Chapter 1: The Five-Hundred Thousand Bit Mare
The eternal sandstorm that had enveloped the city swirled around Daylight as she thundered down its ruined streets. Sand sloughed off the mares armoured flank as she dodged nimbly around the well-preserved remains of a drone, its crystal eyes dead of all life. Cantering onward she passed the swarms other five members, each just lying at various angles in the sand. Each as lifeless as it’s cousins, lacking the magic that was their lifeblood.
In the years since the cities quarantine, time and the elements had slowly worn away at what ponykind had built. While the city was putting up a worthy fight, it was a battle it was slowly losing. Plascrete crumbled, metal slowly broke down and crystals lost their shine. Large gaps could be seen where a building – house, shop or otherwise – had collapsed under its own weight, leaving a gaping hole in an otherwise neat row. Skyscrapers reached towards the sky in triumph, but for every one that still stood, two had collapsed onto the city, raining down yet more destruction on the beleaguered structures below.
The feeling of desolation and loneliness was enough to drive one to distraction, but Daylight cantered on trying her best to just ignore it. As she ran she whispered a quiet prayer for the citizens of the city who had vanished all those years ago. Sentinel would laugh at her later, but that didn’t matter – it was the right thing to do.
Pausing at a crossroads the earth pony trotted up and hopped up on the bonnet of an atmospheric shuttle that had crash-landed in the intersection, presumably at the time that the city had been annexed. Bouncing up the uneven surfaces she scrambled, climbed and leaped her way up the machine and stopped at its rear, just above the black bulk of the engines.
A blue glow surrounded her hooves as she carefully stood there, magic helping anchor herself to the metal as the wind did it’s best to dislodge her from that precarious perch. Golden eyes stared out over what had once been the business district of Carthanium and the multitude of skyscrapers, warehouses and factories that made up the bulk of it. In the distance between two large towers a pillar of white light could be seen, it’s luminescence piercing through the dusty haze of the sandstorm. Fixing that image in her mind she hopped off the shuttle, landing in a small puff of sand and cantered onwards.
A flash of lightning ripped across the sky turning everything a blinding white for a single moment before fading out. A shadow fell across Daylight and her labored breathing caught in her chest. Glancing up she gave a sigh of relief that it was only a jagged chunk of plascrete the size of a house falling towards her. As what she was actually seeing began to register in her exhaustion-hazed mind the sigh turned into a strangled gasp.
Instinct alone saved Daylight during those first few seconds as her muscles flung her sideways without any conscious input by herself. As she flew through the air she heard a rapid succession of thumps as small bits of plascrete pounded the ground she had just been standing on. A precursor of things to come if she didn’t move fast.
Mouthing a quick prayer to Luna, Daylight shut her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to wipe the cobwebs from her thoughts. As the wind whistled around her the world slowed down. Her eyelids flickered as a range of calculations were quickly performed, and then she smiled. A mental countdown was started as her eyes snapped open, barely a second after she had launched herself sideways.
Seven.
Flying through the air like a missile her mane wrapped itself around her head making it impossible to see anything. Her vision contracted to a slideshow of black laced with a smattering of sandy yellow.
Six.
Daylight went skidding across the sand leaving sparks of white magic in her wake. The armour surrounding her glowed like a miniature sun as its shielding reinforced her suit stopping anything penetrating the fibers. Her headlong skid was stopped short by the rusted remains of an old wingframe that wrapped itself around her like a metal sarcophagus.
Four.
Climbing groggily back onto her hooves she darted around the spidery metal remains and fled on shaking legs, with tail streaming out behind her.
“One.” she whispered.
A shock wave rolled across the sand like a wave, flinging the galloping pony into the air. As she got thrown up a small part of her mind not frozen in terror took a moment to appreciate the birds-eye view of the city, something not many ponies could boast of in this day an age. That part of her very quickly added its own screaming to the cacophony in her mind the second she reached the apex of the climb and started descending. Most logical thoughts break down when you’re approaching the ground, unaided, at speeds far in excess of fast.
The wind was knocked out of her as she hit the ground, her armour managing to cushion the bone-breaking fall into just minor bruises and disorientation. As the sand cleared Daylight could be seen sprawled in an undignified heap at the bottom of a small crater.
Quickly re-arranging her rogue limbs she pulled herself up and trotted out of the crater, not too worse for wear. Looking back down the street she saw that the falling boulder had totally demolished the street taking out both shops on either side. She snorted; going back wasn’t an option now.
Taking a moment to salute to the sky in appreciation of whichever Princess answered her prayers. Spinning around on shaky legs the mare tried to ignore her brush with death and continue on.
Another flash lit up the sky unnoticed as she stumbled around.
A small chunk of plascrete landed near her left forehoof and she shot it a quizzical look. Ever so slowly she turned her head to look back at the sky in time to see another chunk of the collapsing building falling towards her.
This just isn’t my day.
There was no time to do any mental calculations this time around so she just fled, letting her instincts do what they were best at – saving her hide. Muscles openly complained about the abuse heaped upon them, but after a few moments the pain faded into a dull ache and her stumbling run stretched out into a headlong gallop. Nothing could be heard except for the wind and her own frantic panting, and she whimsically thought that something that big should make some sort of sound and not just this ominous silence.
The ground vibrated like a drum and she was no longer running, but flying through a cloud of airborne dust and heading straight towards the crumbling wall of a two-story building. Letting out a wordless cry Daylight covered her face with both forehooves and braced for impact.
The walls integrity was so weakened by wind and weather that it disintegrated the moment Daylight’s body touched it, and she barreled straight through and smacked face-first into the opposite wall of the building, which (unfortunately for her) was nearly as solid as the day it had been made.
Finding herself sprawled yet again in a pile of hooves and tail she let out a long sigh. Getting up she trotted over to the wall she had crashed through, and barely sparing it a glance trotted right through it, brushing the grit off her back once she was outside.
A map popped into existence in front of her, the image slightly fuzzy as sand swirled through it interrupting the projection. Quickly tracing the fastest route with a spare hoof she nodded to herself and closed the map. Turning to a nearby wall she cantered towards it, her hooves glowing a familiar blue tinge again as she leaped towards the wall and began to run up the side of it. Her armour left a slipstream of glowing particles as she ran, her body only just heavier than the air itself.
Reaching the top of the wall she raced across the roof and launched herself into the neighboring street without a pause. Spying a gently-sloping pile of sand below and to the left she modified her jump a little, aiming directly for it. The second she touched down her hooves were already moving, her legs cutting a groove in the sand as she cantered down the impromptu ramp at full speed. Reaching the bottom she spun around, quickly turning down the street and cantered on without a single hitch in her stride.
Her hooves made little noise against the slowly undulating road and time became meaningless to the mare as she ran. All the streets blurred into one but still she ran onward, eyes forever fixed on that tantalizing light in the distance. Sweat dripped off Daylight's mane to be instantly soaked up by the sand and her breathing now only came in ragged gasps. All four of her legs had lost their feeling and only the constant thumping from below reminded her that she was still moving forwards.
But she couldn’t stop. Sentinel would still be hunting her, slowly closing the gap between them. The second she caught up with her this little game was over, and while that was going to happen eventually – she was meant to lose after all – Daylight wanted to fend off the inevitable as long as possible.
Her legs suddenly decided to give up and refuse all orders, silently protesting against the abuse heaped upon them. Stumbling like a foal trying to stand for the first time Daylight let out a pitiful cry and sprawled on the street managing to bury her muzzle in the sand. Gasping, she raised her head, spat grit out of her mouth and looked back over her inert body. Focusing on a lone foreleg she tried to lift it even a fraction, but nothing happened – it just refused to move. After a few more attempts she gave up, her head collapsing back to the ground.
Staring out at the wall of sand she ran through in her mind the options still open to her. They were depressingly small... only one option, really if she was being honest with herself. Exhaustion made her thoughts slow as she activated a spell that was illegal on most colonized planets.
Her Techlink beeped at her asking for a second confirmation, which she quickly acknowledged and then closed her eyes waiting for the spell to take hold. The little earpiece started vibrating and a warmth spread out from her ears and down through her entire body. Tears rolled down Daylight’s face as blue tendrils of magic slowly wove their way down from her ear and attached themselves to each limb. It didn’t take long for the magic to take full control.
Her body convulsed, her hooves stretching out fully before she curled into the fetal position. Seconds later her breathing calmed to its usual steady cadence and her eyes fluttered open. But it wasn’t Daylight staring out of those eyes anymore. The mare got up and glanced towards the spire of light, contemplating as she stretched her legs.
“Damn weakling,” Daylight sneered. “Can’t even survive a simple simulation? Pitiful.” The Techlink quietly beeped at her, subtly reminding the mare of her mission.
“Yeah, I get you.” Daylight stared at the spire of light in the distance. “Get to the communication spire. Simple enough.”
As Daylight started trotting forward she flexed her shoulders trying to dull the pain. But pain had always been her constant companion, so this wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. A feral gleam entered the mares eyes as she sped up to a full-out gallop.
“Well then, lets get to it.”
--
Time became meaningless for Daylight as her consciousness floated in a black void empty of all feeling. All her vital signs were simply wisps of data that occasionally floated through her mind. She occasionally checked them to make sure everything was going well, but otherwise she simply floated, uncaring, letting time pass before she had to take the reigns again.
It may have been minutes, hours or days, but in the end the magic controlling her body reluctantly withdrew and yanked her back to reality.
Suddenly pain crashed back down on her as feeling rushed back into her limbs. Something was fundamentally different she realized, but in the red haze she couldn’t work out what it was. Then it struck her – it wasn’t sand under her hooves, it was cool and unyielding. Trembling, her eyes focused with hope on her surroundings.
The domed room around her almost sparkled it was so clean. Sofas and potted plants were arrayed tastefully around the room, trotting over she pawed at the nearest plant but the dried husk disintegrated at her touch. Looking up she saw white crystals embedded in the ceiling giving off a soothing light, so obviously there was still power her. The place almost seemed homely, likely the last one left in the entire city. Her eyes lingered momentarily on a beam of red light in the center of the room – the communication hubs central elevator, granting access to the upper floors. It was currently locked, but that didn’t worry her too much.
The blue aura holding her up shattered and and she suddenly found herself getting an up-close and personal view of the solid marble slabs that made up the floor. A pitiful groan echoed around the room as she lay there on the floor. Her armour gave out a small beep and blessed numbness spread from her flank outwards. She sighed in happiness at the obscene of pain as
a green glow suffused her entire body. As the mixture of magic and drugs slowly healed her abused muscles and organs she stared dreamily at the ceiling, counting the light fixtures.
She had only counted to seventy-six before the euphoric feeling started to clear and she realized that her body wasn’t hurting anymore. Daylight cautiously hauled herself upright, taking great pains to not over-exert herself this time, wincing slightly as a spike of phantom pain shot down her hind legs.
The purple shield that enclosed her head vanished with a pop and she took a relieved breath; there was a stale tang to the air, but it was better than the recycled air she’d been breathing for the last two hours.
Her trot was a little wobbly as she made her way over to the elevator, but apart from the occasional twinge of pain it seemed the magic had done its job and she was at least mobile again. She silently ignored the long-term effects of pushing her body so hard and hoped she wouldn't have to feel them before the simulation was over with.
Half sitting, half collapsing in front of the beam she tentatively reached a forehoof forward, placing the pad just on the edge of the red light. Closing her eyes she concentrated on a very specific set of commands and her Techlink started to hum in response.
Light blue lines flowed down from her right ear, twisting and weaving across the suits silvery mesh and down her forehoof into the floor. Upon contact the lines burst into blue sparks and the elevators colour slowly changed from red to blue. A few minutes of this and the elevators systems were fully unlocked and Daylight quickly jumped off the floor and stepped into the shaft of light.
After a few seconds Daylight’s mane and tail started flowing upwards, and very shortly her body followed. As she started to ascend Daylight finally started getting a little worried. She was almost to the simulations goal and Sentinel still hadn’t appeared. Maybe the bodyguards had actually managed to defeat her? It had never happened before and she was very doubtful of it, but still...
The crunch of metal above her shattered those thoughts and her head snapped upwards.
The elevator was floating her up towards a circular hole in the ceiling which lead into a well-lit tube that stretched off into the distance. Attached to the side of the tube was a unicorn mare covered from head-to-hoof in black metal scales that gave her a draconic look, but the thing that drew Daylight’s attention was the barrel of a large energy cannon attached to her back. The mare's hooves emitted a light blue glow that was making her stick to the side of the tube like an insect.
Well, that’s those questions answered. Daylight thought fatalistically as she stared down the cannon barrel being pointed in her direction. It was almost as large as the pony it was attached to.
“Nu-uh. I don’t think so.” Sentinel said, her face twisting into a smile that the armours scales turned into a jagged grin.
The shaft of light surrounding Daylight went bright red and all upward motion stopped. Flailing legs and cries of frustration all went ignored as she floated there impotently, the magic holding her ignoring all movements. Sentinel just waited as the trapped mare twisted and turned frantically for a while before slumping in defeat.
Sentinel lowered her head, almost looking like she was about to dive down and charge head-first into Daylight. Daylight gave Sentinel a blank stare until she noticed a small white spark in the barrel of the cannon. Green energy was winding its way up Sentinel’s legs – siphoning magic from the tower itself Daylight assumed – and the spark blossomed into a slowly-revolving orb of magic.
“Don’t worry.” Sentinel said almost apologetically. “This’ll be quick.”
As the weapon fired, the force of the blast sent Sentinel shooting back up the tube, only stopping at the end of four long grooves in the metal as the magic anchoring her to the tubes walls doubled in strength. Daylight starred in fatalistic resignation as a ball of pure magic streaked down towards her.
I hate this part.
Her scream was cut mercifully short as the magic engulfed her and all conscious thoughts faded.
--
Sentinel watched as the lifeless body of Daylight fell and hit the floor of the elevator mere seconds before the shot followed her to the ground. The entire tower rang like a gong, dust and small chunks of plascrete raining past Sentinel as she just stood there latched to the side of the elevator tube. The lights flickered rapidly as backup generators came online and the red beam of light vanished as the elevator lost all power.
The light glow from Sentinels hooves vanished and she fell. Small wings of light sprouted from the unicorns shoulders and her dive turned into a graceful glide. Circling the room once she landed near the doorway with a light crunching sound and turned around, looking towards where the elevator had just been.
Making her way across the shattered floor the unicorn approached the still-glowing crater at the center of the room, doing her best to avoid parts of the floor that were unstable and spitting off sparks of magic. Sentinel trotted over and stood silently at the lip of the crater, her eyes locked on the mare sprawled at the bottom of it.
She kept telling herself that they both had agreed to this, that they knew what was going to happen and that it was ‘only’ a simulation. That it wasn’t real. That the true Daylight was only now waking up back in a comfy chair and about to finish off one of the most important jobs the duo had ever pulled off.
“But it doesn't mean I feel nothing. How can you, killing your best friend?” Sentinel asked the empty room. “This is my price to pay, my contribution to the team.”
The scaled helmet cycled back from her muzzle, slowly folding itself into a ring around her neck. Tears fell unheeded from the blue unicorns eyes, which evaporated into a puff of steam the second they hit the still-glowing floor. Closing her eyes, she brought her forehooves together in silent prayer and took a deep breath.
“Just please, Luna as my witness, may I never have to do this again.” she whispered.
Sentinel’s ear twitched as a message came in and her tear-stained face broke into a grin.
“Mission accomplished at least.”
--
As the spire vanished from view Daylight found herself in a dark limbo. No sight. No feeling. Just the the sound of her heartbeat a steady cadence in her ears. Then she was falling.
She gasped and clutched the hoofrests of the armchair as reality came crashing back down with enough force to set her off balance. Spasms of phantom pain rocked her body, which she tried to hide from the other three ponies in the room.
Somepony should make the disconnection less… abrupt. She thought groggily.
Quickly marshaling her thoughts she lent back, slipping into the persona of a self-assured defense contractor. It felt like slipping into a comfortable and well-worn cloak, one that fit to her body like a glove. Her posture subtly changed and eyes shifted from their usual neutral gleam to an arrogant and confident sparkle. She gave the young unicorn sitting in a chair across the table a smug smile.
“So, Miss Amber. I take it that was… satisfactory?” Daylight drawled.
The orange unicorns mouth twitched upwards but said nothing. Both mares silently weighed each other up. Reaching out with her tail Daylight picked up a small cocktail glass and raised it to her lips, and as she took a sip she let her eyes wander to the four monitors that were arrayed on the wall of the room. Each screen showed a different perspective of the ponies that had taken part in the simulation: two held the final few moments of the clash (if one could call it that) of Sentinel and Daylight, and the other two showed two stallion-shaped suits of heavy armour sprawled across non-descript piles of rubble.
Daylight glanced at the sullen guards flanking Amber’s chair and gave them a cheeky grin. They had put up a good fight all things considered, but it’s hard to put up any sort of defense when the deck is stacked against you. And the simulation had been undoubtedly stacked in the favor of the two mares.
Amber chuckled and shook her head, bemused, which drew Daylights eyes back to the unicorn. She slowly started clapping her forehooves together.
“Bravo Miss Breeze. Bravo indeed.” Amber’s voice may have been quiet, but it held a surprising amount of authority for one so young. “I have to admit to having a certain… reticence on believing your claims. But as we have all just seen you were not joking at all.”
She nodded to the bodyguard on her right and he pulled a roll of paper from his saddlebag and placed it carefully on the table. Amber’s horn sparkled with magic and the paper was surrounded by a light orange glow. As it was carefully unrolled a quill appeared and started writing on it in neat, flowing script.
“Here is your contract Miss Breeze.” Amber said, glancing at the paper and then back at Daylight. “For you and those you represent. To whit: for the Sentinel prototype network defense program and one year of development, as well as a two year exclusivity agreement. Five hundred thousand bits.”
As Amber finished speaking the contract jumped off the table, rolled itself up and was floated in front of Daylight’s muzzle. Snagging it with a spare forehoof, Daylight quickly unrolled it and scanned the words with eager eyes. Finding nothing amiss she politely nodded her acceptance of the terms and quickly signed it with her own gold-fletched quill.
The moment her quill had left the paper it was already floating back across the table. A flash of light blinded Daylight for a moment and suddenly two rolls of paper were in the room, one making it’s way over to Amber – which she gently guided to the stallion on her left – and the other floating just before Daylight. Grabbing it with a spare hoof she quickly slipped it into her saddlebags which were resting beside the chair before returning her gaze to Amber. She turned back just in time to see the stallion slipping the other copy into his own black saddlebags.
"Do you have any further questions?" Amber asked, taking this moment to sip from her own cocktail glass that had been floating next to her during the entire meeting.
Daylight shook her head. “Not at all. Everything has been covered and I’ll pass on your requirements to the team.”
She slid off the chair, slipping her now-empty glass back on the table with a flick of her tail, wrapping a forehoof around her saddlebags as she did so.
“Of course,” said Amber as she watched the earth pony mare get ready to leave. She glanced sideways and gestured to the pegasus on her left. He scowled, but then nodded in reluctant acceptance.
“Skyline will show you out. Have a good day...” Amber paused for a moment and then gave Daylight a genuine smile. “And welcome to the team.”
Daylight, surprised, gave a courteous bow to the other mare. From all the information she had heard about Amber, breaking out from the purely formal was an extreme compliment. Straightening up the earth pony turned to leave, hearing the rustle of metal and the flap of wings as she did so. A small smile crept onto the ponies face as Skyline raced past her to hover just beside the door.
The five-hundred thousands bits were now flowing into falsified accounts to be quietly redirected to a secure location. The most ambitious heist in living memory and they’d pulled it off without a hitch.
Wait ‘til the others hear about this.
