Prologue [Mostly Done]
“If we get busted for this, remember that this was your idea,” a harsh whisper cut through the silence.
The doors to the audience hall slid open. Brilliant, Twilight thought.
“Twilight, are you even listening?” No answer. The construct poked Twilight hard, but still provoked no response. The construct became silent, as if brooding.
Grinning secretly at her small victory, Twilight turned back to concentrated the task at hoof. This was it, her last opportunity. She needed a clear head for this.
The pair moved silently through the well preserved hall, taking care to keep to one side and well away from the furniture that might alert the servants and the caretakers to their presence. The two great tables that ran the lengths of the hall were prepared with silken table cloths and the finest cutlery from the entire nation laid out precisely and delicately.
Portraits of past headmasters and famous scholars hung high up along the walls, just out of the range of the sunlight that was permitted through the stained windows behind the tables. Soft velvet cushions were placed on the floor alongside the tables, each of a different variety of colours and patterns intended for the taste of their intended guests.
Looking back to the entrance she came from and the multiple doorways for the seventh time, she ploughed into one of the spare cushions lined with not silver, but gold. She squealed in glee and started examining a set of silverware. Twilight lifted a hoof and started rapping on one of the punch bowls to the rhythm of a familiar melody. She couldn’t help it. Clear headed or not, she was going to be foalish.
“Stop doing that, you’re going to get us caught,” whispered her construct in his small agitated metallic and boyish voice. “Are you going to stay here all day?”
His name was Spikialaimon, or just Spike, namely for the trail of spike like features lining his spine that accompanied him no matter he transformed into. Currently he was a peculiar mechanical bat, clinging onto the belly of the table. Small gusts of steam could be heard if one strained but what was the most obvious was the fact that miniature gears, pipes, and metal covered his entire body. A blue light radiated from the multiple vaults scattered around his body, a reminder of the magical workings within. Two cyan eyes peered back at Twilight’s gaze as his restless “skin” shifted constantly.
“Relax, Spike. Nopony is supposed to be here just yet. In fact, the guests should be frolicking in the statue garden, and the cooks haven’t even started preparing the first course yet,” Twilight whispered back. “So stop fussing.”
Twilight stepped back from the table and hid herself behind a slightly ajar display cabinet. Lighting up her horn, she weaved a complicated spell for breaking through the defensive locks that were placed on the door of the retiring room at the end of the hall. Then, she remembered a spell she came across that obscured a unicorn’s presence and cast it upon herself. One she was done, Spike fluttered ahead and disappeared through the now open door to the retiring room. A moment later, he returned.
“It’s all clear,” he whispered. “If we are quick, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
From her hiding place, Twilight darted through the rest of the hallway and into the retiring room. She smiled as she looked around. Book shelves full of rare resources lined the entire room. The only source of light came from the fireplace, where a bright blaze sat atop the magical rune that summoned it. As a young filly, she had lived most of her life in the university, but the retiring room was forbidden to all but the senior scholars and their guests. At any other time, one could usually find the butler skulking around somewhere inside.
Today however, the Butler was unusually busy and there was talk of a very important meeting taking place with a special, secret guest. It was a chance that Twilight couldn’t miss out on. She sighed, Just like on numerous other occasions she’s failed to infiltrate the inner complex of the university.
Spike fluttered over to her, and with a burst of blue light, turned into a metallic moth and settled onto her back.
“We’re here. Now can we go back?” he asked in a small, anxious voice.
I just have to delay him until the others start to arrive, thought Twilight. It was a big room, with an oval shaped table of polished magewood dominating the centre of it. Several luxurious armchairs were dotted around the room, often accompanied by an elegant silver stand with a basket of delicious delicacies. A cabinet and a wardrobe stood adjacent to the fireplace, each made out of the best of rosewoods. Scanning around the room, Twilight zoned in on the rows of books around them.
“Don’t be silly! Look at all the books that they’ve got here! All of this new knowledge to absorb.” She then made a big show of trotting past several shelves and pausing occasionally to look at random titles. While she was doing this, she restored the defensive spells on the door. To cover it up, she lifted a book off of a shelf with her magic as she cast the spells, and then deposited it onto another one.
“Come on, Twilight. You’ve already got the entirety of the university library at your disposal.” Spike peered up at the portrait of a particularly gruff scholar, staring him down with all the harshness of the world.
Twilight thought she saw him shiver, but wrote it off as a figment of her imagination.
“Really Twilight, we’ve already been here too long–” Spike was cut off by sudden voices sounding from outside the room.
Twilight was already dashing toward the large wooden wardrobe and clambered in, followed closely behind by Spike. A world of warm, synthetic fur greeted them as Twilight closed the door to all but a crack. She must have looked too gleeful for a second because Spike shot her a withering glare with his eerily large eyes as she mustered her most innocent smile.
The Butler walked into the room, carrying a lamp. Following him were two other ponies; Twilight could tell from the sound of hooves clopping against the hardwood floor. The butler was decked out in his best, a shiny dark suit with the green trousers. His construct, a little monkey, clung to his back while carrying a vintage bottle of moonshine, no doubt intended for the special guest. A lot could be told from a glance at the complimentary beverage and the expansive taste of this one was speaking in lengths.
“Has our esteemed guest arrived yet?” a stern voice asked.
The voice of the headmaster froze Twilight. Of course he would be here for the meeting, he was the host after all, Twilight told herself. His grey coat and lush black mane made him stand out against the backdrop of busy scholars, something that usually worked in Twilight’s favour. Usually.
The headmaster was an Earth pony of reputable fame and mysterious powers that were said to rival even that of the strongest of unicorns. Of course, she had only heard through hushed whispers and murmurs, but never told directly by the pony himself. Each time she had spoken to him, he was quite understanding and calm though she’d heard some stories about those that trifled with his anger. If Twilight was found here, she would be lucky to only be sent to the dungeons from the strict stallion’s wrath.
“They should be arriving soon, Headmaster,” the butler said coolly. “The guards have already arrived on the grounds.”
“Very good. Have the cooks prepare the appetizers. We will not be a good host if our guest goes hungry. This meeting shouldn’t take long at all.”
“Of course, Sir.” The Headmaster turned his gaze towards the bottled champagne.
“I see you have brought the vintage. Leave it on the table and attend to your other duties.” He waved the butler away with his hoof.
The servant levitated the beverage out of his construct’s grasp onto the cabinet sideboard.
Twilight held her breath as the floating aura passed by, and held in a sigh of relief when she remained undetected.
“Shall I leave the lamp, Headmaster?” He gestured toward the lit oil lamp that sat atop the table.
“Yes, I do believe we will have use of it during the presentation. Do come in after the meeting to douse it, would you.” Although it was a request, the words came out more like an order.
The butler bowed slightly and turned to leave through the door, his construct still motionless on his back. When he was gone, Twilight let go of her breath and proceeded to watch the Headmaster from her hiding place.
He sat down on a comfortable looking chair to face the only other occupant in the room. Producing a pipe, he started to work on it and motioned for the pony to sit down.
Twilight had almost forgotten about the second pony. She could now see that he was an Earth pony, and became surprised at his appearance. What she saw was a weathered face not produced by years of studying, but of one who had likely seen more action than any of the scholars in the university. His position made it impossible for her to catch a glimpse of his eyes but she was sure they were something fierce. What struck her as odd, though, was that the Earth pony was dressed in a servant’s attire. His bronze coloured snake construct coiled loosely around his hooves and remained still like a statue. Suddenly, she was startled out of her thoughts by the Headmaster’s voice.
“I take it the exploration convoy was a success, considering you’re here, Vigil.”
Twilight frowned in confusion at the mention of a convoy. Certainly there was no need for any transportation of goods to the university, being so close to the nearest city, she thought.
“Aye, we lost a few ponies but managed to make it back discreetly,” Vigil replied with a sigh. “And you were right. We found… something.”
“I thought so. The witch’s prophecy was true then. Do we have our friends’ cooperation in the capitol?” He didn’t seem the least bit surprised, but there was a glint of something akin to satisfaction in the Headmaster’s eyes.
“That we do, Sir. My ponies are staying with our allies as of now. The preparations have started already,” Vigil answered.
“Good, good. Remember, Vigil, word of this mustn't get out. I will be pulling some strings for the duration of your mission.” He paused, glancing at a clock hanging on the adjacent wall. “My guest will be here soon, so you should leave. We shall meet again before they make the journey back to the Capitol.”
Vigil bowed stoically and left through the door, and his snake construct uncoiled and slithered after him obediently.
Spike fidgeted from his spot in the wardrobe as Twilight watched the Headmaster from her hiding place.
He adjusted the furniture. A frown passed over his features once he had glanced over the many titles on the shelf a few times.
Twilight remembered that on her first day here, Spike had taken quite an interest in the Headmaster’s construct, Heraldophine, a slender dragon-like serpent. It was almost unheard of to have a dragon, not to mention impossible, the princess notwithstanding. It was then that she realized that the Headmaster’s construct was missing, or rather, had never appeared. She felt a flicker under her hooves.
“I thought I had taught you better. Nonetheless, it would be wise to come out, Miss Sparkle,” the Headmaster glanced at the closet with disappointment.
A moment later, Twilight’s legs gave out and she tumbled forward onto the carpeted ground.
The headmaster glared at her disapprovingly.
Twilight winced as the Headmaster’s construct pricked her sensitive ear harshly with its sharp tail.
“This is no place for a foal to be, especially today of all days,” the Headmaster went on, his features irate. “If not for the prophecy’s sake, I would subject you to a good bout of disciplining. No, maybe a public humiliation would be better. Stupid, blabbering witch. If only Luna was still here, I’m getting too old for this,” the Headmaster started rambling, his tired eyes shut tight.
“Who’s Luna?” she asked, interrupting her headmaster’s tirade.
The old stallion froze, his eyes widening slightly before he regained his composure.
“No one important,” he mumbled. “Tell me, filly, have you read your appointed homework?”
“Yes, Headmaster. Are you going to send me to the dungeon?” She was frightened out of her hooves. She had been caught.
“Goodness gracious, no. It smells like a soiled drunkard down there. You’ll stay in the closet for the duration of the meeting. Do you remember what I’ve taught you?” He looked to his young student expectantly.
“Yes, Headmaster. Always follow your intuition and bear the consequences that follow with it,” she recited quickly.
“Good, so you have learned something. Now, get in!” The Headmaster ushered Twilight in with an impatient wave of his hoof. Beneath his angry gesture, uncertainty flashed across his face for the briefest of moments.
Twilight just chalked it up to him reconsidering his order for a moment. Finally, Twilight crouched there, leaving the door open just a crack.
Multiple faint voices could now be heard outside, accompanied by the clip clop of hooves on marble. The voices became louder and louder until finally, the door burst open and four guards strode into the room. The stallions were clad in golden armour, each bearing the sigma of the solar princess. They weren’t just the normal guards, they were the Royal Guards! Realization dawned upon Twilight, and she could barely restrain a gasp. No wonder the senior scholars were panicking their flanks off. The special guest must’ve be one of the nobilities, and maybe even part of the Royal family!
In a practiced motion, the guards bowed and lit up their horns, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary. Twilight froze when one of the golden stallions glanced over the closet but relaxed immediately when it turned out to be just a routine sweep. After the procedure was over, a regal figure stepped gracefully into the room. For the second time in a single day, Twilight felt giddy and awed, for not only was the figure part of the nobility, but it was the Princess herself!
The paintings and descriptions of the princess did not do her justice, thought Twilight. How could you describe this warm feeling when you share the room with a goddess? If not for a sharp, meaningful jab by Spike, she would’ve started dancing inside the closet. The experience was beyond unreal.
“Celestia, it’s good to see you again. Been busy I presume?”
“Right as always, Headmaster Sombra. You have an interesting university, I must say. It has seen a lot of change since I founded it all those years ago.” With a mischievous grin she added, “However, I must detest the hall of the horrors. Even your scholars shiver in fright at those who are already long dead.”
“Ah, you know me Tia.” He chuckled. “I must ask, though, where are the other scholars? I was sure they were sent specifically to receive you, lest my memory fails me.”
“Worry not. There was a little magical mishap in the statues garden. I’m afraid that you are now short one Minotaur statue. It was such a shame that it had to be disposed of. It had such a refreshing posture, too.”
The two ponies made jokes and idle chatter and a glance showed that the guards were still as vigilant as ever. As the excitement begun to die down, Twilight started to fidget in her increasingly uncomfortable position. A slight movement next to her reminded her that Spike was still with her.
“Still glad we came here, Twi?” the mechanical moth snarked at her.
She neither bothered to dignify that quip with a reply nor wished to be discovered via a mistimed retort.
The guards stood as dutiful as ever, each taking a corner of the room and prepared to take any course of action if necessary. None were close to Twilight and she was glad for it. A servant retrieved a fumes lamp and tossed a few special smoke leaves that were especially good for one’s body and made for rich conversation.
After what had seemed like an eternity, a rushed tsunami of sounds reached their years as sweaty scholars rushed through the door, begging their pardons for being late and greeting the princess with hasty bows. What they received was a nod and smile from the princess and a vague gesture of a hoof from the headmaster. Trailing slightly behind were some of the scholars from the Capitol, who greeted their fellow counterparts with equal measures of both enthusiasm and wariness. To Twilight’s observant eyes, it probably had something to do with the long standing competition between the two groups. When all were seated properly and quieted, the Headmaster Sombra stood up and began to speak. The discussion was mainly on politics, as well as exciting new research and news from all over Celestine.
Under the constant noise and the pleasant smells, Twilight delicately removed a robe off its hanger and laid it on the bottom of the wardrobe.
“You’re getting too comfortable, Twilight,” chided Spike disapprovingly.
“We’re going to be here for a while so I might as well,” Twilight whispered back.
She sat down and listened to the conversation. No matter how she much she tried to focus, it was dull and boring talk. The marriages of nobles did not interest her, nor did a misunderstanding between the Duke and a simple merchant. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought that the Capitol was as dull a place as ever could be. The smells of the frying leaves tempted Twilight to nod off more than once.
Spike found it annoying the number of times he had to ram with all of his tiny moth strength into Twilight to wake her up. He couldn’t transform without revealing their position, so an insect he had to remain.
Eventually, Twilight heard somepony give a sharp series of raps on the table. The other voices fell silent. It was the Headmaster.
“Mares and gentlecolts,” he began “I would like to first welcome you all to the University of Celestine and for those of you that stay, welcome you to your home for the next few years. Today, however, we have a special guest, who, I’m assuming you all know. Political tensions are high now, and it is a miracle that the princess could come to this humble gathering. Come tomorrow morning, the princess will take an airship to a peace summit in the Cloud Delta of Hoofingdale. The princess’s time is valuable and we must use it wisely. Without further delay, let’s begin.” The Headmaster sat down after he spoke.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” said Princess Celestia, shifting the attention back onto her. “My little ponies, as you are all aware, beyond this city lies the Heavenly Barrier. It is the only thing standing between our Great Nation and the machinations of the chaos spirit, Discord.
“However, as of late, it had caused a great unrest in our society by those who believe we should abolish the barrier.” A ripple of murmurs broke out across the room but Princess Celestia continued on. “In this last week, I have attended more peace summits than in the last decade. The situation is unfortunate, but you all know why I cannot remove the barrier. But that is not why I’m here.
“I am here because there had been a sighting at Fort Everfree. It is to be believed that a pony had been spotted outside the barrier.” There was silence for a moment before a roar of conversation exploded around the room. Speculations were tossed around and there were already talks of the possibilities of setting up long term observational stations. Twilight sat there, dumbfounded by this new revelation.
It was part of her basic education to be taught about the Heavenly Barrier, just like any other foal. Centuries ago, a powerful entity appeared in their world - a being of chaos and madness – and waged a terrible war on the land.
Armies of hundreds of thousands of ponies took a stand to fight against this abomination in the single largest alliance in all of history. His name was Discord. What should have been a certain victory was instead a slaughter. Discord turned ponies against each other, corrupted generals to lead their soldiers to their deaths, and created all manners of dark creatures able to flatten a battalion of ponies in mere seconds.
The first battle lasted just shy of two days and the casualties crushed the rest of the armies. The wave of chaos, led by Discord, tore through settlements, towns and cities, and often left the survivors wishing they were dead. Finally, the princess and her elites took a final stand against Discord. The battle that followed almost rendered ponykind extinct, but they managed to seal Discord in a tomb and to create a barrier for the survivors to shelter them from the chaos outside.
There were no ponies left outside the barrier.
There couldn’t be.
“Ponies? Outside the barrier? Pardon me, but I know nonsense when I hear it!”
“Fort Everfree is the only place able to observe the outside of the barrier. If a pony was spotted there, who knows how many more there are!”
“If the rebels get their hooves on this information, there won’t just be a trivial unrest anymore.”
“Be calm, my little ponies,” Celestia said, loud enough for it to be heard above the din. Everypony fell silent. “We have yet to obtain any solid proof on the existence of this anomaly. It may have been a deformation of one of the new chaos spawns. I am here today to discuss on the decision to divert funding onto this case. If this was true, then the implications would be astounding.”
The room voiced their agreement and the rest of the conversation was indulged in a slightly more subdued manner with the allocation of the remaining budget sorted out through voting and small groups of discussions.
“Say, Twilight, do you really think there are ponies outside?” asked Spike, fluttering onto her shoulder.
“I don’t think so. Without the princess or the guard to protect them, it would be impossible to survive out there. Remember the excursion we went on to Fort Everfree?” she whispered carefully.
“Yeah, it was pretty bad out there. Not a single construct snack bar.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. In hindsight, whether it was her imagination or not, she would never know. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the guards closest to the princess move, and a fade glow – almost unnoticeable if one didn’t bother to look – wrapped his horn very subtly. Surely it was nothing, she told herself. However, she couldn’t help but turn her sight onto the other guards, who stood as motionless as ever.
“Twilight, what’s wrong?”
Twilight didn’t answer. She was about to dismiss the thought as simple, over-vivid imagination when she saw a small sauce stain on another guard’s side. A more strained look chilled her breaths. It wasn’t a stain, she realized. It was blood. Eyes widening in fear and shock, she turned around to face the other two guards and found the same small and almost unnoticeable blood patch. The only guard that was alive was slowly but definitely advancing toward the princess. The scholars nearby were too engrossed in their talks to take notice of the guardspony.
She panicked, not knowing what to do, what she could do. If she was mistaken, then she couldn’t possibly live with the embarrassment and shame, not to mention the wrath of the Headmaster. She couldn’t do this, she thought, this simply wasn’t her responsibility.
But you can do something about it, her mind retorted.
Suddenly, the unicorn’s horn lit up in a bright flash and a moment before he struck, the doors of the wardrobe flew open. Somewhere above her, another bright light that rivalled in brilliance erupted and along with it, a euphoria that Twilight could not even fathom. For moments, Twilight didn’t even realize that it was she who had summoned the light before she cast a spell. She only had time to glimpse a look at all the shocked expressions before her eyes turned pure white.
A vision flashed before her eyes, and suddenly she was somewhere else.
Mechanical behemoth in the sky, pillars of fire raining down from above. In the distance, enormous towers collapsing upon each other. Below, thousands of ponies fought each other in a bloody conflict. Above it all, a hideously mismatched creature levitated in the air, looking down while bearing a twisted grin.
Its half goat, half dragon head turned, its yellow, wild, eyes locking onto her.
And it smiled.
Twilight’s thoughts screamed in agony as its eyes gripped her very soul. Feeling her strength sapped away, she quickly lost her tenacious gripe on her mind and fell into the abyss.
***
“Twilight, are you alright?” called a distant voice. Twilight felt like she was in a cross between numb pain and paradise. There was something missing… like a memory, or a dream, something that was just beyond the reach of her mind’s eye. Words failed to describe the sensation she was feeling. Slowly, as the sound became louder and more persistent, the sensation started to fade away and she felt drained and tired. Slowly she opened her eyes.
It turned out that she had blanked out for only a few seconds, but from the looks of the retiring room – or what was left of it – a lot could happen in just a few seconds. There was a shallow crater on the wooden floor not far away and a black trail leading toward her. The wardrobe looked like it had exploded and purple membranes now covered the room, protruding from newly made anchors on the dented walls.
“Damn you, bloody tyrant!” a livid voice shrieked.
Twilight snapped her head around in alarm, so fast that she fretted for a whiplash. The imposing guard had been bounded by what looked like golden chains, nailing him onto the floor. The Headmaster stood next to him, content with just scowling at him before looking at Twilight. The group of elderly scholars still huddled together, not exactly sure how to react given the situation. Years of studying complex equations or magical theory could not prepare them for this situation
“Thank the heavens you’re alright, child.” Twilight turned around until she saw the Headmaster, bearing a rare look of relief.
“Twilight, was it?” Twilight realized Princess Celestia was speaking to her. The princess of Equestria was speaking to her! She shrunk in herself, caught halfway between intimidated and awestruck.
“U-um, y-yes, Your Majesty,” stuttered Twilight, trembling in equal measures of shock and awe. Celestia must have caught on to that, though how she did Twilight could not fathom.
“It’s alright, my little pony. In fact, more than alright. I would believe that you had just saved my life from an assassination attempt,” mused Princess Celestia before giving Twilight a beaming and grateful smile.
“S-saved… Princess CELESTIA!?” Twilight whispered-shouted to herself. The Princess paid no heed to her small outburst and continued on, the graceful smile she beared never once leaving her nuzzle.
“On behalf of myself and of Celestine, I hereby issue you the medallion of the Sun for your service to Celestine, and myself. Thank you, my little pony,” finished Princess Celestia before giving a flourished and grateful bow to Twilight. Meanwhile, Everypony whose name did not coincide with Sombra and Celestia’s were left wide eyed and mouths gaping, Twilight perhaps the most.
“The m-medallion of the S-sun?” she stammered.
“Correct, the highest non-military medal awarded to the citizens of Celestine. I do believe the last one was given over a century ago, during the great Everfree flood,” said the Headmaster, though he knew that Twilight had already known all this. A glimmer of recognition in her eyes told him he was correct.
“Now, normally, this service would be rewarded with a ridiculous sum of money, and a place in the Hall of Honours in the Capitol. However, I do believe I can offer something better,” said the Princess gently, smiling at Twilight.
“H-huh?” stuttered Twilight, too shocked to even string together a comprehensible thought.
“What would you say if I was to take you on as my personal student in the Capitol, and, of course, a guaranteed place in the School for Gifted Ponies.” The Princess grinned as Twilight’s face morphed into an unbelieving and utterly joyful smile. Jaws dropped across the room as scholars began to object. It was all doomed to fail as an ear-splitting squeal filled the room.
It consisted of just one word.
“Yes!”
The stallion tapped the thick cigar in his mouth with the edge of his velvet clad hoof, taking in the scene of the second greatest city in Celestine laid out before him all its glory. The thin vapour like smoke drifted upwards into the setting sun.
The ledge he stood on was perfect; high enough for him to cast his gaze across the entire city, yet low enough to not be battered by the pegasi wind. In the distance, there was the university, its ancient buildings separated from the surrounding by a beautiful garden.
A pony approached him from behind, causing him to tense for a fraction of a second before realising who it was. After a moment of silence, he grunted slightly to signal the pony to speak.
“Everything is set in motion, milord,” the pony intoned, a gruff yet obedient quality worked into his tone.
He glanced back at the servant stallion before returning his gaze to the skyline. Slowly, he took out the cigar and smothered it underneath his hoof, and replied in a resigned tone.
“Very well, ready my carriage,” he said, watching his servant abide to his command. He gave the city one last glance before following the disappearing shadow of his underling.
“For the both of our sakes, Sombra, I hope you know what you are doing.”
Chapter 1 - Wake Up Call [Uncompleted Draft]
The ponies of the light,
O how they rejoiced,
when their Ruler was laid to rest.
Flowers and banquets,
Naught for the king to wake,
For the earth would tremble,
The day he returned.
For moons it seemed,
that all was well.
Ponies are mirthful and kind,
weak from tranquil and peace.
He who slumbered has yet to miss,
ponies ignorant to his vengeful hiss.
When the cycles they turn,
Discord will return.
~ Taken from the Book of Prophecies
7 Years after the event of Prologue…
The bustling laboratories of the Trident Research Facility were alive, as it always was. Whereas its sister research facility in Captiol were responsible for the countless domestic inventions and innovations that increased the quality of life in Celestine, it was here that the more dangerous and sensitive subjects were constructed, studied or taken apart to further the interests of the nation.
The corridors and the containment rooms of the facility all appeared the same, off white colour that were illuminated by electricity behind glass covers. The temperature was always maintained at a perfect room temperature, though adjustable depending on the situation. However, the comfortable temperature was contended by the sterile smell that persisted everywhere.
Currently, in the central chambers of the giant complex, a recently recovered artefact was brought to be examined. The artefact itself was a solidly prism shaped object, with the exception of a few chipped corners at the top. Intricate rune markings and patterns marked its surface, though they had long since been drained of their power.
“Set it down, gently does it.” A band of unicorns wrapped in hazmat suits and thickly bounded barding circled the mysterious artefact, all within a sealed see-through room. All had a shimmering glow around their horns, matched by an identical one on the artefact. Beyond the glass panels, Director Emeritus bit her lips. With her were half a dozen scientists and technicians, all under her command.
“Right corner at three degrees angle to the medium,” uttered one of the unicorns as the artefact tilted ever so slightly towards the left.
“Adjust on left flank, we want to do this as carefully as possible,” said the Director, speaking into a small rounded microphone attached to the console. She moved away from the microphone and took a sip of water, calming her parched and irritated throat. The speaker overhead spoke again.
“Tilt stabilized. Right corner at less than half degree.”
The rest of procedure went flawlessly, the expert team of ponies lowering the object inch by inch. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the artefact was lowered onto the observation deck with a soft thud. Several ponies circled the device, searching for any minuscule detail that didn’t exist before. Another moment passed and Emeritus raised her hoof, posed to ping the emergency buzzer.
“Everything is as documented, Director.” The Director’s hoof lowered and the other operators in the control room seemed to collectively sigh in relief.
“All personnel except for Specialist Glimmer exit the containment chamber. The examinations shall begin shortly.” Emeritus wiped away the condensation above her brow with a hoof. So far so good, she thought to herself. A nervous twitch had begun to occupy her right hind hoof, an old habit from her university days.
Lights overhead flashed and a soft siren wailed as the dozen or so ponies exited the containment chamber. The deadlock seal quickly shut close behind them, leaving only one occupant within the testing chamber. The precautionary alarms settled down and left a clear view of the artefact again.
“Draining all arcane presence in three… two… one…” A stallion next to Emeritus quickly flipped switches and manipulated knobs, causing a vague emerald sheen to spread across the containment chamber before dissipating into nothingness. Each operator sat silently in their seats, their brows knitted as they all stared intensely at the readings and control valves.
Beside her, a small recorder turned on, tuned to record both inside the chamber and outside. Giving a nod of satisfaction Emeritus took control of the microphone again.
“All controls are in full functioning capacity and entropy levels are stable. You may start your examinations.” Emeritus leant back into her comfortable chair as the specialist gave an affirmative and went to work, bringing out her arsenal of advanced tools.
The small, bizarre picks, screwdrivers and hefty drilling devices as well as charge emulators were laid across the table. Each was made of an arcana core with a coldsteel shell, with the exception of some of the more sensitive contraptions. The specialist paused a small moment, her hoof flexing slowly underneath her suit before she reached for an Optical-Arcanum device, a magically infused visual scanner.
“Test 01: subject appears to be made of cast Laxite-Ruponzium alloy for the purpose of repurposing strong currents from ley lines or an active life force.” She squinted as she tried to read the markings that criss-crossed the prism. “The current embedded runes suggest that it could be have been used as a magical retainer.”
The unicorn lowered the examination device and put it down gently. She then picked up another device with a small spiralling tip at the end. Being careful, she lowered the device onto the surface of the artefact, drilling a small hole it into it. She picked up the examination device again and raised it to her eyes.
“Test 02: Arcane dating suggests that this artefact dates its origins back to as early as fifteen BC, in the midst of the last chapter of the Discordian Wars.” Glimmer shifted her view and twitched the small knobs on the device. “Small scars and the uneven rune distribution are scattered throughout the surface, meaning that it had at least seen some form of action in the wars. On whose side, it is not evident so far, though the runes seem to favour more to that of Discord.”
The specialist mare stopped to take a breather as everypony in the room let the thought sink in. It was not rare to uncover artefacts used by ponies during the war; in fact they were quite well documented. However, it was rare that anything used by Discord or his legions could be recovered due to their powerful yet unstable nature. Emeritus turned her eyes on the specialist Glimmer, whose eyes shifted before settling back on the artefact.
“Shall I continue, Director?”
The operators around her looked at the Director, hooves twitchy as they waited to hear her decision. Director Emeritus chewed on the inside of her cheeks before answering.
“Yes, please resume your examination, Specialist Glimmer.” Glimmer gave a stiff nod in return and went back to her task. She picked up one of the larger devices: an arcane ophilometre used to measure arcane devices by running a small passive magical current through it.
“Test 03: conducting a two point one ophilome current on subject.” The device hummed to life, and as the two ends were connected to the artefact, a fizz quickly built up through the wires connecting the ends. However, nothing came out of it. Emeritus frowned as the specialist put the device back down. “The results return a negative. The current had failed to penetrate the protective casing. Requesting permission to conduct a larger current?”
“Granted,” replied Emeritus.
“Upgrading current to three point one ophilome.” The twin ends were once again on the surface of the artefact. As soon as it was turned on, however, it was apparent that something was wrong. Emeritus was the first to notice one of the sensors had picked up a huge current of magical energies leaving the room.
“Shut down the curren–” she tried to yell but was interrupted as a deep rumble erupted around her. An operator jumped out of her seat and rushed over to pull at the emergency buzzer, but for the one time they needed it, the buzzer was too stubborn to move.
“Director, the emergency switch’s jammed!”
An unearthly quake suddenly shook the room, causing Emeritus and the operators to stumble across her control panel. A bolt of panic and fear shot through her body. She frantically righted herself and looked into the containment chamber. Her eyes widened at the sight of the artefact shaking as its runes and markings lit up with energy. Without a single moment of hesitation she slammed the emergency response button and spoke into the comms. “We need a full arcane containment crew here, now!”
“Ma’am, the artefact is becoming unstable!” shouted a pony nearby.
“I can see that! Lock the seals and make sure nothing gets into that containment chamber or out!” Emeritus gritted her teeth. Inside, she saw the specialist backing away from the examination pad, her tools and sensors laid abandoned. The mare tapped into her radio and quickly uttered something, only to find no reply or static. She looked towards the sealed entrance – and exit – with growing dread.
The Director was sweating profusely, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She flinched when she heard a banging from the other side of the entrance, no doubt the mare inside pleading for them to let her get out.
“Um, Director?” She turned her attention on the pony who prompted her. “Should we leave? The policy says that we must evac–”
“The rules dictate that we must act in the best interest of our nation.” Emeritus gritted her teeth and looked back into the desperate and terrified eyes of the trapped mare through the glass panel. “This facility is currently under lock down, meaning that nothing gets in or out of here until we know more, including us.”
“The containment team is en-route,” somepony called out. “ETA twenty minutes.”
“Shit, that’s going to take way too long,” muttered a researcher next to her. More banging ensued and the Director could feel an onset aneurism.
“Alright, suit up everyone, in case the containment chamber breaks open,” she said, slipping into her own Hazmat suit along with her co-workers. The alarms were immediately muffled as the Hazmat isolated the Director from the outside world as best as it could.
That was when the lights cut out.
The control room and beyond was plunged into a suffocating darkness. A hiss and heavy thud rang through the control room as everypony fumbled to turn their inbuilt headlights on. A sharp squeal of metal caused everypony to flatten their ears, even with the sound muffling Hazmat suit. Emeritus herself quickly cast a ward spell, but found that her magic was cut off.
“What the-” The pony never finished the sentence as a cackle quickly signalled the return of electricity. Light flooded through the control room and everypony could see again. However, when they quickly looked into the containment chamber, it was now empty accompanied by a new hole.
Panic ripped through the assembled scientists as everypony scrambled away from the now-compromised containment chamber. Even the Director herself took a step back away from the observation panel.
“Where is the damned containment team?! We should’ve heard from them by–”
A bright flash accompanied by a deafening roar drew their attention. The sound of shattering glass didn’t matter as much as what they saw. The space that was previously occupied by the mare and the artefact was now host to something much more dangerous.
“N-no, it can’t be!” stuttered Emeritus, scrambling to get away from the impossible eldritch horror before her.
Her only reply was a malicious smile as it stepped forward and grasped the files that were knocked open during the quake. Its maniac eyes stopped as it glanced over a picture of purple unicorn mare. Beside the image, there were two imprinted words.
Twilight Sparkle
The chilling laugh that followed echoed through the facility.
***
Twilight ducked under a brutally swung saber and rolled away sharply, keeping her limbs close to her body. A matching saber in her own telekinesis blocked another coming attack, allowing her to catch a breath. Her legs spread out underneath her, and she once more morphed into a combat ready stance. She could taste the salt on her lips as she caught her breath in short bursts. Her bangs well across her eyes limply, drenched down by her own sweat. She really should’ve tied it up before.
Twilight assessed the situation. In front of her was a hostile opponent, an expert in combat and sword jousting. Any swings that she might make will be easily countered and in turn she will be open to attacks. However, she had the advantage of a large cesspool of ready magic at her command. A small plan coming together, Twilight charged forward, feigning left before suddenly swirling towards the right. Her prod was easily blocked, but the assault had done what she wanted.
Her horn released a bout of magic, teleporting her to the immediate back of her opponent. She then jabbed her saber as fast as she could, but found it skilfully reflected. Twilight leapt backwards once it seemed that the element of surprise was not with her, narrowly avoiding a barrage of swings and jabs by her opponent.
The failed surprise attack had left her slightly winded, and so she panicked when she saw her opponent charging towards her again. She saw her opponent coming in for another jab from the right, and she readied herself to block it.
At the last second, however, the pony shifted suddenly to the left, causing Twilight to try and intercept the coming attack with her own weapon. Unprepared as she was, her saber was torn away by a simple twirl from her opponent. She managed to teleport again, this time to where she had dropped her sword. Her opponent was faster, though, and had predicted where she might go. A powerful thrust headed for her and she was forced to roll out of the way.
A series of rapid attacks soon followed, as it seemed that Twilight’s opponent was capitalizing on her weariness. Both rapidly losing hope and worn out, she raised an impromptu magical shield as her last defence. She yelped as the shield shattered against the sudden, pinpoint assault of the enemy’s saber. Her mind dazed by the shattering of her shield, she found herself on the floor, a sabre pointed towards her.
“Okay, I yield!” The sword was at once lowered and sheathed back into its place. Twilight gasped, panting to get her breath back. The smooth, cold marble stone beneath her body providing a small but not unpleasant chill down her spine. A throbbing ache had started at the back of her head, reminding her of the headache that would not doubt consume her day soon.
“Not bad, Twily, not bad at all,” said the all-too smug looking stallion in front of her. Twilight glared at the stallion, knowing all too well that the stallion in front of her knows that she hates the nickname ‘Twily’. It made her feel like she was just a foal.
“Yeah, laugh it up Sergeant Armour,” Twilight snapped back, blowing the mane from her face. “I’d almost got you that time, too.”
Sergeant Armour, or Shining Armour as he much preferred to be called was an imposing stallion with a pure white coat that contrasted deeply with his dark, navy mane. His sabre sheath was made of an elegant brass with ironwood trimmings, with only the handle of the sabre present. It was slung across his taunt and muscular back, no doubt a result from the years of military training and service.
Shining Armour was in charge of Twilight’s ‘exercise’ regime, a fact that Twilight did not enjoy. Self-defence was, however, a much need skill for anypony of stature in the Capitol. According to the age old rules of politics and treachery, the higher your position of power, the larger the blood red cross painted across your back.
And the position of protégé of her majesty was a high position indeed.
Twilight didn’t care, of course. Politics and power plays had always either bored Twilight or disgusted her. Regardless, it was requested nicely by the Princess – though to Twilight it was as good as a mandate – that she attend a one on one session with her personal trainer at least twice a week.
Groaning at the sounds of her bones grinding against each other, Twilight helped herself up, completely ignoring the Shining’s outstretched hoof. She walked to the sidelines to where Spike – currently transformed as a mountain lion – sat lazily on the benches. She scanned the benches and spotted a small canteen of water. She sighed in relief as she took it in her magic and chugged it all down in one swig, giving her drained body some much needed fluid.
“Alright, rest time’s up. You have done enough for techniques today, so we’ll be doing a simulation now. It’ll require both brains and brawn this time.” Twilight straightened herself as she heard this. As much as she generally disliked the training regiments, the simulations were the best part of it in her opinion.
“Alright, what is the scenario this time?” asked Twilight eagerly, her previous grumpiness all but forgotten. Shining Armour chuckled at her enthusiasm as he charged up his horn again, and five fizzes jumped off the tip of his alabaster horn to form five pony constructs made of magic.
“Now, this time your job would not be to simply defend yourself against your enemies, but instead taking them out silently, and if not, baiting them into a trap.” Shining skipped back into the midst of the conjured beings, and drew his blade. “They say that the best offense is a good defense, but it would be naïve to have no knowledge in offensiveness either. Sometimes, it will save not only your own life, but those of many others.”
“Shining Armour, is that you?” asked Twilight, surprise evident in her voice, her voice echoing through the empty streets.
“Hard to mistaken me with anypony else with my rugged handsomeness,” replied Shining, a wry grin on his face before it disappeared. He spoke again, keeping his voice low and turning away from Twilight looking from building to building. “Yes, it’s me, keep your voices down and follow me.”
“Why? What are you doing here?” Shining let out a small breath and turned back to Twilight, seeing that she hasn’t moved at all. Sighing, he produced a scroll from the pocket of his palace issued coat. Twilight hurriedly snatched it over, the familiarity of the smooth parchment making her pause before she read through the lines of perfect cursive writing… written none other than Princess Celestia!
“What does it mean this place is unsafe for me?”
“Look, just… I’ll explain on the way but we really need to move now, so c’mon.”
Twilight wanted to ask more questions, but when she looked at Shining, there was something that she never saw before. Even in the dark night, she could make out what it was; fear. She nodded and silently motioned for Spike to follow her as well.
The night wore on, with only what little light from the artificial light of the dome ceiling that managed to penetrate the cloud cover to illuminate the streets along with the occasional lamps. As late into the night as it was, few lights were still lit within the houses. Twilight was not accustomed to the Capitol being so quiet. It was also a first regarding to how vulnerable she actually felt.
“What’s going on?” asked Spike, the same question that Twilight was itching to know the answer to too.
“Traitors,” said Shining Armour, his eyes narrowing. Twilight barely restrained a gasp by forcing a hoof into her mouth. Taking it out and trying to calm herself down with breathing exercises, she collected herself before whispering anxiously, her eyes wide and unbelieving.
“How could that be? Why would anypony even do that?”
“That’s beyond my knowledge, Twi. What I do know is that somepony, or someponies are stirring up a big ruckus, and that you are the key to it all.” Shining sat down heavily and turned to face the pony and the construct, while Twilight and Spike all but stared at him.
“Me?” “Her?” said both Twilight and Spike at the same time, and would’ve drawn a chuckle from Shining Armour if not for his tenseness at the moment. This time, unlike before, the feeling of somepony watching her grew tenfold, and Twilight shuddered in fear.
“Yes, though I’m out of the loop as to why. All I’m concerned about is getting the two of you to the safe confines of the Palace.” Twilight gave a jerky nod and followed silently.
They were almost out of the quiet residential area and was starting to climb the steps up the Capitol Hill when a rustle nearby stopped them cold. Another, almost inaudible smack on the cold, cobblestone road turned their ears around. Twilight gulped and exchanged uneasy looks with Spike. When nothing else appeared to attack them, the group started moving again.
“We need to loop around,” said Shining quickly.
“Can’t we contact the Royal Guard for an escort?” Shining gave Twilight a shake of his head. “I already did, but clearly something had either delayed them or worse.”
Twilight didn’t press when the blanch stallion stopped at that.
“Where are we?” Shining didn’t look back as he replied in a somehow stranger tone.
“The seedier part of the Capitol.” Twilight
“This shortcut was a bad idea, guys,” hissed Spike, his form a small flying bat that flew from wall to wall under the hidden veil of the shadows. Broken rags and old, mushy newspapers littered the ground along with the occasional puddles of dirty water that looked deeper than they were in the absence of light. The alleyway would’ve looked completely natural as a scene for a horror play.
“Did you hear that?” As he said this, a rapid shadow flew across the street adjacent to them, causing all three of them to tense up. Under his breath, Shining muttered, “Prepare yourselves.”
Shining carefully ventured a few more steps, scanning the crooks and nicks for anything that moves. Slowly, he cast a scanning spell, lighting up his horn for the briefest moment.
And then they saw them.
The creatures each looked twisted and wrong, and they snarled and growled loudly as Shining’s horn shone. Their bodies were in the shape of wolves, but each limb was hellishly long and their eyes a milky orb. Then there was the smell, something they somehow didn’t notice before. It was a putrid, rancid odour that seems to come from everywhere, and overwhelmingly so. The creatures, dripping slime and a pinkish vapour, darted across the street towards them, snarling loudly as they.
“Run!” roared Shining as he rushed Twilight and Spike away from the eldritch horrors. Without the slightest hesitation, they did as they were told. A glance backward showed that the monsters were chasing, and gaining rapidly. Remembering her training, Twilight quickly casted an armoured shell outside her coat and used her magic to speed boost herself. Beside her, Spike had morphed into a leopard and had started running at full speed.
Meanwhile, Shining Armour cursed as he lagged behind the mare and the construct, his sheer bulk making it difficult for him. As he saw a few of the creatures catching up to him, he cursed loudly and let off a series of concussion bolts, slamming them backward as the bolts impacted directly in their faces.
“Hey, Twilight, you remember the lesson today?” yelled Shining as he kicked off his left hoof and turned a sharp corner. Twilight followed suit and replied.
“Yes?”
“Shining, what in Tartarus were those things?!”
“Chaos spawnlings. And by Celestia’s horn they should not be anywhere near Celestine much less in it.” grunted out Shining. A second later, he collapsed onto the ground, his face contorted in pain. Twilight rushed over, and gasped when she found a gaping flesh wound on one of the unicorn stallion’s legs. It was apparent that he had already lost quite a lot of blood. The coppery scent of the liquid sent Twilight’s head spinning but she managed to keep her cool as well as her lunch.
“Shining! We have to get this treated!”
“Urgh, no time. We need to get to the Palace and warn the Princess.” Shining grunted as Twilight tore away a piece of cloth from her coat and applied it to his wound. He grimaced slightly as she pressed down
The smell of fresh dirt with a metallic twang filled her nose.
“Shining! Spike! No, wait stop, my friend and construct are still in there!” Twilight wrenched herself from the grasp of the pony holding onto her, but found herself grasped by strong hooves again. She tried to use her magic again but a splitting migraine caused her to lose her concentration.
“No, missus! If you get back in there they’ll getcha’ for good this time!” said the stallion, pulling them both away from the establishment. The pony, whoever he was, was certainly strong as he carried both of them in half a gallop.
Through the smokes and vapours, Twilight saw a Royal Guard squadron rush up to the bar and rammed against its backdoor. A bright flash later and the sound of musket shot roared in the nighttime air. The ponies around them instinctually ducked down before running away from its source in hysterics.
“U-uh, Twilight,” she said, her head feeling dizzy and wobbly. An uncomfortable tingle ran through her body. “Uh.. wait, why are you doing this, helping me?” The stallion carrying her paused for a moment, before continuing on.
“Because it’s the right thing to do, and there ain’t enough ponies around that do it.”
“Where’d you say you lived again, missus Twilight?”
“C-Capitol Palace,” said Twilight, struggling to keep her eyes open as her limbs ached and groaned at her in the absence of adrenaline. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into the heavenly hay stack and be consumed by the realm of slumber, but forced herself to stay awake.
“Well, I don’t know how to say this, missus, but you pro’lly won’t go back there until her majesty and her fine guards sort the deal out. For now, you should just follow me and a few friends for the evacuation”
“Evacuation… w-what?” The wagon rocked as they went over a rough patch of ground, and the jitter shook Twilight into awareness for long enough to comprehend the farmer’s reply.
“You didn’t hear, missus Twilight? The Palace is under attack.”
