Chapter 12: The Ponyville Think Tank
Chapter 12: The Ponyville Think Tank
A stream of ponies walked into Twilight’s library. Well, three walked, and one bounced. Twilight closed the door as Pinkie entered and the hyperactive mare headed straight toward the kitchen. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash sat on some cushions arranged in a circle, aside from the two empty cushions belonging to Pinkie and Twilight herself, there was still one empty seat.
“Where’s Rarity?” Twilight asked.
“She said something about having a lot of work to do with all of the soldiers in town,” Pinkie’s voice echoed from the kitchen. It was probably a good thing she was gone at the moment. It was close to Spike’s bedtime and having to deal with a lovesick Spike, especially a sleep-addled lovesick Spike, was going to be troublesome. Twilight could hear the little dragon’s footsteps in the adjacent room; he was finishing up tonight’s clerical work.
“Don’t blame the gal fer’ bein’ busy,” Applejack added. “Me ‘n Mac have been sellin’ apples left n’ right. I’ve heard them soldiers sain’ they’ve seen Rarity’s dresses through Photo Finish and Sapphire Shores. They all want her work to take home for presents for themselves or family.”
“Well, we’ll have to start without her then,” Twilight said. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash removed their umbrellas and set them next to their cushions. Hiding underneath Fluttershy's mane of hair was a lump of brown feathers.
“Come on Owliscious, I know you’re not asleep. You’re awake at night,” Owliscious gave a hoot and unfurled his wings. A length of bandages secured the owl’s wings, but he appeared to be in perfect health.
“I owe you one for taking a look at Owliscious,” Twilight thanked. “I’ll make sure to pay you back sometime.”
“Oh, it was nothing. He didn’t so much as make a fuss.”
Twilight smiled, but that soon twisted itself into a look of stern seriousness. “Alright girls, wait. Pinkie!” Twilight called.
“Almost done!” The mare replied.
Whatever she was doing, it wasn’t likely Twilight could stop her or drag her back in. “Come in when you’re ready!” Twilight replied. She turned to the other three girls before her. “Okay girls, we’re here to figure out what’s happening to Ponyville. We all have pieces of the puzzle, so all we need to do is put them together.”
“I know you called us all here for that Twilight, but there’s like a million ponies on the job. What can we do?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight’s ears drooped a fraction. “This is my home... I don’t want anything bad to happen to it. So much has happened in just two days. It’s like Discord all over again. So much is happening beyond my control and there’s nothing I could have done to stop it.” Twilight lifted her head and her nerves steeled themselves. “But not this time. I’m not giving up. No matter what. I will find out what’s happening to Ponyville.”
Applejack gave twilight a friendly smile. Twilight had told the group how antisocial and withdrawn she had become when she was cooped up in Canterlot palace. In no time at all, she was fighting back-to-back with them against a Changeling horde.
The thought would make any friend proud.
“Alrighty Twilight,” Applejack drawled. “Let’s pool what we got.”
Twilight nodded and smiled in thanks. “Alright, I’ll start. I woke up this morning and planned on meeting with the Council of Magic...”
“Well, Ms. Sparkle, you have been given top clearance by Princess Celestia, so I see no harm in revealing what you want to know.” Magus Diamond Solitaire had set aside his notes and faced the mare. “But our most recent finding concerning the obsidian gateway are sparse at best.
“We do not know if the gateway burned itself out from strain or its power source depleted beyond the point of normal operation. If I were to hypothesize, I would assume the former. It just doesn’t seem likely with the underground Farlander Portal being similar enough and having the latter option.”
“Excuse me, Farlander Portal?”
“Oh, do not concern yourself with the name’s inauspicious nature. Due to its unique design, the Royal Guard started commenting that it was built by beings from a faraway land, and the name has spread to the Council of Magic and the Archmage since,” Diamond gave a disgruntled frown at that, clearly displeased the official title was not something more scientific in nature.
Twilight sputtered, “A-A-Archmage?! Here!?”
“Of course, Ms. Sparkle. The Archmage was one of the first ponies summoned, but had to be delayed due to her own poor health.
“Now as I was saying, the obsidian portal appears to have burned itself out. Your testimony claimed that the Portal’s event horizon was calm at first and steadily became more dangerous as it switched hues. It is evidence that supports my hypothesis, but without further study, I cannot confirm it.
“We have not gained much from tracing magic, either. While there are two confirmed entities ejected from the obsidian gateway, we made a mistake on the gate’s creator. Due to the abundance of both magics at ground zero, we assumed both assisted in creating the gateway. That is incorrect; neither did. We examined the obsidian shards and detected nothing. They are completely desolate, without a shred of magic in them.”
“How can that--”
“Now Starswirl the Bearded once theorized that, with a powerful enough spell, a unicorn could sear all the magic from them in the process of casting it; similar circumstances could be in effect here. The Archmage gave us the idea to work with the residual magical traces gathered at ground zero and backtrack from there, as in try to piece together the experiment by first analyzing the results. It hardly abides by the scientific method, but we are running out of ideas.”
“Mr. Solitaire—?”
“What really fascinates me is how the obsidian was strengthened. My, I could write a paper on the new theories I have to accomplish such a task. If the process is replicable in any feasible manner, just think of the possibilities! Buildings that may never degrade, improved containment rooms capable of testing even the most potent of spells, or even reinforcing defensive barricades to prevent breaches.”
“Sir...?”
“Now, Mrs. Sparkle, I would like to run a theory by you...”
“I couldn’t get much out of him after that.” Twilight levitated one of her sandwiches over and took a bite. After swallowing, she magiced her sandwich to levitate in front of the group. The bread opened and closed in tune with Twilight’s own words.
“He just kept talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic such that I did not have the chance to interrupt him. But really quite hypnotic,” Twilight said in a long monotonous breath to reflect Diamond’s own loquacious nature.
“He sounds like a bore,” Rainbow Dash said dryly.
“Oh, he knows his stuff, but there’s a reason his cutie mark looks like a 500 page book. I swear, he could talk Discord into submission.” Twilight chuckled. “Mr. Solitaire escorted me to the base of operations that was studying this ‘Farlander Portal’...”
Twilight quietly walked behind Princess Luna and a small army of Night Guards. The dark caverns of Equestria’s underbelly were vast and uncharted; it was very easy to lose oneself and never be found again. The Night Guard had enacted a thorough search of the caves, as thorough as they could, anyway, but did not turn up any foreign presence. They were selected for security detail of the Farlander Portal due to their familiarity with darkness combat and reconnaissance. Their eyes were perfect in the dark, even though the path to the Farlander Portal was illuminated with magical orbs emitting a steady, yellow glow.
“Why not just patrol all the tunnels?” Twilight asked.
“‘Tis infeasible to do so, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna responded. “These passages art far too vast to patrol. Doing so would stretch our ponypower too thin.”
Twilight, Luna, and her entourage entered a large central chamber illuminated by even more orbs and set with a single centerpiece: twelve greenish stones, all aligned in a square with no corners, levitated in the air just like the obsidian portal above. Luna and Twilight took a moment to marvel at the portal briefly before walking toward a single pony overseeing the other dozen magi examining the portal.
She was a very old and wizened-looking snow-white mare. She was dressed in a pitch-black cloak emblazoned with the Council of Magic crest, a simple black pointed hat, and carried a gnarled, wooden staff. Twillight could understand what Diamond Solitaire meant by poor health; the Archmage was supervising the other magi, but leaning heavily on her staff.
“Archmage Bangle?” The elderly mare turned at Luna’s call. Czarina Bangle, the only Council member native to the Hooviet Union in the far north, was just as imposing as her reputation said. Even with her wrinkles, pale complexion, and unsteady limbs, she still carried herself with an authoritative air, her acid-green eyes deep and piercing as she sized Twilight up.
On seeing the one who called her, Czarina did her best to bow, but only managed to nod her head with her grip her staff.
“Is — it is good to see you, Princess Luna.” Czarina said, a tiny fragment of her accent slipping through the cracks of her otherwise flawless speech.
“Likewise. Art thou well, Archmage?”
“Well enough, Princess. I’ve lived through Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and,” she eyed Twilight Sparkle with a twinkle in her eye, “little fillies running through the palace halls begging for more books to read.” Twilight flushed in embarrassment.
Czarina laughed softly - wheezed would be more appropriate - and brushed her silver mane out of her eyes. “It will take more than a flight to rural Equestria to send these old bones to the grave.” She chuckled darkly. “How may I help you, Princess?”
“What can you tell us about this infernal device?”
Czarina hobbled toward the gateway with her hooves around her staff. Nopony stepped forward to help the aged unicorn; they knew that just like her magic, her pride had not followed in the hoofsteps of her frail body. “The design is similar to the obsidian gateway, but upon closer examination, it is by no means identical. Like the obsidian gateway, this one also hovers above the ground with no noticeable means of suspension. That, however, is where the similarities end.”
She pointed to the twelve green bricks arranged in a ring. “While this doorway has no cornerstones, unlike its obsidian brethren, it’s power source is simple to understand. I’ve detected energy in these materials. These twelve blocks are akin to magical containers, each one capable of producing its own stream of raw magic. These,” She pointed to an empty slot of one of the stones, then pointed at the other empty eleven, “must be missing some type of lens to focus the magic to open the gateway.
“We performed rudimentary tests to seek out any unnoticed magical traps, and found none. Our next step was to search for trace magic. We discovered one lurking in the bricks themselves: the second type. This portal, without any semblance of doubt, confirms our suspicions of not one, but two intruders stumbling through the obsidian gateway.”
“But none of this makes sense,” Twilight said. The Archmage raised an eyebrow, to which Twilight lowered her head in embarrassment.
“Go on, Twilight Sparkle; explain your thoughts.” Luna encouraged gently.
“Well... why make another gateway so different in the first place when the other one seemed so much more simple to build? Why come and then immediately try to leave?”
The Archamge smiled in pride and agreement, “That is one of the many questions to ask when this biped is secure.” She looked back to the Princess. “Now I have a working theory to propose once our analysis of the gateway is complete. The chance of success is small, but I wish to run it by you anyway. I may be able to reverse engineer the magic used to reopen the gateway.”
Twilight gasped. “Is such a thing possible?”
“Likely not,” Czarina responded. “But I am far from attempting such a feat.”
“It is something we - I - shall ponder, Archmage. Thank you.”
“So that Archmage mare is gonna open that infernal thang?” Applejack asked. “Seems like a mighty bad idea, if you ask me.”
“I’m with AJ. We got enough trouble out of just one. Why bother opening another?” Rainbow Dash added.
Ding!
A noise echoed from the kitchen and Pinkie trotted out shortly, a bowl of popcorn balanced on her head. She plopped down in the circle of ponies and started digging into the bowl, getting popcorn everywhere.
“Hey, give me some!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Pinkie extended the bowl to the pegasus, who scooped up a hooffull and started eating in earnest.
“Rarity would have a conniption if she saw this,” Twilight sighed. Two ponies were getting buttery, salty snacks all over the floor. It would take quite a while to get the stains out of the carpet and floors.
“That’s all I know so far. Would anyone else like to go?”
“Ah couldn’t get off the farm to listen to any gossip.”
“And I was busy with the Cakes all day today and yesterday!”
“I heard some things from my momma,” Fluttershy said.
Three sets of eyes turned to gaze quizzically at Fluttershy.
“Momma?” They said in unison.
Fluttershy blushed and instinctively hid herself behind her lengthy mane. After a second of thought, she extracted herself from the pink wall and looked at her friends. Even Spike, finished with his work, had joined the group, though he looked barely conscious at the moment due to it being past his bedtime.
Pinkie was the first to start, “I bet your momma’s a wonderful mare. i heard you say she works in Canterlot. I bet she runs the biggest, nicest animal shelter in Equestria. No, in the whole world! There has to be nice feather bed for the animals, an indoor stream for them to drink from, ten, no, fifty, no a hundred! A hundred helpers to take care of all the animals!
Rainbow had been sniggering throughout Pinkie’s splurge of words and let out a weary giggle when she finished, “Ah ha ha! You don’t even know how funny that is, Pinkie.”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walked together down the gravel road leading from Fluttershy’s cottage into town. Rainbow Dash had once again stopped at the timid pegasus’ house due to her own poor cooking skills, to which Fluttershy was only too happy to help out. When done with their meals, Fluttershy needed to return an injured Owliscious to Twilight. The owl’s wing was set in a cast and was ready to return to Twilight’s care. That was only the first reason to head to the library; Twilight had beckoned the girls to brainstorm for information. Neither mare knew anything useful, but a little support never hurt.
With umbrellas attached to their saddlebags, the pair set their sights on the town. It was good foresight that they were prepared; the furious downpour would drown nearly anypony that stepped out of the comfort of their home. Fluttershy did not mind rain, but she did mind thunder and lightning. It was why Rainbow Dash had stopped in the first place, to comfort the mare on her trip to Twilight’s house so she didn’t have to wade through the rougher storms later on in the week. Owliscious, perched on Fluttershy’s saddle as he was, did not seem to mind one way or the other.
Lightning flashed across the sky and rain beat against their umbrellas, inducing the unpleasant suspicion that they would not hold up against the downpour. Despite being irksome to deal with, the past storms were doing wonders for the local plant life; Ponyville had not experienced rain for nearly a month and a half, shriveling plants and grasses without respite. Not that either mare wished to observe the flora scattered across the plains and hills of Equestria; dark was approaching and the tumultuous storm did little to improve visibility.
Rainbow Dash heard a large thump behind her and Fluttershy, causing her to turn around in a rush. In front of Rainbow was one of the largest ponies she had ever seen, short of Princess Luna and Celestia. At nearly twice her size and wearing the armor of a member of the Royal Guard, the pony sure was an intimidating sight to behold. A bolt of lightning flashed, highlighting the pony’s playful smile.
“And what are you two doing out in the rain so late?” The Guard pony asked. Rainbow took a step back; she had almost mistaken the Guard’s voice to be a thunderbolt with its deep, bass-like properties.
However, Rainbow was not one to submit easily to the demands of unknown ponies, even those bearing the royal seal. She snorted and pawed at the dirt, “Who’s asking?”
This only seemed to amuse the mare further. After adjusting her helmet, a few pink locks fell from its confinement.
Fluttershy blinked in surprise, “Uh, Rainbow Dash?”
“My my, little pegasus; is that anyway to speak to your superiors?” The Guard pony tsked in disappointment. “I expected so much better out of youth these days.”
“Hey, if you wanna piece of me, all you gotta do is ask!” Rainbow Dash reared up on her hind legs and delivered a few practice boxes to the empty air. The Guard pony did not seem perturbed by Rainbow Dash’s bravado or even care whether it was genuine or forced.
“Rainbow Dash...”
The Guard pony smiled at Rainbow’s antics, “Try me.”
She proclaimed, despite being clearly outclassed in size, weight, and skill, she proclaimed, “Come on, I can take you! Right, Fluttershy?”
“Hi, mom,” Fluttershy squeaked.
Rainbow’s head turned to Fluttershy so fast that something cracked in her neck. Wincing at the pain, she exclaimed, “Wait, what? Mom?”
“Ho ho, little Dashie!” The massive mare rumbled deeply. She patted Rainbow Dash’s back affectionately, making Dash’s knees buckle with each tap. “Did you really forget me already? Don’t tell me you don’t remember coming over to my house for dinner after you stood up to those bullies? It was the least I could do.”
Rainbow gasped in recognition. She hadn’t seen the hulking mare since she left Cloudsdale so long ago, but Fluttershy was more than willing to talk about her mother when the two were alone. “Mrs. Barricade!”
“Oh, it’s just Barricade for you, my little Dashie,” Barricade slapped Rainbow on the back once more, knocking the mare off her feet. Barricade did not seem to notice. “Or mom; you’ve known me and Flutters long enough.”
Rainbow got up slowly and shook herself free of the water and specks of mud. Barricade threw a leg around Rainbow’s neck and pulled her into a hug. Fluttershy soon entered her boisterous mother’s grasp. “It’s good to see you both either way.”
“Ack.. ugh, B-B-Barricade... can’t... breathe...” Rainbow gasped.
Barricade chuckled and let the two mares go. “Heading somewhere? Come on, I’ll walk with you.” Barricade leaned down to Fluttershy - a tall order considering her size - and nuzzled her daughter. “I’ve been off duty and looking for a chance to find you Flutters, but I only have about half an hour left.”
“That okay, momma. I’m just glad to see you.” Fluttershy gave her mother a brief nuzzle in return before separating.
Barricade escorted the two friends as they walked down the path to town. The dirt road to Fluttershy’s cottage soon gave way to cobblestone streets lined with thatched and tiled houses and businesses. Idle chatter consumed the start of their conversations, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash summarizing the last two day followed shortly by Barricade doing the same.
“Some of my animals are still hiding after all the noise from two nights ago.”
“You need a firm hoof, Flutters! Take command!”
“They need a gentle hoof, momma. The smaller animals are too delicate, especially this new family of mice I’ve been raising; their burrow collapsed after that big scary portal appeared.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about that much longer. After we found the second portal, Princess Celestia ordered this one,” she pointed a hoof upwards, “immediately dismantled.” Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both looked up. Just as Barricade said, a third of one side was missing.
“Plus, we have around the clock reconnaissance of the Everfree Forest and Ponyville. If there’s anything out there, we’ll find it. They’ll see what happens when they cross the Captain of the Pegasus Corp.”
“I don’t think even they deserve that,” Rainbow unconsciously twitched her flank at that. She knew first hoof how Barricade perceived events endangering herself or her daughter. Rainbow Dash was invited over to Fluttershy’s house for the first time after she rescued her from Hoops’ and Score’s bullying. After Barricade found out it was partially Rainbow’s fault for Fluttershy falling about 500 feet to the earth... well, Rainbow’s flank still reddened at the mere thought of being alone with the burly pegasus.
Barricade smiled at Rainbow’s embarrassment, but she let it go; she’d have time to tease Rainbow later. Barricade, however, missed teasing her daughter dearly, “So Fluttershy, you’ve been living in Ponyville for over two years now. Are you getting along well with that pet of yours?”
“Little Angel is fine,” she replied. And she took the bait. Barricade knew her daughters quirks and ticks better than anyone. Turning her head away, the slight sinking of her shoulders, and moving her hair to block line of sight, they were all signs of Fluttershy’s nerves getting the best of her. It was time to catch up on some friendly teasing.
“Why are you so nervous? Is everything alright? Is Angel giving you too much trouble? I could come over and talk to him.” She smiled in anticipation.
“No! I mean, it’s okay, mom. Angel’s fine.” Angel would owe Fluttershy big after that. The last time Barricade needed to “converse” with him, he was fetching her tea and buffing her armor until she left.
“You shouldn’t be nervous over something like that. Do you have a special somepony you haven’t told your dear momma about?”
“W-w-what!? Mom, no--”
“Oh, if that’s the case, there’s no need to be ashamed!” Rainbow Dash was sure the trees were shaking from the sheer force of Barricade’s voice and not the rain. It was not hard to imagine which side of her family got her shouting voice when she gets angry.
“Mom, no!” A deep red blush was crawling up Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Really, I--”
“Have a marefriend instead? That’s fine with me, Flutters.”
Fluttershy pawed at the ground and mumbled incoherently to herself, completely at a loss as to what to say. Barricade snickered and grabbed Fluttershy in a bear hug, a gentle one this time. “It’s been months since I’ve seen you, Fluttershy; forgive a little teasing from this old mare. Now, there was something I was going to tell you – YOU TWO!”
Somewhere, Angel felt a surge of irrational terror.
Barricade was speaking to a pair of Royal Guards flirting with Golden Harvest under her awning. Upon being addressed, the two guards turned to chide their guest. And immediately snapped to attention upon discovering who it was.
“I recognize you two! You’re supposed to be posted on third shift tonight. In ten minutes.” Rainbow Dash wondered if Barricade had mastered some art of voice-propelled explosions due to the deepness and volume of her voice.
“Yes, Captain Barricade!” The two declared in unison.
“I will examine your time stamps tomorrow, and they better be on time.”
“Yes, Captain Barricade!” The two immediately flew off, leaving a particularly baffled and frustrated Golden Harvest in their wake. Apparently their attentions were not completely unwanted.
Barricade left the mare to her own device and continued deeper into town, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy following close behind. “Now as I was saying, I know you live close to the Everfree Forest. It relieves me to tell you that the monsters have stopped rampaging.”
Fluttershy’s face was still a bright crimson when she answered. “That’s good to hear. I was afraid to go outside with all that noise going on. I’m glad that Rainbow Dash has been stopping by to keep me company.” Fluttershy scanned the Forest due to her usual cautious instincts and didn’t see anything. At first. For a brief moment, she spotted a pair of white lights just beyond the forest borders before they blacked out. After another second, several more lights far deeper flew out of the Forest canopy and towards the abandoned Castle of the Royal Pony sisters.
“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No pony knows. Ever since Sergeant Jetstream found the other portal underground, the reports of animal and monster rampages have ceased entirely.”
Dash saw Barricade’s face darken slightly as she said that, “Is something wrong, Barricade?”
“Sergeant Jetstream.”
“Wooo,” Owliscious hooted.
“Sergeant Jetstream,” Barricade repeated.
The two pegasus friends had heard that name since the night before. He was the pegasus that bravely ventured into the dark caverns and discovered another portal with the help of Zecora. It was a hot point of gossip in Ponyville, especially in such a small town with little else to talk besides hot topics.
“Yeah, give the stallion a medal,” Rainbow Dash said. “Zecora too.”
“Yes, Zecora will be commended for her bravery,” Barricade stopped for a second to consider her words carefully. Fluttershy saw the almost sad look in her eyes; it was one she saw on her mother’s face whenever she did something bad back when she was a filly in Cloudsdale. “Sergeant Jetstream is likely in line for a court martial.”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow cried out. “He found that portal thing all by himself. Well, Zecora helped, but still.”
“As honorable as it was to storm the dark alone, knowing full well there may have been an enemy waiting, those were not his orders. His orders were to discover any information he could, but he abandoned his team in the process.”
Rainbow was about to speak, but Barricade overrode her, “Yes, he was ordered to search the caves, but his first responsibility was toward his unit. He should have stayed with them. His unit looks up to him for orders and protection. Instead, he gallivanted about the caves. What happened was best case scenario, but it could have easily been so much worse. We have rules and regulations to protect the lives of the Royal Guard, and he didn’t follow them.”
Rainbow looked at her hooves, watching her steps tread through the puddles. “I still think what he did was pretty cool.”
Barricade let up her seriousness and gave Rainbow a warm smile. “I don’t want it to happen, and I understand why he did it, but what if somepony breaks the rules again and gets hurt? For the greater good, Sergeant Jetstream will likely answer for his actions.” Barricade sighed, wanting to end the unpleasant direction the conversation had taken.
“Onto more pleasant things.” Barricade bumped her rump against Rainbow Dash to get her attention. Due to the large difference in size, it had the unintended side effect of knocking Dash off her hooves and face first into a puddle. “We sometimes work security at public events. I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about you trying to join the Wonderbolts. Any luck yet, Dashie?”
Rainbow Dash, once again, rose from the cobblestone streets. “Nothing yet and auditions are closed for the rest of the year.”
“Too bad.” Barricade paused. “Do you have a routine arranged, by chance?”
“Of course! You are looking at the Rainbow Dash, winner of the Best Young Flyers competition!”
“Weeeeell,” Barricade’s deep voice drew out the syllable purposefully. “I might be able to arrange a private show among the Royal Guard. It would at least get your name out there a little more.”
“Really!? You would do that?” With eyes wide, wings splayed, the flyer’s enthusiasm was infectious and palpable.
“Yes, Rainbow Dash.” Barricade gave Rainbow’s hair an affectionate ruffle. “You were like a second daughter to me in Cloudsdale when you weren’t such a hellion.”
At that moment, a squadron of Night Guards flew past them in formation. Barricade’s head shot up to observe them as they past. Without stopping, the squadron flew towards the Everfree Forest, right to the direction of the Castle.
“Something’s wrong.” Once again, Barricade’s voice had taken on a tone of dead seriousness. “I saw his rank; the squadron leader was a major. Something’s not right.” Barricade turned to her two temporary charges. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to meet up with you two later.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, but Rainbow’s mood became downcast. “I’m sorry Rainbow, but I have to go.” Barricade spread her wings and took to the air, following the squadron into the Forest.
Fluttershy nudged Rainbow, both to get her moving to Twilight’s library and try to bump her out of her temporary depression. Rainbow sighed and nodded. Twilight was waiting.
Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie stared in disbelief.
“Captain... of the Pegasus Corp...” Applejack managed to say. The shy, timid pegasus, the one among them who was the very definition of pacifism, was the daughter of the hulking Captain.
“So let’s outline what we know. A portal opened in the sky two nights ago,” Twilight started. Still, Fluttershy was the daughter of Captain Barricade? Twilight needed to chew on that thought before confronting it.
“Two Celestia-forsaken ruffians ran out of it like a flock of it like chickens in a snake den,” Applejack chimed in.
“One of them was a big meanie-pants to Lyra but she thinks it was an accident.”
“There’s a different portal thing in the caves.”
“And my momma says the monsters in the forest aren’t scared anymore.”
“Okay, so we have Entity Number 1 and Entity Number 2. Both came through the obsidian portal. Number 1 ran into the forest while Number 2 disappeared into the caves below without being seen.”
“Doesn’t sound like the two were bosom buddies if ya ask me,” Applejack said. “Not only does the second run off when trouble’s a comin’, he does nothin’ when Numbah 1 thare nearly got hogtied by the Royal Guard.”
“Maybe because he stole his way home?”
“Well that’s a lot to assume Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. She held a hoof to her chin in thought.
“You said the egghead unicorn needed something to get the thing working. Would those stones that two legged used work? They seem to take him places.”
Twilight was momentarily speechless, half due to it being a valid and intuitive theory she had not anticipated, and half due to Rainbow Dash coming up with it first. “That... makes a lot of sense.” Twilight grabbed a piece of chalk with her magic and wrote on the board “Theories” and below that wrote “Theft.”
“Alright girls, what else do we have?”
“I think he’s scared,” Fluttershy said quietly. As the group turned to her to listen to her input, Fluttershy instinctively turned to the side to hide her face behind her mane of hair. “L-L-Lyra said he looked scared. We don’t know what he is, so maybe he doesn’t know what a pony is and is scared of us.”
“Doubt that. He threw something at Lyra and she didn’t do anything!” Rainbow Dash countered.
“That coulda been due tah the fella just havin’ ah good quick draw. Kinda reminds me o’ you, R.D.; act first, think later.”
Before Rainbow could retort, Twilight raised her voice and overrode the soon-to-be squabbling mares, “Fluttershy does have a point and we have no reason to doubt Lyra’s words at this time.” Twilight wrote on the board ‘Entity A,’ and below that, ‘Scared?’ and ‘Transmutation.’
“Wait, what’s that big word there mean? Trans-what now?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Pinkie, however responded first, “It is the capability of altering a material’s molecular structure to the likeness of something else’s.”
Four ponies and one dragon stared blankly at Pinkie, who had pulled a bag of gummie worms from the confines of her frazzled hair and continued to feast.
“...That’s... right...” Twilight said cautiously while in her head, she kept on repeating the mantra ‘It’s just Pinkie, it’s just Pinkie, it’s just Pinkie...’
“Anyway...” Twilight gave Pinkie a look mixed with cautious respect and a little bit of fear before continuing, “I wrote that because of this,” Twilight’s horn became enshrouded with violet energy.
Floating down from her upstairs bedroom, an item wrapped in cloth and Twilight’s magic set itself down on the table in front. “Everyone missed this, but luckily Spike was on my back and picked it out.”
“Aw, it was nothing,” Spike said with fake bashfulness. “Anything I can do to help.”
“What is it, hun?”
“This.” Twilight removed the cloth, revealing a steel sword approximately 36 inches long with a flawless wooden handle. Spike eyed the four mares in the dark about his discovery, a smug smile on his lips.
“Celestia gave me permission to examine it, but Spike was the one who noticed the big issue here.”
“Well, what is it?” Rainbow Dash whined. “It’s just a sword.”
“Yeah,” Spike responded, “but there’s something wrong with it.” The dragon’s smile widened, despite his fatigue due to the late afternoon hour.
“Wait a gosh darn second,” Applejack got up and walked to the table. Twilight set the deadly blade down for Applejack to examine, but the farmer only seemed interested in the hilt. After a few more seconds of examination, Applejack finally opened up, “Well all be; that ain’t right.”
“Out with it, Applejack!” Rainbow Dash’s voice was thick with frustration. One of Rainbow’s many berzerker buttons was being left out of the loop.
“Thare ain’t no wood grain, R.D. Everything wooden has a grain; this sword here don’t.”
“Well, how do you explain that?”
“I reckin’ I can’t, Rainbow Dash. I ain’t seen nothin’ like it.”
“What about you, Twilight? Use that big brain of yours.”
“I honestly don’t know, Rainbow Dash. This is just wood, but that’s all... I don’t get it!” Twilight exclaimed. Her four friends jumped slightly at her outburst; Twilight never liked being left out of the loop, and liked things not making sense even less. “It’s wood, but doesn’t have any other properties of wood. It has no wood grain, it’s too lightweight for any known wood, and the type of wood is completely unknown.” Twilight gestured emphatically to the wooden handle. “By all accounts, it’s existence defies everything we know.”
“Twilight, you’re getting the crazy eyes again.”
Twilight stopped her mini tirade and took a deep breath. “You’re right, Pinkie. Let’s get off the topic right now.” Twilight gave the sword one last dirty look before covering it with the cloth again. “What else do we know?”
“I know! The second one is really good at hide and seek!”
“Pinkie, that’s not...” Twilight thought about it for a second. “No, wait, you’re right. We haven’t seen or heard of another creature yet.” The only sign of another creature so far had been the residual magic traces and the second portal, but nothing physical like a visual sighting or footprint of the creature itself. “Where is the second one?”
Twilight took her chalk and wrote ‘Entity B’ and ‘Stealthy’ directly beneath that. “Okay girls, what else do we have? Anything, even a wild guess, could help us figure out what’s going on.”
“Maybe the animals in the Forest aren’t running because whatever scary monster that came out of the door left,” Fluttershy said.
“I’m just wondering why it ran away and made a new portal; there was another one right in the sky,” Rainbow Dash pondered. “Nopony has seen the thing looks like, so I don’t think it would be hard to go back and get it working again.”
“That be assuming it wanted to go back an’ it could work the darn thing,” Applejack countered.
“Then why build a second?”
“Rainbow Dash is right, Applejack,” Twilight said. “While it is still debatable, the second entity built a portal for a purpose, be it to leave or bring something through.”
“Maybe neither of them made it,”
“But Pinkie, I heard the Archmage herself say--”
“Not the second one, silly, the first one.”
“But--”
“Didn’t you say that the big black door in the sky didn’t have any magic? Maybe that’s because neither made it. They both leave trails the Archmage can find, so they have to be bad at hide and seek. If they got rid of their own trails, they’d be so much better at hiding.”
Again, Pinkie’s absurd and roundabout logic proved to make sense. “You continue to amaze me, Pinkie.” Twilight wrote under theories ‘Third Party?’ She sighed and suppressed a yawn; it was already late enough as it is. Spike’s eyes were closed. The poor dragon was tuckered out, trying and failing to fight the oncoming blanket of sleep.
“I think we’ve had enough for tonight, girls. It’s already late, so let’s try to get some sleep.”
“Good idea, Twi; plus all this rain’s gonna make farming tomorrow mighty difficult.”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy rose as Applejack did, each one shaking her legs to get the blood flowing.
“I’ve got to meet up with Cloudkicker and Great Scott and see how the storm’s going. I’ll see you all later. Think you’d be all right walking back on your own, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash said.
Fluttershy did not like the prospect of walking home alone, but she accepted that maintaining the storm was important. “I’ll be alright Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow nodded, opened the door, and scampered into the newborn night sky. The sky was a solid black with storm clouds; not a single star was visible tonight. It was the perfect night for the creature observing the ponies from the confines of the rain-splattered window...
Minecraft/MLP:FIM crossover.
Chapter Commentary: LINK
Barricade is a character by KnightMysterio that I have been graciously allowed to use. Click the link to check out his stuff.
For chapter updates and my ramblings, visit my page on Fimfiction HERE.
Edited by: Wolfmaster1337, Material Defender, Deathscar
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YUSS! It updated! Now to read...
Yay, Barricade! I think she was great in Waking Nightmares. Also, new chapter? It may have been a while, but it was well worth the wait.
Pinkie Pie is a boss!
The 'pressure' (String) on this story' (Shit) is 'building' (Pulling) to the magnificent 'point' (Fan), at such a slow pace, I can't help but feel worried when it finally 'explodes' (Hits it).
I think you mean corps (a military unit) and not core (the center)
Still looking forward to the builder making a fortress in the everfree
When shall we hear more from the Crafter?
1382242>>1382649
I've grown quite fond of Barricade. I asked, and i was greatfull to have been answered with a yes. Now I had to split Chapter 12 due to time issues, so you will be getting another chapter tomorrow at about noon my time. That will be when I will take a break and rebuild my chapter buffer. Afterwards, we shall come back to the Crafter and see what he's been up to for the last day...
1382273
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
Pinkie, despite all her eccentricities and craziness, is likely the most open-minded and perceptible, once you get around her quirks. Personally, I think she's an intelligent and intuitive pony, but just loves to have fun even more.
1382502
I haven't even reached for the switch to turn on the fan.
Let that put things into perspective for you.
1382599
Tempting as though it may be, the Crafter knows he's being hunted. Building one above ground might as well be a signal that says "I'm here! Kick my flank!"
Now below ground... Just wait.
Great, only one error that I saw. "FLuttershy’s"
Still a awesome story.
Yay, new chapter! Wish there was more Steve though...
Farlander Portal. How very appropriate.
is barricade an OC or actually in the show?
1382714
Daaaaaaamn.
Again
Pressure = Shit
Story = String
Built =Pulled
Point = Fan
Every chapter that passes, pounds more pressure into the story to be built to the point, but make sure to 'let it go'(turn the switch on) eventually, or the pressure will not be able to be built by the story, because it only can hold so much at a time. But don't pounder, because your story is strong, and it can hold twice as much as any normal story can, thats because of how you put the pressure on the story to be built to the point, and the nice writing.
But you already know this. There's a reason this story is so awesome.
X
i cant imagine what would happen if steve doesnt get featured next chapter
1382885
You have no idea.
1383121
1383957
Your misery sustains me.
Great Scott! Gordan Freeman!
I THOUGHT YOU WHERE DEAD
1387440 I do belive I spot an RvB refence
Since when is Twilight married?
Omg...you sir are officially my favorite author..Minecraft, My Little Pony, AND Star Trek the Next Generation ALL IN ONE STORY!! You just made my night
I. LOVE. YOU.
You sure have just deserved a mustache
I mean, that was an incredible reference.
1384027
You used Barricade. I nohomo love you, man. I await updates to this and Waking Nightmares.
im confused now.... how many portals are there? the one above Everfree, the one the Ender Dragon came through and this random one that was literally just introduced because the guard found it in some caves. WHICH caves? the caves that Steve has turned into his new base of operations or some other random cave we didn't know about?
2225510
The one that appeared in chapter one was so large, it stretched to the Everfree Forest.
I later describe it as made out of obsidian, confirming it to be a Nether Portal in Chapter 7
In chapter 11, an unknown creature creates a Nether Portal and uses it to enter Equestria.
I talk about pieces of gems and finery. If you watched the show, only one mountain cave has ever been mentioned: the one in Dragonshy. It's the same mountain. As the portal is so far away, no pony knows where it is just yet.
The third is below ground and was created by the Endermen that escaped the portal along with Steve. While the portal was not created "on screen", the creature had almost two days to itself to make it. That's plenty of time. Sergeant Jetstream sees it when the entity hijacks his body to speak with the Endermen.
The entity even specifically calls it a portal.
I found this story a while ago...
I have lost all meaning to the word "sleep"
Instant i read that my nose started bleeding :/
Darn you....
1999789
How is Star Trek in here.
Also, does this take place after the uber-boss and the Wither came through the other portal? With all the ruckus it made I'm sure it would have been noticed and mentioned.
2499307
Lol. That Twilight quote talking about her teacher is a line ripped from Star Trek about one of Captain Picard's own teachers.
This takes place directly after it. The reason why the ponies don't yet know is because of the distance and thunderstorm. The dragon cave is very far away, and the sound of the thunderstorm obfuscated both the location and the noise it produced.
Further details about the uber-boss are revealed later. I warn you though, I was still new to writing at your point in the story. You're about to hit a few rough spots.
2225510
1: above ponyville where Steve and the mysterious guy came from
2: ender portal where the Enderman is trying to open
3: the portal near canterlot where the creeper came from
4: the portal near the cave entrance where the ender dragon came and made the wether
totally expected some kind of toilet to be involved in this chapter.
Isn't that the lesbian that sleeps with everyone from Hard Reset (or the sequels)?
Great Scott
I see what you did there
3657905
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6028942080/h1F822BE5/
3327882 SPIKE IS NO PONY! YOU'RE LOGIV IS INVLAID!!
3658312
Wait a minute... They've done stuff like this before as well... Sweet Mother of Mercy...
I skipped this whole chapter as there was nothing from steve, I dont give a damn about the ponies I want to know what he is building!!!!
6090184
Leaving me massively confused as to why you're here, as this is an MLP site and not a Minecraft site. They come first.
6090307
Well, I personally am reading for steve's side as well. I mean, ponies are well and good, but if I want a story that revolves around them, I'd finish Upheavel: Breaking Point. I read crossovers and HiE for non-pony perspective in a pony world.
6154403 Even better when he has the Forces of the Universe, Creation and Destruction, literally in the palm of his hand, eh?
1391553 DAMNIT GRIFF!!!
Ah, Sarge. The epitome of the hillbilly stereotype.