“Intruder Alert!”
The fortress echoed with the sound of galloping hooves. Armored guards were trying to find their place in the sudden chaos, some holding onto their posts, while others moved around the perimeter in the frantic search of intruders. glowing horns and carried lanterns illuminating the night in erratic patterns.
“Status?” asked commander Bronzehoof as he saw his adjutant Sunspeck run into the command room.
The pegasus spread her wings, halting on the spot. She needed a few seconds to catch her breath before she could speak properly.
“We’re under attack, Sir,” she said to the older earth pony. “It’s the imperials.”
The command room fell silent, the four assembled officers forming a semicircle around the adjutant.
“We know that much already,” said the thin, robed unicorn from beside Bronzehoof. He closed his eyes and focused. “My alarms are being triggered all over the fortress.”
Bronzehoof looked around the room. “How did they manage to move a force this big up here without anypony noticing?”
“You think it could be the Elements?” asked an earth pony officer on the other side of Bronzehoof.
The commander paled a little. “We’ll soon find out.” He looked around the room. “Quartz, you stay here with me and monitor the wards. Windshear, take your teams into the air and try to contain the enemy. Basalt, you secure the main gate. Sunspeck?”
“There’s only one enemy, sir,” said the pegasus.
Bronzehoof paled a bit more. “What? but… he can’t be everywhere at once. Quartz?”
“So, it is an Element?” asked Basalt.
“I don’t know,” said Sunspeck. “The western tower guards say they wounded him, but he teleported away before they could finish him off.”
Everyone looked at Quartz, who responded with an angry glare. “Through my wards? That’s impossible. The warding spells are here specifically to prevent intruders from just blinking in here!”
He was about to say something more when a short scream sounded down the corridor, followed by the sound of broken glass. A second later, a jagged piece of a large, broken mirror appeared in mid air and fell at Quartz’s outstretched neck, taking his head clean off before hitting the floor and shattering into tiny pieces.
For a moment everypony stared at the suddenly dead wizard. Then the lamps on the walls disappeared one by one. In a second the command room turned pitch black. Sunspeck fell to the floor in panic as something winged moved past her.
There were sounds of impact, metal scratching against metal, sounds of sudden pain.
***
Crash!
The pieces of a shattered faceplate flew all over the small workshop. Gloria looked at the biggest chunk with distaste. “Still wrong,” she said.
Lightbringer sighed theatrically. “Do I really have to spend the whole afternoon sitting here, smashing helmets to bits? Can’t you find somepony else to do it?”
Gloria glared at the pegasus. “I have no authority over any of the guards,” she said “and we both need new armors. Especially you.”
Lightbringer looked at the shattered helmet, twitching in surprise as the floor rippled a bit, responding to Gloria’s will to bring all the loose shards back towards her. “And you think this will help?”
“Yes,” said Gloria. “I know I can do better than steel.” She picked a thin metal bar from the table with her teeth and dropped it onto the pile of pieces. She looked on intently as the materials started melting and fusing together, flowing like quicksilver and then stretching upward forming the shape of a new helmet. “We’ve already established that diamond is too brittle. I need a composite that is hard enough to stop stabbing weapons, but will not shatter instead of denting when struck with a blunt weapon.”
“I know what you’re doing,” replied Lightbringer with irritation. “I’m not stupid. I just wish I didn’t have to sit through all the combinations you’re testing. Can’t you make a whole batch at once for me to smash?” He looked around for something to occupy himself, but found nothing.
“Then I’d really have to go through all the combinations,” replied Gloria, lifting the helmet with her front hooves and putting it on a metal stool beside the workbench. “This way I can observe the strain in the pieces and adjust as I work”. She faced away from the stool.
“Okay, hit it!”
Crash!
***
“So… umm… how is it?”
Absinthe blinked. Then he blinked again, this time his eyes shutting sideways. He did it a couple more times, the thin membranes passing over his field of vision. He looked around the plant-covered lab, then down at Evening Embrace, and smiled.
“This is weird, but I think I like it. So, nopony else has eyes like that?”
The mare hesitated, her wings pressing nervously to her sides. “N… no, you’re the first. Of course I’ll make you better ones later.”
“You should make me wings next,” said Absinthe, “Iike yours. I like the idea of being an alicorn.”
Evening Embrace frowned. “But… they won’t really work, will they? Not without… pegasi magic.”
Absinthe’s smile disappeared in an instant. “Yours work, don’t they?”
The faux-alicorn shrunk under his gaze. “They… do, yes. But I have hollow bones... and everything. It took me a lot of work to get this right.”
Absinthe leaned forward, his smile returning, but now devoid of its original warmth. “So, you say it’s difficult, but doable?”
Evening Embrace nodded. “Yes, of course… it is… it’s just that… you need to be tough for now. You… can’t be everything at once…” She took a deep breath to calm herself and forced a smile. “I will tell you when I have a better solution. Why don’t you test the eyes for now?”
Absinthe straightened himself. “Ah, you’re right. I should see if this works.” His membranes flickered, and then his horn sparked, lines of electricity shooting from it to coalesce into a ball of lightning in front of his face.
Eve flinched away, her own nictitating membranes shutting over her eyes before she could stop herself. Fortunately, she managed to turn away before Absynthe noticed. In a terrarium behind her, a furry ball started thrashing, flapping its insectile wings against the glass.
This got Absynthe’s attention. He turned towards the terrarium, the ball lightning dissipating.
“Works like a charm”, he said. “Much better than the stupid shades. What is that thing?”
The furry thing folded its wings, flopping back onto the floor of the terrarium. Evening Embrace turned towards Absynthe, first making sure her eyes looked normal again.
“Oh… it’s… a new project… the high command have heard of my… talent, and requested help in solving the southern front problem. They’re tired of zebras hiding in the jungle.”
Absynthe approached the glass. “And this is?”
“It doesn’t... have a name yet,” replied Eve. “I don’t know where they get it from, just that it eats a lot and breeds terribly fast. I’m just... working to make it a weapon.”
Absynthe watched with amusement. It was amazing how talkative Eve could get when something truly interested her. Like a perspective of being useful. “So, you’re improving on it?”
Evening embrace nodded. “Oh, yes. It would just get eaten if they dropped it in the jungle like this. I’ve given it wings so far… and sharper senses. I think I’ll add some legs next. I’m still waiting with proper eyes though. I don’t want them flying around until… I have some way to control them, so they don’t become a nuisance afterwards.”
Absynthe chuckled. “Oh, yes, I can imagine.” He sneered at the furry creature. “How tough is this glass?”
Evening Embrace smiled. “Oh, do not worry… even if it broke free, it would start eating my plants. That would take care of the problem really quick.”
***
“... but in her case, the versatility more than makes up for the lack of specialisation. By combining the abilities of the others she has been able to do things none of them can, such as using matter manipulation to rapidly re-knit her own damaged flesh.”
Indicina closed her notes and looked at the three alicorns on the other side of the table.
“So,” started prince Austerus, “animate and inanimate matter, space, motion, energy, and one to bring all their powers together? Depending on how creative we get, they could prove really useful yet. What do you think, father?”
The Emperor cleared his throat. “Indeed. The loss of six foci was a great blow to us, but there is still a chance those six can at least make up for the damage they caused. Please keep working with them to ensure they make the most of what they’ve acquired,” he said, looking at Indicina with a smile.
“What about their mental state?” asked prince Sophus from the Emperor’s other side. “We know the foci would affect the bearers’ personalities, and we’ve seen the Elements to be more so in that regard. But what about this new power? You said it was disconnected from emotions. Does it mean it has no influence on them?”
Indicina opened her notes folder again, doing her best not to frown. “From what I have discovered so far, it does influence them, actually, but the effect is opposite. The process of splicing seems to have dulled their emotions somewhat. it also looks like their intelligence and analytical skills have increased, but the overall effectiveness have not. Something is hampering their problem-solving skills.”
“So, they are smarter, but less creative?” asked the Emperor.
“Yes, your Majesty,” replied Indicina. “That I can confirm. I personally witnessed Absynthe break his harp in frustration. He could still tug the strings with what was left of his telekinesis, but he discovered that he could no longer improvise. It was quite a blow for him.”
“Didn’t you say their emotions are dulled?” asked Austerus. “That doesn’t seem like an emotionless pony to me. I’ve also seen how Libra behaved during the trial.”
“That is true,” said Discidium thoughtfully. “And she’s the one who got the highest dose. Can you explain it?”
Indicina felt three pairs of eyes boring into her expectantly. She focused on formulating her answer, comfortable that her illusory make-up would prevent any unwanted blush from being visible.
“The core personality traits are mostly intact,” she started, “as long as the power isn’t enough to break the mind completely.”
Austerus shifted uncomfortably, his mind’s eye returning to the bodies carried out of Nevercrest sanctuary, Alliance soldiers caught at the ground zero of the ritual, without the benefit of the splicing array shielding them from excessive energy; empty shells, still breathing, but unresponsive despite every magical effort, just waiting for death to claim them.
“But a lot of subtleties is lost,” continued Indicina. “To be sure, Libra’s zeal to destroy your Majesty’s enemies is undiminished, but she isn’t the mare she was before. The overall effect looks very similar to what we have seen with the Element bearers, but the mechanics behind it is inverted; rather than a personality trait being reinforced, it is exaggerated because the others have been diminished.”
Austerus scratched his chin. “This… might prove beneficial, actually. After all, we don’t pay our soldiers for having great empathy. Still, the-” he stopped and looked at his father, “how do we call them, father? We need some name for them. ‘the broken foci bearers’ is awkward.”
“We’ll think of it later,” said Discidium. “We don’t want to keep Indicina waiting over formalities.”
“Of course, father,” said Austerus, although the look he gave Indicina afterwards wasn’t a very friendly one. “Anyway, what I was saying is, they need to be monitored.”
“I agree,” said Discidium, “It is utmost importance to ensure no… anomalous behaviour in the line of duty. We need to make sure the changes to their personalities will not progress. Please, keep us informed, my dear,” he finished, smiling.
“Yes… of course, your Majesty,” replied Indicina. She knew she was blushing furiously under her illusion. She hoped the two princes didn’t catch what exactly the Emperor had said, but when she looked at them it was just in time to see their reactions; Sophus only frowned, looking sideways at his father, but the gaze of Austerus briefly turned into a glare. She looked around, trying desperately to change the subject.
“And… your Majesty? I can’t help but notice that you now wear your focus all the time. As an expert, I’d recommend against it. Even for somepony as strong-willed as you, there might be side effects.”
“Do you know that there was another assassination attempt in your absence?” asked Sophus.
Indicina gasped, the information catching her off-guard.
Of course… I keep trying to keep it out of mind, but all this research is because we’re at war. Stupid…
“What happened?” she asked aloud.
“The assassin was apprehended,” said Austerus, “and we’re examining his connections as we speak. But he did manage to strike a blow that might have been fatal had our father not been wearing Pride.”
Discidium looked Indicina in the eyes across the table. “It is true. Much as I’d like to follow your advice, I need to stay armed at all times until the current crisis is averted. I know you’re worried for me, but I assure you, I will not fail. Not when the fate of the entire nation rests on my shoulders.”
Indicina forced a relieved smile, trying not to stare at a tiny speck of gold that lit up inside the gem on the Emperor’s gorget. “Yes, your Majesty. We all believe in you.”
***
“Position?” Captain Flare asked of her navigator.
The mare over the map table checked her instruments. “One hour to target, captain,” she said.
Flare looked around the bridge, her wings shifting uncomfortably. The air is too humid, she thought. I hate flying in mobile cloud cover.
There were four ponies besides her on the bridge of Moonfire: the pegasus navigator, two unicorns, one overseeing the spells protecting the blimp and one handling the communication, and an old zebra shaman, whose job was supposedly to warn them of danger. There was no light except for a softly glowing magical ball illuminating the map in the middle of the bridge. The shutters were closed to hide even that from the outside world.
Flare flew up onto a small staircase leading to the rooftop window, emerging just under the envelope. She reached for her spyglass and surveyed her surroundings.
There were four blimps in the squadron, all fitted with a payload of incendiary bombs ready to be dropped on the imperial positions an hour before dawn. From her position, Flare could barely make out the shapes of the other blimps, all hidden in a dark cloud that their pegasi escort was moving along, all but invisible from the ground. Flare looked around, her keen eye picking out several pegasi pushing the cloud cover, careful to get them to their destination while never going visibly against the wind.
Everything is in order, she thought. We’re well hidden and the ground troops are providing a diversion. Now it all depends on whether their seers are good enough to see through our veil. Now we just wait.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling for Flare, having done everything there was to be done and being forced to wait and see the results. Deep down she always hated such moments. But she had learned to handle this kind of tension years before; she wouldn’t be fit to become a captain if she hadn’t.
“Captain, my captain, listen to me,” sounded a raspy voice from below, “The bones have spoken of that which will be.”
Flare put the spyglass away and turned to look down the hatch. The old zebra was standing at the base of the stairs, looking up with a worried expression.
Flare dropped down back onto the floor of the bridge. “What is it, Ilani?” she asked, “Are they expecting us?”
The zebra shifted uncomfortably. “The bones speak of danger we cannot outrun, ahead is a creature that all spirits shun.”
The captain’s jaw clenched in frustration. “Would it hurt you to be a bit clearer when talking matters of life and death?”
He was answered by more uncomfortable shifting, the many necklaces layered on top of the shaman’s cloak clinking ominously.
“What spirits can’t see, they cannot reveal,” the zebra said with a frown, “They speak of a mare, whose heart turned to steel.”
“That will have to do,” said Flare turning away from the zebra and towards the other crew members. “Signal the rest that we have hostiles approaching. All ponies to the battle stations.”
The crew reacted with speed and discipline. Levers were pulled and wheels turned . Flare could hear the clicking of the silent alarm bringing the rest of the crew to the ballistas, then the soft hum of the magic crystal at the heart of the ship as the three unicorn crew members stationed inside the hull pooled their magic into it. She could feel her hair stand on end when the crystal’s magic projected a soft blue shield around the whole ship. The shutters were still closed, but she could tell the other blimps were doing the same, in preparation for the upcoming battle.
The feeling of waiting for the inevitable returned, but this time it was different. There was no clock ticking this time, to show the exact time till battle. The enemy was somewhere ahead and unlike the original target, it was not something the squadron had planned to fight that night.
Flare walked to the front of the room and opened the shutters on one window. Though lower than her original position, it still provided the view of the deck and the low forecastle in front of it. On the deck the crewmen had already finished preparing, the earth ponies taking charge of the ballistas, while the unicorns were readying their horns.
Minutes passed, the silence of the night disturbed only by the flapping of wings and the shaman behind Flare rolling the pieces of carved bone from the seering cup time after time. With every roll, the sound got more and more on Flare’s nerves.
She was about to comment on it, but when she turned around, she found the zebra staring at the result of the last roll. For a moment their gazes met, and although the shaman said nothing, the facial expression was enough to tell Flare everything she needed to know.
“Get ready!” she shouted, turning back towards the window just in time to see the night inside the storm cloud turn into day.
It wasn’t a lightning strike, not like Flare knew it should look. It was more like the whole cloud in front of the squadron suddenly exploded, the power inside the clouds unleashed all at once in a wild display that sent everypony ducking for cover.
The front of the escort didn’t have any cover to duck into. As she regained her sight, Flare could see tiny burning dots spiralling down in the distance. Moonfire’s shields were flickering, trying to regain full capacity after the blast of lightning washed over them.
“Find the enemy!” she shouted, rising through the roof hatch. The crew on the deck responded with frantic movements, their eyes scanning the sky around them.
Another explosion erupted on the left side of the ship. This time it was a single, powerful lightning, striking vertically at Storm Rider, arcing over the shields protecting the envelope before discharging below the hull. This time Flara managed to catch a glimpse of the enemy, a tall, armored figure that he managed to identify as an alicorn.
“There she is! Fire!” commanded Flare from her post, pointing a hoof at the enemy. The unicorns were the fastest to act, their magical beams cutting through the night towards the attacker.
None of them reached the target. Suddenly, the alicorn disappeared; there was no flash of magic, she was simply gone. And then the air around the ship really exploded. Flare watched as Storm Rider was enveloped in blue flame, the blast taking out a couple pegasi warriors who had charged at the alicorn just in time to get caught in the explosion.
“There!” shouted somepony from the deck. Flare turned in that direction, but saw nothing, the hull of the ship blocking her view. The enemy was below them.
The next explosion hit their ship. Everything disappeared in flames, the noise deafening even through the barriers. Flare put her head inside the hull.
“Shield status?” she shouted.
“We’re at sixty percent!” came a shout from below. There was worry in that voice that Flare could not miss.
It was when she emerged from the hatch again that she got the first good look at the enemy.
The alicorn was tall, almost a head taller than she was, stark white and clad in a silvery armor. Her wings were spread, the wing blades extended, her eyes unreadable behind the mask of her helmet. What struck Flare as strange was that the alicorn didn’t seem to be flying at all, with their wings extended purely for combat. Rather, it looked like she was just standing on thin air, somehow moving along with the ship.
From the darkness, two pegasi emerged, diving at the enemy from behind. She didn’t even flinch, a lightning bolt arcing from one of her wings to the other, looping behind her to strike both the assailants and sending them spiralling down in smoke. Then she disappeared, a moment before a trio of ballista bolts crossed the space where she was standing.
Another bolt of lightning struck Storm Rider. Flare looked towards the other ship, trying to find the enemy again.
She’s tearing through our escorts like they’re nothing, and our shields are getting weaker. How much power does she have to be able to keep doing this? We need to pin her down somehow, or else she’ll keep it up until we all go down. Half of our weapons are too slow to even aim at her…
Beams of magic cut through the darkness from above Moonfire. Flare knew it mean another of the ships joined the battle. Her own unicorn crew members joined the shootout, all trying to corner their elusive enemy. The alicorn kept dodging away as she struck the blimps with blast after blast , sometimes simply disappearing, sometimes shifting weirdly in the air, her movements not quite following what her wings were doing.
A lucky shot hit her, causing her to stagger for a moment, though to Flare’s disappointment, it didn’t seem to do any real damage. Moonfire’s three port ballistas shot at her immediately. Flare watched as they reached the alicorn, but to her surprise, the projectiles slowed down as they got closer, finally falling away after merely tapping on her armor. She disappeared before they could try again, coming back alongside the envelope of Storm Rider.
“Hold fire!” shouted Flare, before any of her crew could accidentally hit the allied vessel.
A pegasus appeared, perhaps the last of the aerial escort of the squadron. He flew at the alicorn, screaming what Flare knew was a challenge, though the exact words were lost in the wind.
This time the alicorn did not dodge away. She stopped in the air, extending an armored hoof at the attacker. Just like the ballista bolts before, the pegasus found himself slowing down against his will, until he was stopped completely, just out of range, his battlecry turning into a scream of impotent rage.
The alicorn flicked her hoof and the knight was launched across the sky, flying right at Moonfire, before colliding hard with the port. To Flare’s horror, she heard not just the dull impact, but the sound of breaking wood. The attack was strong enough to penetrate their shields.
“Status?!” she shouted down.
The voice that answered her was laced with panic. “We’re at twenty percent! I don’t know why it broke through!”
Is she disrupting the magic somehow? thought Flare as she looked back at the enemy, just in time to see her fly along Storm Rider, her right wing blade tearing a hole along the envelope, the blade surrounded by blue sparks as it cut through the weakened barriers. The ship started losing height, a thick wad of refined cloudstuff escaping through the cut.
There were more shots, the unicorns no longer worried about hitting an ally, but to no avail. The alicorn teleported and then flew out of sight, down and to the left of the Moonfire. The crew members on deck rushed to the side to try to see where she went.
And then Flare heard a shout that froze the blood in her veins.
“She went through the hole! She’s inside the ship”
Flare dove down inside, instinctively looking for her personal weapon, a blade she hadn’t used in a real battle for ages. But even as she did, her mind added up the circumstances she found herself in.
She’s inside the barrier! We’re unprotected! If she takes out the power core, we’ll be-
Her pegasus instinct screamed in a warning. She couldn’t see the enemy, but she could feel, with her whole body, an electrical charge building up. In a horrible second, she understood.
Not the power core! She’s after the bombs!
“Luna above us…”
Flare’s hair stood on end and then everything became fire.