On the side looking toward the entrance, Alex stood up with bruises on his back and dust all over. Erebus was under him, shaken, but unharmed.
“Is everyone alright?” Alex asked. Erebus frantically extended a shadow scanning spell around the cave.
The Diamond Dogs ran back. They had apparently bolted way past the group away from the cave in. “What happened? How?!” Shouted one.
Alex was about to say something until he saw Eleanor hold up a rather large piece of ceiling with both arms. It must have been several tons heavy at least.
Eleanor sighed. “It's okay, I’m holding it up. Where are Tycho and Shade?”
To Alex and Erebus’s horror, they turned back to see the cave in. Erebus ran to the end as Alex grabbed her by the tail.
“Let me go!” Erebus screamed and struggled.
“No! It's too dangerous!” Alex pulled her back.
“Shade! Shaaaade!” Erebus screamed.
Alex felt every emotion she was but knew if they didn’t withdraw now, they’d risk being buried as well. As he tried to console Erebus he noticed her darkened shadow walk on its own! What was going on? Was he hallucinating this? The shadow then went completely flat onto the ground and slicked under the piles of rock…
On the other side of the cave in, Tycho got up covered in small rocks and dust. He groaned. He was relieved his sonar device wasn’t broken, at least. He shook his head as he heard a pony walk up to him.
“Tycho! Oh Luna are you alright?!” Shade approached and hugged him tightly.
Tycho, realizing he wasn’t buried under tons of rock, hugged Shade back as well. “I feel like the floor of a taxi cab.”
Tycho found his mind analyzing the situation. Maybe the fear and shock hadn’t caught up to him or the fact he risked life and limb jumping into another dimension had tempered his courage...
Oh dear gods I almost died! Tycho thought as he scurried away from the pile of rubble, breathing heavily.
Shade followed and kept both hooves on him. “It’s okay, Tyke. It’s okay. You’re alive, I’m alive and the others might still be alive too.” She prayed the worst hadn’t happened on the other side. “Oh Celestia, please be okay. Please.” She whispered to herself as she tried to use her magic in some way to detect life on the other side.
Tycho stayed put to get his bearings. He had managed to calm himself down somewhat. “I hope they’re alright.”
Shade then felt something almost textureless hug her tightly around her neck. She jumped and turned her head to see Erebus’s shadow standing from stretched shadowy legs that went under the rock. “Oh you’re here! That means you’re both alive!”
Erebus’s shadow nodded then let go.
“Are they alright? Is Erebus okay?” Shade asked fearfully.
The shadow nodded. Then pointed to Shade and Tycho and made a questioning gesture.
“Who are you talking to?” Tycho asked.
“Uh, Erebus is, uh, communicating with me through magic.” Shade half-lied.
The shadow crossed her forelegs and shook her head in annoyance at Shade’s lie. She then pointed a hoof at Shade and Tycho and Shade and made the same gesture more dramatically.
Shade gestured the shadow to calm down and thought a moment. “Tycho, we should probably wait here until they can clear the cave-in.” Shade recommended.
“I'm not sure that is wise.” Tycho replied. “The rock near all this will be weaker near the cave-in.”
Shade snorted. He had a point. She noticed the chamber ahead was still alight, though. “In that case maybe we should proceed forward. That chamber hasn’t collapsed since the Diamond Dogs found it. Maybe it will be safer.”
Tycho nodded. “You’re in charge now, captain.” He weakly stood up and turned on his sonar device. He noticed at least three of the storage chests were still intact.
Shade nodded and looked at Erebus’s shadow. “We’re going ahead to the chamber while you and the others take care of this.”
The shadow nodded and gave Shade a peck on the cheek before slipping back under the rocks.
Shade stood, sighing. Erebus’s shadow seems to speak more about Erebus herself than Erebus lets on.
On the other side, Erebus regained her calm, but her anxiety was still present. “They’re alive and okay. They’re going to go to the inner chamber.”
Alex and Eleanor let out a sigh of relief.
“Why is it whenever we feel safe, the multiverse conspires to do something nasty to us?” Alex grumbled.
Eleanor chuckled in both pity and agreement to Alex’s quip.
“Rock here isn’t safe. We go back and plan.” One Diamond Dog said. “Uh, El stay here hold up rock?”
Eleanor sighed and nodded nonchalantly. “I can do this all year. Uh, please don’t take a year to fix this.”
“We’ll be back as soon as possible, El. We promise.” Alex gestured Erebus to move ahead as they started to run back.
Erebus prayed Shade and Tycho would be alright and swiftly went with the rest of the group.
“Well here I am by myself talking with myself. Now what?” Eleanor thought out loud and looked around. “I spy with my little eye something that starts with the letter R.” She said. “Rocks. Yep. Lots of rocks. I spy with my little eye something that starts with M. More rocks. I spy something that starts with E. Even more rocks.” She sighed. “Did I install any apps on this body?”
Dragging two tool chests behind him and Shade floating the third with her magic and creating a light spell at the same time, the human and pony marched onward to the inner chamber.
“Be careful, Tyke. I know you have sonar, but-.” Shade was about to finish, but Tycho cut her off.
“I can navigate my way no problem, Shade. I’m like a cave bat here.” Tycho mused before bumping his head on a stalactite. Thankfully, the helmet took the blow but the resounding impact didn’t help Tycho’s headache. “Fuck shit goddamn sonuva…” He grumbled.
Shade winced at that and noticed Tycho wasn’t wounded, except maybe his pride. Still, there was no need for arrogance now. “Just how precise is your sonar?”
Tycho shook his head and regained his composure. “Well I’m not a dolphin, you know.”
“More like a bat, huh?” Shade raised an eyebrow.
“I know what I said.” Tycho groused and continued forward as they neared the chamber.
It was getting to the point where Shade wouldn’t need a light at all. The bluish hue of light began to flicker in varying brightness, but never too much as they got closer to what looked like a dome-like opening.
“Oh, Tycho. I wish you could see this.” Shade blurted out.
“We’re approaching the chamber, right?” Tycho asked, stopping.
Shade nodded as she trotted ahead of him. The chamber inside must have been about fifteen meters apart and dome shaped. Lining the walls of the chamber were glowing ore veins of what looked like magically-saturated... bauxite! Shade could open a mine here and retire, maybe buy herself a small nation from this place. But that paled in comparison to what she saw at the center. The veins seemed to have been connected like rivers to the center of the chamber. It would seemingly appear to be a hole but there was intense sparkling of raw magic inside. How deep the hole was, she had no idea. But she could feel the power coming from it. The magic inside it churned intensely. She felt it growing more intense the closer she got, even her horn felt warmer. She decided not to proceed any further.
“Tycho, we found our... mana well.” Shade decided that was a good name for it. “It’s a fifteen meter domed chamber with bauxite ore veins lining the cavern walls and centered at a hole. The hole itself is about a meter and a half in diameter. The depth is unknown. But the magic inside is intense. Like raw magic churning within it.”
Tycho nodded. “Help me unpack the equipment so we can see we what we got.” He decided not to go closer. Even with his glasses, the magic inside that place must be so intense he’d suffer from the symptoms of his magic allergy really quick.
“Bloody tartarus. You’d think the Diamond Dogs being experienced miners would be able to build a safer mine!” Emerald bantered as he checked on Erebus, with Alex and two annoyed Diamond Dogs waiting. One of them was Grassrunner.
“My hounds did good job!” Grassrunner defended. “Magic bewitched the soldering!”
Emerald shook his head. “How could magic do that to soldered metal?”
“The saturation of intense primal magical energy didn’t yield enough thaumatic resonance to saturate the steel but because the soldered points weren’t as strong-” Erebus explained in magebabble as the rest of the crowd (with exception to Emerald) gave up trying to understand.
“What is the plan, Grass?” Alex asked.
Grassrunner. “Our dig masters will look at hole and plan how to dig through collapse. Dig through it now, may cause another collapse. Dig around, may cause same. They must know cave again before digging again.”
Matthew walked inside the infirmary cabin. “You guys will be happy to know I sent our pegasus towing committee to Ponyville to get some help from Twilight. She sent us something on stonework crafting.” He presented a box with Twilight’s cutiemark labeled on the top.
Alex opened it and it revealed a few transcribed documents on digging a secure and strong tunnel through the rock and only needing steel supports in the middle. No soldering required. It also included two spell scrolls of stone shaping with post-it notes stating for Emerald and Erebus.
“Okay, looks like we need to remake that tunnel a bit.” Alex showed Grassrunner the papers.
The chieftess perused through the papers and walked out of the cabin. “Get dig masters, now!” She could be heard shouting from outside the cabin.
Tycho examined a strange device that a human would say was shaped like a price tag scanner with a much bigger display. The display had several meters that Tycho’s magic spectacles displayed for him. Tycho adjusted a few knobs on the device. Each meter was color labeled indicating a different measurement of magical nature, or so he was told. Tycho set it up on a tripod and pointed it at the hole.
Shade helped Tycho prep the other devices present that needed more finesse to set up. The magical containment device actually consisted of a large lead box coated with fiberglass. Within it were four smaller boxes made of what seemed to be glass. Shade opened each of them and set them in front of the larger boxes.
The final opened tool chest disappointed Tycho. The extraction device was broken. The rocks must have shattered the legs that were to be set up like a quadrapod around the hole. Otherwise, the extraction arm was still in tact.
Tycho shook his head. “Thaumic waves can wreak that much havock, huh?”
Shade sat down on the cold stone ground. “Oh yeah. Super concentrated magic can cause effects comparable to chaos magic, except more mundane.”
“Like destroying load bearings?” Tycho asked, pointing back down the cave toward the mess behind them.
Shade nodded. “And worse if we were maintaining or casting spells.” She grinned. “Turned off my light spell before it got me.”
Tycho touched his glasses. “What about artifacts?”
Shade shrugged. “We got lucky, I guess. Maybe there is something in the rock taking the brunt, and the steel built into the rock conducted what was left?”
Tycho nodded with a grin. “Brilliant deduction. And you claim not to be bright.”
That made Shade smile. “Well I’m as grey as a pony can get. So not far from the truth.”
Tycho took a break as he reached for his canteen. “What about your eyes? Your mane? Tail?”
Shade blushed. “Silver mane and tail. Green eyes. What were yours like before they turned white?”
“Blue.” Tycho sighed. “My mom said they were like the ocean.”
“What would she say about green eyes?” Shade leaned a bit forward.
“The color of life.” Tycho smiled. “Nature, harmony... fertility.” He took a swig of water and pulled out a bag of honey oatcakes and an apple provided by applejack. “Hungry?”
Shade shook her head as her rump shifted at the mention of fertility, very thankful Tycho couldn’t see her blush. “So uh, you wanted to know how I became captain?”
Tycho nodded as he ate and laid his back against the rock wall.
Shade took out her canteen and took a drink. “So do you know what Luna’s highest principle is?”
“Redemption.” Tycho curtly replied.
Shade smiled. “Her Nightguard, her Paladins, herself. We’re all redeeming ourselves for something.”
“I know Alex and Matt have serious reasons. Steel mentioned he wants to join as well. What are yours?” Tycho asked.
Shade closed her eyes and thought for a moment to put the words currently. “Squandering my younger days wasting my life. Abandoning what I love. A lot of self-betrayal.” She looked at Tycho. “I spent my youth abusing my health and partying like a reckless mare without a care in the world. And it cost me two of my best friends.”
Tycho looked in her direction sadly. “How did it happen?
Shade took a deep breath. This wasn’t an easy topic, but given she and Tycho might die in this cave, the least she could do was confide in her friend the reason she became captain. “I was a reveler. The kind to blackout and wonder what had happened the night before. At that time my favorite poison was salted drinks. To do this day I can probably still down ten cubes worth and only be buzzed.” Shade frowned. “If I had a bit for all the times I got in trouble for it.”
Tycho studied Shade’s words and voice. “So you are fighting addiction.”
Shade nodded solemnly. “I can’t go past a cube of salt without wanting it.”
“How bad did the trouble get?” Tycho bravely asked.
Shade frowned. “Me and some friends joined some ‘children of harmony’ cult. There are several around. They all claim to be about peace and true harmony, but always seem to miss one or more crucial elements. Mine lacked the loyalty. No one seemed to really be dedicated to anything harmonious. It was just one party after the next without any direction.” Shade laid her head down as her ears turned back.
Tycho scooted next to her as he listened.
“Me and two of my best friends at the time went up a mountain on a so-called pilgrimage. We wanted to inspire everyone in our group to do something meaningful. Deep. So if we could go up Skyhaven in Canterlot,” She looked at Tycho, “that’s the mountain Canterlot Castle is built on,” She saw Tycho nod and she continued, “then we’d stand out in the group.”
“So climbing a rock, huh?” Tycho said. “Is there something special about it?”
“No more than what myths we imagined to justify it.” Shade chuckled. “That it touched the moon and sun and if you can reach the top, you could touch them.”
“We had a myth back on Earth about a man named Icarus who tried to fly to reach the sun to impress the gods. It burned away his wings and he fell to his death.” Tycho spoke, then cleared his throat. “Sorry.”
Shade shook her head. “No, you hit the nail on the head there, Tycho. We were so stupid we were poorly prepared. All that salt and anything else they gave us in that cult made us think we were invincible.” She looked sadly at the hole in the center of the chamber. “Did you know we made it half way? We were so proud we decided to celebrate so our friends below would know how far we got.” Shade took a deep breath. “One of them jumped off the ledge in a drugged up stupor. I remember trying to hold her up with my magic, but she kept slipping out. I couldn’t hold on, I was so messed up. So my other friend dove in to get her. He... and she both fell all the way.”
Tycho reached out his hand and put a hand on her hoof. Shade felt that soft grip on her hoof and looked at him, then moved a bit closer and sat up. “Their parents still blame me for their deaths.”
“And then you got picked up by the guard?” Tycho asked.
Shade nodded. “I entered their detox program but I still lacked any employable skill. So I tried to enter the Day Guard reserves.”
Tycho raised an eyebrow, “So you attempted to join the Day Guard first?”
“Pays well, good benefits, and believe it or not I actually passed the initial requirements.” Shade frowned. “But addictions are hard to manage even if you live in a restricted environment.”
“It's not easy to shake off a substance after a traumatic experience,” Tycho guessed.
Shade swept back her hair with one hoof. “Yep. Got caught getting salted once and they kicked me out three months into the program. All the other trainees were ashamed to be even associated with me.”
“That is unacceptable. Addiction is something that should be treated, not shamed,” Tycho remarked.
Shade’s ears perked. That was the most intelligent statement anypony had made about it. “Thanks, Tycho.” She smiled as she got to the good part. “Well, I was walking out of the barracks when this annoying and shrewd colt approached me. He was the current sergeant of the Nightguard. He pissed me off with his arrogant criticism of my former lifestyle. I never felt so mad.”
“I’m sorry, but did your parents help you in any way?” Tycho could see where this was going but wanted to know of her primary supports, if she had any.
“Not very reliable when it comes to discipline. I’d say my dad wanted to teach me self reliance by not ‘coddling’ me at every opportunity. And my mom believed the natural consequences of my actions would be good enough to parent me. Borderline negligence.” Shade frowned. “But then I met that sergeant. His name was Ironheart. He became the parent I needed.”
“Sounds like he was a real harda... hardflank on you. That must have made you mad.” Tycho deduced.
Shade chuckled. This stallion was getting to know her pretty well. “I kept going back to him to challenge him and each and every time I left feeling less and less righteous about my identity, and more and more like a fool.”
“And you became so determined that you joined?” Tycho asked.
The grey mare chuckled. “I tried out the entry program and each time I visited, it kicked my flank, but I didn’t quit because I wanted to shove it in Ironheart’s face.”
“But he molded you in the process. That pissed you off more?” The tall human took another bite of his food.
Shade smirked and snorted. “No. I felt I better than I ever had been. I stayed off salt a lot longer as the training got tougher. Everypony in the Night Guard was some hard case better or worse than me, but somepony I could relate to. They became the family I needed.” She smiled. “After I proved my worth, it was my turn to meet Princess Luna. I can’t say what happened, classified and all, but she helped me find the new meaning in my life.”
“And that was redeeming yourself for your friends and their family.” Tycho deduced. “I can see why that is very important to you. Helps to replace the hurt with closure.”
Shade felt her own emotions well up a bit as moisture formed on her eyes. She wiped them dry and smiled. No pony, aside from Erebus, had been able to empathize with her like he just did. “Thanks Tycho.” She shifted closer and nuzzled his neck. “You’re a good friend.”
Tycho smiled and rubbed her neck softly, feeling her silky mane.
Shade was about to withdraw until she felt his touch. She let out a soft breath out of bliss feeling his hand rub those neck muscles. It was better than any hoof-massage could give. She kept her mug pressed against his neck as she took in his sent for moment. He smelled very nice, she thought. Her hoof pressed softly on his thigh. She was kicked back to her senses feeling a wave of magic emit from the hole as the sparkling energy intensified for a moment. She regained her composure and looked around to make sure the cave wasn’t collapsing.
Tycho blushed a bit. That felt a bit more affectionate than a friend would act, he thought. He put on his glasses. “Okay, so. Let’s get back to work.”
When she decided it was safe, she looked at Tycho and could see he was a bit red in the cheeks. She didn’t expect to get that far into it so quickly. The mare mentally kicked herself. She was supposed to hook him and Erebus up! But then again Erebus never described what she would want in a stallion. But obviously it would be someone with a lot in common with her, right? But her shadow hits on her all the time, never saw her hit on a stallion. Why was she now feeling conflicted about this?
“Earth to Shade.” Tycho snapped his fingers in front of her face.
Shade snapped to attention at the unusual noise and turned her attention to Tycho. “Uh, oh! Right. Let’s get that mana.” Okay, she thought. We gotta do this quickly before I fall in love with this stallion. “Well it's made of magic so it should as simple as pulling it to us.”
Tycho raised an eyebrow. “That is one theory. Using thaumatic force to gather the energy to you is possible but then again this is super-concentrated. It might not react as expected.”
“Piece of cake.” Shade grinned and began to form her magic to feel the mana.
“Shade, wait!” Tycho warned.
Shade felt the primal magic and indeed, it was very intense, like a marble of power being forced together at the center. Within seconds, however, she felt a powerful surge of energy return to her. “AAAAAAAAACK!!” The surge zapped her through the horn at full force, sending her flying down the cave. She flew back a quarter of a hoofball field before hitting the ground on her rump and landing on her back. Her horn was smoking at the tip.
Tycho ran to Shade. “Like sticking a wire in a light socket!” He helped Shade back to her hind legs. “Shade, you okay?!” She felt warmer to the touch.
Tycho couldn’t see it, but Nightshade was glowing with a brighter aura similar to the mana, with her eyes glowing brightly. “My status is within normal parameters, Doctor Hernandez.” She replied. “It appears the thaumatic feedback nearly overloaded my starswirls, causing a temporary two-hundred percent rise in intellectual levels.”
Tycho deadpanned. “...what?”
“I can calculate complex mathematical equations. I know and understand matters of subject greater than any pony. The secrets of quantum mechanics, the insights of harmony theory, the origin of mayonnaise!”
Tycho blinked. “Really?”
The aura suddenly faded and Shade’s eyes returned to normal. “Oh! It's gone now. I am back!” She raised a hoof in exuberance.
“Spectacular.” Ponies are weird, Tycho thought. “How about you rest a bit while I do some calculations? Then we can brainstorm some better ideas to extract the mana.”
Back at the cave, a male and female Diamond Dog struck several points all around the collapse while pressing their ears to the wall. Behind them, other Diamond Dogs worked their talented claws as they dug a smoother shaped tunnel, scraping off the rough rock as Emerald and Erebus zapped the cave walls to bond the cracks in the stone. The structures emphasized a arch that appeared to sufficiently hold up stronger as the dogs ahead of them set up single steel beams as pillars.
The whole job took several hours with direction from Grassrunner. Dawn was reaching as Diamond Dogs brought in lanterns to light the inside of the cave as they finally reached Eleanor who was whistling a tune in waiting.
Alex was with the group as the dogs got to work. “You okay there, El?”
Eleanor looked over her shoulder to see Alex and the dogs beginning to reshape the stone and bond what she was holding up. “Been fine. Did you know me and this giant rock are now good friends?”
Alex smiled. “Sorry for the wait. Gotta do this carefully.”
It took fifteen minutes as Emerald and Erebus started to show signs of fatigue.
“This is certainly quite an exercise for my horn.” Emerald stated.
Erebus was spooning peanut butter in her mouth. “I can dho fissh all dae.” She said with sheer determination as sweat drenched her mane.
“Care to share a spoonful? I rather like peanut butter. Fascinating culinary product. My fellow Changelings would enjoy it.” Emerald said, trying to take his mind off the fatigue he was building.
Erebus smiled and gave Emerald a spoonful as they continued to work.
The work stopped when they reached the caved-in rock. “Now what, chief?” Alex asked Grassrunner, who grinned back.
“Digmasters tell us, boss.” She said as the Digmasters returned.
Grassrunner and the Digmasters spoke quietly while the ponies and other Diamond Dogs rested.
After five minutes, the Digmasters began marking points. “Hounds! You remove rock as Digmasters say! Ponies, zap where Digmasters say. Alex, El, fetch water and food for us!”
Eleanor and Alex did as they were told and headed back to camp.
“Thought you were the leader.” Eleanor quipped.
“Oh, let her have her moment of glory.” Alex retorted.
It was going to be slow work now, Erebus thought. She hoped the two on the other side could hold out long enough.
Tycho scribbled the equations with chalk on the cave wall. “Let’s see, the readings indicate the mana weighs approximately 0.1 kilograms per cubic centimeter…” He rambled off. Laid out before him was the broken extraction apparatus and the heavy magic containment. “We can’t lift anything near the well without possibility of a feedback burst…” He then checked to the drafts he made beside the equations, then checked the readings on his ‘tricorder’ as he decided to call it.
Shade watched Tycho with fascination as he worked. Her head didn’t hurt as much as it did an hour ago, and she needed the rest after getting overcharged with magic. Shade studied the human to keep her mind occupied. Well, she mostly admired his backside. For a human, he did have a nice butt. She remembered the way his muscles were toned on his chest and arms. Quite a healthy stallion. Those tattoos still intrigued her. And the piercings? They suited him. They made him look more like a new generation rogue scholar than an intellectually elite scientist.
“Whelp, I’m at the end of my rope.” Tycho stepped back and sat down next to Shade. He let out a quick sigh of annoyance. “The tripod needs to stand above the well evenly so I can control the arm.” He pointed to the broken device. “But two of the forelegs are busted. So I can’t balance it. Even if I try this.” He pointed to the equation, “and tie them, one more shake and it will fall apart and down the hole it goes.”
Shade nodded and smiled. “Not like we can’t wait for everyone to help us repair it.”
Tycho shrugged. “Yeah, but I kinda want to impress everyone. Show them what I am capable of.”
Shade stopped smiling and extended a hoof to Tycho’s cheek. She softly touched one side of his chin and brought him eye to eye with her as she gave him a serious look. “Now, Doctor Hernandez. What have you learned, if you learned anything about ponies?”
“Friendship is magic?” Tycho guessed, not resisting her touch.
“But what does that mean?” Shade asked.
“That,” The man searched for a valid answer. “We need the Elements of Harmony to solve this with a rainbow friendship nuke?”
Shade snorted. “No. It’s that if you insist on doing things yourself, you accomplish less. Having friends is a strength to solving problems and impresses ponies a lot more.” She removed her hoof from his chin and puts a hoof on his chest. “You, sir, have a friend right here,” She then put that hoof to her barrel. “So let me suggest something practical that may help.”
Shade looked around and noticed some fallen stones and rocks. “That will work. If we can’t use the tripod’s forelegs, we’ll make some substitutes.” She used her magic to drag the stones into a pile.
Tycho felt like an episode of Star Trek where a simple solution became the fulcrum to accomplishing a more complex plan. He was Spock, Shade was Captain Kirk. He chuckled silently and started to help. “Can your magic sand down those stones to stack flat on each other to about a meter total?”
Shade rubbed her hooves together and grinned. “I’m still pretty charged up by that mana. Watch me work!”
The stones were measured and Shade used some impressive spells she would normally use in battle. “This spell is designed to drill through armor,” She said as she used it to drill a hole at the top and center four stones. She then adjusted the spell to finely grind the top and bottom of the stones, with the topmost and middle stones leaving but a pin sticking out it the middle at the bottom. The three stones for each base were finished... The excess magic in her system was quickly drained from the work as she showed the fruits of her labor. The stone formed a flat-tipped cone with the base being the widest. The pins fit into the holes at the top of each stone for stability, with a notch at the top to fit the back leg parts of the tripod
Tycho helped make sure each measure was best estimated as he put the stone and machine assembly together. He then grabbed the arm control which looked like a like a bicycle brake control to him, with two levers attached by a cable to the tripod itself. He squeezed the first and lowered the arm. Letting go, the arm rose back up. Seeing that it was working fine, he squeezed the second and closed the container at the bottom of the arm.
“Now, we have one more problem.” Tycho wiped his neck of sweat. “Getting this stuff near that well.”
Shade took a big gulp of water as she rested. “Well I can’t move them. Any spell near the hole will do weird stuff to me.”
“And I can’t go near it. It is so badly saturated it’ll probably kill me even with my glasses.” Tycho smirked. “Unless.” He stroked his beard. “Shade, can you cast a magic dampening field?”
Shade thought for a moment if she knew that one, and she did. “Yeah, we use it to weaken hostile magic. But if I cast anything on that hole-”
Tycho shook his head. “With that spell, I think you’ll be safe. Look, I did some math a while ago on your thaumatic physics, and I’m reasonably certain your spell uses different particles that won’t be affected by the primal magic.”
Shade raised an eyebrow. “How reasonably certain?”
“Two thirds?” Tycho shrugged with a smirk.
“Oh lovely. So just one of three chances my horn will fry.” Shade groaned.
“Even if it fails, the magic dampening won’t cause the same feedback. It will probably just release another thaumic wave.” Tycho explained.
“That doesn’t help matters!” Shade grimaced. “I don't want to cause another cave-in!”
“A smaller wave. Smaller.” Tycho further explained. “It will be safe, I swear. I trust you.” He put a hand on Shade’s hoof. “Will you trust me?”
Shade blushed a bit. Well this guy is scary intelligent and it would be a waste not to attempt this after all the work they just did. “Okay Tyke.” She put another hoof on his hand and held it. “Just be careful. If I can’t hold it, then we wait until rescue.”
Tycho smiled and gave a brief scratch on Shade’s other ear, the one he didn’t touch.
One of Shade’s back legs kicked a bit. That felt very nice, but she forced herself to focus on the dampening spell.
Tycho separated each stone and mentally planned how he was going to do this. First the stones, then the apparatus, then the containers will have to be set near the apparatus.
“Okay Tycho, on the count of three. One, two, three!” Shade cast the dampening spell and to her surprise, it held, but it was like holding against the magic of a gifted unicorn. Definitely an endurance test but Shade felt a well of determination to do this for him.
Tycho moved carefully. He didn’t feel his body being assaulted by energies as he used his sonar device and a tape measure to get the distance across the hole. He then marked the position for each stone and put the base stones first. Then he returned. “Doing okay?” Tycho asked.
Shade nodded. “Keep going.”
Tycho then stacked the next four stones, then returned for the tripod. After carefully picking it up, he brought it to the side without a stone where he marked for the working leg to be placed.
“Oh buck, hurry Tycho.” Shade felt the mana well build up in energy as it pressed against her field.
“Almost done.” Tycho then got the back-arms inserted into the other stones.
The thaumic energy felt like a water leaking out of a sponge through the dampening field. “Tycho, ten seconds!” She broke out into a sweat trying to hold it.
Tycho then placed the four smaller glass-like boxes close enough to the hole. He then traced the cable back to the cave and sat down.
Shade let out a breath as she released the field. The thaumic wave passed but was weaker than the last one and no harm came from it. “Oh buck, Tycho.” She panted. “Could you have moved a bit quicker?”
Tycho smiled meekly. “I’m sorry, Shade. You going to be okay?”
Shade nodded. “Yeah, fine. But you owe me for this.”
Tycho accepted that. “Ask me anything, within reason.” He then began to operate the control arm.
Shade grinned. “Okay. But let me help you direct that arm to grab the mana. You can’t see it, but I can.”
Tycho smiled and gave her neck a soft rub. “We’re a team.” He complimented as the pony gave soft hum of approval to his touch.
“A bit to the left.” Shade said.
“What, the arm?” Tycho asked.
“No, on my neck. That feels great.” Shade let out a soft whinny of approval.
Tycho smirked. “The job, Shade. Concentrate on the job.”
Little did they know, Erebus’s shadow was watching them again, standing silently behind them as she watched with interest.
The cave-in was nearly cleared out as the Diamond Dogs quickly carved the rock and pushed it against the cave walls, with Emerald taking care of the remaining melding.
“Keep breathing. That is the key.” Emerald panted and took a swig of love-potion. “If my Queen could see me now, working like a drone.”
Erebus had to take a break. If this was umbralmancy, she would have more stamina, but stonework? If she was part Earth-pony she’d probably have an easier time, she thought.
“Friends, we cleared it!” Grassrunner announced as the last melding spell was cast, the cave-in was gone and now a much more stable corridor into the mountain was finished.
Erebus then received information from her shadow as her ears perked and looked toward the glow in the distance.
Alex and Eleanor walked ahead. “It's okay guys, we’ll see how they are doin-” Alex was interrupted as Erebus swiftly sprinted passt the two.
“Or, we can run like reckless adventurers.” Eleanor ran after her.
Alex shrugged and followed.
Tycho and Shade sat twenty feet from the entrance to the cavern as Tycho placed the fourth container into the larger box. Each glass container held within it piece of mana about the size of a two-inch marble. They were perfectly spherical.
Tycho couldn’t see the glowing tiny orbs inside, but Shade admired them. To think these small solid balls of magic could provide so much magical power. “You did it, Tycho.” Shade smiled as she sat very close to him.
“We did it, Nightshade.” Tycho closed the box and twisted the knob to secure it shut.
Shade was blushing more than ever. There was definitely something deep inside her she hadn’t felt in a while, and Tycho was definitely the cause. She had to face the fact that she was crushing on him. Thinking on it, she was attracted to very smart ponies, but ones that were adventurous, too. And Tycho was no exception. He was also funny and nice. His species mattered little, after all, she was going to fix him with Erebus.
Though she felt some guilt cancelling that goal, she reminded herself Erebus often spurned the advances of other ponies ever since her change, despite her shadow’s annoyance. The only one she had ever shown romantic emotions to was her, but never beyond that one evening and had consistently been her closest friend after, even if her shadow flirted with her now and again.
“So, uh, Tycho. About you owing me. I do have a request.” Shade said.
Tycho leaned back on his elbows as he rested. “Okay. Lay it on me. What do you want?”
“A date.” Shade replied.
Tycho’s face immediately went from relaxed to nervous. “A... date?”
Shade was about to reply when her ears twitched hearing the rapid clopping of hooves as well as a long bat-pony 'eeee'ing noise she knew belonged to one mare. She turned around to see Erebus diving at her. She let out a comical yelp as the pale pony tackled her. The two landed five feet further down in a pile of hooves and fur.
“Eeeeeeeeeee! You’reokayIwassoworriedShadeneverscaremelikethatagainareyouokay-” Erebus hugged Shade tightly, her wings flapped vigorously.
Shade laughed and hugged her friend back. “I’m fine, honey. I’m glad you’re fine too.”
Alex and Eleanor arrived. “Awe, look at that.” Eleanor smiled at the happy reunion.
“That is precious.” Alex followed. Alex knelt down to check on Tycho. “You okay, man?”
Tycho took a deep breath. “Well I nearly died, but otherwise fine. By the way,” He tapped the box. “Mission accomplished.”
Alex looked surprised, but reasserted his attention on everyone’s well being. “Seriously, is everyone okay?”
Tycho began to stand as Alex helped him up. “Yes.” Tycho said rubbing a bruise. “Now let's get out of here.”
Eleanor was in the chamber with the mana-well as she looked around. “Well I seem to be fine and having no issues. Looks like Exalted magic doesn’t passively interact with this stuff. I’ll stay here and conduct some more studies for a bit. Nice rigging, by the way, Tyke.”
“Shade was responsible for half the work.” Tycho pointed to Shade as Erebus let her get up.
“Can we go now?” Erebus asked as she yawned. “I need to sleep.”
Shade smiled and nuzzled Erebus. “Yeah, lets.”
Alex gestured everyone to follow him as they walked back with the samples of mana packed away. Eleanor stayed and looked down the well in fascination.
“Seriously, though, Shade. Thanks, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.” Tycho complimented the mare.
Shade smiled. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have experience working with visually impaired ponies.” She said with pride.
Erebus ears perked at hearing that. “What do you mean?”
Shade looked at Erebus. “Didn’t I tell you?”
Erebus shook her head. “Tell me what?”
“Something I missed?” Tycho asked.
Shade looked at Tycho, then Erebus. “You mean no one told you two the other is blind?”
Erebus and Tycho stopped in their tracks then pointed at each other. “Wait, you’re blind?!” They asked each other in unison.
The next day, the group repacked as the pegasi returned with the chariot. Everyone grudgingly prepared to return to civilization.
Eleanor and Alex spoke at length with Grassrunner on securing the well and keeping anyone from entering the cave, for now.
“So, here is my best guess. Those veins running into the well are bauxite.” El explained.
Grassrunner went wide eyed. “Unmade aluminum?!” Her jaw dropped.
Eleanor nodded. “Yeah. They run down the hole and squeeze a lot of magic together. I wouldn’t be surprised if most mountains like this have one or two of these. But if there is too much magic, one of the mana beads bursts, releasing those waves.”
“So no mining the bauxite.” Grassrunner tapped her chin with one claw. “How much mana made?”
Eleanor shrugged. “Maybe a 25 millimeter diameter bead per day, but that might be contingent on how many beads are left in there.”
Grassrunner thought a moment on what Eleanor was saying. “You mean, more beads in makes more beads sooner?” Seeing Eleanor nod, Grassrunner crossed her arms and let out a happy howl. “This stuff rarer than aluminum. Diamond Dogs have greater prize of land now.” She then looked at Alex. “Diamond Dogs do own this, yes?”
Alex nodded. “I give you my word as a paladin and as a friend to the Diamond Dogs, I will make sure your ownership is acknowledged. Your tribe and the Diamond Dogs will prosper, as long as you conserve that well.”
Grassrunner grinned. “We will. Well will not run dry. But Tycho must show us how to extract mana. Will need more machines to do it. Then Diamond Dogs profit.”
Alex smiled and gave her a friendly jab to the arm. “Not just money, Grass. You and your tribe’s name will go down as the ones who helped create the first mana-mine.”
Grassrunner laughed. “That make Celestia frown.”
Alex chuckled. “If only for a moment.”
Matt helped Tycho load the excess equipment into the chariot. “So you just went through your first near-death experience.” Matt patted Tycho on the back. “Now, let me ask you something. Do you feel screwed up?”
Tycho shook his head. “I’m a real asshole for regarding you guys like that, huh?”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, trauma is serious business. Now,” He stopped Tycho as they were packing. “How are you feeling?”
Tycho took a deep breath and released. “I didn’t have any nightmares last night and I managed to keep my shit together working in the cave so... I guess I took it pretty well.”
Matt looked at Tycho. Yeah, he seemed okay but he wasn’t throwing out the possibility Tycho was hiding the bigger trauma of him losing almost everything back home. “Well, if you need to talk about it, you know where to find us, man.”
Meanwhile in the tent, Erebus finished writing down Nightshade’s report on what happened. Erebus’s shadow seemed dormant as she was content to just being her shadow for the time.
“Did you get a chance to see the mana?” Shade asked.
“For the fourth time, yes.” Erebus replied as she put away her notebook. “Guess you two made history.” The ivory mare smiled brightly. “I am excited to see what we’ll learn from it.”
“Yeah, you and Tycho are probably gonna correspond a lot.” Shade then remembered to bring this up. “Speaking of which,” She took a breath for this one, “I want to apologize.”
Erebus cocked her head. “It's not your fault, Shade. That thaumic wave was-”
“I mean about you and Tycho.” Shade sat. “You see, I noticed that since your change, you hadn’t dated anypony so…” She hesitated.
Erebus deadpanned. “So you tried to set me up with another scientist?”
“You seemed perfect for each other.” Shade nodded embarrassed. “But I should have asked if you were interested.”
Erebus remained silent for a moment, but then smiled softly. “Alabaster Nightshade, you drive me crazy sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Shade raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, often. But I wouldn’t trade you for anything, not even a suitor. And speaking of suitors.” Erebus put a friendly hoof on Shade’s cheek. “I’m not thinking about that sort of thing. So don’t worry about it. If I get interested in a prospective lover, you know who I’ll go to for help.”
“You can count on me, hon.” Shade held Erebus’s hoof.
“You? I meant Princess Cadence!” Erebus jibed and stuck her tongue out.
Shade laughed. “I’ll get you back for that.”
There was some silence before Erebus broke it. “So now that you got that off your barrel, you are going to court Tycho?”
Shade looked wide eyed. “How did you-”
Erebus pointed at her shadow. “I know what she knows and vice versa.”
“She watched us, that devil.” Shade grimaced. “So... yeah. Heh. I originally tried to fix you with him and ended up crushing on him instead. Crazy world, huh?”
“Well, good luck.” Erebus remarked. “I’m happy for you, Shade.”
“Thanks.” Shade grinned. “But a mare as sexy as me doesn’t need luck.” She posed a bit.
“I could have sworn recently finding out he is blind. You realize you can’t rely on your looks to seduce him, right?” Erebus eyed Shade.
Shade stopped and with a look of realization. “Buck.” She cursed.
The albino pony patted Erebus on the back. “Welcome back to the world of normal ponies, Shade. You are gonna have to work for that stallion.”
Shade tapped her chin. “I welcome the challenge!” She pumped her hoof as a show of determination.
“Good luck seducing the alien who most likely has different standards of beauty, etiquette, and expectations.” Erebus said nonchalantly.
“I will definitely need help.” Shade slumped and bowed her head, half-defeated.
Meanwhile, far to the North, past the recently built base halfway between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, toward the place known as the Umbral Frontier, the Nightguard conducted their reconnaissance. Two guardsponies observed the expanse of what seemed to be darker shades of rock that sprouted from what seemed to be dark ice. The light that reflected off the ice was the only way to see its presence. It was almost like a giant field of volcanic glass, but very much cold water. In addition, red crystal protruded from some of the rocks.
The two guardsponies got closer to the border.
The first guard took out a pair of binoculars and looked out to the expanse.
“Anything out of the ordinary?” The second asked.
The first shook his head. “This place is dead. Let’s go back and report.” The two headed back.
As the two turned their backs, a red crystal slowly jutted from a crack in the ice. It glowed for a moment as a two purple eyes appeared at the base almost under the ice. It glared at the two ponies as they trotted away.
Not quite dead, pony… The being darkly thought.