” Sokolov made a move to help Octavia, but was pushed back by the guard.
“I.... curse you!” he responded desperately. Trixie ran over to him and pushed Sokolov down.
“You should be careful who you speak to like that, traitor. I’m not as generous as Thunderbolt.” she said importantly. Sokolov silently mouthed her off. “What did you say?” Trixie asked, before going silent. Celestia entered the group through the entrance, walking into the fray confidently. Trixie backed away and turned her head to the ground.
“What is this?” Celestia asked. Trixie mumbled to herself. “Speak up.”
“Nothing.” Trixie quietly responded. Celestia nodded.
“You better stay in line from now on. They will take care of this.” she reassured.
“How do you know? She’s strong.” Trixie said. Rainbow Dash walked up to Celestia.
“Has she been disposed of yet?” Rainbow asked. Celestia lowered her head.
“Applejack is gone.” she solemnly said. Rainbow Dash at first was shocked, but the shock turned into rage.
“What?” she said in anger, and turned toward the concrete wall. She punched it several times, cracking it in the process. Her breathing was more rapid that usual. “I didn’t think she would have that much strength.” Rainbow said, but then proceeded to control her breathing once again. “I fear Luna has a hoof in this. We have to hurry. There’s no time to lose. You have to get rid of her before the final test.” she told Celestia.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be able to handle it.” Celestia casually said. Trixie gave a doubting look. “I’m leaving it to Rarity. She should be able to handle things. Trixie, get Sokolov and come with me. Thunderbolt?”
Rainbow Dash lifted Octavia off of the ground hastily. “I’ll take care of this one, and the Shagohod.” Celestia, Trixie and Sokolov left on one of the boats, floating down the river in the evening sun, while Rainbow Dash took Octavia into the concrete building. Twilight Sparkle put away her binoculars, and pressed the button on her receiver. Octavia’s calm, but slightly shaken voice came through clear.
“Where are you?”
“I’m outside of this concrete building. Are you alright?”
“You saw that, huh? ...this place is a warehouse. Go past here, and you’ll be close to the lab. I’m with her at the moment, but she’s setting up an air balloon. I’ve got to go soon.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“Be safe.” Octavia finished.
---
Twilight slid across the rocky interior wall of the alcove, inch by inch. She paused to look around the dock, but there was nopony there. She got onto the concrete floor of the path leading to the building, and sneaked over to the singular exit. As she opened the door gradually, light by the torches placed inside filled the room with an orange glow. She advanced down a linear hallway, her steps echoing down its illuminated corridor. The walls of the hallway held multiple doors, some red, others blue, but Twilight stopped momentarily as she glanced at a door that was a slightly off color. She shook her head and continued onward. The hallways eventually led into a door, but it was open, revealing a lush night time forest on the other side.
“I guess I’m not the only one here.” she said to herself. Twilight stepped out into the forest, but despite the darkness that surrounded her, she had a child-like grin on her face. On the ground were several different varieties of flowers, and all of them painted the serene forest a vivid rainbow. Twilight picked one of the flowers, a white one with ovular petals, and placed it behind her ear, inside the warm cloth of her bandanna. “You remind me of some flowers from a bush I had when I was just a filly. I planted that bush myself, and my teacher taught me how to nurture it with magic. She said that as long as I cared for it, the bush would never cease to bloom. I wonder... did you need to have anything care for you to produce these flowers?” she asked. There was no answer. “Oh geeze, I’m talking to myself again. Got to stop that.” Twilight said, and continued on under the moonlight that showed through the thick canopy.
---
“Princess, what do you mean? I don’t get it.” a young filly asked. Celestia chuckled.
“You will someday, Twilight. Magic is just funny like that.” Celestia answered. Twilight shook her head and continued to stare at the bush.
“But what about that one forest we studied? Where the weather can’t be controlled, where those really odd plants are?”
“Yes, that place is quite an oddity, isn’t it?”
“How do the plants grow there if nopony is there to plant them?” Twilight naively asked.
“Good question, my student. I’m not quite sure I have the answer, but I will try. You see how each pony is different from one another, even if they are twins?”
“Yes.”
“That is not only because their parents are different, but their lives are too. Each pony has their own destiny, their own life to live. Just like how you got your cutie mark. What were the chances of that happening?”
“Not a whole lot.”
“But it did nonetheless, didn’t it?”
“...”
“Listen Twilight. We will all have a day where we will no longer be here to enjoy the buzzing of a bee, or the crisp taste of water. Until that day, however, we must do what we can to leave a mark, to act, to live. That’s what the plants in the Everfree Forest do. Despite the fact that we cannot dictate nature in those woods, the plants find a way to grow, to prosper, and to become different from one another. Aren’t those the same things we all try to do?”
“I-I guess, but...” Twilight shyly said, and Celestia smiled.
“What is it, my student?”
“I heard that you can live forever. Does that mean you can grow more than other ponies?” Celestia suddenly frowned. She placed her hoof over her head, but then moved to speak.
“No. I fact, it means the exact opposite.”
“Huh?” Twilight gasped, but Celestia returned to a warm smile.
“But it is not important. Come, let us resume class.”
---
Twilight Sparkle focused on her objective while she continued into the forest, careful to not trip on any rocks or wayward twigs while galloping. The forest continued into the darkness, until a tiny light appeared through it. Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she pushed herself harder. The light grew and grew, and the darkness shrank away from it, as Twilight saw it’s source. A huge brick wall was erected around a medium-sized building, which glowed brightly against the pitch-black forest surrounding it. Twilight shrank into a nearby bush, and crawled along the dark floor. As she approached the exterior wall, she noticed that there was a small hole that led through it. She crawled into the hole, and saw the interior building more clearly. It was very oppressive and square, sticking out from the ground at a perfect geometric angle. At one of the entrances were two gruff-looking griffon guards, standing and looking impatient.
“This must be the lab where Sokolov is being held. Time to put on that disguise.” she whispered to herself, and pulled out the scientist’s outfit from her bags. After ditching her usual fatigues, Twilight situated a pair of glasses on the bridge of her muzzle. She walked nonchalantly up to the guards and looked at both of them. The two examined her, and leaned away from the door to let her inside. Twilight gave a small grin to both of them and proceeded inside the facility. The insides of it were a polished marble floor and walls, shining because of the odd lights positioned throughout the building. They were a flame of some sort, but did not flicker nor give off any scent. “I wish I had a chance to take one of these with me. Such fascinating technology...” she thought out loud. Twilight walked quickly past the other scientists and griffon officers within the building, and looked around. “Where could Sokolov be?” She ran up a small flight of stairs, coming out on the top floor of the building. On this floor, there was only one room. “Ah. Must be.” she said. Twilight opened the door to the room, and found several scientists writing papers and drawing diagrams on the chalkboard at the end of the room. Twilight began to sweat a little as some of the ponies began to look at her suspiciously, so she casually walked into the room next door. She shut the door behind her, locking it tightly and wiping the sweat off of her head. Unexpectedly, there was another being inside the room.
“If you’re looking for Sokolov, he’s not here.” the voice said. “He’s packed his bags and left.” Twilight turned and saw a old-looking earth pony, with a faded yellow mane and a ruby-red coat, sitting on a dusty old brown chair. Twilight’s horn began to crackle, but the pony waved her down. “Put that thing away. You’ll spoil my drink.” He then took a swig from a wine bottle place upon his desk. Twilight took notice of all the trophies, pictures, papers, diagrams, models, and the preposterous amount of shelves that the room had. “So, you’re the agent everypony has been talking about. Typical monarchist dog. No manners.” he said while taking another deep drink from the wine bottle.
“Who are you?” Twilight curiously questioned.
“You mean you’ve never heard of me? Heh, some agent. Fine. My name is Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin. A stallion of some importance if I do say so myself. I am the foremost weapons designer in the entire Griffon Kingdom. I have been given honors that most ponies could not dream of. They were all awarded to me for my brilliant contributions to society. It was I who coughed up the basic designs for the portable missile that brought you here in the first place.” Granin explained.
“Are you drunk?” she blatantly asked. Granin gave a hiccup.
“I am merely drowning my sorrows. Because of him, I’ve got nothing to do but sit here and drink this garbage.”
“Him?”
“Sokolov! He’s the one you’re looking for, right? It’s because of him, that I am nothing! Because of him, that I have no authority! Look!” he said while handing Twilight a paper from his desk. She picked it up. On it was a metal creature with chicken-like legs. It’s large, gaping maw jutted out from the main body, which had no arms or legs. Instead, it had a odd circular dome on one end, and a long cannon on the other for appendages. Twilight eyed it skeptically, but Granin took it as a compliment. “Do you know what this is? It will revolutionize everything! A bipedal, missile-equipped tank!” Twilight gave it back to him, and thought it over.
“A bipedal tank?” she said.
“Yes, a walking tank... a robot even! Are you familiar with how different species of apes have missing links to each other? Think of this as the missing link between infantry and artillery. A branch between two cogs in the military machine, a metal gear if you will. This magnificent invention will be a huge step forward for the weapons, and peace.”
“Peace?” Twilight said sarcastically.
“Yes, although it sounds ludicrous, I’m sure it will be. After all, when you have a weapon this powerful, who would dare strike against it? It deters any counterattack! But that is beside the point... it won’t be able to enter production now. Thunderbolt and her crew have ceased production of it in favor of Sokolov’s project. Which is why I'm sending my designs to my colleague, in your country. He will carry on my work, even when I am gone.” Granin said while taking a deep drink from his bottle. “Pfft. Sokolov’s pathetic Shagohod pales in comparison to my work. Do you know what they added in Phase II? A rocket engine. A rocket engine! What are you going to do with a rocket engine at the end of a tank? A tank does not need a rocket! It needs these!” he continued, pointing at his hind legs. “Legs! Legs allow us to go anywhere! Of course, a four-legged design is too heavy on it’s own, so I came up with the concept for a balanced two-legged one. Wouldn’t you agree THAT’S the real revolution in weaponry?” he asked Twilight. She reluctantly nodded.
“Where is Sokolov?”
“In the fortress of Groznyj Grad. The Philosopher’s Legacy has been handed down to him.”
“Legacy? What are you talking about?”
“The Philosopher’s Legacy? You haven’t heard of it? Thunderbolt has inherited their immense legacy. Well, at least the Equestrian portion of it. But it’s still incredible that they are able to fund both Sokolov’s--well, just Sokolov’s project, with the massive amount of power and time they would need for it. Soon, they will be conducting the final test.” Granin took a small sip of wine. “Heh, here Sokolov is getting ready to make his final preparations, and I’m here harboring an enemy spy and drinking myself into a stupor.” Twilight tilted her head.
“Why exactly are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you seem like a pretty trustworthy mare to me. And, you can do me a favor.”
“What?”
“I want you to get that idiot out of there, and destroy the Shagohod. There is a underground entrance to the base in the mountains. To get to the mountains, head through one of the doors in that warehouse nearby, and past a jungle. Here,” Granin said, and gave Twilight a small metal key. “use that to open the door. It’s a oddly colored one, so it shouldn’t be too hard to spot.”
“Thank you.” Twilight sincerely said, and began to leave. Before she could, Granin started to speak again.
“Unlike Sokolov, the thought of defecting has never once crossed my mind. I love... my country. I love this land. It is a place of great opportunity and freedom. I cannot even imagine living anywhere else. I wish to remain a hero... of the great democracy we have here. I cannot bear the thought of being hounded into a corner and left to waste away. It is already dawn.” Granin looked out the room’s window, and saw a creeping ray of sunlight. “You must hurry. I will remain here and nurse my troubles for a little longer.” Twilight opened the door, but Granin said one last thing. “To monarchy, my friend!” he chuckled, and took a great swig of alcohol.
---
As Twilight exited the facility, she took a slow step into the long forest once again. The sky was bright with sunlight and below it, the green of the forest overtook her eyes for quite a long time. As the lovely sight was reflected in her eyes, a silent figure leaped from tree to tree. It was barely visible, and moved with determination and focus. Twilight did not know what to expect when she was stuck in her bandaged stomach again, causing her to emit a ear-piercing scream that bounced off of the many trees. As soon as the figure struck her, it slithered back into the shadows of the trees. Twilight groggily got up on her hooves, but was slammed against the dirt.
“Show yourself!” she yelled into the forest, but as she finished that sentence, the figure made itself visible. A pure-white unicorn with a beautiful purple mane stood before her, displaying a grim expression on her face. “Rarity?” she said in shock.
“Glad to see me, dear?” Rarity said almost sarcastically. “I wouldn’t expect you to. After all, why would you need friends?” Rarity ran and kicked Twilight in her left hind leg, sending her back down to the ground. “Galloping off to Celestia knows where, not giving a care about who you left behind, or whose feelings you hurt...” she continued, and stomped on Twilight’s stomach again. “Perhaps you were justified, but that doesn’t change the fact that you didn’t care!” she yelled into Twilight’s ear. Twilight shakily got up and swung at Rarity, but the white unicorn dodged it and struck back. Twilight flew into a tree and slumped against it, her mind going blank for a second. When she looked up, Rarity had pinned her up against the bark, holding her with a magical field.
“Why--are you guys--trying to--kill me?” Twilight managed to ask. Rarity laughed.
“Why? I should be asking you that! Isn’t this the same thing you tried to do with Applejack? Dear, let’s be honest with ourselves. You aren’t afraid of me...” Rarity dragged Twilight along the ground, splashing dirt in her face and in her mouth. “...you are afraid of yourself, and your own abilities. You’re afraid that you can be dangerous, that you can hurt others, that you can be selfish and spiteful. And you’re Celestia’s prized student?” Rarity lifted Twilight up and slammed her into the ground. “Hah!” Twilight Sparkles horn glowed, and she burst out of Rarity’s grasp. She rested upon the dirt, exhausted and angry. Rarity walked over to her and placed her hoof in front of Twilight’s face. “Do it! Admit that you were wrong!” she yelled. Twilight grumbled and tried to rise again, but Rarity violently kicked her back down. “Say it!” Twilight swung her head from side to side. Rarity promptly stomped on her stomach once more. “SAY IT!” Twilight exhaled, and looked up at Rarity meaningfully.
“I-I’m sorry, I wrong! I should have been there, but I was scared! I... I didn’t want to see you guys again, I didn’t want to explain...” she sputtered out. Rarity nuzzled Twilight’s face and smiled.
“Twilight, I appreciate that. I’m glad that you could owe up to your fears, and admit that you were indulgent. Are you ready to go now?” Rarity said, tears streaming down her face. She lifted Twilight up with levitation and looked at her eyes.
“I-I’m ready...” Twilight hesitantly said, and wiped the tears from Rarity’s eyes. Twilight turned away from Rarity and ran full speed into the forest ahead, not caring where she was going, or where things led.