Carry On

Chapters

Drift
Dream
Awake

Drift

“Come on, you guys!” Sky Bolt said, her wings fluttering with excitement, pulling her from the ground. “We’re almost there!” She spun in the air, her sky-blue mane whipping around her face.

“Is it something you’ve done at the barracks, dear?” her mother asked, nodding at the short, squat building that Sky Bolt was leading them towards. “Or the new workshop?” There was a hopeful tone to her voice that matched the teasing sparkle in her blue eyes.

“For the last time, Mom,” Sky Bolt said. She tilted her wings back, making a quick loop around her parents. “I’m not just going to tell you what the surprise is! You’ll just have to wait and see!” She stopped in front of her mother, shaking her head.

“And you’re absolutely sure that you suddenly up and joining the Guard isn’t part of the surprise?” her father asked. The dull-red earth pony gave her a wink as he said it, his green eyes reflecting his mirth at his daughters frustration.

“Yes!” She threw her hooves wide, ignoring for the moment that her parents were quite visibly snickering at her exaggerated reaction. Well, she admitted, only somewhat exaggerated.

“Ok, fine,” she said, giving them both a roll of her eyes. “It’s slightly related but … agh! Just come and see!” She kicked her wings back as she darted ahead for a moment, dust kicking up from the bare field around the barracks.

“Well whatever it is, I’m excited!” her mother said, flipping a light-blue curl over her shoulder. “The last surprise was that cruise, and then before that her new job…” She paused for a moment. “I liked your last job,” she said, her smile shrinking slightly. “Did you have to quit?”

Sky Bolt flinched at the question, her smile slipping from her face for a moment. Why? she thought. Why are you asking about this? Her mother was giving her an expectant look, and she began to shrink back. Did she ask about this?

“What about her other surprises?” her father asked with a chuckle. Sky Bolt let out a mental sigh of relief as her mother’s attention turned away from her. “Like me getting my mane burned off?” Her father gave his short, blond mane a pat. “Lucky for me it grew back,” he said with another wink.

“Oh come on!” Sky Bolt said. “That only happened twice! And I was twelve!”

“Well, maybe the surprise involves that good-looking zebra she mentioned,” her mother said. “What was his name dear? Sabra?”

“It does not!” Sky Bolt said, the words flying from her mouth with the speed of a stripped rotor. Her mother laughed and threw a wink at her father. Sky Bolt could feel her cheeks burning as she turned away towards the barracks. “It doesn’t!”

She paused as she reached the front door to the barracks. I didn’t say that, did I? she thought for a moment, pausing with her hoof on the doorhandle. And did mom really…?

“Is something wrong, dear?” her mother asked, her hoof settling on Sky Bolt’s shoulder.

“Huh?” She looked up and shook her head. “No, no. I’m fine,” she said, pushing away the strange thought. “I was just thinking about something. Not Sabra!” she said as she spotted the look her parents exchanged. “The surprise does not involve him in any way, shape, or form,” she said as she turned back to the door, fighting the urge to cover her face with her wings. They never let up, she thought as she stuck her hooves in the door handles. I can only imagine what it would be like if Sabra were actually here.

“In fact,” she said, bracing herself against the ground, “the real surprise lies just behind this door!” She gave the handles a sharp tug, stepping to the side as the heavy metal portals swung open. “Mom and Dad,” she said, gesturing as her parents stepped the workshop, matching expressions of stunned disbelief on their faces, “I give you The Hummingbird.”

The sleek airship bobbed above the workshop floor, its massive envelope nearly filling the expanded interior of the shop. Sky Bolt ran her eyes over the sleek, aerodynamic design. The squat, smoothed, triangular, envelope. The underslung cabin, melded with the bottom of the envelope and carefully sculpted to reduce drag. The sparkling, glass-encased cockpit where she sat when the airship flew.

It wasn’t quite perfect yet. Nor was it—technically—finished. It was still unpainted, bare metal and wood intermixed and bare to the elements. The interior compartments were still one giant compartment, the interior dividers not yet in place. And most of the seating wasn’t even in place. But it didn’t matter, at least, not at the moment. The Hummingbird flew, and that was enough.

“You finished it!” her father said as he stepped into the workshop, his head tilting back as he followed the curve of the envelope up towards the open roof. “They let you finish it?”

“Yeah, they did,” Sky Bolt said, her voice quiet as she stepped between her parents, spreading her wings and setting them across their shoulders. “And I know I promised you guys the first ride if I ever got her finished but…” She paused for a moment, waiting until both of her parents had drawn their eyes away from the spectacle of engineering in front of them.

“We sort of already had to use her,” she admitted, giving them a sheepish grin. “We had a mission, we needed to get there fast, and well….” She shrugged. “Does settling for the second ride seem like too much of a let-down?”

“No, no,” her father said, taking another few steps into the workshop. He shook his head, a sigh of amazement escaping his lips. “You know,” he said as he turned to look back at her. “When you first got that cutie mark on your side, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean, after all, I’m just a farmer—” he tapped the three stalks of wheat on his flank with his hoof, “—but I knew you’d do something amazing. This though?” He turned and looked up at The Hummingbird. “This is, once again, amazing.”

Sky Bolt laughed, her eye darting towards the crossed bolt-and-wrench over a blueprint that marked her own grey flank. “Yeah, well, just wait a few years until you can see some of the stuff I’m working on right now,” she said, smiling. “Believe me, it’s cool.”

“Cooler than this?” her mother asked, trotting up the stepladder that led into the ship.

“Trust me,” Sky Bolt said, grinning as she followed her parents up. “I’m working on some really dangerous stuff. I mean cool!” she corrected.

“It looks like you’ve still got a little bit of work to do,” her father commented, glancing around the unfinished interior. “Like around the bathroom area.”

“Yeah, we had to leave in a hurry for the first flight,” Sky Bolt said. She glanced around the ships internal bay, mentally cataloging the things that she still needed to do.

“It’s not going to be hazardous, is it?” her mother asked.

Sky Bolt paused for a moment, again struck by the faintest sense of unease. I thought mom was excited to see the inside? Even if it was a little unfinished. And I thought it was more complete than this. She glanced around the compartment, frowning as an itch made itself known in the back of her mind. And I thought I was further along than this. She flapped her wings, floating up near the ceiling and examining an exposed cable. Weren’t these covered earlier?

“What’s in these?” her father asked, looking at her as he tapped the side of a large wooden crate. The sound of his hoof meeting the wood filled the compartment, and she blinked in surprise.

“I…” She gave her head another shake. When did I put those in here? “Just some parts,” she said, her mind catching up with her as she gave her father a nervous smile. “You know,” she said with a shrug, “odds and ends. Cables. Pieces.” She fought the urge to frown as her father nodded, hiding it until neither of her parents were looking.

Come on, come on! This is your big moment! Don’t blow it! She gave her head another shake and nearly jumped as a hoof touched her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Sabra asked, the zebra’s brilliant purple eyes looking into hers, concern on his face.

“I—” She stopped. “Are you coming along?”

“Of course,” he said, giving his head a gentle nod. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. He pulled his hoof away, and the itch in the back of her head intensified. What’s bothering me? she thought as Sabra turned to her parents, greeting them in zebra. There’s nothing wrong, right? She nodded and rolled her eyes as her mother gave her a smug smile.

“Come on, everypony,” she said, stepping towards the cockpit door as she buried the sense of unease. I shut the door, was Sabra already onboard? “Let’s get this baby in the air and make her fly!”

She wrapped her hooves around the control yoke as the docking clamps released. The Hummingbird began to rise beneath her, lifting out of the workshop and into the clear blue sky with almost impossible speed. Her parents gasped as the city spread out below them like a foal’s playset, buildings shrinking into pinpricks as ship rose higher and higher.

“And now…” Sky Bolt said, giving her parents a wink as she moved her hoof to the throttle, “let me show you what she can really do!” She rammed the throttle forward, and her parents slid back as the airship bucked forward underneath them. A dull roar filled the cockpit as the airships powerful boilers spun the twin props at speeds unmatched by any other airship in existence. Clouds peeled past the ships prow, splitting before them as the airship scythed through the air. Sky Bolt laughed as her parents looked around in wonder and she pulled the yoke to one side, sending The Hummingbird into a tight, banking turn.

“Bolt, this is amazing!” her father said, his legs braced against the thick glass beneath him. “I’ve never felt anything like it!”

Sky Bolt grinned as she pushed the throttle even further forward, the whine of the propellers rising as she put the ship into another, tighter, turn.

“But,” her father said, turning and looking right at her. He stood up straight, as if the tilt of the deck meant nothing at all. “What if it isn’t safe?”

“Not safe?” Sky Bolt said, pulling her hooves away from the controls as her heart sank. The Hummingbird stayed in it’s tight, twisting dive. “What do you mean?”

“He’s right,” her mother said, the same concerned expression on her face. “It’s nice, honey, but it could get somepony killed.” There was a dull thumping sound from the crew compartment, and she could feel her heart start to pound in response.

“But mom, dad ... I—”

“Your parents are correct.” Her heart fell further as Sabra stepped up alongside them. “You chose to get involved in something far beyond you, and now...” Sky Bolt winced, her eyes growing wet with tears. The thumping sound from the rear of the ship was louder now, growing closer, but she didn’t care. She wanted to run, to get away from what Sabra—from what her parents, were saying.

“And now,” Sabra said calmly as something smashed against the door to the cockpit, splintering the wood. “Now we’re all going to die.”

The cockpit door blew apart, chunks of wood crashing all around them. Sky Bolt threw her hooves up reflexively as her parents and Sabra stood motionless, wood flying around them. There was something in the doorway, a familiar shape that tugged at her mind. Her mind caught up with what it was, recognizing the familiar wooden limbs and bronze-metaled gears just as the unfolded box golem leapt into the cockpit, its single, crystal eye blazing with inner fire. She barely had time to scream in terror before it had grabbed Sabra in both hands, smashing through the glass with its shoulder as it tumbled forward. Then both figures were gone, swept away into the dark sky as wind and glass shards tore through the cockpit.

“Sabra!” Sky Bolt screamed, diving towards the gaping hole, cutting her legs on jagged glass as she peered out of the opening. Wind rushed around her, thunder rumbling as she scanned an angry sky, searching for any sign of her friend.

Nothing. He was gone.

“Mom? Dad!?” Sky Bolt turned back as she noticed the missing presence at her side. “Mom! Dad!” She spun and The Hummingbird bucked underneath her, the deck tilting as its turn grew tighter. She spread her wings, her hooves fighting for purchase as the ship began to shudder violently.

“Mom! Dad!” she screamed her parents names again, her throat burning raw as she began to pull herself towards the cockpit door. Something was weighing her down, slowing her and keeping her from lunging through the open door to find her parents.

“You can’t save us,” her father said as she pulled herself through the doorway. Her parents were hanging on the far side of the room, two box golems holding them up by their throats. “You can’t.” His voice was flat, emotionless. His face dead, eyes staring at her without any life.

“Dad, no, I—” She was pushing forward now, fighting against a wall that was holding her back. Her legs were burning, screaming in pain as she moved across the bay. “I can. I can!”

The floor fell away beneath her and Sky Bolt let out a shriek as she was dumped from The Hummingbird. She had one last view of the golem’s hands tightening around her parent’s throats as the airships bay doors swept shut, and then she was gone, tumbling against horrific winds that tore at her from every side, spinning her in all directions with no sense of up or down.

She crashed into something, pinching her wing under her side as she hit and letting out a cry of pain. Her armor cracked, the crystalline surface spiderwebbing beneath her from the impact. She rose to her hooves, trying in vain to clear her head, her eyes peering through the gloom to make out what she was standing on. Clear crystal stretched up around her in three pillars, connecting seamlessly to the surface she had impacted against.

It looks like— The pillars around her began to move, and her eyes widened as they crashed down around her, pinning her against the ground. No! Her legs pushed against the hard crystal in panic. It’s a hand! I’m in a hand!

A leering face rolled out of the darkness as she fought against the massive fingers holding her down. Burning-pink eyes stared out at her from under a mare’s disheveled, pale-blue mane. A madly grinning leer stretched across the mare’s muzzle, it and her pale-green coat distorted by the crystal between them.

“You can’t save anyone, Sky Bolt,” Radiant said, leaning in closer as the fingers began to tighten. Sky Bolt let out a cry of pain as her armor began to crack. “You will fail. Your friends will fail because of it.” The fingers tightened further, and Sky Bolt began to fight for breath, her world closing in around her. Her legs, her wings, both were pinned against her sides by the unrelenting pressure. “You can’t help them!”

“Nooooooo!” She sat up, her body drenched in a cold sweat, her breath coming hard and fast. For a moment she froze as her mind took in the dark shapes around her, and then she sank back against her covers with a shaky sigh.

A dream, she thought, fighting a shudder as her heart began to slow its furious pounding. It was just a dream. She wiped one hoof across her forehead and winced as it came away sticky with dank, oily sweat. I took mom and dad up in The Hummingbird yesterday, but Sabra wasn’t with us, and there definitely weren’t any of those crate golems up there. She let out a groan as she rolled onto her side, bruises from the frantic fight at the ERS building making themselves known.

Mom and dad loved the whole flight, and they never said anything about it being unfinished or about my old job, she reminded herself, shaking her head and wincing as a muscle let out a small twinge. She repositioned herself, pulling her legs and wings out of the blankets that had wrapped around her and dropping onto her stomach. The room was silent, nothing but the pounding of her heart filling her ears.

Good thing I soundproofed these rooms pretty well, she thought as she opened her eyes again, the faint, shadowed outline of her quarters coming into view. The last thing I want is for someone to ask me why I woke up screaming. She rolled onto her back, letting out a long sigh as her heart finally started to slow. It took her a few seconds of groping in the dark above her bed with one hoof, but after a moment she was rewarded with a faint click and the soft glow of the magilight lamp springing to life.

“Alri—,” she paused, running her tongue over the roof of her mouth as the dry sound of her voice hit her. It was like sandpaper in her ears. “Alright,” she tried again, the word whispering out. She coughed, swallowing as her throat cleared. “Alright,” she said a third time. It still sounded raspy, but it was better. “What time is it?” She squinted at the clock above her bed and let out a groan as she put the time on the hands together.

“Three-forty-five?” Her head dropped back to the mattress as she let out a groan. “Way too early.” She rubbed a hoof against her eyes, pushing away the sandy feeling that had filled them, and let out a sigh. She wasn’t going to sleep now. Not after that.

Well, she thought, rolling out of bed and heading for the showers, if I can’t sleep, I can at least make myself useful. She opened the door to her quarters, glad once again that the hallway in the barracks was always rudimentarily lit by at least a few magilights at night. There are always a few projects in my workshop I can work on. She flapped her wings once, stretching the stiff muscles as she headed for the shower. Always.

* * *

“Hey.”

Sky Bolt looked up in surprise as the low voice cut through the pounding bass beat thumping from the workshops speakers, jerking back as her eyes met Captain Song’s solid blue gaze.

“Sorry,” the olive-green earth pony said, his eyes widening as her noticed her reaction. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, no.” She shook her head, and throwing up one hoof up in salute as she caught her breath. “I just didn’t hear you come in. Sorry, sir.”

“Well, you weren’t in your quarters, and I heard the bass beat when I woke up,” Steel said, returning her salute, his hoof coming to a precise stop just shy of his close-cropped grey mane before retreating. She let her own hoof fall. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Sky Bolt said. She looked down at the hastily cobbled together prototype on her desk and gave it a quick tap with her hoof, pulling her Captain’s attention to it. “Just an idea I had. Some last minute changes to the armor enchantments that might prove helpful.” The stacks of notepaper beneath the connected crystals crinkled as her project rolled to one side.

“Alright,” Steel said, nodding as his eyes looked down at the hastily scratched notes surrounding the two crystals. “What’s ‘anga tone?’”

“Oh, anga tone?” Sky Bolt let out a nervous laugh as her eyes darted to the clock. Five-ten already? Where did time go? “That’s not part of this project, it’s just another idea I had that I’ve been playing with.”

“Is that zebra?” the Captain asked, twisting his head as he looked down at the hastily scratched words beneath the title.

“Um, yeah,” Sky Bolt said, grabbing the corner of the paper and spinning it slightly so that the earth pony could get a better look. “It’s zebra. It means ‘sky drop.’ It’s just an idea I had.”

“Sky drop, huh?” Steel asked, pushing the paper back as he finished glancing over the scarce notes. “Aerial equipment deployment?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of a dead end for now,” Sky Bolt said as she pulled the paper the rest of the way back around. “There’s not really any need for it, and it would take a major overhaul to The Hummingbird to make it work, so…” She shrugged. “That and it would need a much cooler name.”

“Huh,” Steel said, his eyes moving towards a few of the other nearby workbenches and looking at the objects on them. “Did it ever make it into a report to Hunter?”

“No,” Sky Bolt said with a shake of her head, her mane cascading around her face. Her eye caught a spot of grease in her bang, somehow already sunk in despite the short amount of time she’d been working that morning. “It never went past a basic idea and a sketch or two. I just couldn’t see any reason for it.”

“Well,” Steel said, squaring his shoulders. “Don’t toss it, at least. It sounds feasible. Just…”

“Impractical?” she asked, and he nodded. “Don’t worry, Boss, I won’t. I never do.”

“Good,” Steel said, turning his body halfway towards the workshop entrance. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think both of us are being waited on outside. We’ve got a day to start, spec,”

“Give me a second,” Sky Bolt said, holding back a yawn until the Captain had turned fully away, “and I’ll be right there.” Steel nodded, vanishing through the workshop doors, and Sky Bolt let the massive yawn fold out of her mouth as she gave herself another stretch.

“Yeah,” she said again as she pushed herself back from the workbench, her eyes lingering on the interconnected crystals she’d been fiddling with. “Right there.”

* * *

“Jambo,” Sabra said, smiling as he slid his tray into the seat next to her.

“Nizuri,” Sky Bolt said, an apple halfway to her muzzle. “How are you?” She took a bite as her eyes darted over towards the grey-and-white zebra. Sabra looked like he always did: calm, collected, with just a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He wasn’t wearing his blindfold this morning, leaving his bright purple eyes free to draw in every detail as he looked at her.

“Still a little stiff,” he said, the upward hint at the corners of his mouth becoming a bit more pronounced, a close approximation of a smile.

“Yeah,” Sky Bolt said, nodding her head and giving him an exaggerated wince as her neck tightened. “I’m pretty glad the Captain cut our run short this morning. I don’t think I could have taken much more.”

“Vivyo hivyo,” Sabra said, nodding. She paused and tilted her head as she tried to dredge the meaning of his words from her mind. Her grasp of zebra was getting better but—

“Likewise,” Sabra said, clarifying, and she nodded as the words lined up in her head. “So,” he said, keeping to Equestrian, “what were you doing this morning?”

Sky Bolt set her apple down next to the egg-and-veggie omelet that was sitting on her plate. “I was in my workshop, getting some work done. I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep so…” she let her words trail off. No sense in telling him about the nightmare, she thought. Definitely not since he was in it. She lifted her fork and took a bite of her omelet, taking advantage of the pause to consider her words. If Nova even heard the words ‘Sabra’ and ‘dream’ in the same sentence, he’d have enough ammunition for weeks. Not that he didn’t already have plenty, although she got the sense that he was being somewhat gracious in not bringing it up too often.

“You arose early?” Sabra asked as he scooped up a forkful of his own breakfast. “When?”

“Oh, just a while before everypony else got up,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t push and ask for a more specific time. The team didn’t have an official curfew time, but most tried to get to sleep by ten or eleven at the latest to avoid the wrath of the team doctor, Dawn. It wasn’t wise to thwart her carefully prescribed health regimen. “I had some new ideas for some stuff that I wanted to try out and it really couldn’t wait.” Sabra’s eyebrows rose, but he said nothing, instead choosing to bite into his own breakfast, a warm salad with a spicy-scented unfamiliar dressing that made her nose tingle.

“Working on some new stuff, Sky?” Nova asked, dropping into the seat across from her, his tray sliding off of his hooves instead of floating down in an aura of yellow magic. The purple unicorn looked a little groggy, but she had to admit the stallion looked surprisingly alert for someone who had nearly died from magic exhaustion just over three days earlier.

“Yeah, I am,” she said, dropping her fork as he sat down. “What are you doing in here though? I thought you were on bed rest?”

“I was,” he said, grinning as he picked up his own helping of eggs. “And technically, I still am. But I’m allowed to at least leave and get my own meals now.” He shrugged. “At least, that was the condition I got Dawn to agree to after I went running with Captain Song and his friend yesterday.”

“I had heard that you snuck out,” Sabra said, pausing in his breakfast long enough to give the unicorn a pointed look.

“So did I,” Sky Bolt said, chuckling. “In fact, I think Dawn’s shout woke the Night Guard up next door.” Nova rolled his eyes as Sabra let out a small, quiet laugh of his own. “Surprised you’re allowed out of your room at all.”

“Hey,” Nova said. “Magic exhaustion and physical exhaustion aren’t the same thing. I was bored out of my mind after being cooped up in there for three days. Not using magic is one thing, but being confined to my quarters?” He took a bite of his breakfast. “‘Sides,” he said through his bite, “I was asking you about what you were working on, not what you thought about my health-care scenario. And before you ask, I’ve got thirty hours worth of KP as punishment as soon as Dawn gives me a clean bill of health.” He swallowed and leaned forward, his short, red mane almost quivering with anticipation. “So what were you working on? Are the helmets in?”

“No, not yet,” Sky Bolt said, shaking her head and letting her own expression mirror the looks of disappointment from the two ponies. “I talked with the armorer last night and she said she’d run into a snag. Shouldn’t be more than another few days though.”

“What about the damage done to our armor during our last mission?” Sabra asked, his voice just barely betraying a hint of curiosity. It was hard, but she was getting to be better at reading his emotions. Maybe one day she’d be able to figure out what he was thinking without goading a response out of him.

“Another day or two for the small stuff, but several pieces were damaged so heavily they have to be completely replaced,” Sky Bolt said, letting a sigh slip out of her mouth. “Which puts us dangerously close to going over-budget, and that’s with the bonus that Princess Luna granted us when I proposed my initial armor design.”

“That is … unfortunate,” Sabra said, frowning. “What will happen if we exceed our allotment?”

Sky Bolt shrugged. “I have no idea. The Princesses aren’t exactly suffering from a lack of bits, but it all has to come from and go to somewhere. Then again,” she said, pausing to take a bite of her breakfast, “the boss only said that we were getting close to going over our budget. I’ve still got enough to finish up The Hummingbird and get everyone’s gear finished. But it looks like for now, any ‘mark 2’ designs I come up with will have to stay just that: designs.” She let out a mental sigh as she reminded herself of that. Just one more thing to worry about.

“Alright,” Nova said, apparently in no hurry to finish his meal before the rest of the team had to leave. “So what were you working on this morning, if you’ve got armor to fix and a shrinking budget?”

“Something I thought of a few days ago but hadn’t had time to play around with until now.” Sky Bolt leaned back, her eyes darting to the clock at the end of the cafeteria. She and Sabra still had time before they were supposed to be back at the barracks. “It’s a crystal—” She paused for a moment, trying to work out the best way of explaining it her head.

“I guess the best way to describe it would be an ambient battery system,” she said, noting that both Sabra and Nova had leaned a little closer to her. “I got the idea from the golems, actually.” Sabra’s eyes widened, while Nova actually pulled away slightly.

“Relax,” she said, giving her eyes a roll. “It’s just tech. Anyway,” she said, settling in her seat, “I’m trying to reverse-engineer and then re-engineer part of the power process, based off of some of her notes and what we have. If it works, I’ll be able to improve our own armor equipment to give us more flexibility in the field. If it doesn’t, well…” She shrugged. “If it works you’ll hear more about it at the meeting tomorrow.”

Sky Bolt’s eyes darted to the clock as a sense of urgency filled her. “Anyway, I need to hurry up and eat if I’m going to get back to it. I need to get some work done on it before I meet with Hunter for combat exercises.” She shoveled the rest of her breakfast into her mouth, scarfing down the hot omelette without regard for her tongue and washing it down with her orange juice. “I’ll see you two later, alright? Kwaheri!” She darted away from the table with her tray on her back, suddenly very eager to be back in the workshop, to put in what time she had left for breakfast and her normal routine working on her newest project. If she could just get the energies to polarize properly...

Thoughts of her work filled her head so completely that she didn’t even notice Sabra and Nova exchange a questioning look as she trotted out of the cafeteria.

* * *

“Come on…” she said, activating the array again and watching the needle on the magimeter for any signs of movement. She flipped the switch, crossing her feathers that the small change she’d made to the array would work the way she’d intended it to. Slowly but surely the needle began to vibrate, then dip as the grounding crystal she was using as a sink began to draw away the power behind the first crystals enchantment.

“Alright…” she said. “Once again, so far so good.” She pulled crystal leads back from the grounding crystal she’d borrowed and watched as the array sparked. It hadn’t taken her too long to figure out what she’d needed to do, although the professor she’d spoken to at the Celestia’s school had been quite confused as to what her end goal was. Not that Sky Bolt had told her. She’d been warned enough by Luna about the shroud of secrecy most of her work was being put under. To wit, she’d been told only once, and that had been enough.

But however quickly the mare had been able to make the adjustment Sky Bolt had asked of her, it was balancing itself out with how long it was taking her to actually accomplish what she’d set out to do with that change in the first place. She’d lost count of the number of her attempts hours earlier, but she was close. She knew it. What she was trying to do was possible. Radiant’s golems had proven that much. They’d proven a lot of other things as well, she thought as her eyes darted to a nearby workbench, where a cloth had been thrown over two of the golems. Both of the golems, one wood and one metal, had been deactivated and in various stages of disassembly. She had an idea that she wanted to try to implement based on their designs but ... She pushed the thought away. No budget, and it would take her months. Almost as long as building The Hummingbird. What mattered now was the task at hand.

Speaking of which… She turned her attention back to the array, her eyes focusing on the magimeter’s needle. It quivered, started to rise … and then dropped.

“Thunderbolts!” Sky Bolt shouted, disconnecting the array and watching as the needle stabilized once more, the crystal preserving what little power it had left. Once it went dry, she wasn’t sure if what she had in mind would work, especially as jury-rigged as this experiment was. She couldn’t be sure that a dead crystal would work the same way as one that was still enchanted.

She shook her head, trying to fight the urge to yawn, and took a quick look at the clock. It was one-twenty-seven. She would need to be waking up in just under five hours. But she was so close. Sleep could wait.

Besides, she thought with a shudder as the nightmare from that morning came back to mind, I’m not quite sure I want to sleep yet.

She turned her attention back to the array. She was close. Another thirty minutes. Maybe less. Then she could sleep.

But first, she had to finish.

Dream

“I’m sorry, Sky Bolt,” Steel said as he stared down at her, his expression stern. “I’ve gone over the numbers multiple times, and it just keeps coming down to one, inescapable conclusion.”

“But … I—”

“We can’t keep borrowing funds any longer, Sky Bolt.” Steel leaned back, shaking his head. “We spent so many bits. And on what? Nothing worked!”

“But…” This is wrong. “But they did work!” Sky Bolt shouted back. “My airship, The Hummingbird, it—”

“Stopped working at a critical moment and crashed to the ground, Sky Bolt,” Steel said, his voice growing hollow and distant. “Burned when your boilers detonated. With everyone inside.” He was fading now, growing dim and spectral.

No, this isn’t right!

“We all died,” Steel said, his eyes glowing now, no longer a cool blue but something icy and bright that seemed to stare into her soul. “And so will you!”

“No!” Sky Bolt’s head jerked up, her eyes wide and her heart pounding, but there was no one there to hear her. Just the resounding echo of her own declaration as it bounced off of the workshop walls. She let out a sigh, her head sinking into her hooves as her body went limp across her workbench.

“It was just another dream,” she said, letting out a groan as she rubbed her forehead with her hooves. Her head was pounding, a dull rhythm of pain that ebbed and flowed with each breath, and her mouth was dry, like she’d swallowed a mouthful of sand. She shifted her head on the desk, looking up towards the clock. Four-eighteen. Almost a full hour before she would have normally gotten up.

She looked back down at her desk. At the completed, working array she’d finished just a few hours earlier. The urgency of the nightmare faded slightly, the throbbing in her head easing as she felt a twinge of satisfaction.

She’d done it. She’d taken what Mint and Radiant had built and repurposed it into something more. Their design had been brilliant, visionary even, but it had been only applied to one purpose. What she’d built was … well, she wasn’t quite sure exactly how far it would stretch. But it was definitely far more capable than the simple, straight connection that Radiant had built.

Actually, she thought as she stood up, stretching her forelegs first and then her back legs, I think I can give myself more credit than that. Their design had used magic to bridge the gap, a spell of complex design. While her own creation … She looked down at the complex array of crystalline lines that bridged the gap between the two crystals. Physical. A unicorn still had to enchant the crystals, but with what she’d just done, they might not be required after that.

The ticking of the clock once again drew her attention and she stepped away from the workbench with its tantalizing project. She’d need to sit down and revisit her old armor enhancement ideas now. Switching over the enchanted crystals she’d already requested wouldn’t require too much additional work from the company they’d hired to procure them in the first place, but with this new array, some of the ideas she’d originally thrown away as too energy intensive…

“Later,” she said, turning away from the workbench. There were other projects she could work on, projects that would give her a break. Like the cargo bay on The Hummingbird.

“I’ve got an hour,” she said to herself as she flapped her wings, lifting her through the shop and towards the sleek curvature of The Hummingbird’s envelope. “Might as well get the rest of those benches installed.”

An hour always flew by quickly when she was occupied with something, and for some reason, she didn’t really feel like trying to sit back and give herself time to think.

* * *

With a damp splat, the fried potato slice slid from her fork and rejoined its siblings on Sky Bolt’s plate, sliding down the pile before coming to a halt at the base. Sky Bolt sighed and dropped her fork, ears twitching as it clattered against her plate.

“You alright?”

“Hmm?” Sky Bolt looked up as Lieutenant Hunter slid his tray down across from her, his wings fanning as the ceramic weight lifted off them.

“Are you alright, Sky?” he asked again. He tilted his Stetson back as he sat down, exposing the bright, green eyes about his frown. “You seem a bit out of it this morning.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Sky Bolt said, putting a weak smile on her face. She picked up her fork, stabbing it into her potatoes at random. “I’m just a little tired. That’s all.” Hunter nodded, but he didn’t take his eyes off of her as she took a bite. “Really,” she said, chewing. “I ‘s up late ‘rking ‘n some stuff f’ the ‘eeting ‘oday.”

Hunter nodded, but he still didn’t look away. “Well, you look a little beat. Maybe we should take it easy during practice to—”

“I’ll be fine.” Sky Bolt picked up another mouthful of food as Hunter’s gaze intensified. Then he shrugged and shook his head, his long straw-colored mane bouncing as his attention shifted toward to his food.

“Alright,” he said, picking up a spoonful of oats. “But if it looks like you’re going to come a gutser today, I’m going to have to call a stop on it, alright?”

“Yeah, fine.” She took another bite, her mind only halfway focused on Hunter’s words. So I’m a little tired, so what? I managed to make the array work and get some more stuff finished in the cargo bay. I can sleep later.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” Hunter asked. “I don’t want to be too much of an earbasher, but you look a little ragged.

“I just haven’t showered yet.” Another potato slipped off of her fork and she bit back a groan. I should have gotten eggs.

“Well, if I were you, I’d take one before the meeting,” Hunter said. “You’ve got a serious case of bedmane on your right side.”

“What?” Sky Bolt twisted her head up, running her hooves down the side of her face. Stray strands stuck out from her normally straight mane, pointing skyward like some sort of strange antenna. Her hoof stopped for a moment, something pulling against it, and she tugged it away to see a thick patch of grease marring the grey of her hoof.

“You’ve got some on your right wing too,” Hunter said, gesturing with his fork. “Right by the joint.”

“Horseapples,” Sky Bolt said as she spotted the offending patch of dirty-grey lubricant. “How does this stuff get everywhere so fast?” She shook her head, her ears folding flat against her head. “Alright, maybe I should take that shower.”

“How’d you have a chance to get some in your mane anyway? Were you up early again?” She gave him a pointed look and he shrugged. “Steel mentioned it.”

“Yeah, I was,” she admitted, staring down at her potatoes so she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes. “I woke up early, thought I’d get some stuff done.”

“And how late were you up working last night?” Hunter asked. There was a creak in the bench. He was probably leaning towards her.

“I … Not too late,” she said, the lie slipping from her teeth with surprising ease. It was her own business, wasn’t it? “I know I’m a little tired, but…” her words trailed off, a tightness forming in her chest. I just don’t feel like sleeping lately, she finished, her eyes still down on the potatoes. I don’t want to face … face those things. She pulled in a deep breath, pushing away the constraining feeling that had gripped her chest.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Hunter asked.

There was a faint pounding in her ears now. she took another breath, closing her eyes. Then the strange feeling was gone, her chest slipping free as the pounding in her ears faded, vanished.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, standing. She slid her tray onto her back, ignoring the part of her that protested at nearly half the meal being uneaten. “I’m not that hungry. I think I’m going to head back to the barracks and clean up before the meeting.”

“I’ll take your potatoes then,” Hunter said. Sky Bolt paused, staring at him with one hoof raised to move forward. “Really, I will,” he said. She shrugged, sliding the tray off her back and down next to him.

“Knock yourself out,” she said. She turned for the door, trotting across the mostly empty cafeteria, fighting the feeling that she was going to start trembling at any moment.

It’s lack of sleep, she told herself. You’ve been really focused over the last week or so, and it’s just catching up with you. You’ll just get some sleep tonight, and you’ll be fine tomorrow. Right?

But even she could hear the lie in her own voice.

* * *

“Sky Bolt? Specialist Sky Bolt!”

She jerked upright as the mention of her name finally hit her, her eyes darting from the small box in front of her towards Captain Song. The captain was staring at her, a stern expression on her face.

“Sorry sir,” she said, trying to recover. “I was just thinking about my projects.”

“Think later,” Steel said, frowning at her once before turning his attention back to the rest of the team. Two of them—Dawn and Sabra—were looking at her with unreadable expressions, while Nova had already turned his attention back to the captain. If Hunter had said anything or looked at her, she’d missed it while her attention had drifted.

“Now that I have everypony’s attention,” Steel said, his gaze drifting around the common room table, “I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news.” He paused, took a deep breath.

“Mint Tam and Blade Sunchaser escaped their cells last night.”

There was a collective burst of disbelief from the various members of the team as the news sank home. Sky Bolt took a sharp breath as Nova began to speak up, his voice rising over the rest of the team.

“Quiet!” Steel said, his hoof coming down on the edge of the table with a sharp crack that caught eveypony’s attention. “I was informed about the breakout this morning. According to the Night Guard, the two did not appear to be working together, and may have gone their separate ways as soon as they escaped. I have also been informed, and am informing each of you that the task of catching both Blade and Mint has fallen to the Night Guard. We will not be pursuing them.”

“But—” Nova spoke up.

“If we come across one of the pair,” Steel said, speaking over the unicorn, “then we are authorized as would be any other member of the Guard to capture them. However, the task of tracking down these two fugitives is not ours.” He paused for a moment, his eyes running over the team. Sky Bolt snuck a quick look at Hunter, taking advantage of the break in the captain’s words. Blade had been the pegasus’s friend. He was staring down at the table, his expression unreadable.

“I was also informed,” Steel said, his voice growing slightly quieter, “that the investigation into the ERS events was reaching the conclusion that Mint, not Radiant, was the mastermind behind the golem designs we faced.”

Sky Bolt felt her breath catch in her throat at his words, visions of the rampaging golems flashing across her mind. She tried to take a breath, but her chest wouldn’t expand. “Mint?” she gasped, almost sighing in relief as air flowed into her lungs.

Steel nodded. “The notebook Hunter found had her signature on the designs. Radiant might have taken things too far, but it appears the initial idea was Mint’s. Now she’s loose, and those ideas of hers are still in her head. Princess Luna assured me that her known assets have been confiscated, and the Guard is already circulating pictures of both her and Blade, but be aware. Radiant was suffering from extreme psychosis brought about by her experimentation with crystal enchanting. It’s likely that Mint was as well. Possibly worse. For the next week, just keep your guard up. There’s no telling what she might do now that she’s out.”

“So why aren’t we going after her, boss?” Hunter asked, leaning forward. “We ran her down once.” The fact that he hadn’t mentioned going after Blade wasn’t lost on Sky Bolt. Judging from the captain’s expression, it hadn’t escaped him either.

“Because the Princesses want us here, in Canterlot, getting ready for our next op,” Steel said. “And before you ask, that is our current assignment. We’re to prepare for our next mission.”

“Which would be what, exactly?” Dawn asked, her prim composure already restored.

“Preparing for winter,” Steel said. “Which brings me to my next item of business: winter operational training.” He glanced around the table, checking for any responses. His gaze seemed to linger longest on Hunter slightly longer than it had on anypony else, but neither of the pair said anything.

“With winter coming on,” the captain continued, “we’re going to change up our normal training regime to compensate. Operational tactics in winter and extreme cold conditions are quite different from what we’ve been training in. Despite the late appearance of fall, once the weather moves towards cold, we’re going to need to adjust for it. We’ll be borrowing cold weather survival tactics from the Rangers, modifying our equipment so that it can work in extreme conditions, and practicing squad tactics for winter operations.”

“You make it sound like we’ll be heading up north,” Nova said, leaning forward.

“I can’t say for certain,” Steel said, his response smooth and oiled. “All I can say is that we’re going to be ready if we need to go up north.”

Steel’s words began to fade into the background as Sky Bolt looked back down at the box sitting in front of her. Mint was the one behind the golems? she thought, her chest feeling tight again.

“Specialist?” Steel’s voice cut across her thoughts and she jerked her head up. “I know you’re excited to show off whatever it is you’ve been working on for the last few days,” he said. “But if that box is going to be a distraction…”

“Sorry,” Sky Bolt said, her cheeks burning. Nova was giving her an amused look from across the table. “It won’t happen again. What did you need?”

“I asked you if you could take a look at our equipment and make sure that its ready for cold conditions.” The captain frowned. “Are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little distracted.” Thankfully, Nova didn’t take the bait, although Sky Bolt saw his ears twitch at the open line.

“I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll check our equipment later today. The armor should be fine, although there might be a few modifications I need to make. The Hummingbird will be fine if I reroute the thermal energy from the—”

“Later, Spec, if it’s all the same to you,” Steel said, and Sky Bolt felt her cheeks burn again as she halted her runaway spree of words. “Although now might be a good time for you to explain to us what you have under that box that’s got you so excited.”

“Now?”

“Now,” Steel said, nodding as he sat down.

“Alright…” She rose from her seat, eyes darting down to her parchment and taking in the few notes she’d scrawled before the meeting. “Well, first of all,” she said, sinking into a rhythm as all eyes turned towards her, “I should have the damage to most of our armor fixed within the next two days, so you’ll be able to start training with it again.” Steel gave her an approving nod and she smiled, feeling the old excitement rise again. “Helmets should be arriving later today as well, so once I get the last little touch here—” she tapped the box with her hoof, “—finished up, the armor will be complete at last.”

“And what is the last touch?” Sabra asked, his quiet voice startling her—and the rest of the group—as he spoke up.

“Well,” Sky Bolt said, bracing her hooves against the side of the box. “When I first designed the armor we’re using, I had the idea of using an enchanted gemstone to amplify the user. In effect, we’d be ‘storing’ a spell in the crystal and then triggering it when it was needed.”

“Thing is,” she continued as she ran her eyes around the table, “the cost is extremely prohibitive. It’s one of the reasons enchanted crystals never really caught on. Even enchanting a single gem with a strength enhancing spell like the one inside this box costs a fortune. The gem in this box took nearly a month worth of work to safely enchant, and the spell inside of it wears off in an hour or so once it’s been activated. Its generally much cheaper to just hire a unicorn who can cast the spell as needed.”

“The only reason the captain agreed to my design in the first place is because we’re such a small group, and he could see the advantages that a single spell in the right moment could grant. But it was still a high cost. But…” she said, lifting up the box and revealing the array she’d spent so much time on. “With this, that’s not a concern anymore.”

“What is that thing?” Hunter asked as he leaned forward with the rest of the group. Sky Bolt pushed the small device forward into the center of the table with one hoof, grinning at the teams reaction.

It didn’t look like much. A single, small crystal about twice the length of her hoof sat at one side of a wooden plate, glowing a faint red. Thin slivers of crystal formed intricate designs and patterns that stretched from one side of the plate to the other, connecting the smaller crystal with a larger, faintly-white battery crystal on the other side.

“It’s making my horn itch,” Nova said, frowning. Dawn’s eyes widened as she looked at him, and Nova shook his head. “Relax,” he said as the pink unicorn’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not spellcasting.”

“Sorry,” Sky Bolt said, rapping her hoof on the table and getting the groups attention again. “Later versions should tone that down, this is just a proof-of-concept, so it’s probably making energy snarls all over the place.” She stared down at it for a moment. Maybe if I encase it in a shell of the same material the armor is … yeah…

“Sky Bolt?” Dawn asked, a touch of concern in her voice. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Hmm? Yeah! Sorry! I just had an idea on how to deal with that problem. Anyway, uh, where was I?”

“The high cost of crystals,” Sabra supplied.

“Right! Thanks!” Sky Bolt reached out and turned the array, tapping the smaller crystal with her hoof. “Anyway, originally this would have been one of the crystals for the armor. It would have clipped into that slot on the back and distributed its spell through the suit, granting an enchantment. In this case a strength enhancement. But after an hour or so, once that enchantment was spent, it’d be worthless, and the armor would require a new crystal.”

“Now, what I’ve done is based off of what we saw with Radiant—and Mint’s—” she said, feeling her breath catch again, “—golems. With those, they had a complex ‘come-to-life’ spell on a primary crystal that made the golem function. But they also had a secondary crystal that acted as a battery, drawing ambient magic to fuel the primary crystal. They did it through magic, but what I’ve done here is build a series of pathways to mimic that spell, but in a broader sense—”

“Sun above,” Nova said, his ears standing straight up in shock. “It’s self-replenishing now, isn’t it?” Dawn’s jaw dropped open next, and the rest of the team followed suit, giving Sky Bolt their astounded looks as they caught up with what Nova had already figured out. “You modified the enchantment so it can recharge itself.”

“Well, essentially yes. But not quite,” she said, giving the battery crystal a soft tap. “I had an enchanter at Celestia’s school modify the matrix to allow a physical modifier that would resonate with the frequencies established in the structure in order to—”

“In layman's terms, please?” Steel said, his expression the only impassive one left at the table.

“Basically, like Nova said,” Sky Bolt said with a shrug. “Rather than a single use, the battery crystal will act as a sponge for ambient magic, recharging the enchantment over time.”

Steel leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Over how much time?”

“I’m … not quite certain yet,” Sky Bolt admitted. “I only managed to get this working yesterday, and it has the downside of significantly lowering the amount of time that the original enchantment persists by quite a bit, although as I refine it the design should improve … But it has the advantage of being something that can be triggered when needed as opposed to constantly in use. With a little trial and error, anypony should be able to activate an enchantment only when needed, then deactivate it when it isn’t needed so that the enchantment could recharge!” She sank back into her seat, energy seeping out of her as her pronouncement finished.

“Sun above,” Nova said again, tapping the side of the array with one hoof. Even Steel looked impressed as he considered her words. “Sun above…”

“So we won’t have to order anymore crystals after this initial set?” Steel asked, his eyes jumping to her.

“Well, we’ll need to modify the ones we ordered as they come in,” Sky Bolt said. “And this design will give me a lot more freedom to try new designs we wouldn’t otherwise be capable of, so I might want to try some other enchantments. Additionally, since we’re modifying the crystals, there’s no telling how long they’d last under constant recharging. It might cause them to ‘burnout,’ but I have no way of telling until after I’ve been able to use a few.”

“And how long will it take you to modify this for use with our current armor?”

“Now that I’ve figured it out?” she said, a feeling of pure elation spreading through her. “A day or two.” She leaned back in her seat, crossing her forelegs and watching as the rest of the team digested her accomplishment.

“And,” she said as Steel opened his mouth to speak, “if all goes well, I’ll be able to get a bunch of new enchantments. I’ve got some other ideas I could work with too, but for now, I’m just going to see about modifying what I have.”

Again there was silence as the team stared at the device. Then at last, Nova spoke, his words cutting through the silence.

“So let me make sure I’ve got this straight,” he said, looking up at her. “This thing recharges an enchanted crystal.”

“Yep!” she said, her eyes darting to the astounded expressions surrounding her. “Come on guys, it’s cool, but not that impressive. It wasn’t that hard—well, it was, but once I had the concept—”

“So you could conceivably put any sort of enchantment on that crystal, use it, and this device would replenish it?” Nova said, cutting her off. The laughing tone was gone from his voice, and she felt herself grow hesitant at the intense look he and the rest of the team were giving her.

“Well,” she said, rubbing her shoulder. “It only works when it’s not in use, so you can’t charge it and expend it like the golems could, partially because of the complexities of using a physical—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Nova said, cutting her off with a wave of his hoof. “It recharges an enchanted crystal! Sky Bolt, you said it yourself! The only reason almost nopony uses enchanted crystals is because of the cost in getting new ones made!” His statement hung in the air like a freed balloon at a foal’s party, the whole team staring as they tried to determine a course of action.

“But...” Sky Bolt said as her own mind caught up with what Nova had just said. “There’s still the cost of making the crystal in the first place, and it could burn out after just a few—”

“It doesn’t matter!” Nova said. “Even if it was after three uses, you just cut the cost by two-thirds!”

“Sun and moon,” Hunter said, his voice soft. “You’re going to be rich.”

“But—”

“I believe what our vocally challenged cohorts are trying to elucidate, Sky Bolt,” Dawn said, even her normally proper voice sounding somewhat strained, “is that you have just invented a reason for crystal enchantments to no longer be the purview of wealthy tinkerers. You have, in effect, just given an entire industry the means by which to exist.”

Sky Bolt felt her jaw drop as Dawn’s words hit home, and her eyes snapped back to the array she’d built so quickly she almost felt dizzy. In fact, she did feel dizzy.

“Atten-tion!” Steel’s call to the team snapped her back to reality, and she rolled her head towards him, her mind still buzzing.

What did I just do? she thought, staring at the small array. I just wanted to make sure that the armor was better than— The sound of her name brought her attention back to the captain as he looked at her.

“Well,” he said with a dry chuckle, his expression still stern. “I doubt I can blame that little lapse in attention on a lack of sleep. You look like you took a solid blow to the head, Bolt.”

“A solid gold blow, maybe,” Nova said. The rest of the group chuckled.

“Quite,” Steel said, although the corner of his mouth did twitch upward. “Alright, this meeting is temporarily adjourned for the time being. Until otherwise ordered, under no circumstances do I want a single peep about what you’ve all just seen and heard here making its way past the team, understood? Not. One. Word.” The captain punctuated his words with a glare around the room that made her stomach clench. “Not one action, not one word. Clear?” He rapped his hoof against the table.

“Yes sir!” came the chorused response, pulled from the teams mouths as much by reflex as by an innate sense of survival.

“Lieutenant Hunter,” Steel said, turning to the tan pegasus, “keep the team close until I get back. Drills, exercises, something. Specialist Sky Bolt, follow me. Bring that device. In its box.”

Sky Bolt slid from her seat and set the cardboard cover back over the top of the array. The rest of the team was still staring at her in mute amazement as she followed the captain out of the a barracks, her newest creation still on her back.

“Where are we going, sir?” she asked as she caught up with the captain. His long stride was eating up the ground between the barracks and Canterlot Palace, and she gave her wings a flap, giving herself a little air and easing the chore of keeping up with him.

“Right now?” he asked, giving her a faint glance. “We’re going right to the top. We’re going to meet with Princess Celestia.”

* * *

“I must admit, this is quite impressive,” Princess Celestia said. Her tall form bent down to look at the array on her desk, multi-hued mane drifting in unseen winds as she tilted her head from side to side. “And you showed it to nopony else before coming here?”

“No,” Captain Song said with a shake of his head. “The moment what Sky Bolt here had done caught up with me, I brought it straight here. I’m not much of an economist, but I know a potential problem when I see one.”

“Ah, Steel,” Celestia said with a shake of her head that sent a series of small rolls down her mane. “Ever the Guard.” She paused and looked down at array, and then her eyes swung up, staring straight into Sky Bolt’s. “Never fear, Sky Bolt,” she said, her voice soothing. “Despite Captain Song’s fears, what you have achieved here is something great. And you say this will work with any enchantment?”

“I’m not … really sure, your highness,” Sky Bolt admitted. “I was just looking for a way to improve my designs, and then I got this idea…”

“From the work of Mint and Radiant, I presume?” Celestia asked. Sky Bolt gave her a quick nod.

“Well, yes, the principle behind it. But the design was all mine.” She looked over at Steel, but he was in full “superior” mode, his stance so solid a butler could have used him as a table.

“Well,” Celestia said, her voice twinkling with amusement, almost like wind chimes, “I believe your teammates are correct. You are going to be a fabulously wealthy mare.”

“But I—”

“But for now,” Celestia said, cutting her off with a gentle smile, “your first order of business should be testing such a device and making sure that it works without any would-be competitors discovering this new invention of yours, correct?” Sky Bolt nodded, her head swimming, and Celestia nodded, straightening.

“Then bringing this to my attention was your best option. As one of the heads of the Dusk Guard, I will classify any and all materials and research that goes into the developing of this new invention of yours. In addition, we may be able to ‘sponsor’ a company in your name, allowing us to fund your research—and thereby benefit the Dusk Guard without straining our budget—as a private, classified enterprise. What do you think?”

Stunned, all Sky Bolt could do was nod. Celestia gave her another warm smile.

“Excellent. I’ll leave a note for my sister when she arises. I’m sure she would love to see a demonstration of what you’ve created.” A yellow glow enveloped the array, and it floated across the desk towards her. “Now, if you don’t mind my saying so, you should get some sleep,” Celestia said as the array floated down onto Sky Bolt’s back, the cover sliding over it a moment later. “You look like you’ve hardly slept since that incident at the ERS building.” Sky Bolt felt her breath catch at the Princess’s words.

“Again, congratulations my little pony,” Celestia said. “You’ve solved a problem that others have worked at for decades.” Then she let out a calm sigh, her eyes moving towards the clock. “I would like to speak more with you about your creation, but I still need to talk with your captain, and I have an appointment soon, so I hope you’ll forgive me cutting our meeting short.”

“No, it’s fine,” Sky Bolt said, the last word squeaking somewhat as she fought to get air to her lungs. She gave the Princess a shaky bow and began to retreat out of the room, her chest growing tighter and tighter with every step. The two Guards by the door gave her quick glances as she walked out, but neither of them paid her any mind as she ducked around the nearest corner into an empty hallway.

Golems.

Sky Bolt gasped, fighting for breath as her lungs refused to work. The pounding in her head was back, growing in intensity.

Golems all around her.

Her legs began to shake as the pounding grew in intensity. She was trembling, shaking, fighting for breath.

All around her, her friends were fighting to stay alive. Something moved for her.

The pounding was swelling now, becoming a high pitched whine as she fought to get air into her chest. She felt herself fall to her elbows as her legs began trembling so hard she couldn’t stand.

She had almost died. All her friends had almost died. And it would happen—

“Excuse me, miss!?” The pounding vanished, the whine fading. She turned, her vision clearing. A concerned looking member of the palace staff was looking down at her. “Miss?” he said again. “Do you need help?”

“No I’m—” Her lungs took a greedy breath of air. “I’m fine.” She pushed herself up, trying to ignore the last tremors of weakness moving through her, the faint edge of fear that was coiling in her stomach.

“Are you sure, miss?” the stallion asked again. “I could fetch a nurse—”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Sky Bolt said, giving him a weak smile. “I’m just a little tired, that’s all. I’ve been working a lot.” She began to walk away, ignoring the unicorn’s look of concern.

I’m just a little tired.

Awake

Tired.

Sky Bolt slumped against her workbench, hanging her head so close to the wood she could trace the grain with her eyes. There was a dull thump as she slipped a bit lower, her forehead colliding with the smooth surface. The urge to let out a groan rose as the small bit of pain flared across her forehead.

Can’t sleep. Don’t want to. She rolled her head to the side, parchment crinkling underneath her ear, her eyes searching for the clock, taking a moment to focus in on the time.

One in the morning, she thought, watching the small, metal, minute hand slide along the clock face. I’m so tired but … I don’t want to sleep.

She’d tried. She’d definitely tried. After her meeting with the Princess, she’d blundered through the rest of the day without any major problems aside from a slight lack of focus, and then she’d gone to bed.

But she hadn’t gone to sleep. She’d lain there for an hour, sheets wrapped around her, trying to keep her breathing steady and her mind focused on sleeping. Every time she let her mind wander, every time she closed her eyes, she could see the golems reaching for her, grasping.

She shut her eyes, taking a steadying breath as a shudder worked its way through her again. She had to focus, had to keep her mind on other things. Once she started thinking about the golems—or worse—the mission, that was when it got hard to breath. Then the shaking started, and the pounding, and the—

She pushed herself back up, shaking her head. No time to think about it, she thought. I can’t let myself think about it. I can’t. She gave her head another shake. I’m just tired, and I need to get my mind on something else before I can get some sleep. That’s all. She looked back down at the parchment sitting in front of her, its edges surprisingly unwrinkled where her head had rolled across it. Random scrawls crisscrossed the paper, penmanship so sloppy she very nearly had trouble reading it herself.

Still, her growing inability to write aside, the ideas weren’t that bad. In fact, the more she looked at them, the more she liked them. There would need to be some fine-tuning to actually test them, and she’d probably have to work with the enchanters themselves to see what sort of spells would work with the array system she’d invented … unless there was a way to speed that process up as well. Her eyes darted over to the array.

Maybe I could make something temporary, she thought, her eyes narrowing, both ears folding flat against her head as her mind began picking up speed. Something to mimic the natural crystal formation used to store the spells that could allow a temporary matrix to form so that reaction-based magic could be tested and—

Something clattered behind her and she froze, her ears snapping straight up. She waited, holding her breath as her ears swiveled left and right, searching for the sound. Nothing.

Then there was another, softer clatter. Sky Bolt spun on her seat, her chest already constricting. Her eyes darted around the wide workshop, searching the dim light for some sign of whatever was making the elusive noise.

Another clatter. She frowned as she slid off of her seat, one hoof grasping for something she could use to defend herself and coming up with a pipe wrench. She glanced at it, feeling the heft of the heavy metal as she gave it a quick shake.

The clatter started up again, and she twisted her ears, searching for the origin of the strange noise. There, she thought as the noise cut out, her eyes settling on a cloth covered workbench across the workshop. That’s where it’s coming from.

She took a hesitant step towards the sound as it started up again. The large distance between her and the bench seemed to melt away in a few small steps, and she found herself standing over the workbench, looking down at the cloth covered object as the noise started up once more.

It sounds like … Like gears slipping against one another, she thought, raising the wrench in one hoof. Her breath was coming quicker now, its short staccato blending with the rapid clicks coming from under the cloth. She leaned back, raising the wrench above her head as she reached for the cloth covering and—

A tremendous bang filled the workshop. Sky Bolt spun as the doors to the workshop rebounded from the wall, stopping just shy of cutting off the dark shape standing in the doorframe. Sky Bolt gripped her wrench tighter in one hoof, her heart pounding as the doors slowed and the stopped. The shape behind them paused for a moment, its features concealed by the darkness of the hallway, but then it stepped forward into the workshop, loud clops echoing with each slow, steady step. For a moment the darkness seemed to move with the shape, stretching and twisting around it as if a tangible surface. Then the darkness was gone, melting back into the hallway as it retreated, and Sky Bolt almost dropped her wrench in surprise as the shape became clear.

“Princess Luna?” she asked as the tall, regal form of the Lunar Diarch stepped into view, her dark blue coat seeming to almost glow with inner light.

“Young Sky Bolt,” the Princess said, giving her a calming nod. “Whatever are you doing with that tool?”

“Oh, this?” Sky Bolt said, suddenly aware of the fact that she probably looked as terrible as she felt. “I, uh … saw a mouse, your highness. I was chasing it out.” Luna’s eyebrows rose, and she scrambled for something to say. “So, uh, are you here to see my array?” Luna’s face took on a more puzzled expression. “The one Princess Celestia saw this morning?” Sky Bolt prompted. “She said you’d want to see it, although I kind of figured you’d be here earlier than this…” The wrench made a soft thunk as she set it down on the empty workbench, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. At least her mane was free of grease.

“My apologies,” Princess Luna said. She began to walk across the workshop, her head held high, wings folded at her sides. As she threaded her way through the workspace, Sky Bolt could see her eyes glance downward at the various pieces of parchment and half-assembled parts that littered the desks in her path.

“Well, it’s alright,” Sky Bolt said. Princess Luna came to a stop a few feet away, and Sky Bolt gave a quick bow. “I can still show it to you if you’d like. I was up anyway.”

“So I see,” Luna said, her eyes running around the room. “Unfortunately, Sky Bolt, I’m afraid that it would do little good to show me your array here, fascinating as it sounds.”

“But … my design—”

“It is not that we do not wish to see your design, Sky Bolt,” Luna said, sitting. “Nor do we wish to alarm you with our sudden refusal of your offer.” Her voice began to soften, and Sky Bolt felt her momentary flash of panic began to fade. “But more to do with where we are, and the fact that you have already shown me your array this evening.”

“I—I have?” Sky Bolt sat back in confusion, her head spinning. “I did?”

“Yes, my little pony,” Luna said, her voice soft. “You already did, and I was most impressed with it. You truly have been granted a gifted mind to be able to create such things, but…” She paused for a moment. “Try to remember, Sky Bolt,” she said, her voice soft. “I met with you earlier this evening after I had arisen. We discussed your invention as well as its possible applications.”

“I…” Sky Bolt thought back, running over the events of her evening. “You’re … you’re right!” she said, looking up in surprise. The room seemed to brighten slightly around her, dark corners fading as her mind cleared. “We did meet! And I showed it to you!” She frowned. “So why didn’t I remember it?”

“You did remember it,” Luna said. The Lunar Diarch gave her head a shake, stars shifting inside her mane as she turned her eye towards one of the workbenches. A scrap of parchment lifted from it, floating over towards Luna in a gentle blue glow. “These notes you have written here,” Luna said, passing the note to Sky Bolt. “These are some of the ideas that we discussed together.”

Something seemed to fall into place in her mind as she looked down at the parchment, images flashing through her mind. She could remember it now. The ideas they’d discussed, the spells that Luna had suggested for use with her system. She could remember the whole event. The discussion, the ideas, her going to bed after the Princess had gone, being unable to sleep, coming back to the workshop…

“But then, if we already did talk about my array, then what are you doing here now?” she asked, looking up.

“Helping,” Luna said, her voice calm. “Sky Bolt, you were not chasing a mouse when I came in, were you?”

“I…” She looked up at the Princess, feeling her face fall. “No. No, I wasn’t.”

“What then were you pursuing?” the Princess asked, her voice serene.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Sky Bolt said, glancing away from Luna’s gaze. “It’s nothing, just a stupid—”

“It is not nothing,” Luna said, her voice stern. Sky Bolt flinched as a cold wind rushed through the shop, sweeping across the workbenches and ruffling her mane. “It is not nothing,” she said again, her voice softer. “Nor is it foolish. Look around you, young Sky Bolt,” she said, tossing her head. “Look around at your workshop, and tell me what you see.”

“I—”

“Look,” Princess Luna said. “I promise, no harm will come to you.” She raised a silver clad hoof, pointed at a nearby workbench. Sky Bolt looked.

A golem stared back at her, its crystal eye cold and inert. Sky Bolt recoiled in shock as she took in its broken arms, its lack of legs. It was just sitting there, its cold, dead eye facing right at her.

“But how did it—” she stammered. She could feel her chest constricting again, her breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps. “How did that get into my workshop?”

“Look, Sky Bolt.” The Princess pointed once more and Sky Bolt followed her hoof. Once again her eyes came to rest on another inactive golem, and once again her breath caught in her throat as she saw its single outstretched hand reaching for her.

“But…” she said, backing up as Luna’s hoof pointed to a third workbench. A third golem, this one frozen while trying to crawl towards her. Luna’s hoof moved again, and again, jumping from desk to desk, golem after golem coming to Sky Bolt’s attention. “This isn’t possible,” she muttered, pushing herself back. “Where did they come from? What are they doing in my workshop!” She could hear her voice rising in her ears; feel her limbs trembling underneath her.

“There is more, Sky Bolt,” Luna said, her horn lighting up in a blue glow. Parchment lifted from an empty desk, floating into Luna’s waiting hoof. “These are not your notes, I would assume,” she said, flipping the parchment around.

Sky Bolt let out a cry of terror. Mint Tam’s face stared up at her from a newspaper, the headline proclaiming her success at killing the members of the Dusk Guard. She shoved herself backwards, her backside slamming into the desk at her back with a bang. She could see the room growing dim around her, hear the faint clicking of gears as the Golems began to activate.

“How—no—this isn’t—why is that in my shop! What happened to my shop?”

“Please, Sky Bolt,” Luna said, dropping the newspaper from her hoof and taking a step forward. “I am trying to help you. We are not in your workshop, and nothing here can harm you.”

“Then where are we?!” Sky Bolt asked as the clicking began to grow, the noise growing louder. She could feel the eyes of the golems on her now. Hungry. Eager.

“Enough!” Luna’s voice erupted like a thunderbolt, tearing through the workshop. Sky Bolt saw rather than felt the Princess’s voice rip through the room, watched as is swept over benches and golems alike, sucking away color and motion until the entire room was a blank, motionless, grey.

“I—” Sky Bolt held a hoof to her head as the Princess looked back down at her. “I … this…” She took another look at her—no, not her—workshop. “This isn’t real is it?”

“It is as real as you want it to be, young Sky Bolt,” Luna said. “You are experiencing a nightmare of your own inner fears and creations.”

“So you’re not real either?”

The Princess shook her head. “No, I am quite real, whether or not you desire me to be. But everything you see around you is a product of your own mind.”

“I’m asleep, aren’t I?” Sky Bolt asked, her mind catching up with her situation.

“Yes,” Luna said with a nod. She gestured at the frozen golems. “These fears are your own, and I suspect they may have much to do with why you have slept so little in the last few days.”

“Can you do something?” Sky Bolt asked. She shrunk in on herself, wrapping her wings around her body as she began to shake. She was cold now, her body shaking like a steam engine that had stripped a gear. “Something to help me sleep?”

“I can give you a way,” Luna said, kneeling down in front of her. “Although in the end, it is up to you to follow that way.” She bent in close, her eyes coming to a stop just inches from Sky Bolt’s own.

“Do not hide from your fears.”

“But—”

“I cannot simply make your problems go away, Sky Bolt,” Luna said. The Princess began to pull away, spreading her wings as she lifted into the air. “All I can do is point you on the right path.”

“But I already faced my fears!” Sky Bolt protested. The world around her began to splinter and crack, splitting apart around her as Luna faded from view. A furious rushing filled her ears, like she was spinning in one of her own air compressors, but she could still hear Luna’s response.

“You face an image of your fears, Sky Bolt. A distraction. You must face the cause!”

Then the world exploded around her, breaking apart into slivers of her workshop that seemed both real and flat at the same time. They spun around her, both real and fake, tangible and not. The roar in her ears intensified blocking out everything but a single, clear voice. Her own voice, echoing around her as she curled as tightly as she could, clenching her eyes shut.

“I don’t … I don’t think I can—”

* * *

Sky Bolt’s eyes snapped open. She let out a gasp, pushing herself up as the world came back in force, and then let out a startled squeak as her stool toppled back underneath her. Pain blossomed along her side as she fell to the floor, scraping her coat.

For a moment she chose to lay there, her mind spinning. Did I really just dream that? She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the low light of the workshop, the vague shapes and colors refining themselves into features of her workshop—her real workshop—around her. I’ve never dreamed anything like that before. It was … bizarre…

Sky Bolt let out a sigh as she laid her head back down on the floor, feeling its coolness penetrate through her mane. Her eyes felt like they were full of sawdust from a long day of woodwork, her mouth too, and she grimaced as she dragged her tongue along the roof, feeling the dry, gritty texture.

There was cold too. Her body was quivering as the concrete started to burn underneath her, the formerly pleasant coolness turning into a harsh cut across her coat. A twinge of pain made its way across her side as she rolled onto her hooves, pushing herself up.

The parchment she had been scribbling on when she’d dozed off was still sitting in the same place on her workbench, its surface slightly crumpled where her head had rested on it. There was a damp spot on it as well, and she grimaced as she realized that she’d been drooling in her sleep. Luckily no one was around to see that, she thought as she rubbed at it with her hoof. The last thing I need is someone pointing that fact out.

It only took a moment to right the small wooden stool she’d been sitting on, and then she was back in front of her parchment, staring down at the faint scribbles. At first they were reasonably elegant, the curves and angles of the letters only somewhat distorted by her lack of sleep. But then they became more jagged and outrageous, clean lines distorting into meandering, snakelike shapes. The last few “lines” could barely even be identified as such, a dark smudge having spread them into distorted blots of ink. Sky Bolt let out a groan as she touched her hoof to her cheek, realizing exactly what it had been that had smushed itself against the ink while it had still been damp.

Great, now not only am I a complete mess, I’ve definitely got a huge inkblot on my cheek. She tugged her hoof away, clapping it down on the desk with a loud clop. One more thing to worry about. Like that dream. A shudder worked its way down her spine as the dream flashed back into her mind. It had been so … so real. She’d never had a dream that had been so clear, or so—another shudder ran through her—cutting. If not for the fact that she’d been asleep, she could have sworn she was actually speaking to the real Princess herself.

“Dreams are weird,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Especially that one, her mind shot back. The clock on the wall read a few minutes past midnight now, a time that seemed much more reasonable now that she was awake.

Assuming I am awake, she thought, suppressing an urge to look around and check nearby surfaces for golem parts. If that really was Luna, and I’m not admitting it was, but if it was, then I’m not sure giving me such a vivid dream is the right way to help me calm down.

Then again, she reflected, the Princess’s words hadn’t quite been to calm down. They’d been something else. Something … not about facing what scared her in the dream, but facing the cause? Whatever that was?

“I’m just tired,” she said to herself, a little too quickly. “Right?” A tangle of images and thoughts wove through her mind, mixing and twisting around one another as they fought for attention. Projects, plans, ponies she knew. Golems. Things she didn’t want to think about.

“I’m just tired,” she said again, a little more forcefully. Tools on the workbench rattled as she brought her hoof down a little harder than she’d intended. Her words didn’t even sound sincere to her own ears anymore.

“I’ll say you are.”

Sky Bolt shoved herself back from her desk in surprise as the voice echoed through the workshop. She spread her wings, bringing her front hooves up in a defensive stance just as Hunter had taught her … and for the second time in as many minutes her stool caught her back legs, toppling over and pulling her down with it.

“Whoah!” a voice called over the ringing in her head. “Are you alright?” Hoofsteps began echoing through the workshop as somepony moved across the shop, and a shape moved into view, stopping a few feet away. “I really didn’t mean to scare you.” Sky Bolt rolled her eyes as she recognized the voice.

“Right, Nova,” she said, pushing herself up on one hoof. The stool rattled as she pulled her rear leg against it, her hoof caught in its legs. “Why else would you be sneaking around?”

“No, I mean it,” he said, stepping forward out of the shadows that blended so well with his dark purple coat. “Here,” he said, grasping the stool with his front hooves. She gave her hoof a quick tug, pulling it free and giving it a little shake.

“Thanks,” she said, giving him a dry look as she stood up. “Although seeing as you scared me in the first place—”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Nova said quickly. There was a soft shriek of wood as he pushed the stool back over to its place by the desk. “I really wasn’t trying to scare you.”

“Right,” Sky Bolt said. She fixed him with a glare. “Then why didn’t you at least knock?”

“I did,” Nova said, one eyebrow rising. “And then I said ‘hello’ a few times too.” He took a step closer to her, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. “Are you alright? You didn’t hit your head, did you?”

“I—” She bit back an angry retort. “I … no, I’m fine,” she said. “At least, my head is fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just…”

“Tired?” Nova supplied after a moment. She nodded and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. For a moment the workshop was silent. Then Nova spoke up.

“Well,” he said, “I just came in here because I thought I heard something. I guess it was you.” He shrugged and gave his head a toss, his mane parting around his horn. “I guess I’ll leave you to it. Sorry for, uh … Sorry for scaring you.” He turned, his hooves making soft clicks on the concrete as he headed for the door.

Face the cause.

“Nova, wait.” She stepped forward as the purple unicorn came to a stop. “I was … I…” She sat down with a sigh on the recently righted stool, one hoof rubbing against her forehead. “I’m not alright.”

Nova frowned. “Not if you’re giving me straight lines like that,” he said, turning and trotting back towards her.

“I’m serious,” she snapped. His ears flattened at the harsh tone in her words, and guilt bubbled up inside her. “See?” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not me. I’m sorry.”

‘It’s ... fine,” Nova said, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smirk. “As often as I dish it out, it’s only fair I be able to take it, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s different,” she said as he came to a stop across the workbench from her. “I mean, you make jokes and I snapped and—and that’s not even the point!”

“Well, what is your point?” Nova asked. For once she couldn’t hear a trace of mockery in his tone. And his expression. It was straightforward. Serious.

“My point is…” She dropped her head into her hooves, letting out another groan. “I don’t even know what my point is. I’m having trouble sleeping, I keep freaking out every time I think of … of what we did a few days ago—”

“You mean the mission at the—”

"Yes!” she said, cutting him off before he could even mention the name of the building. “Sorry, I just…” She fought back a shiver as her leg started to tremble. “I start thinking about it, and about everything else and…” She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut. “Let me start over.”

“No, I think I’ve got it,” Nova said, his normally sardonic tone completely absent. “You can’t stop thinking about it, can you? And then when you do think about it, it just seems like all you can think about?” There was a soft tone to his voice, something she’d never heard from him before. “It’s why you can’t sleep, isn’t it?”

“I … Maybe. I don’t know.” She took a deep breath as her trembling faded and opened her eyes. Nova was still standing across from her. “At first I thought it was just nightmares. You know, just me being scared. Which is stupid,” she said with a shake of her head, “I know. We beat those stupid golems. We beat that stupid mare too. But for some reason, I just can’t … shake it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I—I don’t know,” Nova said, giving her what looked like an apologetic shrug. “I mean, yeah, I’ve had a few nasty nightmares about some close calls before, but never so bad that I couldn’t get sleep. What you’re talking about, it almost sounds like…” he paused, his forehead creasing under his horn. Then he looked up. “Are you really afraid of the golems? Or is it something else?”

Sky Bolt felt her heart jerk at the question. “What do you mean?” Her leg was starting to tremble again, and she could feel her chest tightening.

“I mean, come on,” Nova said, rolling his head. “Yeah, that mission was scary, but we took out how many golems? You took out a quite a few yourself—”

“Only because my armor worked,” she said, surprised at how quiet her own voice was. She could feel her shoulders shaking now, a quiver of motion spreading down her sides and across her flanks. She tried to cut it off, tighten down the muscles so the shaking would stop, but it wouldn’t stop. “What if it hadn’t worked?”

“But it did—”

“Well what if it didn’t?” Sky Bolt yelled, her own eyes widening as she shouted. “What if it stops working next time, or something else I built goes wrong? What if my calculations are off, and because of me, somepony gets hurt?” She kept shouting, her body shaking harder and harder. “What if somepony dies because of me, Nova? What if one of us goes out there, up against Mint or Radiant or somepony else just as crazy, and something that was my responsibility gets somepony killed? What do I do then?” Her breath was coming in hot ragged gasps, her vision blurring as tears streamed from her eyes. “What if I die? Or if I have to kill somepony! You saw that building when it collapsed! We were lucky there was nopony else in it. We thought we’d killed Radiant! What if we had, Nova?! What do I do then?!”

She sank back, her hooves falling at her sides as her body went nearly limp. She stared down at the parchment in front of her, hot tears rolling down her cheeks and splattering against the paper with faint taps. Her eyes were just clear enough that she could just barely make out the last line she’d written before falling asleep.

I can’t let anyone get hurt. The line stared up at her, its words a silent accusation that hung over her mind. I can’t.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last. She ran a trembling hoof across her face, shutting her eyes as it wiped her tears across her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to explode like that. I just…”

“It’s alright.” Nova said, his voice quiet. He seemed stunned by her outburst, as shocked as she felt.

“No it’s not,” Sky Bolt said, the words slipping from her mouth before she could stop them. She folded her forelegs, pulling them close to her body as it refused to stop shaking. “It’s not.” For a moment all she could hear was the sound of her own breath and the whisper of her feathers rattling as her wings shook.

“No wonder you can’t sleep,” Nova said at last. “Have you been worrying about that ever since the mission finished?”

Sky Bolt nodded, slowly at first, but then with growing speed. “Yeah, I think so.” It felt … right, somehow, to get the words out. “I just—well ever since that night, I just can’t stop thinking about it, and every time I did … I just couldn’t…” She took in a shuddering breath. “I didn’t want to think about it.”

“Except judging from everything you’ve been doing,” Nova said, his voice still soft, “I don’t think that worked very well for you.” He paused, letting out a sigh of his own.

“Well what am I supposed to do?” Sky Bolt asked, a rushing feeling rising once more inside of her. “I mean, what if that stuff does happen and it’s all my fault? What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know,” Nova said, shaking his head. “I mean, if you’re asking me, I’m probably the exact wrong pony to ask about this. I mean, I’m not even here by choice—”

“Yes you are,” Sky Bolt said, surprising herself at the speed of her own outburst. “You could have bolted at any time and you know it.”

“Alright,” Nova said, a bit of the edge coming back into his voice, “so I lied. I am here by choice. But I’m still not the one you should be talking to about this. I mean, I understand what you’re talking about, but I don’t have any advice except that you should talk to somepony about it. Why tell me in the first place?”

“I … Because you were here,” she admitted. She loosened her forelegs slightly, the shaking fading. “I think you just happened to be the one who was around when no one else is.”

“Well, if staying up late to play poker with Princess Luna and her Guard keeps getting me into this, I’m going to have to start insisting the games are held somewhere else,” Nova said, shifting his gaze away from her.

“You play poker with Princess Luna?” Sky Bolt asked, eager for the distraction. “When?”

“And her Guard,” Nova corrected quickly. “About an hour ago.”

“Did she … say anything? About me or anything?”

“Aside from a slight mention that she was impressed with your work?” Nova said, slightly confused. “No. Well, actually,” he said, tapping a hoof against his jaw, “I think she did suggest I walk around the barracks later if I was still up and to say ‘hello’ if I saw you. Why?”

“Just curious.” The dream she’d had flashed into her mind again, the Princess’s stern but soft voice ringing through her head. Maybe it was her? She shook the thought from her head.

“So,” Nova said, drawing out the word, “do you want to talk about things a bit more?”

“I—no, not really,” Sky Bolt said, unclenching her forelimbs at last and twisting them back and forth as a plethora of pins and needles began to roll down them. “I think I just want to think for a little bit about what I said.”

“Maybe get some sleep?” Nova asked.

“Maybe.” She rubbed a hoof up and down one leg as her stomach seemed to flutter. “Maybe not. I’ll see.”

“Well,” Nova said, standing. “I can help out at least a little bit in that regard.”

“Really? How?” She asked, one eyebrow raised. “Some sort of sleep trick?”

“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “I was just going to suggest that you not stay here.” He looked down at her workbench, and she followed his gaze towards the smudged, tearstained piece of parchment. “You might want to think about sleeping somewhere else, or at least sitting somewhere else.”

“That’s…” she paused for a moment, running the suggestion over and over in her mind. “That’s a surprisingly good suggestion.” Her hooves made sharp raps as she dropped from the stool, her legs shaky but holding her weight under her.

“Like just maybe,” Nova suggested, a bit of the rebellious twang she knew coming back into his tone, “just maybe … your quarters.”

“Maybe,” she said, another shiver rippling through her as she thought about sitting in her room. “I think I’ll just sit in the common room though. I don’t know if I’m going to quite be able to get back to sleep yet. Especially not after, well … that.”

Nova nodded as she walked past him, and he fell into step behind her, not once commenting on her slow pace or the shaking that she knew was still moving up and down her body. She pushed the door to the workshop open without looking back, not wanting to risk the chance of looking at something, anything, that could trigger another explosion like she’d just had.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine out here?” Nova asked as they she trotted into the common room. The room was dim, only one of the magilights shining down.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, trying to sound confident. “I just need to think for a while.” She dropped herself onto one of the common rooms couches, one wing folded against her side as she stretched out on the soft cushions.

“Alright, well, if you’re sure, I’m going to get some sleep,” Nova said, his last words cutting off with a yawn. “I’ve got to be up in a few hours.” He turned for the hall.

“Nova?” The unicorn stopped as she called out, turning his head halfway back towards her. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“Hey,” he said, tossing his head. “What are … What are friends for?” He turned back towards the hall, and was gone.

Sky Bolt pulled herself down into the cushions, wishing for a moment she’d been able to buy at least one cloud couch for the common room instead of a more ordinary couch that the whole team could use. Maybe I could get one for my room. It wouldn’t be a bad idea. After all, her room was definitely warmer than the common room, and then maybe she could do some of her sketching in there—

No, she thought, pulling her thoughts away from her designs. I don’t want to think about that at the moment. Her limbs were still shaky from her explosion a few minutes earlier.

I can’t believe I blew up on Nova like that, she thought, curling her body and burrowing deeper into the cushions. I just completely lost—

“Sky Bolt?”

She jerked upright in surprise at the soft melodic tones. Sabra was standing by the entrance to the hall, some sort of bundle on his back.

“Sabra?” she asked in confusion. “What are you doing out here?”

“Nova woke me up,” the zebra said, confusion etching itself across his face. “He said you needed me for something?” He turned to the side, grabbing the bundle from his back and holding it up for her to see. Brightly colored weaves stood out on the sides of the bundle, crisscrossing patterns woven from eye-catching greens and yellows. It also looked nice next to his cutie mark, the trio of concentric rings on his flank.“He also said you needed a blanket,” the zebra said with a gentle nod of his head.

Sky Bolt let out a chuckle as he finished speaking, shaking her head. Of all the crazy things to do, she thought. “Don’t worry,” she said as Sabra frowned. “Nova wasn’t trying to pull something. I could use a blanket. It’s getting cold these days.”

“Yes,” Sabra said, trotting across the common room and coming to a stop in front of the couch. “I find myself using an additional blanket these days. Will this do … for your needs?” He unfurled the blanket with a toss of his head, the bright, cheery pattern spreading across the couch.

“It’s perfect,” Sky Bolt said, grasping one end of the blanket and pulling it up over her body. Unless… “Can you do one other thing for me?”

“Of course,” Sabra said, his head giving a gentle nod. His face was, as always, composed, but she could tell from the slip of his voice that he’d noticed the tear-tracks on her cheeks, and probably connected it with the general state of her mane. “Anything.” He meant it.

“Then get up here,” she said, tapping the cushion next to her with one hoof. Sabra hesitated, and she stuck out her lower lip, hoping it’d have the same effect on him it’d always had on her father. “Please?”

Sabra climbed up onto the couch, sitting down next to her, and she leaned into him, shutting her eyes. For a moment, there was nothing in the world but the couch under her, the warm blanket wrapped tightly around her, and Sabra.

“Are you alright?” Sabra asked after a moment, his shoulder shifting underneath her chin.

“No,” she said without opening her eyes. “But you’re helping it be better.”

* * *

“Well, Sky Bolt,” Dawn Triage said, her clipped tones ringing out as she trotted into the medical bay. “I must admit you’re looking somewhat better this morning than you appeared yesterday.”

“Which is pretty much your way of telling me I look like I’ve been through the wringer, isn’t it?” Sky Bolt asked, pausing for a moment before entering the med bay. Sterile surfaces were all around her, smooth and white under the bright magilights.

“Well, I suppose if you wanted to put it that way, you could,” Dawn said as she crossed the room. Her horn lit up with an orange glow, and a chair slid away from the wall, coming to a stop next to the examination table. “Now,” the pink mare asked as she motioned for Sky Bolt to lie down on the examination table, “you asked to speak with me about something that you needed help with.”

“Yes,” Sky Bolt said, trotting across the room and climbing up onto the table. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. You can do this, she thought as Dawn sat down in her chair. Just tell her what’s going on, and you might be a step closer to being able to figure this out. “You’re a psychiatrist, right?”

“I’m trained to offer basic psychiatric needs,” Dawn said, her expression professional as she floated a clipboard and quill over towards herself. “As well I could say that I am educated in quite a few more. Would I be correct to assume this has to do with your observed lack of sleep over the last few days?”

“Yes,” Sky Bolt said, her body tensing. “Yes it does.” She took a deep breath as Dawn looked on expectantly, quill at the ready. Alright, Sky Bolt, she told herself, you can do this. She looked down at her hooves, then up at the quill floating beside Dawn’s clipboard.

“Could you, um, not do that?” she asked. Dawn frowned in puzzlement. “The quill and the clipboard,” Sky Bolt said, turning away and looking at the med-bay counter, her distorted reflection gleaming back at her from a dozen polished metal surfaces. “Can’t I just—you know—talk?”

“Very well,” Dawn said. The quill and clipboard floated away in the corner of Sky Bolt’s eyes, vanishing into a cupboard with a sharp snap. “Whenever you would like to start.”

“Alright,” Sky Bolt said, turning to look back at her. Now all I have to do is just talk, she thought. Tell her what’s going on, and she’ll do … something. I don’t know. Who knows, just talking about it might be enough to help me feel better.

“Alright,” she said again. She took a deep breath. “It all started a few days ago, when we were finishing up the last bits of the ERS mission…”

Author's Note

And so ends the first of the side stories. I'll admit, this was an interesting one to both write and work on. Trying to mix dreams with an acute shock disorder while still keeping in the mind of a female point-of-view character ... yikes.

But in the end, I think it worked. Sky Bolt was a character who I never quite got to play with as much as I'd hoped in the original Rise, and I'm glad to have been able to give her her own chance to grow here.