• Published 12th Oct 2014
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DayBreak - MyHobby



After an attempt is made on Celestia's life, Twilight Sparkle must assemble a team to track down the assassin and bring her to justice. Danger awaits as they delve into the origins of both the attacker and alicorns.

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Attack

Celestia blinked. She sat up. She spread her feathers. “Is the operation already over?”

No, Princess.

Celestia hopped to her feet. She looked down and let out a yelp. There was no floor. There were no walls or ceiling. It was dark, and murky, and empty, and nothing else. She tripped and fell—down and down past whatever floor she’d been standing on. There were no landmarks. There was no movement. Nothing to tell her how far she’d gone.

Stand up. You’re embarrassing yourself.

Celestia spread her wings. She braced herself for a painful tug on her damaged chest muscles, but it never came. She looked down to see herself spotless, with not a hint of a scar to be seen. Once she drew her wings back to her sides, it felt as though her feet touched down.

“Where am I?” she said. “Who are you?”

Do you recall that magical place known to you as the Dreamscape? A large expanse, filled with stars. Each star a dream, each dream full of hope. All together, it is a representation of the heart of your people, and people everywhere.

Celestia turned, stepping carefully to avoid falling. The world she found herself in was nothing like the Dreamscape. There was no light of stars, just fog without form. “Yes. Of course I know it.”

What you do not see, all around you, is the polar opposite of the Dreamscape.” The voice rumbled in the back of her head, not heard with ears, but in her thoughts. “Welcome to the Abyss.

Two greedy green eyes appeared, glowing steadily. An unclear movement rolled through the mist. “I have summoned you here for a purpose.

“I was going under anesthesia for surgery,” Celestia said. She stalked toward the being, her hooves making not a single sound. “How is it that I am here? And I ask again: Who are you?”

A pony is made of three distinct, yet fully interconnected parts. There is your body, which is safe underneath the doctor’s knife. There is your spirit, which is heavily protected, as always.” A gnarled talon pointed at her from the shadows. “But your mind is free to wander. I led it here, so that you may witness the fall of your kingdom first-hand.

Celestia tried to send power to her horn, to no avail. “What have you done?

I had little to do with this,” the being said. “It seems we both failed to reel in Commander Hurricane. She is, as always, acting on her own impulsivity and anger.

Huge wings flapped to either side of Celestia. She ducked back and held her horn at the ready to stab.

The being leaned forward and rested his left talon on an armrest that came from nowhere. “I am merely the one who made it possible for her to do so.

Celestia launched herself at him. She gritted her teeth in preparation to plunge her horn into the center of his chest. She was caught up in a mighty talon and slammed against a ground that did not exist.

I expected the ruler of a thousand-year regime to have a stronger mind.” The green eyes bored into her. “Be still and know that I am in control.

Celestia sucked in air as he released her. “I will fight you to my final breath, whoever you are! If you seek the destruction of my kingdom, there is nothing in Equestria that can—”

There is nothing in Equestria that can touch me, Princess.” The throne creaked. “I am beyond you. Accept it.

Celestia shook her head. “I refuse.”

Then mourn for your hopeless crusade.” He tapped the tips of his talons together. “I have been called by many names, Daughter of Light.

Celestia looked around for an exit. There was nothing. There was void. There was absence…

I have been imprisoned in this world since the First Age. But in another world, they made their children walk through the fire; sacrificed them to me as their ‘Ba’al’—their Lord. They called me a god when I carried the sun across the sky as Apollo. They named me King of the Gods and Architect of Creation as Amun-Ra. They have called me creator and destroyer with varying degrees of accuracy.

“But you are none of those things.” Celestia took a careful step back to strengthen her stance. “Imprisoned in the First Age? You are one of the old gods; a member of the Unseelie Court. The people you conquered worshiped you in a vain attempt to appease you. You and your fellow monsters were cast into a prison…”

Her eyes widened. Her stomach churned. “This prison. The Abyss.”

Astute.” The being clapped slowly. “Your forerunners could not imprison all of us, nor could they keep us silent. And now, you are out of time.

His talon scratched a hole through the darkness. Light poured through, filtered by disease and filth. A face came into focus in the opening: That of Commander Hurricane herself. “You will watch as your people fall to the death carried on my former minion’s wings. You will mourn, weeping and gnashing your teeth, and I shall leave you with the knowledge that none can stand against… your Ba’al. Yes. I like the sound of that.

***

Grenadier Lanner hobbled up to the entrance of the Thunderhead. He leaned heavily on the walking stick he had taken from Blueblood’s foyer. “Brothers! Kretchwaugh! We have been attacked!”

Two Blitzwings stood at attention by the loading ramp. One of them hefted their volleygun and pointed it at Lanner. “Who goes there?”

My fellow Blitzwing,” Lanner cawed in the griffon tongue, “we have come under heavy assault and cannot survive without backup. We need to make way to the hospital—

Silence, traitor!” the Blitzwing roared. “We know of your actions. King Andean Ursagryph has decreed that you are either to be brought into custody or slain where you stand.

The other guard brought his volleygun up to his eyes. “Alive or dead, your choice.

Lanner placed his talons behind his head. “I do not wish you to slay me, brother Blitzwings. But I must choose death.”

A blade the size of a pony’s leg flew through the air and embedded itself into one Blitzwing’s chest. The other guard had time for a shriek of surprise before two blades dug into him. Hurricane flew down in full armor and stabbed each guard several times with the blades on her wings.

Satisfied that they were silent, she flared her wings. The blades leaped towards her and clamped into place like giant feathers. “The electromagnetic armor works as expected,” she said.

Lanner drew a curved saber. “There will be more within.”

“They will be even less of a problem.” Hurricane’s armor hummed. She raised the metal horn on her helmet, signaling the others to approach. “We will move swiftly, clearing out one room at a time. Our first priority is the engine room, followed by the bridge. We need to be sure they cannot sabotage us.”

“As you command.” Lanner pointed his sword forward. “By your leave?”

Hurricane walked up the gangplank. “Attack.”

***

Care cursed to herself as the taxi careened around another corner. The three of them held on for dear life as the cabbie towed their carriage through the sky, oblivious to traffic laws or passing fliers.

She clutched the radio and its deadly cargo close to her chest. A spark of relief touched her heart as the barracks loomed into view. A long, low hangar sat beside the building. “Finally.”

Velvet gave the reigns a tug, and the cabbie skidded to a stop on the clouds. She handed the cabbie a bag of bits and sprinted away.

Blank gave the pegasus a shallow smile. “Thanks. I guess.”

The cabbie held a hoof beside her mouth as they retreated. “Remember, next time you need a ride in Cloudsdale, just ask for me!”

“I will consider that.” Care Carrot’s eye twitched. “I will consider that for exactly as long as it takes me to remember this ride.”

Guards stopped them at the entrance, but waved them through when Care held up her identification. She paused before making her way into the building. “Do either of you know where Centurion Stonewall went?”

“She’s inside, giving her troops a mission briefing,” one guard said. “If you hurry, you could catch her.”

Blankety Blank gave Velvet a sidelong glance. “I hope they haven’t c-changed much since you visited.”

“Are you kidding? It’s Cloudsdale. It’s pegasi.” Twilight Velvet strode up to the front desk. “Change is kinda their forte. It’s their nature.”

Blank’s wings ruffled under his cloak. “Ironic that it’s n-not ours.”

They moved through the white walled hallways, passing door after door. A group of armored soldiers exited a room further down, so Care headed for them. “You Stonewall’s team?”

A pegasus held his head high, a spark of recognition in his eyes. “Yes, Captain. We were just about to head for the warehouse district.”

Care leaned her head towards the door. “Hold up just a moment. We might be changing that pretty shortly.”

Stonewall glanced up from a map of Cloudsdale. She wrinkled her forehead. “That was quick. Find anything interesting?”

“Something downright devastating.” Care slapped the scroll on the tabletop. “Take a look at these plans and tell me how viable they are.”

Stonewall read through several times and shrugged her wings. “Make Cloudsdale a hurricane? Plausible but unlikely. The amount of electricity needed to seed the city-state would be astronomical. You’d need a heck of a lot of bottled lightning.”

Velvet and Blank stood to either side of Care. Blankety put a hoof to his lips. “I-if I may… Y-you might want to stake out th-the weather pro-production facilities instead of D-Dulcimer’s warehouses.”

Stonewall glared at him, but held her tongue. She looked to Care, who nodded.

“I think he’s right,” Care said. “Call me crazy, but I think the age of the note shows just how long she’s had to refine her plan.”

Stonewall paced around the edge of the room. “It still doesn’t quite make sense. She would need to carry enough electricity to make Las Pegasus jealous. That many bottles of lightning would be impossible to move.”

Twilight Velvet rolled the scroll into her bag. “It’s how she did it in the old days, when she used hurricanes as a siege tactic. She’s probably gotten good at it.”

“Then why haven’t we found piles of bottles around Cloudsdale?” Stonewall rubbed her red mane. “Why hasn’t she tried it before?”

“That’s gotta be it,” Blank said. He blushed and ducked his head behind the table. “I—She wouldn’t put the plan into motion un-until she found a source of lightning strong enough. W-we have to find out what that is and k-keep it out of her hooves.”

Twilight Velvet popped her mouth. “Or use it to lure her.”

Care sat down in a chair and let the back of her head rest against the wall. “Alright. New question: What in Equestria has that kinda zippity-zap?”

The hallway exploded outward.

They were thrown against the wall with the soldiers who hadn’t been disintegrated. The table crashed against Stonewall, whose armor shrieked as the shield was tested for every ounce it was worth. Care landed face-first against the cloud and sunk into it. Blankety got tangled up with a guard. Velvet landed hard on her right foreleg.

The barracks tilted towards the ground. Canterlot loomed into view, ready to catch them if they fell. Blank slid down, his hooves scooping up gobs of cloud on the way down. “Help!”

Stonewall shoved the desk aside. It tumbled end over end to the ground below, where it shattered to splinters. “Open your wings! You can fly!”

Blank opened his wings just as a portion of the ceiling collapsed. He dug through cloudstuff in an effort to get free. His wings broke through, and he jumped into the air.

Care peeled herself out of the wall. The room only had one doorway, which was open to a dead drop into downtown Canterlot. “Plan?”

Twilight Velvet winced and rubbed her knee. “Dig into the next room. We can do that, right?”

“Cloudcrete is incredibly sticky.” Stonewall patted the walls, which bounced back into place. The building shook as they tipped further. “You can’t dig through it. You’ve gotta blast it down.”

Care Carrot’s horn lit up bright pink. With a moment’s concentration, it charged to blinding white. “Everybody, cover your eyes!”

She let loose a fire ball and blasted a pony-sized hole in the wall. She helped a couple of injured soldiers through, followed by Velvet and Stonewall. She held her hoof out to Blankety. “You coming, Blank?”

Blankety Blank hovered over the ground. He stared into the distance, his chest heaving. “O-oh, Creator…” He flew through the hole and pulled Care out. The group of them put as much distance between them and the collapsing building as they could.

Lightning arced between the clouds where the Cloudsdale Air Force Base had once stood. They grew darker, heavier, wetter. They lost their rigid military shapes and transformed into a roiling, raging morass.

A brown structure rose above the cloud cover. It was a long cylinder, domed at the ends. Wings and propellers protruded from the sides. Atop the envelope, a bridge sat with light filtering through the windows. Ponies flew from side hatches and made their way to the scene of the destruction.

They flew in a circle. Round and round they soared, twisting the clouds into whirlpools of lightning and water. The wind tugged at Care’s mane and tail. Spikes of cold struck her along her bare coat.

“She’s started.” Velvet held her leg, rubbing it gently. “She’s started to build her hurricane.”

Lightning shot from the prow of the airship. It cut through a nearby tower, sending the top half tumbling. The pegasi around it scrambled for cover as it crumbled.

“Grab the armor and weapons before they get sucked into the storm!” Stonewall screamed. “Get suited up and fight back! We are not letting Cloudsdale go without a fight!

***

Rainbow Dash shivered as she flew low through Canterlot’s streets. The gentle snowfall was peaceful. Much more peaceful than the past month had been. She swept from one side of the street to the other, enjoying a joyfly from the castle to the Canterlot branch of Carousel Boutique.

A water droplet hit her on the nose. She rubbed her coat dry and cast a wry smile at the sky. Somebody was gonna get in trouble for that one. Who heard of rain during a snowfall? Her smile disappeared when the clouds rumbled. “Canterlot weather is freaky.”

More raindrops fell. She quickened her flight. “What gives? Did somebody up there make a bet or—”

A downpour drenched her right to her skin. She shook out her scarf and huffed. “Ooh, somepony’s getting fired for this.”

The bright light in the Boutique’s big picture window drew Rainbow’s eyes. She landed and set off at a swift trot. “If this stuff freezes, I am not gonna be the guy putting out the salt—”

Lightning struck Carousel Boutique. The magic lights flickered out, and Rainbow Dash could hear screams from inside. She ran at full tilt and burst through the door shoulder-first. “Rarity, are you in here?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity galloped up, her red glasses askew and her mane ever-so-slightly frazzled. “What on earth just happened? What is a lighting strike doing in the middle of winter? I knew I should have gotten that insurance—”

“Get everypony away from the windows!” Rainbow Dash looked to the ponies in the shop, some of them customers and a few of them Rarity’s assistants. “Everypony stay inside until the storm passes! It’s a freak weather incident, and we don’t know what sort of craziness just got unleashed.”

Rainbow Dash held her hooves up with a smug smile. “If we all just stay put, we’ll be able to weather the situation.”

The building next door burst into flames. Lightning flashed as rain fell harder. A burning tree tumbled through Rarity’s window, sending tongues of flame leaping from dress to dress.

Rainbow Dash grasped Rarity and shoved her to the ground, shielding her from the shattering glass with her body. “What the blazes is going on?” Rarity shouted.

“I-I don’t know! I don’t understand!” Rainbow Dash lifted herself off the floor. Some of the patrons were beating the flames with cloth, trying to smother them. Others lay on the floor with painful cuts in their flesh. “Get your first-aid kit! I’ll start getting these people to safety!”

Rainbow Dash lifted a stallion twice her size onto her back. “Just keep it chill, dude. I’ve got you.”

***

Andean rubbed Stella’s downy head as rain rattled against the hospital room’s window. He peered into the stormy night. “Strange weather for the beginning of winter. And with such ferocity, too. I didn’t think pegasi would tolerate such a storm.”

Luna barely glanced up from her work. “Possibly a misjudgment by the weather department. It will be corrected shortly.” She lifted a page from her notebook and sent it hovering to Andean. “Now, in order to properly coordinate our forces, we need to be aware of our troop placement. How many Blitzwings were on board the Thunderhead?”

“Thirty. I had five on the Thunderhead at all times. Now we’re minus one traitor.” Andean spoke softly so as not to wake his daughter. He gave her a final scratch behind the ears. “Twenty-four at the hospital. Five on the airship with the crew.”

He lumbered across the room in two strides. He dwarfed Luna with his wingspan. “I suspect you still have not heard from your police officers?”

“No word from Blueblood Manor at all.” Luna scribbled harder until her pen snapped. She huffed and chucked the two pieces into the trash. “It leads me to fear the worst.”

“I as well.” Andean clenched a fist. “She is close. We need only follow her trail of breadcrumbs—”

The room lit up as bright as daylight. A crackle struck them in their chests. Stella sat up with a whimper. “Sheesha?

Andean was at her side. “Go back to sleep, Stella. It’s just a little rain.”

The little griffon rubbed her eyes. “Karar ak…

Something hefty thumped against the window. A hairline crack ran through the glass.

Luna stood up and flared her wings. “Get Stella out of the room.”

The feathers on Andean’s neck rose. He quickly unlocked the wheels on Stella’s bed. “Rest easy, Stella. Kroo… Kroo…

The window fractured. Shards of glass danced across the room, along with a ball of pure ice. The deadly debris halted when it came into contact with Luna’s shield. “Go! Get her into the hallway! Get everypony into the hallway!”

She slammed the door behind her. Doctors and orderlies scrambled at her words, rushing their patients to safer waters. Luna gripped the ball of ice in her magic. She gritted her teeth.

Sheesha—” Stella clicked her beak and switched to Equish. “Daddy! What’s wrong, daddy?”

“I do not understand.” Andean glared at Luna. “Equestria’s weather is controlled! What caused this? Who caused this?” He tilted his head. “What are you holding?”

“A hailstone.” Luna’s lips trembled. “A weaponized hailstone. Made to kill or maim. The kind we once used to lay siege to cities.”

She shook her head. “This is neither natural nor an accident. This was an intentional attack.”

Andean took the hailstone in his talon. He turned to the guards. “Captain Barbary, what word do we have on the combat readiness of the Thunderhead?”

The Blitzwing captain bowed his head. “Sir, we lost radio contact with the flagship when the storm started. I sent one of our members to make certain nothing was wrong. We should have a full report once he returns.” His ears cocked at the sound of talons and claws squeaking on linoleum floors. “Speak of Tirek…”

The new arrival paused to catch his breath. “Sirs, the Thunderhead is missing.”

Andean grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. “What!

“Andean!” Luna stomped a foot. “Put him down and listen.”

Andean snarled. He set the soldier on the floor and ran a claw through his beard. “Proceed!”

“Our guards were lying dead at the mooring point. Slain with blades.” The griffon gulped. “What shall we do, sir?”

Andean squeezed the hailstone until it cracked. “We fight back! All griffons to arms! Find the source of the storm and kill it!

He growled at Luna. “Do I have your support, Princess?”

“Every last ounce of my power.” Luna’s horn sparked to life. “I shall return to the castle and rally the troops. We will face the enemy together this time.”

Andean nodded. His face grew softer as he turned to Stella, though his eyes remained sharp. “My daughter, I am leaving you with Corona until the battle is over. Mind your sister and do not strain yourself.”

“I won’t, Sheesha.” Stella yawned. She reached up to grab her father’s feathery beard. “I love you.”

Andean kissed her forehead. “I love you with all my heart.”

***

Time Turner stood at the entrance to the tunnels. “To think, this was in the castle for uncountable years and nopony noticed.”

“I think Twilight and Cadence knew,” Daring said. “They had to get back from Chrysalis’ trap somehow, right?”

“I always thought they came out at the mountain’s base.” Time Tuner’s eyes shot to Skyhook and the rest of Twilight’s personal guards. “Ready, gents?”

“As we’ll ever be.” The bat pony commander tested a connection on his boots. “What sort of defense do we have against his time-stopping power?”

“You actually have very little.” Time raised his gauntleted foreleg. “I’ve set this device to insert me into whatever time displacement is taking place, but you’ll be completely unawares. Your best bet is to have strong armor and hope he exhausts himself before he kills you.”

Skyhook blinked. “Do you have a better plan?”

“Yes.” Time waved his prosthetic at them. “All soldiers stay up here, ready to assist should we call you. I’ll go down with Daring, and she’ll hold back to act as reinforcements. I’ll do my best to deal with Dulcimer alone.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Daring Do punched his shoulder. “He might have hurt Sparkle, and you don’t know how to deal with that. I’m staying close to act as support.” She winked. “Just don’t let him attack me, okay?”

“You should at least let my ponies follow you into the mines,” Skyhook said. “We can cover more ground and find the son of a gun that much faster.”

Time leaned against the wall. “All very compelling arguments, yes.”

“That,” Daring Do said, “and you’re not fully healed yet.”

“Quite right.” Time flicked an ear down. “Very well. Let us make the most of a bad situation and get a move on.”

He dug through the pockets of his coat and produced three pocket watches with red labels on the face. He pressed them into Daring’s hooves. “You remember these, right? When they go off, they freeze time in a bubble about, say, two meters wide. It’s useful for stopping baddies, but it also might protect you from any sort of magical attack. Use it as a shield if you need to. I’ve been tinkering with them, so they should last slightly longer.”

Skyhook secured his helmet. His armor’s shield came to life as a faint blue bubble. “How many of those do you have?”

“Just four.” Time patted his chest pocket. His last stopwatch time-bomb clicked. “Use them wisely.”

***

Twilight Sparkle ducked under a low-hanging stalactite. She took Dulcimer’s hoof as he made his way through the dark cavers, lit only by his glowing horn. It had a faint green tinge to it, to go with his eyes. His deep, dark eyes.

The caves creeped her out. Crystal grew bare on the rock. Rusted iron railways led into collapsed tunnels or over cliffs. Skittering noises revealed unseen creatures who made their home where sunlight had ever touched.

“It’s not so bad once you’ve walked these paths a few times.” Dulcimer gave her hoof a squeeze. “I definitely need to add a few lights once I get the process going. But really, once you see the lab, you’ll find that this place can get rather magical.”

A rock tumbled near her. She thought about lighting her horn to see what had caused the disturbance, but a dull pain at the base of her forehead said otherwise. Dulcimer brightened his horn and shone it on a frightened, pure white slug.

“The scariest things to find down here are the blind rat kings, and they wouldn’t harass ponies.” Dulcimer whispered in her ear. “You’re perfectly safe so long as I’m here.”

Twilight extended her wing just enough to brush against his side. Her sensitive wingtip ran over his muscles. She was inclined to agree.

“Ah.” Dulcimer threw a hoof out. A doorway lay embedded in the rock, secured with a hefty lock. “Home sweet home. The birthplace of new science.”

The lock clicked open, the doors swung apart, and the air filled with anticipation.

The room was dark. The most Twilight could see lay in direct line with Dulcimer’s horn. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

“Not impressed yet?” Dulcimer laid his hooves on a massive electrical switch. “I’m shocked.”

He pulled the switch down, which connected with a ka-chunk. Lights blasted one, one at a time, in a circle around the room. They illuminated three tubes or cylinders that lay between Twilight and the machinery at the far end of the room. Wires ran everywhere. Devices flickered to life. Through the pain in her horn, Twilight could feel an energy in the air that tingled right down to her hooves.

The cylinders reached three meters tall, filled with a golden liquid. Metal rings coated the tops and the bases, securing them to the floor and sealing them from above. She glanced at them as she passed, but her attention was on the giant magic sensor churning its way to life. It was a great deal more impressive than the pony-sized one she had back at the castle.

If she wasn’t feeling inclined to give Dulcimer most of her attention, she might have taken notes.

The device next to it was similarly impressive: A rectangular metal framework with electrodes at each of the four corners. She squinted; there was a gemstone laid over the support bar near the top.

“What do you think?” Dulcimer said, his voice as smooth as melted caramel. “It’s decent, thought not quite what I got used to at Celestia’s School.” He rested one hoof on her back and pointed the other into the shadows beyond the lights. “I think there’s enough room for a machine shop right over there. And maybe a welding station or two. Add some lights, a little décor, and a mare’s touch, this place could be phenomenal.”

She pulled out Rainbow’s notepad and held the pencil between her lips. Very nice. Most impressive for a basement laboratory. You said something about alicorns?

“That’s where these come into play.” Dulcimer tapped one of the cylinders, which glowed with yellowed light. “Three aspects of the tribes, three cylinders, one alicorn. Magic energy is stored up in that machine—” He pointed at the a siphon at the base of the container. “—is pulled through the cords, and it pressed into the ambrosia contained inside these tubes.”

Twilight Sparkle frowned. Ambrosia? Where did he get enough ambrosia to fill those three tubes? Nopony had ambrosia in these quantities since the shortage started. Where did you get the medicine?

“My family’s personal storehouse,” Dulcimer said. “I’ve been building up my collection for years.”

He stood on a metallic platform. The cylinders were arranged in a three-point pattern around it. “The magic burst from the top—changed by the interaction with the ambrosia—and is pulled here by the magnetized iron I’ve procured. The magic collects within the pony, but rather than tear them apart with the sheer magnitude of it all, it is filtered in such a way that it builds up the body to be able to hold the magic. The pony is transformed.”

He smiled at her. “I will be transformed.”

How do you even test something like this? Twilight examined the plate of magnetized iron. It was as clean as the day it had been manufactured, with not a spot or wrinkle of use. How can you be sure it works? What if it just fries you? Or splits you apart? Or damages you in some other way?

He drew himself up and filled his chest with a confident breath. “It’s been used before, albeit in slightly smaller quantities.”

He led her across the room, to a small podium hidden among the machinery. A book sat upon it, its glossy cover reflecting the light. “I present to you the recovered Grimoire Alicorn, a book of magic written by the horns of both Sombra and Clover the Clever.”

Twilight Sparkle’s jaw dropped. She rushed up and ran a hoof across the cover. I’ve heard of it. I thought it was in the sealed archives because of the dangerous information contained within?

“It was, but desperate times led me to ask permission to examine it.” He took her hoof and moved her back to the cylinders. “I’ll let you look it over in a moment, but for now…”

What’s in it? Twilight walked sideways to keep the book in sight. Why did Celestia think it was dangerous? What sort of wicked things does Sombra detail? What part does Clover play into all of this? Does it have a foreword from Starswirl? Would you—

“Twilight. Twilight!” Dulcimer laughed. “The here and now request your presence.”

Oh, alright. Twilight rolled her eyes and swatted his shoulder. Show me what your miracle magic can do.

Twilight held the notepad with her wing and walked from one cylinder to the next. What sort of filter does the magic go through? Do you have crystals in there or—

Her pencil dropped to the floor. Dulcimer was occupied with untangling a cord, so he didn’t notice. She leaned her face close to the glass. There was something inside the tube, floating in the ambrosia. It looked almost like gossamer. Spider webs. It formed the silky shape of a pony, with lines trailing from a thicker strand that made up the back. It snaked down in four sections, making legs. It shimmied up to form the rough outline of a head.

The next cylinder was much the same, but with the inclusion of wings. The third had a conical knot of strings atop the forehead. In all of them, the lines met at the center, flowing from a faintly glowing heart.

Twilight had seen such things before. But only in anatomy books. Only when it came to biology. They were fairy strings. Fairy strings from one of each tribe of ponies.

Fairy strings that you could only get from inside ponies. Hearts that ponies needed to live. These three ponies were dead.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” Dulcimer plugged the cord in and set it down. “You look like you found a rat king in your mane.”

***

Time Turner followed the direction his gauntlet indicated. Light shone from the sides of his goggles, illuminating the crystal mines. He tripped on a stray railway spike and was caught by Daring. “Thanks.”

“Can we pick up the pace any?” Daring Do ground her teeth. “I don’t want to think about what some jerk with time-stop powers could do to Velvet’s little girl.”

“Then let’s not make it an issue.” Time lowered his beams as he turned to Skyhook. “You’re the bloke with night vision. See anything suspicious?”

Commander Skyhook squinted. “Slugs. Beetles. Maybe some disturbed dust. Looks like hoofprints.” He swiveled his ears. “And I think I hear somepony talking.”

He shrugged. “I can’t tell what direction it’s coming from. There’s too many tiny echoes.”

“And this doohickey only gives us a straight shot.” Time rattled his gauntlet, sending the arrow whirling. He looked to the soldiers lined up behind them, some of them unicorns, some of them bat ponies. “Pair up and fan out. We’re going to comb this place until we find them. I’ll head down the main fare with Dr. Yearling.”

Hoof steps and soft wing beats answered him. Tunnels seemed to stretch into forever. Shadows transformed from rocks to imagined monsters and back again. Time Turner peered around one corner, adjusting his headlamp to look at the walls and ceiling. Finding the corridor empty, he took a step.

Daring grabbed him and hauled him back. She pointed a flashlight she’d taken from one of the guards. Time’s forelegs dangled above an apparently endless drop.

“Oh dear,” he said.

“Maybe you should follow me,” Daring said, setting him on his rump. “This is my bread and butter, you know.”

“Wise words from a wiser mare.” Time tapped the arrow. It pointed straight down the floorless tunnel. “Can you find a way around, then?”

“My specialty.” She took his artificial hoof. “Let’s look for branching paths.”

They moved slowly, keeping one hoof on the wall. Daring nodded. “That one looks promising. What do you—”

A soldier stood in their way, blocking their path.

Time lowered his eyebrows. “Did you find something?”

“You will stop Dulcimer,” the soldier said, his voice a dim monotone. “Take the next right and loop around. The tunnel will lead straight to him.”

“Excellent.” Time clapped his shoulder. “Get the others. We’ll move in for a coordinated strike.”

“I will get the others,” the soldier mumbled. He moved on, his legs moving at a shuffle.

“Wow.” Daring Do leaned her elbow against Time’s back. “I’ll bet he’s the life of every party.”

“Daring, he was alone.” Time eased out from beneath her and stalked towards the oblivious soldier. “Follow him. He’s up to no good.”

The guard all but shambled back the way they’d come. He staggered into an open cavern. The other soldiers stood in a circle, all looking at the same thing.

A cloaked pony stood in the middle of them, humming softly. Its head turned towards Time and Daring. “Wow. You just don’t know to grab an opportunity when you see it, do you?”

Time Turner and Daring Do halted in mid-step. Time reached for the lever that controlled his hoof-gun. “Maybe not, but I know the stench of something going horribly wrong. Who are you and what do you want?”

“I want you two to take out Dulcimer.” The pony pointed a gray hoof at them. A blue gemstone around its neck twinkled in the low light. “You want that, too, so I gave you a nudge in the right direction. So do it, morons.”

Daring Do shook a hoof. “Who’s a moron, nitwit?”

One of the soldiers stepped forward and brandished the metal claws on his boots. “Don’t talk to Princess Twilight like that! It’s not nice!”

Time Turner coughed on the lump in his throat. He covered his mouth as his eyes went wide. “What on earth did you do to them?”

“What’s a little manipulation between minions and masters?” The pony rolled a hoof. “These soldiers, I can hardly believe it. One little song and they’re ready to die for you.”

He looked each soldier in the face. One by one, he saw limp jaws and low eyelids. Not a spark of life in any of them.

Time gave Skyhook a double-take. The commander looked directly at him and shook his head. He glanced at the cloaked pony and shifted his leathery wings.

“Listen,” the pony said. “You kill Dulcimer and save the princess, I go in and get what I came for… Everypony leaves happy. Except for Dulcimer, but who’s counting?”

Daring Do flared her wings. “And what do you get outta the deal? Huh? Huh?

“None of your darn business.” The pony pawed its hoof. “I’ll put you under my spell, too, if you don’t shut up.”

“Like you can take control of my mind.” Daring Do shifted into a boxer’s stance. “I’ll bet you’re the goon who’s been going around hypnotizing ponies, huh? I’ll bet you’ve murdered plenty!”

Another soldier raised his head. “Princess Twilight wouldn’t kill anybody!”

“Don’t make me add two more to the list.” The cloaked pony giggled. “You are so getting on my nerves.”

Skyhook moved closer to the pony’s back. He crouched, and looked to Time. He mouthed one word: “Run.”

Time shook his head.

“What’re you saying ‘no’ to?” The pony touched her gemstone necklace. “If you don’t go, I’ll just send these wieners to get themselves killed—”

“Run!” Skyhook shouted. He jumped and brought his hooves down on the pony’s neck. The other soldiers leapt to defend her. “Get out of here! Save Twilight!”

The pony screamed.

It was an enchanted scream, filled with an ancient and arcane power. It pressed back with the force of a physical blow, sending soldiers flying in all directions. They picked themselves off the ground, shaking their heads and cleaning their ears out.

“Are you with me?” Skyhook said, his voice small. “Please be with me.”

Time Turner yawned to pop his ears. He readied his hoof-gun. “Lady, you can surrender, or—”

An A-sharp blew him against the wall. The pony pulled her cloak over her head before standing up. “You’ve made me mad, Turner. You annoy me, Yearling. You hurt me, Skyhook. Do you realize what an enormously terrible idea it was to piss me off?

The mines rumbled as she drew herself up. Her gemstone radiated with piercing blue light. “I am the Maid, and I am not to be screwed with!”

Daring Do’s ears drooped. “Oh horseapples.”

The Maid wiped her nose. She sang a low note, gradually increasing the volume. The soldiers around her covered their ears and sank to their bellies. Skyhook laid his ears flat. “Attack! She can’t take us all at once! Attack!”

He shouted at Time over his shoulder. “Run!”

“But—”

“Save Twilight!”

Daring grabbed Time’s shoulder and pulled as hard as she could. “Move it! We can save her while they take out the freakazoid!”

Time gave one look at the battle before they disappeared around a corner. The guards leaped, dodged, and careened, but they couldn’t get close to her. She was always one step ahead, ready to avoid or intercept. She blasted a guard against the rocks with a solid wall of sound, and he fell limp.

Her laughter echoed all throughout the crystal mines beneath Canterlot.