Fragment

by Heliostorm

Chapter 7: Ignition

Applejack awoke with a start.

She poked her head out from the tent she shared with the two other mares that had been kind enough to offer theirs, and couldn’t figure out why she had awoken so suddenly. The sky was still dark, although the eastern horizon was beginning to brighten. She looked around; there was nothing in the endless field of tents surrounding her that seemed wrong.

General Greenblade hadn’t wanted to set up a camp for the night at all. He had wanted to march all the way back to the safety of the Obsidian Caves before resting, but that was a two day’s march at gallop. There was no way the Manehattan army, tired from the battle at Solarium, could make it without rest. Thus the colonels had worn him down, pointing out that it was far safer to make camp while they were still in a green zone.

There had been parties. The officers had broke out their supplies of alcohol for the mares and stallions to celebrate their victory. While they had technically been defeated and were retreating, in reality they had dealt a staggering blow for a force their size, and had accomplished what they had set out to do. The Package had been secured; now they just had to get it back to Manehattan.

As a result, despite the fact that Solarium was surely gearing up for pursuit, there was a sense of peace over the camp. Nopony really expected there to be much trouble on the journey home. It would be at least a day before Solarium could muster up a proper pursuit force, so as long as the Manehattanites kept moving with the daylight, there was no way they could be caught.

Daylight. Greenblade had declared that the army would move out at first light. Applejack had dreaded that, knowing there would be no way she could get a good night’s rest with so little time. Yet here she was, feeling fully rested, and the sun was only beginning to rise...

There were shouts in the distance, followed by a flurry of noise. “Get up!” Applejack heard, “Get up! Move!”

And then it clicked. Applejack dived back into her tent, waking up the other two mares in the process, searching desperately through the piles of armor and clothing. One of the mares blinked sleepily at her. “What’re you looking for?” she mumbled.

Got it! Applejack pulled a pocket watch out from the pile and squinted, trying to make out the tiny hands of the clock in the darkness.

11:13.

Her blood froze. It was almost noon. It was almost noon, and the sun still hadn’t risen. In hindsight, it was obvious. It was the height of foolishness to trust daylight to awaken them when their enemies controlled the sun.

A series of distant explosions resounded outside, and Applejack felt the ground beneath her rumble. She rushed back out of the tent and looked towards the western horizon. There were shapes in the sky, silently emerging from the darkness like a swarm of dark ghosts.

“Airships!” somepony shouted far away, and the entirety of the camp heaved into motion. “Solarium airships!” What had been a peaceful field of tents moments before now erupted into a roiling mass of movement. “Get up, get moving, go go go!”

“C’mon girls, let’s skeedaddle!” Applejack shouted into the tent. She grabbed what few personal belongings she had and piled them into a saddlebag as her tent-mates desperately gathered their things. Drawing ever closer, the aerial armada fired a second barrage, and another wave of explosions burst forth. “Forget the tent, we gotta move!”

The sun burst forth from the horizon, showering the plain with golden light to better the aim of the Solarium gunners. The Manehattan army was scattering into the plaid-colored hills of the yellow zone, but this was no disorganized rout. Backup plans had been carefully laid for this situation, and now every squad was following its orders.

The two other mares nodded towards Applejack, who kicked the air with her front legs and neighed. Together, they disappeared into the wilderness of chaos.

It took several times longer than normal for Twilight to pass through security at the Harmony Project research complex. A fair bit of time was spent doing magic tricks to prove she wasn’t a changeling. Once inside though, she was not stopped again. In fact, in the chaotic mess of the facility, she was hardly noticed. Guards and scientists and worker ran around in every which way, surveying damage and tallying losses. The paths were filled with rubble and broken machinery while papers fluttered in the wind.

Inside the massive chamber underneath the Solar Engine was even worse. The facility was nothing short of a disaster area. The concrete floors were strewn with smashed pieces of delicate mechanisms that crunched as Twilight’s wheelchair rolled over them. Ridiculously expensive magical sensors and dozens of one-of-a-kind control devices that she had helped design herself were scattered everywhere, like a giant had rampaged through the area. Twilight’s stomach twisted with guilt as she remembered what she had done in her fury—the amount of damage she had done to her own project was incalculable.

Around her, a chaotic storm of ponies raged. It was not unlike the scene on which Shining Armor had first arrived, only this time Twilight was only a tiny creature hiding beneath the storm rather than dominating its center. There was untold amounts of work to be done, and hundreds of ponies that she did not recognize were focused on their own tasks. No one spared a moment for a small pony in a wheelchair.

Twilight shrank into her seat. Never had she felt so tiny in what she had long regarded as her own facility. She wasn’t used to being ignored here—it was her project, after all. The sheer alienness of what should have been a familiar environment drained her confidence, and every time she tried to stop one of the workers and ask what was going on, she found herself unable to speak.

“Dir- Twilight Sparkle!”

The chiming, feminine voice rang out from the lower levels. A small, sandstone-colored unicorn bounded up the stairs and stopped just before running into her, gasping for breath. “Twilight! You’re alive!”

Twilight smiled. The relief of finally finding a familiar face was a weight lifted off her chest. “Sharp Ink! It’s good to see you again!”

Sharp Ink opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a tall, brown mare behind her. “And it is good to see you as well,” the mare said.

Twilight bolted upright in her wheelchair. “G- General-Secretary!” She tried to act as official as possible, but she wasn’t sure what to say next. After a short pause she blurted out, “Thank you.”

Sharp Ink quickly slid out of the way. Blacknote was as expressionless as ever. “We weren’t sure if you had survived the attack. It is fortunate that you did, although I see you did not escape uninjured.”

Twilight nodded slowly. If only you knew. She wanted to tell Blacknote all about her role in the battle, about how she had struggled to get the shield engines back online when nopony else could, but she wasn’t sure if now was the appropriate time. But I might not get another chance...

“I presume you are here to inquire as to the state of the Harmony Project,” Blacknote continued, and Twilight deflated slightly as her chance to impress the General-Secretary vanished. “I am afraid the situation is most dire. Although data recorded during the activation was preserved, most of the equipment was not. The material damages alone are catastrophic.” Twilight looked down, her stomach churning with guilt, but Blacknote didn’t seem to notice. “Furthermore, several key researchers on the project were killed or captured by the enemy, and their talents are irreplaceable.” Blacknote coldly regarded Twilight through her glasses. “It would appear that you are now more valuable to us than ever.”

Twilight forced herself to look Blacknote in the eye. “What about the Element?”

Blacknote was silent for a moment. “I have just finished a strategic meeting with the ranking generals and the officer who led the defense of the city. Their conclusion was that the primary goal of the assault force was to serve as a distraction from the attack’s key target: the Harmony Project. A very similar strategy to the attack on Canterlot.” Twilight stirred; she hadn’t heard much about the attack on Canterlot. “We believe the Element and the core of the Harmony Device are being taken back to Manehattan through the Obsidian Caves. The Second Airfleet is in pursuit and engaged the enemy forces at 11:15 this morning.”

So that explains why the sun was late, Twilight thought. But the news that there was an armada of airships trying to get the Element back brightened her mood. “So there’s a chance we can get them back?”

“Perhaps.” Blacknote tilted her head. “Regardless, as it stands now the city of Solarium has invested enormous resources into this project and has nothing to show for it.” Twilight’s mood fell again, and a feeling of dread crept up in her chest. “The resources necessary to try again, even if the stolen parts are recaptured, are simply too great. Because of this, I have made the decision to revoke your position as Chief Director and shut down the Harmony Project.”

It took several seconds for Twilight to understand those words. The moment she did, the thin supports that had long held up her fragile ego dashed themselves to pieces. Something deep inside her shattered, and the fragments burst out. “What? No! You can’t! You can’t do this!”

“Twilight...”

“After all I’ve done, you can’t do this to me-”

“Twilight.”

“It worked, for goodness’ sake! It worked-”

“TWILIGHT!”

Twilight froze instantly. Even Sharp Ink gasped. The General-Secretary did not raise her voice, ever.

Blacknote’s face still hadn’t changed from that impassive expression, but there was a dark steel in the way she spoke. “This is not a punishment. It is not because of anything you have done that I have made this decision. The fact of the matter is that Solarium simply does not have the resources to maintain the project. We are at war now, and that must supersede all other priorities.”

Twilight was trembling in her wheelchair, her eyes cast down at the floor. When she spoke, her voice was quivering. “It- it’s not f- fair...”

“Life is not fair,” Blacknote answered coldly. “You are still young. You will come to learn this lesson in time as I have.” There was a short pause. “Do you understand why I made this decision?”

“Y- yes.”

Blacknote tilted her head downwards. “Are you crying, Twilight Sparkle?”

“N- no.”

Suddenly she felt the pressure of Blacknote’s hoof under her chin and lifting her head. Through her watery eyes, Twilight looked up to the General-Secretary, and not merely literally. Since she had met the mare she had idolized her as a role model: cold, calculating, efficient, and focused above all else. She was a leader who never let emotion or bias get in the way of her decisions, who always pursued her goals with ruthless effectiveness, the calm eye in the middle of every storm.

Blacknote’s voice did not change from its monotone, but there was something motherly softness in her words now that shocked Twilight. “For what it’s worth, the Supreme Commander still holds you in high regard.”

Twilight wiped away her tears. “The Supreme Commander’s never even met me.”

Blacknote dropped her hoof. “The Supreme Commander meets no one other than myself. Nor does she need to. What she cannot glean from her tower, she learns from me, and from the past ponies who have held my position. It is enough.”

Twilight understood the unspoken words. So if the Supreme Commander holds you in high regard, it is because I do. That thought buoyed her. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, pouring every bit of sincerity she had into those two words.

“It is alright.” There was no visible shift in Blacknote’s demeanor, but Twilight sensed that the conversation was now turning back to business. “Now. I have been informed that the experiment brought forth a pony very similar to yourself. Do you have any information on this pony?”

Twilight nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. “She’s, well, me. She’s me from an alternate reality. This... other world seems to be parallel to ours, but it has a different history. In her world, the Princesses never disappeared, and Discord was defeated by them before he could consolidate his rule.”

Blacknote pushed her glasses up onto her face. “Interesting.”

Really? Twilight thought as she cast a glance at Sharp Ink, who was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. Just ‘interesting?’ You’re going to believe that without any more explanation?

“Where is she now?” Blacknote asked.

“I left her at the Solarium library to learn about our world,” Twilight answered.

Blacknote did not answer, and Twilight became increasingly nervous. Maybe leaving her alone at the library wasn’t such a good decision after all. “Um,” she said, trying to explain herself, “she knows a lot about magic. Two hundred spells, she said.” At that, Sharp Ink’s eyes expanded into round, glassy orbs.

The General-Secretary’s eyes flickered upwards for a moment as she considered the new information and came to a course of action. “You will query her,” she declared. “Create a list of spells she knows that seem as though they would be useful to our endeavour.” Twilight knew that by that word she meant war. “Once complete, you will submit this list to me, and this pony will then teach these spells to a group of our own magi. Once the spells have been disseminated into a wider body, we will begin industrialization and weaponization.”

“Yes ma’am.” Twilight nodded, but she felt a drop of worry for her twin. “What’s going to happen to her after that?”

Blacknote’s eyes flickered upwards again. “I am uncertain. As you are a citizen of Canterlot and this pony is, as you say, you, it is probable that the Canterlot Magistrates will attempt to claim her. However, as she is the product of an experiment funded and directed by the city of Solarium, she is undeniably the property of the Solarium Armed Forces.”

Twilight blinked. “But... but she’s a pony,” she objected, waving a hoof. “Shouldn’t she make her own decisions?”

Blacknote stared at Twilight as though regarding a naive child. “If, as you say, she knows two hundred spells, she is a resource of incalculable value that we cannot fail to exploit. I need not remind you that the vast advantages in resources and population Manehattan and its allies enjoys over us cannot be overcome with our current capabilities.”

Twilight nodded again, sighing. “I understand.”

“Good. There is one more thing.” Twilight perked up attentively. “The Manehattan force that attacked Canterlot utilized a new vehicle. It is a machine that flies without the use of chambers for lighter-than-air gases. We believe that Manehattan has solved the mysteries of pegasus flight and can now create aircraft that fly using the same methods that pegasi do.” Blacknote paused before continuing. “Given your research into pegasus magic, we believe that you are uniquely suited to reverse-engineering this machine.”

Twilight smiled, a sense of new purpose surging through her veins. “I will do my best.”

“Excellent.” Blacknote looked down towards the bottom of the facility. “I must return to attending to the repair of this facility. Farewell.”

Twilight spun her wheelchair around, preparing to leave, but was stopped when Sharp Ink put her hoof on the armrest. Twilight looked at her. “What is it?”

Sharp Ink was unreadable. “Is that it? Was that all you wanted? All you cared about?”

Twilight furrowed her brows in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Brainwave. Gear Shift. Golden Stone. They’re dead, Twilight. Don’t you even care?”

Twilight was silent. True enough, she hadn’t even thought to ask about her colleagues who hadn’t managed to escape during the attack. But that was their fault, wasn’t it? She had escaped, after all, and if she hadn’t lost it and gone on the attack she wouldn’t have even needed help. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Did she feel guilty about not having even thought about the other victims of the Manehattan assault? Should she feel guilty?

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s none of my business,” she murmured, and proceeded back up the ramp, leaving Sharp Ink standing there, staring at the back of her head.

The Solarium prisoner-of-war camp consisted of a hundred tents in a parking lot that had been hastily ringed with barbed wire. Guards armed with spears and shock prods constantly patrolled the inside and the perimeter. Beyond them were the looming, rectangular shapes of Solarium’s industrial district. Occasionally, a few new prisoners arrived, and the unicorns would have their horns covered in golden lightstone blocks, while pegasi would have their wings bound.

The situation was meant to be temporary, and prisoners were being transferred out to other prisons all the time. Fluttershy had not yet been so fortunate. She was one of the few pegasi who had been captured, and almost all of the others were injured and unable to fly. As a result, she had been relentlessly mocked by the other POWs. To make things worse, one of the Solarium guards had let slip that she had been found trying to help one of the “enemy.” When that had happened, Fluttershy had been afraid things were going to get violent, but fortunately some of the guards seemed sympathetic to her plight and intervened.

Fluttershy found an isolated corner of the camp to curl up and try to think happy thoughts. Guards came by now and then to give quick jabs with the blunt ends of their spears into any mean-looking pony that got too close. She missed her home desperately, the image of her quaint little cloud cottage in Cloudsdale never leaving her mind. Living in Cloudsdale meant that she couldn’t interact with little critters as much as she wanted, but at least she had her birds...

“Psst. Hey, Fluttershy.”

The whisper came out of nowhere. Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open and her head flicked back and forth, alarmed. There was nopony anywhere near her. “W- who’s there?”

“It’s me, Twilight,” the voice whispered again. It seemed to be coming from right in front of her. “I’m invisible.”

“T- Twilight?” Fluttershy stood up, staring at where she thought the unicorn was. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to get you out of here. Is anypony looking?”

Fluttershy spun around to check. All the guards and the other prisoners seemed to be paying attention to their own business. “I don’t think so...”

“Alright, good. I’m going to cast the invisibility spell on you, ok? Ready?”

Fluttershy nodded. There was a sensation like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on top of her, and suddenly the world around her became pale and colorless. She looked around again, and found a purple unicorn where there had been nothing moments before, the only thing still with color in this gray new world.

“Good, it worked!” Twilight whispered again. “Now, we can’t teleport and stay invisible at the same time, so we’ll have to sneak out the front gate. Try not to bump into anyone, and don’t say anything until we’re clear.”

As luck would have it, another wave of POWs had just left, so the front gate was fairly empty. It was a simple task to avoid the guards and duck underneath the metal rod that barred the entry way. Once they were several blocks away from the camp, the two ponies ducked into an alley to drop the invisibility spell.

“Whew,” Twilight said, brushing sweat off her forehead. “That went a lot smoother than I expected.”

Fluttershy looked at the unicorn’s horn. “I didn’t know unicorns could go invisible.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m probably the only one in this world who can.”

Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. There were dozens of questions milling about in her head, so she picked on at random to ask. “Umm... how did you know where I was?”

“Shining Armor told me.” Fluttershy blinked confusedly. “He’s my br- er, he’s a friend.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence ensued. Twilight looked over to the ropes tying Fluttershy’s wings together. “Let’s get those off you, shall we?”

One knot-untying spell later, Fluttershy was stretching her wings with a smile. “Oh, thank you!” she said, hovering in the air. She wanted to give the unicorn a hug, but was too nervous to try. “Umm... which Twilight are you again. The nice one, or the...” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was implying. She didn’t actually want to call the other pony mean, but at the moment nothing else came to mind.

Twilight rubbed the back of her nervously. “Yeah, I know she’s not the nicest pony. But she’s got a good heart.”

Fluttershy regarded her carefully. “Well, umm...” What should she say to that? Her mind thought back to two nights ago. “Uh, how did you know my name when you first found me?”

Twilight sighed, her ears drooping as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She hummed and seemed to be murmur to herself for a bit before finally answering. “Alright. I came to this world from an alternate reality where Discord was defeated before he destroyed Equestria. And in that world, the two of us are really good friends.”

Fluttershy blinked several times before smiling bashfully. “Uh, well... that’s... interesting I guess?”

Twilight’s head dropped towards the ground. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“Well, umm...” Fluttershy took several seconds to think about what to say. “Well I don’t think you have any reason to lie.”

The purple unicorn sighed again, looking down at her feet. “I don’t blame you. It’s so ridiculous, I can barely believe it myself. I feel like this is all just a bad dream, and any moment now I’ll wake up back in my bed at the library.”

Fluttershy started to move towards her, then hesitated. Then she made up her mind and embraced the other pony in a tight hug. “I’m sorry, I do believe you. After what you just did for me, it’s not fair for me not to trust you completely.”

Twilight smiled weakly. “Thanks, Fluttershy.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “At least somepony hasn’t changed...”

The two ponies broke apart and locked eyes. “I really want to help her,” Twilight said. “The other me. She’s not acting this way because she’s that kind of pony. I think that, if I had been born here, that if I had lived her life, I’d be the same way. I don’t know what happened to her, but she’s hurting, deep down.” Twilight looked deeply into Fluttershy’s eyes. “I need to teach her the value of friendship. Fluttershy... you’re the kindest pony I know. Will you help me?”

Fluttershy hesitated, her mouth slightly open. We just met, and I barely know you, she thought. This unicorn claimed that in her world, they were the best of friends, and the way she was treating Fluttershy certainly seemed as though she knew the pegasus intimately. It was unsettling to be regarded as a close friend by a stranger, and yet, Fluttershy simply could not refuse this call for help.

She nodded. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but... I will do the best I can!”

Twilight smiled, the first true, genuine smile Fluttershy had seen on her face so far. “Thank you.” Her eyes looked towards the street outside the alley. “We need to get to the library. The other me will be expecting me there.”

The Solarium Second Airfleet was a massive armada of zeppelins, each decorated in the white, black and gold of the city’s flag. The airships ranged from tiny frigate analogs the size of a small house to massive skyscraper-sized flying battleships. Each one had compartmentalized helium cells and enchanted armor, and were bristling with cannons of varying sizes. The largest even had their own shield engines.

In the heart of the flagship, within a massive steel cage with huge rune cores spinning above and below, Oversight sat in a grand metal chair. His eyes were closed, and occasionally blue lightning arced between the mechanisms above him and his horn.

There was a reason why his rank was called “Battle Commander.” It was a unique rank, instituted only a few years ago, that existed outside of the traditional command structure. Battle Commanders had to possess an incredibly rare mixture of mental capacity, magical prowess, and tactical ingenuity. Oversight was one such pony. From this throne at the heart of a dominator engine, he was the lord of the battlefield.

Through his horn his mind was carried along on the great current of the engine’s psychic energies, sweeping out from the Solarium flagship and across the skies and earth below. Oversight’s mind carefully linked up with those of every single pony in the Second Airfleet, and through them he saw what they saw and felt what they felt, like tiny little recordings in the corners of his perception. More than that, he could also send them messages—tiny, mental pushes, little psychic suggestions in their minds.

Of course, no pony, no matter how extraordinary, could simply connect their mind to thousands and survive with their sanity intact. That was the second crucial role the dominator engine played: the gigantic amount of magic built up within the metal cage worked to correlate and assemble a complete picture, a massive mental map of the battlefield through the eyes of the combined Solarium forces. It was a discovery made by happenstance, a process no pony really understood. But as always, magic had a mind of its own.

The Manehattan army had scattered into a dozen groups running into the yellow zone, and pursuit was proving difficult. Oversight strained to stay in communication with the fleet as it dispersed, chasing down individual platoons as they strayed away. It was part of the Manehattan strategy. Only the group carrying the package truly mattered.

Oversight didn’t know what the package was, but that was irrelevant at the moment. What mattered was that there was no way to know which group had it.

Fortunately, there was an easy, albeit partial, solution to that. “Oversight!” Admiral Aerial Ace barked from outside the cage. “Send Task Force Zeta-C ahead to the Obsidian Caves! Have them land and deploy their armor to block off the entrance!”

Oversight nodded, and sent the mental pushes to the necessary airship captains. After all, it was clear that the Manehattan army was making for the Obsidian Caves, and there was only one entrance into that cave system that ran beneath the Chaos Mountains. Block it off, and it didn’t matter how many groups their army dispersed into.

Tentatively, Shining Armor walked into the lavishly-decorated office of General Chess Blitz. The white walls were decorated with golden spiral patterns and the floor was a luxurious green carpet. Even the wooden desk was carved with intricate runes detailing ancient spells. General Chess Blitz himself was seated behind that desk, hoofs clasped firmly on the surface, yellow eyes impassively boring holes into Shining Armor. In his prime the old, gray unicorn had been powerfully built, and it still showed on his aging build.

Shining Armor stood at attention, waiting for the general to speak.

“Have you recovered fully from your injuries, Captain?” Chess asked.

“I am fit for duty, sir,” Shining Armor answered swiftly. “Do you have a mission for me, sir?”

“I do.” Chess Blitz blinked slowly. “We have received intelligence that the Lord Magister’s aircraft crashed on the edges of Central Y-Z. The information has not been corroborated, but as time is of the essence and we have few other options, I am sending you to investigate the crash site, and, if possible, bring the Lord Magister back.”

A rush of energy surged through Shining Armor’s body. Was it possible? A chance to remedy his failure? “Will I be choosing my own squad for this, sir?”

“No.” Chess’s answer was curt. “Solarium has kindly offered a special airship for this mission that utilizes a new rune engine variant. Designed by your sister, no less.” Shining Armor stirred, but did not speak. “The airship should prove much faster than traditional designs, but it comes at the cost of only seating four passengers. Since the vessel belongs to Solarium, two of their Shock Troopers will be accompanying you, although you will be in command. The fourth will be the mercenary who gave us this intelligence.” Chess turned to a door to his right. “You can come in now, Crystalline.”

Shining Armor had seconds to wonder where he had heard that name before until the door opened and answered that question. Instinctively he leapt at the white mare and swung his hoof at her face. Crystalline froze in surprise for a moment, but recovered quickly and teleported across the room. Shining Armor spun back around to attack again and—

“Shining Armor!”

—nearly fell flat on his face when the general’s voice boomed at him.

The captain turned to Chess Blitz, his eyes wide. “Are you telling me that she’s the mercenary who told you that their aircraft crashed?” When the general nodded in affirmation, Shining Armor jabbed a hoof in the mare’s direction. “Do you know that she’s the one who kidnapped the Lord Magister in the first place?!”

“Naturally,” was Chess Blitz’s succinct response. His expression hadn’t changed since Shining Armor entered the room.

What. Shining Armor’s jaw dropped. “I... I...” He was utterly lost for words.

“Is this a problem, Captain?” Chess asked.

Shining Armor returned to his neutral stance. What the hay, are you KIDDING me? “Sir, how can you possibly trust her?”

Chess Blitz shook his head as though dealing with a rebellious teenager. “She’s a mercenary, Captain. She will be loyal to the highest bidder. And we have paid her a considerable sum.” His eyes glanced over to Crystalline, who smirked. “I am fully aware of why you are hesitant, Shining Armor, but you may have my personal assurances that she is trustworthy. Now, do you still accept this mission, Captain?”

Shining Armor breathed deeply, trying very hard to avoid shaking his head. “Yes,” he said, stealing an angry glance at Crystalline, a look that said, I don’t know how you got into the general’s good graces, but like hay I’m going to trust YOU with anyone else.

“Excellent.” Chess Blitz leaned back in his chair, letting out an imperceptible sigh of relief. “Report to dock B-32 in half an hour. Time is of the essence.” He waved a hoof. “Dismissed.”

Crystalline spun around and trotted out the door into the hallway. Shining Armor followed, fuming. There’s something fishy going here, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get to the bottom of this.

“Hey, Shiny!”

There was only one pony in the world who could get away with calling Shining Armor that. The commando turned around to see his second-in-command, Nightfall, rolling towards him in a wheelchair, waving happily with one of his three legs.

Shining Armor stared at the stump where the fourth should have been, mouth agape. It was a half-foot of flesh sticking out from Nightfall’s rear. “Nightfall... what happened to you?”

Nightfall sighed, grinning sheepishly. “Oh... I got cocky, that’s all. Got run over by a train, doctors had to amputate.” He chuckled at Shining Armor’s horrified expression. “Hey, it’s not so bad. Solarium’s got some fancy new artificial limbs, they tell me. Sure, I’ll have to wear a telekinesis engine with me everywhere I go, but I should be ship-shape for battle in a month of therapy or so.”

Shining Armor shook his head in awe. That Nightfall could lose a limb and act like he had lost a watch was testimony to the strength and cheer of his character. It was something that had made the two Royal Guards the best of friends. “C’mon,” Nightfall said, telekinetically wheeling himself forward, “time’s a-wasting.”

The two walked out into the main atrium of Canterlot’s military headquarters. Past the vaulted dome ceiling and sparkling marble floors, Shining Armor caught a glimpse of Crystalline in a far corner, chatting with some officer he didn’t recognize. Nightfall noticed his gaze and grinned. “So, you accepted General Blitz’s mission?”

Shining Armor looked down at his friend. “You knew?”

Nightfall nodded, chuckling. “Yeah. General Blitz called me in to ask how you would react. I told him that if you didn’t explode first, you’d be right on the ball.”

The commando snorted. “Great.” He glowered back over at Crystalline. “Well, what do you think?”

Nightfall carefully gauged Crystalline, rubbing his chin for several seconds before declaring, “Sober.” When Shining Armor looked down at Nightfall with a confused expression, the injured unicorn grinned. “You know, I have pretty high standards and stuff, so for most mares I’d need two or three beers first, but man, have you seen those legs? Definitely sober.”

Shining Armor burst out into laughter, earning a few odd looks from the other soldiers in the atrium. “Wow.” It took a few seconds for him to calm down enough to speak. “Are mares and beer all you ever think about?”

“No, sometimes I think about food too,” Nightfall answered, causing Shining Armor to descend into another wave of chuckles. Then Nightfall’s expression became serious. “But really, Shiney, you can’t worry about this kind of stuff. Orders are orders. You know what they say, start questioning the higher-ups and the whole system falls apart.” He elbowed his friend in the side. “We’re Royal Guards, right? The best of the best.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Right. The best of the best.” They hoofbumped. “Thanks a lot, Nightfall.”

“Don’t mention it.” Nightfall smiled. “Now get going, you’re short on time.”

Although chaos magic is, by definition, hard to predict and unintuitive in nature, there are nevertheless patterns that emerge when we observe the way that chaos magic develops in an area. These patterns have lead to the division of Equestria into four kinds of “zones,” regions categorized by the level of development of chaos magic within them.

Green zones are relatively pristine, and free of the effects of chaos magic. The populations of these areas are largely urban and live in relative peace and comfort.

Yellow zones are in the first stages of chaos infestation. Typically, the first symptoms include unusual weather patterns and erratic animal behavior. As the chaos magic develops, the ground often becomes covered in colorful plaid or checkerboard patterns, and mutations manifest in indigenous animals. Although life in yellow zones is hazardous, the majority of rural populations still live in yellow zones.

Red zones are in the mature stages of chaos infestation. They can be readily identified by their tortured landscapes, filled with deep chasms and rifts, and are subject to frequent and powerful earthquakes. The rain is often toxic if not outright deadly, and gravity behaves unusually. Furthermore, red zones are often inhabited by enormous monsters called Abominations, creatures that have been horrendously mutated by chaos magic.

Black zones are what is left after a chaos infestation passes. Located in the hearts of red zones, these regions are devoid of chaos activity. Expeditions report an unearthly stillness, and describe the air as filled with “deafening silence.” The landscape is completely unfamiliar, and the sun and moon are not visible in the sky. Occasionally, ruins can be found that correlate to no known structures that ever existed. Black zones are like the surface of an alien world.