//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: The Art of Magic II: Secrecy of the Facility // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// No matter how much one desires to get rid of the past happened events They are always coming back harder than one would ever be expecting A lesson most learn the hard way Though some are too stubborn to see it                      With the wind that blew gently through their manes, the three officials of the Magic Facility just stared down upon their ancient capital. Their sick grins turned into smiles of utter glee as time went by. The industrial chimneys came closer before the smell of the burned coal soon did its turn through their noses. Trixie was the only one to take deep sniffs from the blackened air. She closed her eyes in order to enjoy the industrial smell alone. The wretched stench of it, caused the grin to widen. But something was wrong, for the whole building came towards the city far too fast. With her calculating mind had Twilight shocked up from the revelation. With fear in her body did she poked Rarity rather hard. After Rarity was ripped from her dream, she just turned her head over to Twilight with a unpleasant stare. “I pray on your soul that you are having a bloody good reason to ruin this moment for me,” she said to her in a normal, but haunting tone. “We are getting in too fast! If we don’t slow down, the whole Facility will crash into the city,” Twilight spoke up. The fear that came from her voice was rightfully placed. “Hmhmhm, my dearest Twilight, simply enjoy the sight for what it is. I have taken these kind of things into consideration, a long time ago,” replied Rarity before she turned her head back over to the metal city in the skies. Her eyes fell again upon the sight that she came to love. “I can only pray you are right,” mumbled Twilight just loud enough for Rarity to hear. “I am almost all of the time.” “My fear exactly…” While the gap only got closer and closer between the metal building and the city, Twilight feared that they would crash into the side and thus damage, if not destroy their precious Facility. Trixie opened her eyes a bit once more. There was a question that had been boiling in her mind for some time by that point. “Trixie wonders," she started, "how are we going to connect to there?” Rarity looked over to the mare with a deep grin. “We are going to reconnect the same way it got separated, Trixie, through screws and bolts accompanied with strong hooves and horns.” “Interesting,” both of the mares spoke in a soft choir. ---   Down in the engine room was it everything but nice and quiet. Every single soul was doing its utmost best to keep up with the raising tempo. Keeton found himself in the very middle of the room and was looking over his workers while yelling out his orders. “Mush, Corron! I need ya two by boiler number four, a piston has been getting stuck there all day! I want movement!” he yelled over to the two. The mare and stallion gave a nod in response before they were on their way with all the tools needed. “Bloodshed!?” Keeton bellowed while aimed his eyes for the white coated stallion. “Where is that imbecile this time?” His purple rimmed eyes allowed themselves to make their way over the entire room. But the pony he was looking for was nowhere to be found. “Don’t tell me,” he thought out loud in a deep growl. Keeton didn’t even finish the sentence aloud. As much as he wanted to go out and find the other stallion, Keeton had to keep his mind by other things. Though the mistakes that had been made by the stallion had been getting far out of hooves. Even the most simplest of tasks couldn't be executed the right way. Though Bloodshed tried his best every single day. Trying wasn't a word that came forth in Keeton’s dictionary. “I am going to ask if he can get bloody replaced,” Keeton spoke before a deep sigh left his nostrils. He then turned his eyes back up over the room. With them, he kept a keen eye on everything that was going on within its walls. Everything had to go just about perfect for their stunt to work. ---                     Mush and Corron had made their way over to boiler four. Though when they entered it, the stallion saw right away what the problem was. He nudged Mush and pointed upward. “See that? That’s the problem. Gear shattered. Should be an easy fix,” he spoke up while he pointed to it. “Small problem? Nothing is easy around here, remember,” the mare spoke with a soft chuckle. She then allowed her horn to charge itself up in the red colored aura. “Shouldn't we like, turn the thing off first?” “And risk an explosion of Keeton? Or worse? No thanks. I don’t wanna end up like Kooiman did,” said Corron while he inspected the gear from ground level. “Seems to be a stainless steel one, one hundred ten millimeter diameter, going from the attachment point that is.” “Can you look if there is one in the tool shack? Then I will take care of this one,” replied Mush. The charge around her horn only became more powerful. The broken gear than also gained the reddish aura around itself and was ready to be pulled off. The stallion gave her a simple nod to the demand. Corron left Mush behind for a couple minutes. She tried her best to get the thing off of its peg. After some careful yet powerful tugging, it finally did came down. The gear was brought over to her eyes and much to her surprise, Corron was right about the type. “Son of a bitch that you are,” she spoke before a little chuckle left her. Mush turned her head back over to the door. “And I just remembered why I brought you on board for this.” Time didn't had to progress all that long before the red coated stallion made his return. With him, he carried the desired piece. Corron had entered the boiler room with a grin. “One replacement gear, as you wished. Took a titanium one this time, they are much more durable than those stainless ones. Course these rust over time, but I have been coming to this one for far too much for my liking in just six months.” He threw the gear over to Mush, who caught it with her own magic. “I don’t get it why we don’t scrap this thing to begin with. I mean, we have so much problems with it,” he added. The mare held the gear into the correct spot with a small groove pointing upward. “Can you hold the system for ten seconds? That gives me enough to time place it, make sure it points perfectly upward. Ten seconds should also be enough not to blow the system to bits.” “Aye aye boss,” he spoke with a chuckle. Corron allowed his curved horn to collect some magic of his own. While he did that, Mush levitated the gear over to the correct spot. “Just tell me when I can,” she spoke while her eyes kept themselves peeled on him. “On three. One,” Corron said while he released the power from the horn. It took seconds for the entire gear system to be covered within the reddish aura. But as it all turned so fast. Yet the struggle to keep it all in one place was even greater. “Two," he mumbled.  He tried to get the pieces right side up. His eyes caught the sight he wanted to see, he closed them with force. “Three!” Upon the calling had Mush pushed the gear perfectly into its spot. With a click had the two parts connected to each other. “Done!” she shouted after the signature clunking sound of the metals over each other. It was the signal for him to let the system run again, hopefully without faults. When those words that fell into his ears, Corron discharged his horn as a whole. Within no time was the rattling gear system up and running at maximum capacity once more. The two workers grinned to each other before bumping their hooves against each other’s. “Job well done,” spoke Mush with pride in her voice. “Couldn't say it better maself,” added Corron under a soft pant. They walked back together, to the main room of the moving department and nodded to Keeton as his eyes fell upon the two. “Job done?” he asked them with a stern voice and sterner eyes. “E’yup. Shattered gear. Replaced it with a titanium one, should be holding for a while now. Got anything else?” said Mush to him, eager to continue their streak of good work. “Hm, should have known that… And yes, boiler thirteen doesn't seem to have its usual shoveler. Either your or Corron are going to be doing it,” answered Keeton before his eyes dropped. “I’ll do it, Keeton,” the red coated stallion spoke up. He turned himself around to go to the boiler. Just like that, he had vanished from the room, only to go to the unlucky boiler number. “Where would we be without him?” Mush asked herself out loud as she watched him go. “Probably down on the ground or somewhere on the moon, either one will do,” Keeton replied as he caught the question within his ears. “You think?” “I am sure, I’m sure.” ---                       Within the walls of the engine room were the crystal bodies busy with preparing everything for the final approach. Some of them pulled levers and the primal hum of the engine slowly died down. It eventually lead to the Facility's overall slower flow through the air. With the course it had been flying they had encountered a strong headwind. A wind that required much more force from the engines than originally expected. Though the wind would be their greatest ally in the matter. It would be able to slow the whole Facility down more than enough for a safe entrance. A body with a set of green eyes gazed over to two steel pipes that led into the wall before it as behind the wall happened to be the outside world. It quickly made the connection that those pipes were part of the attachment points to the city. All of the sudden did it hummed in tunes unknown to ponykind to the other bodies. Each of the humps understood that what was hummed. The screws that were sticking out of each of the pipes where the points would connect to Tol Ret Nac’s main steam circuit. The very circuit that kept the whole city afloat and hidden from eyes. With a soft ‘tok’ and screech of the metal, it signaled the crystal bodies to push the screws forwards with as much power as they had in them. On the other side of the wall –deep within the lower halls if the city itself– were two workers who turned the bolts over the screws with their magic. With the sweat that streamed off of their faces, had the ponies made it absolutely sure that they tightened them up as best as they could. It was through that connection that locked the two pipes and the Facility together. Other workers were busy with the shorter ones that were connecting the Facility's pipes firmly to the city's. Within minutes was the city completed again. Done in the fashion of a building toy that was designed for foals. So ingenious was it made up to create the floating city. A system that worked like an absolute charm. ---                       Rarity, Trixie and Twilight found themselves still on the very cloud. They all shook a bit at the Facility crashed gently against the city. But where Twilight feared, Trixie and Rarity only grinned. The Facility had docked once again for the first time in a millennium of time. The unicorn capital city of Tol Ret Nac was complete once more. The very cloud that they stood on, slowly dissolved itself into the thin air. What it revealed was the true metal box that it was guarding all those years in the skies. The Facility was never truly build upon the cloud but the cloud concealed the entire lower levels of the place. The mares were lowered a little bit before their behinds met the cold steel of the floor. Where the entrance normally stood equal with the cloud, a small staircase of two steps had appeared. Rarity turned her attention over to both Twilight and Trixie. A stare that was followed by a deep sigh through her nostrils. “If you two would be so kind to return back into the Facility and carry on with the normal duties.” Both of the unicorns gave a nod to the manager. They stood up before they turned themselves around, only to disappear through the doors of the building. Though they didn't like the decision to return, they didn't want to risk an outburst of the unicorn either. Not on the moment she had so eagerly been anticipating for. Not on the moment she had prepared herself for ever since the order was given to return to the city. Both Twilight and Trixie returned to their respectable stations and thought that their chance to walk through the metal streets would come later in time. Twilight returned to the processing department where she made herself ready to slice open some unlucky unworthy's. Whereas Trixie wanted to shatter the hopes of many captured unicorns like a glass window. ---                       The red rimmed eyes of Rarity kept gazing over the wonderful city, she almost didn't dare to leave the metal of her very own Facility and just walk into it. Everything just seemed to be so surreal to her at that point in time. Her attention was then caught by a roaring sound that appeared to be coming from all around her. While she let her eyes fall into every visible direction and noticed that the air started to shake and ripple once more. The souls that lived inside the city didn't even look up from the sounds anymore. Those that could be seen carried on with their own things, not even noting that the whole Facility had docked again. That, or they didn't wanted to know. Under the sounds and sights did the whole city got again covered within the light bending spell. The spells caused the city to hide itself within the eyesight of every pony that would look up into its direction. For thousands of years it had been going by like this. Nopony outside of the city had ever found it. A thing the unicorns within the borders wanted to keep that way for as long as it could. A smile emerged on the face of Rarity when she saw a faint line of deep purple magic dissolve from the highest tower in the city. The unicorn was shaking on her legs. Yet she stood back up from her sitting position. Rarity dared to take the very first steps into the city of Tol Ret Nac. Her eyes moved themselves over to the many metal boxes that were used as houses for the residents. On the outside everything was cold and unfriendly, but structural organized and logically placed. Those were the unicorn ways of life. Though on the inside was everything different. Every home was decorated differently, one even more friendly than the other. Cold outside, warm inside. Though the ponies she encountered along her trot were everything but friendly. Where Rarity gave each of them a respectful nod, only a single soul every now and then returned it. Not that she cared that much. Rarity felt like she was in heaven. And she was, for a small part. Rarity made her way through the streets of metal, she eventually came on a small square with a little fountain where a statue of a familiar pony stood up on. Her eyes grew a bit in size before she shook her head. Rarity couldn't believe just who was standing there. On the top of the fountain, there was something that stood on its hind legs while the forelegs were held behind the back. Its head that just stared into the skies as if it had a dream. Rarity recognized the statue in an instant. It was from the very founder of the Magic Facility from so many, uncountable years ago, professor Cosmos. The unicorn couldn't believe the sight before her. But it also woke up something in her, something she had thought to be lost a long time ago. A memory of both pain and suffering. One she started to relive like it was the day before. ---                       The unicorn tailor was working on the third order for the day and the sun had been set behind the hills of Canterlot and the moon took very first peeks over the land. Most would consider it time to stop everything but the mare had to finish the project before she would go to bed. With the rain that ticked gentle against the windows of boutique, it created an unique atmosphere for her. One where she wasn't indulged into the just utter silence as she normally would be working in. It was a pleasant change for her as a roll of fabric got levitated within the airs and cut to the right size with the scissors before it got placed over the mannequin. “Now then, let’s finish you,” she spoke with a simple joy within her voice. The glasses got placed before her very eyes. More pieces of fabric from all sorts of color did their turn before her eyes. With some of them being placed aside almost right away, the ones matching the ones matching the design on paper got cut and formed on the mannequin with the deep help her own magic. She led a simple life, but one that she enjoyed the most. Her own business to attend to, wonderful friends and family. Life was just perfect for her and she showed that in every possible way. Humble yet famous were two words to describe her at best. Though a light drama-queen could be added to it as well.   It was after many minutes that there was a knock on the front door. One which disrupted her concentration and Rarity allowed her head to turn itself over towards it with a raised eyebrow. “Now just who can that be..?” she wondered to herself out loud. Everything that was still levitating in the air got brought down to the ground and the horn discharged itself completely. The mare made her way over to the front door with a set of quick hooves and grace. She eventually opened up the door, the expectation was a lot different than the reality she was faced with. Where she thought to be seeing one of her friends or even a family member at this hour, there was an unknown stallion to be found. His deep voice made its way rather pleasant within her ears. “Good evening miss Rarity, may I come in for a little bit?” he asked of her. Being the lady she was, Rarity allowed the stallion to enter without a word and he did so. In response to her hospitality he gave her both a respectful and thankful nod. Rarity guided him over to the living room. They both took place in a chair as she kept wondering what he wanted from her. Even before she could question his visit, he already spoke his words in the same tone as before. “Miss Rarity, this probably will come to a big surprise to you and I do understand that. But there have been many considerations within the organization about you, considerations to which one would say ‘you’ against in the most formal manner.” “H-Hold one moment here, considerations, organization? Can you, explain it a bit more for me please? For I am afraid I do not fully understand it,” she said with a confused look on her face. It seemed to have been a genuine confusion and it was a thing that the stallion could understand. Not that it would stop him though. A gentle smirk formed itself on his face. “The source of where magic comes from requires your help fair lady of generosity. There is need for a new manager, and you were chosen,” the mysterious stallion spoke against her. “W-What? S-Source of all magic, m-manager?” The more words he spoke, the more confused she got. Rarity was unable to understand anything he had said. A fact that her very body showed. “I want you, Rarity, to lead on in the Magic Facility.” ---   Her eyes opened themselves once more. The unicorn kept staring down upon the statue of Cosmos. But deep within her, her rage and despise grew. “Rotaerc!” she shouted in the air. “Why did I even let you enter within my boutique that bloody day!?” Small puffs of steam left her nostrils with every exhale she took. Though the gaze in her eyes turned into a full on hatred look. Years within the walls of the Facility had crumbled her mind more than enough to forget the unicorn lady she once was. But being outside like she was then, it made old feelings from before that time to submerge within her. Feelings she only became even more angrier about. Rarity took her attention away from the statue and turned herself around while starting to walk away into an unknown direction. Rarity decided to follow some of the ponies that walked down the street but she never decided to meddle herself with them. Through many streets and alleys she went before she reached yet another square. But there was an entirely different statue that stood on the fountain. it's rich waters flew out of the holes in the most graceful of manners and with the sun through them, the many drops created rainbows on the sheets of metal. A few moments of actual color in the open streets had revealed themselves. “Huh, guess they needed to have something to decorate the city with,” was the only thing that Rarity said while she stared at the waters. But it was that what stood above the waterline that caught her attention the most for the most part. On the very top she stood in an ever so regal pose, the daughter of the unicorn king, princess Platinum. According to files within the archives of the Facility, she was the only pony of royalty that knew of the true origin of the magical force. A fate she accepted rather well, if the documents have to be believed. With her red rimmed eyes had Rarity kept looking at the statue. It shone bright in the sun and then she saw it. The statue didn't appeared to be carved out of marble or any other kind of stone for that matter. Neither was it forged out of any lesser metal. It was created in the highest quality of platinum that there was to be found in the land. “Remarkable,” she spoke to herself while she walked around it. Rarity inspected it from all sides with care. Her attention was caught over to a chimney in the far distance. On the very top of it, a blue color could be seen sparking up. While she watched the sight, it created a smile upon her face. Though it also triggered a little countdown for the mare. “Three... Two... One,” spoke Rarity to herself in a soft tone. On the mark of 'one' it came out of the chimney. A bright blue bolt of something that shot up into the skies while roaring like thunder as it went passed the spell's barriers. “Hmhmhm, never gets old,” chuckled Rarity to herself before she turned her attention back over to the statue. It was when she was looking into the eyes of the princess. More recent memories got unlocked within her mind. Memories of an event that happened not all too long ago but one she rather forgot. A memory that was perhaps too painful, even for her standards. ---                       The unicorn of grace found herself in one of the holding cells of the Facility as they were empty and dirty. On the far side did some rumoring sounds took their turn. Which caused her attention to fall upon them. But to her own scare, it where both Twilight and her little sister who came in. Sweetie Belle was sniffing quietly before the mare pulled her more forward. Eventually they reached the cell where the other unicorn found herself but neither of them paid any attention, but she also didn't make a single movement. Rarity’s eyes just watched as her little sister was hung up by her hooves and a small tear fell from Twilight’s cheek. There were words that were spoken but those were inaudible for Rarity. Then she was left alone for a little bit, alone to make up her final thoughts. Time progressed a little bit before the white coated, purple maned unicorn entered the holding cell and began to speak words against the filly before allowing a knife to fall through her chest. Being pulled back into the reality as it was, Rarity realized just what kind of a monster she had become over time. More and more power began to collect itself within her horn. Her breathing became heavier with each inhale she took. All while the clouds of steam became bigger with every exhale. On the entire square wasn't a soul to be found anymore. Rarity rose up on her hind legs almost out of instinct. She kept her horn point up towards the skies. Under a roar of pure hatred had she released all the stored energy in one blood red colored magical beam. One that nearly drained her from every single bit of magic she had within her body. She had to return. Return to the shadows she has been living in ever since closing the door of her boutique. ---                       In the meantime had Keeton taken the opportunity to get himself some rest after the building was reconnected to the city. But the absence of Bloodshed was still troubling him deep. He placed the charts used for the journey towards the city back in the respectable folders, a deep sigh left through his mouth and his eyes closed themselves a little bit. “Where do I have to bring that foal..?” “Bring who were, Keet?” another voice echoed through the room. Upon entering his ears, the blue coated stallion looked up and around to see who the mysterious speaker was. “A pony that had been troubling my mind lately, Corron. But come in further,” he replied while he pointed at the chair before this desk. “Take a seat if you want to.” “The new one? From the canteen?” the stallion asked while he walked up to the chair. Though instead of sitting down on it, Corron rose up on his hind legs and placed his forelegs crosswise over the top part of it. “That the one you mumble ‘bout?” “Aye, him,” responded Keeton with a slight annoyed tone. He fell back down in his chair. He reached over to a coffee mug and brought it to his lips. Keeton allowed the black gold to make its way into his body. “I don’t know where to place him, holding, processing or simply dump in a cell of his own. I mean, he is not even an use to me anymore!” he spoke again after having set the mug back on the table. The stress was visible in his eyes. The matter was gnawing at his mind, deep. “Give him another chance, I mean, we are still short on Kooiman,” replied Corron in the hope to ease him up. Not to mention that he did have a point with it. “A thing I rather keep that way, thank ya very much. But in all honesty, do ya see him working as an engineer on one of these devices?” Keeton asked while looking stern into the eyes of Corron. The glance exchanged was a dead serious one. “Well, no,” was the only reply Corron gave after a bit of thinking. “But that is not why I asked you to come here, as ya said yarself, we are still short on Kooiman. Course he is as stupid as a box of rocks but he does know how to fix things very well. So we either need a new engineer from upstairs, or hope he recovers well enough from his injuries to keep on working. And that him and Mush don’t go up against each other,” spoke Keeton in a softer tone. “Heh, in that case. Arrange a new one from upstairs. For after what happened, those two hate each other to the bone. Mush doesn’t even want to speak about him anymore,” the red stallion spoke under a chuckle. “Can’t blame her though.” “Is that so?” Keeton asked with a smirk upon his face. “Oh it is, take it from me.” “Very interesting.” The stallion allowed himself to lean back as deep as possible within his chair as the smirk kept standing on his face. “But aside those, how did it go with the gear. I remember ya speaking quickly about it after it was done, but I need more information for the administration.” “Uhm, yes. The stainless steel one was beginning to crack open like a peanut. Mush and I removed it from its hold and we replaced it with a titanium one. It will rust in time, but the chance of it cracking again is near nothing. Next year somepony has to look over it again,” stated Corron. Keeton nodded to the spoken words before he signaled the engineer to leave him alone again. The bald stallion understood the signal and left without a word spoken. Keeton on the other end wrote down the spoken words. ---   The rest that was given to him after Corron had left, was a short one. After a short set of minutes, Bloodshed himself knocked on the door and opened it in a careful manner. “S-Sir?” he said after his head peeked in. The purple rimmed eyes gazed up towards the young stallion, Keeton made a hoof signal for him to come in closer. Shaking upon each of his legs, Bloodshed dared to enter the office of the foreman. With the stern looking eyes still fixed upon him did Keeton took a deep inhale. “Sit,” his voice spoke through the air and the other stallion sat down upon the spoken seat. “Y-You desired to see me?” he asked with an utmost care in his voice and soft gulp. “Yes, yes I indeed wanted to see you. For there is one question that is bothering my mind. Today we were having the biggest operation since the origin of the Facility. And you were nowhere to be found! Why, was that?” bellowed Keeton from his desk. “I, I had been doing b-both the day and n-night shift sir. I was in my b-bed when the o-operation happened, v-vast asleep. A-At least, that is w-what I heard left and r-right,” spoke Bloodshed in a terrified tone. He didn't expect such an outburst to happen to him. “I see, I will decide over you later. But do not think I shall grant you any mercy.” The other stallion gulped deeply and removed himself from the chair in order to simply leave the office as a whole and return to his duties. ---                       When she had finally reached her dark office again, Rarity shook everything off of her mind. But for the most part it was something that she liked to call her ‘earlier life’. The unicorn took place behind her desk. With her horn that shone up in its dark red coloring, the arcane control board was summoned. With her eyes she just scanned over the many things that were to be seen. Whether it be reports from long ago, logs from previous managers or things they added themselves. But her eyes paid extra attention at the reports and logs writing by one author in particular. A pony that was living under the pen-name of Rotaerc. Every time she was reading through one of its written works, the ‘why’ questions kept popping up in her mind. Though those were dispatched just as easy as they came as her eyes made their over to other written works.