Shackles and Friendship

by Zaibatsu

Chapter 42 - All so easy

Shackles and Friendship
Chapter 42 - All so easy
Edited by AndyGrey
Pre-read by AndyGrey

[AN: Better late than never right?]

The walls of the tree shook as the door violently flew open. I could hear something small clatter across the floor; one of the hinges probably broke. Crea’s grip on me tighten as she slid to a stop, her talons scraping the floor leaving long gashes.

I expected Twilight to wake up in surprise and barrel down the stairs to check the disturbance. Only, she was still awake. She was standing near the far window looking at us wide eyed with her jaw hanging loose. Before she could say anything I was dropped, rather roughly, onto the nearest furniture. Fortunately I landed on my other side which was fine, otherwise my fractured rib might have broken all the way.

“No time to explain everything,” Crea said with tired breath. “Danger’s gone! Inquest is at the castle! Need to go check on him!” And with that she turned and bolted out the door, just as fast as she came, leaving Twilight barely able to process the whole thing.

“Oh!” Crea yelled just outside the door. “Send a few to check the hospital. They’re all unconscious but unharmed!” With nothing left to say, she spread her massive wings and did a short run before launching herself, disappearing into the night sky.

Silence followed, both Twilight and I were unsure what to say or do next. It was during this short reprieve that I finally noticed that Twilight wasn’t the only pony in the room. Spread around the main area of the library were five large white bubbles, floating above the floor. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Dash were curled up inside. The sight of them reminded me of those quarter capsule toys outside of the toy shop I visited as a kid.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence with the most expected question. “Rodney, what happened?” she asked, galloping towards me.

I realized then, that while Crea has been carrying me around like a sack, the hospital gown I wore had twisted around my body, covering my side while leaving my back and front open for display. I should probably count myself lucky it was the dead of night, otherwise my naked butt would have been paraded through town for all to see. I quickly aligned the gown to cover myself and repositioned to a more comfortable sitting posture.

Twilight looked at me and waited for a reply but I didn’t give any. Honestly, after what happened, I was both mentally and physically drained to a point where I just didn’t care. Not even when the five closest ponies I knew were sleeping inside bubbles hovering above the floor.

Well, almost.

“Are they ok?” I asked in a tired tone, gesturing towards the bubbles.

“Yes they’re just fine; they’re asleep,” Twilight quickly replied. “The Professor came by and- Look they’re safe, that’s the important thing. Now what happened?”

I let out a long tired sigh. “I saw a ghost,” I mumbled randomly.

“What?”

My eyes drifted towards Rarity who, despite being curled up and pressed together, still had her perfectly manicured appearance. “Twilight,” I called, “I need you to go to the boutique.”

“What? Why?”

I looked at her. “Sweetie Belle’s all alone.” For a second she just looked at me before slapping herself with a hoof for not thinking of that.

“Ok, I’ll take everypony back home and then you’ll explain what’s going on.”

Again I didn’t reply, didn’t make a sound as I just laid there in a state of ‘I don’t give-a-damn’. Seeing my impassive expression must've finally made her realize that I just wanted to be left alone. Instead of waiting, she just turned and trotted next to Rarity, her horn glowing.

“Check the hospital,” I added, reminding her of what Crea said earlier.

“I’ll wake the mayor; she’ll round up a group to go.” Twilight’s horn glowed brighter as she gathered magic, her trademark purple aura spreading and covering all five bubbles that held her friends. As soon as they were all enveloped, Twilight and everybody disappeared and a flash of purple light.

“Huh,” I mumbled to myself, “she really can teleport.” My body started to sag as I just let go of everything, my head resting back while I stared at the ceiling. “Dammit, that would’ve been useful.” I made a note to ask Twilight the details later.

Surprisingly, I didn’t immediately fall asleep as I had expected to. I just laid there with my thoughts wondering about. First, Jo or whatever that thing was, the fight with Inquest, the spells he casted, and finally why I deserved to suffer like this.

“You still there?” I asked the empty room.

‘Unfortunately.’

“You’re being rather quiet, nothing to say about all this?”

‘A lot actually. But luckily for you, I’m too busy holding us together. I’m the only reason you haven’t lost it all already.’

“Wait, so my symptom of insanity is...keeping me from going crazy? That doesn’t-”

‘Make any sense? Kinda agree with you there. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how I’m doing it. But trust me on this, that Jo-thing traumatized you more than you know.’

With Jo being brought to the discussion, I naturally started thinking of over what happened, questioning why she suddenly showed out of nowhere, where’d she come from, what she wanted with me, and of course, what she meant at the end.

Just remembering those words made me question everything. Liars? Who? What kind of lie could be so horrific that I’d be willing seek her out? I can’t imagine anyone from Ponyville being involved, haven’t really been here that long. But Twilight? She had been there from the beginning. I had spent more time with her than any other pony. She didn’t seem like the person, or pony I suppose, who would betray me like that.

Unless….

“Celestia.”

It was difficult to believe Twilight could hide something, but if it was for Celestia, that wouldn’t be too farfetched. She adored Celestia too much to say no.

“Goddammit!” I yelled, rubbing my face in frustration. This was all purely conjecture from baseless paranoia; a bunch of guesswork and maybes that may or may not be true. There’s no way for me to know for sure about anything. Not yet anyways.

I stopped thinking for a moment, calmly breathing in, and out hoping to think more clearly. Jo was the enemy, that much was clear. I had no reason to believe anything she said. But at the same time, why didn’t she just kill me when she clearly had more than ample opportunities to do so. If her objective wasn’t to kill me, what was it?

“Why the hell would I ever want-” I froze as a thought struck my mind. “Oh god, a way home?”

‘Alright just stop right there!’ I felt an odd sensation, like a tap to the brain. ‘What’s the point in speculating?’

“I...”

‘Which is more likely; that somebody out there is hiding an earth shattering secret? Or that Jo’s just messing with us? We have no reason to trust her!’

Was it purely wishful thinking? That I desperately wanted to go home that badly that I’d dream up some wild situation, just so that I can believe that maybe it was still possible to go home?

‘You’re not in the right state of mind, trust me, I am actually in your head! Just get some rest. That’s the best you can do right now. Or just find something else to do.’

I let out a sigh and tried closing my eyes, but sleep was difficult, maybe there was still a bit of adrenaline flowing in my veins. Whatever the reason, my eyes started to wander about the library, trailing along the walls of the living wooden structure and rows of books. There were plenty of novels, romance, mystery, and a surprising amount of adventures. There was even a collection based on a pony called Daring Do.

Eventually, I spotted what looked like the academic section. Nestled in their own corner were books of knowledge, encyclopedias, and guides about the world, the elements, and of course, magic. A few I recognized. I had read them myself from front to cover as part of Twilight’s training regimen. She had insisted that I needed more knowledge than practical skills.

Considering recent events, I found myself seriously questioning that wisdom.

“Magnet, maglev, levitation, propulsion, shield,” I mumbled in thought. There were a few more, but these were the spells I had grown accustomed to, and relied upon the most.

That had to change. I needed more. More magic, more spells, more ways to fight against whatever this world had in store for me. It was time to get real.

Even with exhaustion and the pulsating pain of my fractured rib, I reached out with a hand towards the bookshelf. I randomly choose a book which was enveloped by blue flames. It slid out of the tight fitting and floated to my hand.

“Book Three: The Art and Craft of Runes,” I read the title aloud. Of course, I had no idea what runes were, and I doubted it had anything to do with the kind of runes you find in fantasy video games and the like. “Whatever,” I mumbled. With the book balanced atop my chest, I flipped to the first page…

...and fell asleep before I even finished the first paragraph.

“How is he?” the regal alicorn asked, her tone heavy with concern. She trotted on down the quiet hallway, deserted except for the occasional sentry.

“We don’t know,” the pegasus replied, eyes still glued to the initial reports held by her wings. “But based on those who saw him, the injury appears to be extensive.”

“Of all the foolish...,” Celestia started before stopping herself with a sigh. “Is his life in jeopardy?”

“Possibly,” the pegasus, wearing a doctor’s coat, answered. “Reports suggest he’s bleeding heavily. One of the staff noted two of his hooves were bound by magic with some sort green paste. I’m guessing he tried to dress his wounds in the field.” She suddenly dropped the reports in frustration. “But none of this matter if we can’t even get to him! He’s-”

“Locked himself in, I know,” Celestia finished.

She had only been informed of the situation moments ago, that Inquest had suddenly teleported in the main laboratories. He immediately ordered all the staff on duty to leave. Worse, he then activate the emergency containment system, a series of enchantments placed on every door and window for emergency purposes. Or in most cases, when one of his experiments ran amok. It was Inquest’s own design, both formidable and complex, which only a few key individuals, aside from himself, were given authority to activate and release.

But it would appear as though Inquest had tampered with the locking spell in some way. Shining Armor, one of those individuals with the authority had failed to lift the enchantments. The only other option would be to break the enchantments and spells apart one by one. That, however, would take a team of skilled unicorns at least a day or two to accomplish. It was a difficult and tedious tasks, like pulling apart a massive tapestry thread by thread. What troubled Celestia the most however, were the reports given from the staff who witnessed Inquest’s appearance.

He had brought something along with him, encased in a giant white sphere of pure magic. From the description, Celestia immediately recognized it as a containment spell of sorts Inquest had created, often used to deal with dangerous materials in large quantities. Celestia’s hooves trotted faster as she pondered what could be inside. Only one guess stood out amongst the rest.

The other ‘visitor’.

‘Has he done it?’ she thought. ‘Actually tracked it and captured it? How? Did they fight? Who started it?’ Celestia quickly shook such thoughts away, fussing over them now would do nopony any good. For the moment she needed to focus on gaining access to the research wing and making sure Inquest didn’t kill himself.

Both Celestia and the doctor trotted on in silence as they made their way outside. The research wing was located as a separate building directly east and next to the castle walls, connected with a skybridge for ease of access. The cold night wind greeted Celestia as she stepped onto the bridge, which offered her an excellent view of the castle grounds.

Most nights, the gardens were peaceful and beautiful to behold. Small luminescent gems were placed along the ground, glowing with a soft light. Only the occasional guards on their patrol would ruin the serene scene.

But this night was anything but peaceful. There was a large group of ponies milling about the research building, either curious, worried, or both. The look of concern on all their faces was understandable. The building - and tower that stood above it - had always been full of magical activity. The massive amount of magic inside made the building glow and you could always hear ponies working inside and around no matter the time. But now it stood dark and foreboding. Lifeless. The only indication that somepony was inside were the occasional sounds of clatter, metal clanging and glass breaking, as if a manticore was rampaging inside.

“Princess!” called a familiar voice. Celestia turned her attention forward where she saw Captain Shining Armor trotting urgently towards her.

“Captain,” Celestia greeted, “what’s the situation?”

“We’re still locked out,” he answered, moving to trot next to her. “A group of the research staff are currently at work trying to break the enchantment on the door, but it’s progressing slowly. I’ve ordered my guards to begin carving right though the walls, with luck it might be faster.”

“You still couldn't undo the lock?” Celestia asked to affirm.

“No, Your Highness,” he answered. “Whatever’s going on inside, The Professor clearly wish to be left alone.”

“I’ll not have him bleed to death in there. What of Crea?” Celestia had hoped to question her, thinking she might shed some light to the situation.

“No signs of the griffon ma’am. I do have guards watching the sky; we’ll know when she arrives.”

“Princess, if you will,” the doctor spoke, “I’d like to get my own team ready.” She turned to the captain. “Sir, I’d like a gurney and a few ponies brought close to the door so we may immediately administer emergency treat-”

“Do it,” he cut in. With a respectful bow to Celestia the doctor immediately departed, leaving the two alone.

“Captain, I would also like the area cleared.” Celestia gazed down at the gathered ponies below. “One of The Professor’s experiments could escape in all this commotion. I do not wish to see another rampaging carpet, or any other furniture, harm anypony.”

Shining Armor turned his attention towards a single pegasus, a night sentry, that hovered just outside. “Sergeant!” he called out. “I want crowd control! Clear the grounds!”

The sergeant gave Shining a salute before gliding down towards the crowd, his squad following behind. Hovering above the crowd, they started ushering the ponies away in an orderly fashion. By the time Celestia had had crossed the bridge, the building was already isolated with spectators standing a good distance away and the guards standing in between, keeping the perimeter.

As Celestia stepped off the skybridge unto the building, she saw a group of unicorns standing in front of large double doors. Unlike the ones from the throne room, which were intricately decorated with gems and gold, the doors leading to the research wing were plain and simple. They looked like ordinary polished wood often found in many common homes, the only difference being the size. A pair of brilliant diamonds embedded on each door were the only decoration. Many considered such a dull statement unworthy. Afterall, it was the entryway to where the most gifted ponies worked to further the advancement and understanding of magic. A place where the most complicated, dangerous, and ambitious spells were created.

But the choice for it’s appearance was not due to sloth or budgetary reasons, rather out of necessity. At a far closer inspection, one would discover that what looked like wooden grooves on the surface, were in fact thousands of extremely minute runes. These magically strengthened the door’s durability and strength many times beyond its physical limit. The diamonds provide the needed supply of magic. Moreover, for both security and to ensure that the supply of magic remained full at all times, The Professor made it mandatory that a unicorn had to be present to open the doors, for it would only allow entry when an appropriate amount of magic has been ‘offered’.

These doors were Inquest’s first product after he took the title of The Professor. Each took three months to create, a marvel of runecraft, spellweave, and enchantment.

“Progress?” Captain Shining asked loudly. Though they had heard them, none of the unicorns even glanced their way as they approached, engrossed with the unbelievably difficult task of dismantling the enchantments on the doors.

A pegasus, and a member of the night guard, stepped forth from the side. “Excruciatingly slow,” he answered.

“Steadfast!” the Captain called in pleasant surprise.

“Captain,” he greeted with a salute before bowing to Celestia. “Princess.” It was easy to tell the gesture was painful, the bandages visible under his armor were a dead giveaway that he hadn’t fully recovered.

“Heard you took some dragonfire to the face,” Shining spoke humorously.

“Wasn’t to the face, sir,” Steadfast answered.

“Are you fit for duty, lieutenant?” Celestia asked in a caring tone.

“Fit and able, Your Highness.”

“Is that the doctor’s opinion, or yours?” Shining asked with a knowing look. Steadfast only smiled.

“Lieutenant,” Celestia continued,“had I known a dragon would attack Ponyville, I would not have sent you and your squad so poorly prepared as I did.”

Steadfast gave another bow. “Part of the job Your Highness.” Though Celestia expressed her regret in her inability to foresee such danger, she held herself from apologizing. To do so for sending them into danger would be a disrespect to their commitment.

Celestia turned her attention to the looming doors. “How long?”

Steadfast sighed. “With the way things are going, three days. Maybe four.”

‘Too long,’ Celestia thought.

“Things outside aren’t going so well either,” Steadfast continued. “They just brought in some heavy duty tools but it’s hardly making a scratch. Looks like the enchantments on the building are just as tough as the door’s.”

“Well, it was designed stand against every assault imaginable,” Shining added. “I suppose this shows we’ve done a good job.”

Celestia moved past the line of unicorns and stood right in front of the entryway. Right in between the doors was a small circular cut for a keyhorn, a locking mechanism that would only open for certain individuals; the same kind that guarded the Elements of Harmony. Obviously, only a unicorn or alicorn would be capable of unlocking such doors.

Celestia dipped her head and pushed her horn through the slot. She felt the tingling sensation as magic touched and prodded her horn. One second later, she heard the familiar sound of grinding gears as the locking mechanisms started moving. However, it didn’t take long before she heard a sudden clamp on the gears, straining and grinding as if something had been unhinged.

Celestia sighed as she pulled her horn out. ‘He must’ve burned one of the runes controlling the locks,’ Celestia deduced. ‘I’ll have to do this the hard way.’

“Captain, please-”

“Sister!” a loud familiar booming voice shouted accompanied by a burst of deep blue light as Luna appeared, appearing especially irked. “Who is this that dares-”

“Luna,” Celestia interrupted in a calm voice, “inside voice.”

“Oh, ahem, pardon us. Now, what has that arrogant pony done this time?” Luna asked, keeping her voice in check.

“I’d like to know that as well,” Celestia replied. “It would seem we would need to ask Inquest himself.” Celestia stared intently at the large doors.

Following her gaze, Luna immediately understood. “I see.” Without another word, she moved and stood next to Celestia. Both their horns started to glow, which quickly grew to near blinding light.

“Captain,” Celestia called in a warning tone.

“Everypony get back!” Shining ordered. “Unicorns! Erect a barrier and try to contain the damage!” With trained diligence each guard reacted perfectly, those unneeded moved out of the way while the unicorns stood in a line. Their horns burst into life as a shimmering, multicolored wall of light grew in front of them, trapping both Celestia and Luna in an enclosed space.

Celestia frowned as she stared at the doors. “He won’t be pleased with us destroying one of his accomplishments.”

“All his fault for forcing our hooves,” Luna replied unwaveringly.

“I suppose. Ready?” Celestia asked.

Luna smiled. “Always.” The radiance around their horns exploded ever more brilliantly, Celestia’s golden hue of dawn while Luna’s a dark blue from the night sky. Their clashing lights mixed beautifully together, like the twilight from dawn and dusk.

As Luna and Celestia were about to unleash their combined destruction, they both heard a multitude of gears turning. The doors began to slowly open moving only inches every few seconds. It made a loud creaking noise that made everypony’s back tingle with anticipation. , the added creaking noise of wood only seem heighten the anticipation.

They heard Inquest’s raspy breathing before his hoof came to view, and both alicorns silently gasped at the sight. It was worse than Celestia had expected. Inquest came out limping, more dragging than trotting, as he could only balance himself on two hooves, a long stretch of blood trailing behind.

For a while everypony was silent, too shocked to do anything but stare at the grisly sight. It didn’t seem as though Inquest even noticed them. His head was hanging low as he continue to limp past the door. It didn’t take long for his strength and will to fail. He collapsed on his side, the squelching noise he made indicative of how drenched his fur was in blood.

“Out of the way!!” somepony screamed from behind. Everybody turned to see a group of ponies, all dressed in white coats rush to the scene with a gurney. The line of unicorns quickly separated as each jumped to the side, the wall of light evaporating into nothingness just in time as the doctor’s charged past.

Celestia quickly reacted and levitated Inquest up, his body glowing in soft golden light. Once the gurney was placed under, Celestia gently lowered him onto it, as if placing a newborn in a crib. With the missions Celestia had sent him on in the past, Inquest was no stranger to wounds and injuries, a few even life threatening. But it never made it easier for her to see him like this, or anypony for that matter.

“Get a patch of Tyllos, a bottle of Suntouch, and as many packs of his blood type to the emergency room! Now!” a doctor shouted, the same pegasus that accompanied Celestia moments ago. An earth mare nurse quickly turned and galloped down the hallway as fast as she could.

“How does he fare?” Luna asked worriedly.

“Worse than I expected,” she replied, scrutinizing Inquest’s injured hooves as she pulled away some of the green paste with her wings. “But not beyond hope,” she quickly added. “Time’s of the essence, he’s lost too much blood.” The doctor gave Celestia a look. “Your Highness.”

Not wasting time on words Celestia’s horn immediately glowed, the golden light spread to the doctors, Inquest, and the gurney. But just as Celestia was about to teleport them all to the medical wing, she heard a gravelly voice.

“Nopony goes...inside,” Inquest wheezed, his eyes looking straight at Celestia’s. Inquest was by no means young, some would even call him elderly, despite his youthful vigor. But at that moment Inquest seemed to have aged centuries, appearing ancient and withered. “It...lies. Don’t….don’t believe...” With his last remaining strength used up, Inquest’s eyes fell shut.

Fearing the worst, Celestia unconsciously cried, “Inquest!!”

“Princess, now!” the doctor shouted. With that Celestia’s horn exploded into light, gathering more magic than was needed as they all vanished in blinding light. Silence followed after, everypony unsure what to do as Celestia stared at the floor with worry.

“I’ve...never seen him like that,” Shining spoke, breaking the silence. “I mean after all he’s done, feels like he’s indestructible. I didn’t think-”

“Captain!” Luna interrupted. “We wish for guards to be placed on duty at all times! Full measure! Nothing, living or otherwise, leaves or enters without our sayso!”

Shining Armor’s hoof shot up in salute reflexively. “Yes Your Highness!” He turned and glared at the rest of the guards in the hallway. “Well you heard her!” he barked. “I want three pegasi teams patrolling the skies at all times! Earth ponies stand at perimeter and unicorns on spellwatch! Magic or otherwise, nopony will touch this building, am I understood!?”

A resounding “Yes sir!” echoed throughout the hallway. Captain Shining Armor’s voice receded as he trotted out unto the skybridge, shouting further orders to everypony outside.

“Sister?” Luna called worriedly.

“I’m fine, Luna,” Celestia replied. “I just didn’t expect to see him so...” Her focus shifted to the large double doors in front of her, now open. “I want to see what has caused all this,” she spoke, full of determination.

“Is that wise?” Luna argued. “We know nothing of what lies within.” Unfortunately the open entryway did not offer any vision of the laboratory. A short hallway that split into a T shape lead to the main area, a measure of security preventing anypony from catching glimpses. It also helped traffic, one path for entry and the other for exiting.

Celestia stared down the open hallway in silence, swaying between caution and curiosity. It would be a simple matter to just wait for Inquest to wake and question him then. But with the degree to which he suffered, it would probably take a day or two before he regains consciousness.

“Just a peek,” Celestia finally decided, trotting cautiously inside.

“I shall remain close, sister,” Luna said, following suit.

As Celestia trotted down the hallway and turned the corner, she was greeted with darkness. The glowing gems that decorated the walls were gone. In fact, looking at the damage, it seemed as if they were torn right off their sockets, leaving scarring depression along the walls. With the light of her horn illuminating the way, Celestia continued forth and finally reached the main laboratory.

Or what was left of it.

“Inquest,” Celestia gasped under her breath, “what have you done?”

Rubble everywhere, wrecked pieces of metal and wiring were strewn about the floor. Machinery several times a pony’s height, costing thousands of bits and uncountable hours of research to build lay in torn ruins. Various prototypes, the first of their kind, that could accomplish wonders in various fields, were now nothing more than junk, their guts torn out.

Most perplexing were the experiments - pantry dishes, testing equipment, chemical compounds, cultivated rare medicinal plants - all piled up to the side like discarded garbage. Ongoing research that Inquest himself had started and protected obsessively as if they were his offspring.

The title of Professor had given Inquest some power, but that position did not not make him omnipotent to the law. Every property, even those Inquest created himself, belonged to the government and had been funded by the nobles and populace. Once all this came to light, many would protest against Inquest’s continued position as The Professor. He would not face any severe punishment, but at the very least he would be dishonourably discharged; the first to taint the esteemed reputation of that title. Pride had always been Inquest’s weak point, a humiliation such as this would be the kind that could break him.

“Has that old pony finally lost it?” Luna spoke in bewilderment, glancing about every corner of the laboratory. Her eyes suddenly fixed upon something at the far side. “What is that?”

Following Luna’s gaze, Celestia spotted a source of light in the distance. It was rather surprising how she failed to notice it before, after all, it was the only other source of light besides their horns. The sight of the butchered lab disturbed her more than she thought.

Without a word, Celestia started making her way towards the light, her hooves stepping in between scraps of metal and shattered glass. Whatever gave of the light was massive, though the brightness was dull and soft. As she trotted closer, Celestia soon realized what it was she was gazing at.

A giant sphere of light, probably the same one the staff reported earlier when Inquest first appeared. It would have required a massive amount of magic to create something like this, but what was most impressive, was how condensed and refined it was. Such magical constructs tended to leak magic, and would gradually deteriorate with time before completely breaking down. To condense the magical structure so tightly would mean minimal deterioration, ensuring a long lifespan.

The sphere was encased in a metal frame, hastily bent and fused together with heat. It held the sphere in a tight grip, preventing any possible movement or rotation. Furthermore, Celestia spotted wires of varying size trailing down the frame like plant vines. Following them, she soon understood the reason behind the laboratory’s destruction.

Gems. All of them, from large arcane gems to the miniscule battery gems plucked from the wall. They lay in a pile away from the sphere, each and every single one of them were coiled with wires connecting to the metal frame.

“Stars save me,” Luna spoke aloud, standing over another similar pile of gems. “He butchered everything in order to collect the gems that power them.” She looked back at the sphere. “All to strengthen this. Why?”

“Because he deemed whatever is inside worth sacrificing all this-” Celestia mouth froze as she suddenly heard something.

Crying. Weak and barely noticeable, it was the unmistakable sound of a filly’s cry.

“Mommy?” the voice called out fearfully. “Mommy where are you?” A soft shadow appeared from inside the sphere, hugging against the wall. Based on its form and size it definitely belonged to a small filly, likely only a few years beyond infancy.

“Don’t let the mean pony get me,” she cried, choking against sobs.

Celestia felt her heart pulled towards the filly. To the public, she was, a source of inspiration and authority. Those that had known her closely would have understood that all her motivation, strength, and will, originated from a single but powerful source.

A motherly devotion. They may not be directly connected, or even of the same species, but Celestia saw all ponies as her children. To see and hear a filly so frightened and alone reached deep to the very core of who she was. Without realizing it, Celestia’s horn had already ignited with magic, ready to break the sphere.

“Celestia!” Luna shouted, her royal voice shaking the walls, making dust rain from the ceiling. The light of Celestia’s horn immediately died down and she blinked several times, as if waking up from a dream.

“Luna,” Celestia called softly, eyes closed. “Thank you. I...” Celestia’s expression turned to confusion as she too was surprised by her near mistake. With her wealth of experience as an immortal, she believed herself to always be in control no matter the situation. To have her emotions overwhelm her so easily, even for a fraction of a second, was disturbing.

“I think it best that we leave,” Luna suggested. “Mad as he is, I do not believe Inquest is capable of such cruelty. Neither is he prone to grievous mistakes of this scale.” Lune paused for a moment for her words to sink in. “Let us have faith in our mad subject.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Celestia gazed at the shadow inside in silence, the cries and sobs thrumming her heart. “Inquest, if anything, would never harm an innocent.”

With a deep breath Celestia turned and trotted away, Luna following soon after. Both made the effort to not glance back, even as the cries seem to grow louder and more heartwrenching. Though it affected Celestia more, Luna too had a hard time ignoring the filly’s cry for help. Luna had a special place for the young, their innocence was something she cherished deeply.

“No, mommy, don’t leave me! I don’t want to be alone! I’ll be good, promise!”

Both alicorns trotted out the laboratory, past the entryway and sealed the doors once again. Turning the whole building into a temporary tomb.

As their magical light faded from the room, the small filly slowly ceased it’s crying. It shimmered for a few moments, only to dissolve back into shadow while it laughed in a childish voice.

“All so easy.”