I had cold hooves. The wintry air was tolerable, for a pegasus like me at the very least, yet as I sat by the frozen fountain I couldn’t help but shiver slightly. There weren’t many ponies at the Canterlot Square, about over a dozen or so window shopping as they headed home, so that made it a smaller crowd than what I was used to in other cities.
I shut my eyes and shook my head, attempting to dislodge the unwanted nervousness. This is Canterlot. Sure, the ponies here were known to be snobbish, but I’ve dealt with crowds far worse.
“Heh, you still nervous?” asked my companion sitting by my side.
Irritated, I shot him a glare as he idly plucked a few strings on his guitar. “Shut up. This is all your fault, you know.”
He held up a hoof, stopping me from accusing him any further. “Hey, I recall not being the only one who agreed to this bet,” he had the gall to point at me, smirking all the while, “you agreed. Ergo, you suffer with me.”
I harrumphed and decided to keep my mouth shut. Why do I even bother listening to him? He encouraged me to join on this stupid bet, and now it’s likely that I’ll suffer from it. This performance will surely ruin the image I’ve been trying so hard to build here in Canterlot. I scoffed. This wouldn’t even be considered a performance. No practice, no other instruments, there wasn’t even a single piece of paper. Just us two on the spot in public playing with our big hollow chunks of wood.
“Come on, mate. Lighten up. This won’t be so bad.” He gave my foreleg a light shove. “It’s almost time, but I have an idea.” He motioned towards my guitar. “Play me a few chords will ya?”
“Sure,” I said, absentmindedly. I hefted my acoustic guitar. His was similar to mine in design, but mine was better because it had an intricate carved pattern that resembled a feminine rump—and it was bigger than his. I plucked a few strings and adjusted the tuning pegs until I was confident that they were all in tune. Then I slowly began to strum.
The pony beside me listened attentively as I played. “Hmm. Pick up the pace a bit.”
I smirked and said, “I can do better.” Feeling adventurous, not only did I pick up the pace, I threw in a few more chords and changed my strumming patterns here and there. Once I settled into a pattern that wasn’t overly complicated, my buddy gave me a lopsided, yet reassuring, grin.
“Perfect,” he said. He continued to watch me for a few moments, most likely reading my movements. Then, after an upbeat provided by me, he hefted his guitar and began to strum as well. His strumming faltered throughout a couple of measures, but when he matched my pace he surprised me by singing.
The moon shines across the darkened sky
That was unexpected. I had skipped a beat. It offset the relaxing atmosphere I’d built up, but I managed to ignore my mistake and continue the pattern. It happens all the time, especially when performing in front of crowds.
As the snow falls and covers our homes in the night
The wind blows against the barren trees
A place so beautiful it can't be real, it seems
I felt a bit anxious. What is he doing? And how the heck did he come up with those lyrics on the spot? Oh, and It seemed that we had caught the attention of a couple. They had been milling around the Canterlot Square, but now they sat in front of us cuddling against each other a few hooves away.
He shot me that lopsided and reassuring grin again.
As winter sets in over time
The city comes alive~
Now he looked at me. Almost as if he was expecting me to do something.
What? Did he want me to sing? I nodded my head towards the small crowd that had gathered. I was questioning his methods.
He briefly nodded his head. I hesitated.
Sing through the night
And with those words I felt something spark inside of me.
Eyes shining bright
See the stars dance across the sky
Bundled up tight
Watch the hours tick by
This is how we spend our Canterlot nights
I didn’t even realize we had sung together in perfect harmony until the end of that last line. A little purple filly in the crowd gave a small cheer atop a stallion, much to his chagrin. Suffice to say, that eased my anxiety, and I continued to sing more expressively.
Lights illuminate the city streets
Dreaming up tomorrow while we sleep
Fires burning brightly in the dark
As ponies sit around them, warming up our hearts
I think there was a dumb smile on my face. I couldn’t tell. Nor did I care. I haven’t felt this good in ages!
As winter sets in over time
The city comes alive~
Sing through the night
Eyes shining bright
See the stars dance across the sky
Bundled up tight
Watch the hours tick by
This is how we spend our Canterlot nights
I strummed the last chord and was met with complete silence as we finished our little song. A moment passed before the familiar sound of cheers and stamping of hooves reached my ears. I hadn’t expected a turnout like this when we first agreed to that ridiculous bet. There were more ponies here in the crowd than there were previously in the city square a few minutes ago.
The pony by my side gave me that lopsided grin again. Then he nodded at the crowd, waiting for the applause to cease. “Thank you!” he yelled, “we’ll be here all night.” He winked at the crowd, more so in the direction of a group of rather pretty mares.
I shook my head. He had a marefriend for Celestia’s sake. A raucous and coarse one, but a marefriend who loved him nonetheless.
“So, do you think we won that bet?” He nudged me. A few ponies in the crowd had began to scatter, although most decided to remain.
I’m certain that he was mocking me, but I didn’t care. We had definitely won that bet—I honestly forgot what that entailed—and this odd, yet pleasant, feeling wouldn’t leave. Perhaps it’s an after-effect from performing with a friend, something that I’ve never done before. Whatever it was, I wanted to make the best of it.
I hummed and asked him, “What did you say earlier?” I tapped my muzzle, attempting to recall his words. “Lighten up?” I looked towards the remaining crowd. “What’d you say we go another round?”
His response was as expected, lopsided and reassuring.
It’s been over a century since the birth of the newest alicorn. To say that Equestria had undergone an exponential growth of sorts would be a vast understatement. Technological advancements were popping up everywhere in the world and there was no indication of it ever stopping. This, of course, baffled the princesses of Equestria. Equestria’s development had been seemingly stagnant for millennia, with only a few special cases such as the creation of locomotives. Now? There were several methods of traveling to the other side of the world in under an hour. The locomotive serves no purpose today. The once famous Friendship Express sat in a museum at Canterlot for historical purposes. In other words, it was nothing more than a tourist attraction—very pretty to look at.
Cities around the world struggled to expand in order to accommodate the growing population. A hundred years ago, the city of Canterlot was known as the city on the mountain. Today, it is known as the Golden Mountain. Simply because the city structure completely encompassed the mountain with its radiance. It was literally a shining beacon representing the entirety of Equestria.
But the thing that amazed the princesses the most was the ingenious creation of magitech. A unique tool that anyone—be it earth pony, pegasus, unicorn, even those with disabilities—could utilize magitech to fulfill their needs. The new field of combining magic and technology opened a whole new world of possibilities. An earth pony wanted to fly like a pegasus? Sure, there were extremely complex spells that could grant that pony’s wish, but even magic had its limits. Spells usually become unreliable over a short period of time and can be easily disrupted by outside forces—a simple mistake could cost the life of a pony. However, create a pair of mechanical wings, enchant and power with magic, and you have an instrument of flight anyone can use that is capable of withstanding tornados.
Magitech was innovating and world-changing. It improved and saved the lives of many ponies. Rumors of magitech saving the princesses’ lives on multiple occasions weren't considered far-fetched.
It was revolutionary—a pain in the flank for the authorities. Regulating all magitech is nigh impossible because it's incredibly difficult to keep up with all the new developments that supposedly appear out of thin air. So the biggest mystery is where it originated—who was the pony responsible for these creations?
The faint sound of ringing woke me from my slumber. The darkness surrounding me made everything seem hazy. I lay on the concrete waiting for the haze to pass but to no avail.
“Uh’m...wha’m ‘app’nd?” Hah! At least I was coherent enough to mumble a few syllables!
The darkness wouldn’t leave me, so I figured I’d just continue to wait for...something, but that ringing kept pestering me like a noisy insect that wanted nothing more than to see you suffer. Alarm bells went off in my head. No, wait. The alarms were ringing!
Alarms meant there’s trouble and that I couldn’t stay here, so I attempted to rise from the cold ground. The moment I did so, I felt something like sharp nails stabbing through my side—which I recognized as pain—and my hooves gave out under me.
My teeth clenched as I hissed from the pain. I felt throbbing on my left side. Ignoring the discomfort, I extended my left wing and the sight made me nauseous. It was difficult to see in the dark, but the faint glistening red on my feathers confirmed it. Several small gashes ran underneath my wing, contrasting against my electric blue fur. Blood. My blood. I was bleeding.
A bang. An explosion. Alarms and lots of shouting. Breaking glass. The haze in my head had left, fear took its place. I remembered being chased by ponies, but for reasons I couldn’t recall. The alarms were still ringing in the distance and I noticed a few lights surrounding the abandoned district drawing closer. I had to make a decision, pronto.
I briefly reflected on what I knew. I’m certain that I played a role in this situation—that was obvious. There were ponies searching the area, most likely guards. What could I do? I glanced at my wings. I don’t think that I’m capable of moving too far—the pain flared again as soon as I acknowledged it.
A sense of dread hung in the air. No, wait, that was just a cold breeze. I scanned the lifeless night sky and what I saw frightened me. Pegasi with spotlights flew above buildings illuminating the dark district. One pony, in particular, was headed towards my direction.
I didn’t know what they’d do if they found me. Maybe I’d receive help and medical attention. Or perhaps earn a ticket straight to the dungeons for not paying my taxes. I shook my head. I needed to do something. Anything.
A glint caught my eye. There! A few hooves away from me was a metallic object. It was beyond my reach, so I had to stand up in order to inspect it further. I gasped as I pressured my left wing against my side, hoping that it would slow the bleeding. Approaching the object, its shape resembled a wide bracelet designed for hooves with several tiny cylinders fastened around the edges—mechanical parts. It seemed familiar. I reached out with my right forehoof, but the moment I touched the weird bracelet, patterns appeared and began to glow soft blue across the metal. I recognized the patterns as runes. The moment was short-lived, however, because the bracelet became red-hot and clamped above my fetlock. My eyes widened in shock as the metal attached to my right foreleg. Surprisingly, I felt no pain despite the red glow, at least, in my hooves. Patterns flashed through my mind.
Then a light from above shone towards my exact position. I froze. Discovering the purpose of this strange bracelet could wait. For all I knew, it could just be a shiny trinket with a mind of its own. I turned to face the approaching pony and squinted against the blinding light.
I heard a clang as metal hooves met concrete. The intensity of the spotlight diminished enough so that I could see the pony in front of me. The pony glared at me with a rather frightening scowl. I assumed she was female because of her curvy figure and short muzzle, but the most prominent features were her eyes and wings. Feline and bat-like, respectively. She wore royal purple metal shoes along with armor that covered her chest to thighs. A bat pony. One of the Princesses’ guards.
Then she spoke, growling all the while, “On your stomach. Now.”
Now, I’m not dense. I immediately knew from her posture alone that my well-being was not in their best interests. Complying with her would likely spell disaster for me. I needed to stall and gather more information before I could make another decision. So I tried my best to act innocent. “Wh-who?” I looked around the deserted street, as if searching for the pony she had addressed, and pointed at myself. “Me?” I mentally facehoofed. Lamest act ever.
She lifted a forehoof, pointing at me. “Funny,” she snarled. “You have five seconds. Down. Now. On your stomach.” She held an odd looking cylinder device that seemed vastly familiar.
I fell into a stupor as flashes of images went through my mind. They were blueprints of the device the bat pony held. Patterns flowed. The stupor passed.
“Two.” She counted. The device hummed, the end directed at me glowed softly.
I shook my head, fighting the remnants of my stupor, and abruptly waved my hooves. My sides didn’t like that, so they decided to remind me of the pain underneath my wing. I tried my best to ignore it, but I couldn’t help the grimace on my muzzle. “Wait! What do you need me for?” I asked, confused out of my mind.
She eyed me for a moment, obviously perplexed. Or maybe she thought I wasn’t worth her time and contemplated whether or not I should be killed on the spot. I don’t know mares. I shivered. Her stare creeped me out.
The pony blinked. “You have information that we need,” she admitted in a monotone voice. “Willingly or not, you will come with us,” she said matter-of-factly. The device still glowed, albeit brighter.
“I don’t know anything!” Well, that was false. I knew now that these ponies wouldn’t kill me outright—at least until they got what they needed.
“Four. You know the location of the Innovator.”
I moved to respond, but I hesitated. Innovator? That name. It left a very bad taste in my mouth.
And she didn’t miss my hesitation.
Before I realized what she intended to do, I heard a loud brief crack. The device on her hoof had fired a short beam of light towards me. My eyes widened and I stood ramrod straight as the beam advanced at an extremely rapid pace.
Then something unexpected happened. Dozens of patterns, runes, appeared from thin air to form a miniature hexagonal barrier in front of me. The beam didn’t impact the barrier like one would expect it to. It absorbed the energy. This event, of course, left us both in a catatonic state.
She was the first to react. The bat pony snarled and flared her wings in anger, charging the weapon in her hoof once more.
More runes appeared. The patterns burned a bright blue above the bracelet on my hoof. Instincts took control over my body and I yelled something out in a language I didn’t understand. The barrier shot forward, faster than the beam she fired. I saw the expression on her face morph to one of surprise, then she flung backward as it struck her chest. The sound of glass breaking reached my ears as the bat pony crashed through a window behind her.
Shield spell. I summarized. An immensely flexible one. The runes slowly faded out of existence and the glow around the bracelet died out. My vision blurred while I waited for my mind to comprehend what had happened. Huh, so this bracelet has magic? Then the pain from before returned, along with its best friend—headaches.
I sat there for a moment. Kneading my head, hoping that the action would ease the aching. Unfortunately, no such thing happened. A groan brought me out of my misery and I looked towards where the bat pony had fallen. Surely the guard, or whoever she was, thought to inform her companions beforehand? If not, then she must’ve been one incompetent guard. Though, I couldn’t stay here for long. She’d probably awaken in a minute or so.
I stood. Where could I go? Obviously I couldn’t move much because I was still injured. I surveyed the area. The district looked very...industrial. There weren’t many buildings, as large abandoned factories and warehouses comprised the majority of the district. The lighting was poor because numerous street lanterns had died out. I presumed that many years had passed since the last time this particular district received any sort of maintenance.
I sighed in disappointment. I needed help and it seemed that the nearest ponies wanted nothing more than to detain me. I briefly entertained the idea of examining the guard for that weapon of hers, yet I didn’t want to linger here any longer. I scanned the lifeless night sky. I don’t know what devices they had available or stored in their arsenal, but more guards were probably headed towards my location.
I glanced at the bracelet, wondering what other secrets it held. If this could protect me, then I’d better hold onto it. I took off in a random direction, limping all the while.
