//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: How it Escalates 
// Story: Lunaverse X Shadowrun: First Run 
// by thatguyvex 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2: How it Escalates


Trixie did not like nature. In her mind if ponies were actually meant to live together with things like plant life and deal with non-manufactured weather then why would they have constructed the Metroplexes? Give Trixie nice artificial weather that didn’t involve freezing cold rain and an environment that wasn’t out to kill her, or at the very least mess up her perfectly groomed mane with countless snatching branches and offending twigs and she’d be a happy pony.

Right now Trixie was not a happy pony. 

“Will you shut it already?” said the chromed up walking weapons arsenal known as Raindrops, gruff voice even harsher with barely restrained anger, “I swear, if I hear you groan or whinge one more time about some drek getting in your mane I will trim the damned thing off.”

As if to emphasise her point the mare lifted one metallic hoof and a slim blade with a wave pattern extended with a barely audible but still quite intimidating *schck* sound. Trixie gulped, staring wide eyed at the mare.

“Rains, ease off girl,” said Carrot Top, “We’re all a little moody. Don’t think any of us except you enjoy the wild outdoors.”

The ‘team’, as it were, was tromping through the thick underbrush of the Everfree wilderness, having had to leave the Carrotmobile a few miles back at the end of the rough trail that driving up had nearly rattled Trixie’s teeth out. The rest of the way to the compound was going to be on hoof, and Trixie had not been enjoying a second of it. 

The head of the team was taken by Lyra, the mint unicorn moving through the dense foliage with the ease of water trickling off a leaf. She had traded in her gray jacket for a darker midnight blue full body suit that Trixie was fairly certain was armored, and slung across her back was a matte black case so large that Trixie could only guess at what it contained. Lyra had left her mirrorshades behind, her gold eyes now scanning the murky forest ahead with narrowed, keen glances. Behind her was Cheerilee, wearing a stylish short cut black vest with a single holster for what Trixie noticed was a Appleosian Red Skorpion machine pistol. Ditzy was walking next to Cheerilee, not wearing any armor or clothing at all beside a simple holster for her own weapon, not a firearm but a four-prong taser that Trixie saw some of the high style nightclub bouncers carry. The gray pegasus had a happy bounce to her steps as she quietly chatted with Cheerilee, Trixie unable to make out the words.

Next in the line was Carrot Top, who was wearing a thick beige jacket with numerous bulky saddlebags hanging off it that clinked and clanked slightly as the yellow earth pony tromped heavily, breaking past branches that Trixie otherwise tried to avoid. Carrot Top had a thick, blocky and short barreled weapon slung across her chest; a auto-shotgun of some sort, but Trixie couldn’t tell what model. 

Then there was the walking weapons locker that was Raindrops. That pegasus was right behind Trixie, bringing up the rear of their collum. Trixie found Raindrops complaints about her noise doubly annoying because Raindrops made at least as much noise through the sheer amount of weapons strapped to her own flanks. A bandolier of grenades clinked alongside a double holster containing large, intimidating revolvers that Trixie was fairly certain were illegally high caliber... but those were nothing compared to the monster of a machine gun perched on her back; something Trixie was pretty sure was meant to be mounted on an APC rather than carried by one pegasus mare. 

Trixie herself still had her Street Colt 20, but it had been joined by a heavier autoloader that Lyra had insisted she take; a Timberwolf IV. Trixie had zero intention of using the bulky pistol but Lyra had explained that the Colt 20 would, at best, irritate a fully armored guard and that if things went south the team would need every gun it could get. Trixie was also, much to her chagrin, forced to leave behind her cape and hat. Not suitable to stealth, though she’d tried to explain that if she was going to be using Invisibility spells what did it matter? Apparently it did, because Lyra hadn’t taken no for an answer and now Trixie was wearing a snug black body suit that was basically light kevlar without sacrificing any flexibility. 

She was nervous, she couldn’t deny that, and getting more nervous with each step closer to their destination. Twenty five thousand bits was sounding less and less as substantial a sum as she first thought. She was a private investigator, not a wilderness scout! And why did she need such a big gun!? There wasn’t supposed to be any shooting going on, at least none where she was involved! 

Raindrops had gone sullenly quiet, her tail giving a single hard flick. Trixie gulped, not daring to look back but feeling the pegasus mare's eyes on the back of her head like a smartgun targeting reticle. In fact it was likily Raindrops did have a smartgun system built into her. Or a rocket launcher. Or a rocket launcher with a smartgun system. 

Trixie blinked as an icon popped into view in front of her, a tiny winged letter with a muffin stamp on it. Her AR glasses had long since stopped picking up anything from the Canterlot Metroplex's Marix grid so this had to be one of her new team looking to chat. The icon was marked a private, so nopony else but her and the one who sent it would be able to see it. With a pensive shrug Trixie touched the icon with her horn. The envelope flapped open and a tiny cartoon muffin with big golden walled eyes hopped out, smiling brightly as it held up a letter, it's words scrawled in a bubbly large script.

~Don't worry Trixie! Only reason Rainy is giving you such a hard time is because she's worried about everypony, you included. She'll ease up once she's gotten used to you. Oh, do you have any foals!? I do! Want to see her?~

Before Trixie could respond a whole invading army of image icons spammed their way into her view; all holopics of what appeared to be a unicorn filly with a light lavender coat and a mane the same color as the team’s hacker... Ditzy Doo was the name, as Trixie recalled. Well, that explained who this message was from. Trixie stared at the holopics in her AR hud for a moment. The filly was certainly adorable. Trixie considered herself relatively good with foals, despite her lack of experience with them, but she had no intention of ever having any of her own. After all to have foals she’d have to... do... that...

Seeing the hacker mare glancing back at Trixie with an expectant grin on her face, one golden eye haphazardly sliding up to look at the forest canopy while the other looked right at Trixie, Trixie gulped and put on what she hoped was a winning smile. She brought up a AR keypad and with a few flicks of her horns magic typed out a return message.

~She’s a very cute filly. You must be quite proud of her.~

Ditzy nodded enthusiastically. A return message quickly popped up and Trixie noted she didn’t see Ditzy make any gestures on any kind of AR keypad of her own, so Trixie could only surmise that Ditzy had an internal software chip that allowed her to operate her comlink through just her thoughts. Trixie had... no interest in getting that intimate with cyberware, no matter how nice the perks. 

~I am! She’s such a good foal, and works hard. It’s just, Ditzy’s expression drooped, her muzzle pointing down, her ears flattening, and even Trixie’s hardened investigator heart broke a little at the bubbly mare looking so down, she’s have a hard time with her magical studies, and I just can’t afford a tutor for her. Lyra’s always too busy with her ‘perfectly legal side business’ that I can’t ask her to help either. I was wondering if you knew anypony you could recommend who's a good teacher, but might be willing to tutor on the cheap.~

Trixie frowned.

~What makes you think I would know anypony like that?~

~You went to Canterlot Academy of Magical Arts, graduated 4th in your class, with honors, and were head of the Young and Promising Unicorn’s Awards program. You must know a lot of good teachers, or even TA’s and fellow students who might be looking for a little part-time tutor work I figure.~

~Wait, did Lyra tell you all that?~

~No, I looked up your records myself!~

~When?~

~Before we left the safe house. The Academy has really weak IC on its system and its security spiders are asleep at the wheel. I’m kinda surprised, your records are kinda weird.~

~I can’t believe you hacked into the Academy system casually like that! Do you know how much trouble you could...wait, what about my records?~

~Huh? Nothing, really. Just, well, there were signs of data editing on several of your grade files, as well as a few odd links to outside data files that, when I looked at them, were encrypted. Nothing I couldn’t have broken through, but I didn’t have a reason to dig that deep... just thought it odd. Student files usually don’t have signs of doctoring of that professional a level, and why encrypt anything associated with them to begin with? Most that information is available to the staff and students upon request. You don’t encrypt files like that. Anywho, no biggie if you don’t know anypony, just figured I might ask is all! Dinky’s been feeling frustrated with her magic and I can’t help her, being a pegasus and all.~

Trixie found herself speechless, or, well, textless for a few moments. Her files were doctored? As in altered? How? She shoved the thought aside and hastily replied.

~I, uh, don’t know anypony per se, but let’s see how our own professional relationship developes. Perhaps, assuming all goes well, we can make an arrangement. I’m quite the skilled mage if I don’t say so myself. Also for future thought, when we’re not walking into imminent danger, I’d like to know more about my student files.~

~Hey no problem! But if you’re going to tutor my muffin I ought to let you know-

Ditzy glanced back at Trixie and Trixie was treated to what was both the most friendly and yet most chilling smile that had ever been directed at her.
-don’t ever make my muffin cry, ‘kay?~

Trixie didn’t respond except to nod with wide eyes. Ditzy’s smile widened and lost the creepy chill-factor as the pegasus trotted on with more a bounce in her step. Trixie didn’t know what to make of that but heard Carrot Top pull up next to her.

“Made a friend?” the earth pony asked, giving Trixie a knowing wink.

“I think so? She, uh, really likes her foal.”

“Ditzy’s a momma bear to the extreme,” Carrot Top said, nodding, “So, you work as a detective, huh? How’s that business? Dated a stallion who worked that field; guy never seemed to have steady work. Er, not that I’m saying you don’t. Just curious.”

Trixie frowned, but quickly schooled her face to a smile, though it was a strained one. Carrot Top couldn’t have known she was poking the proverbial wound. No reason to be irritated at her. 

“Its a very... fluid field. Dynamic! You never know what kind of case will come your way,” or when it will come your way, “and it makes for a stimulating work environment, “ when you happen to have work and aren’t passed out on your desk, “I find it quite fulfilling.” 

Fulfilling, for everything except her bank account. 

“Doesn’t sound so different from running the shadows, only probably not so well paid,” Carrot Top said with a thoughtful expression, “Or as much chance of getting shot at. That why you decided to go into detective work, the excitement?”

“Not exactly,” Trixie said, smile slipping somewhat, “It’s kind of a stepping stone to something grander. You’re familiar with M.A.S.T of course. Who isn’t? Its the most prestigious and well connected Megacorp in Equestria. Well, I’m interested in getting to the top of that particular corp ladder.”

Carrot Top tilted her head, eyes blank. Behind Trixie, Raindrops scoffed.

“Corp wannabe. Figures.”

Trixie ignored the cybered up pegasus and kept her eyes on Carrot Top, “You look confused?”

“Well, just don’t figure how being a private detective is a ‘stepping stone’ towards getting to the top of Moonrise Arcane Science Technologies. You’ll have to explain that one to me.”

“Its quite simple,” said Trixie, mood improving as she got on a roll to explaining her ‘master plan’, “I researched what jobs receive the fastest promotion tracks in most Megacorps, and it just happens to be the security branches. However there’s no internship or simple entry level job in such a branch that isn’t grunt work; very unsuitable to a mare of my talents. However, security mages are higher on the proverbial totem pole, and if one happens to already have a background in a similar field to security it’s that much easier to get one’s hoof in the door! So once I graduated from college I started up my private investigator’s business to get that very experience! I figured after a year or two of successful cases solved I’d have quite the resume to put into M.A.S.T; then it’d be the fast track to the top for the Affluent and Talented Trixie!”

“Great,” said Raindrops, “So not only are you a wash-out detective, but you’re delusional too?” 

Trixie halted, taking in a sharp breath and turning around to face the pegasus, “Okay, that’s it. What is your problem with me?”

Everypony stopped as Trixie and Raindrops faced off, the jasimine pegasus regarding Trixie with eyes going sharp and hard as a knife edge. Trixie resisted the urge to lick her now very dry lips as she felt her legs want to start shaking. Still, she was quite tired of this mare’s nettling and this needed sorting out before they actually got into a dangerous situation that required her to rely on this pegasus.

“My problem with you?” Raindrops asked, face still, too still. In Trixie’s experience anypony whose expression when that stoney was trying far too hard to hide their emotions, “I don’t have a problem with you. I have a problem with you being here, now, on this run. Anywhere else, wouldn’t give a jack about you. Right now, though, you’re a botch waiting to happen. A botch that could get any of my friends fragged.”

“Raindrops, we got a problem over there?” asked Lyra as she came around from the front of the group and looked between Raindrops, “You got something you want to run by me?”

Raindrops looked at Lyra and Trixie would see the hesitation flicker across her eyes. The cybered up street samurai pegasus with the anti-vehicle machine gun on her back... was hesitating at Lyra just asking a question. 

“Lyra, she’s... this mare is trouble, I can feel it in my chrome,” Raindrops said, tilting her chin up a bit, straightening her posture, wings flaring up halfway, “We should get another mage. One who’s been on a few runs. Amethyst-”

“Is trying to get out of the biz and go legit,” said Ditzy, and hung her head, “And she wouldn’t want to do a run with me on it anyway.”

Raindrops frowned, “Well, what about that one we used for the job in the Hoofington Barrens?”

“Rarity? I thought you hated working with her?” said Carrot Top with a quizzical raise of her eyebrow and a off hoof gesture.

“I...wasn’t fond of her. But she was competent, and kept her cool under fire. I at least know I can trust my back to her and not get shot, which is more than I can say for this mare here!”

“‘This mare here’ has a name,” said Trixie firmly, “Trixie. Say it with me now.”

Raindrops lips tightened and a low growl issued from her throat, “Don’t push me horn waggler, I could break-”

“What?” Lyra said and was suddenly, in a flash faster than Trixie thought anypony could move without cybernetic arguments, right in Raindrops face, “What could you break?”

Raindrops didn’t back away, but her eyes were slightly wide at Lyra being nose to nose with her, “...Nothing.”

Lyra eased off a step, and Trixie was amazed at how relaxed the mint colored unicorn looked despite what had just happened, “Good, then we’re all chill. Trixie is here because I trust her, and that means you should give her the benefit of the doubt and lay off the hard talk. Give her a chance, she may surprise you.”

“Fine,” said Raindrops with a soft, barely audible huff. The rest of the team got back into formation and resumed the trek through the woods, Trixie not sure what to make of what just happened. Not that she was complaining, but why did Lyra trust her so much, and want to stand up for her like that? 

The question bounced around in Trixie’s mind for a minute or two but was soon replaced by being irritated with the horrible dense foliage of the Everfree and the growing worry that something might leap from the shadowy confines of the underbrush. It was no secret that Everfree was a untamable wilderness, and rumors of all manner of creatures both deadly and magical making this place their home was common among the bars Trixie tended to frequent. Trixie half expected the only reason a ferocious manticore or pack of ravenous Timberwolves didn’t attack the party was because there was easier prey in this forest than six heavily armed ponies.

After another hour of silent trudging and jumping at shadows (Trixie doing most of the jumping) the team arrived on a ridgeline. The ridge had thick trees lining it all the way to the lip, where the forest just seemed to... fall away to a field of suspiciously even and tall grass. Trixie recognized a manufactured field when she saw one, the uniform grass flowing out in a green sea for a hundred yards in all directions surrounding the Aurora Heavy Industries compound. 

Trixie noticed that the facility was exactly as it had appeared in Lyra’s data chip schematics. A single plain dirt road led in a gentle, snaking curve through the tall grass and into the forest, connected to the facility at a large security gate built into the thick concrete wall that surrounded the entire compound. The huge three story L-shaped building that was supposedly the main research lab and administration building was mostly covered in tinted black windows that didn’t show whether or not there were any lights on inside. Luna’s moon hung in a sharp crescent in the sky amid a beautiful field of stars, stars that Trixie hadn’t seen in some time with this level of clarity. The Canterlot Metroplex tended to produce a lot of light pollution.  

“Enjoying the view?” asked the magenta earth pony, Cheerilee, who had sauntered up next to Trixie while Carrot Top and Ditzy went about setting up some kind of tiny command post. The pair had started pulling out equipment, including a small antenna array, and a trio of matte black cases that when Carrot Top opened them Trixie could see contained metallic discs.

“Go my children,” Carrot Top said with a small giggle as she sat by the cases and closed her eyes. The three metal discs extended small magic-tek ventral ports and floated up into the air, lenses flipping up from the top of their heads like tiny bug-like eyes. Drones of some sort, and apparently under the rigger mare’s direction the drones sped off, one along the treeline in either direction, and the third up to the top of the tree-line.

“I...uh, I suppose?” Trixie said in answer to Cheerilee’s question, “It’s just been some time since I’ve seen such a clear night sky.”

Cheerilee’s smile was oddly infectious, “You’ll get to see all kind of things if you stick with us.”

“Sorry, but I’m not planning on making myself into a career criminal,” Trixie said with a soft snort, then realized who she was talking to and hastily added, “Not that its not a valid choice for some.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t snap your head off like Raindrops. This isn’t the lifestyle for everypony,” Cheerilee said with an easy laugh that Trixie found both relaxing and somewhat irritating. This mare seemed far too easy going for her chosen profession. Trixie thought it had to be some kind of facade, since Cheerilee had said she was the group’s ‘facilitator’, which meant she had to be able to seem friendly and outgoing, to put those she negotiated with at ease. 

“Okay girls, its time,” said Lyra, coming up to the middle of the group. She had the long black case off her back, floating in a soft gold aura of magic as she set it down and opened it up. Parts floated out, dark gray and sleek, and with smooth fluid motions assembled into a scoped sniper rifle that Trixie imagined you could use to hunt dragons, if you were feeling extreme. Lyra, apparently, felt very extreme. The sniper rifle had two barrels, one smaller than the other, and the scope had a large holoscreen that Trixie recognized had a arcane matrix meant to interface with a unicorn’s horn. Her own AR glasses used a similar magi-tech device to interface with her own horn. Much cleaner and simpler than having the necessary chips installed if you were a pegasus or earth pony. 

“Ditzy, you get to work on the security side. Get in, get hidden, be ready to play Tartarus with their system when we need it,” Lyra said and Ditzy saluted with a grin, her lazy eye pointed at the ground.

“Can do boss mare! I’ll be snug as a bug inside their main cpu node before you know it!”

“Good. Carrot Top, you already on surveillance?” 

“My little sprites are snooping about as we speak,” said Carrot Top, eyes staring off into space, not seeing the area around her but rather looking through the mechanical eyes of her drones, “Also, Rabbit Buster is on his way, in case we need the backup.”

“Here’s hoping we don’t need it. Raindrops, Cheerilee, you two good?”

“Eager as a beaver Lyra,” said Cheerilee, her eyes looking over the distant compound through a small imaging device she’d suddenly fitted around her right eye, like a glass monocle, “I’m already seeing a wiz little route we can take and have a spot on the wall picked out for us. Once we’re over, I’ll find us a good access point.”

“I’m set,” said Raindrops levelly, “When things get dicey, I’ll make sure they don’t stay that way for more than few seconds.”

“Right then, that leaves you Trixie. Before we move in, we need their arcane security located and neutralized. You ready?”

Trixie blinked, now that everypony’s attention was on her. She straightened her shoulders and raised her head, suppressing the butterflies in her stomach. This was her moment to shine, and she fully intended to rise to the occasion, “Of course I am. First, let me just take a look at the place on the astral plane. Won’t take but a moment.”

She approached the edge of the ridge line as the others looked on and focused her eyes upon the A.H.I facility. Trixie took in one, long, slow breath, held it, then let it out. It never stopped feeling off, using magic without her horn. In a way she wondered if her unicorn magic felt jealous whenever she tapped into the magic of the astral plane. It was a different experience, to be sure, not the focus on the wellspring of magic in her horn, but rather like calming her mind and touching a space at the pit of her chest that...resonated with the rest of the world. 

Like flicking on a light switch she opened her eyes and looked upon the astral plane. It was a mirror of the physical world, all living things casting brilliant reflections into a realm of shifting colors, mostly numerous shades of blue, violet, and white. The forest was a glowing, radiant sea of shifting light, the forms of trees blending together into a solid wall of life. That was good, because it meant as long as she and the others were inside the tree line any mages or spirits guarding the facility wouldn’t be able to pick them out from among the glare of life energy from the forest. 

Trixie immediately noticed that the tall grass was a different matter. It wasn’t glowing brightly at all, in fact it was a deep, dark cobalt blue. Trixie guessed it was bred to put off such an aura. Anyone approaching the facility through that field would be easy to pick out; their life aura glowing brightly against a near black backdrop. Which meant somepony was guarding this place from the astral plane, otherwise such a defense would be pointless. 

She looked over the facility with her astral eyes, features creasing into a frown as she noticed the concrete walls were alight with the opaque white energy of a very sizable ward net. It wouldn’t affect physically crossing the wall, but any astral form trying to pass would get caught in the net; it extended over the facility like a thin dome. Trixie couldn’t be sure from this range, but she thought the ward was weak at the apex. If she needed to she could probably push through, not that she had any reason to. Going through would alert whoever was protecting the place... speaking of which, where could this pony be?

If there was a mage on site they’d want to be somewhere they could easily observe their surroundings. With a frustrated sigh Trixie let her eyes slip back into the physical world and looked over at Lyra, who was giving her an expectant look of her own.

“The area has a ward over it. It won’t impede your progress but it may well trigger an alarm. I’ll have to get closer to it to see if I might be able to open a hole you could get through. As for the mage they have guarding the area, I’ll have to take a closer peek to spot them.”

“Well, that’s what we brought you here for. Can you do it?” asked Lyra.

“I should be able to. Yes, yes I can. This might take a little while though, and my body will be...immobile while I’m doing it,” Trixie said, with a sour look, “Just keep an eye on me while I’m out, and don’t jostle me or anything! Or draw anything on my face!”

Cheerilee hastily put away a pen she’d taken out of a breast pocket and smiled innocently, “What?”

Lyra coughed and said, “I think we can restrain ourselves while you’re projecting, Trixie. Just don’t take too long. Oh, and be careful.”

Trixie quirked her head slightly at Lyra’s rather sincere tone, but didn’t question it. Instead she settled down on her barrel, tucking her legs comfortably underneath her on the wet, cool grass. Slowly she terminated extraneous thoughts from her mind and felt the pulse of the world around her, the astral plane’s ever present tug at her essence. Trixie let herself slip away from her body like somepony might slip out of a cloak, and when she opened her eyes it was not the eyes of her physical body but that of her astral form. 

Trixie took a calming breath, despite the fact that her ‘body’ now required no air. It was just a way to relax herself, find her center. She didn’t particularly like astral projection. It,quite frankly, weirded her out. She could see her own body sitting right where she left it, looking for all the world like she’d tucked down for a nap. The other ponies on Lyra’s team were either watching her, or starting to resume watch on the facility. Lyra herself was actually looking at Trixie’s astral form, and Trixie heard the mint unicorn chuckle under her breath.

“A tad over the top, isn’t it Trixie?” she asked, and Trixie had to take a second to realize what Lyra meant.

When a pony, or a mage of any species for that matter, projected their essence onto the astral plane their astral form could take on... many shapes. For some, like the shamanistic practitioners of Zebra or Minotaur tribal traditions it was often a form revolving around their mentor spirit’s image. For others, like the persona’s of the hackers in cyberspace, they crafted their astral form intentionally along specific tastes. For many, they simply took on a form that was the idealized expression of their own ego.

In Trixie’s case she looked very much like herself; if every aspect of her was emphasized for radiance and power. She was taller in this form, with a more pronounced horn. Her mane was silver starlight dancing in as if in a soft breeze, and of course she was wearing highly stylized versions of her traditional magician’s hat and cape; with far more embroidery than what was on the real objects. 

“I don’t think its that over the top at all,” Trixie said defensively, assuming Lyra was projecting her senses into the astral plane and could hear her metaphysical voice.

Lyra confirmed that by nodding, “Yeah, I suppose. At least you didn’t give yourself wings. Was half expecting that.”

“Please, even I’m not going to masquerade as an alicorn...although...” Trixie thought about it a moment, letting a pair of metaphysical wings sprouted from her astral form. She gave them a few experimental flaps, then shrugged and let them dissipate, “Nah, they get in the way of my magnificent cape.”

“Boss, its kind of freaky hearing you chatting it up with thin air,” pointed out Carrot Top.

“Why? We chat over our links all the time” said Ditzy, whose walled eyes were staring off into nothing, her senses and mind almost as disconnected from her body as Trixie’s. Trixie didn’t know much about how hacker’s operated, but if Ditzy was still physically talking she hadn’t gone into a full VR dive, but was still remotely working through the AR systems of her comlink. 

“Yeah, but that’s normal,” said Carrot Top, waving a hoof around above Trixie’s body, “This is somepony taking their soul for a drive while leaving their body behind like a hat. Its kind of wiz, but at the same time, pretty glitched if you think about it. What if something happens to her body while she’s gone? Or what if she gets her soul injured? How’s that work? Least if one of my babies get’s popped by a missile I got buffers to protect my brainpan from frying, and you can jack out of the Matrix if worse comes to worse. This mojo stuff seems way more dangerous than normal unicorn magic,”

“It is, and even sixty years post Awakening we’re still learning the rules of the new magic,” said Lyra solemnly, and Trixie saw the mare’s gold eyes glisten and flick towards the ground for a moment, “Ponies have gotten burned bad trying to learn them, but we make do. Now, Trixie, you got a job to do. We’ll sit tight until you find that facility’s guard mage. Anything goes wrong though, you get your glowing spectral flank back to your body, chummer. No stupid risks.”

“Right, smart risks only,” Trixie said with a cheeky smirk, though immediately regretted it as Lyra moved forward and put a hoof on her. On her astral form! Trixie gulped, feeling the power, the mana running through Lyra’s arm as it touched her chest with a light prod. That would’ve only been possible for an Awakened, and the ease of which Lyra moved, her speed, it clicked in Trixie’s head what Lyra was. A physical adept. Like some Awakened turned their magic externally towards spells, while others focused it internally, enhancing their physical abilities in ways that rivaled any amount of cyberware. 

Lyra’s eyes bored into Trixie, fixing her like a pair of gold spears. Lyra’s voice carried no anger, indeed it was smooth and cool as a winter sky.

“Don’t slot around Trixie. You only got the one life.”

“O-Okay, okay! I’m going. I’ll be careful,” Trixie said, hastily floating up and away from Lyra, feeling a tremble through her astral form. Lyra kept watching her until Trixie got to the top of the treeline. Movement in astral space was as easy as thinking, and much faster than physical movement. Trixie had herself situated at the top of the trees in moments, and once there was quick to weave a spell to mask her astral presence. It was a simple modification of a physical camouflage spell. It didn’t remove her astral glow, just made it blend in with the ambient tinge of the astral plane around her. Unless the security mage was right on top of her with a sensory spell she’d be pretty much invisible to him or her. Of course that wouldn’t help her get past the ward, just approach it. 

Once her nerves had settled Trixie flew out towards the facility, reaching the apex of the glowing opaque ward dome in seconds. Up close she could see she was right, the top of the dome had a few weak strands in the weave of the ward that a savvy mage could snag and pull apart, leaving an opening to get past the ward. She didn’t go for it. It was an obvious trap. Trixie almost snorted at how simple a lure it was. Did this other mage really expect anypony to fall for this?

Trixie quickly did a circuit around the ward, looking for any actual weaknesses she might exploit, all while keeping an ample eye out for the other mage. On her second sweep around the dome she was starting to get frustrated. She could accept that the ward was just well made enough that there weren’t any openings except for the obvious ‘It’s a trap!’ at the apex. What she was started to fume over was the complete lack of any sign of a mage on site. There had to be one around somewhere! If they were inside the building they wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on their ward! Mundane materials like steel and stone would block astral perception, and unless they had servant... spirits... to...

Trixie facehoofed. Hard. 

Of course, why would a mage spend time doing something they could bargain a spirit into doing for them? If Trixie wasn’t horrible at summoning and bargaining with spirits herself she’d have had a cadre of her own to run favors for her. If the mage had a spirit or two watching the ward for them they wouldn't have to expose themselves. Now then, what kind of spirits might she be dealing with and where were they? The easiest kind of spirit for a job like overwatch would be an air spirit. Which could be anywhere. They were air. 

Trixie hadn't sensed presences like that, but then she’d be so focused on the ward she hadn’t been really trying to spot spirits either. Well, easy to shift focus. She floated back up towards the apex of the dome, holding the camouflage spell around herself tightly, as she refocused her senses to try and pick up any traces of faint astral forms in the air. An air spirit could be pretty shifty, almost at good at blending in as she was.

Narrowing her astral eyes she huffed, getting frustrated when she didn’t immediately- wait, what was that? She saw a wisp of astral energy wafting around the apex of the ward dome, for just a second. She smiled. Gotcha. It was probably watching the trap portion of the ward, waiting for some poor foal to try going through that way. Trixie slowly floated towards the spot where she saw the wispy strands of astral air energy, like breath misting in cold air. 

Trixie considered. She could report back to the team what she found, but what good would that do? Its not like shooting an air spirit would do much to it. Lyra would be able to damage it with her physical adept magic, but kind of hard to punch something that can fly. No, this was clearly a job for the incredible, hard-bitten detective mare herself! Never mind that she’d gotten among the lowest marks in her class not only in spell combat but also in astral combat, but it was just one air spirit. How hard could taking it out be? 

Trixie raised a still camouflaged hoof and began to weave a pattern. She’d found it so strange in her studies, that most magecraft required physical gestures and even words and writings of power to focus the mana. So different from the innate magic in her horn. In fact among the worst things about astral projection was that all of her power resided soely in her skill in manipulating mana. Separated from her physical body, she literally had no horn to draw on her unicorn magic.

. As she finished the gestures with her hoof she felt the mana from the astral plane coalesces at the edge of her fetlock. The air spirit must have noticed the gathering of mana as well because it began to solidify into a boiling, tiny cloud of fog and surge towards her.

“Oh no, Trixie won’t be letting you get close!” she said as she made a final sharp gesture with her hoof while at the same time floating backwards. A shimmering, iridescent orb of mana flung from her hoof, directed as much by her will as it was by her flinging gesture. 

The orb smacked into the air spirit in a burst of scintillating blue hues and Trixie heard a hollow shrieking howl that made her wince. The air spirit wasn’t happy with her, and worse, her mana ball had only slowed it down just a shave. Trixie wasn’t fast enough to evade as the spirit as it enveloped her, becoming a swirling tornado of slashing wind. While the wind likely had a presence in the physical world as well, the more immediate effect on the astral plane was that the wind was cutting into any astral form it touched; mainly Trixie’s.

She screamed in pain and hastily forced herself out of the air spirit’s embrace, focusing all her efforts on maintaining her camouflage. The only reason the air spirit knew where to attack the first time was because she’d given away her position with the mana ball, but now that she was flying straight up in a zig-zagging pattern. Pain wrapped around her and penetrated her to her core. It was similar to pain in a real body, but somehow so much worse because it was representing wounds to her very essence. 

A quick glance behind her showed her the air spirit was in pursuit. She doubted it knew exactly where she was, as it wasn’t bee lining for her, but it seemed to have a sense of her general direction. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to lose it easily, Trixie did the only thing she could. She turned around and prepared to make a fight of it.

Or at least a fight in the Trixie style. 

The air spirit surged upward when it saw Trixie appear before it, another mana ball in hoof. Confident it could evade another attack and finish off this troublesome opponent the air spirit went right for Trixie. It flowed around the tossed mana ball with sickening speed and once more enveloped Trixie, slashing at her with astrally charged blades of air. However it quickly noticed something was wrong. This particular air spirit considered itself fairly cosmopolitan, as spirits went, and in its experiences... unicorn’s weren't supposed to be laughing as their astral bodies were torn to shreds.

When the Trixie inside the air spirit vanished in a puff of blue astral smoke, the air spirit had a second to realize its error before the real Trixie launched her equally real mana ball right into the spirit’s form. Trixie had been intending to follow up with a second mana ball right after the first, but she must have struck some sort of sweet spot in the air spirit, because the air spirit dissipated a moment later.

Trixie remained camouflaged for a moment, collecting herself and doing the astral equivalent of blinking in surprise. Then she grinned and pumped her hoof, “As if there was ever any doubt...ow...”

With the guarding spirit out of the way she could take her time opening a hole in the ward so she and the team could pass through. There was still the matter of the air spirit’s master, but if they were inside the building, chances were they were being lax and assuming their spirit had things well in hoof. They wouldn't notice the spirit being gone immediately, unless they did regular checks...which Trixie realized they might, so she had to hurry and get back.

Returning to her body was as easy as thinking it, her form snapping back to her body. She gasped as she opened her real eyes and felt her physical body, slightly stiff from having remained still while she was out. There was a startled yelp in front of her, followed by a laugh, and Trixie saw Cheerilee sitting in front of her, the magenta mare having fallen back on her rump.

Trixie noticed the black felt pen in Cheerilee’s mouth, and sighed, “Mustache or beard?”

Cheerilee chuckled, “Mustache, of course!” 

“I tried to stop her,” Raindrops said in a tone and with a smirk that suggested she’d done no such thing. 

“Trixie, did everything go alright?” asked Lyra, who’d set up her sniper rifle and was lying in front of it, looking through the scope, “I saw you tussle with something, but couldn't make out what.”

“Air spirit,” Trixie said, “Keeping watch on the ward around the facility. I took care of it, and we probably have anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour before the mage who summoned and bound that spirit realizes its gone.”

“Then its time for us to move,” said Lyra, “Carrot Top, you stay here and secure our exit route. Raindrops, Cheerilee, you two take point, I’ll bring up the rear, Trixie and Ditzy sandwiched between. Clear?”

There were nods from all around, and Trixie was about to ask if they really needed her to go in there, but then her words were silenced by the sound of a distant hissing sound that made her look up. 

“The drek?” asked Carrot Top, her eyes going glassy as she entered one of her drones, then her mouth gaped, “Oh jack right into my plothole! Everypony down!”

None of the rest of the team questioned it, and Trixie was left confused and gaping on her own as something passed overhead and hit the area with a pressure wave strong enough to blow Trixie off the ridgeling and go rolling down into the tall grass. Dazed and bruised, spitting dirt out of her mouth, Trixie rose her head to see what had caused the pressure wave was a low flying VTOL. It was a sleek, matte black magi-tech vehicle shaped like a bird of prey, wings outspread, engines of screaming blue arcane energy causing the grass to ripple like waves on the ocean. 

It flew right for the Aurora Heavy Industries research facility... and opened fire with a swarm of missiles and heavy autocannon fire that blew apart one of the outlying domed buildings in a screeching ball of torn metal and fire. Trixie watched in awe as a hatch opened on the side of the vehicle and three forms emerged.

One was a pegasus, all in black, but with a wild short gut orange mane, leaving a streak of orange and blue in her wake like a band of lightning. Another was the larger yet somehow sleeker form of a griffin, also in black, but clearly full body armor, and carrying a pair of thin, shining swords in her grip that Trixie could only imagine were monoblades. The third form wasn’t winged, instead it was a giant, bulky bipedal form that jumped from the VTOL as it passed over the wall and landed on top of it with a crushing sound of concrete breaking.

Even at this distance Trixie could hear the dark blue minotaur shout as he raised a large rotary shotgun into the air, firing off a burst that still couldn’t drown out his deep graveling, exceedingly masculine baritone, “Iron Will’s the name, stealin’ your creds my game! You corporate weenies try ta block, you’ll see how hard my team rocks!” 

Trixie adjusted her AR glasses on her nose, and said into the teams comlinks, “Trixie thinks things have just become complicated.”

She almost shivered when she saw Raindrops, sliding down the ridge line to join her in the tall grass, unstrap her massive machine gun and chamber its rounds with a heavy metallic *ka-chunk*, “Or they just got a whole lot simpler.”

Trixie could already hear the sound of gunfire from the facility as the rest of the team joined them down in the grass, save for Carrot Top who remained up top; presumably to use her drones to maintain watch and to secure a route of egress for them. 

Lyra’s eyes were hard, narrow, as she hefted her sniper rifle and started for the facility, “Plan hasn't changed. Just seems like we have competition. We get in, get the mare we’re there for, get out, and try to do it without things escalating more than they already have.”

“Even if they do,” said Cheerilee as she smoothly affixed her own sleek machine pistol to a mount on her foreleg, “I we can smooth things over with some proper negotiations with our fellow runners.”

“You mean...shoot them a lot, right?” asked Ditzy, not really hiding her nervousness and distaste.

“If need be,” said Lyra, “They might be here for a completely different reason than us. Let’s get in first, worry about dealing with these extra complications if we have to.”

With that the team seemed settled and Trixie, with no further comment nor any chance to really suggest that perhaps she should stay behind with Carrot Top, the ponies galloped off towards the A.H.I facility. Trixie, with a sigh, and a worried look at the guns strapped to her own flanks, went to follow. She just kept telling herself to remember the bits. Twenty five thousand. 

Suddenly twenty five thousand didn't seem like nearly enough.