Iron Mare

Chapters

Part One: Epona Stark
Part Two: Mark One
Part Three: First Flight

Part One: Epona Stark

Picture, if you will, a scene of violence and carnage, very atypical for a peaceful land such as Equestria. A stagecoach lays on its side on the hard, dry desert ground, its wooden frame riddled with holes. Military ponies lay in slumped heaps, their bodies and the hard-packed dirt riddled with holes from gunfire. Craters from small-scale magical explosions mark the landscape.

An earth pony stands out among the military stallions. She lays on her side, her now-tattered black dress and butter-colored coat stained slightly with blood. Her black mane and tail are dirty from eruptions of sand. She gasps for air as she lays on her side. Her eyes are wet with tears and her heart flutters in panic, knowing that she’s likely going to die. Not from a bullet, but from the spell laced into the crystal shards now embedded in her barrel and along her ribcage.

This pony is named Epona Stark.

Many Hours Earlier…

The Zenith Awards were, in a lot of ways, a way for the Royal Academy of Science to pat itself on the back. A night of glitz and glamour for the elite of Canterlot to honor individual ponies who had advanced the cause of science and technology. Banners with the official seal of the Academy were hung alongside the much sleeker, more streamlined logo of Stark Enterprises. The assembled celebrities and socialites chattered quietly at their tables, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The small talk dwindled and fell quiet as music began to play, carefully overshadowed by the announcer.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to the Zenith Award Ceremony. Please join me in welcoming the presenter of this years award, Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna.”

The applause was loud and echoing as the navy-colored alicorn strode onto the stage, her glittering black gown fluttering about her as she smiled at the assembled ponies, then paused as she fumbled with a small, rolled-up scroll which she smoothed out onto the podium. She glanced in irritation at the microphone, then flicked it off with a touch of her magic.

“It has been a while since we have addressed our subjects in such a venue.“ Luna’s voice echoed out, as clear as a bell to everypony in the audience. “Do forgive us if we decline to use the microphone.“ A faint chuckle ran through the crowd as the night princess put on a smile and began her speech.

“Thank you all for coming to tonight’s presentation of the Zenith Award. As all are aware, every year the Royal Academy gives this award to the pony who has made the greatest contribution to our kingdom in the fields of science and technology. Such a prestigious award is not given lightly.”

“This year, the academy honors one of the most magically talented earth ponies in our country, the influential CEO of Stark Enterprises. Her story is well known to its members; daughter of the luminary Doctor Merry Stark, a graduate of the Academy when she was barely a full-grown mare, crafter of magical marvels for both the industrial base and military of our kingdom, and nationally recognized leader of one of the most powerful magical technology companies in Equestria. We feel it is our duty to recognize one whose contributions are so many and varied as hers..”

With a soft hum, the small gold and silver trophy hovered up beside Luna. “On behalf of the Academy, we now present this year’s Zenith Award to Miss Epona Stark, accepted in her stead by her business partner, Mr. Obsidian Stone.”

Cheerful music began to play as the gathered crowd began to applaud. Luna smiled, looking out into the crowd as a pony stood up, carefully winding his way through the crowd. He was an older stallion, his dark gold mane streaked with bands of white, his black coat standing out against the gray suit he was wearing. The bulky black unicorn stepped up to the podium, bowing politely to the alicorn before turning to the crowd as the microphone turned back on.

“Princess, gathered fellows of the academy… As it should be obvious, I’m not Miss Stark.”

Another polite chuckle.

“I can assure you, Epona is honored to have been given such a prestigious award. And I’m proud of her as well, both for living up to the legacy of her mother and the expectations of the organization. If she were here tonight and not in a meeting, she’d likely thank everypony here for their admiration. She is, after all, a rather humble mare.”

Another polite chuckle, this one a bit more generous. Obsidian shook his head.

“Of course, Epona’s best quality is also her worst quality. She’s always busy with some new project…”

Lieutenant Colonel Dusty “Roadie” Roads was used to putting up with many things: surly superiors, untrained recruits and the occasional prank or two. Little got under his thick hide or lit his long-burning fuse. After all, one did not rise to his position in the service of the Princesses without getting used to eccentric ponies.

However, few tested the pegasus’ patience like Epona Stark. The earth pony seemed to take great delight in teasing him. That he could handle. However, it also seemed that the mare had an almost boundless talent for avoiding responsibility, and an equally bottomless hunger for stroking her own ego.

Which was why he was at the Mountemare Club, one of Canterlot’s more prestigious dens of inequity, where the young, rich and stupid tended to congregate to indulge themselves in fine wine and rich food, among other things. The well-polished chest plate he was wearing gave the club’s security pause, allowing him into the main floor of the club unmolested. As his eyes scanned across the room with its low green couches, he spied his target ringed by a group of well-dressed young nobles, laughing uproariously as they poured from bottles of wine.

“You. Are. Unbelievable.” The pegasus couldn’t help but let a little irritation enter his voice. “This was the important business meeting you had to go to?”

“Oh, hi Roadie.” Epona grinned, lounging back in her seat as the youngsters turned to look at him. “You’re just in time. The boys and I were discussing how to effectively automate a wet bar.”

“Fascinating, I‘m sure.” Roadie firmly stomped his hoof and glared at the well- dressed young scoundrels. “Okay boys, party’s over, I need to talk with Miss Stark on official crown business. Off with you.”

Roadie shooed the nobles away, ignoring the glares and dirty looks as they scattered to the rest of the club’s floor. Epona, meanwhile, simply stretched out and got to her feet. “Do you really have to spoil my fun like that Roadie?”

“Ruining fun is one of the first things they teach us officers, Epona. I can’t believe you skipped the Zenith Awards to booze up with a bunch of rich idiots.”

The butter-yellow earth pony rolled her eyes. “I’d have been doing the exact same thing at the ceremony, except the wine wouldn’t have been as good and the company would have been a lot more boring. It’d be the same things I heard last year Roadie: ‘Congratulations Miss Stark,’ ‘Well done Miss Stark,’ ’You’re a credit to your mother Miss Stark.’ ‘Are you looking for an investor in your next project Miss Stark?’” Epona snorted and shook her head dismissively. “At least here the boys are more interested in screwing me in the bedroom than the boardroom.”

“That doesn’t mean- hey!” Roadie began to trot after Epona as the mare began to walk away. “That doesn’t mean you can just skip a ceremony like that! Princess Luna herself was there to give you the award.”

“Luna’s a sweetheart, I’m sure she’ll understand. And please, don’t start giving me the whole spiel about ‘You need to be responsible Epona,’ I get that enough as it is.” Epona nodded to the doormare, who floated her cape over to her. Epona fastened the pin at the base of her throat and turned to look at Roadie. “I can assure you, Roadie, that I can be responsible when I want to.”

“I’m sure you can,” Roadie grumbled. “After all, you’ve proved that you can be so reliable in the past.”

“That hurt Roadie,” She sniffed. “But I’ll, of course, forgive you for that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be going. I don’t want to be late for our train ride tomorrow.”

“Just make sure you show up on time, alright?” Roadie called to her as she stepped out of the building. The chocolate brown pegasus then turned as he felt a hoof tap him on the shoulder. “Yes?”

An elegantly dressed stallion with a thick mustache presented him with a slip of paper. “The tab, sir.”

Roadie felt his teeth grind together. Again. This was the second time she’d pulled this stunt on him, and he’d fallen for it again. With an angry growl, he dug into his uniform’s pocket for his wallet.

Epona couldn’t help but laugh as she trotted towards her carriage. Roadie was going to be fuming tomorrow, but at least he was off her rump for the time being. It was a shame, though; Roadie had interrupted before she could pick a stallion to take home with her. Oh well, at least the night hadn’t been a total waste.

Her automated carriage was waiting for her at the circle drive outside the club. She started to climb up into it when she heard someone shout.

“Miss Stark!”

Please don't be Roadie, she thought to herself as she turned. A mint-green stallion in a long jacket galloped up to her, his short brown mane fluffed under his press fedora, his brown eyes intent on her. “Papa Razzi, The Manehattenite. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions real quick?”

Hmmm… She mused for a second. He’s cute. A bit smaller than my usual tastes, but beggars can’t be choosy.

“Of course.” She smiled as he pulled out a little recorder and slid it into a pocket attached to his fetlock.

“Miss Stark, you decided to send Obsidian Stone in your stead to the Zenith Awards this year instead of attending yourself. Why is that?”

Epona’s voice was calm and practiced. “Sadly, as much as I would have liked to attend the ceremony, I was pulled away by a meeting with certain individuals who wished to meet with me.”

“These individuals wanted to meet with you here at the Mountemare Club? Can you identify these individuals?”

“I certainly can, and at quite a distance too on a good clear day.” Epona smiled.

Papa Razzi frowned, but continued. “What do you say to the papers that refer to you as ‘The Mother of Invention?”

“It’s a ridiculous title. I don’t even like children.”

“And what about your other nickname, ‘The Mare of Murder?’”

Epona covered a mental wince at that, but kept a smiling face. “That’s clever. Nice alliteration. Definitely appealing.”

“So you don’t deny that that nickname is appropriate, given your line of work?”

“I have many lines of work, Mr. Razzi. Designing weapons is just one of them. I have a special talent for making things, for making things that work like magic.” She gestured over her shoulder at her cutie mark, a blue-white gear with six-pointed spark in the center. “So if ponies want to call me the Mare of Murder, I don’t care. I’ll just keep doing what I’m good at.”

“Wow,” Papa Razzi’s voice was layered in sarcasm. “You don’t seem too beat up about that.”

“Mr. Razzi.” Epona’s voice dropped the playful tone. “I can understand that you don’t know about our other projects, considering The Manehattenite is a glorified gossip rag, but my company does do more than make weapons. We make magical batteries that provide stable power for years. We’ve built automated railway systems that no longer need teams of stallions to pull...”

“And yet you still make tools of war.”

“Equestria is assaulted within and without from monsters that could probably swallow a whole pony in one bite. I would be remiss in my duty if I didn’t help fight off those threats, just like my mom did in the Diamond Wolf War so many decades ago.”

“Alright Miss Stark. Just one more question… how well do you sleep at night?”

Epona grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “Quite well. Would you like to see for yourself?”

That seemed to take the stallion aback. “Are…are you trying to seduce me, Miss Stark?”

“I don’t know, is it working?” Epona opened the carriage door and climbed in. “How about you ask me some more… in-depth questions back at my place?”

Papa Razzi swallowed nervously, then climbed in after her.

The first thing to wake Papa Razzi up was the sunlight streaming in through the window. The news pony groaned, shading his eyes with one hoof as he pulled himself to his feet. He was in a big bedroom with thick carpet and big, wide windows taking up most of one wall.

His body ached, and his head felt about as fuzzy as his memories from last night. He had climbed into Epona Stark’s carriage. There had been wine, which he had drunk copious amounts of at her insistence. She had drunk plenty as well. Then there was the flirting. Then they had arrived…somewhere, where he had stumbled in through the front door. A lot of fumbling and pulling off of clothing had followed from there.

A soft fizzing noise caught his attention: a glass of bubbling water had been left by the bed on the bedside table, smelling of faintly bitter flowers. He pulled the glass over and drank the seltzer, then stumbled to his feet with a groan as his head began to clear.

He had been seduced by Epona Stark. And he was in her bedroom.

He was in her house.

He felt a grin split his lips, though his head still ached. What luck! Admittedly, he hadn’t expected his impromptu interview to go this direction, but here he was in the sanctum of the infamous Epona Stark. Who knew what secrets lurked in here?

He stumbled along, slowly regaining his footing as he walked into the foyer. The house was spotless and sharp, all smooth edges and metal and white stone and curving dark rugs. There was something almost clinical about the decorations, like they’d been designed by a machine.

No matter, he wasn’t here for some home décor magazine. He was here for a scoop. And a scoop he was going to get. One of the doors had to lead to Epona’s private office, and once he was there, he’d have all the information he could desire. He wondered, briefly, what lurid secrets could be buried in Epona’s files. He reached towards the first door, inhaling in anticipation.

The door opened before his hoof touched it., and soon he came eye-to-eye with a pony-sized reptile, its blue-scaled face calm and its red spines glittering in the sunlight.

“Oh, you’re up,” The dragon noted, sounding almost bored. “Sleep well?”

“AHHHH!” Papa Razzi screamed, rearing up in panic before backing up rapidly. A dragon! Epona had a dragon?!

“I see you’ve met Sparks,” Another voice called out. A russet-coated unicorn mare trotted down the stairs towards him, dark red mane and tail fluttering slightly as she walked. “He handles the domestics and helps Epona with her work. Don’t worry, he won’t hurt you.”

“If you don’t mind Pepper Pot, I really should finish getting Miss Stark’s luggage packed.” Sparks glanced at the nervous looking pony, then shrugged and walked off upstairs.

“Now, if you’re done cringing in blind terror,” the russet-colored pony continued calmly, “you’ll find your hat and coat on the rack beside the front door. There’s a carriage waiting outside to take you wherever it is you want to go.”

Papa Razzi shook himself violently, then turned to face the new speaker

“So…you’re.”

“Pepper Pot.” The pony nodded towards her flank, which bore the image of what looked like a pepper grinder…or was it some sort of chess piece? She was cute, if a bit…masculine.

“As in Epona’s personal assistant?”

“Yes.”

Putting a smile on his face, Papa Razzi leaned in. “So, Miss Pepper Pot.”

“Mister.” Pepper Pot’s voice cooled tremendously in those two syllables alone.

A deep chill ran up Papa Razzi’s spine. “I-I’m sorry, I thought…”

“I know. I look way too much like a mare. The name doesn’t help. You‘re not the first.”

“Oh…um…right…so, uh, Mr. Pepper Pot. Do you have anything to share? Anything you‘d like to tell The Manehattenite‘s readers about working for the infamous Epona Stark?” He ventured curiously, trying to salvage the conversation.

“Mr. Razzi,” Pepper Pot’s voice could have frozen seawater, “I do a lot of things for Miss Stark. I balance her books, I schedule her meetings, I take her calls. And sometimes, like this morning,” the effeminate stallion glared at Mr. Razzi, “I take out the garbage. I think you can see yourself out? Without trying to peek around the house?”

Papa Razzi swallowed, backing away from the irritated stallion until his rump hit the front door. Clumsily, he pulled on his hat and coat and, with a mumbled apology, showed himself out.

Oontz-oontz-oontz-oontz.

The comfortable thump of bass complemented the almost hypnotic state Epona was in as she worked in her garage. Admittedly, ‘garage’ was a bit of a misnomer for the prototype-filled, magically-enhanced machinist-shop-cum-laboratory that it really was, but it was easier just to call it a garage.

A large, half-empty cup of coffee sat in hoof’s reach as Epona stared at one of the many sketches that covered her drawing desk.. The design was sound enough, assuming she had the right materials to work with. If she could actually get a functioning prototype working, she’d pretty much be a shoo-in for another Zenith, at least.

Six grams of CrystalLine material, formed into a ring for the primary generative chamber, focused by a symmetrical array of multi-faceted focusing crystals to maintain the etheric resonance cascade. Functional capacity at one-point-six…

Epona blinked as the throbbing beats of DJ PON-3 suddenly dropped off. She turned around from her bench to look at an irritated-looking Pepper Pot, a folder of papers and a cup of coffee floating in his magical field.

“Why’d you turn my music off? You know I don’t like it when you turn my music off when I’m in the zone.”

“And I don’t like it when your dates sneak around the house before I run them off.” Pepper Pot floated the folder over and onto the bench. “A member of the press Epona? Really? And somepony from The Manehattenite?”

“He was cute, eager, and you know I can’t resist a pair of big brown eyes.”

Pepper Pot sighed heavily. “It’s like you’re trying to make me go gray before my time. Usually you have better taste Epona. You know; socialites, business ponies, academics, fellow drunks. But a snoopy little newscolt? Really? Are you trying to stir trouble up or are you just that horny?”

“Well, I’ll make sure to run my next potential one-night-stand by you next time, if it makes you feel better.” Epona smirked and picked up her mug of coffee, making a face at the now-cold contents. “Let me guess, he thought you were a mare?”

Pepper Pot sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, it is one of the few things that makes you this grumpy.”

Pepper Pot gave a heavy grunt. “Speaking of grumpy, you shouldn’t even be here right now. You should already be on your private train heading to the Moponi Desert right now.”

“I was working on something. I had an epiphany this morning that I really needed to get down on paper. Besides,” Epona stretched, trying to get a crick out of her neck. “It’s a private train. It sort of defeats the purpose of a private train if it leaves without me, doesn’t it?”

“You also promised Roadie that you’d meet him at the station two hours ago.”

“Well, then I’ll make sure to make it up to him sometime. Now what’s in the folder?”

“Some stuff that Obsidian wanted your signatures on and a memo from Roadie. Also, the Royal Foundation for the Arts sent me a note earlier asking about your annual donation. What should I tell them?”

“They’ll only get it if they name a building after me. How does ‘The Stark Museum of Art’ sound?” Epona skimmed over the writing before she scrawled her signature onto the documents.

“Egotistical and narcissistic?”

Epona chuckled softly. “Yeah, it’s a bit much. Tell them I’ll have the funds sent to them as soon as possible.”

“I will. Now, you have a train to catch if I’m not mistaken.”

Epona frowned. “What’s got you in such a hurry Pepper? You got plans or something?”

“As a matter of fact, Miss Stark, I do have plans.”

“You? Have plans?” Epona smirked playfully.

He frowned. “Believe it or not, Miss Stark, I don’t spend every waking moment trying to anticipate your whims. I’m allowed to have plans, especially on my birthday.”

Epona paused, the smirk faltering. “Today’s your birthday?”

“Yes.”

“…Huh.” Epona paused. “Happy Birthday, I guess?”

Pepper ducked his head and gave a resigned sigh, eyes closed. “You forgot again, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…” The mare shifted uncomfortably. “Tell you what, use my expense account and get yourself something nice, alright? And dinner, wherever you like in Canterlot. On me.”

“I already did.” Pepper tried to recover a little, but the frown was still present.

“You did?”

“Yes. And it was quite nice. Thank you, Miss Stark. It was exactly what I wanted.”

The two ponies looked at each other for a few seconds, the air taut and uncomfortably silent.

“So…um…yeah. Train. Catch. Packing.”

“Yeah, you should be going Epona. Have a nice trip. Say hi to the generals for me.”

“I will. Enjoy yourself while I’m gone.”

Roadie paced back and forth on the train platform, once again in uniform, and once again in a very bad mood. It wasn’t bad enough that Epona had stuck him with a sixty bit bill for her wining and dining last night, but now she was late. Two hours late, if the station clock was accurate.

She has to be doing this on purpose. Roadie’s thoughts turned moody as he paced, his ears pulled back tight and his primaries fluffing up. She has to. When that filly gets here I’m going to give her a piece of my mind. When I get my hooves on her…

“Roadie!”

His thoughts were interrupted as Epona trotted up towards him, followed close behind by a luggage-laden Sparks. Roadie inhaled deep, starting to open his mouth. “You’re-”

“Late, I know. I was up all night doing a piece for The Manehattenite and time just slipped away from me. Silly pony, I know.”

Roadie gritted his teeth, “You left me here waiting-”

Epona bowled right over him, “Well, I’m here now, so now I’m waiting on you. Sparks! Hurry up with the luggage!”

The blue dragon gave Roadie a shrug as Epona trotted nonchalantly into the train car. Roadie gaped, then followed the pair onto the train. “Epona!”

“Yes?” The mare was seated comfortably, smiling serenely as he tromped over and sat across from her.

“Don’t ‘yes’ me. Not after you stuck me with your bill from last night!”

“You’re still saddle-sore over that? Here.” Epona pulled out a paper-wrapped roll of bits from her purse and set it on the table. “There you go. Sixty bits, and a few bits extra.”

“That doesn’t make up for the stunt you pulled.” Roadie grumbled, but swept the roll up as the train began to move. “And I’m still mad that you’re late. It’s like you’re deliberately trying to aggravate me sometimes.”

“Refreshments, Miss Stark?” A white-suited stallion asked.

“Do we still have any of the Chateau LeCroix Blanc available?” Epona glanced up at the waiter, ignoring the fuming Roadie.

“Yes, but at the moment it’s not chilled, Miss Stark.”

“Oh darn.”

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Roadie grumbled.

“Of course I am, but I told you, I was busy and couldn’t get away. Make it two hard ciders and a large salad if you don’t mind. With croutons. You like cider, don‘t you Roadie?”

“Cider? Yes I like ci- no! We are not going to start drinking!”

“It’s lunchtime Roadie. Besides, just one cider isn’t going to get you drunk. It’s just a nice buzz.”

“We’re working. Besides, it’s never ’just one drink’ with you. There’s no way I’m going to show up at a presentation before Princess Celestia herself with a hangover.”

That caught Epona’s attention. “Princess Celestia’s coming to the presentation?”

Roadie gaped. “Didn’t you get my memo? I sent it to your assistant.”

“I…might have skimmed over it?” Epona grinned nervously.

“Skimmed.” Roadie buried his face in his hooves. “Skimmed it. Of course you skimmed it. Why am I not surprised? Skimmed it! Ugh! Celestia give me patience.” He sighed, resting his hooves on the table. “Look,” he began, his strained tone of voice stressing the seriousness of what he was saying, “Celestia has taken an interest in this new weapon system of yours, whatever it is. You did promise it’d be the sort of weapon that could end battles in an instant, after all. So, Her Highness is going to take time out of her extremely busy schedule to personally attend your demonstration tomorrow.”

Bits began to dance in Epona’s head as she grinned. “Oh really?”

“So, as your liaison with the Equestrian military, I’m going to ask you to be on your best behavior.” Roadie clapped his hooves together in a pleading gesture. “Please, please, please be a good pony. Don’t be sarcastic, or flippant, or arrogant, or mocking, or drunk. Please?”

Epona hmmed softly, then nodded. “I promise I won’t get drunk in front of the Princess.”

“…That’s as good as I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“Yup.” Epona smiled as the waiter walked over, setting down the tray carrying their food and drink.

“Fair enough.” Roadie sighed heavily as Epona began to serve the salad.

“Don’t be such a sourpuss Roadie. Come on, cheer up. Smile a little.”

“I’m not being a sourpuss, I’m being serious. This is my serious face.” Roadie waved a hoof around his muzzle, munching on a bit of lettuce. “The problem is you’re completely incapable of taking anything seriously.”

“I take plenty of things seriously. I take my work seriously.”

“That’s about the only thing you take seriously. But, hey, if you want to act like a filly, I’ll be happy to get you a bottle and change your diaper for you.”

“Oooh.” Epona leaned in with a grin. “Was that a joke? Did the big serious military stallion just tease me?”

“Ha ha. I’m still mad at you.” Roadie couldn’t help but smirk a little. “You are a horrible, horrible mare Epona Stark.”

“And I don’t deny that. Cheers.” The mare held up her glass in both hooves and drank.

The Moponi Desert was a vast, arid plain, the dirt hard and cracked under the sun’s bright light. Anything that wasn’t dirt or cactus was taken up by large outcroppings of stone. Not exactly ideal for anything but the most hardy of creatures, such as the native Buffalo tribes. It was, however, an ideal place for things like testing weaponry, which was why it had been selected for the test site.

The generals representing the three branches of the Equestrian Military (Ground, Sky and Magic) had met Epona and Roadie at the station, expressing a great eagerness to see what Epona had in store for them From there, a caravan of stagecoaches pulled by military ponies wound its way along the rocky terrain towards the testing site, the staging area being a low, rocky mesa overlooking the desolate expanse.

Epona adjusted her sunglasses as she stepped out of her coach, followed soon after by Sparks. It was a bright, clear day with minimal wind, almost ideal circumstances. She did her best to ignore the heat, even with the lightweight black dress she was wearing. She peered out over the range towards the ostensible targets, a set of large rocky outcroppings.

Yes. Perfect. Couldn’t ask for a better set-up. She smiled, quite satisfied as other ponies trotted around, getting things ready for the demonstration, including the tent to ward off the heat. All that’s missing today is the guest of honor, assuming Roadie wasn‘t pulling my tail.

Almost in response to her thoughts, a trumpet fanfare rang out from the sky. The ponies on the mesa stopped their work as a gold and white chariot descended, pulled by a quartet of white coated pegasi guards.

Epona knelt, as was proper, as Princess Celestia dismounted from her transport, her wings folded against her sides, her golden crown, necklace and hooves glinting in the desert sunlight.

“Please rise everypony,” She said, allowing the military ponies (and Epona) to get back to their feet. “Go about your business, please.”

A tiny thrill ran up Epona’s spine, filling her with a chill despite the heat as the reality of the situation set in. She was here. Princess Celestia herself was here, about to see her work demonstrated first-hoof. If the Aurora was a hit with Celestia, it would basically guarantee the weapon system would adopted by the military.

The thrill, however, quickly turned to fear. Princess Celestia was a peace-loving, benevolent ruler. She wasn’t exactly known for being warlike or in love with bloodshed, nor did she particularly approve of unnecessary violence.

This was going to be difficult.

“Sparks?”

“Yes, ma‘am?” The blue-scaled dragon glanced at his employer.

“Scrap the speech.”

“The speech?” He blinked, then frowned. “Ma’am, I thought you liked the speech I wrote…”

She tuned to face him, whispering hoarsely. “Princess Celestia’s here. The usual approach isn’t going to work. So I‘m going to have to improvise.”

“Improvise? Is that a good idea ma‘am?”

“It’d be better than boasting about ‘destructive capabilities’ and ‘potential catastrophic damage’ in front of a monarch whose last major war was a defensive war.”

Sparks frowned. “Very well ma’am. Understood.”

“It was a nice speech, though.”

Epona inhaled slowly. You’ve got this Epona. You’ve got this.

Epona was the star of this little show. She stood facing the assembled military and royalty, her back towards the target zone. A tiny breeze made her mane flutter slightly. Every eye was on her, both from the assembled generals and Princess Celestia.

“Members of the Equestrian Armed Forces, your majesty,” Epona began, “I have a question for you. What is the best way to end a conflict? To demonstrate my answer to this question, I’d like to present the newest and most powerful weapon system ever devised by the hooves and horns of ponydom. This will be Equestria’s first wide-area directed-force-and-energy weapon and the first to incorporate Stark Enterprise‘s proprietary CrystalLine ambient energy conduction technology.”

She shifted her stance slightly as ponies began to drift among the gathered dignitaries, offering vision protection as Epona continued. “The best way to end a conflict is to end it quickly, and with overwhelming force, before any ponies on the ground get harmed. And I can guarantee you, that the second any enemy sees the power I’m about to demonstrate today, they’ll crawl back into whatever hole they came from and wish they‘d never thought of attacking Equestria. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present to you, the Aurora.”

She pointed a hoof towards the device in question. It certainly looked impressive. The machine was a large, cannon-like device, the traditional barrel replaced with a quartet of humming, tuning-fork like tines. Cradled among the tines was an oil-drum-shaped object, covered in dozens of large gems. The entire device slowly turned, aiming upwards and towards the staging area before it fired with a loud, thunderclap-like boom.

The projectile sailed through the air, becoming a large glittering speck of light before it exploded outwards into dozens of smaller glittering specks. The glittering specks lit up as a second thunderclap rang out, the specks turning into long, sweeping beams of light in a dozen different colors. The stone outcroppings were carved up like warm butter, several of them falling into tiny pieces as the beams cut them apart.

Epona glanced back at her prospective buyers. The military ponies were gaping in awe, several of them whispering excitedly amongst each other.

Celestia’s expression was also one of gape-faced shock, but as Epona watched, the expression shifted from shock, to an almost disappointed frown.

“Ahem…there should be refreshments underneath the canopy over there. To peace, everypony.” She smiled thinly as she headed in that direction herself. She needed something to get rid of the dry feeling in her mouth and the nervous butterflies in her stomach. Something cold, wet, and preferably alcoholic.

The invitation came after her third glass of Chateau LaCroix. She could see the guard approaching through the faint golden sheen of the white wine, almost matching the royal guard’s armor.

“Miss Stark?”

“Yes?” Epona wasn’t drunk. She had made sure of that. It took more than three glasses of the stuff to get her to that point. She had a nice pleasant buzz now, just enough to fortify her spine.

“The Princess wishes to speak with you. In private.”

“Does she now?” With a quick tilt of her head, Epona swallowed the contents of the wine glass in a quick gulp before setting it down. “Lead the way then, good sir.”

The guard nodded and walked off, Epona only a few steps behind. Celestia was standing apart from the military personell, looking out over the newly created piles of rubble, her flowing mane hiding her face.

“Your Majesty, Miss Stark is here.”

“Very good. Please make sure we’re not disturbed.”

“Ma’am.” The stallion saluted and trotted off, leaving Epona alone with the alicorn.

“That was a very impressive presentation, Miss Stark.” Celestia’s voice was soothing and calm, the sort of voice that sent nervous shivers up Epona’s spine. “Though I admit, that’s the first time I’ve seen an aurora turn solid stone into gravel.”

Epona swallowed. “The designation is only its working name, your Majesty. If you wish, I could have the name changed.”

“It’s not the name that bothers me, Miss Stark.” Celestia turned, looking down at the mare with a gentle frown. “What bothers me is that you’ve made a weapon of mass destruction. What bothers me more is that you‘re trying to pass it off as a deterrent.”

Epona shook herself and drew herself up. “With all due respect your Majesty, sometimes weapons like this are necessary for the defense of the nation.”

“And how, exactly, would this be used in a defensive capacity?” Celestia’s frown deepened slightly. “Or, in fact, any capacity other than attacking hard targets like towns or castles?”

“I…it’s…well, if there’s a massed invasion or an occupation…” Epona felt herself struggle slightly. She felt like a filly again, called up in front of the headmaster to account for herself.

“It would be excessive against all but the most heavily armored of targets, and even then it‘d likely destroy necessary infrastructure. Do you disagree?”

“No.” Epona exhaled slowly. The butterflies were back.

“Equestria doesn’t go to war, Miss Stark. While I appreciate your company’s work in helping to modernize the military, we are not warmongers. You seem to forget that sometimes.”

Epona felt a bit of bile rise in her throat, drowning the butterflies in a rise of acidic anger. “With all due respect, your Majesty, but I’m well aware of what my company does and what we make. I don’t deny that I like designing weapons, but I won’t apologize for building something that I think can help the country.”

Celestia shook her head. “You’re a brilliant mare, Epona. But there are more ways to help Equestria than making weapons. Your mother helped create things that inspired and enhanced the lives of many ponies…”

“Well, I’m not my mother, am I your Majesty?” Epona growled, glaring up at the Princess.

Celestia looked down at the pony, her disappointment apparent on her face. “No. You’re not. Tell me Epona, do you think what you’re doing is right? That what your company is doing is right?”

“If it wasn’t right, I wouldn’t be doing it in the first place Princess.”

Celestia sighed softly and nodded. “You may go about you business Miss Stark. Have a safe trip home.”

“Your Majesty.” Epona curtly nodded and began to walk off, leaving the alicorn at the edge of the mesa.

Epona’s mood was dark as she walked through the encampment, ignoring the calls from the other ponies. She didn’t trust her tongue right now. Best to remove herself from the situation, immediately.

My mother. My mother was an inspiration, my mother was a genius, my mother was a saint! Ugh! She clenched her teeth as her head swirled and ached. I’m a grown mare and I’m still stuck in my mother’s shadow. What do I have to do, build orphanages and hospitals? Raise the dead?

“Ma’am?”

Epona stopped as Sparks stepped in front of her, resting a hand on her shoulder, a small frown creasing his snout. “Ma’am? Are you alright?”

“Just fine. I’m going back to Appleloosa.”

“What? But ma’am, the generals! They‘re still interested in the Aurora...”

“You can handle them. Sun and moon, you helped me design the thing. Besides, I don‘t feel like being social right now.”

“But…”

“Sparks.” Epona’s voice came out in an aggressive hiss. “I want to be alone right now. Alone. As in not here.”

“Ma’am, are you alright?” Sparks’ frown deepened. “You’re not usually like this…”

“Sparks, hands off. Now.”

The blue dragon slowly removed his hand from her shoulder, wincing slightly at the pony’s glare. “If you insist, ma’am. I’d still prefer to come with you.”

“I want. To be. Alone.” Her head butted against the dragon’s snout with each clipped phrase, her eyes glaring into his. The dragon stepped away as Epona walked off, a pair of military stallions hitching themselves to a coach as she climbed in.

“What the hay was that about?” Roadie glanced at Sparks as the coach began to pull away. “Did Epona just leave?”

“It looks like it. I guess her meeting with the princess didn’t go smoothly, but she usually doesn’t get so upset.” Sparks rubbed his hands together nervously.

“Ugh. Of course.” Roadie rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry Sparks, she’s just being herself, as usual. By the time we get back to Appleloosa she’ll have drunk herself into a stupor and found some farmhand to plow her field.”

“I’m still worried.” Sparks sighed, his ear-frills drooping. “At least if I’m around I can keep an eye on her.”

“You’re too good for her Sparks. Let her be for a while. I doubt she’ll get into too much trouble on her own. Come on, I think General Thunderclap wants to know about the Aurora’s anti-air capabilities.”

Sparks sighed as he watched the coach disappear along the road before he turned to follow the pegasus.

Being left alone with one’s thoughts is hardly pleasant. Epona lounged in the coach, shifting slightly as she tried to get comfortable.

Obsidian’s going to be grumpy when he hears about this. I should have known Celestia wouldn’t have approved of the Aurora. That’s always how it works; I get so enthusiastic about a new project that I forget about anything else. Well, that’s a bunch of bits flushed down the toilet.

She snorted as the stagecoach gently rocked. Maybe we can recoup some losses. The Aurora’s beam technology can be modified. Surely there’s a use for high-intensity force-and-energy-projection weaponry outside of tearing up the battlefield. Yeah. I’ll run it by R&D later.

Epona paused in thought before realizing that the stagecoach had pulled to a halt. She leaned over, sticking her head out of the window. “Hey! Why’ve we stopped?”

“Sorry Miss Stark!” One of the military ponies called back, the sound of leads being unhooked. “There must have been a small landslide or something. The path is blocked. We’re going to try to move the rocks so we can get through.”

A landslide? Epona looked further along. Sure enough, the road was clogged with piles of rocks and dirt. “What in the hay could cause a landslide out here?”

Almost in response to Epona’s question, there was a loud, whistling noise. A large tube struck the ground beside the coach, followed by the loud, hollow FOOM of a magical explosion that threw the coach onto its side, tossing the mare inside against the wall.

Epona’s ears were ringing, but even through that she could hear the tell-tale pok-pok-pok of saddle-mounted gun fire. She struggled to her hooved feet and gave the door (now situated above her) a firm buck, knocking it open. She winced as she heard whinnies of panic from the military stallions. Of course, as she peeked her head out of the doorway, the whinnies were silenced.

Come on Epona. You need to move. Run. Get to cover or something… She grunted, pushing herself out of the doorway, her front hooves on the edge of the stagecoach’s step-up.

Fssssh-CHUNK!

Her eyes went wide as a projectile knocked a hole in the coach’s wall, embedding itself beside her. It was about the size and shape of a small football, attached to a large rocket engine. The thing began to beep rapidly, tiny crystalline barbs popping up from its main body, almost hiding the stylized ‘SE’ for Stark Enterprises emblazoned on its shell.

Her brain screamed MOVE!

Epona scrambled, managing to climb out of the stagecoach and tumbling onto her side, landing with a thud, the stagecoach step tearing a chunk out of her dress as she fell. She climbed to her feet as she heard the beeping become a long, loud whine.

Inside the stagecoach, the missile exploded. Dozens of tiny crystal barbs flew in every direction, punching holes in the wooden walls and ceiling of the conveyance. The barbs would have probably shredded anything inside. Epona, however, wasn’t quite so lucky.

A scream caught in her throat as a half-dozen of the barbs stabbed into her side, lacing her ribcage and barrel with glittering jewels, half-buried in her flesh and muscle. She toppled, her legs kicking and pushing her along, her eyes wide with panic. Her skin felt cold, and her heart fluttered as she felt something very much like a jolt of magic.

I’m going to die. I’m going to die, alone, in the middle of the desert, killed by one of my own weapons. Her eyes went blurry as she sobbed, the irony not lost on her. Her blurry vision went darker as somepony stood over her, his face silhouetted by the sun.

“Yup, it’s her,” The one standing over her said.

“Horseapples, she’s hit,” Somepony else cursed.

“Told you we shouldn’t have used the Heartbreaker! Come on, get her up! If we don’t bring her back the boss is going to have our hides!”

“Just hope that mutt we have can fix her up.”

Epona’s head swam as she was picked up, her heart thudding heavily in her chest. A lance of pain from her forelimbs drove her into darkness.

Many thanks to Jack of Games for getting me onto this project. [/1]

Part Two: Mark One

Lieutenant Colonel Dusty “Roadie” Roads grimaced as he hovered over the scene of violence, keeping an eye on things as the other ponies poked around and investigated. The sharp flapping of his wings made small eddies in the dirt beneath him, enough to match the cloud of dust on his flank

It had barely been an hour or two after the presentation of the Aurora unit. The discussion and questioning had slowly wound down, and the caravan had begun winding its way back towards Appleloosa. Princess Celestia, rather than return directly to Canterlot, had elected to accompany the members of the general staff back on the ground. It hadn’t taken too long for the stagecoaches to reach the scene of the battle.

No, not battle, Roadie thought to himself. More like a slaughter. With the road this low between the outcroppings, nopony would have stood a chance.

“Lieutenant Colonel!” one of the earth ponies called up to him. The pegasus floated down and landed. “There’s no sign of Miss Stark, sir.”

“MISS STARK!” Roadie winced as a pony-sized blue dragon charged up past the stagecoaches, his clawed feet turning up the hard-packed dirt. Sparks was teary-eyed as he reached Roadie, grabbing a hold of the chocolate-brown pegasus’s coat. “Miss Stark! Where is she? Is she alright?!”

“Sparks! Sparks, calm down! She’s not here,” Roadie winced as the dragon whimpered. “We haven’t found a body, so she was probably taken prisoner.”

“Oh no. Oh noooo.” Sparks sobbed. “I should have come. I should have been here! Oh Miss Stark.”

“Sparks, you need to calm down,” Roadie winced as the dragon buried his face against his side.

“Your Majesty!”

Roadie looked up in reaction to the shout. There was a soft hush as Celestia approached, her hoof steps almost noiseless on the ground, her eyes narrowed at the carnage. A pair of white-coated guards trotted up behind her, looking a bit nervous.

“What happened here?” Her voice was very even, not betraying a hint of emotion, her eyes focused on Roadie.

“Ma’am. There was some sort of ambush. We have two confirmed casualties and one missing.”

“Princess!” Sparks let go and ran towards Celestia. The sun princess’s wings unfurled to stop her guards as the blue dragon clung to her leg. “Miss Stark! She’s gone! She’s gone!”

Celestia’s calm broke for a brief moment as she leaned her head downwards, nuzzling the crown of the dragon’s head. “Shh. It’s alright. We’re going to find her, alright Sparks?”

“You will?” The young dragon looked up at the white mare, who smiled and nodded gently.

“Yes, we will. But for now, why don’t you go back to my chariot and wait there for me, alright?”

The dragon sniffled and nodded, letting the armor-clad guards escort him away. In that brief second, Celestia had switched from maternal caring back to calm and control, her eyes hard and steely. She then turned her gaze to Roadie, who drew himself up to attention.

“Lieutenant Colonel, I’m going to return to Canterlot with Sparks. Afterwards, I will order eight wings of the Second Airborne and Sixth Magician Corps to Appleloosa to begin searching for whoever or whatever did this. You will personally head up the search. Is that clear?”

“Yes, your majesty!” His hoof snapped to his brow in a salute.

“Good,” Celestia’s voice was cold and hard with anger. “Two of my soldiers are dead on their native soil, and one of my little ponies is missing. I will not let this stand. We will find whoever did this, and we will find Epona Stark. No matter how long it takes.”

Epona Stark was in pain.

It wasn’t the pleasant sort of pain she was used to feeling. There hadn’t been any bedroom ‘exercises’ or heavy-duty scientific research involved that she knew of. It was a deep, uncomfortable, pulsing pain that seemed to ache through her entire body, sucking out her energy. And cold. She did her best to repress a shiver at the chill she felt.

She cracked her eyes open slightly, her eyelids feeling dry. She was laying on her side on something cool and hard. It was hard to see, and even the dim light hurt her eyes. She froze up slightly as she felt something wet and cold touch her forehead.

“Nnngh,” she tried to speak, but her tongue felt like someone had dipped it in sand. Something smelled awful, and her stomach turned slightly.

“Ahhh, the… awake now. Good.” A raspy voice said quietly, the cold and wet thing touching her forehead again. It was hard to concentrate on what the voice was saying; it was like the voice was wobbling in and out of her range of hearing. A bit of fluid dripped along just under her eye as she heard the sound of cloth being wrung out. “…lucky… alive. Lucky indeed.”

Epona licked her dry lips, the nausea subsiding into a dullness in the pit of her stomach. “Water,” she managed to croak out.

“Yes,” The raspy voice replied. A brownish-yellow furred hand slid a shallow dish of water in front of her muzzle. “Drink slow… Try not to move much, pony.”

I doubt I could move much even if I tried, Epona thought to herself as she lapped at the water. It wasn’t exactly cold or clear, but at least it was wet. As she did so, she felt a hand stroke between her ears. She tried to pull away, but the nausea returned again. She laid her head down as the world swam in her vision, closing her eyes.

“Rest, pony,” the raspy voice said. “Rest…. feel better soon.”

Whoever or whatever was talking to her and stroking her head, it didn’t seem to be unfriendly. Which was good, as her brain fell back into oblivion.

Epona’s opened her eyes again slowly, only to be greeted by a dimly lit wall of brown stone. She was still laying on her side, but at least she wasn’t cold; something that felt cloth-like and heavy rested on top of her. She felt a slight pinch as she moved her front legs.

Her movement stopped when she felt her fetlock catch on what felt like a cable. She paused, slowly following the cable with one hoof up to her chest, where it met and fed into a concave metal plate. She winced as she felt around it, the flesh connected to the steel tender and sore.

“What…what’s…” Her voice was a little hoarse as she tried to sit up.

“Ah, you’re awake again. Good, good.”

Epona froze at the sound of that raspy voice, her head slowly turning as she heard footsteps approaching. A skinny, bipedal dog with a short snout entered her vision, his brownish-yellow coat dusty, his pointed ears too large for his head. He walked carefully and with an obvious limp in one leg, his thin, stubby fingers splayed out to provide balance.

“You…you’re the one who…”

“Yes,” The Diamond Dog flicked a hand dismissively. “Gave you water. Saved your life. How do you feel?”

“Sore…wait,” She squinted, looking at the dog. “You look familiar.”

“I should, Miss Epona Stark,” the Diamond Dog smirked, sitting down on his haunches in front of the pony. “I visited your company once in Canterlot. Spoke with you. Attended your lecture at the university.”

“You were interested in my magical energy conduction material. For use in medical purposes, right? Treating…heart problems.”

“Yes,” The dog hissed as he smiled. “You remember me. I’m surprised.”

“I’d think I’d remember a Diamond Dog at a technology lecture. You don’t usually see a lot of them.”

“Not all Diamond Dogs are ignorant brutes, Miss Epona Stark. I was trained in the Academy, like you. Though unlike you, I didn‘t attend many of the parties.”

Epona felt the metal plate on her chest again. “What is this?”

“Ah,” The dog sighed, “that is my handwork. Crude, but effective. During the assault, one of our captors succeeded in hitting you with a weapon. You call it…”

“The Heartbreaker. Military designation AARPE-MW-05L. It was designed as an anti-dragon weapon, with armor-penetrating crystal barbs loaded with a focused spell derived from medical magic. Targets the heart and fries the systems controlling its rhythm, causing violent arrhythmia, followed by death.” Epona felt her voice dull the longer she talked. “Why am I not dead?”

“My invention.” He reached out and tapped the metal plate with a fingertip. “There’s a thin shaft running down between your chest muscles, connected to gold-titanium conductors placed around your heart. Your heart is currently being kept stabilized by this.” He held up a corroded-looking metal cube about the size of a schoolfilly’s lunchbox, supported by a bolted-on leather strap. “One of your magical batteries. Not as elegant as your work, but under the circumstances it was the best I could do. Considering the conditions, you were lucky to survive. You spent three days in a fever.”

“Which explains why I feel so miserable. Help me up, would you?” Epona struggled and slowly rolled onto her stomach. There was a rough rustle as a dirty cotton blanket fell off her side and landed on the floor. “So, what do I call you?”

“Yeller, Miss Epona Stark.” The Diamond Dog reached over, hefting the pony up carefully and setting her onto her hooves.

“Epona. You saved my life, so we might as well be on a first-name basis.” She shifted her weight, stretching her legs slowly. “So, who exactly is keeping us captive?”

“They call themselves the Ten Horseshoes. I don’t really know much about them, except they don’t like your Princess very much. Or anything that isn‘t a pony, if my treatment is anything to show.” He gestured downwards to his leg.

Epona grimaced, then began to look around. The cavern they were stuck in was dimly lit by bare, overhanging lights. Aside from the slab she had been laying on and a pile of rags that looked like they had been slept on, the only other features of the large cavern was a small metallic container of water and a heavy metal door, the latter of which looked to be the only way out.

Ka-chunk. The door creaked as it began to open.

“It seems that they’ve heard us. Do as I do.” Yeller knelt down on the floor, pressing his nose against the stone. “Hurry.”

Epona snorted and held her ground. “If I’m going to meet my captors, I’m not going to do it kneeling with my nose in the dirt.” Her eyes narrowed as several ponies entered, two armed with gun stocks. Stark Enterprises-made gun stocks if she didn’t miss her guess. Most of them were earth ponies, undressed and unkempt and hard-eyed as they spread out through the room.

Their apparent leader, a larger stallion with a faded blue coat, stepped forward. “Nose to the ground, mare,” he snapped at Epona.

“No offense, but I just woke up. My legs are rather stiff and it hurts to move too much,” Epona did her best to sound defiant, to keep her jangling nerves under control. “So if you don‘t mind, I’m just going to stay standing.”

The stallion’s lips pulled back. “When I say get down on the ground, you get down on the ground!” Epona held her ground as he stomped towards her, butting his head against hers and getting eye-to-eye with her. “Or else, I’m gonna MAKE you get down, understand me?”

“Denim, calm down, we’re just here to take her to the boss. He’ll be mad if you start smacking her around.” One of the other ponies warned, resting a hoof on the larger stallion’s shoulder. It was, however, enough to get the big blue stallion to back down.

“Your boss, huh?” Epona swallowed, her voice faltering just a little. “Fine, whatever. Take me to him then.”

“Get her battery… thing.” Denim snapped at one of the other ponies, who trotted over and lifted the corroded box up by its strap. “And don’t try anything clever, little miss moneybags. We’ve got our eyes on you.”

“Yeah, because you need two ponies with guns to keep a single wounded mare in check.” She snorted dismissively. “What’s the matter, don’t have the stones to go after a girl on your…”

WHACK!

Her head jerked sharply as Denim slapped a hoof across her face. She caught herself before she stumbled, though, wincing as she ran her tongue around her mouth, trying to see if he knocked any teeth free.

“I don’t like smart-mouthed little city ponies. I don’t know what the boss wants with you, but if you keep smarting off like that I’ll make sure you don’t have a tongue to do it with, got it?”

“Got it.” Epona grumbled. Denim jerked his head, the other ponies walking through the door, Epona close behind them. As they walked, Epona quietly considered how exactly she was going to get her revenge on the big blue stallion.

‘The Boss’ was waiting for her in what appeared to be his private quarters, luxurious compared to the barren, twisting tunnels that Epona had wobbled her way through. He was a large stallion, his green coat marred by several scars, his turquoise mane clipped short. He gave Epona a smile as she entered, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Ah! It’s good to finally meet the infamous Epona Stark, face-to-face. Come, sit.” He gestured a hoof to the table he was seated at. “We have much to discuss, you and I.”

Epona grimaced as the door closed, leaving her alone with the stallion and his two guards. She sat down slowly, her rump pressing into the small cushion provided for her. “So, what do I call you?”

“’Boss’ is simple enough. Or, if you prefer, sir. You know, the pictures in the newspapers don’t do you justice.” The stallion smirked, pushing a plate of greenish gunk towards her. Smelled like alfalfa. “I didn’t expect the legendary ‘Mare of Murder’ to be quite so pretty. You know I’m a really big fan of your work.”

“Good to know.” She nibbled at the alfalfa, then swallowed, doing her best to ignore the taste. “Is this how you treat the other celebrities you like? Nearly killing them?”

He snorted. “You weren’t supposed to be harmed. The ones responsible have been disciplined, so you won’t have to worry about it. Consider yourself a guest here. You’re among like-minded ponies, after all.”

Epona coughed on her alfalfa. “Excuse me? No offense, but we’re nothing alike.”

“On the contrary, we are. We strain under the peaceful bonds of the diarchy, Miss Stark.” He leaned forwards. “We both respect the power of force, of weapons. We both know that Ponykind has the strength to rule not only our lands, but all others, if were just allowed to do it. It’s really unfair that your talents are so wasted on ignorant foals like the Princesses.”

“So, what, you’re warmongers or something? Revolutionaries?”

“The Ten Horseshoes is a brotherhood. We seek to establish Ponykind as the rightful rulers of this world, subjugating all others on our path to glory through conquest. Surely such an idea appeals to one such as you, a weapons-maker without peer?”

Epona stared at him. “So…what exactly do you want?”

“The Aurora.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not. We will provide you with all the tools and materials necessary to build it. Once we have your super-weapon, we can overthrow the diarchy and establish ourselves as the dominant force in this country. From there, we can sweep across the lands, punishing all who dare defy the iron hoof of pony kind. What do you say, Miss Stark?”

Epona frowned, putting her hoof to her lips. The stallion leaned forwards expectantly, eyes eager.

“Mmm… No.”

“No?” He sat back, shocked.

“No. No offense, but I don’t deal with idiots, megalomaniacs or criminals. And you, frankly, count as all three. Plus, your subordinates tried to kill me.” Epona growled. “So no, I don’t plan on building the Aurora for you. Period.”

“I see.“ The stallion frowned, then slowly stood, nodding to his guards. “Hold her.”

“Hey, what’re you- ow!” Epona found herself pinned by the pair of guards, her elbows stepped on and held in place as Boss approached her from around the table. "Let me go!"

“You know, Miss Stark, your reputation is legendary. They say you have a new stallion every night in your bed.” He smirked as she yanked on her arms, struggling as best she could. “You’re something of a playmare. I bet you’ve had a lot of colts eating out of your hooves. So, how does it feel to know your heart is in somepony else’s grip?”

There was a loud crackle as he pulled the cord free from the slot on her chest.

WhudWHUDwhud-whud-whudwhud-WHUDWHUD-whudwhudWhud

Epona screamed as the pain returned, her heart beating rapidly and discordantly in her chest, her ears filling with the sound of her blood. Pain shot like lightning down her front legs as she began to sweat.

And then he plugged her back in. Epona collapsed, painting and sweating, her nose in the dirt.

“You’ll build the Aurora for me, Miss Stark. It’s entirely up to you whether you do it willingly, or if I have to make you do it. Either way, I will get my weapon. I’ll ask you again tomorrow, once you’ve recovered.”

The boss stood, looking to his guards. “Take her back to her cell. I’m done here.”

Epona groaned as she landed on her side, hearing the door close with a loud CHUNK. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to breathe, but her lungs still worked.

“Epona!” She heard Yeller shout, a rag wiping over her sweaty body. “Epona, please say something.”

“Ow…my everything.” She tried to laugh, but it came out a painful rasp.

“Don’t try to move, alright? Try to let your heart settle. I’ll get you some water.”

“Thank…thank you.” She coughed again. Her chest felt like it was on fire, like someone had driven a molten bar of lead through her ribs.

“Try to breathe, alright?” Yeller knelt down beside her, pushing a familiar, shallow dish in front of her mouth. “Deep breaths.”

“Right.” She tried to breathe deeply, trying to will her heart to stop pounding as she drank. “I must look awful…”

“A bit, yes.” Yeller concurred, sitting down as he tried to clean her up. “You are a lucky mare.”

“Lucky… hah…” She tried to laugh again, but ended up coughing from the pain. “Lucky. You call this luck? I’ve been kidnapped, nearly killed, had two heart attacks and a bunch of metal shoved in my chest, and now a lunatic wants me to build him a super weapon to kill the Princesses, which even I know is stupid. And you call me lucky?”

“You’re still alive, yes? That must count for something.”

“Hah…” She laid her head down, closing her eyes. “What’s the point…”

“The point?” Yeller tilted his head.

“The point of trying. If I don’t build him an Aurora unit, he’ll just torture me until I either go mad from the pain or do as he asks. If I do build it for him, he’ll kill Celestia-knows-how-many ponies in this ridiculous scheme of his. And besides, I doubt I’ll survive that long.” She pointed a hoof over at the battery that served as her life-line. “That battery’s casing is corroding. It must be an older model, one that’s been poorly maintained. I’ll be lucky if the thing’s energy cells last me a week.”

Yeller sat down in front of her. “So what are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I’m going to do the easy thing and do nothing, and accept the fact that I’ll likely die here in this cave.” She rested her head on the ground with a sigh. “Wish I had some liquor. That’d make things a lot more tolerable right now.”

Epona closed her eyes and sighed again. When she opened them, she found herself face to face with Yeller, his jaundiced-yellow eyes hard.

“And what happened to your bravado? About facing your captors instead of nosing the dirt and groveling?” His horn-file-rasp of a voice was thick with scorn.

“It was just me running my mouth, as usual.”

“So that’s it? The mighty Epona Stark is going to just lay down and die? I thought you were better than that.”

“And I suppose you have a better idea? I’m all ears.” Epona narrowed her eyes.

“You’re Epona Stark. You make things. That’s what you’re good at. Make a solution. There is a lot you can do in a week, Epona Stark.”

Epona frowned. The dog was right. She hated to admit it, but he was right.

Come on Epona. There’s plenty of time to wallow in self-pity later. You’ve got your brain, your good looks, your boundless charisma and your flawless memory. Surely you can come up with something.

First things first; surviving longer than seven days.

“…I think I might have an idea.” She groaned as she sat up. “But I’m going to need things. Lots of things.”

“…As I said before, as soon as there is any information on the whereabouts of Miss Epona Stark, we will release it as soon as possible. Thank you.”

Celestia kept up her royal mask for the reporters until she disappeared behind the doors, away from the interview room. Once safely behind the smooth wood, she sighed and ducked her head and tried to ignore her pounding headache. The press corps had been hounding her ever since the official announcement of Epona Stark’s disappearance a week ago. It had been the first “attack” on Equestrian soil for decades, a rare spike of real violence in her otherwise peaceful country. Everypony wanted to know why, and what the ever-benevolent, ever-peaceful Princess was going to do.

She had expected the response. She was used to being pestered by the press when something big happened. It didn’t make it any less of a pain, though.

And if I hadn’t confronted Epona like I did, this might have been avoided, her emotional side whispered softly. I wouldn’t have had to send members of my staff to two families to tell them their children were dead. I wouldn’t have had to console a crying dragon that his employer and only friend was going to be fine. And I wouldn’t have to worry that somewhere, one of my subjects is being held prisoner by forces unknown.

The rational part of Celestia’s mind objected quietly, noting that if there had been an attack on the caravan, there would likely have been even more casualties. The attackers had been well-prepared, leaving few traces behind when they had fled, and had been well armed. More ponies might have been killed, especially if she hadn’t decided to accompany the coaches back to Appleloosa.

That didn’t make her feel any better.

At least the press conference was out of the way, and it was a while before her next meeting. Nopony would begrudge her stealing a few minutes to recompose herself in her chambers. She flicked her horn slightly, opening the door with a push of her magic.

“Are the foals mistreating you, sister?”

Celestia blinked, the familiar, if still slightly archaic voice breaking her out of her thoughts. Luna was seated at the mirror with her back to the door, still in her night-gown and quietly brushing her mane.

“Luna, what’re you doing up?” Celestia slowly sank onto her bed and removed her crown, the gold and white sheets rustling as she did so. “You should be resting right now.”

“Rest is difficult when one is constantly disturbed by the nervous pacing of hooves.” The princess of the night set the hairbrush down and turned to face her sister. “You look dreadful.”

“I do not.” Celestia stuck her tongue out slightly as Luna approached, levitating the brush again. “I’m just a little stressed, that’s all.”

“Are you still troubled by what occurred at the presentation?” Luna sat beside Celestia, floating the brush up and running it through the larger mare’s aurora borealis-like mane.

Celestia sighed heavily, laying down on her stomach and crossing her front legs at the fetlock, resting her head on the soft sheets. “I guess that’s one way of putting it. It’s just… I keep running it over and over in my head. I did what I thought was right, talking to Epona and chastising her, but…” She sighed again and shook herself as Luna played with her mane.

“Sister, omniscience is not one of your talents,” Luna leaned in, nosing her muzzle, “nor is infallibility.. Everypony knows you try your best to do what is right. Just because something happened that is beyond your control does not mean you are to blame. You may be skilled at planning, but even you cannot foresee every eventuality.”

“I know. I try, really, I do. But I can’t help but think of how I could have done better.”

“Tia, hindsight makes it easy to think about all the ‘could have done’s’ and ‘should have done’s’” Luna poked her in the ribs with the hairbrush. “Besides, what would you have done different?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then perhaps it is better that you turn your attention to other matters. One way or another, the issue will resolve itself.” Luna smirked. “Who knows, perhaps something good will come out of all of this.”

“And when did you get so good at consolation, hmm?” Celestia smiled wanly.

“I have been making use of the self-help section of the library.” Luna deadpanned.

Celestia held back a giggle. “Seriously?”

“No. Now, I have heard that playing with one’s mane helps with issues of stress. What should I do with yours, then? Perhaps pigtails, since you insist on sulking like a child?” Luna grinned, holding up the hairbrush menacingly.

“Only if you want my ministers to think I’ve lost my mind.” Celesta grinned right back, her horn glowing as she tried to wrest the hairbrush from Luna’s telekinetic grasp.

“Haha! Come now Tia, I think you would look adorable in them!”

“Absolutely not!”

The playful tussle was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. Celestia shook her head, lifting up her crown. “Duty calls. Again.”

“Indeed. Go forth and handle your subjects.” Luna pecked her sister on the cheek and trotted off. “I’ll see you soon enough.”

I really don’t know how I got along without her, Celestia thought to herself as she drew herself up and put on her serious face.

The cavern had taken on a dramatic change in the past few days. Once mostly barren, the cavern was now stuffed with equipment: precision tools, metal-working equipment, gem-cutting gear, even a small forge. The real treasures, however, were the raw materials: gems, steel, gold wire and most importantly, batteries that contained the necessary CrystalLine.

The boss of the Ten Horseshoes had been quite ecstatic that Epona had decided to help with his cause. That wasn’t what troubled her. What troubled her more was the fact that he had all the necessary components and a lot of her company’s products on-hoof. It was almost like he’d been expecting her.

However, that was a worry for another time.

“Careful, careful.” Epona hissed softly as she stood by at the work bench, watching her new assistant. “We’ve only got one shot at this, so don‘t spill any!”

“Relax. These are the hands that saved your life, remember?” Yeller growled as he carefully walked towards the table from the forge, a ceramic cup held tight in a pair of tongs. “It would help greatly if you told me what you had planned.”

“In a second.” Epona nudged a dish into place. The shallow container was filled with clean sand, a shallow groove worn into its surface. “I need you to very carefully pour this into the groove drawn in the sand, alright? Do it very, very slowly.”

Yeller nodded, slowly tipping the cup over. The metallic white fluid glistened as it landed in the groove, glinting in dozens of colors as it caught the light.

“Careful. Careful. Caaaaaaareful. Good!” Epona grinned as the last drops of the molten metal dripped from the cup. “Now we just have to let it cool.”

“What exactly is this? It’s not like any material I’ve ever seen before.” Yeller set the tongs aside, peering at the cooling ring.

“That’s because it’s CrystalLine. It’s something I stumbled on while trying to find a usable conduction medium for experimental technology. It’s an artificial magic absorbing material derived from magically resonant gemstones. When you give it a little kick, it starts drawing in ambient energy from the environment, the same way stones on rock farms draw energy in to build ores. Except in this case, it converts inert ambient energy into usable energy. Pretty useful for something I discovered accidentally.”

“Amazing.” Yeller stroked his chin. “But what use is six grams of this material going to be to us?”

“All I need is six grams.” Epona grinned and trotted off. “Because those six grams are going to be the focal point for this.”

“And this, I assume, is what you’ve been working on while I was dismantling those batteries?” Yeller quirked an eyebrow as Epona walked back over with something clasped in her teeth. It looked like a small Frisbee, a few inches in diameter and quite shallow. Carefully cut gemstones lined the glass-covered inside wall, arranged around a shallow groove and connected together by a delicate filigree of soldered circuits. A small, cylindrical plug poked out of the bottom of the device.

Epona set the device down on the table. “Yes. Before I came out for the Aurora presentation, I was working on something. Something I based on some old plans of my mothers. Something she could never get to work properly.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called an Artificial Resonance Cascade Reactor. Essentially, you introduce a spark of magic into it, which is then focused through the conduction material and re-bounded through the focusing crystals, creating a self-sustaining magic reaction.” Epona smirked quite proudly, flicking her dirty mane out of her eyes. “Of course, it’s purely theoretical. But that hasn’t stopped me before.”

“This…"ARC" Reactor…”

“Ooh, I like that name.”

“Thank you. So this device, what will it do?”

“Well,” Epona tapped her hoof against her lips. “If my math is correct, and it should be since I’ve been working on this for two years, this little baby will produce about 1.6 gigajoules of energy per second to whatever it‘s plugged into.”

“That…would be enough to power your heart for thirty lifetimes.”

“Or something big for thirty minutes.”

“Something big?”

“Yes.” She smirked. “Something big.”

Yeller shivered as Epona’s smile went a little wider. “So, Epona. What do we do now?”

“Once the ring’s done cooling, we’ll slide it into the reactor’s main chamber to complete the assembly. After that, it’s only a matter of providing it with the necessary charge to trigger the reaction.”

“That will be difficult. We’ve disassembled the batteries, and the lights are to high to reach, which means that the only source of energy we have is…” Yeller’s eyes went wide with the realization. “No. You’re joking.”

“Yeah. We’re going to have to use the battery I’m connected to in order to trigger the reaction.”

“But that will kill you!”

“Not exactly. Not if we split the power output of the battery between my implant and the reactor. Once the charge is built up it’ll be a simple matter of pulling out the plug and putting the reactor in.” Epona grinned wildly. “Of course, if it doesn’t work, I’ll die anyway. At this point, I have very little to lose. Right?”

Yeller stared at Epona for a few long moments, then shook himself violently. “You are a very terrifying pony when you put your mind to it, Epona Stark.”

“I’ll take that as a complement.”

Epona inhaled slowly, trying to control her breathing, which was, admittedly, a bit difficult. She was on her side again, her chest implant now connected to one of two strands that diverged from the main battery. The other cable led to her ARC Reactor, which crackled softly as energy flowed into it.

Here she was, about to put her life on the line on a vague hope that her machine would work.

Calm thoughts, calm thoughts.

“How’s it looking, Yeller?”

“It’s starting to light up. I’m not sure how much more the battery can take, though.” Yeller was pacing nervously between her prone form and the reactor, watching it intently. “For all we know, it could die any second.”

“Heh…” Epona laughed. “You could say the same for me.”

“Were you always a big fan of gallows humor, Epona?” Yeller glanced back at her.

“No. Obsidian was, though.”

“Obsidian?”

“Yeah. My business partner. He used to work with my mom, took over the company for a while after she and dad died.”

“My condolences.”

Epona snorted. “We weren’t exactly close. I’m over it, mostly. Anyway, it was Obsidian’s idea I go into weapon research. After I left the academy, he became my business partner. He’s better at handling all of the messy bureaucratic stuff than I am.”

“Were you two…lovers?”

“No!” Epona stuck her tongue out and gagged. “No, we weren’t. He’s twice as old as I am. Besides, I’ve never really thought of him like that, you know? It‘s all business, nothing more.”

“Ah.” Yeller turned to look away as Epona felt her heart flutter.

“Epona! The reactor! I think the reaction is happening!”

“Good, because I think the battery’s just about to run out of juice!” Epona groaned in pain as her chest began to burn. “Hurry, plug it in!”

“Okay. I’ll do my best to make it quick.” Yeller unplugged the cable from the now-humming ARC Reactor and carried it over to her. “On three, alright? One. Two…”

“Stop yapping and do it already! Three!” Epona shouted.

There was a crackle as Yeller pulled the cable loose. As Epona inhaled and started to cry out, Yeller plugged the reactor into the chest-plate, giving it a slight twist to lock it in place.

Epona collapsed, panting heavily as her heart began to settle into a sedate, steady rhythm. She turned her head slightly to inspect the reactor. The reactor’s insides glowed with a bright white light, tinged with a rainbow of colors from the focusing crystals.

“Ha ha… suck on those horseapples mom, I beat you.” She panted, pushing herself up slowly, her limbs wobbling like rubber. “I beat you! Ha!”

“That’s good.” Yeller reached out, doing his best to stabilize her. His eyes squinted as he looked at the reactor. “My word… it works.”

“Congratulations Yeller,” Epona wheezed, “You’ve just helped me construct my functional prototype super-reactor. And for my next trick, I think I’ll try flying without wings…”

Ka-Chunk.

Epona swallowed as the door slowly opened, admitting Boss, Denim, and several other ponies into the workshop.

“Well, Miss Stark, how has your progress been?” Boss smiled thinly as Yeller let go, getting down onto his knees with his nose in the dirt. “Have you made any prog…ress?”

Epona winced as he approached, leaning forwards to peer at the ARC Reactor. “And what, pray tell, is this little jewel?”

“It’s a type of magical reactor. I’ve constructed it because the battery I was leashed to was corroding and losing its charge.” A few beads of sweat dripped over her nose as he tapped the glass casing.

“I see. Fascinating. And to build it in four short days as well. You really don’t disappoint, Miss Stark.” He rose up, looking her in the eye. “Now, about my Aurora.”

“The Aurora? Oh! Oh yes, the Aurora!” She laughed nervously.

“Yes. The Aurora. What progress have you made on it?” His voice took on a faint edge.

Come on Epona. Use that charm of yours. You’re used to stroking egos, so stroke like your life depended on it.

“None.”

“None?” The reply came through gritted teeth.

“None. Because what I’m working on right now? Makes it obsolete as a weapon of war. Sun and moon, it makes most of the weapons I’ve designed look like pop-guns and water-squirters.” She looked down her nose at him, giving the Boss a devil-may-care grin. “Give me a month, and I’ll give you a weapon that could make your entire army obsolete.”

“And you can do this. In a month?”

“Sir.” Denim stepped forwards. “She’s obviously lying. I wouldn’t trust her any further than I could buck her.”

“You can believe the big blue brute, or you can believe the mare who built a magical reactor in three or four days with nothing but a box of scraps and a Diamond Dog to help her. After suffering two heart attacks.” Epona shrugged her shoulders.

“Sir!”

“Shut up, Denim.” Boss snapped, his attention purely on Epona. “A month, you say?”

“A month. And if I don’t deliver, you’re more than welcome to yank this reactor out and kill me. It‘s not like you‘ve got a lot to lose.”

Boss began to snicker, then laugh. “Such bravado! Very well, Miss Stark, you’ll have your month.”

“Just make sure none of your boys comes and interrupts me while I’m working, alright? And I‘m going to need more supplies; welding equipment, explosives, liquid fuel if possible.”

“Done. I’ll expect something very impressive, Miss Stark. Otherwise, it won‘t simply be your hide.” Boss turned to smile menacingly at Yeller, who quivered a bit more on the ground.

“Trust me sir,” Epona’s smile was humorless, “You’ll be utterly astounded.”

Denim glared over his shoulder at her as the members of the Ten Horseshoes sauntered off. The door locked itself with a loud clunk behind them. Which was about the time that Yeller turned to stare in horror at Epona.

“Are you a madmare!? A month!? A month!?”

“Less if we work hard. Now help me off this slab.”

“You truly are mad.” Yeller grunted as he helped Epona down. “Quite literally insane.”

“No, I’m brilliant. Come over here.” Epona winced as she walked, leading the Diamond Dog over to one of the workbenches and pushing several boxes out of the way to reveal a large drawing in chalk on the wall. “See?”

“…Is that?”

“Yes, it is.”

“When did you design this?” Yeller stared at her, this time in something close to awe. “Don’t you sleep?”

“Very little. Nothing focuses the mind like adrenaline.”

“Are you sure it’ll work?”

“I have no idea. But there’s no harm in trying.”

Most of the time, Appleloosa was a sleepy frontier town on the outskirts of the Moponi Desert. The ponies there raised and grew hardy apples that flourished in the dry desert heat, kept to themselves, and traded with the local Buffalo tribe. The biggest bit of excitement until recently was the now-settled feud over land with the aforementioned buffalo, and even that had resolved itself neatly.

At least until now. Everypony in town was on their best behavior, because the military was there. One of the local inns had been all but converted into a makeshift base for the military unicorns and pegasi that had swarmed the town. Every day, flights of armored troops flew out into the desert, only to return at sunset or later, while unicorns focused magical energies on carefully-made maps of the area, searching and scrying for any clues that might lead them to their quarry

Roadie’s hooves skidded slightly as he landed, his wing-mates landing in formation on either side of him. The chocolate-coated pegasus sighed as he walked into the inn-slash-command center, nodding as he passed by working mares and stallions.

“Any results from the other flights, Lieutenant Dawncatcher?” He called out to the pale pink mare with a rising-sun Cutie Mark in army silver trotting up to him.

“Negative sir. Nothing conclusive to report as of yet, but Wings Five and Seven have yet to return.”

“Notify me when they report in. Lieutenant Mirror, anything from your side?”

A silver-coated unicorn in a gray and white tunic and an ornate mirror Cutie Mark glanced up, adjusting his half-moon spectacles. “Nothing sir. We’ve been doing our best, but we still can’t find anything either. Traditional remote viewing spells don’t seem to be working. It’s likely that whatever we’re looking for is either being shielded by natural phenomena, or underground.”

“Terrific.” Roadie growled. “Come on everypony, we’ve been at this for at least three weeks by now! Somepony has to have found something of use.”

“Sir, the Moponi Desert is huge. We can only cover so much territory in a day with the pegasi we’ve got.” Dawncatcher objected. “We either need more wings, or increase flight lengths.”

“I’ve spoken with the local buffalo tribe. Chief Thunderhooves has sworn to tell us if his tribesfolk finds anything we can use.” Mirror noted, adjusting his glasses. “He’s also spreading word to any other tribes he has contact with to do the same. It’s not much, but it’s more than we’ve got so far.”

“Right. Mirror, have your mages try to find any caves or ravines that they could be using. Dawncatcher, extend the flights by another day. One day out, one day in. Come and find me once Wings Five or Seven arrive for debriefing. I’m going to the saloon.”

The two ponies saluted as Roadie walked out of the bustling command center and headed towards the tavern. Another day of fruitless searching from the air, watching the ground for clues and dreading the possibility of something shooting up at him, or worse.

Though at this point, being shot at would be better. At least then we’d know where our target is, rather than combing through this sun-blasted desert, Roadie thought to himself bitterly as he pushed his way into the saloon. [ii]What’s the use. As it stands, Epona’s likely dead and buried by now.

“What can I do ya for, son?” The bartender glanced up from the counter he had been polishing.

“Bottle of the apple juice please.” He slumped at the bar, letting his wings sag. No. Epona’s not dead. She’s too clever for that. Just keep thinking she’s survived, alright Roadie? Just keep thinking she’s survived.

“Here ya go, big guy. Drink up.” The cold bottle slid down in front of his muzzle, the white straw swaying in the neck.

“Thanks.” He sipped, shivering at the sweet juice.

“’Nother bad day of flyin‘, eh? Still ain’t found yer ladyfriend, I take it?”

Roadie coughed in mid-drink. “She’s…not my girlfriend.”

“Then why’re ya always comin’ in here like ya got the whole world on yer back if she ain‘t?”

“She’s not my girlfriend, alright?”

The bartender shrugged and wiped down the bar.

“Alright?” Roadie repeated, a bit more insistently. “I mean, she’s pretty and clever and rich, but she’s also spoiled, arrogant, mean-spirited and irresponsible. And I wouldn’t touch her plot of land with my plow even if you paid me to do it, if you catch my drift.”

The bartender snickered. “If she ain’t yer ladyfriend, then why’re ya gettin’ all saddle-sore, if I may pry into yer business? She seems mighty important to ya.”

“…Because,” he leaned his muzzle onto the countertop, “she makes life interesting. You know what I did before I became the liaison to her company? Paperwork. Paperwork and training new recruits. And then Epona Stark comes in and makes a foal out of me and has me running around putting out her fires and laughing all the while.” He drank a long swallow of his apple juice. “I hate her, deeply and passionately. But for the life of me I can’t imagine her not being around.”

“Well, don’t you worry to much now. Lady like that, she’s bound to pop up eventually, just as sure as an apple rollin‘ downhill.”

“I hope you’re right.” Roadie drained the bottle as the saloon’s doors swung open, Dawncatcher leaning through.

“Sir! Flight Five’s returned from their recon.”

“Good. Maybe they’ll have some results.” He reached for his pocket, but the bartender shook his head.

“Ain’t gotta worry ‘bout payin’. I’ll put it on the tab for ya’ll military ponyfolk.”

“Thanks.” Roadie nodded and followed Lieutenant Dawncatcher out, laving the bartender to collect the empty bottle.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Epona’s coat was slick with sweat as she pounded away, the leg mounted hammer sending sparks up as she beat the thick metal into shape on the anvil. Epona wasn’t a stranger to the forge. Her mother had made sure she appreciated the work and craftsmanship of the Earth Ponies, which was why she had worked at a smithy during the summer between semesters. At least now, she could put her experience to good use.

She exhaled slowly, eying the piece she had been hammering on before nodding, stepping away and detaching the hammer from her fetlock. Her teeth ached as she picked up a pair of tongs and lifted the chunk of heavy metal, sliding it into the bath. The glowing metal sent up a plume of steam as it was quenched, hissing and keening before Epona removed it, walking over to the work bench.

“This should be the last big piece.” She panted as she set it down. It was a mask, bullet-shaped and wide, with flared slits for the eyes and nostrils and D-shaped holes for the ears. “How’s the rest coming along?”

“Slowly, Epona.” Yeller grumbled as he squinted, tamping the soldering iron against the circuitry on one plate, radiating outwards from a shallow depression in the plate he was working on. “I’m actually still confused on how this will work. Where‘s the mechanisms for movement?”

“You’re working on the mechanism, actually. I got the idea from unicorn-made fashion, actually.”

“Fashion?”

“Hey, I do try to look my best.” She snorted, pushing some of her heavily matted mane out of her face. “Anyway, skilled designers like Rarity and Haute Couture sometimes weave magical energy into their textiles, or design fabrics that react under different types of tension thanks to the weaving pattern or brocade. That way they can make things like dresses that defy gravity. This is the same basic principle. I just use it to send energy along surfaces from a central source to create a force similar to a unicorn‘s innate telekinesis. I used something similar for the Aurora‘s warhead launcher.”

“Ah. That explains why your design had little to no moving parts, just hunks of interlocking metal and gem sockets.”

“Precisely. The entire circuit creates a magic array that suspends the armor in a low-grade but very focused telekinetic field. Once the interior circuitry is put together and I finish the conductor bands for the reactor, the entire thing will work off the reactor’s power supply. The entire armored shell will feel like a silk suit to me while still maintaining its actual weight and density. And with steel this thick, even armor-piercing rounds will have problems getting through. It should also send anything I hit flying.”

Epona slowly sat down, eying the helmet she had made. “Though the cosmetic design isn’t much. Why don’t you take a break for a second and come over here?”

“Sure.” Yeller set the iron down and limped over. “What do you need now?”

“I need you to cut off my mane and tail.”

“What?” the Diamond Dog blinked. “Why?”

“The suit is designed to be as form-fitting as possible while leaving no areas unshielded. I can’t have my mane or tail poking out where it could catch on something. So I need you to cut them off.”

“…Right.” Yeller nodded and turned, heading to the boxes of equipment. “I’ll find something sharp.”

“You know Yeller… we’ve been down here for, what, three weeks? More?” She flexed her legs slowly, trying to stretch them out. “You really haven’t talked much about yourself.”

“Haven’t seen the need to.” The boxes rattled as Yeller searched.

“Do you have any family? I mean, Diamond Dogs usually live in packs, right?”

Epona’s ears twitched as she heard Yeller stop rummaging around.

“Had a pack. Not a large one. Even had a mate and a few pups.” He said slowly. “I left them for a while to attend the Academy. I figured that I could build a better future for the pack if I learned some of the stuff your kind knows.”

“What happened to them?” Epona felt a coldness fill the pit of her stomach as she looked over her shoulder. Yeller was slightly hunched over one box, his back to her.

“They’re deep underground now, where those ponies won’t find them. I came back to find the Ten Horseshoes in our tunnels. That’s when I was captured.” He resumed digging through the equipment.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I will see them again, one day. Ah, here we are. These cutters should work.”

“Just be careful, the hair’s really matted.”

“It’s a simple task.” He limbed back over, crouching down beside her haunches and began cutting. “What of you, Epona? Do you have any family?”

“None that are alive, really.” She tried to remain still.

“What about friends? Ponies that care about you?”

“Friends? Oh, I’ve…I’ve got lots of friends.”

“Like who?”

“Like…um…” Epona frowned and thought. “Well, I do have a bunch of ponies that I go drinking with at clubs…and some ponies who go home with me for some late night fun in the bedroom…”

“And you call them friends?”

“No! No, they’re just…acquaintances. I guess.” Her voice drifted slightly as she searched her memories. None of them were kind. “Yeah…um…I do have a few friends though.”

“Like who?” The sound of the wire cutters slowly snipping through her hair filled in the silence.

“Well, I have my personal assistant…” Pepper Pot’s face came to the fore of her memories.

It’s like you’re trying to make me go gray before my time!

“A good working relationship?” Yeller’s snipping filled the seconds as she thought.

Believe it or not, Miss Stark, I don’t spend every waking moment trying to anticipate your whims. I’m allowed to have plans, especially on my birthday!

“Not really.” Epona’s voice faltered.

You forgot again, didn’t you?

“In fact, I treat him like dirt. I don’t even have the decency to remember his birthday when it comes around… I do have my dragon though. He’s always loyal…”

Ma’am, I thought you liked the speech I wrote… Sparks whispered accusingly in the vaults of her mind.

“and he works hard for me and… and…”

If you insist, ma’am. I’d still prefer to come with you.

“…and I left him alone to go sulk like a schoolfilly. Come to think of it, half the time I treat him like a glorified blow-torch. I mean, at least Roadie, my military liaison…”

After all, you’ve proved that you can be so reliable in the past. The Roadie in her memories snarked at her.

“…tries to keep me on the right path…”

It’s like you’re deliberately trying to aggravate me sometimes… You are a horrible, horrible mare Epona Stark!

“And I fail spectacularly and pull all sorts of pranks on him for it.” She slowly lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears and failing.. “You’re right Roadie,” she whispered softly, ”I am a horrible, horrible mare. A horrible, stupid, selfish mare.”

“Perhaps you need to try to be better.”

“Yeah.” She inhaled through her nose, wiping her eyes. “At this point, you’re pretty much the only friend I’ve got. Tell you what. First order of business, I’m getting us both out of here. I’m sure you’ll get an award for helping to save me like you did, Yeller. I’ll even get you a job at Stark Enterprises.”

“I didn’t help you for personal gain, Epona…”

“Don’t care!” A hint of desperation entered her voice. “You helped me. You saved my life. When we get out of here, I’m going to reward you. I’ll even fund projects for your pack. Your pack will be the best among the Diamond Dogs!”

“That’s…kind of you, Epona, but…”

“That’s final!” Epona shouted, stomping a hoof.

“Alright.” The Diamond Dog whined softly as he cut and snipped at the pony’s mane, leaving Epona to stew in silence.

“Are you doing the right thing?” That’s what you asked me Celestia, she thought in silence. I thought I was sure about my answer. I don’t think I know the answer any more.

Time was up.

Everything was ready. Epona stood still, her black mane and tail a faint hint of fuzz along the edges of her dock and crest. She only shifted her weight slightly as Yeller helped “dress” her.

The first thing was a leather covering that wrapped along her midsection and around her neck. A thin strip of golden metal was fused to the leather, with two leads connecting to the ARC Reactor on her chest.

Then came the armor. The pieces were heavy, so they were built from the bottom up. Hoofed “boots” that slid up her legs, segmented at the major joints to provide some limited mobility. Heavy plates covered her barrel, withers, shoulders and flank. A chest-plate that folded clam-shell like around her neck, with a hole for the ARC Reactor. Solid plates that covered her neck rested against the chest plate and back plate. Last, but not least, was the mask, the once-empty eyeholes now covered over with clear plastic for eye protection. Crystals were inset at key points around the body’s superstructure, designed to be key nodes for the magical energy to congregate at.

Finally, the weapons systems. A pair of flame-launchers were settled onto her sides like saddlebags, triggered by a thin tube that ran into her mask. A heavy rocket launcher was strapped to her under-carriage, ready to be fired with the kick of a front leg.

She was a walking tank, a mare made out of iron.

“Are you sure this will work?” Yeller whispered as he tightened a final few bolts. A few tiny sparks flew as the ARC Reactor made contact with the conduction lines inside the suit.

“Yeah. The support gems should already be pulling energy from the ARC Reactor. It may take a minute or three before the structure is fully charged. I’m just lucky this pile of scrap is designed to stand like this without power. It’s all I can do to not topple over.”

“Good. Do you remember the path I told you?”

“Thirty paces, right turn, forty-two paces, left turn, seventy paces, left turn, then just keep going straight until I see daylight. I’ll clear out anypony that’s in my way. Remember, you need to stay behind me…”

Ka-chunk.

“Oh no.” Epona tried to stay calm as the door creaked open. It was too early. She had hoped for a little more time.

Denim and several guards stepped through the door, the blue stallion eying her. “What in the hay do you think you’re doing, mare?”

Terrific, it’s the big blue doofus and his pack of merry murderers. Epona swallowed nervously, her mouth dry. “Testing something. Really important. Go away.”

“Likely story. Get out of that suit! Now!”

“I can’t.” Come on, charge faster.

“You!“ Denim snarled, pointing at one of the armed guards “Get the dog!”

The guard peeled off, passing out of Epona’s line of sight. Denim approached head-on, his teeth grinding as he glared at her. “You know, you’re a lot more trouble than you’re worth. Do you really think this is going to impress the Boss? A pile of scrap with some guns mounted on it? You must really think we’re idiots! I bet you spent most of your time getting humped by that that stupid, bow-legged mutt!”

Epona’s eyes went wide as she heard the sound of a hoof meeting flesh, closely followed by a canine yelp of pain

“Leave him alone! Leave Yeller alone!” Epona snarled, her muscles straining against the heavy metal. “So help me, if you hurt him...”

“Fine! We’ll deal with you first! You! Put a bullet in her precious magic reactor and shut her up!” Denim shouted. One of the guards stepped forwards, taking aim with his gun stocks.

And then there was a whinny of pain as Yeller leapt onto the guard, beating at his head and shoulders with his large fists. Epona could only stare in wide eyed panic, immobile as Yeller struggled, beating on the guard and knocking him over. The gun stocks fired into the ceiling, shattering a few of the lights. The world became a cacophony of shouting and snarling as the lamed Diamond Dog did his best to fight.

“Stupid mutt!” Denim shouted. “Die already!”

BANG!

There was a yelp, then silence.

“Yeller?” Epona whispered. “Yeller? Come on…This isn’t funny…Yeller? YELLER?”

“Well,” Denim panted, turning to grin at Epona as the guards limped over, shallow scratches dripping red onto their coats. “Now what’re you going to do?”

There was a soft hum as the gems lit up. The iron became as light as paper to Epona.

And with a scream of anger, Epona reared up and smashed her hooves into Denim’s chin, sending him flying backwards. The guards opened fire, only to be knocked down by armored limbs that weighed as much as their torsos. Ribs cracked as they landed in limp piles, unconscious and unmoving.

Epona didn’t care. Her hooves clanked as she knelt down by Yeller. The Diamond Dog coughed, the large bullet hole in his chest spreading blood over his yellowish fur.

“Sorry. Wasn’t ready…” He grinned weakly. “Should have…blocked door. Stupid.”

“Why? Why did you do that?!”

“Going to kill you. Had to…stop them.”

“No. No, you’re not doing this to me Yeller. We had a plan. I was going to get you out. I was going to get you back to your pack…”

“Pack…is gone…I go…to meet them now.”

“No. No. No, no, no, NO!” Epona shook her head as best she could inside her helmet, her vision blurring.

“My friend…”

Those two words froze her voice in her throat.

“Epona…friend…go. Be…better.” Yeller reached up, touching her face mask before his arm went limp, just like the rest of his body.

Epona knelt there, unmoving and numb as she stared at the limp frame of the being that had actually called her his friend. And as she stood up, a deep and terrible cold filled her very soul.

The ponies of the Ten Horseshoes were fleeing, backing up as they fired their gun stocks. Boss shouted at them, ordering them to keep firing as he turned to face the attacker.

Bullets ricocheted off the heavy metal monster as it walked down the corridors. Streamers of liquid flame leapt from two emitters mounted on either side of its body, torching anything that got in its way. Anypony who tried to leap on it from hiding got bucked off with an enraged whinny, slamming into the hard stone walls. Even the grenades that were bucked in its direction did nothing but make the metal pony stagger slightly from the blast.

The Boss knew what it was. It was Epona Stark.

“Everypony pull back! Pull back now!” He shouted as he pulled on his own gun stocks, this one equipped with a large rocket launcher. He always told his subordinates to never use high explosives in the tunnels. This, however, was an exception.

As the monster made her way down the tunnel, she passed him, her hoof steps clanging heavily as she moved. She was close to the entrance now. The Boss followed her slowly, creeping along until he was sure she wasn’t paying attention to her rear.

He squeezed the firing trigger in his mouth.

FWOOSH!

The missile flew down the hallway…only for Epona to side step it. She turned as it exploded harmlessly outside in the sun.

He froze.

With almost flippant ease, she kicked the launcher slung between her legs.

FWOOSH!

The rocket fired towards him, shooting just above the ground. It impacted into the wall beside him, showering him with debris that pinned him to the hard stone floor. The Boss could only watch as Epona turned around and walked out into the sun, the light gleaming off the armor she was wearing, pock-marked at it was with gunfire scars. The armor on its legs spread, revealing large, shaped explosive charges.

There was a sound like thunder, and a great fireball as the iron mare launched into the sky above, leaving Boss stunned and deafened.

The Mark One’s armored shell was in shambles, the gems that served as the suit’s support system shattered and its metal plates slightly warped from the impact.

Epona groaned as she slowly pulled herself free from the wreckage, pushing the bullet-shaped mask off her head as she panted. She was fine. Sore all over, but nothing was broken thanks to the suit’s support system. She might have been an earth pony, but a fall at that speed would have probably killed even her. She leaned her head down and yanked on the leather under-padding’s ties with her teeth..

“Note to…self,” she mumbled to herself as she undid the knots with her teeth, “Shaped charges…while useful for an explosive escape… do not have enough power for sustained flight.”

The leather armor landed with a heavy thud as the ties came free. Epona winced, shielding her eyes as best she could from the sunlight. Everything was so bright after being stuck in the cave for so long. Bright and hot.

Okay Epona, now what? You’re free, but you’re stuck in the desert with no idea of where you are or where you’re going, with no supplies or way to call for help.

And she was alone again. No one was with her. She felt tears start to well up before she shook her head.

Don’t start that. Don’t cry. Cry later. Survive now. Walk.

The earth pony inhaled a shuddering breath and began walking, first climbing out of the shallow crater her landing had made, and then began walking, one hoof in front of the other.

It had been another long day. Roadie was on his third bottle of apple juice, sliding the half-empty glass bottle back and forth on the counter between his hooves when Dawnchaser rushed into the saloon.

“Sir!” She cried out. “Sir! I think we’ve found her!”

Roadie sat up with a start, the bottle continuing its path until it tumbled off the counter. “What?”

“Epona! A messenger from Chief Thunderhooves just arrived. Apparently two of his warriors found an earth pony wandering the desert that matched the description we gave of Epona. She’s alive!”

“Epona’s…alive?” He visibly shook, his wings flaring as he got to his feet “I want all available wings to mobilize immediately. Notify any medical staff here in town to be on standby.”

“Sir!” Dawnchaser saluted and dashed out, followed soon after by Roadie. It didn’t take long for the pegasi to form up and take flight, Roadie at the head of the formation.

The buffalo encampment wasn’t hard to find, even in the slowly falling twilight. The pale tents stood out among the hard ground, and the numerous fires helped the camp stay lit. Roadie and his pegasi descended, landing in formation just outside the encampment. Roadie was the first to break formation, trotting into the camp at a quick-but-professional clip. Several buffalo, including Chief Thunderhooves himself, trundled out to meet him.

“Chief Thunderhooves.” Roadie bowed his head respectfully to the elder buffalo.

“Mister Roads. Good, your arrival was prompt.” The old chieftain nodded.

“I do my best. Where is she?” Roadie felt like a coiled spring, his body tight with tension.

“Little Strongheart is with her in the shaman’s tent. Come.” The buffalo jerked his head to the side and began to walk, approaching a large teepee with a closed flap. “Two of my tribesfolk discovered her this afternoon several miles south of here. She was delirious, had no supplies and no clothes, and a strange device attached to her chest. However, she does appear to look like your missing Epona.”

Roadie ducked underneath the canvas flap. Inside, a smaller buffalo was seated beside a low cot. A familiar-looking pony lay sprawled on her side, her breathing shallow. Her coat was layered with grime to the point where even her Cutie Mark was barely visible, and her mane and tail had been crudely cut, so short that they were virtually non-existent. She was skinny enough that her ribs were starting to show through her coat.

Roadie’s eyes lingered on the mare’s chest. A large glowing disc was attached to her skin, illuminating the tent with a pale white light.

That looks like something Epona would make. But I need to make sure. The soldier pegasus inhaled. “How is she?”

“Better.” Little Strongheart glanced from the pegasus to the prone earth pony. “We’ve given her water and food, but she’s rather weak.”

“Can I speak with her?”

The small buffalo nodded and sidled out of the way, letting Roadie crouch down by her.

“Epona? Hey, Epona, wake up.” Please be her, please be her.

The mare’s eyelids slowly opened, revealing a familiar pair of blue-green eyes. She smiled slowly. “Roadie?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

Only one pony called him that. “I’m here Epona.”

The mare sniffled, then gave a hoarse sob as she wrapped her legs around his forelimbs. “Oh Celestia, it’s you. It’s you…” She quivered, her voice devolving into choked sobs.

Roadie knelt there, eyes wide with shock. He had been expecting a flippant comment, or maybe just a friendly ‘hey.’ Not tears. He raised a hoof slightly, trying to find something to say. Anything.

Nothing came to mind. He simply sighed and reached down, stroking her head with one hoof before looking out through the tent flap.

“Chief Thunderhooves? Tell my ponies to get ready to transport Epona Stark to Appleloosa for medical treatment.”

It took several days for Epona to recover from her trip through the desert. Reports flew from Appleloosa to Canterlot, providing Celestia with reports of the mare’s health and the circumstances of her confinement.

Aside from her interviews with the military ponies and some interaction with the doctors, Epona had remained uncharacteristically silent. She hadn’t flirted with anypony, she hadn’t made snide remarks or even teased him. In some ways, Roadie found her behavior just a little unnerving. She seemed completely lost in thought, her gaze often distant.

It had been that way on the train ride back to Canterlot as well.

The train hissed as it pulled into Canterlot Station. Her arrival hadn’t been announced to the press at large yet, so only two figures were waiting at the platform as Epona and Roadie disembarked.

Pepper Pot stood there, trying to keep a straight face as Epona stepped onto the platform. She looked different: thinner, shorn and stressed. Her unadorned black dress was less ‘look-at-me’ trendy and more austere. The unicorn stood still, trying to process the differences.

Sparks, meanwhile, ran up to her and hugged Epona around the neck.

“Miss Stark! You’re okay! You’re okay!”

“Hey Sparks…” Epona managed to squeak out through the hug, leaning her arms up to hug the dragon in return. They held onto each other for a few long moments before she let go, Sparks following suit.

“Um.. What I meant to say was, ‘Welcome home ma’am.’ The dragon drew himself up, putting on his more professional face.

“Heh, it’s good to be back.” Epona turned to look at Pepper, then walked over to him. “Hey Pepper. How’re things?”

“Good.” Pepper bobbed his head in an approximation of a nod, his composure cracking a little.

“Are those tears?” Epona smiled, gently nudging him with a hoof.

“Tears of joy. At least I won’t have to worry about finding another job now.” He tried to laugh a little.

Epona‘s wan smile disappeared. “You think I’d leave you hanging like that?”

“Well, I…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Epona interrupted, turning to look over her shoulder. “Sparks? Is my carriage here?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Come on everypony, we have things to do.” Epona began to amble off, a determined look on her face.

“Epona? Epona wait!” Sparks, Roadie and Pepper followed behind the mare, Pepper taking the lead. “We need to get you to the hospital. We need to get you checked out to make sure you’re alright.”

“The hospital can wait. This is more important. I need to get a few things Pepper Pot. Alright?”

“Right.” Pepper nodded.

“First, I’m going to get a dozen of Pony Joe’s powdered sugar donuts. Second, a large hay shake with extra ice cream...”

“You’re joking Epona.”

“No. It’s been over a month since I’ve had good food, and I want it something fierce. Third, I want you…”

Pepper stumbled slightly mid-step. “Now?”

“Let me finish!” Epona interrupted as she stepped into her carriage “I want you to call a press conference at Stark Enterprises headquarters. Get as many newsponies as you can. Got it?”

“But Epona!”

“Pepper…” Epona looked at him quietly. “Please.”

Pepper started to object, but caught the look on Epona’s face and hung his head. “Fine. It’ll be ready as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

Epona wiped the powdered sugar from her hooves onto the seat cushion of her automated carriage. Her stomach ached under its contents, but at lest she had had her fill of comfort food.

It hadn’t been an easy decision. There was no way anypony in her company would like what was about to happen, especially not Obsidian. A lot of ponies were going to give her a lot of grief.

It’d be easier to leave things as they are, she mused.. I don’t have to do this. I don’t want to do this. But… she was right. I have to do what’s right. And sometimes the right thing isn’t the easy thing.

She took a deep breath as the carriage came to a halt, the door clicking open to allow her out. The headquarters of Stark Enterprises was a sizable building made of smooth white stone and golden enamel, with large and square windows. The press ponies were already there, gathered in two lines on the steps leading up to the front doors.

They weren’t the only ones there. Obsidian Stone carefully stepped down the stairs towards her.

“Hey Obsidian.” She managed a smile as the older stallion pulled her into a hug, a deep laugh coming from his chest. Epona could hear the shutters and flash-bulbs going off.

“And here I thought I’d never see you again, my golden girl.” He chuckled, running a hoof over her head. “Can’t say I like what you’ve done with your mane, though. Didn’t think you’d go for the buzz-cut look.

“Heh, I heard that short manes were in this year.” She grinned sheepishly.

“I didn’t expect you back this soon. One minute you’re gone, the next I hear you’re calling a surprise press conference.”

“I know it’s short notice Obsidian, but please, just go with me. I really need to do this, right now.”

“Okay, okay.” He murmured consolingly. “Just relax. Whatever it is you want to do, I’ll be behind you, a hundred percent.”

I hope so, she thought to herself as she waved to the press. “Alright everypony! Please head inside!” She shouted.

The press poured into the building followed by Epona and Obsidian. Pepper and Roadie were already waiting inside, talking to a nondescript gray stallion in a black suit in hushed tones. Epona didn’t pay much attention to them, though. She was too busy trying to steel her nerves for what she was about to do.

Epona paused, having a seat on in front of the podium that had been set up in the main lobby of the building. Obsidian leaned over the podium, frowning down at her before floating the mike down to her level. The mare held the mike in both hooves, adjusting it in its stand before she spoke.

“Can everypony hear me?”

There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd as Epona shifted on her seat.

“I know this is a bit odd, but could everypony have a seat real quick? This isn’t going to take long, and I’ll take questions once I’ve said my piece. Alright? Everypony, just sit down.” She waved a hoof as the press ponies slowly lowered themselves onto the floor, except for the camera ponies who were busy snapping photos.

Alright Epona, show time. Make this one count.

She took a deep breath, rubbing her head with one hoof before she began.

“More than a month ago at my presentation to the military, a certain pony asked me a question. It was a simple question, but not one I usually got asked; ‘Do you think what you’re doing is right?’ At the time, I thought I knew the answer to that question. I was certain of it. So certain that I got angry about the question even being asked.

“And then…then I got captured. I saw ponies killed with weapons that my company made. I saw the weapons that I had designed and built to defend Equestria in the hooves of those who meant to do my country and my fellow ponies harm. And not just ponies, but other species as well. And I almost died to one of my cruelest and most lethal of weapons, a weapon I was once proud of designing for its complexity and lethality. And one of my few friends died trying to protect me.”

A few ponies rose up, starting to speak, but Epona raised a hoof to stop them.

“Please, just let me finish.” She inhaled, trying to recompose herself. “Having been through all of that, knowing what I know now, and having had time to think, I’ve come to a very different conclusion. If my mother were here, rest her soul, I’d probably be asking her the same sort of questions that certain pony asked me. Are we doing the right thing? Is our company doing the right thing?

“I can’t claim to know how she would answer. But I know how I’m going to answer now. I was a fool and a child, and my disregard for common decency and sanity has led to innocent blood being shed. It’s time I took responsibility.”

She inhaled deeply. This was the big part. The press was hanging on her every word.

“Which is why I am announcing that I will be shutting down the weapons research and development wing of Stark Enterprises, effective immediately, until I have decided the direction that this company will take. Please direct your questions to Mr. Obsidian Stone.”

Epona tipped the microphone over, pushing her way to her feet as the press exploded. Obsidian tried to shout over the din as she stumbled away.

Pepper and Roadie flanked her, helping her along.

“I…think I’d like to go to the hospital now, please.” She smiled weakly.

Author's Note: Thanks to Jack of Games for getting me onto this project, to the chatters in #EquestrianStudy for helping me proof-read. Major thanks go to author 25 or 6 to 4 for inspiring this whole Marevel Ultimates thing and for giving us his blessing.
And yes, I'm well aware that this is basically a retread of Iron Man the movie. This was mostly intentional. However, I like to think tat this version is its own creation. Later chapters will diverge further from the film as it continues.

Part Three: First Flight

The Royal Hospital at Canterlot had a strict policy against the press. It was one of the few things Obsidian was grateful for as he walked through the front doors, his pulled back ears and flicking tail the only indicators of his mood.

A blue-grey coated nurse glanced up as he approached the front desk, her big green eyes a little nervous. “Welcome to the Royal Hospital sir. How can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Miss Epona Stark. Where is she?” His voice was carefully measured and neutral. He leaned over the counter, his sheer size intimidating to look at as he glowered down at the nurse.

“Miss Stark?” The nurse glanced at the chart. “Um, I believe she’s room 208, sir. Should I notify the doctor that you’ll be coming up?”

“That won’t be necessary, miss. Thank you.” Obsidian gave her a curt nod and turned, making his way to the stairway. He took the steps two at a time, ignoring the ponies he passed by as he did so.

Calm, Obsidian. Calm and control, he reminded himself mentally, You still need her around. She’s important, in more ways than one. She’s Merry Stark’s daughter. She’s your golden girl. Even if she’s obviously gone off the deep end…

The black unicorn slowed to a walk as he approached the doorway to room 208. He took a few seconds to compose himself before reaching a hoof up and knocking firmly.

“Come in?” A voice came from the other side of the door.

Obsidian stepped inside, pushing the door open with a hoof. The private room was well lit and painted a soft, pastel pink. An older, gray coated mare with a curly crimson mane, glasses and a white coat sat beside the bedside, glancing up at him as he intruded.

Epona was laying on the bed, still dressed in her black dress, though it was slightly wrinkled now. A thin tube led down to her left fetlock, connected to a bag of clear fluid.

“Hey Obsidian.” She smiled, looking away from him to the mare. “Doctor Goodheart, could you excuse us for a second?”

“Alright Miss Stark. Just try not to exert yourself too much.” The mare stood up, pushing her mane out of her face before she trotted off, leaving the two alone.

Obsidian stared at Epona for the longest time, his ears pulled back so close to his scalp that they almost disappeared. Part of him wanted to shout at her, to browbeat her for her stupidity. But looking at her as she was, it was hard to muster up that much anger.

He settled on a disappointed glower. “Well?”

“I’m sorry, Obsidian. I know I should have stuck around, but…”

“I know.” He grumbled. “Hospital, getting checked out.”

“How did it go?”

“How did what go? The press conference you left me at? It was like being pecked to death by ducks.” He began to pace, his hoofsteps heavy on the smooth floor. “I had to get security to get most of the press out of the building. We nearly had a riot on our hooves! I can already see the papers tomorrow; “Has Epona Stark Lost Her Mind? See page 6!”” He snorted and turned to face her, his voice slowly rising in volume. “And then I had to promise to the board that no, you haven’t lost what little sense you have, and that I’d talk to you before we shut down what’s effectively a third of our entire business! What were you thinking?!”

Obsidian huffed softly as Epona curled up, her head lowered and her eyes closed. He inhaled and shook himself then made his way over to her bedside, having a seat.

So much for calm, he thought morosely, reaching a hoof out to touch hers.

“Look, Epona… I know you’ve been through a lot.” His voice became gentle. “I can understand that. I was in the military. I fought and saw a lot of violence during the Diamond Wolf War. I know how it feels to come back after all that.” He pulled her hoof up, holding it in both of his. “I know that it’s tough. So I can understand if you want to make changes. But you can’t just do something like that, not so suddenly. We can do this though. I just want you to know that I’m behind you, alright?”

“Alright.” She nodded, rolling onto her side to face him, “Thanks Obsidian. To be honest, I was sort of dreading this… I figured you‘d come in here and get all fire and brimstone on me.”

“I was considering it.” He chuckled, then went back to looking serious. “But Epona, you have to understand, this isn’t a simple thing you’re asking for. Stark Enterprises makes weapons for the crown. We’ve built our manger out of iron and blood, and filled it with bits from Equestria’s military budget. Take that away, and the company will starve.”

Epona felt her anger rise in her stomach. “My company is selling weapons to terrorists. Or weren’t you listening to my little press conference?” Epona glared, yanking her hoof away from his grasp. “We’re doing something wrong if something like that is going on.”

“Alright Epona, I under…”

“If you’re going to tell me that we can’t, then point me towards the board, and I’ll…”

“Epona!” Obsidian snapped, then leaned over to nuzzle her gently. “I’m on your side, my golden girl. I’m just saying that if we do shut weapons R&D down, we have to do something to make up the difference. So if you‘ve got any ideas…”

“I do, actually.” She interrupted.

Obsidian arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I think we need to look into the Artificial Resonance Cascade Reactor again.”

Obsidian arched an eyebrow. “Seriously? That old thing? Hah.” He shook his head. “The reactor was a thought experiment, your mom’s pet project. We tried to make the thing work, but there’s no way. It’s a glorified money sink! I mean, if we had a working prototype that’d be one thing, but that’s a bit much to ask for.” He paused and glanced at her appraisingly, his lips trembling in a smile that he tried to suppress. Epona seemed slightly amused as he cleared his throat “I mean, unless you’ve got something you want to share with me? Some clever plan?”

“You do realize how terrible your poker face is, right?” Epona deadpanned. “This is why I never take you to Las Haygas. Who told you?”

“Told me what? I wasn’t told anything.” Obsidian feigned innocence.

“Was it Roadie? It had to be Roadie.”

“Doesn’t matter who told me, just show me.”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and gestured to her chest. “Pull down my blouse.”

Obsidian swallowed, a hint of blush coloring his cheeks.. “What? Epona, I… I didn’t know you thought of me like that.”

“Oh come on Obsidian. What are you, a schoolcolt? It’s mounted on my chest.”

“Alright, alright…” He chuckled, reaching up to her dress and pulling the neckline down…then froze. The light from the ARC Reactor lit up his face, glinting in his wide eyes.

“Sun and moon…” He whispered in near reverence. “Is that…?”

“It is, and it works, Obsidian.” Epona grinned. “Admittedly, it’s only a prototype but it works perfectly. Thank about all the applications we could use these for!”

Obsidian felt his jaw go slack as he let go of Epona’s blouse, leaning back in the chair. ”Amazing… just when I thought you couldn’t surprise me any more. Wow.” He looked around the room quickly then leaned in. “Alright…alright. You‘ve sold me on it. I’ll talk to the board and see what I can do.”

“Thank you Obsidian. I shouldn‘t be here too long. The docs just want me to stay overnight to make sure I‘m not going to keel over.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Look, it’d be best if you stayed low for a while, minimize publicity. Go home, rest, recuperate, work on personal projects, whatever.” He tapped a hoof on the bed. “Just let me handle the mess, alright? Think you can do that Epona?”

“I think I can deal with that. I had a few things I wanted to work on.” She smiled, then leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you. Thank you for understanding.”

“Hey, don’t you start getting all mushy on me Epona.” He chuckled, returning the hug. “You just focus on getting better, alright?”

“Right.”

“I’ve got to get back and deal with all the fallout. You take care of yourself.” He stood and made his way out, shaking his head.

Not exactly what I had in mind, but I can roll with this, though, he thought to himself as he climbed down the stairs. I always do.

The house was just like she’d left it. Then again, the only one who had been living in it since she left had been Sparks, and he prided himself on his neatness.

Still, it’s a little unnerving to see everything so shiny and clean, Epona thought to herself as she shut the door. The place even smelled clean.

“Sparks?” She called, looking around as she walked. “Sparks, are you in here?”

“Coming Miss Stark!” The dragon quickly descended the stairs from the upper floor and slid to a halt in front of her. “Welcome home!”

“At ease soldier.” She chuckled. “It’s good to be home. I see you’ve kept the place clean for me.”

“Yes Miss Stark, always. Would you like me to fix you some lunch? Draw you a bath?” He seemed almost eager, his big red eyes focused on her intently.

“Maybe later. Right now, I really need to head down to the garage.” She smiled, walking around him and heading to the stairwell.

“The garage, Miss Stark?” Sparks sounded nervous as he trotted after her. “R-really? So soon? I mean, surely you’d prefer to relax, catch your breath. I mean you just got out of the hospital.”

“I’m not an invalid Sparks. Besides, you know I feel comfortable in the workshop.”

“B-but…” Sparks whimpered as Epona pushed the door open.

“Honestly Sparks, I’m fine. You act like I’m going to…” She turned back to look forwards as she entered the garage, then stopped, her eyes wide.

The garage was a mess, to put it lightly. Her sketches were spread out along the wall and floor, design maps drawn on and connected together with tape. Drawers were open and pieces of equipment were scattered everywhere, tools laid out on the ground like they had been set there and left alone.

The garage’s far wall was now dominated with what looked like a work station of some sort. A pair of stumpy towers filled with circuitry and gems glowed underneath the desk, while solid-light holograms hovered silently within reach of a padded hammock chair suspended from the ceiling. Several large monitors surrounded the chair, backlighting the contraption with a deep blue light.

“I…I wanted to have a chance to clean up first, ma’am…” Sparks whimpered nervously, slowly walking around and into Epona’s field of vision.

“What…Sparks, what did you do?!” She gaped, her voice filled with shock.

“A-after I found out you went missing…a-and after Princess Celestia brought me back to Canterlot I…well…” He scratched one of his ear frills nervously. “I figured I’d try to help.”

“What…”

“I-I used a lot of your design sketches, Miss Stark! The crystalline processor plans, the prototype programmable micro-circuitry and multi-phase computing motherboards, the solid-light-illusion projection systems…all of it. I… I also used your expense account and borrowed a lot of stuff from Stark Enterprises. Programs too; tactical simulations, navigation software, computer modeling and simulation projections…”

“But…but why?” She stared at the machine. She never really thought the plans would amount to anything. They were just ideas, things she worked on, that she’d never thought of putting into production.

“Because…” Sparks swallowed, stepping back before rushing to the computer, his back against the desk. “Because I couldn’t just sit here! I thought that if I could find a way to calculate…if I could map the pegasi’s patrol flights…if, if I could just find you, it’d make up for me not being there when you were taken away!” He sniffed, wiping his eyes.

“You…you did all this just to find me?”

“Yes…I-I know you don’t like others messing with your plans or your tools. So I-I’ll understand if you’re angry with-”

“Come here.” Epona tapped her hoof on the floor.

“Yes, Miss Stark.” He slumped dejectedly, his tail dragging as he walked. He stopped just short of her, expecting the worst.

He froze as he felt her wrap her arms around him, nuzzling into his forehead.

“Oh Sparks.” She whispered. “You really are too good for me. You did all this just to find me.”

“S-so…you’re not mad, Miss Stark?”

“Mad?!” She pulled away, her eyes a little watery. “Mad? How can I be mad?! Look at you! You built a computer just from my leftover plans. I didn’t expect half of those design to even work, much less get put together into…this! Sparks, I’m very, very proud of you.”

“Miss Stark…” He whimpered, his tail stiffening.

“And no more of this ‘Miss Stark’ nonsense. It’s Epona. You’re not my butler, or my personal blow-torch. You’re my friend, understand?”

“U-understood, Mi…I mean, yes, Epona.”

“Good.” Epona smirked, letting go. “Now, I hope you’re ready to get to work, because I’ve got something planned. Something big.”

“Anything you want, I’m here to help with.” Sparks saluted as Epona trotted over to her drawing board. “Um, Epona?”

“Yes?” She looked up, a pencil held in her mouth.

“I do have a sketching program installed in the computer. You don’t have to use paper and pencil.”

“…Oh.” She spat the pencil out. “Well, that helps a lot.”

“Do you want me to log this new project and submit it to the records at Stark Enterprises, Epona?” The young dragon climbed into his hammock, bouncing slightly in the seat as he cracked his knuckles.

“I…” Epona frowned and paused. The images of the Stark-made weapons in the hooves of her captors came back almost as clear as day.

If somepony in my company is selling weapons like that, I’d be better off keeping this off the books, Epona thought to herself. “You know what Sparks, let’s just keep this a secret between you and me. Nopony else, not even Pepper.”

“Not even Pepper?”

“No, not even him.” Epona walked over to peer at the screens. “I don’t think he’d understand what I’m doing.”

“Right,” Sparks nodded, picking up a stylus and offering it to Epona’s lips. “I’ll bring the sketching program up. Draw when ready.”

“Mm.” She nodded again, wiggling the stylus up and down as she dug into her memories. The Mark One suit had some good ideas, but I think we can do better. A lot better.

A blue pad popped up in the air before her, waiting for input. Now, let’s see what improvements we can make. First, the flight system… though I’m also going to need a better reactor…

Pepper Pot did his best to be professional and courteous to everypony, he really did. When he had joined Stark Enterprises, he had expected to be working in a professional environment for one of the foremost technology companies in Equestria.

Instead, he was the personal assistant to Epona Stark. Not that he minded the job’s perks, like his great salary, excellent benefits, lots of chances for travel, and a good deal of responsibility. No, his problem was with his boss. Epona Stark was, by all metrics, completely insane.

This was typified by the scene he had just walked in on.

“What in the name of Celestia’s horn are you doing!?” He couldn’t help but screech and drop the folder he was holding. His boss was laying on her back atop one of the work tables, limbs pinned down and spread-eagled as Sparks stood over her, a glowing object in his clawed fingers.

Epona glanced over at him with a grin. “Oh, hey Pepper, you’re just in time. Give Sparks a helping hoof, would you?”

“Give Sparks a helping hoof? You look like you’re going to do surgery or something!” Pepper stomped over towards the two. “Explain!”

“It’s not surgery Pepper, seriously,” Epona replied nonchalantly. “Sparks is just going to switch out my old ARC Reactor for the new one I built.”

“Oh, you mean the one that’s currently keeping your heart from tearing itself apart?”

Epona winced again at the screech. “Well, if you put it that way, yes. But it shouldn’t be too hard. Actually, with you here, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You’re a lunatic Epona Stark.”

“Hardly. Look, all I need you to do is remove the original reactor while Sparks slots the new one in. I’ve already taken some medication to slow my heart-rate down so that I won’t damage my heart too much.”

Pepper stared at Epona, eyes wide.

“You want me to pull this thing out?”

“Correct. Look, if you do it, then Sparks will be able to get the reactor in that much faster, with much less stress, alright?”

“And the straps?” Pepper glared at the bindings.

“Um…they’re to keep me pinned in case I, you know, start flailing around and screaming in pain.”

“…Fine.” Pepper inhaled and sat down beside the table. “What do I do?”

“All you need to do is rotate the reactor counter-clockwise until you hear a click., and then give it a pull. Then Sparks will put his in and then we’ll be done.”

“Right.” Pepper inhaled slowly and began to concentrate. A reddish field of magic formed around the Reactor. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Go ahead.” Epona inhaled, laying her head back and closing her eyes. There was a click and, as she felt a small spike of pain, a second click and a cool rush of energy.

“And we’re done.” Sparks began undoing the straps as Epona rolled onto her stomach. The new reactor was slightly larger than the previous one, the central chamber pushing out a bit further and glowing brighter.

“See? That wasn’t bad, now was it Pepper?” She grinned as Pepper stared at the reactor hovering in front of him.

“Um….n-no.” He inhaled, setting the old ARC Reactor aside before he turned back to his boss. “Don’t ever ask me to do something like that again, though. You scared the daylight out of me.”

“Sorry. It was rather stupid of me.”

Pepper paused at that, then nodded. “Apology accepted. Now, could you explain this to me?” The russet unicorn floated the folder back over and set it before Epona, opening it.

“Hmm? These look like the requisition orders I put in.”

“Machine parts? CrystalLine? Carbon-fiber mesh? Gems? And things like “Aurumtanium” and “Multi-force projection lenses?”” Pepper’s voice was strained.

“Aurumtanium is a composite alloy of gold and titanium: it carries energy like gold, but has the tensile strength and durability of titanium. The multi-force projection-”

“You know what, I don’t care.” Pepper grumbled. “I just want to know why you need all of this.”

“Special project.” Epona smiled.

“A special project.” Pepper replied, eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you were done with weapons.”

“This isn’t a weapon, Pepper. It’s something completely different.” Epona sighed. “Pepper, I know we haven’t been on the best of terms since…well, ever, really.”

Pepper rolled his eyes, then froze as Epona touched his shoulder.

“But,” she continued, “I need you to just trust me. Alright? I know that‘s a bit hard to swallow, coming from me, but you‘re one of the closest things I have to a friend.. Moonlight, I probably couldn’t brush my teeth or dress myself in the morning without you.”

“…Hoof off please.”

“Sorry.” She removed her hoof.

“Thanks.” Pepper brushed off his shirt and pulled himself up as best he could. “I know you’re trying to be better Epona. I’m not really sure how I feel about that, but I accept it. I’m willing to trust you... for now. I don’t know what you’ve got planned, and quite frankly I’m not sure I want to know. Just…don’t screw up, alright? Can you promise me that?”

“Alright. Promise.” Epona stood up and hopped off the table, leaning against the edge with one leg folded cockily over the other. “How do I look? Does this reactor make my flank look big?”

“Only about as big as your ego.” Pepper shook his head, then glanced over the old reactor. “What do you want me to do with that?”

“Whatever you want. It’s not like I need it anymore.”

“Right.” He levitated the still-lit arc reactor and began to trot off, the folder floating behind him. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll be at the office if you need anything else.”

“Hey Pepper!”

The unicorn silently counted to ten before answering. “Yes?”

“Would you mind not mentioning what I’m doing down here to Obsidian? He’d probably have a conniption if he knew what I was working on.” Epona gave him a wide grin.

“Fine. Sure, whatever. Just leave me out of this special project of yours, alright?”

“You’ve got it. And Pepper…thanks. For everything, I mean.”

Pepper shook his head and pushed the door open. “You’re welcome, I suppose. I’m going now.”

“Just make sure to put in those requisition orders!” Epona called to him as he shut the door.

“Are you sure this is safe, Epona?”

The mare chuckled softly as she walked, her hoof steps heavy and clunking. A solid week of designing, prototyping, checking, rechecking and re-designing had lead to the rig she was wearing. It was surprisingly simple: a set of heavy, form-fitting metallic grieves that covered her legs up to the forearms and ankles. Thin, insulated wires ran up her limbs to the saddle-like band on her midsection, which then lead to a pair of larger, flatter wires that fed over to her ARC Reactor.

“Of course it’s safe, Sparks. Why wouldn’t it be safe?” She shifted her weight, doing her best to lift her legs as she strode in a slow circle on the solid stone floor, testing the weight of the boots.

“It might be because you have a glorified laser cannon strapped to each hoof?” Sparks noted as he turned back to the computer, tapping on the keys. “Something like that usually doesn’t fall under “safe.” I still think it’d be better if we used a mannequin for these initial tests.”

“I told you Sparks, a mannequin can’t adjust itself on the fly. Now, are we ready for the test?”

“Yes. I’m set to record, and I have the fire extinguisher handy in case you set anything on fire.”

Epona rolled her eyes. “It’s a kinetic energy projection system Sparks, not thermal. Nothing‘s going to catch fire!”

“Better safe than sorry.” Sparks tapped on the console, then turned back to his friend. “Recording is on.”

“Alright!” Epona grinned as the camera trained on her. “Test one of the personal propulsion system! I’m going to give it ten percent thrust.”

Sparks jerked in his hammock. “Ten percent!? Epona, wait!”

Epona spread her legs, centering herself carefully as she rested the pliable tips of her hooves on the thrust controls in her boots. “Firing in three, two, one!”

FOOM!

There was a violent jerk upward, just before Epona’s vision filled with bursts colored light and pain, right before the concrete came back up to meet her.

Epona groaned, her vision swimming as she came to her senses.

“Epona?” Sparks’ eyes filled her field of vision. He leaned back, holding up two fingers. “Epona, are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Ugh…two…” She winced. Her head was hurting. She reached up, pressing the still glowing lens of her boot to her forehead. “What happened?”

“You had a pretty impressive crash. First you rocketed upward and hit the ceiling, and then you fell down and landed here. You just barely missed your sketch table.”

“So I take it I didn’t achieve flight?” She grinned weakly as Sparks growled, crossing his arms.

“No and for the record, that was stupid. And reckless. And irresponsible! You could have really hurt yourself! I thought we agreed on one percent thrust for the initial tests, not ten! What were you thinking?!”

Epona winced. “I decided that ten percent was just as controllable.”

“Well, it isn’t. You can’t just decide to violate testing protocol on a whim!”

Epona lowered her head. “Yeah, that was stupid of me. I’m sorry.”

Sparks snorted, shaking his head. “I know you’re anxious to see some results Epona, but you have your health to worry about now, what with your heart and everything.”

“I’m fine Sparks. I’m not that fragile! I survived bigger crashes than this in the desert!” She grunted as she pulled herself to her feet and stood up on her wobbly legs.

“Careful!” The blue dragon reached up, steadying the pony with an arm wrapped around her side.

“I said I’m fine Sparks. A little rattled, but fine. Come on, let’s try again.”

“Again?” Sparks shook his head. “No, no, no. You need to lie down…”

“So help me Sparks, if you keep going on like this I’m going to, to,” she growled and shook her head again, “to do something to you. I’m not sure what, but it’ll be bad!”

The pair stared at each other for a few moments; Epona with her brows furrowed, and Sparks with his arms crossed defiantly.

Epona was the one who broke the gaze first, lowering her head. “Yeah…you’re right. Maybe I should go lie down for a bit. It’s been a long day after all.”

“Yeah.” Sparks ran his claws along his spines before setting to the task of undoing the straps on the propulsion rig. “It doesn’t help that you’ve been spending all day every day down here. You really should take a break, you look like you‘re about to topple over. Plus you‘re starting to get a bit smelly.”

Epona chuckled, stepping out of the boots. “I’ll take it under consideration. But first I need some aspirin. While I’m out, would you mind finishing up those communicators?”

“The sympathetic crystal communicators? Sure. I was nearly finished with them anyway.” Sparks set the propulsion rig onto its support structure before trotting back to his workbench. “It shouldn’t take too long.”

Epona nodded as she wobbled over to the door, pushing it open and mounting the stairs. Her head was still throbbing, but at least she didn’t feel like she was bleeding anywhere. She did lean against the wall of the stairwell as she walked, using it to support herself.

Maybe Sparks is right. There’s no use in pushing myself. She sighed as she nudged the doorway to the living room open. It’s not like I’m under a deadline right now. But there’s so much I have to do on this project.

The house was dark and quiet as she walked. She didn’t know if it was her banging her head or the fact that her last cup of coffee was wearing off, but she felt tired. The lambent light of the moon outside and the glittering tapestry of stars didn’t help matters much as she entered her bedroom, climbing slowly into bed.

Just a short nap. Even her thoughts felt heavy as she laid there. Not long. Maybe a few hours and I’ll be right back to work.

Sweet black oblivion consumed her as she closed her eyes.

Roadie tried to swallow his nerves as he walked into the courtyard, the sound of clashing metal sending a tiny twitch along his primaries. He wasn’t used to visiting the royal halls during the evening, but this was a special case. He’d been asked for specifically by Princess Luna, which was a little odd given her previous distance from the members of the court.

The slight fact that he was in the central courtyard, at night, watching a pair of ponies swordfight only made the situation that much weirder.

The courtyard was well lit by glowing magical lanterns, the light sharp and artificial compared to the moon above. The grass had been tamped down one either side of a long roll of ribbed canvas. A pair of ponies stood at attention, clad in fencing garb and helmets with slender, blunted sabers hovering before them in hazy telekinetic fields. One was a unicorn stallion with a reddish coat and a blonde tail, with a cutie mark of crossed swords. The other was a much taller mare with a distinctive navy coat, her white moon and black cloud cutie mark all but announcing her identity..

She fences. Why am I not surprised? Roadie thought to himself as the ponies began to fence, the sabers clashing, sending small sparks from the attendant magical fields. The pegasus kept quiet as the pair fought, wincing as he saw Luna nearly body-check the smaller pony as she pushed the offense.

There was a soft slap as the princess’s blade made contact with the other pony’s left leg. “Huzzah! Touché!”

“Indeed.” The other unicorn replied, backing up and bringing his sword to his side. “However, please remember that bodily contact is prohibited in saber fencing, your majesty.”

“I apologize, Estoc. I am much more used to traditional swordplay.” The dark alicorn brought her sword down and away.

“Understandable.“ The stallion pulled his mask free, shaking out his short mane. “If I may say, you’re an excellent sabreuse. Though I wouldn‘t expect any less from someone of your experience. Some more practice and you would be competition-ready.”

“You flatter me.” Luna removed her own face guard, shaking out her flowing mane before glancing over towards Roadie. “Pardon my rudeness, Estoc, but it appears my next appointment has arrived. If you would be so kind as to allow us a few minutes of privacy?”

“Of course.” Estoc bowed his head and trotted out of the garden, his tail swishing as he passed Roadie.

“Um…I’m sorry your majesty. I didn’t mean to interrupt your exercises.” Roadie tried to not sound nervous. From what he knew of Luna, she was more of a stickler for propriety than Celestia was.

“There was no harm done.” Luna stepped off the canvas and over towards a low table holding a pitcher of water and a pair of glasses. “In truth, your swift attendance to my request does you credit, Lieutenant Colonel. Come, sit.”

He did so, settling into the soft grass as Luna poured herself a drink. “How has the campaign in the desert proceeded, Lieutenant Colonel?”

“ Campaign? Oh, the policing action…” Dusty frowned. “I’ve submitted my reports to you and your sister, as well as any communications I’ve had with my subordinates…”

“Lieutenant Colonel, while your reports are immaculate and more than satisfactory to my sister,” Luna sipped the water before continuing, “I do have my own questions.”

“What do you want to know, your majesty?”

“Do you feel as though you were given enough resources to carry out your mission?”

Roadie shifted nervously. He felt like he was back in officer school again. It didn’t help that Luna was nearly twice as tall and ten times more intimidating than any of his instructors had been.

Still, she was asking him a question. “Permission to speak freely, your majesty?”

“Granted, Lieutenant Colonel.”

Roadie inhaled slowly. “To be frank, no. While I was there, our resources were stretched tight. Even with the assistance of the mages we couldn’t locate whoever or whatever was behind the attack and kidnapping, and our patrol flights were mostly limited to daytime flights to take advantage of the thermals to increase endurance and range. And since the cavern that Epona told us about turned out to have been abandoned, we‘re back to square one.”

Luna nodded. “I understand your frustration.”

“I just don’t get why Princess Celestia won’t send reinforcements.”

“Perhaps it is because she is uncomfortable with the idea of placing her subjects in harms way.” Luna set the glass down with a sigh. “My sister has ever been the optimistic and benevolent soul, always slow to anger and swift to forgive, always seeking the most peaceful solution. If it were her choice, we would likely not even have a military. That was always more my forte.”

Luna fell silent for a few moments, slowly turning the glass around on the table as she thought. “I will see what I can do to improve your situation, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Now, as to your friend, Miss Stark.”

Roadie blinked. “What about her?”

“What is your opinion of her behavior as of late?”

The brown pegasus shook his head. “I can’t really say, your majesty. She hasn’t been herself recently. Usually she’s out drinking, rubbing shoulders and finding some poor stallion to take home, but she’s become a recluse recently. It’s really not like her.”

“Some ponies deal with personal trauma differently than others. Perhaps you should speak with her before returning to the desert?”

“Should I consider that a command, your majesty?” Roadie frowned slightly. To be honest, he’d been avoiding visiting Epona, especially after the scene in the Buffalo encampment.

“Consider it what you will, Lieutenant Colonel.” The glass made a rough sound as it slid along the table-top, the dark princess’s eyes half-lidded and her expression neutral. “However, I can speak from personal experience that camaraderie is a good salve for even the most grievous wound.”

“I’ll take it under advisement, then.” Roadie swallowed nervously. “I suppose a visit wouldn’t hurt.”

“I do hope so. That will be all, Lieutenant Colonel.” Luna lifted the glass to her lips and nodded.

“Your majesty.” Roadie drew himself up to a salute, then slipped away as Estoc re-entered the yard.

“Epona?”

Epona grunted softly as she felt a familiar clawed hand gently shake her. She squinted at the shafts of light coming through the curtains. Her ears turned, following the gentle, padding footsteps as Sparks made his way around to face her, blocking the sunlight. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better…still got a headache though.” she blinked, rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?”

“About an hour past noon.”

“What?!” Epona sat up, a hoof going to her head. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!”

“You looked like you needed the rest.” Sparks frowned as she climbed off of the bed.

“I was just planning on getting in a quick power nap, not spend half a day knocked out. Ugh, I’ve already wasted too much time…”

“Epona…” Sparks reached out as Epona tumbled out of bed and trotted towards the bathroom.

“There’s still way too much to do! We have to finish the tests on the propulsion systems, then get the external frame ready, not to mention the link to your command crèche…”

“My what?”

“Your computer!” Epona called as she turned on the shower. “And then there’s all the wiring…”

“Epona!” Sparks shouted, his ear-frills flared.

“What?”

“You need to calm down. We don’t need to rush things along.” Sparks walked over to Epona, resting his hands on her muzzle. “Why are you freaking out like this?”

Epona looked down, her hooves stomping the floor. “Because…I just need to get this done. I know I shouldn’t be so worried, but…”

“Don’t be, alright? We’re on schedule. Why don’t you take a while and get yourself settled? Shower, clean up, relax on the couch, whatever. Just get out of the garage for a while. We‘ve already got all the design schematics down and the machinery up and running. Just relax and let me handle it, alright Epona?”

“Mf…” She grunted softly as she climbed into the shower, letting the hot water pour over her. “Fine. If you insist.”

“I do insist. I’ll be down in the garage if anything comes up. Just relax, alright?” The dragon closed the door behind him as he left, leaving her in the shower. It felt nice, the hot water stinging slightly as she closed her eyes.

How long has it been since I showered? She shook herself, having a seat on the shower floor as she rubbed soap into her coat. Her mane and tail were still a coarse frizz, but at least they was growing back. Sun above, when was the last time I actually tried taking care of myself? Maybe Sparks is right to be concerned. Why should I rush?

Her hoof stopped its rubbing. She knew why. She just didn’t want to admit it. No project meant no distractions. No distractions meant she’d have to start thinking about other things. Things she didn’t want to think about.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the shower door, the glass catching her reflection.

“None of that Epona,” she mumbled to herself. “I’ll just have to find something else to keep me occupied.”

The soap slid off quickly under the hot water, and the dials clicked as she turned off the shower. A quick rub-down with a fluffy towel was enough to get most of the wet off. Her coat was still slightly moist as she climbed down the stairs to the living room, only to stop mid-way down the staircase.

“Roadie?”

The brown pegasus stood up from his spot on the sofa, his wings folded tight against his sides. A brown paper box sat on the coffee table beside him. “Hey Epona.”

“Roadie, what’re you doing here?” Epona continued down, eying him curiously.

“Visiting you.”

“Why?” Epona slowly sank onto one of the chairs. “Did something blow up? And are those donuts?”

“Dozen of Pony Joe’s powdered sugar donuts. I figured you could use the pick-me-up.”

Epona tried not to lick her lips, or drool. Her growling stomach already made her desires quite apparent. “You brought me donuts?”

“Yeah. Why, is that weird?” Roadie flipped the box open and had a seat. “I mean, I would have brought you flowers, but that would have been a bit much.”

“I’d rather have these than the flowers. Mm.” Epona mumbled as she leaned down, popping one of the donuts whole into her mouth and chewing.

Roadie shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. “So, uh, how’ve you been?”

“How’ve I been? That‘s new.” Epona licked the powdered sugar off her lips. “You usually don’t pay me social visits. Did somepony send you to check up on me or something?”

“Kind of.” Roadie glanced away for a moment before looking back at Epona, watching the mare devour a second donut. “I just realized that I’ve been avoiding talking to you ever since Appleloosa. You just disappeared after the press conference, which really isn‘t like you. Ponies are talking about how you’ve gone quiet and hermit-like…” Roadie let his voice trail off, then shook his head. “I just wanted to see how you were doing, that’s all.”

“That’s actually kinda sweet of you, Roadie.” Epona smiled. “Though really, you didn’t have to. I’m fine. I’ve just been keeping myself occupied with other things.”

“Other things?”

“Obsidian suggested I stay out of the public eye for a while. So I’ve mostly been hanging around the house, working on personal projects.”

“I see.” Roadie rubbed his head as Epona downed yet another donut. “So you’re alright. I mean, really alright? Nothing you want to talk about or anything?”

“I’m fine Roadie.” Epona managed around a mouth full of donut. “Really.”

“Alright, if you say so. But Epona…if you ever do need anything, you know you can just get a hold of me and I’ll do anything I can to help.” Roadie slowly stood. “You know that, right?”

“Mhmm… Wait a second Roadie, that reminds me.”

The pegasus blinked as Epona trotted off and disappeared down the steps leading to the basement, only to return shortly after with what looked like a small metal box.

“What’s…” Roadie blinked at the object as she set it on the table.

“It’s a prototype. Something me and Sparks have been working on. It’s a special device designed for instant long-distance communication. Admittedly, it’s only good if you want to contact me and no-pony else, but it’s a start.”

“And you want me to have this?” Roadie arched an eyebrow as he picked up the small, boxy device.

“Yeah. Just keep it around in case I need to talk to you or vice-versa. You know, for emergencies and such.”

“Emergencies, huh?” He nodded. “Alright. But shouldn’t you give one to your secretary?”

“I planned on it, but you got here first. Pepper’s been spending most of his time at the office, so we don’t really see each other unless he comes over to give me an important update.” Epona frowned. “Or he’s just staying out of my way because he’s in a grumpy mood.”

“I’m sure he’ll get over whatever it is eventually.” Roadie stood, pushing his mane out of the way of his eyes.

Epona rolled her eyes. “I’ve been doing better.”

“Good.”

“Leaving already?” Her gaze followed Roadie as he walked around the table.

“Yeah. Have to get ready to head back to the desert. I’m still technically in charge of finding whoever it was that attacked you.” He smirked. “Don’t worry though, we’ll find them eventually. They can’t hide forever.”

“Have fun playing in the sand, Lieutenant Colonel.” Epona waved him off as he left, leaning against her chair with another donut.

Epona’s absence from the garage lasted until sundown. Admittedly, she had exceeded Sparks’ expectations. The dragon tapped on the console as Epona steadied herself, once again strapped into the propulsion rig.

“Recording now, Epona!”

“Good. Second test of the personal propulsion system. Given the events of the last test I’m going to start at one percent thrust.” she smirked at Sparks, who shook his head in irritation. “This way, we can see if we can achieve a stable hovering pattern. Ready Sparks?”

“Ready.”

“Alright.” Epona steadied herself, legs spread out and boots firmly planted. “One percent thrust in three, two, one.”

There was a soft whine as the lenses fired, luminescent beams of pure kinetic force gently pushing Epona up a few feet into the air. Epona gritted her teeth, slowly moving her legs to correct for drifting as she hovered there, wobbling only slightly.

“Looking good Epona,” Sparks shouted over the whine of the rig. “Cut the thrust!”

There was a heavy ka-klump as Epona landed, a large grin on her face. “I think this confirms that the thrusters work as intended.”

“Yup!” Sparks glanced back at the readings on his console. “Power output is stable, no obvious strain on the rig, everything is green.”

“Think it’s safe to bring it up to three percent power?”

Sparks frowned, rubbing his chin. “I don’t see why not. Sure.”

“Alright. We’re still recording, right?” Epona glanced over her shoulder at Sparks as he gave a thumbs-up, then centered herself. “Three percent thrust in three, two, one.”

The whine grew louder as she lifted off the ground, the energy beams pushing her into the air. Epona hovered slowly, consciously adjusting her legs to maintain her balance, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Okay, looks like quadrupedal formation is stable…let’s try bipedal. She inhaled and pushed a tiny bit harder on the triggers in her frontal boots, slowly pushing her body upwards until she hovered in mid-air, forelimbs splayed out to either side, her eyes wide as she began to laugh as she slowly rotated in mid-air.

Sparks couldn’t help but laugh as well. It was weird, seeing Epona so joyful, even as she slowly landed with a ka-klump of metallic boots on the hard floor, still laughing with excitement and happiness. “I think this counts as a successful test, Epona,” he managed to call out in-between giggles.

“I’d say so.” Epona panted softly, inspecting one of the boots, the tiny transmitter crystals along the thruster mechanism glittering in the harsh light of the garage. “It’s actually a lot easier than I expected it to be. Hey, Sparks…why don’t we move on to the stage two testing?”

“Stage…two?” Sparks blinked then shook his head violently. “No. No, absolutely not. We don’t have the external armor complete yet! And besides, there’s reams of data we have to look over before we can even try a proper flight test…”

“Sparks, I’m not planning to fly all the way to Hoofington on these babies.” She smirked, turning to face him properly. “I know you want to be cautious, but everything’s in the green so far. A short flight test won’t cause too much of a problem.”

“Well…”

“Trust me Sparks, I know what I’m doing.” Epona trotted over towards him, the propulsion rig’s boots clomping heavily. “And I won’t go too high. I promise I’ll be careful.”

“Promise?” Sparks curled his lips, his arms crossing as he met Epona’s eyes.

“Promise.”

“And you won’t try something stupid?”

“Promise.”

“And you’re sure you won’t crash and break every bone in your body on impact?”

“Well, there’s always the risk, but sure, I promise.” Epona smirked.

“Well, I suppose a test wouldn’t hurt to- HEY!” Sparks scrambled out of his hammock as Epona pushed her way through the door. “Where are you going?!”

“Outside!” Epona couldn’t help but giggle. She hadn’t felt so giddy in a long time. She quickly climbed the stairs to the main room of the house, then trotted through the doors out to the small garden behind the house. For once, she was grateful that her home was a bit higher on the mountain than normal. At least there wouldn’t be many ponies to see what she was about to do.

She grinned at Sparks as he ran out. She was already in her stance, legs spread slightly to maintain stability.

“Ready, Sparks?”

“Ready? No, I have to get the recording equipment!”

“Not enough time for that.” She looked up at the deep purple sky and inhaled. “Third test of personal propulsion system, non-laboratory setting. Ten percent power.”

“Epona, at least let me get-”

“Firing in three! Two! One!”

There was a loud whoosh and a whine as Epona shot up into the air. Unlike the last time, there was no ceiling for her to ram into. The house fell beneath her as she flew upwards, pressing further on the front triggers to move her body into a bipedal position. The cool night air rushed by her as she flew higher, the light of her house and the city of Canterlot glowing against the dark ground.

Epona lifted her arms, arching slightly as she executed a clumsy, ninety-degree backwards drop, turning her vertical lift into horizontal flight. It was a bit difficult to control as she moved her arms, the thrust of the force projectors rolling her over. She was streaking through the air, her eyes squinting against the rush of the wind. She felt… alive.

Is this how pegasi feel when they take wing for the first time? She felt her lips pull back as she tried to smile. She rolled again and tried to bank, leaving a quartet of glowing white contrails behind her as she turned slowly, zooming downwards back towards her house.

Now came the tricky part. She pushed her arms forwards, her front limbs fighting the wind resistance as she pushed down on the thruster triggers. She slowed to a halt, wobbling in mid air as she slowly lowered herself down, decreasing the output until she touched down on the front lawn. She managed a single step before her legs gave out, the adrenaline making her heart pound in her ears. She laid there in the grass, her chest rising and falling as she watched Sparks charge up to her, picking her up slowly.

“Epona? Are you alright?”

“Sparks…” She gasped, a wide smile splitting her lips.

“Yes Epona?”

“I can fly.”

“Yeah.” Sparks nodded as Epona leaned on him, her panting breaths mixed with giggles.

“I can fly!”

“Yeah…”

“I CAN FLY!” She screamed ecstatically, raising a hoof up to the glittering night sky as Sparks helped her back into the house.

“I’m sorry, but what do you mean by misplaced?”

Obsidian’s tone was calm and icy as he glared down his muzzle at the poor pony that had provoked his ire. The messenger was some poor intern, probably picked to deliver the bad news because he was expendable and easily replaced. The poor colt was literally shaking as Obsidian rose from his place behind his desk.

“Let me see if I understand. The Aurora unit, which was not adopted by the military on Princess Celestia’s orders, was to be dismantled and shipped to a storage area for use in other projects. And now said parts have seemingly vanished into thin air? Am I understanding you correctly?”

“Y-yes sir.” The stallion swallowed nervously.

“So the pieces of a massive anti-infantry and anti-emplacement super weapon have mysteriously vanished, and I’m only now hearing about it?” He growled, his tail swishing through the air behind him.

“S-sir, they were being transported…”

“I know where they were being transported!” Obsidian snapped, his teeth clicking angrily with each syllable of that last word. “Find out where the thing went! Inform your superiors that if I don’t find out where the Aurora has gone too, then they can start looking for new jobs elsewhere.”

The young stallion gave a small whine. Obsidian shook his head and sighed.

“Its not your fault. Inform me if they take any action against you, alright? Can’t have them beating up the messenger.”

“T-thank you sir.” The colt stumbled slightly as he backed out of Obsidian’s office. The black-coated unicorn returned to his desk and settled in with a soft sigh. He didn’t enjoy getting angry at ponies, but there were times when it was called for.

Stark Enterprises was his company. As much as he adored Epona, he knew quite well that she wasn’t a businessmare. She was a figurehead for the most part, working on her brilliant machines and making things that his engineers could only hope to replicate. And Obsidian was more than happy to leave her out of the equation, even though technically she was his partner. The board of directors were a bunch of squabbling would-be nobles who probably couldn’t run a business if their tails depended on it. Which was exactly how Obsidian wanted it. So long as Epona signed off on what he gave her, he was in control. He was in charge. And that felt good.

Oh Merry, he thought to himself, resting his front hooves on the desktop, his eyes on a carefully-framed black-and-white photo of a mare with sharp eyes. You always wanted the best for Epona. I’ve done what I could to keep her on a path that would make you proud. A path that would make her as strong, dedicated and ruthless as you were. I just hope I haven’t failed too badly in that regard. I miss you so much, my sweet lady of war. Maybe if I’d have been just a little quicker to catch your eye, then Epona would have been our child instead of Hayward’s…

He shook his head. Nostalgia could wait. He had things to do, plans to execute, and a company to run. If Stark Enterprises was going thrive, it was going to need something big, something to shake it up.

If Epona wanted the weapons development division to just go away, then he’d oblige her. Of course, what he had planned probably wasn’t what she was expecting.

“Looking good Epona!”

Sparks’ voice crackled softly in her ear as Epona banked sharply, just barely audible over the rushing of the wind. Epona didn’t respond, her concentration focused on maintaining her flight pattern, her blood rushing as she banked and swerved nearly a hundred feet above the grassy ground.

It had been nearly a week since her night-flight test. Since then, her days had been filled with practicing, pushing the rig to see how fast and how high she could go. Flight had consumed her mind; with the actual mechanics and mechanisms going into the suit essentially designed and working, she had devoted her time to studying aerobatics. It wasn’t hard to procure copies of Cloudsdale training materials, not to mention aerobatics guides of all sorts. She didn’t have wings, but the basic principles were easily adaptable for her purposes.

Of course, practicing was another matter. Rather than risk a run-in with the local flight patrols (or worse, run into the Royal Guard), Epona practiced her flying on the far side of the royal mountain, away from prying pony eyes. She made sure to leave before dawn every morning, and only returned when the sun was well past its zenith. She’d traded in her typical black dress for a skin-tight suit of flexible, woven carbon-fiber, her eyes hidden by a pair of flight goggles. The only other thing she wore in addition to the personal propulsion rig was the small communicator at the base of her skull, the attached ear bud tucked into her left ear.

Epona swerved sharply and rolled, kicking her rear legs downwards to flip herself in a near-instant Immelmane Turn. The g-forces weren’t that big of a problem for her, nor was the lack of wings. Like most earth ponies, she had a great deal more stamina than an average pegasus. Still, she needed to get used to the speed and the sudden disturbances in her balance that the maneuvers caused.

“Careful Epona,” Sparks’ voice buzzed in her ear again, “you don’t want to pull too many g’s too suddenly. To many and you risk blacking out and crashing.”

Thank you for reminding me, again. Epona thought to herself as she performed another roll, kicking all four legs forwards to pull to a hovering stop, her breathing hard and her heart pounding steadily in her chest.

“You’ve come to a stop Epona. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing Sparks, just catching my breath, that’s all.” Epona huffed sharply into the tiny receiver next to her mouth. “How’s the external shell looking?”

“It’s good. I had to make a few minor adjustments after taking the powered servos into account, but we’re on schedule. I’m just about to send the schematics to the machine for fabrication. The armor should be finished by tomorrow night at the latest.”

“Good.” Epona slowly rotated in mid-hover, making the world spin slowly. “You know, maybe we should give it some paint, too. I mean, a suit of golden armor is just a bit ostentatious.”

“That’s a first, coming from you.” Epona couldn’t help but grin as he chuckled.

“Tell you what Sparks, throw some Sunrise Pink on it. Not much, maybe just parts of the helmet, the dock and the chest.”

“Hot metallic pink and gold. Scratch my earlier remark. Should I have some hearts engraved on it too? Maybe some neon under-lighting?”

“Hey, it’s my suit of armor,” The mare snorted dismissively. “If I want it to be bright pink and gold, then by Celestia’s mane it better be bright pink and gold.”

“Never took you for being a girly girl, Epona.” She could hear a faint clicking in the background. “Done. By the way, Pepper stopped by this morning. He was looking for you.”

Epona swallowed. “What’d you tell him?”

“I told him you were out exercising. Nothing major, just a bit of calisthenics. Doctor‘s order‘s and all.”

“Nice save. Did he buy it?”

“I think so. He did give me a funny look, though. Anyway, he wanted to know if you were going to attend the party tomorrow.”

Epona blinked. “The what? What party?”

“The Royal Foundation of the Arts is having its annual party tomorrow evening. You know, the one for its major donors?”

Epona winced. “Oh yeah, that party. I forgot.”

“It‘s understandable, considering how busy we‘ve been recently.” Sparks paused for a moment. “You know, it’s not like you’re required to attend. I’m pretty sure they’ll understand if you don’t come.”

The lenses hummed softly as Epona decreased the thrust, landing heavily on the stone outcropping she used as a landing pad. She pulled the small saddlebag over to her from its spot on the rock, pulling a bottle of water out with her teeth. “What did you tell Pepper?”

“I told him I’d talk to you about it.”

Epona tilted her head back, swallowing a drink of water before answering. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”

“You’re thinking of going?”

“Why not? We’ve been making plenty of progress.. Like you said, I do need to get out of the garage sometime. And I think nearly a month out of the public eye is enough.”

“Alright. Should I get one of your dresses ready?”

“Of course.” Epona capped the bottle with one hoof and stood, steadying herself for launch. “We can talk clothing once I finish practicing, though.”

“Understood.”

The quiet bustle of conversation and the clinking of glasses echoed off the walls of the Royal Gallery of Art. Well dressed aristocratic ponies of all sorts quietly mingled, sipping from glasses of wine as they talked. The soft conversation only paused, imperceptibly, as Epona entered the gallery. Nervous and concerned eyes followed the slender mare in her black dress as she walked, her short black mane matching the glossy fabric of her clothing.

This is weird. Her thoughts felt too loud compared to the ripples of conversation Three months ago I would have been comfortable here, quietly posturing alongside all the other patrons of the arts, maybe trying to find some cute colt to drag off to the play footsy in the sculpture garden. Now I just feel… out of place.

“Epona?”

Epona paused and turned to face a rather surprised looking Obsidian.

“Oh, hey Obsidian,” Epona put on a friendly smile as the older unicorn approached. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I could say the same for you. How’ve you been?”

“Occupied.” Epona eyed the glass of red wine floating just below his mouth.

“So I’ve gathered. I didn’t expect you to take my advice so literally.” He frowned. “When I suggested you stay low, I didn’t mean for you to just vanish altogether.”

“Relax Obsidian, you know how I get when I get deep into a project…”

“I’m just glad to see you again.” The unicorn leaned in, nuzzling her on the cheek. “Though I really need to talk to you later…”

“Exactly. Later. Right now, I need a drink.”

“Of course.” Obsidian nodded as Epona wandered off, carefully making her way through the gallery. Considering the amount of wine everypony seemed to be drinking, there had to be a bar, at least. She had finally spotted the source of the wine when she felt something tap her on the shoulder.

“Miss Stark?”

Epona started slightly and turned, coming face-to-face with a familiar gray stallion. He was extremely…nondescript. Gray mane, gray tail, gray eyes, gray coat, a solid black suit and a straight, even face. She’d never seen a blander pony in her life.

“Um, how can I help you?”

“Agent Colt Sun, Miss Stark. I work for the Bureau of Research, Information, Defense, Logistics and Enforcement.” Even his voice was nondescript and average, no accent or anything.

“That’s a bit of a mouth-full.” She muttered distractedly, waving the bar tender over. “One glass of wine please,” she ordered, turning back to the stallion.

The stallion was unamused. “We intended to debrief you earlier while you were in the hospital. However, we’ve been unable to contact you.”

“Should you guys have my debriefing from during my recovery? From what I’ve heard Roadie writes excellent reports.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Roads’ report was satisfactory, but our organization is interested in exactly how you escaped capture.”

Epona took a swallow of the wine, grimacing slightly. It did nothing to help. “Not exactly something I want to go over,” she replied, raising a hoof for another glass.

“Be that as it may, we still need to debrief you. Should I speak with your secretary and set up a time?”

“That would be fabulous, Mr. Colt Sun,” Epona grumbled as she downed her second glass. “You can speak with him sometime tomorrow. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a party to attend to. Anything… else?”

Epona turned back to face Colt Sun, then blinked. The stallion had melted into the crowd without so much as a word..

“Another drink, miss?”

Epona nodded slowly and turned back to the barkeep as he poured another glass. “Thank you. If the night keeps getting worse, I’m probably going to need something stronger.”

“Miss Stark?”

Ugh, what now?! Epona turned sharply, about to snarl something impolite, only to find herself facing down a pair of royal guards, their gleaming gold dress armor standing out against their gray coats.

“Um…hello sirs. What can I do for you?”

“Her Majesty wishes to have an audience with you,” said the guard on the left.

“Please accompany us, if you would,” finished the guard on the right.

“Celestia’s here?” Epona blinked, then face-hoofed. Of course she’s here. She runs the foundation, silly pony.

“She is.”

“Am I in trouble or something?” Epona ventured, her tail going limp as her ears folded back. A stony silence was her only answer.

“Alright, alright. Lead on, then.

Epona couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of déjà vu as she entered the room. Celestia was facing away from her, quietly inspecting the painting hanging on the wall. Epona recognized it; Rosy Saw’s Tiger in a Tropical Storm. Epona swallowed her nerves as she came to a halt, one of the guards peeling off to block off the room’s entrance.

“Have a seat, Miss Stark.”

Epona lowered her rump onto the ground at the guard’s request, her tuft of a tail twitching nervously.

“I actually didn’t expect you to show up.” Celestia’s voice was calm and cool, her back still to Epona as she spoke. The princess’s aurora-like mane hid her face. “Considering what’s been going on, I wasn’t certain you’d have the temerity to show your face in public.”

“Your majesty, with all due respect I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Is that so?” Celestia lowered her head slowly. “Then let me explain. Nearly a month ago, you told everypony in Canterlot that you would be shutting down the weapon’s development division of you company, is that correct?”

“I did.”

“You said you were going to be taking responsibility for the actions of your company.”

“I did.” Epona’s voice developed a slight edge.

“That you were regretted your prior actions.”

“Is there something the matter with that?” Epona rose to her feet, causing the guard beside her to step back. “If you’re going to accuse me of something, go ahead, but to the best of my knowledge my company has been-”

“I wish I could believe that, Miss Stark,” Celestia snapped, interrupting Epona in mid sentence. “I really wish I could. However, it seems that your company has other ideas. Fidelis, please show Miss Stark the pictures.”

The guard at Epona’s side nodded, producing a set of photographs that he laid at her feet with a soft, slightly plastic rustle.

"Is this what you call 'taking responsibility,' Miss Stark?"

Epona felt a deep chill run down her spine as she looked at the pictures. They were aerial shots, probably taken by a pegasus in flight. The images were of a familiar desert town, one she’d visited before during her trip to the presentation and her subsequent recovery. However, the shots showed heavily armed ponies walking the streets, some of which she recognized, particularly the large bluish stallion. Several buildings were in shambles, some riddled with bullet holes, some scorched with fire. That wasn’t what filled Epona with horror.

No, what truly horrified Epona was the familiar three-pronged barrel of the Aurora just outside of the town, its payload aimed towards the town square.

The mare felt a shadow pass over her. Epona looked up slowly as Celestia loomed over her, her rose-pink eyes hard and disappointed, a frown creasing her lips. “Would you like to explain, Epona?”

“What…I…I don’t know Princess. What…” Epona couldn’t help but stammer.

“Two days ago, a terrorist organization attacked the settlement of Appleloosa. Said terrorists were armed with your company’s weapons, including the Aurora unit which you see there.” A golden slipper tapped the photo in question. “Thankfully, there weren’t any fatalities. Yet. However, the terrorists have issued a statement that they intend to destroy Appleloosa if their demands are not met.”

“I had nothing to do with this!” Epona stood up. “My company…there’s no way! I… I thought the company was shutting down… I don’t understand!”

Celestia simply watched as Epona shuddered. “Princess, you have to believe me. I wouldn’t have done this. I didn’t do this. I don’t know who in my company did this, but I’m going to find out. I’m trying to be better, I swear.”

The sun princess stood there, then slowly sighed and closed her eyes. “I believe you.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, Epona. I believe you when you said you had nothing to do with this. But I can’t simply ignore what’s going on.” Celestia leaned her head down, meeting Epona’s eyes. “If you’re really, truly willing to take responsibility, then find a way to fix this. Otherwise, I will be forced to take drastic measures against you and your company. Understand?”

“Understood.” The cold filling Epona’s body deepened as she bowed, freezing inside her heart. Confusion turned to anger as she made her way out. She needed to talk to somepony.

“So Epona’s really here?” Pepper Pot tilted his head slightly as Obsidian nodded.

“Yes, she is. I was surprised to see her too.” The elder unicorn let the wine swirl slowly in its glass before taking a sip. “Considering she hasn’t been very active recently.”

“Oh, she’s been active. Just not in the business. She’s apparently taken up a new exercise routine or something in the mornings.” Pepper sighed. “Which screws up my schedule something fierce. I swear, I’m in the office more than she is nowadays.

“Well, I suppose staying healthy would be high on her list of priorities right now, given her condition. Still, it wouldn’t hurt if I got more input from her than the occasional signed memo.”

“Obsidian!”

The black stallion turned as a familiar butter-yellow mare stalked towards him, her eyes drilling into him. “Oh, Epona, we were just-”

Epona butted her head right against his, pushing him back slightly. “Would you care to tell me why my company is still supporting the ponies who tried to kill me?” Her voice came out in a soft, sibilant hiss.

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me, Obsidian. I want you to explain. I want you to explain to me why the Aurora is in the hands of a terrorist organization.”

Obsidian looked away slightly. “That’s…what I was going to tell you. The Aurora disappeared during transit to its storage site. I’ve been looking into it, believe me.”

“And the weapons? What about those? Why hasn’t this sort of thing been stopped?”

“We’ve been looking into that too…”

“Looking into it?” Epona’s voice rose from a hiss to a snarl. “Looking into it? A super-weapon goes missing and you’re looking into it? My weapons keep winding up in the hooves of psychopaths and you’re looking into it?! What have you and the board been doing, Obsidian? I thought you were behind me, Obsidian. That’s what you told me.”

“Epona…”

“I trusted you with my company, Obsidian. I trusted you and the board to do what I thought was right. And now I have to find out that my company-”

“Epona, it’s not going to be your company much longer…”

Epona froze. “What?”

“That’s…the other thing I was going to tell you.” Obsidian took a deep breath. “The board thinks you’ve gone insane, that the trauma you’ve suffered has left you un-fit as a senior partner. You weren’t exactly popular with them, and your declaration that you’re shutting down weapons development hasn’t helped. I’ve kept control, but they won’t listen to me. They want you out Epona.”

Obsidian stepped back as Epona met his eyes. Her gaze was intense and cold, filled with an icy rage like a mid-winter blizzard. For a brief moment, Obsidian felt a spark of fear from those steely eyes. Fear and something…hotter.

“Do they now?” The mare’s voice was as cold as her gaze. “Tough. I want the board handled Obsidian. I don’t care how you do it, but get rid of them. All of them.”

“Of course.” My lady of war, he appended mentally as Epona glared at him. “But, Epona…what are you going to do?”

“Take responsibility.” Epona growled darkly as she turned away.

The other ponies whispered nervously amongst themselves shying out of the way of the enraged mare as she stalked away, pushing through the doors of the gallery.

“Let her go, Pepper.” Obsidian murmured as he touched Pepper’s shoulder, halting him mid-step. “I’m sure Epona’s got something in mind.”

That couldn’t have gone better. He thought to himself, suppressing a shiver. I can’t wait to see what you do, my darling Epona.

“And there!” Sparks dusted off his hands as he set the last piece of the armor onto the holding frame. He felt a swell of pride as he looked the completed suit over, hands on his hips.

The entire contraption was, in some ways, a work of art. The suit was in three pieces, each one working together to form a cohesive whole. The innermost-layer was the suit of flexible carbon-fiber mesh, whish formed the connective tissue for the rest of the suit while protecting the wearer from the machinery. The second layer served as the organs and muscle: the personal propulsion rig for flight and defense, the onboard sympathetic crystal communication system, the holographic heads-up display, and the carefully built artificial muscle-servos which augmented the wearer’s own physical strength. The outermost layer was the custom-made aurumtanium carapace. The gleaming armor served as a secondary conduction medium for the magical energy that powered the suit, the inside curves lined with an array of lightening spells to make the entire thing as light as silk.

Sparks had to admit, it was rather impressive. Impressive and frightening. The enormity of what he and Epona had done began to set in as he looked at the suit as it was, waiting to be assembled around its pilot.

This isn’t just a suit. Something like this would turn a pony into a one-mare army. Sparks rubbed his chin in thought. No wonder Epona didn’t want this to fall into the wrong hooves. My only question is… what in the hay is she planning on doing with it?

Sparks jumped slightly as the front door slammed, followed by hoof beats coming down the stairs. Huh. I didn’t expect Epona to be home so soon. He turned to face the door as it swung open. “Evening Epona, how was the…party?”

He’d never seen Epona like this before. Her body was tense, her eyes hard and her teeth set. Sometime during her absence she had pulled on her dress, leaving it a wrinkled mess. Her mane was no better, as though she’d run her hooves through it and tried to yank it out.

“Epona, are you alright? What happened?” Sparks stepped aside as Epona walked past him, staring at the suit, her eyes locked on the light blue lenses of the helmet.

“Appleloosa is in danger, Sparks.” Her voice was flat. “Because of my company, Appleloosa is currently occupied by a group of terrorists.”

“Because of Stark Enterprises? Epona…”

“Yes, because of Stark Enterprises.” Epona snapped, baring her teeth. “I should have kept on top of things. I should have made sure that the weapons department was shut down. I should have made sure all of my weapons went to where they were supposed to go. I should have been better Sparks.”

The corners of her eyes grew wet as she stared into the mask. Sparks reached up, touching her cheek as she stood there, motionless.

“Sparks, I want you to begin assembly procedures.”

“…What?” Sparks withdrew his hand as Epona turned, pulling off her dress.

“I want you to fully assemble the suit. I’m going out.”

“Out… Epona, no! I haven’t even gotten the automated assembly system ready! We haven’t even done a prototype flight test with the fully assembled suit!”

“SPARKS!”

Sparks froze as she shouted at him. Epona glared at him, then slowly picked up the carbon-fiber weave under-layer. “I’m doing this. I have to fix this. Ponies are going to die if I don’t do something. I’m going to take responsibility.”

Her voice grew harder as she pulled the suit on, the woven mesh tight against her body like a second skin. “I’m going to fix things. I am Epona Stark, I build things. I fix things and make them better. And if fixing it means I’m going to have to be the iron mare again, then so be it. Now help me into this suit!”

“Alright, just calm down… here.” Sparks lead her into the center of the suit’s supports. He worked carefully, strapping her into the second layer of machinery. The servos and the various bits of machinery clicked into place, fastened against the suit like pieces of a puzzle. Then came the carapace, the armor shell supported by mechanical arms as he fastened the superstructure together, piece by gleaming piece.

The mask was the last piece, a gleaming and blank mask of pink and gold metal that covered Epona’s muzzle. As it clicked into joint, Sparks scrambled over to the command crèche, climbing into his hammock as he brought up the various programs, holograms flickering to life as readouts appeared on the monitors.

“Are you ready Epona?”

“Yes.” The reply in his ear bud was slightly metallic

“You’re clear for your first flight. Just come back safe, alright?”

“Right.” The reply was terse as Epona strode off, the armor humming softly as she did so. Sparks watched her, the fear from earlier returning.

What had they just done?

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Jack of Games for getting me onto this project, to the chatters in #EquestrianStudy for helping me proof-read. Major thanks go to author 25 or 6 to 4 for inspiring this whole Marevel Ultimates thing.