//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Dell Dwellers // Story: Equestria Nova: Brave New World // by Al-1701 //------------------------------// Wind Whistler wrote ‘Site 7’ on the map to indicate the town’s title. She had the quill on a band around her hoof. Most non-unicorns used their mouths to write, but Wind Whistler preferred her left pastern as she thought it gave her more control. Writing with the pastern was particularly useful with the Common alphabet. Even the printed block letters required a much nimbler pen than the clunky letters of the Equestrian alphabet. Common had twenty-seven letters, but the ‘ñ’ was just an ‘n’ with a squiggle above it and seemed to only be used in some words derived from certain languages and dialects. The colonists were wasting no time learning to read, write, speak, and comprehend the Common language, and all new material was being written in it like this map of the new pony communities. Paradise was particularly obsessed with becoming fluent in the language and was already getting ready to write Common versions of their literature. Along with learning the language, Wind Whistler was studying the mechanics and history of the language to understand it better. Common was a combination of languages and dialects. The syntax was very similar to Equestrian which was also a composite language. That made learning it much simpler, as they could concentrate on the words. Babel and Rosetta decided to teach the words through their ideas instead of the corresponding Equestrian word. They wanted the colonists to think in Common, and it was working as Wind Whistler found more and more of her thoughts used Common words, even after just six weeks of study. Even the use of Equestrian had changed. ‘Everypony,’ ‘anypony,’ ‘nopony,’ and similar words had been replaced by ‘everyone,’ ‘anyone,’ ‘no one,’ and the like, now that ponies were definitely not the dominant species here. On the other hoof, their gender identifiers; mare, stallion, foal, filly, colt; had translated into the Common language. Each race seemed to have their own names for genders, so there were no universal terms beyond the formal male and female. Though, dam and sire were being replaced by the many versions of mother and father, and slang terms like ‘guys’ and ‘gals’ were becoming common as well. “I say, Leftenant Governor—” North Star said. Wind Whistler sat up with a start. “—it seems like your mind was elsewhere,” North Star said. Her Trottingham accent had translated into her speech in Common. Rather, she had picked up the Common accent and dialect that most closely mirrored the Trottignham accent. “Apologies North Star,” Wind Whistler said tiredly. “My preoccupation with assimilating information has rendered my mind prone to tangential diversions.” “Right,” North Star replied. North Star looked at the map over Wind Whistler’s shoulder. Wind Whistler checked the map herself. The scouts were traveling farther and farther out now that the weather was improving. They were only three weeks from the equinox, as the blarks called it, which did not involve any kind of large scale cleanup. The snow melted by itself, and the weather got warmer by itself, and the animals and plants returned to their warm weather habits by themselves. Wind Whistler pulled herself off the latest tangent. She focused on the map. Much of the region not within the Land of Nightmares had been claimed. Races like trolls and ogres had established their kingdoms adjacent to and even inside the edge of the Land of Nightmares. Then there were humans and other ‘benign’ races past that. There was also Gizmas City practically jumping off the map. They gave it and the depression it occupied a wide berth. The sites for possible colonies were mostly secluded valleys and other locations that were hard to access. Wind Whistler blinked as she realized she was again going off on a tangent. “In truth, I’ve found my focus lately difficult to maintain. After the exceptionally provocative experiences of the initial fortnight here, these last six weeks have been starkly uneventful.” They had certainly not been without activity. It was just more mundane without some threat looming over them. The peace gave the mind plenty of opportunities wander, especially with so much information to process. Along with looking for colony sites, they had been restoring the castle. With the inventory of Scrapsburg at their disposal, the ponies and blarks had repaired the damage and restored the fixtures. The utilities were up and running, with sun crystals providing both light and electricity. They were currently replacing the glass. The thought of glass made Wind Whistler think of Shady. She had barely seen her since the rescue mission. In fact, she seemed to be avoiding Wind Whistler. Fizzy and Gusty always wanted to hang out, but Shady would try to get out of Wind Whistler’s sight whenever she saw her. Wind Whistler pulled the band off her hoof. “I want to check on something. Can we finish the map tomorrow?” “Sure thing,” North Star replied. Wind Whistler trotted out of the room and to the stairs. The castle seemed warm and welcoming with a sun crystal in every sconce and the walls painted in warm pastels. The air was comfortably warm with the heating system running. It was hard to believe it had been a foreboding derelict less than two moons prior. Wind Whistler quickly walked up the stairs to the third floor. She could have sworn they were restoring the glass in the conservatory’s dome tonight. She came up to the wooden doors and pushed one open. Shady was standing next to the patch of dirt in the middle. Four pegasi were lowering a plane of glass into the metal frame and blarks with soldering equipment stood at the corners. “Steady,” Shady said. “Let it down slowly.” The pegasi gently set the glass into the frame. The blarks dropped welder’s helmets over their faces began to solder the pane in place. Shady exhaled the sigh. “We just have five more to go.” “That’s good to hear,” Wind Whistler said as she walked in. “Wind Whistler!” Shady jumped up and turned around to face her. “What are you doing up here?” “I thought I would check up on you,” Wind Whistler said. “I haven’t seen you all that much. Is everything all right?” Shady lowered her head and turned away from Wind Whistler. “I was worst than useless against the gizmonks.” Wind Whistler cocked her head to the side. “You’ve been avoiding me for six weeks because of that?” she asked. “We completed our objectives.” “In spite of me,” Shady said despairingly. “You could have flown and the unicorns have teleported to escape, but you had to look after me, which put you in unneeded danger.” “Admittedly, Gizmas City did not lend itself to the natural strengths of earthlings,” Wind Whistler said. “It wouldn’t have mattered,” Shady said. “I’m not very strong, and I’m not good at running and jumping either. I’m not even good at farming.” Wind Whistler looked up at the blarks soldering the window into place. “You’ve done a fine job replacing the glass in the castle. Having two panes with argon in between was a stroke of genius.” “The blarks suggested it,” Shady said, “and what do I do when we’re done.” “That’s what many pegasi are asking,” Wind Whistler said. “Our primary industry was weather management, but the weather works on its own here. We’re finding other things to do like scouting, as well as pursuing personal talents.” “My personal talent is thinking of how things can go wrong,” Shady said. “Whenever I see something, what could go wrong just pops into my head.” “Then maybe that’s what you should do,” Wind Whistler said. Shady looked up to Wind Whistler and cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?” “You can play devil’s advocate in planning sessions,” Wind Whistler said. “You can figure out what problems we could encounter so that we can anticipate and counter them.” “I guess I could,” Shady said halfheartedly. Wind Whistler placed her pastern on Shady’s shoulder. “And remember we’re friends no matter how useful you are. I was happy to have you with us in Gizmas City.” “Thanks, Wind Whistler,” Shady replied. “You really are a good friend.” Wind Whistler smiled hearing this. She had not cared much about friendship in Equestria, since its importance was constantly drilled into her, but here she could enjoy its real significance. Having someone to care about gave her a sense of belonging unlike any other. “We’re finished with this pane,” one of the blarks said. Shady looked up. “Okay.” She looked back down to Wind Whistler. “I need to get back to work.” Wind Whistler dropped her leg from Shady. “Then I’ll leave you to it.” She turned to the door. Spearhead glared at Monsoon and Landslide. “This is unacceptable!” he boomed. The two winced at his outburst. “It has been almost two moons, and all we’ve done to prepare for the colony force is finding some remote perspective sites. We’ve done more to nest out this castle that barely houses us.” “The problem is geography,” Monsoon said. “The Land of Nightmares is barely navigable even before you start considering whatever lives out there. Then, once you leave it, most of the usable land belongs to one kingdom or another who aren’t going to give any up. The only thing available to us is this valley which is isolated from the rest of the world. There’s also the problem with the gizmonks who we’re still technically at war with.” “The scouts haven’t seen so much as a bolt of them,” Landslide said confidently. “I think we pasted them so hard they’re scared to move against.” “Never get complacent with your adversary,” Spearhead said sharply. “It’s when you believe they won’t attack they choose to strike.” Monsoon hovered off the ground so he could cross his front legs. “Personally, I would delay the main colonization for ten more moons. That would mean starting out early in spring and we would have had a whole year to establish ourselves and learn about this planet.” Spearhead scowled. “Celestia made it clear she wants to bring in the main colony force during the next window and we’re to prepare a place for them.” “She’s certainly in a hurry,” Landslide said. “The longer the colonists are waiting on the other side,” Spearhead said, “the more likely information could be leaked to those in Equestria or out who would not take kindly to what we’re doing here.” “Well they’ll have to rough it for the first year,” Monsoon said. “What we need are allies, and I’m not talking about junk dealers,” Landslide said. Several murmurs came from outside the royal suite Spearhead was using as his office. Spearhead twitched his ear to hear. Landslide glanced to the side. “I wonder what has their attention.” Spearhead walked towards the door. “Let’s find out.” He pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold, evening air. They were in civil twilight with a definite glow to the west while the east was dark. A crowd of ponies in the courtyard were looking east and murmuring to themselves. Spearhead followed their gaze. Something was in the dark, moonless sky: an airship. It was definitely heading their way and descending. Spearhead first thought of the witches, but he figured this was bigger and better constructed than the dilapidated craft they used. He also did not see an aircraft in Gizmas City. “Who do you think they are?” Landslide asked, squinting to see. “I’m not sure,” Spearhead replied, “but I suggest we take up defensive positions.” “Everyone to action stations!” Landslide shouted. The ponies scattered through the tents. They shouted action stations to others and grabbed whatever weapons were nearby. Spearhead watched the airship. It was descending more quickly. It was still heading into the valley, but it would land in the woods at the very bottom. It descended, still silent due to distance. It dropped in front of the row of mountains in the distance. It then disappeared behind the tall trees, but lights still shined out through the spaces between the bare branches. “What would they want over there?” Landslide asked rhetorically. Spearhead turned to Monsoon, “Send your scouts to the landing site to investigate.” North Star flew towards the forest of tall oak trees around the foot of the valley. The river broadened and the land on either side of it became more marsh-like before it just stopped, but some said it actually continued underground as an aquifer. North Star turned back to Scrapper sitting on Hurricane’s back. “You wouldn’t happen to have an idea of who dropped in our valley, would you?” Scrapper shrugged. “I don’t have the slightest clue.” North Star flew just above the tops of the trees with Hurricane and Medley in formation behind her. They came to a large clearing in the middle and the large, gray, cigar-shaped envelope of the airship. North Star stopped and hovered above the last oak tree. She looked down. Portable lights had been erected to fill the clearing with light. Creatures were unloading pallets from the airship. North Star eyed them more carefully. They were ape-like and covered in a coat of thick, brown fur. Most wore blue overalls over plaid shirts. “They’re dell dwellers,” Scrapper thought out loud. North Star turned to Scrapper who had everyone’s attention. “Dell dwellers?” Scrapper looked to her and nodded. “Dell dwellers live underground. They’re about as technologically advanced as the gizmonks, but they use that technology to restore forests and terraform the less hospitable parts of the planet.” “Are they friendly?” Medley asked. “I’d say they’re not hostile,” Scrapper said. “However, they prefer to keep to themselves.” North Star returned her gaze to the dell dwellers. Pallets with crates were wheeled into a hole in the ground. “That must be why they didn’t drop in to say hi,” Hurricane said. “It looks like they’re moving in,” Medley said. “If they make less hospitable lands more livable,” Hurricane replied, “the Land of Nightmares would be a crowning achievement.” “And it looks like they might have lived here before with that readymade hole,” Medley said. North Star looked to Scrapper. “Do you think any harm would come from greeting them?” Scrapper shrugged. “I doubt it. The worst they’ll probably do is ask to be left alone.” “Then let’s meet the new neighbors.” North Star descended into the clearing. The dell dwellers all stopped and looked in North Star’s direction as she planted her hooves on the snow-covered ground. North Star swallowed. Exploring was her passion, as seeing new places brought her the greatest joy. However, she wished she had brought Wind Whistler or Spearhead for the first contact part of it. “Hello,” North Star said, trying to not sound nervous. “I am North Star, a scout for the Equestria Nova colony. I wish to extend our greetings and offer of friendship.” A dell dweller wearing a black tailcoat and top hat walked out of the group. “I’m Derrick, Administrator of the New Land of Nightmares Restoration Project. I assume you come from the community near the castle.” “That’s right.” Medley landed next to North Star. “Well, as long as you don’t meddle with our operations,” Derrick said, “I’m sure we can live together in peace.” “I told you they would want to be left alone,” Scrapper said. “A blark?” a dell dweller asked. “Wasn’t it equine-like creatures that embarrassed the gizmonks at Gizmas City about a major month ago?” another asked. “I heard it was also ponies that ended the curse on this valley,” yet another said. “Are the rumors true?” Derrick asked. North Star swallowed. “What if I said yes?” Derrick grinned. “Then you have a friend in the dell dwellers.” “Really?” Hurricane asked confusedly. “The dell dwellers and gizmonks are mortal enemies,” Scrapper said. “They’re also not too keen on the Gloom Witch Clan.” “Those bionic monsters leave nothing but wasteland in their wake,” Derrick said gravely. “The witches are just as bad. Obviously anyone who can stick it to them is okay in our book.” “I wonder if the transit tunnel works again,” a dell dweller mused aloud. “Transit tunnel?” Medley asked. “Perhaps I should meet your leadership,” Derrick said. “I think there are things you should know about this valley.” Spearhead sat opposite of Derrick. These dell dwellers were primates like the witches and the gizmonks. They looked kind of like gizmonks only their faces extended down instead of out, and they were much heavier. Derrick also had no sign of machinery on him. “I have to admit,” Derrick said, “when I heard ponies humiliated the gizmonks, I thought it was a sick joke.” “It was no joke to us,” Spearhead said. The inhabitants of this world seem to not hold equines in high regard. “I guess I should be honest.” Derrick sat back at his chair. “We were hoping to find this valley alive but uninhabited.” Spearhead dropped his expression into a scowl. “So sorry to disappoint you.” Derrick looked from side to side warily. He leaned in. “This isn’t a joke,” he whispered. “Before the witches came and cursed the valley, there was a dell here for a very important reason.” “Restoring the Land of Nightmares?” Spearhead asked. Derrick furrowed his brow. “Yes, but also to use certain resources here. One is the spring feeding the waterfall, which dispels dark magic and poisons, but there is also a relic in this valley.” Derrick sat back. “Few know this, but about 4 million years ago this world was inhabited by metal giants. I’m not talking about cyborgs like those simian devils. I’m talking about completely mechanical life forms standing between five and ten meters tall. Their technology is scattered around this planet.” Will this world ever run out of surprises? Spearhead thought to himself. “What does this have to do with this valley?” “Most of the technology is too degraded to use,” Derrick said. “However, there is a chamber in this valley that holds a transport device that can access any point on the planet instantly. The old dell used it to move materials in and out without having to deal with the Land of Nightmares. We were hoping to use it again.” Spearhead fought the smile trying to form on his face. This was exactly what they needed, and these dell dwellers, while less than gregarious, seemed at least reasonable. “Since we don’t plan on going anywhere,” Spearhead said, “I suggest we share this artifact. We also have a use for a rapid transit device.” Derrick drummed his fingers on the table and scowled thoughtfully. “I suppose we can share it.” Wind Whistler stared at the cliff next to the waterfall. It was made of light-colored volcanic rock. The plateau was probably a part of a volcanic formation from many millions of years ago, when this valley first began to form. There was nothing to suggest it was anything more than a natural formation. Yet something about it warranted coming out at first light. Derrick pointed at a rock on a ledge about four meters off the ground. “Push the rock away from the cliff.” Lofty and Firefly flew up to the rock and wedged themselves between it and the cliff. She pushed and the rock moved back. The ground rumbled and quaked under Wind Whistler’s hooves. Seams suddenly appeared in the cliff as a rectangular piece collapsed back slightly. The part of the cliff face that had pushed in dropped into the ground to reveal a pair of huge, metal doors with heavy, riveted frames. Both doors had a symbol made of purple polygons arranged to look remotely like a scowling face with a pointy chin and points on the top corners of the head. The rumbling and quaking stopped. “Push it farther!” Derrick shouted. Lofty and Firefly pushed on the rock again and it pushed slightly farther from the cliff. The doors slid into the cliff. Beyond them was a tunnel that curved toward the waterfall. Small lights in the ceiling came on, but the tunnel seemed almost as dark as with them off. “Come this way.” Derrick walked into the tunnel. Wind Whistler followed Spearhead behind Derrick into the tunnel. Everything seemed to get darker as they progressed. The walls were made of dark metal and the lights were small and dim. Perhaps these ‘metal giants’ were nocturnal, Wind Whistler mused to herself. The light was similar to twilight where she could make out most everything, but barely. The tunnel opened into a massive chamber that was just as dim. Wind Whistler squinted to see better. The wall opposite the tunnel had a huge, circular hole in it. The hole was lined with large rings and ramp led up to a dead end. She turned back. A structure the size of a small house sat against the wall next to the entrance to the tunnel. A system of ramps led up to the top. The top was covered in various controls and had three large screens above it. “So, this is your transport device,” Spearhead said. “How does it work?” “We have to turn it on first.” Derrick walked up the ramp. Wind Whistler spread her wings and flew to the top of the structure. She landed on an empty area. It was covered in buttons, knobs, switches, and sliders large enough to easily use with pasterns. Derrick pulled a small box and a sheet of paper out of his coat pocket. He opened the box and held the sun crystal inside over the sheet of paper. “Start should be…” He looked around and stepped on a square button. “This should be it.” The buttons lit up. The screens came up with readouts in a strange language of polygonal characters. “I wish we could properly translate the language,” Derrick said. “We only know how to turn it on, turn it off, select a destination point, and activate it.” “Isn’t that enough?” Sparkler asked from the floor. Spearhead appeared in a flash. “There could be vital information and functions that we could use if we can understand these readouts.” He turned to Derrick. “Fortunately, we have very effective translators who should be able to decipher the language.” Wind Whistler looked back at the tunnel. “This apparatus forms portals in that tunnel, correct?” “That’s exactly right,” Derrick said. Wind Whistler furrowed her brow. “And it’s perfectly safe for living things?” “The trip can be disorienting and nauseating the first couple of times through, but it’s otherwise safe for even a butterfly,” Derrick said. “If this device does what you say,” Spearhead said, “it’ll allow us to connect to our new settlements and form a mutual defense easily.” Derrick and Wind Whistler turned to Spearhead. “There’s only one condition to our alliance,” Derrick said. “This device represents incredible power and must be used responsibly. We dell dwellers have sworn to never use the transit tunnel for unprovoked aggression. It can be used for normal transport, defense, and special cases like rescue missions. However, we won’t use it to pop in on the gizmonks to rattle their cage. We ask that you do the same.” “We will,” Wind Whistler said immediately. “We would prefer to live in peace.” “That we would,” Spearhead said. “Lieutenant, watch over things here while I get Rosetta to begin working this language.” Wind Whistler bowed her head. “Yes, Governor.” Spearhead watched Rosetta pace in front of her. Rosetta reached one side of the tent, turned around, and walked towards the other side. All the while she had that scowl she had when she was displeased. The scowl had been a frequent feature of her face since arriving here. “I don’t like them,” Rosetta stated the obvious. “They’re too good.” “Believe it or not,” Spearhead said, “there are races out there that believe deeply in a moral code. Not every civilization has to be duplicitous.” Rosetta stopped and glared at Spearhead. “Then you trust them?” “Not completely,” Spearhead said. “However, they made a big leap of faith revealing the transit tunnel to us. We should at least give them the same courtesy.” “And you just let Wind Whistler agree to never use it aggressively.” Rosetta went back to pacing. “Your lieutenant governor seems to be running things more than you are.” “She’s a highly intelligent pony,” Spearhead replied. “We should take advantage of her ideas.” “How can you be so nonchalant about this?” Rosetta asked. Her voice almost cracked. “After all we’ve worked for, it seems like we’re getting nowhere.” “We have to be patient,” Spearhead said. “When the colonists are ready to accept our ideals, we will present them. If we do it before, it will only fracture what ties we still have.” Rosetta stopped and heaved a sigh. “I guess you’re right.” “Now, if you’ve gotten off your ledge,” Spearhead said, “get into the underground chamber and see what you can do.” Rosetta bowed. “I will start immediately, Governor.” Topsoil watched Cupcake put his lunch rations on a plate. It did not look like the disks of hay and prepackaged greens they were, but he knew it was the standard lunch ration they had been eating for the past eight weeks. He could not wait for them to be able to start growing their own food. He looked past Cupcake and the counter to Gingerbread working in the kitchen back. The mare had a white coat like Cupcake, but the blue, dark purple, light pink, and lavender streaks in Gengerbread’s mane set them apart when her sapphire-like eyes were hidden, like now as she worked. “Here you go.” Cupcake placed the plate on Topsoil’s tray. “Have a good afternoon.” “Thanks.” Topsoil pushed the tray down the line towards Sweet Stuff and the dessert counter. Fortunately, part of their rations was satisfying the sweet tooth. Sweet Stuff looked to him with her amethyst-like eyes. Her coat was powder blue, and her mane was streaked lavender, dark pink, light pink, and white. She smiled sweetly as he came to her. “Can I suggest the cherry gelatin?” Sweet Stuff asked in her soft voice. “Sounds good,” Topsoil replied. Sweet Stuff placed a small bowl of red gelatin cut into cubes on his tray. “Have a nice day.” “Thank you.” Topsoil picked up his tray and carried it down the aisle between the long tables. He noticed the usual group sitting at the end of a table ahead of him. He recognized them by Posey. Her yellow coat and long, pale pink mane stood out against the rust-colored brick walls. Next to her was Cherries Jubilee who had an orange coat and a curly, peach-colored mane. Winter Wheat was sitting opposite to them and next to Applejack. Topsoil did not think winter when he saw him. Winter Wheat had a yellow coat like Posey’s and his mane was streaked orange, yellow, a more vibrant shade of yellow, and green. He turned back and waved, light glinting off his emerald-like eyes. “Hey, Topsoil, over here.” Topsoil trotted to the table and set his tray down. Winter Wheat moved over to give him room. “We were actually hoping to talk to you,” Posey said. “How’s the geological survey going?” “Well, most of the valley is farmable,” Topsoil said. That was what they wanted to know. He could go into the details when he delivered his final report. “Many of the trees are also apple and cherry trees,” Cherries Jubilee said. “Once the bee hives wake up, we should have plenty to eat and sell.” “I also picked out the perfect place to plant the zap apple seeds,” Applejack said. Posey furrowed her brow. “I thought zap apple trees needed the Everfree Forest nearby to produce fruit? There are the various signs with each stage of fruition.” “This whole planet is one big Everfree Forest,” Applejack said, “and the signs are only the local nature reacting to the zap apples’ magic. The truth is Sweet Apple Acres claims the zap apples only grow near Ponyville to keep the market cornered.” “I’m surprised they would give you seeds then,” Posey said. “Yeah,” Cherries Jubilee added. “My aunt spent some time with Apple—” She paused when she noticed the death glare Applejack was giving her “—your relative. She said she never met a more tightlipped pony.” “Something about being in another world keeps me from being a threat to their business,” Applejack replied. “It’s certainly going to be a busy growing season,” Posey said. “I’m more interested in our new neighbors at the moment,” Winter Wheat said. “We’ve heard they terraform, but I wonder what that entails exactly.” “What does terraform mean anyway?” Cherries Jubilee asked. “It means making an environment more hospitable for life,” Posey said. “We ponies technically do it constantly in Equestria by controlling the weather and nurturing plants and animals.” “Maybe we could ask for the ten cent tour,” Cherries Jubilee said. “We’re naturalists. They’re naturalists. There has to be some common understanding between us.” “I don’t know,” Posey said. “They want to keep to themselves.” She motioned to the dining hall. There were a couple dozen ponies and a few blarks, but there was not a single dell dweller. In fact, aside from their leader coming to meet with Spearhead, Topsoil had yet to see any in this part of the valley. “I’m not suggesting moving into their dell,” Cherries Jubilee replied. “I just want to see what they do.” Topsoil shrugged. “It can’t hurt to ask.” Topsoil tried to grin to Sander who glared at him with his hands on his hips. Dell dwellers only stood slightly taller than a pony at maybe a hundred twenty-five centimeters. “Please, we just want a short tour,” Cherries Jubilee asked sweetly. “We’re not even close to up and running,” Sander said. “We’re lucky the old equipment is still in good shape, but we have to make sure it’s all sound and install new equipment and upgrades. It’s a mess down there.” “We know how much of a mess moving in can be,” Topsoil said. “We just want to see what you do.” Sander paused for a second but seemed more like a minute. He finally exhaled a sigh. “As long as you don’t get in the way, I suppose I can show you around and explain some things.” “Thank you, so much, Mr. Sander,” Posey said. Sander grabbed a nearby sapling, or at least what looked like a sapling and pulled it back like a lever. A large, nearby rock slid back revealing a hole with stairs leading down. Sun Crystals in fixtures on the wall provided ample light. “Come this way.” Sander walked into the hole and down the stairs. Topsoil followed Sander down. The stairs, carved right out of the rock, spiraled down. The steps constantly coming into view and sun crystals spaced evenly on the walls had an almost hypnotic effect. “I know the winged ponies fly and the ponies with horns on their heads have magical power,” Sander said. “What makes your kind special?” “Earthlings have the greatest physical strength and stamina of the three breeds,” Topsoil answered. “We can run faster and longer, jump higher and farther, and carry and pull heavier loads. We also have a connection to earth and plant life. At least, we do back home in Equestria.” “Sounds like we have much in common,” Sander said. “We dell dwellers raise and nurture plant life and condition the soil to be more productive. Our predecessors planted most of the oldest oak trees in the Macstificent Forest above us.” The stairway finally opened up to a large cave. Long, slender sun crystals shined down from rectangular fixtures suspended from the cave ceiling. Chutes and conveyor belts went every which way. Tools covered long tables, and machines loomed over the chutes and conveyor belts. There were also crates and barrels stacked in alcoves. “A pretty industrial setup for a bunch of naturalists,” Winter Wheat said. Sander stopped and turned back to them. “It’s not that we’re against industry. We just believe it needs to be used responsibly unlike the gizmonks who just run roughshod over everything.” Topsoil took notice of the other dell dwellers working around them. They were organizing tools and working lubricant into the machines and rollers of the conveyor belts. A few walked towards them. “What’s with them?” one of them asked, clearly irritated. “They’re interested in what we do,” Sander said to the group. “Since we’ll be sharing the valley, I thought it would be neighborly.” The dell dweller who spoke pointed at Sander. “Well, they’re your responsibility. Make sure they don’t get in the way.” “They’ll be fine,” Sander said dismissively. The other dell dwellers backed away and went back to work. “They’re certainly friendly,” Cherries Jubilee said, not hiding her sarcasm. “You have to forgive them,” Sander said. “We prefer to work out of the eyes of others. You see, we don’t want to look like we favor one species over another in our work. Therefore, we keep to ourselves.” “That’s understandable,” Posey said. She then cocked her head to the side. “Though, I would imagine that makes getting paid difficult.” “Being surrounded by life is payment for us for the most part,” Sander said. He then smirked. “We actually have contracts with peoples looking to restore land. However, we have a policy of accepting contracts from everyone.” Sander turned away and motioned for the ponies to follow him. Topsoil walked behind him. “We’d even take a contract from the gizmonks if they offered one,” Sander continued his thought. “As it stands, we clean up their messes for no compensation at all.” “Is that why you’re enemies?” Cherries Jubilee asked. “As near as I can tell,” Sander replied. Sander stopped in front of a sprayer above a conveyer belt. “This will water seedlings once we start working.” “Does the water come from the aquifer the river descends into?” Topsoil asked. “If the old schematics are right, it should,” Sander answered. “In fact, we’re working on getting the water works running now.” A loud bang resounded through the cave, followed by the sound of rushing water. Topsoil looked to the sound. A muddy torrent of water fell over itself as it spread through the cave. Dell dwellers ran from the wave, but it fell over them. Sander grabbed a dell dweller as he ran by. “What happened?” he shouted over the deafening noise. “The pipes must have settled out of alignment!” the other dell dweller shouted frantically. “We opened them up and they pulled right out of the rock. Now the whole river is rushing in here!” “We have to get help!” Cherries Jubilee screamed. “Get everyone you can to safety!” Topsoil shouted. “I’ll run back to Dream Castle.” Topsoil ran back to and up the staircase. The effect was even more stomach turning at running speed. He practically flew out of the hole and onto the snow-covered surface. He took a moment to get his bearings and ran up the valley. Wind Whistler stepped out of the tunnel and winced at the sudden increase in light. She saw Fizzy, Gusty, and Shady running towards her. “Is it true?” Gusty shouted. “Can that thing in there take us anywhere we want?” They slid to a stop in front of her. “We’ve yet to test it,” Wind Whistler said, “but if Administrator Derrick’s claims are true, then yes.” “That means we can visit the other crystal ponies whenever we want,” Fizzy said. Wind Whistler noticed Topsoil out of the corner of her eye. He ran towards them and slid to a stop. “The dell’s flooding—need help—now!” he got out between gasps. Wind Whistler tensed. She was all too familiar with industrial accidents. She turned to Fizzy, Gusty, and Shady. “Gusty, get the word out! Shady and Fizzy, you’re with me!” “I’m on it!” Gusty disappeared in a flash. Wind Whistler spread her wings and took to the air towards the dell. Shady followed Wind Whistler as best she could. Her throat burned from breathing, and her heart thumped in her chest. She could not remember the last time she had been in a dead run this long. She looked up to Wind Whistler who had her body completely streamlined and her wings beating quickly. Wind Whistler rose up to fly over the stands of oak trees. Shady weaved between their trunks into the clearing. Wind Whistler landed in front of her, and Fizzy appeared in a flash. Several dell dwellers and four ponies were standing around the hole. Many had blankets around them. Wind Whistler took several short breaths before she asked, “Is everyone safe.” “Rockfall is missing,” a dell dweller answered. “I didn’t see him come up.” Wind Whistler looked down into the hole intently. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Shady said nervously. “I won’t tell you.” Wind Whistler bounded down the hole. “Wind Whistler, you can’t!” Shady shouted after Wind Whistler as she followed her in. They ran down the hole until they reached the water taking step after step. “It’ll flood the valley!” Shady shrieked. “No,” Wind Whistler said. “The water level will rise until it’s level with the water table and then stop.” “What about the dell dweller?” Fizzy asked. “Can you form air bubbles” Wind Whistler asked. “I can try.” Fizzy cast her magic. Bubbles started to form and expand, but they popped. Bubbles formed above the water and sank towards the water, but popped when they touched the surface. Fizzy cancelled her magic and slouched. “Water is too disturbed. I can’t keep them from popping. I’m so sorry, Wind Whistler.” “It’s okay, Fizzy. You tried your best.” Wind Whistler turned to Shady. “How well can you swim?” “Okay I guess,” Shady said. Wind Whistler jumped into the water and disappeared under its murky surface. Shady paused for a second. Every atom of her being was telling her not to. However, she took and held a deep breath, dived into the cold water, and swam down the rest of the way. She could barely see, especially since she could barely keep her eyes open without them being irritated. She came out of the stairway and headed to the surface. Shady breached and exhaled her held breath and sucked in another. Wind Whistler was floating nearby. “Where do you think the dell dweller is?” Shady asked, he teeth chattering. “Stay here.” Wind Whistler took a deep breath and disappeared under the water. She was gone several seconds. She came back up and sucked in a breath. “I think I found him.” Wind Whistler disappeared again. Shady took in a breath and followed her. Shady could barely make out a dell dweller trapped under a piece of equipment. Wind Whistler tried to pull him out, but he was stuck. Wind Whistler pointed to Shady, then to the equipment, and then made a lifting motion. Shady nodded as she thought she understood what Wind Whistler meant. Shady placed her hind hooves on the ground and twisted her pasterns to cradle the equipment. She then put all of her strength into lifting the equipment. Wind Whistler took the dell dweller’s arms and began to pull. Shady could only lift the equipment a couple of centimeters, but it was enough for Wind Whistler to pull him out. Wind Whistler draped the unconscious dell dweller over her back and swam back to surface. Shady breached with her and took a breath. “He’s still alive, but barely” Wind Whistler said. She went below the water again. Shady followed her down to the stairway and up to the surface. Shady shivered and chattered as she stepped out of the frigid water. Wind Whistler quickly trotted up to the surface making sure the dell dweller did not slip off. Fizzy helped keep him on Wind Whistler’s back. They came out into a crowd. Truly made her way to the front. “How is he?” “He’s stopped breathing!” Wind Whistler said more frantically than Shady ever thought she’d hear from her. “Put him on the ground,” Truly said calmly. Wind Whistler gently slipped him off her back. Truly spread his limbs out. She breathed into his mouth and then pressed her hooves on his chest. She then repeated. The dell dweller coughed and spat up water. Truly heaved a sigh. “And they thought it was a crazy idea back home.” Gusty placed blankets on Shady and Wind Whistler. It did not help with the cold much, but Shady appreciated the gesture. “That was some quick thinking,” Gusty said. Wind Whistler threw her pastern over Shady. “I couldn’t have done it without Shady.” “Anyone could have done that,” Shady said shyly. “But you were the one who did it,” Wind Whistler said. “That was very brave.” Shady smiled. “It was, wasn’t it?” Spearhead shook his pastern with Derrick’s hand. “It’s such a shame you have to leave so soon.” “It is,” Derrick said glumly. “We had such great plans, but it seems the Land of Nightmares will get the last laugh.” “Are you sure there’s nothing you can do with the dell?” Wind Whistler asked. Derrick heaved a sigh. “The cave wall collapsed. The dell is now an underground lake.” He exhaled a weak laugh. “To think that device sat there for 4 million years and starts right up, and our equipment failed after several decades of disuse. It reminds you of how small we are.” “What about building a new dell?” Wind Whistler asked. “There are many caverns in Dream Valley that could suit your needs.” Derrick shook his head. “The Brotherhood would never give us the resources. Many believe restoring the Land of Nightmares is a fool’s errand. We got what we needed to restore the old dell, nothing more. Now that it’s gone, our project is over.” Derrick turned to a group of a dozen or so dell dwellers. “Are you sure you want to stay?” One of them nodded. “We might not be able to save the Land of Nightmares, but we can help the ponies with establishing their colony.” “Good luck then,” Derrick said. “To you as well, Administrator,” the dell dweller replied. Derrick turned to Spearhead. “Although we won’t be sharing the transit tunnel, I still ask you honor our agreement.” Spearhead placed his right leg over his chest. “The ponies will never use it for unprovoked aggression. You have my word.” “You also have an ally in the dell dwellers,” Derrick said. “If you need our help, it’s yours.” “We are also here to assist you if you ever need it,” Spearhead said. “Then I guess there is nothing left for us here.” Derrick turned to the airship and trudged up the gangplank. He was clearly a defeated man. Spearhead had seen much of himself in the dell dweller, having such grand plans. Seeing him defeated by the very nature he loved so much was heartbreaking. Derrick disappeared inside the gondola and the gangplank lifted up. Water poured out of the ballast tanks and the airship lifted up. Spearhead waved with the others as it lifted above the trees and slowly motored away. Wind Whistler put her hoof down and heaved a sigh. “It’s really a shame. They’re such good people. They don’t deserve this.” Spearhead watched the airship disappear from view. “I don’t believe in karma or luck. Life will give you what it gives you.” He fought the smirk trying to form on his face. And I’ll gladly take the transit tunnel, he thought.