My Little Pony: Third Gear

Chapter 13: Depths of the Abyss

Things picked up even more at Gearhead’s Gadgets, in no small part because he now had help. Gearhead and Dawn worked out a shift schedule for everypony that would optimize their abilities both inside and outside of the shop, regardless of whether or not Gearhead was off on some adventure. Which was a good thing because beings came from far and wide, attracted to Ponyville because of Gearhead’s advertisements, and because of word-of-mouth from his repeat customers. Less cautious creatures could even place orders remotely by approaching anypony who worked at a town or city’s Alicorn Array.

Even the principality had a limit on its budget, so Princess Celestia and Luna picked and prioritized centrally-placed cities over the smaller towns for Array installation. Each one became a node that Gearhead could use as a combined sensor and communication array, making news travel even faster than it had before. To lower costs, the DA offered some significant discounts, however the princesses refused to let them pay the costs for a network that would ultimately benefit everypony.

The Dire Timberwolf attack the other day was just another illustration of how important a viable defence was. It was because Spike was quick-witted enough to think of focusing his Dragonfire through his lance that Ponyville had not been damaged at all. Gearhead had taken a more thorough look at the scene, and reprogrammed his Arrays to screen a wider array of threats, but for now it seemed that whatever had brought the Timberwolves so close to Ponyville had moved on, at least for the moment.

Gearhead had always accepted a request to install a new Allicorn Array, so he had not stopped to think about what he should do with his portion of the money once he sent the lion’s share off to the DA. Even after he paid his staff, he had many more times the amount he would need for his daily expenses well into old age, provided a future threat did not kill him first.

It took awhile, but Gearhead quickly remembered that the Crown was only hesitating to equip all of Equestria with Arrays because they could not afford to immediately do so. Neither the princesses nor the towns themselves would accept anything they might regard as charity, so Gearhead set up multiple funds, each one named for a different region within Equestria. He divided 90% of his excess funds into each Lifestyle Fund, and then set them up to automatically make monthly donations to one or two regional municipalities on rotation.

At the same time, Gearhead knew that he was far from the only scientific mind working on different issues throughout Equestria. In Ponyville alone, Twilight herself, as well as Time Turner, Pinkie Pie, and a few others, dabbled in inventions and innovations of some description. It was difficult to believe that no one else would come up with a defence at least as effective as the Alicorn Array in its own right. That was why he wanted to create a conference to encourage invention and innovation. Of course, there was also Dawn’s earlier comment about sharing Engine technology to consider. Gearhead had thus sent an outline with the basic idea being the conference to the princesses for revision and eventual approval.

Gearhead was not surprised when Spike came to the shop bearing some letters from the princesses (who seemed to prefer this method over speaking over the Array-wide comms, at least when there was not an emergency at hoof). What did surprise Gearhead was that there was a letter asking him to come to Canterlot within the next few days. The truly surprising part was that the letter asked him to bring every one of his assets that could be useful to him in battle.

Gearhead was an inquisitive sort, and thusfar the princesses had never seemed to mind his questions. This time, though, when he wrote back asking for clarification, all he got in return was a quick ‘you’ll see.’

It was never a good idea to deny one of the princesses’ requests, or even to keep them waiting for very long.

* * *

Gearhead took the Stabilized Twin Engine, making quick work of the already-small distance between Ponyville and Canterlot. He was somewhat surprised when the Royal Guard, and then Kibitz, pointed him in the direction of the princesses’ private practice chamber without so much as checking to see what equipment he had on him.

As the princesses had advised in their letter, Gearhead not only had the Twin Engine and its Stabilizer, but the Geargem Dagger, his metal dagger, the seventh Elemental Anklet, and the Fireheart Gemstone, which he had been keeping safely hidden in the Laboratory for some time.

Gearhead folded the Stabilizer’s wings as the corridor that led to the practice room forced him into tighter quarters. At the door, he used the entry sequence Princess Celestia had taught him, and entered cautiously, almost expecting an ambush.

“Ah, you have arrived,” Princess Celestia said. She and Luna were lying in a magic circle near the center of the large, circular room, a sure sign that he had left them waiting. The sisters nodded to each other, and then Luna went to the wall to Gearhead’s right and retrieved a small black box.

“Could you please tell me why you called me here, and told me to bring... everything?”

“With everything that has happened recently, my sister and I agreed that it is high time to assess what you are truly capable of,” Princess Celestia said, working on the magic circle.

“But we have inventoried my manapool numerous times. I thought you agreed with Cadence’s and Shining Armour’s assessment.”

“This is about ability, not power. There is a distinct difference,” Luna said, her horn alight as she did something to the box.

“I would not normally presume to measure myself against even one of you,” Gearhead said.

“Yes, we are aware,” Luna continued. “Just as we are aware that you have been holding yourself back. Not only is it clear that you have surpassed Cadence, and her husband, to some measure, but it would be rude to continue to test yourself against a mare who is with foal.”

“Pardon?”

Princess Celestia and Luna stopped to exchange a look. “Oh my, it would seem we’ve revealed something that they haven’t told you just yet.”

“It is a little late to try to cover it up now, Sister.”

“True enough, so here it is, Gearhead: Princess Cadence will likely give birth to her and Shining Armour’s first foal in a few months.”

“I doubt they would be able to avoid mentioning it when they invite you and the others to the Naming,” Luna said, grinning.

“But this is huge news! How could Twilight manage to keep it to herself for so long?”

“In that regard, if she has not told you it is probably because she does not yet know it for herself,” Princess Celestia said. “After all, it is unlikely she would be able to keep it to herself, as you have already concluded.”

“After the wedding I do not think she should hear about this from anypony other than her brother,” Gearhead mused aloud.

“Agreed,” Princess Celestia said.

“So... why have you called me here, and fully armed?”

“Ah yes, the test.”

“We have devised a way to fully test your current abilities, however it carries its own risks. We would therefore like you to be as fully prepared for this as you can be,” Luna said. Princess Celestia had finished making the magic circle. She carefully stepped around the markings until she and Luna were almost nose to nose, with the edge of the circle between them. Luna opened the box and used a wing to lift out the object within.

“Beg pardon, but what are you doing with what looks like the Alicorn Amulet?”

“It is the Alicorn Amulet,” Princess Celestia said as she took it, and very gingerly lifted it to her own neck.

“One: that is dangerous, and two: despite the danger I do believe you would be able to fully control the Dark Magic.”

“I can,” Princess Celestia said.

“Which is why my sister will be in a trance-like state the entire time, allowing her more instinctual self full control.”

“That does not sound like a good idea,”

“And yet it is the easiest way to see of what you are truly capable, considering you even held back against Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra. Even more recently, you continue to let those around you make the deciding moves, despite surely having the ability to do it yourself.”

“And here we thought you had settled the matter with Prism,” Luna said.

“I guess it is a reflex,”

“Then you’ll need to learn to overcome that reflex, because there will come a time when you’ll need your full power. Your friends will need you to do so, and most probably all of Equestria. You need to decide, here and now, whether you’re capable of stepping up when needed.”

“And this is the only way?”

“It is the best way. All other methods are yet more complicated and risky.”

“If that is the case, I am glad the biggest risk is merely a corruption of the soul,” Gearhead said archly. “How can you believe it is worth all that?”

“Because if you possess the power we believe you to possess, it will be worth it,” Princess Celestia said.

“But you need to be willing to answer the call when it is made. You need to be ready, and this will help you to become ready.”

“I still do not like it,”

“Well, that is not the point here.”

“We both have faith in you anyway,” Princess Celestia said. She put the Amulet on, and gave a little sigh as its magic flowed into her. She seemed to be unchanged as she opened her eyes and then made her way into the center of the circle.

“Prepare thyself,” Luna said, reverting briefly to old form. “I am now putting my sister’s consciousness into a deep sleep.” Princess Celestia’s eyelids slid shut, and her head fell low as though she was really sleeping. “Until you defeat her, only one being will answer in her place.”

Already there were physical changes taking place, as Princess Celestia’s multicoloured mane shifted, becoming more intense and brighter, but also more uniform. It shifted colours through orange and gold to hold with intense white in the middle. Even the princess’s regalia became sharper, with hotter colours. Most telling of all, an intense wave of Dark Magic flowed off of her in shockwaves.

“This is a side of my sister no others have seen, and why Stalwart Shield does not accompany us,” Luna said. “This is all of her guilt, regret, resentment, hatred and anger. This is the part that my sister keeps buried in the deepest, darkest part of herself.”

“Should I feel honoured?” Gearhead asked, taking a half-step back.

“Perhaps, but are you prepared?”

“No,”

“She is coming anyway.”

Gearhead did not need either Shift Focus or the sensors wired into his glasses to tell that Princess Celestia was far more powerful, and more of a threat, than usual. The intense pressure coming off of her was beginning to make it hard to even breathe, so Gearhead invoked Cantus Bellax to compensate until he had a thick enough particle layer to act as a stable shield.

“My sister will not sense me, however I highly recommend you make further preparations for the coming battle,” Luna said. “This is a test of your abilities, so I shall not be acting in support of either of you.”

“I would prefer not to fight at all,”

“I, however, don’t have such qualms,” Princess Celestia said sharply, only when she looked up and gazed at Gearhead with her intense purple-blue eyes, he could tell that the majestic pony with whom he normally dealt would not be found there. “You have two choices: kneel and pledge your undying (or dying) loyalty, or present enough of a challenge to at least whet my appetite.” The white mare licked her lips, and her eyes glowed a faint red before returning to their altered state.

Waves of knife-like killing intent mixed with Princess Celestia’s dark aura and slammed into Gearhead, one after the other. With each wave, Gearhead and his Engine’s computers were getting a more complete sense of Princess Celestia’s unfettered powers. It seemed that without any sense of compassion or morals to hold her back, she was more powerful than Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra, perhaps even combined. Now Gearhead could fully appreciate why the princesses had asked him to bring everything he had: anything less and he would surely be doomed, and Princess Celestia clearly intended great harm against him.

* * *

Luna watched her sister as she continued to descend into darkness, and she watched Gearhead, who was clearly beginning to see how serious the sisters were about this test. Luna especially expected great things of the Geomancer, even if he did not see great things in himself despite his recent experiences as a combat mage, Artificer, and as a Wonderbolt. Luna knew that his greatest and only ambition was to become a farmer, as his family expected him to do, however both she and Cellie saw much more than that in him.

As Dark Celestia continued to bombard Gearhead with pressure waves, he drew and expanded the Geargem Dagger and started his first incantation, although quietly, and poised to evade any surprise attacks. Celestia waited impatiently for Gearhead to make the first move, and was rewarded by an expanding field of fog that concealed and muffled sound.

“Ah, one of your favourite opening gambits,” Dark Celestia said, using her magic to amplify her own voice so Gearhead could hear her anyway. “If memory serves, you used this to set up a multi-pronged attack. But,” and here her tone turned dark, “you seem to be mistaking me for somepony who has patience for such tactics.” She wrapped her wings tightly about her body. “Just who do you think I am?” She roared, unfurling her wings with all her rage, until they were spread to their full and impressive span. That one move sent Dragon’s Wind streaming to the edges of the room, ripping itself apart as it went. “I am Abyssal Trance, and I will not be taken in by such petty tricks!” Trance’s fiery mane burned a more intense blue, and more of the fog burned away.

But Gearhead was not easily visible in any part of the room. Luna kept scanning all along the floor, and then the ceiling. Apparently Trance was doing the same thing, because she spotted the pod wedged into a little alcove beside one of the supporting pillars at about the same time that Luna did.

“A transformation cocoon? Lets see if you can complete it under the full heat of my wrath,” Trance spread her wings and lifted into the air, to settle at the same altitude as the cocoon, without having moved any closer to it. She charged up her horn, and unleashed a steady, withering beam of intense violet-white magic. The cocoon’s outer shell immediately began to bubble and peel away. Luna swallowed, focusing all of her will on the prayer that he would make it in time.

Just before the cocoon exploded, Luna just barely spotted the blur of motion marking Gearhead’s timely escape from destruction, but she did not see him until he came to a hovering stop near the ceiling. Gearhead had indeed just completed the transformation to Agile Form, however unlike the other times when he had worn his black longcoat over everything else, this time the Twin Engine’s vest was over top of that. He slid the Geargem Dagger into a scabbard under the Stabilizer’s wings for just long enough to tie his hair into a single ponytail so it would stay out of his eyes. As he reached for his main weapon’s hilt again, his shields shimmered back into view, turquoise and blue, thin but flexible. The particles from his Engine were so faint, Luna had a hard time telling their colour.

“So you succeeded. I’m not impressed, though, given how you could’ve done it much faster. Observe: Forma Agilis!” A flower made of purple, blue, gold, and red energy formed and wrapped around Trance, obscuring her form for just an instant. When it peeled back and dispersed under her feet, Trance also had the Agile Form. “Remember where you learned that spell,” she admonished Gearhead. “Did you really think you were the only one to have mastered it?”

* * *

“I had hoped,” Gearhead said, shrugging. Still, Trance made an impressive figure once she was transformed. Her hair flowed to her waist, which was narrow compared to both her bust and hips, but the difference was not so great that it could be called exaggerated. On another being, her figure might have been called ‘matronly,’ and if Gearhead was not convinced she was about to tear him apart, he might have even considered her desirable, wrapped in a white skirt which nevertheless was covered in all the places that mattered in a golden plate armour, ridged and spiked for maximum impact.

While Trance retained her wings, now also armoured, her horn was gone from her head. Instead she brandished a full-length staff that was topped with a wicked-looking triple-bladed orb, in which Gearhead could see the rising sun. “I’d like to see what your best shot is actually worth, but I’ll only give you to the count of twenty to do it. After that, I’ll do whatever I want. To whomever I want.”

Gearhead had been thinking about that, and he concluded that anything on the level of Magic Arrows would be useless. He needed a more powerful attack, but could not rely on getting the time needed to charge it, nevermind guessing whether or not he would actually score a hit – and whether or not that hit would get through Trance’s shields. But now he had an opportunity, and there was no way he was going to waste it.

Gearhead flicked through the eye commands to unlock and activate what he was tentatively calling the ‘Hyper Railgun,’ and then he reached back for his bladecasters. As he brought them up and around, the Stabilizer’s wings each added a strip or section, creating half a barrel on both bladecasters instead of the more complete long blades that they normally deployed. When Gearhead brought the weapons together in front of his chest, the barrel halves clicked and joined together seamlessly before the last few sections could also lock into place. This created the meter-long square barrel of the central chamber and the thirty centimeter round barrel that floated in its center.

In the following instant, the Stabilizer’s wings spread wide behind him, each wingtip opening up into three long, thin sections. Three slats also fell open on the bottom of his gun’s square barrel, staying open at a forty-five degree angle that nevertheless was angled back toward him, rather than toward the target directly in front of him, so only he saw the complex circuit-like pathways on the barrel as it, and the wings, drew in mana from the surrounding area.

“So far not impressed,” Trance said. “But do me a favour, and when you do fire, make sure you aim right here.” She lay her free hand over her chest, and then laughed.

Gearhead was not impressed by this either, but then he was focusing more on what his sensors were telling him: Ninety-percent of the C-Particles and L-Particles the Twin Engine was producing flowed through his chest condenser and into the canon. Energy flow was optimal and stable for the moment, and even externally the sensors were not picking up any change in the flow of mana around Gearhead, so Trance had not yet decided that she had waited long enough. That said, he could really use all the energy boosts he could get.

“Quattuor Magnae Spiritus. Evoco quad centum et nonaginta novem. Stagnet et integrare in mea manus.” One thing that Gearhead had concluded was unique to him was his efforts to make his use of mana more efficient. Most Unicorns, and even the princesses, wasted their power on sound and light energy, even when the spell they were using did not have any direct effects relating to sound or light. Gearhead had thus been focusing a significant portion of his training on directing whatever mana he used in a spell into that spell’s effects, so when he called on (between them) 499 Spirits of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water all of his mana for that spell would go into effects that were directly related.

What helped Gearhead to further cloak his efforts was that he was calling those spirits to his hands, which were already hidden within the railgun extension pieces. There was where he refined them until he could also load them into the railgun itself. Even the Twin Engine was not producing many visible particles, partly because most of them were going into the railgun as well, and partly because the Stabilizer’s wings were dispersing the rest to be too far apart to be easily visible.

As Gearhead finished his incantation he focused on the single round held within his weapon. Inspired in no small part by the Spiral Blast with which he had destroyed the witch’s barrier, the bullet was composed of four parts. The first part was a conical head crafted from most of the Earth Spirits that Gearhead had called. It was designed to penetrate armour and safely carry the payload into the target, nothing more. The second part carried most of the payload, that being most of the particle and magical energy. Directly behind that was a small empty compartment supported by four fragile pillars, at the back of which, in the middle, was a small pin. On impact, the pillars would collapse, causing the fourth and final section to come forward and strike the pin. That last section carried most of the Fire Spirits, and it would combust on impact with the striking pin.

On top of all this energy, Gearhead had managed to transmute most of the Fire Magic into Light Magic, and Wind Magic into Lightning Magic, so that, assuming the bullet hit at all, it would be that much more effective. Assuming I fire quickly enough to hit.

During the incantation, Gearhead was careful to take three deep, calming breaths. He knew he did not have that much time with which to strike (nine seconds to be precise, although anyone who took him seriously would not wait while he charged his attack), but he absolutely had to make this count, so he was allowing the railgun to charge as much as he possibly could – even though he did not completely trust that Trance would give him all twenty seconds.

With seven seconds left, Gearhead’s instruments told him that he had enough power to breach the minimum threshhold for the shot. He waited another two seconds before he started to pull the trigger, though, just to give himself a little bit of an extra chance at success, for whatever that was worth.

With the trigger halfway pressed, the three panels on the bottom of the railgun snapped closed, and Trance finally stopped yawning with one gauntleted hand over her mouth, although her hold on her staff remained an easy one. The Stabilizer’s wings continued to draw ambient mana, while the Engines also continues to send power to the weapons.

At three seconds, Gearhead pulled the trigger all the way back, releasing the bullet with a hiss of escaping, pressurized gasses and a great, shattering thunderclap, the shockwave of which pushed him back three meters, where he stabilized himself by kicking off of the wall behind him with one foot. Even before the results made themselves apparent, Gearhead started to return the separated bladecasters to his back, while the wings reclaimed their borrowed parts.

Gearhead’s bullet, super-accelerated to just beyond lightning speeds through the railgun’s power, traveled the gap between him and Abyssal Trance in far less time than it takes to blink, yet Trance herself began to spin her staff one-handed, all the while a lazy expression was pasted to her face. When she realized how close the shot was, she brought her weapon up in a quick, underhand swing, and caught it on the single blade that was mounted to the side of the sun-like ball, slicing into it and, at the same time, deflecting it upwards, so that instead of flying at her chest as requested, it was going for her face.

* * *

There was not even a second between the crack of Gearhead firing and Trance’s scream when the Fire Magic exploded in front of her, and all the other energy went right into her face, lightning dancing all over her body. She stumbled backward, clutching at her face with her free hand while Luna watched in shock, hoping against all odds that Gearhead had not managed to permanently scar her sister with that one strike. The coldness that Luna suddenly felt in the pit of her stomach clawed at her. If she is harmed, this is all my fault!

* * *

Gearhead had been about to draw the Geargem Dagger with his right hand when he noticed that Trance had closed half the distance between them. Given how quickly she had moved to cut his bolt, he had expected that if she moved at all, it would be much faster than this. “Cantus Bellax, plenum potestatem. Vente!” He swung the Geargem Dagger in a close arc even as he drew it, followed by a similar swing with a bladecaster in his other hand, attachments not yet added.

Trance roared as Gearhead turned her first thrust aside, and then a swing. “I’ll kill you: look what you’ve done to my face!”

“I do not see anything,” Gearhead said, flipping the Dagger into a reversed grip and transforming it into its conical lance form to start it charging: the Hyper Railgun was clearly not powerful enough to deal with this foe, and he only possessed one thing more powerful than that.

“Then you’re not looking closely enough,”

“You may have a point,” Gearhead said, and before Trance could voice her confusion, Gearhead moved to fly closer, and past those wicked blades of hers. Trance saw this, and backed off a fair ways.

“Hey, what’s that you’re holding there?” Trance’s entire manner transformed again. “Hey, let me see!” She zigged this way, and then zagged another to try to get behind Gearhead’s back, and now he was the one who was backpedalling to keep some distance. A small extra spurt, however, and Trance had him by both wrists. She pulled on his right arm until she had a better view of the lance. “Who’s being a naughty young man? Maybe it’s time for a punishment?” She licked her lips, then leaned in while Gearhead continued to struggle to break free. I did not expect such physical strength, he thought as her lips closed with his.

A sudden chill darkness entered Gearhead from between Trance’s lips as she tried to send some of her Dark Magic into him. Unfortunately for her, there was more than just a mass of Light Magic already inside him, and most of that was from the particle energy he had absorbed since first creating the Alicorn Engine. It surrounded the darkness and chased it out, even extending far enough for some of it to flow out the other way, and into Trance until she pulled back, releasing Gearhead.

“Coy,” Trance said, trying to spit the particles out, but her body had already absorbed them. Between that and the earlier assault of Light and Lightning Magic, she would probably be much slower than usual. “If you think that’ll give you the time to charge your little lance there, you’re mistaken.”

“The only way to know is to try,” Gearhead said, and now his Stabilizer had added the proper sword attachments to his bladecaster. The seventh and largest ring on his lance was fully charged.

“Oh, still up for some fun. I see. Then I hope you like your deaths slow.” Trance charged again, and Gearhead met her. He rolled as he came in, slipping his bladecaster in under the tip of her staff and batting it up over her head, then spun as he closed even further. Trance seemed to notice that he was within her reach again, and she backed off rapidly in response, trying to get to where she could use her blades again. Gearhead continued his pursuit, but Trance was just a little bit faster.

Trance leaped backward, landing on the floor near the room’s edge a couple seconds later, having opened up enough of a distance that she felt safe firing off three magic blasts. Gearhead evaded, and came in with an overhead slash that gouged the floor when Trance flew low to the left to evade. Gearhead turned his momentum to the right, following through with a complete clockwise circle before pursuing Trance across the floor, but each slash was just a little too late. The sixth and fifth rings were charged.

“I don’t know what you think you’re up to, but you can’t seriously expect to beat me with that kind of speed or power,” Trance said. “How’s about I just finish this for both of us?” When Gearhead merely slashed at her again, Trance evaded and pouted pensively. “Or perhaps I ought to just ‘try it,’ as you said?” When Gearhead still did not respond with anything new, she charged up a more powerful blast, and when he was mere meters from her, she unleashed it on him.

* * *

That was when Gearhead called upon the Elemental Anklet he had brought with him, but only enough to activate its magic circuits to help him process mana that much faster. He also called out “OverBoost,” making the Twin Engine’s core rings rotate quickly, and each one in the direction counter to the one next to it. From head to toe, Gearhead was quickly enveloped in a green glow – even the weapons he held. He also accelerated instantly to three times his normal speed, spiralling around Trance’s blast.

Trance retreated as fast as she could move, but Gearhead closed with her anyway. When she swung her staff to ward him off, he merely batted it aside with his lance’s long shaft. Gearhead bobbed in his flight, dipping close to the floor before coming up closer to Trance. He was almost in arm’s reach – so she kicked out at him since he still had his guard up against her staff. Gearhead took the hit with his left wrist, and even though Trance did not think she had hit him that hard, he rolled across the floor. He let go of his weapons for long enough to cross his arms and push off the floor to regain his feet, then he called out magically to regain both weapons in time to evade a torrent of attacks from Trance, again to the right.