“Well, that was a bust,” Swirling said as she landed on the roof of the Manehatten Central Library. “I think that’s the first time Tricky’s ever not had anything we could use.”
‘To be honest, I’m not surprised. Golem making hasn’t been in practice for centuries, and what happened is too recent for him to have anything concrete for us just yet.’
“So here I am at the library, after hours, when I could be home sleeping.” She lifted the skylight—which was thankfully unlocked—and soared down to land below with a soft clacking of her hooves on the tiled floor. “Well, if anything, maybe something here will put me to sleep.”
‘If it’s not about art, it’s boring?’
“I don’t only think about art, you know,” she groused as she started searching the bookshelves. “I do have other dreams that I fantasize about.”
‘Do you mean the one about you being part of the Power Ponies, or the one that involves that faceless stal—’
“Stay out of my dreams, Nevermore!” She blushed so fiercely that one could almost see it through the shadowy form of the Raven.
Grumbling at the cackling spirit, she began walking along the main aisles of the library. The yellow eyes of the Raven having no difficulty seeing in the dark. Trotting towards the section on magic, she scanned the book covers for anything she could use.
“Hmm… I’m not seeing anything on golem making here,” she said as she put another book back on the shelf. “I can’t make out half of what I see in these books anyway. How do unicorns use this stuff?”
‘As I understand it, their magic involves a special sort of rhyme that only they understand, along with focusing of their respective energies through their horn, that allows them to create magic.’ He scoffed. ‘Ponies are odd creatures.’
“Said the shadow spirit from an unknown dimension,” she deadpanned.
Suddenly, her hoof gave out from under her, and she landed on her front with an indignant grunt. “Hey! What was that about?”
‘It was fun, that’s why.’
Dusting herself off, she muttered something darkly under her breath. Nevermore really needed to develop a sense of humor that didn’t involve humiliating her. An hour of searching later, she slumped at one of the tables, thumping her head against its oaken surface.
“Ugh, there’s nothing here either.”
Nevermore hummed. ‘I’m disappointed myself. We might have to wait and see if these golems surface again so we can track them back to their creator instead. It seems conventional research is a dead end here.’
She lifted her head. “Does this mean I can go home now and check up on Sunny?”
He grumbled. ‘Yes, it means you can go home and check on the little demon.’
Pushing back her chair, she muttered, “Said the shadow ‘demon.’”
‘Don’t make me hurt you.’
Just before she could spread her wings for the skylight, something caught her eye. It looked like a newspaper, but the image on the front page made her pause.
“What’s this?” Folding her wings back down, she trotted over and lifted the newspaper from the tray. There was a clear image of a pony and what looked like three of the metal golems she faced earlier on it. She read the article over a moment before tilting her head. “Huh. It says here that this Dr. Savant guy tried to show something off to the princesses. They didn’t seem to take kindly to it.”
‘And Dr. Savant would be…?’
“Not a clue. I guess he’s some kind of inventor.” She reread the article again. “He called them ‘Pawns.’ Do you think that these are what I fought earlier?”
‘Possibly. Won’t know until you find out more about him. If he’s behind the golem from before, it would do us and Manehattan some good to make sure he’s not making more to ravage the city.’
“But why would a respected scientist like this guy send one of his own inventions to wreak havoc on Manehattan?” She wasn’t really asking Nevermore, and he didn’t give any answer. She read further through the article, trying to find anything else to help her out. “It says here that he does most of his research in a lab in Manehattan University.”
‘Then that’s where we’re going.’
A groan escaped her before a yawn did. “Can’t it wait, Nevermore? I’m beat, and Sunny is all alone.”
She heard him grumble before speaking. ‘Fine, call it a night, you little whiny filly.’
“I’ll take it if it means I can get some sleep.” She spread her wings and flew for the skylight. Once out, she made sure to close it before flying back to her apartment and the warm, comfy bed that she felt was beginning to think she was cheating on it.
-o-
The bright sparks flew past his face as Savant concentrated on his magic. The welding mask protected him from both them and the bright light as the magic sealed the pauldron onto the shoulder of his newest Pawn.
With the pauldron in place, he lifted his welding mask to analyze his work. Sneering, he levitated half of the Pawn’s metal barrel to its place and channeled his magic once again.
‘Reinforced Minotaurian steel over Equestrian silver-metal. Perfect combination for durability and mobility.’ He frowned under his mask as he continued to work. ‘Now, if only I could find a—’
He heard the sound of a mare clearing her throat, and a growl of annoyance escaped him. Could she not leave him in peace so he could work?
“Dr. Savant,” he heard the voice of Midnight Arrow say. “I trust the construction of the new Pawns is going as scheduled? My superiors are beginning to lose patience.”
He lifted his mask to narrow his eyes at her. “I would be ahead of schedule if not for the constant interruptions, Miss Arrow.” Setting aside his mask, he regarded the dark blue mare as she continued to wear those odd white robes. “What is the meaning of this current disruption?”
“As I said, my superiors are losing patience,” Midnight answered calmly as she looked over the newest Pawn. “The head of my organization is especially eager for results.”
The inventor rolled his eyes and snorted. “Perhaps I’d be more motivated if I knew literally anything about your organization.”
Arrow shook her head. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but my mission here is strictly clandestine. My superiors made it very clear that they don’t want anyone to know that they’re involved in this. All I can tell you is that our goals are aimed much higher than most groups like us.”
“Hmph. As you say.” He levitated a number of cogs and gears and started setting them in their places within the chest cavity. “But as long as your group continues to fund my research, I suppose it doesn’t matter one way or the other what you do.”
She hummed as she toyed with an odd contraption set out on a table, poking it carefully.
Savant’s eyes widened and he hissed as he took the device from her. “Fool! Don’t touch any of my equipment! This is a very delicate process that should only be handled by a true master of the art, not some filly with wandering hooves!”
She scowled as she stepped back from him. “I was merely curious. What is that?”
Savant huffed as he gently wiped the device with a hoof. “If you must know, it’s a modified arcane engine. If my calculations are correct - and they usually are - we should see at least a fifty percent improvement in the Pawns’ fuel efficiency.”
“Fifty percent?” Arrow asked, eyes wide. Most tinkerers who fiddled with arcane engines could usually only get a ten or twenty percent boost in their efficiency, and even that was difficult to pull off, as it required a level of precision spellcasting that most unicorns would find a challenge at its simplest. “What is your secret, Dr. Savant?”
“A lot of elbow grease,” Savant snidely replied. “It’s a secret, I’m afraid. Rest assured, I’ll have more such engines ready for whatever your organization needs.”
She hummed again. “Then your reputation is well earned. To be honest, I had my doubts when I was first tasked to this assignment, but now I see that I was wrong.” Savant didn’t respond, only returning to his work after setting the engine back down on the table. Eyeing him as he tinkered, Arrow asked, “Might I ask you something?”
“Hmm?”
“What led you into your career?”
For a brief moment, he stopped working. Only for a second, however, as he got right back into the flow of his task. It wasn’t until he stopped several minutes later that he finally answered: “Imagine that you can see things. Things no one else can. Imagine that you’ve grown up all your life seeing those things. You wonder why no one else can see them. All the details, all the tiny dots and specks and pieces of information that only you can find. They’re there, but you’re the only one who seems to care, or even notice.
“It’s maddening,” he continued, turning to her with a strangely aged look in his amber eyes. “I became an inventor so that I could show ponies what they were missing, and give them something that could improve their lives at the same time.” He went silent for several moments more, then went straight back to work, sparks flying as he welded new pieces of armor into place.
“There were but a few others who shared the burden of such a powerful mind,” he said, levitating the arcane engine into place, carefully sliding it into the center of the new Pawn’s chest. “I had a roommate in university who held similar goals of improving upon the lives of ponies, though he preferred a biological route. Genetics, and the like. But for most of my life, all I could focus on were those innumerable, overwhelming details. The countless little shards of information, taunting me for being the only one who saw them, screaming at me to simply turn away.” Finishing his speech, he placed the chestplate over the arcane engine and welded the plating to the body.
“A rare mind indeed,” Arrow lamented. “A pity there is no room within my organization’s ranks for one of your talent. Such an ally would doubtless prove invaluable.”
Savant scoffed, a smirk forming on his face. “I’ve always been invaluable. The royals seem to have forgotten that, though. With luck, these new and improved Pawns will remind them exactly what type of pony they denied.”
A sly smile played across Arrow’s features. “We hope that it will, Doctor. We hope that it will.” She once again looked towards a nearby window. “Remember, we need them within two days’ time. Delivered, discreetly, to the train station in the warehouse district.” She turned for the door, but not before casting one final glance over her shoulder. “The compensation will be well worth all of your time, effort, and… sacrifice.”
“Sacrifice?” Savant snorted with a chuckle. “You make it sound as though I’m giving something up. Believe you, me, I’ve not given up anything just yet.” He began rummaging through a toolkit sitting next to him, and frowned after a second. “Ah, blast. I’m missing a crucial component to the energy flow system. Where did I put that piece?” He rubbed his chin a moment before turning to Arrow. “I’ll need to head back to my lab at Manehattan U. I may need help finding what I need.”
Sighing through her nose, Arrow nodded and opened the door, allowing Savant out before following. Silently, she hoped that this wouldn’t take too long. She would prefer to be somewhere safe, come nighttime in Manehattan.
-o-
‘This has got to be the most idiotic idea you’ve ever had,’ Nevermore muttered as Swirling pushed the cleaning cart into the office. ‘And you’ve had some doozies before.’
“Oh, hush,” Swirling said as she took off her cap, freeing her violet and white mane from its confines. She honestly hadn’t expected the janitor act to work, but she wasn’t about to complain. If anything, she should be complaining about having to use her day off from work for this. The blue janitor uniform she was wearing now was baggy, uncomfortable, and itchy in all the wrong places, and she couldn’t wait to get out of it as soon as possible, which made her certain that nopony would miss it if she had to make a break for it. “We needed to find out what Dr. Savant was up to, and we couldn’t wait for night to search for clues.” She looked around the large office for a moment, looking at the many diplomas that adorned the wall. “Geez, how many degrees does this guy need?”
‘Considering what he does for a living, a lot of them are probably necessary, if only for credibility. Now hurry up and look around. We don’t know when he’ll be back.’
With a nod, Swirling took a quick look at the room she’d be searching. It was fairly bigger compared to what she’d been expecting from a college lab, even if it was one of the best universities in Equestria. A number of desks covered in tools, parts, rough sketches, and diagrams dotted the room, which was well lit by a large window on the wall opposite to the door. That unsettled her a bit; if trouble happened, she likely wouldn’t be able to go Raven and fight her way out, especially since sunlight was currently pouring in at the moment.
She eyed the desks around her, trying to figure out where to start. Finding anything useful wouldn’t be easy in all this clutter. Eventually, she simply shrugged and decided to wing it, heading for the closest desk, which had mostly large sheets of paper displaying what she admitted to be very good sketches of a number of things that took her a few moments to recognize, like one of those telephone things she saw in a courthouse when she had jury duty once. There was one that seemed to be a planning stage for something called a ‘gun,’ though what its purpose was escaped her.
Frowning from not finding anything, she turned for the next desk—this one covered in cogs and gears. She tilted her head as she looked at the confusing mass of machine parts. “You think this is what he uses to build those golems of his?”
‘Why are you asking me? I’m not a master golem builder. If I was, I would’ve built my own body to inhabit.’
She snorted, and began sorting through the parts. Eventually, Swirling found an odd metal box that had a few tubes full of some purple liquid, and frowned. “This looks important.”
‘Maybe.’
Unscrewing one of tubes, she slipped it away into one of the pockets on her uniform.
‘What are you doing?’
“You never know. He might need this, or we can use it for something.” She dug around for a bit more before she stumbled over a piece of scrap paper. “Hello? What’s this?” Her amber eyes scanned the paper. “Hmm? Forty-one, station ten? What does that mean?”
‘Hmm… Station ten? A train station, you think?’
Her wings shifted slightly as she pondered on the question. “Maybe, but what about the forty-one? An address?”
Just as Nevermore was beginning to answer, her ears stood erect as she heard the handle of the door turn, an audible click filling the room. Her face paled.
‘Horseapples!’
‘Drop the paper!’
She quickly let go of the scrap, just as the door swung open. In a panic, she dove behind the desk and curled up, keeping her head low enough to see under the desk. Two sets of hooves were visible, one set a tannish color, the second a dark blue.
“Ah, good to be back,” said a stallion’s voice. The tan hooves moved as the stallion trotted through the room, stopping at the cleaning cart for a moment. “Hmm. The caretaker must’ve come through.”
“And why would he leave his cart?” asked a mare, probably the blue pony.
“Likely needed to get something,” the stallion reasoned. “Now, to find that missing part.” The stallion clacked a hoof on one of the desks, and a loud, thudding sound was heard, like metal on wood, and a set of armored hooves became visible. Swirling had to hold her breath to avoid gasping as she realized just what those hooves belonged to. “You know what to look for. Help me find it.”
In quiet agreement, the thing that was undoubtedly one of those golems marched through the room, stopping at desks and searching them briefly one at a time.
“I must confess, Doctor” the mare said, “your Pawns are a little… unsettling. Their blind obedience just isn’t natural.”
“A good soldier follows orders,” said the stallion, who was without a doubt Dr. Savant. “And my Pawns are the best soldiers you could ever find, Miss Arrow.”
“I should hope so, Doctor. My organization has a lot riding on this.”
‘I need a better angle,’ Swirling said as she tried to position herself better. Nevermore said nothing while she managed to poke her head out from behind the desk, getting an easier look at the other two ponies in the room, getting her first real glimpse of Savant.
The unicorn stallion was fairly tall, with tan fur all over and a graying mane. His eyes were an amber color, and his cutie mark was a wrench and a screwdriver. The mare was a dark blue, with a lighter blue mane. She wore some kind of white robe that looked weirdly familiar to… her…
“Sweet Celestia…” Swirling gasped, immediately covering her mouth with a hoof. She slipped back behind the desk just as Savant and Arrow looked in her direction.
‘Nevermore, did you see that?’
‘Of course I did. That mare’s clearly a Disciple. But why would a Disciple be working with someone like Savant?’
‘Maybe they want his golem things?’
“Did you hear that, too?” asked Savant. She didn’t hear Arrow say anything. She might’ve nodded, though. “Pawn 6, investigate.”
The clanking of metal on the wooden floor steadily drew closer and closer, and Swirling could feel her heart beating almost in time with the artificial hooves. A faint clicking could be heard for just a moment, and for an instant, she thought she might actually be safe.
She was proven wrong when the Pawn unceremoniously pushed the desk away, startling the pegasus into hopping into the air, where she hovered briefly before realizing she’d just been caught. “Uh…” she said.
‘How articulate.’
Savant raised an eyebrow at her even as the blue mare scowled at her. “And just what, exactly, are you doing in my office, little filly?”
‘Think! Think! Think!’ she screamed in her mind. “I’m, uh… I’m filling in for the janitor. He’s… out sick.”
“Then why were you hiding?” asked the blue mare.
‘Horseapples!’
‘Improvise!’ Nevermore snapped.
“I… heard you coming, and I guess I panicked.” She blushed, rubbing at the back of her head. “I’m sorry, it’s my first day!”
Savant snorted dismissively. “An uneducated youth, dredging up the bottom rung menial tasks. An admittedly easy role to pretend to be in.” He gave her one of the harshest death glares she’d ever seen in her life. “I’m quite the opposite of a fool. If you were telling the truth, you wouldn’t be sweating.”
“Uh… w-well, your, um… metal thing. It’s kinda…”
The blue mare put a hoof on Savant’s shoulder. “Doctor, whether she’s telling the truth or not, she’s a witness now. My organization can’t have anyone knowing about our agreement.”
Savant pursed his lips in thought, probably weighing his options, before saying, “Very well. Pawn 6, terminate the intruder.”
“Say what now?” Swirling squeaked just as the Pawn’s eyes lit up with an amber glow, and the mechanical pony lunged for her. With a loud yelp, she jumped off to side, away from Savant and the Disciple. The Pawn crashed into a desk that had been behind Swirling, sending papers and parts flying and scattering across the floor.
“Pawn 6! Quit foo—” he grunted as Swirling rushed out of the way and fled for the door. She barely dodged a gear part that buried itself into the wall by the door as she passed by in her escape.
“Damn it! She could ruin everything!” said Arrow as her toss of the gear missed the pegasus by a hair’s breadth.
“After her, Pawn 6, now!” Savant shouted. The Pawn readily complied, giving chase to the fleeing pegasus, galloping relentlessly after her.
Swirling uttered every curse available to her as she flew through the halls of Manehattan U, as well as a few she made up on the spot. Here she was, fleeing from a metal not-golem thing built by a scientist who has clearly either lost it, or never really had it to begin with, and to top it all off, the Disciples of Light were involved in all this!
“Why did it have to be those crazies!?” she shouted as her wings furiously beat the air. “Of all the possible evil organizations in the world, why them!?”
‘Perhaps you just attract that sort of attention.’
“Nevermore, I swear, I will make another food joke if you don’t shut up!” Her ears swiveled at the sound of metal on stone and she turned to see the Pawn still chasing after her, its glowing eyes locked onto its target.
“Oh, come on! Leave me alone!” She flapped her wings harder for another burst of speed and blasted through a door, startling a number of staff and students, who only grew more terrified as the metal pony crashed in after her.
‘Get to the air! Put yourself at a distance!’
How she wished it was nighttime so she could just turn into the Raven and turn the metal monstrosity into scrap! But with the sun out and shining bright, that wasn’t an option. She took to the sky and watched as the Pawn seemed to fade into the background behind her. Flying ahead, she came to a cart stop to catch her breath.
“Whew… I think I lost it. That was too close,” she said between ragged breaths.
She never heard Nevermore’s reply as a cart along the road burst apart, and the Pawn emerged from the wreckage, its eyes still trained on her.
“Do these things ever give up!?” She took off again, and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and not solely from the exertion. She had to lose it somehow, but without other ponies getting hurt. This could be a problem.
‘They would prove the distraction you would need to escape.’
‘No! Not in a million years, Nevermore! I would never do that. Besides, this thing doesn’t seem interested in anyone but me right now.’
‘Stubborn mare,’ he groused. ‘Then get to some shadows, and we’ll deal with it.’
‘Shadowy places aren’t exactly easy to come by in the middle of the day, Nevermore, even in this city!’ As she argued with the spirit, her ears caught the sound of a train’s whistle. Looking to the source, she spotted a train station, with an engine chugging rapidly along the rails. Slowly, a small grin worked its way onto her face as an idea came to mind.
‘Okay, you’re going to get us killed one of these days,’ Nevermore commented as Swirling looped down and descended to the tracks, turning to face the Pawn that was climbing its way onto the rails.
She looked back, seeing the train charging towards her. She faced the Pawn again, the machine already having made it to the tracks and galloping toward her. A glance over her shoulder saw the train still coming full force.
“Come on, come on,” she murmured to herself, bracing herself for just the right moment. She yelped as the Pawn put on a burst of speed, and she had to dodge a blow at the last minute. “Can’t I catch a break!?” She flapped her wings to keep out of the Pawn’s reach. Remembering her fight with one as the Raven, she knew she couldn’t begin to hurt it without Nevermore’s help.
‘Lead it back to the tracks!’
“Working on it!” She rolled away from another heavy swing and ran past it. Once across the tracks, she turned to it. “Over here, you oversized toaster!”
The Pawn turned its gaze to her and blindly charged across the train tracks.
Right into the path of the oncoming train.
With a crunch of metal, the Pawn was blasted out of her sight and into pieces, shards of ruined metal flying everywhere as the train’s conductor pulled the brakes, and the wheels screeched to a halt. The conductor poked his head out the window of the locomotive, looking ahead and back until he found a winded Swirling Line.
“You okay!?” he shouted to her. “What in Celestia’s name happened!?”
With a weak laugh and triumphant grin, Swirling answered, “I’m fine. Nothing to worry about. You actually kinda saved my life just now.” The conductor gave her a confused stare as she lay herself on the station floor, finally having a chance to catch her breath.
‘You need better cardio,’ quipped Nevermore.
‘You need a digestive system,’ Swirling snapped back, earning a very satisfying grumble from the spirit.
‘Whatever. We still need to find Savant and that mare again. It’s pretty clear that the Disciples want that inventor’s machines as weapons. We need to stop them. One of those things is completely relentless. Imagine a whole army.’
The pegasus groaned and ran her hooves over her face. ‘I’d really rather not.’
‘Then we need to find which station they are going to be at, and stop them before they complete their work.’
She watched as the passengers of the train began to disembark from the train, many of them looking at the ruined remains of the Pawn and talking with each other. Getting to her hooves, she discreetly left the station’s platform.
‘That note said station ten and the number forty-one. We know which train station, just not what the forty-one means.’
‘An address, perhaps?’ Nevermore suggested.
‘With no street name, or even an apartment complex listed? Not likely.’
‘Point.’ A silence fell between them as Swirling continued down the street, pondering on where to go next. ‘Well, what about those old warehouses on the other side of the city? We found the Disciples in one. It may be worth investigating them. Find the forty-first warehouse, perhaps we’ll find the good doctor and his associate.’
Swirling was going to respond, until her own mind pieced together the logic her partner’s theory. ‘I hate it when you’re smarter than me.’
‘You must be hateful all the time, then.’
Rolling her eyes, Swirling took flight, feeling the need to take a nap at home before going after Savant and his merry death machines. Whatever that Disciple mare had in store couldn’t be very inviting either.
Hearing a small tink in her pocket, Swirling mentally slapped herself. She’d been in such a rush, she’d completely forgotten she was wearing the janitor uniform. Not stopping, she pulled out the source of the noise, looking at the small vial of purple… stuff in her hooves. Something in the back of her mind that wasn’t Nevermore told her she needed to be careful with whatever this purple liquid was. Who knows? It might actually come in handy at some point. Stowing the vial away again, she continued forward, eager get this stupid uniform off and reunite with her bed.
As the pegasus flew, she was unaware of a stallion watching from a rooftop nearby, his yellow eyes trained on her like a falcon. He silently cursed the fact that he may have to become directly involved in this, which was against the parameters of his assignment. He’d have to take the risk, though. Equestria’s safety was his top priority.
-o-
A scowl crossed Arrow’s face as she and Savant made their way to the warehouse where Savant had ordered his Pawns to bring all the tools and equipment from the abandoned apartment. She knew what it meant if the machine sent after that pegasus didn’t arrive soon. The Disciples couldn’t afford witnesses of their involvement in Savant’s new field. Having the Raven and the princesses as enemies was bad enough already, but if word got out that their order was deliberately abling a stallion that was building weapons, it could permanently tarnish their reputation among the public before it’s even built.
She watched as the three remaining Pawns carried the equipment into their warehouse, the damaged remains of the Pawn that first engaged the Raven carried on the back of another. The good doctor was so invested in building the new Pawns that he had completely forgotten to repair the one that was already built and ready. Even with four operating Pawns, Arrow knew better than to underestimate the Raven. She had foiled Lady White Star’s plans to banish the Corrupted One, and had even defeated Zeal, one of the best fighters in her entire order!
“Dr. Savant, how soon can you get the other Pawns up and running?” she asked again as the tan unicorn began rolling out his schematics along the wall in his makeshift laboratory.
He cast her an annoyed glare. “My Pawns will be completed on time and in proper working order when they are ready, Midnight. You cannot rush perfection.”
Her tail swished as she gritted her teeth. “The Pawn you sent after that intruder has not returned yet, and it should have a long time ago.” She looked to the side as a Pawn set a large container nearby. “We have to assume that it was destroyed, and that the Raven has learned of it. It will only be a matter of time before she tracks us down. We cannot afford that.”
“Oh, please. My Pawn will not fail, and no snooping mare is going to best my creation.” He rubbed his chin. “I will admit that the current models are limited in their abilities to take a pegasus in flight. However, she will inevitably tire. My Pawn will not.” He moved to the container and nodded for one of the Pawns to open it. Once the lid fell away, he levitated the nearly completed Pawn from within. “Once Pawn 7 is complete with the new, more efficient arcane engine, not even the Raven will be able to defeat it.”
“I hope you’re right, Doctor,” Midnight said in a warning tone. All she got in return was another irritated glare and a roll of the inventor’s eyes. Her lips turned back in a snarl at the unicorn’s arrogance. “Need I remind you that my organization is funding the creation of these Pawns? Were it not for us, your dreams of creating artificial life would be as dead as your reputation would have been after the lecture the princesses gave you.” A snide smirk crossed her face as he paused in his work for just a second before resuming his work. “Then we are in agreement?”
“Trust me. Everything will work out exactly as planned,” he said, not bothering to look up from his work. “Pawn 1, go and keep the exterior secure. I don’t want any interruptions. Try to be subtle about it. No need to draw any more suspicion than we already have.”
The mechanical pony complied easily, walking towards the exit, its metal hooves clanking loudly on the concrete floor.
Confident that the doctor would do as told, Midnight Arrow entered the nearby office to rest, never knowing that they were being watched.
-o-
The Raven eyed the two from the skylight above, the wind blowing her ethereal mane around as she contemplated her next move.
‘Despite it all, those two don’t appear to like each other very much.’
‘No, they don’t,’ Swirling said as she watched the other two Pawns spread out to patrol the warehouse. ‘Are you sure about that purple stuff, Nevermore? I really don’t want anything blowing up in my face.’
‘Don’t do something stupid, and you won’t,’ the spirit deadpanned. ‘Now that they’re splitting up, this might be the best time to take them out one by one. That gel has a highly volatile magical signature, not unlike materials used in fireworks and explosives, which will help get through their armor.’
She shifted a bit, knowing that the vial she had taken from Savant’s office earlier was being held for her by the Raven form, and that she could conjure it up with just a thought, but the knowledge that it was explosive didn’t exactly set her mind at ease.
‘So, which one are you taking out first?’
Considering the question, her yellow eyes traced the paths of the two Pawns and Savant at work. She knew that if she tried to take one of the two inside first, it might attract the other, and that was even accounting for Savant or the Disciple that was inside the office.
Her ears swiveled as she heard the footsteps of the sole Pawn outside, and a smirk crossed her face. “I could take out the guard outside and see if that won’t bring the others running. If they do, I can get to Savant and force him to stop working.”
‘I’m actually impressed. I must be rubbing off on you… finally.’
Growling softly at the irritating spirit, she spread her wings and took to the sky. Quickly locating the patrolling Pawn, she hovered over it. Thankfully, the metal pony didn’t bother looking up.
She conjured the vial up, holding it in her teeth carefully.
‘A small amount is all it should take. Aim between the shoulder blades. We might find a weakness there with the armor gone.’
She felt a tightening in her throat as she considered what she was about to do. Remembering her fight with that first Pawn was enough to remind her of just how tough they were. If she messed this up, she could be in a lot of trouble. Steeling herself, she uncorked the vial. There was no going back now, she reasoned.
Once the glob fell from the vial she quickly flapped her wings to get away. The resulting explosion was not as dramatic as she expected. While the alley way did light up—causing her to hiss at the sudden brightness—it didn’t level buildings as she expected. Instead, the explosion was enough to knock the Pawn clean off its hooves, the metal plating on its back and neck falling away. The exposed gears inside whirred and groaned under the stress as the Pawn tried to turn in her direction.
‘What are you waiting for? Attack it now!’
Stirred by Nevermore’s persisting voice she descended and brought back her hoof to punch through the exposed inner workings of the machine. The Pawn stiffened up and jerked a roughly before the light went out of its eyes and collapsed into a metal heap. Its limbs spasmed a bit before the machine settled with a hiss of steam.
“Did I just… beat it?”
‘You caught it by surprise. An element which you no longer have over the others. They likely know you’re here now.’
On cue, there came a shout from Midnight Arrow from the warehouse. “It’s the Raven! She’s here!”
“Pawns 2 and 5, keep close and protect me! Do not let her in here!” came Savant’s shout.
“Oh, fantastic…” Swirling groused and took to the sky again. Landing on the roof she ran for the skylight.
“On the roof! I heard her!” Arrow screamed in a growing panic.
“Quiet, mare! I need to focus!”
“So much for subtlety,” Swirling said before she crashed through the sky light, showering the Pawns below with the shattered glass. She quickly sank into the shadows of the dimly lit warehouse, flitting rapidly across the floors and walls as she thought out her next move. One drop of the exploding grape juice for each Pawn should be enough. It was just a matter of getting them to hold still long enough to get the stuff on them.
She peeked out of the shadows to see the Disciple pacing back and forth, her eyes constantly darting to every shadow in the building. “Dr. Savant, we cannot let her disrupt all we have worked for. If she isn’t stopped here, my organization will not continue to support your projects.”
Savant never looked up from his work. “Once Pawn 7 is completed, there will be no issue.” He briefly glanced over his shoulder. “If you’re so worried, deal with her. Just make sure you keep her off of me.”
‘A new model?’ Swirling asked her residential spirit.
‘A fair assumption. You need to stop him.’
A confident grin grew across her face before she slipped away into another shadow. “So, Dr. Savant, is it?” The inventor jumped and spun to face her. “Can you tell me why such a prestigious doctor such as yourself would side with a bunch of regicidal whackjobs like the Disciples of Light? Seems like a really dumb career move on your part, honestly.”
“Get back, demon!” Midnight Arrow shouted. The Raven turned to face her, only to for a white robe to hit her in the face. Arrow, clad in bandoliers of crossbow bolts and equipped with a rapid crossbow on each of her hooves, took position between the Raven and Savant, aiming one of her crossbows at her. “Savant, finish your new machine! I’ll handle the Raven!”
Nodding, Savant continuing working while Arrow charged at the Raven, who’d only just gotten the discarded robe off of her. The earth pony tackled the pegasus, knocking her through a door and into the next room, where there lay a multitude of abandoned crates.
Swirling groaned as she managed to pick herself up off the floor. “All right, new rule. No more fighting earth ponies. Unfair strength advantage.” Just as she finished her statement, a brief whooshing sound caught her ears, and a crossbow bolt embedded itself in a crate behind her with an unquiet thunk.
Across from her stood Midnight Arrow, an armed hoof held up and aimed at the shadowy pegasus. “That was a warning shot, Raven,” she said. “Leave now, and you will be spared the agony of exorcism.”
“Huh, what do you know?” Swirling snarked. “A Disciple with some knowledge of common courtesy. So there are miracles in the world after all.”
Arrow sneered coldly at the vigilante’s insulting remark, but resisted the urge to unleash a hail of bolts. “You truly are as insolent as Lady White Star claimed. Leave now, or face the judgment of the Light. I won’t say it a third time.”
“What? Never heard of ‘three strikes, you’re out’?” Apparently, that one crossed a line, as a storm of bolts from Midnight’s crossbow flew at the Raven, who only narrowly eluded getting skewered in a number of places, diving into the shadows as the bolts buried themselves in a wooden crate.
“No you don’t!” Midnight yelled before she tossed a white crystal across the room. The moment it struck the floor, a blinding flash of light erupted, stripping the room of the shadows and forcing the Raven out of hiding.
The Raven screamed at the sudden burst of light, and only her quick thinking had her duck in time as a bolt ripped through her mane, drawing a painful cut across the back of her head. She lunged ahead as another bolt sailed after her, forcing her to take cover behind another crate.
“So, you Disciples have some new toys, huh? I was beginning to wonder if any of you have ever heard of something called a flashlight!”
Arrow snarled and rounded the crate, only to find that the Raven had vanished. “Jest all you want, demon. The Light will triumph, and you and your foul master will know oblivion.”
“Funny thing. I don’t have a master. Not unlike you sheep. Speaking of sheep, is that robe you wear made of wool? It smells like it.”
Swirling smiled to herself as she heard Midnight growl in frustration, and just as the Disciple rounded another crate, she lunged from above and smashed the crossbow she held. Even as Midnight brought her other crossbow to bear, Swirling deflected the shot high and slugged her across the muzzle.
Midnight skidded back, grunting from the ache in her jaw. Even as the Raven ran in for another attack, she brought her own hoof up to block it and counter with her own. The Raven ducked under the attack and head butted the mare in the barrel before whirling to kick her across the room, sending her crashing into another crate, which splintered violently under the strain of the impact.
Growling in a fury, Arrow shoved away the debris covering her, giving her foe a glare that would’ve scared away Discord himself. “I will end you, demon!”
“Promises, promises,” Swirling quipped, earning an enraged cry from the other mare. Arrow spun suddenly, throwing up her hind legs in a kicking motion and firing bolts from the crossbows on her back hooves. With a very heroic “meep!” the Raven ducked under the surprise shower, sinking into the shadows again and darting towards her enemy.
Surprisingly, Arrow smirked. “You don’t learn, it seems.” She tossed out another white crystal, which exploded with another blast of light, booting the Raven out of the shadows, blinding and stunning her. “Crystals gathered from the Crystal Empire, enchanted for use against night-dwelling creatures that avoid daylight like the plague. They seem to work quite well against you, too.” She aimed her good foreleg crossbow at the Raven’s head. “Now there will be one less demon in the world.”
Just as she was about to let a bolt fly, a nearby window crashed, and a figure flew in at high speed, tackling Arrow to the ground and rolling across the floor with her. The figure, which was clearly a stallion wearing armor, turned his head to the Raven, who only now was able to see clearly again.
“I’ll take care of this one!” the stallion shouted. “You go get Savant!”
“Wh-who—”
“GO!”
She stepped back at the stallion’s harsh tone, briefly unsure of what to do. Reluctantly, she nodded and took off, flying through the doors that would lead her back to Savant. Her questions for the stallion would have to wait until later.
Savant cast a quick look over his shoulder as she burst into the room, a scowl spreading across his face. “That incompetent mare! Can she not perform even the simplest task!?”
The Raven spread her wings, even as the two Pawns got between her and Savant. “It’s over, Savant, give yourself up already. You’re not gonna beat me with your tin soldiers.” She smiled cockily, even if she knew he wouldn’t see it. “I enjoyed turning your others to scrap, and unless you want that to happen to these two, you’ll surrender right here and now.”
He snorted and charged his horn, the eyes of the two Pawns glowing the same color. “Pawns, keep her off of me! Tear her apart if you must, but she cannot be allowed to disrupt my work!”
The machines roared to life and charged at her, ready to pound her into pulp.
She flared out her wings, setting herself to fight. “Bring it on, you walking wind-up toys!”
The first Pawn lashed out with a punch that the Raven hopped over. She kicked out with her hind legs, sending the Pawn tumbling violently across the floor. The second charged in and caught her out of the air. Landing with a grunt, she was quick to kick the metal monster off of her before it could wrap her up in a choke hold like the first one had.
No sooner did she get back on her hooves did the first Pawn come back in, launching a flurry of punches that she either barely avoided or blocked. Each time the Pawn landed a hit, she winced.
‘Darn it! They’re strong!’
‘And you’re not? Fight back already! They’re machines! You don’t have to hold back!’
Swirling blinked at that statement, a grin forming beneath her mask of shadows. She never did get a chance to really go all out with her shadow magic-enhanced strength, and now was as good a time as any. Rearing back a hoof as the Pawn in front of her charged again, she threw it forward, right into the machine’s barrel. The blow packed a lot more power than even she had expected, her hoof digging through the Pawn’s armor like a drill, stopping only when her foreleg was halfway through its body.
‘Hold that pose,’ said Nevermore. Before the pegasus had a chance to question him, a number of black spikes shot out from inside the Pawn, piercing everything in their path, including the forelegs and head. The light in the Pawn’s eyes flickered briefly before fading out, the spikes retracting shortly after, allowing Swirling to remove her hoof from the metal beast, which thudded loudly against the floor in a heap.
“What in the world was that?” she asked.
‘Magic shadow spikes. Focus on the other one!’
Spinning to face the other Pawn, she let out a small shout as she ducked under the machine’s attempt at a sucker punch. She slipped into the shadows beneath her, zooming behind the Pawn and leaping at the metallic abomination. She grabbed it by its neck, planting her rear hooves as firmly into the ground as she could.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Something I’ve been wanting to try ever since you came along!’
Waiting for no further response from the shadow spirit, Swirling bent back, lifting the Pawn off the ground and slamming the thing’s head into the hard floor behind her, shattering its head and spilling small parts across the floor.
She could practically hear Nevermore’s mind’s gears grinding as he tried to process what she’d just done. ‘Did… did you just…?’
“Suplex a metal monster?” Swirling finished for him, rubbing at her chest proudly. “Yes. Yes, I did.”
‘... I honestly have no idea what to say to that.’
“How about ‘awesome’?”
‘Just get Savant already...’
As she turned to go after the doctor, she whirled as the Pawn she’d just slammed into the ground started to shake and power back up again. The headless Pawn got back to its hooves and turned after her, an ominous amber glow emanating from the area where its head once was.
“Okay, that is just creepy!” she shouted as she again had to dodge the wildly attacking monster. “What does it take to take these things down? The other one went down with one good punch!”
‘The chest!’ Nevermore answered quickly. ‘That must be where their energy source is! The other one must be out because we destroyed its core!’
“So smash the thing’s heart! Got it!” She jumped back from a punch and tackled the Pawn to the ground. As she brought her hoof back to strike, the Pawn’s own hoof shot out and caught hers.
“Oh, ponyfeath—” The Pawn slugged her, sending her flying into the air. She flared her wings in midair to stop herself and saw the Pawn getting back to its hooves. “All right, buddy, that’s it!”
With one last rush, she tackled the Pawn again, putting all her strength into the attack. Both of her front hooves struck the Pawn’s barrel, burrowing through the armor and crushing just about everything in their path. Nevermore didn’t bother saying anything this time as he created the spikes from before, tearing the Pawn apart from the inside-out.
Pulling her hooves from the now unmoving and more or less useless hunk of metal, the Raven turned to where Savant had fled. “Time to end this,” she said as she flew after the inventor.
She found him still tinkering away with a Pawn, sparks shooting out around him as he worked. He turned to face her for a moment, and scowled before returning his attention to his work. The Raven approached quietly, eyes narrowed at the stallion, ready to move if need be. After a few moments, Savant stopped working again and faced her, his scowl replaced with a cool, confident smirk.
“You must be quite clever or powerful to have beaten two of my Pawns,” he confessed. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised. Before, one Pawn seemed to have you on the ropes. Had it not been for its fuel inefficiency, it likely would’ve killed you.”
“It’s over, Savant. For all of those diplomas you have, you’re pretty stupid to work for the Disciples of Light,” she said simply, not wanting to hear anything else.
The inventor only chuckled at her statement. “Oh, I beg to differ.” His horn lit up, its amber glow reaching the new Pawn, whose eyes lit up seconds after. “This is the newest model of Pawn. Tougher and stronger than the ones you’ve been fighting. Allow me to demonstrate. Pawn 7, terminate the Raven.”
“Confirmed,” spoke a rough, scraping voice. “Target identified. Terminate subject: the Raven.” Suddenly, the Pawn charged at the Raven, who gasped in surprise and stepped off to the side to dodge the Pawn’s attack.
“Okay, now they can talk,” she muttered. “As if this whole thing wasn’t weird enough.”
‘It’s still just a Pawn. Take it out like the others.’
Nodding and rearing her hoof back, she rushed at the Pawn, slamming her hoof forward in a jab into the machine’s chest. However, there wasn’t any digging through the metal this time. All she’d managed with all her strength was a large dent, doubtful at best that she’d caused any kind of internal damage. Before she could question what was going on, the Pawn grabbed her foreleg and tossed her away, sending her soaring into a wall, knocking bricks out of place as she landed back on the ground with a heavy thud.
Savant’s laugh echoed through the warehouse. “Do you like Pawn 7’s new armor? Minotaurian steel plating for durability, with an Equestrian silver-metal endoskeletal structure for flexibility. An ideal blend of speed and endurance for the next generation of soldier, don’t you agree?”
Swirling groaned as she got back to her hooves. “Oh, yeah, fantastic combo you’ve got there.” ‘Any suggestions, Nevermore?’
‘Minotaurian steel is remarkably tough, and Equestrian silver-metal is known for being extremely malleable, even when solid. This one won’t go down as easy as the others. Perhaps you could go for the joints?’
“Right.” With a determined nod, she charged at the Pawn again, this time ducking into the shadows by its feet, swimming around it in search of opening before lunging out and striking at its knees.
She may as well have hit solid stone.
“Horseapples!” she swore before the Pawn grabbed her by the mane and slammed her into the ground. She grunted from the impact before the Pawn hurled her across the room, sending her crashing through another crate and showering her with extra Pawn parts.
Her eyes snapped open, and she rolled out of the way just in time for the Pawn to stomp in the space she had just vacated. She lashed out with a buck and a smug smile spread across her face when the force of the kick flipped the Pawn over with a loud crash of metal.
“Ha! Not so tough after all, are you, you walking pile of junk!?”
The Pawn was back on its hooves in seconds and turned its empty, amber gaze on her. “Terminate the Raven.”
“Oh, come on!” She turned and ran, the Pawn close on her fetlocks.
‘Why are you running?’
“I need to think of something. I’ve hit it as hard as I can, and it’s not staying down. What else can I do?”
A mocking laugh filled the room. “There’s nothing you can do, whelp!” Savant yelled at her. “My creation is invincible! Not even the Princesses could best it!”
She scowled over at the gloating doctor before her eyes widened.
“Idea!”
‘Oh, no...’
She leaped above the tackling Pawn for Savant. Inwardly, she enjoyed watching his smug look turn to one of panic.
“Pawn 7, don’t let her—” He grunted as she tackled into him. Holding her foreleg under his chin, she kept him from turning his horn at her.
“Call off your tin soldier, Savant, and I won’t pummel you into next week!”
He groaned as he glared at her. “I won’t be beaten by you, you ignorant troglodyte! I am Dr. Savant, the greatest mind Equestria has ever seen and ever will! Get your filthy hooves off of me, you damn, dirty cretin!”
She sneered, pulling back her hoof to strike. “For a guy as helpless as you are right now, you—” Lights flashed in her vision, and she felt herself soar across the room to land heavily on the concrete floor.
Shaking her head, she stood up on shaky legs as she looked up to see the Pawn standing in front of its master.
Savant dusted himself off with an amused chuckle. “It’s so simple to play a dimwit like you. Thinking to take me down when my Pawn is the bigger threat? Utterly imbecilic.”
‘He’s right, you know.’
“Shut up!” she yelled at both Savant and Nevermore.
Again, Savant laughed and looked at his Pawn. “Do end her.”
The Pawn again charged at her. “Confirmed. Terminate subject: the Raven.”
She set herself again to face it, but blinked as it stumbled. It jerked and fell over, but got back to its hooves.
Savant blinked. “What? Pawn 7, what’s wrong?”
“Term… inate… subject…” The light faded from the machine’s eyes and it collapsed in a heap, steam rising from its joints.
“What?! No! What’s happening!?”
The Pawn’s eyes blinked on and off briefly. “Engine system… failing. Incomplete… arcane current. Shutdown imminent.”
Savant’s eyes widened so much that Swirling thought they’d pop right out of his head. “No! This can’t be! I made sure everything was correct and in place! How—”
“Does this answer your question?” She bounced the empty vial that had housed the purple liquid in it on her hoof. “Because I’ve got no idea what this stuff is.”
He scowled darkly. “You?! How did you get that!?”
“The mare I saved from your wind-up toy gave it to me. She said it was important.” Her sneer made its way into her tone. She was really starting to hate these Pawn things. “I guess she was right.”
“You fool! I designed this new Pawn with a failsafe to avoid it falling into an enemy’s grasp! It’s going to explode!”
Her eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
Savant growled spitefully at her. “No matter. I’ll leave you to deal with it! You can come after me, or risk my Pawn destroying everything within five blocks!” At that, he galloped off, leaving the Raven with the soon-to-explode Pawn 7.
“Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap!” Her eyes fell on the Pawn as it began to glow a faint yellow light, slowly brightening with intensity. “Nevermore, what do I do!?”
‘There’s nothing you can do! There’s nowhere to take it, so run!’
She galloped for the door but a groan from the nearby room had her stop in her tracks. Her eyes went from the room, to the exit, to the Pawn, then back.
“Sweet Celestia,” she swore and ran for the room. Inside she found the bound and gagged Midnight Arrow, panic in her eyes. Swirling looked around, but saw no sign of the guard she had seen earlier. Had he run off somewhere?
‘What are you doing, Line!? Get out of here now!’
“I can’t just leave her to die!”
‘She’s a Disciple! Leave her!’
She rushed over and grabbed the Disciple and tossed her on her back. Running out of the room, she had to avert her eyes from the brightly glowing Pawn.
‘Line!’
Both Nevermore’s scream and Midnight’s muffled whimpers drove her to flap her wings frantically, and she burst out the front door, flying as fast her wings could carry her. Looking back, the light of the Pawn shone from the windows and doors into a blinding hue just before the entire warehouse district burst with a thundering boom that sent the Raven into a tailspin.
She grunted as she slammed into the ground, skidding painfully until she met a wall. The Disciple mare fared no better, her head having struck the ground, rendering her out cold. The warehouses across from them burned in a towering inferno, but they weren’t connected to anything important that she knew of, thankfully. She heaved out a sigh as she morphed out of her Raven form, running a hoof through her mane and letting herself catch her breath.
“Okay…” she muttered. “I’m officially done with warehouses.”
‘The same.’ Swirling actually laughed at that. It was a rare treat when she and her partner agreed on something.
She turned to the bound mare lying next to her, unsure of what to do with her. She couldn’t just take her to the police. ‘Hello! I found this tied up mare out cold in front of a bunch of burning warehouses, and I think she might be a part of a psychotic cult bent on world domination.’ Yeah, that’d end just hunky-dory.
The sound of hooves meeting concrete reached her ears, and she turned to see that same stallion from earlier. By the light of the fire not too far away, she could make out details about him now. He wore dark, plated armor, for one, and his eyes were yellow with slitted, catlike pupils. His coat, near as she could tell with the unstable lighting, was a shade of dark blue. His most surprising trait, however, were his wings, which were large and batlike, complete with a little, bony hook claw at the bend.
“You could’ve handled that better,” he said simply, approaching the unconscious Midnight Arrow. “But all things considered, I suppose you did all right. I’ll just take this one off your hooves.”
Swirling eyed him quietly as she got to her hooves. “Who are you?”
“Just a stallion with a job to do, ma’am,” he answered, hefting Arrow onto his back. “I’ve been watching Savant for a while now, under orders of Princess Luna. I’m taking this mare into custody for questioning.”
There was a silence between them as the stallion steadied Arrow between his wings. Something about him was just unsettling for some reason, though Swirling couldn’t quite place why.
“So…” she said, “I take it you know about me?”
“Swirling Line, AKA the Raven,” said the stallion immediately. “The whole Night Guard was briefed on you. We have… special orders regarding you. That’s all I can say on the matter, though. Just don’t disappoint the princess. She’s one mare whose bad side you don’t want to be on.” And with that, he took off, his leathery wings flapping with more power than a pegasus.
Her gaze drifted from the retreating form to view the burning destruction left behind by the detonated Pawn. Warehouses burned and collapsed in on themselves, and Swirling could only watch in horror. All of this, caused by a stallion that had sacrificed other lives for the sake of his own.
“Sweet Celestia… please tell me there wasn’t anypony in those buildings.”
‘I don’t know, Line. For now, though, we need to leave before the authorities arrive and start asking questions.’
She closed her eyes, and she felt the first of the tears starting to roll down her face. Shifting back into the Raven form, she spread her wings and took to the sky.
‘Please… don’t let there have been anypony else there… I can’t take having more blood on my hooves. One was more than enough to deal with.’
‘Even if there were ponies in there, their blood is on Savant’s hooves, not yours. Keep that in mind.’
‘Yeah…’ She sighed as she flew, thinking back to the events of the past few days. A lot of crazy stuff had happened ever since she met Nevermore and took his deal. Looking back, she wasn’t sure whether or not becoming the Raven was such a good idea. Would everything she’d encountered so far have turned out worse if not for her? Or would things have ended better than they have?
And… what if…?
‘Nevermore?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Savant was a respected inventor, right?’
‘According to what we read, yes. Why?’
It took her a moment to really process what she was about to ask. ‘If a guy like that… someone who’s famous, has a lot of respect from his peers, and all that stuff… if he could become something awful, then…’
‘You’re afraid you might turn out the same someday.’ Swirling nodded quietly, and Nevermore made a sound akin to a sigh. ‘I don’t know, Line. I’m no foreseer. Maybe you do go mad, maybe you don’t. Power tends to have varying results depending on who you give it to. Savant is just one example of power going to one’s head. We can only hope that you and I don’t end up in that same sorry state.’
Swirling stayed silent, taking in the spirit’s words as she flew through the night sky. Neither of them could read the future, so all she could do was hope that she made the right choices. A small part of her told her to quit before things got even more out of hoof than they had with Savant and his metal monsters. However, the rest of her knew that as long as she had the powers granted to her by Nevermore, she could never just sit back and let things happen.
A small groan escaped her. Why couldn’t this superhero business be more like her Power Ponies comics?