Twilight's wings flared open, but she swallowed an enraged scream and remained still for a moment.
Without giving an explanation to Nanda, she teleported to Spike's chambers and shook his bed in the air until he woke up, jumping to an standing position.
"Get dressed," she ordered, restraining the claws with telekinesis before they reached the supposed attacker, and teleported away again.
Several griffons aimed spears at her, but she made a shield without missing a beat.
"I need to see Reddo" she demanded. The guards recognized her and exchanged unsure glances "Now" she let a fraction of the Royal Canterlot Voice that threatened with overpowering her words slip, and once they had regained their bearings the door was opened.
She marched the halls, followed by scurrying guards, and knocked as politely as she could on Reddo's door. It left dents in the wood.
"I said I wasn't to be disturbed!" said Reddo after a moment, so Twilight ripped the door from its hinges and entered.
"The people I sent was engaged" she said curtly and entered "Psionists blocked my scrying on them shortly after she- they entered the inner temple, and people with perception filters teleported just as I was cut"
Reddo, who sat in front of a desktop, flexed a claw a few times before talking, "Did they find what you sent them for?" she asked, getting up.
"Most. They were searching for the dreamer's own sanctum"
Reddo nodded and started walking for the door, but stopped dry.
"Perception filters? As in a spell that stopped you from noticing them?"
"Yes" Twilight's dread was renovated by Reddo's tone.
"Oh, no..." her bearing fell for a moment, but she recovered quickly "Guards," she called "I need three squadrons ready right now, and all others to prepare within an hour," she turned back to Twilight "I'll need you to bring your paladin immediately"
-ยบ-
Something hit Applejack's head, feeling worryingly similar to a hammer, but she staggered back before another blow was landed. Quibra, close by, grabbed an arm that wasn't quite there and pulled it, throwing the body it was attached to against a wall with a sound of clay and stone shattering against each other. Something hit him in the side, but he grabbed it and, with a crimson flash, supplexed it. No one attacked them, and they didn't find any point that their eyes slipped over, so they allowed themselves to take deep breaths.
They still couldn't see the remains of their attackers, but both had found golems often enough to recognize them.
Nonetheless, the fact that they were psionists worried her. Changelings -which she had been expecting- or unicorns would've been preferable to the possibilities these golems had just opened for them.
"Are you-" started Quibra, but flinched and grabbed the point that the last golem had charged against "Broken rib, thsere" Applejack didn't understand the word, but the tone alone spoke its meaning "Are you fine?"
"Could be better, but-" the feeling of a warm breeze at the back of her head returned.
"SIGNAL WEAK. SPATIAL PROPERTIES WORRYING; CHANGE RATE FAR FASTER THAN BEFORE. GET OUT OF THERE. BRING REMAINS OF ATTACKERS.?. EVIDENCE; RESEARCH"
"Twilight says we have to get out" said Applejack, grabbing the nearest spot of not-there-ness and put it in Quibra's bag "Something about the space worsening"
"ATTACKERS MAY INDICATE MAFIA OPERATIONS; PRACTICALLY USELESS OUTSIDE CROWDS; WITHOUT THEM MERELY HARD TO PERCEIVE. CHANGELINGS.?" They started their way back.
"No, golems"
"WORRYING. CONFIRMS REDDO'S FEARS. BRING MORE PIECES.?"
"Hey, Quibra, can you try to get more golem? Twilight needs it" he nodded and took something that seemed heavy with the hand that wasn't clutching his rub.
"SPACIAL ANOMALIES GROWING FASTER; RUSH; WILL TRY TELEPORTS" Applejack gulped and changed her troting into a run, Quibra wincing but following suit.
In the corner of her vision, two figures appeared, that of an stylished diamond dog and pony. There were six dark diamond shapes around each, the top one above the pony already lit.
"No, don't you-" she swallowed "Quibra, put the piece on my back" she asked him. He gave her a dubious look, "Now!"
He gave in, and Applejack weathered the weight of what seemed to be a dismembered chest without slowing her run. If Twilight pulled her back and he was trapped with a broken rib, things would only worsen.
An old stallion appeared around a corner, aiming his horn at them.
It was only fitting that, with a magnesium flash, both hallway and warm breeze disappeared.
They looked at the black void that surrounded them, shared a look, and gulped.