“You wanted to talk?” Starlight Glimmer asked, sitting down across from Celestia. A tea set was arranged on the low table, along with a metal case.

“You’re aware of what happened at Canterlot General?” Celestia asked, pouring two cups of tea and passing one over to her student.

“I know the public story and a few juicy details. There are a few things that I’m not entirely clear on.” Starlight admitted. “I take it you want me to look into it?”

“Eventually. But today I wanted to discuss something more… sensitive.” She looked at the steel case, gesturing to it with her hoof. Starlight’s horn lit up and she tried to open it, but her magic just slid off the metal, unable to find a grip.

“Huh,” Starlight said, quietly. “That's a powerful warding. So I’m guessing whatever’s in there is pretty dangerous if you have to use an anti-magic field?”

“It’s a precaution,” Celestia said. “More to protect it than to protect from it. I wanted to ensure it remained free of outside influence.”

“May I?” Starlight asked. When Celestia nodded, Starlight stood and opened it up manually. Golden light spilled out from within. Starlight was shocked into silence, needing a deep, sharp breath to compose herself.

“Are you interested?” Celestia asked.

“Get out!” Marble screamed, her voice echoing unnaturally. The glass in the windows shook from the volume of her shout, unnaturally, magically loud. Sparkle fled, ducking under a pillow thrown hard enough to explode in a cloud of feathers when it hit the wall.

“She’s mad,” Sunburst said, watching from the hallway.

“Thank you for the expert opinion,” Doctor Sparkle said. “She still blames me for what happened at the hospital. She’s… been under some stress because of it.”

“Isn’t she allowed to be upset?” Sunburst asked. “She had to kill a pony, with her bare hooves.” He looked around to make sure they were alone and lowered his voice. “I saw the reports. You activated the override and disabled the safety system. You let her get taken over by- by that thing!”

“I had to,” Sparkle said. “There were so many lives at stake… Dust just wasn’t enough on her own, and if Spitfire had gotten loose...”

“There had to be another way. Sunset was--”

“On the other side of the hospital, and she kept the infected royal guard from spreading the corruption. It was something she was suited for. Do you think Miss Pie would have been able to defeat a dozen ponies when just one has affected her this badly?”

“That’s not the point and you know it!” Sunburst said, getting angry.

Doctor Sparkle deflated, looking down. “You’re right. I didn’t want to hurt her, Sunburst. She’s a good pony, and I broke something inside her. It’s something I have to live with. Can you talk to her? Maybe something you can say will… help her. I don’t know if she can be better, but at least maybe you can comfort her.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Sunburst said. “If she’ll even want to talk to me.”

Dust jerked, suddenly alert, surprise and fear crashing through her like a bucket of ice water thrown in her face. Adrenaline filled her veins for a long moment, and given the amount of blood left in those veins it was almost the only thing her heart was pumping.

“Calm down,” Doctor Sparkle said, lowering her hoof. She’d knocked on the doorframe to announce her presence. “You almost had a heart attack. Again.” She stepped into Dust’s room. The pegasus sighed and lowered herself back down onto the bed, trying to get comfortable. It was difficult with the bandages wrapping her like she was a mummy.

“Again.” Dust groaned. “You know, Doc, you’ve been inside my chest a couple of times, you’d think you could fix things.”

“I did,” Sparkle retorted. “The problem is you keep breaking them.” She paused. “But if you’re actually worried, don’t be. As long as your Engine Heart is working and overcharging your thaumatic field, your cardiovascular system barely matters.”

“Sure doesn’t feel that way,” Dust said. She was quiet for a long moment, the machines beeping around them. “I lost twice in a row. Sunset had to save me the first time, and Marble saved me the second time. It’s pretty pathetic.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You’ve done well.” Doctor Sparkle sat at her bedside. “I’ve been very pleased by your performance.”

“Wow, is that sympathy? I’m that pathetic?” Dust snorted. “I didn’t think you’d be sympathetic for anypony.”

“I’ve been… reminded repeatedly that I need to work at being a decent pony.” Sparkle admitted. “I get obsessed with my work. And I’m often frustrated. Too often, these days. Having to keep Celestia from interfering is more difficult than you can imagine.”

“Why don’t you get along with her, anyway? Most ponies worship the ground she walks on. Some do it literally. Had one of them in the old unit. Prayed before every battle, though it didn’t really help when the fighting started.”

“It’s complicated,” Doctor Sparkle said, quietly. “When I was a foal I was able to do a little magic. Enough for light spells, a little telekinesis, that sort of thing.”

“What happened?” Dust frowned.

“I tried to get into her school. Strained myself too hard, and ended up doing permanent damage. Or at least that’s what I was told afterwards. I don’t remember anything from that day. When I woke up, I had this… terrible emptiness. Like all the color had faded from the world.”

“And Celestia?” Dust asked.

“She delivered me to the hospital personally. Paid for the treatment herself. And refuses to ever discuss what happened.”

“You think she crippled you.” Dust said, folding her hooves. “But you don’t even know for sure--”

“Things happen for a reason,” Sparkle said, cutting her off.

“Right, touchy subject.” Lightning Dust smiled.

“I came in here to check up on you,” Sparkle sighed. “How are you feeling?”

“I’d love to lie and say I feel fine but I know I look like I’ve gone three rounds with a blender.”

“You’re healing well,” Sparkle said. “Though you probably know that. You’re getting a lot of experience at that.”

“What about Spitfire? What happened?” Lightning Dust looked worried for a moment. “Could it happen to me?”

“No.” Doctor Sparkle put a hoof on her shoulder. “She wasn’t compatible. I warned Celestia about it.”

“She mentioned a foal.”

“She was pregnant during the battle that saw you dishonorably discharged, yes. Don’t ask me if it affected her judgment. While you were drummed out of the service she was discharged quietly with all honors.”

“They sent her home to have her foal,” Dust muttered.

“She’s named Sky Skimmer,” Sparkle said. “I’ve seen pictures. Cute kid, I suppose. I’ve never liked foals.”

“Can you make sure she’s taken care of?” Lightning Dust asked.

“I’m sure Celestia already handled it.”

“Yeah, and both of us trust Celestia so much. I want you, personally, to make sure that Sky Skimmer is taken care of. It’s our fault her Mom can't do it herself.”

“...Fine.” Sparkle said, looking away. “I promise. I’ll appoint somepony to look after her. Somepony I trust.”

“Better with kids than either of us, I hope.”

“Oh yes. She’s had quite a few of her own,” Sparkle assured her.

Sunset felt the last few runes dissolve under her gently prying, and the door clicked as it opened on its own. She smiled. It had only taken a few minutes to break through Sparkle’s wards without setting off any alarms.

Sunset wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to find within, but nopony put that much protection on something unless they wanted to keep ponies away. She imagined a vault of secret files, prototypes, maybe even evil tomes of black magic. Sunset was particularly interested in the last of these as she was something of a connoisseur in the dark arts.

Consequently when she found it was just a conference room she was disappointed, until she saw the black mirror fixed in place at what would be the head of the long, imposing table.

“What do we have here?” Sunset asked, quietly, trotting up to it and leaning in to look at the smooth, obsidian surface.

“I don’t believe you’re allowed in this room.”

Sunset blinked in surprise. A mare was in the mirror, looking at her. Well, a mare that wasn’t her. She was only rarely surprised by her own reflection. Unfortunately, with the dark surface and the glare, it was hard to make out just who the mare was.

“What is this?” Sunset muttered.

The mare cleared her throat, and Sunset realized abruptly that the sound was coming from behind her. She turned around to see Moondancer in the doorway. A quick check on the mirror confirmed that, yes, she’d been looking at the mare’s reflection.

“It’s a mirror,” Moondancer said. “If you’d like I can recommend a few good books on optics for foals, if you’re not familiar with the concept.”

“It’s enchanted. Heavily enchanted.” Sunset tapped it with her hoof, and it rang like a bell. “I know magic mirrors when I see them.”

“Undoubtedly.” Moondancer stepped aside and motioned for Sunset to leave. “Now if you’d please get out. That room is private.”

“How did you know I was in here?” Sunset asked, examining the mirror.

“The room is warded,” Moondancer replied.

“It was warded. I removed the wards.” Sunset’s horn lit up. “Hm. Divination and abjuration…”

“They’re very good wards, Miss Shimmer. Now I have to ask you to leave.”

“And if I refuse?” Sunset smirked. “You’re not exactly a match for me. You’ve done, what, a few years at Celestia’s school? I bet you’d be a grad student for life and never get a job outside the faculty if it wasn’t for the war.”

Moondancer blushed. “I took all the basic combat magic classes--”

“You know, Cadance asked me why I hurt ponies,” Sunset said, apparently not listening. “I didn’t give her a real answer. The truth is that it was just easier. Talking ponies down or trying to reason with them, that's hard. Most ponies Celestia hires can't even be bribed. It's much easier just to overpower them -- and most of them had more than just ‘basic combat magic classes’.”

Sunset turned to the door and stalked towards Moondancer, stopping uncomfortably close, meeting her gaze. Moondancer blinked. Sunset walked past her.

“Why did she have me helping with the evacuation?” Sunset asked, changing the subject. “I could have dealt with Spitfire easily.”

“She--” Moondancer swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. “She did what she thought was best.”

“Did she want to cause an incident?” Sunset asked. “Why? To embarrass Celestia?”

“It was a disaster, and she did what she could to save lives,” Moondancer said, looking away. “She’s a good pony.”

“Wow, and I thought you were just lousy at magic, but you’re naive, too,” Sunset said. “Someone told me something, once. There aren’t good and bad people. There are only bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.”

Dust slammed a hoof into the sandbag. The material was unfortunately only designed to withstand a lifetime of pummeling from ponies that could break rocks using their biceps, and so it predictably failed from the force of her blow, fabric tearing and sand spilling out onto the floor of the lab’s small gym, tracing a pattern on the floor as the remains of the bag swung in a wide pendulum arc.

“Gotta stop doing that,” Dust muttered. She sighed and stopped the bag, flying up to unhook it from the hanging chain. “Hey Marble, wanna give me a hoof? Maybe we could spar a little and I could show you some--”

“No,” Marble said, an edge of anger in her tone.

“Come on, it’s been days since the hospital, and you really saved my flank.” Dust flew over to land next to her. “I know it sucks having to kill a pony. It can help if you talk about--”

Marble struck her hard enough that Dust felt the hoof against her cheek, then she was abruptly on the floor and couldn’t remember anything that happened between those two moments.

“Ow,” Dust muttered, tasting blood. “Okay, still a little touchy.”

“You don’t have any idea what it’s like!” Marble hissed. “I keep losing control! It’s like I fall asleep and I see myself doing all these terrible things from the outside and there’s nothing I can do to stop it! It’s a nightmare and when I wake up ponies are dead and it’s my fault!”

“Did you tell Doctor Sparkle?” Dust asked, quietly.

“She made this to control it.” Marble nudged the yoke around her neck. “Not that it matters. She turned it off. She wanted me to lose control. How am I supposed to trust her when she could make me do terrible things whenever she wants?”

“...I don’t know,” Dust admitted. “But I do know that you saved me.”

“It’s not enough,” Marble whispered. “I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”

“Come on…” Sunset worked at the dial, trying to figure out the combination to the safe she’d found in Doctor Sparkle’s office. She’d been at it for a few minutes - after making doubly sure that there weren’t any secret wards this time.

“Thirty-one right, forty-one left, fifty-nine right, sixty-seven left,” Doctor Sparkle said, from the doorway.

Sunset glared at her. Sparkle raised an eyebrow and nodded to the safe. Sunset begrudgingly turned the knob as instructed, and the steel door popped open. The inside of the safe was lined with a dull grey metal. It had to be lead.

“I don’t really care all that much if you go through my things, but Moondancer is getting annoyed that you aren’t listening to her,” Sparkle noted, walking past Sunset to the cabinet where she kept her drinks, taking out a glass and pouring herself a stiff double bourbon.

“Uncensored versions of your papers, bags full of bits…” Sunset muttered.

“There’s not much there that’s particularly valuable. A few early prototypes in the back, though since you’ve seen the diagrams for the completed devices, you’ll only see some creative failures rather than anything useful.” Sparkle stopped to sip at the whiskey, grimacing at the taste. “I swear they’ve started making this in a bathtub. It was much better before the war.”

“Weren’t you underage before the war?” Sunset asked, as she flipped through the papers.

“I don’t see how that matters,” Sparkle said. “Both of us are aware that age and the expectations of others are hardly an issue when we want something badly enough.”

The door opened. Dust stepped halfway into the room and looked around awkwardly. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Not really,” Sparkle said. “I was just letting Sunset look at some of my private papers. Would you like a drink? Feel free to serve yourself.”

“Might not be the worst idea I’ve heard today,” Dust muttered, ducking into the cabinet and shuffling bottles around. “So, Marble is pretty messed up.”

“I know,” Sparkle said, glumly.

Dust pulled a half-dozen bottles out of the depths of the cabinet, some of which hadn’t been touched in so long Twilight had forgotten she had them. With surprising deftness, she started mixing them in a steel tumbler.

“So I was thinking we need to do something for morale,” Dust said. “I don’t know if a party is really appropriate, but maybe just some leave. Give her a week to cool down where she doesn’t have to see us, you know?”

Dust shook the tumbler for a few moments before decanting it into a tall glass.

“Not bad,” She said, after tasting her work. “Could use more Griffonian Ale. I’m surprised you have the real stuff. It’s illegal, you know.”

“I have a source,” Twilight said. “...I didn’t know you could mix drinks.”

“I had way too much time on my hooves after getting drummed out. But what do you think? Maybe we can get away for a while. Go to the Seapony Islands or something.”

“It’s a sorely tempting prospect,” Doctor Sparkle admitted. She considered it for a few moments, starting to pace. “I don’t think all of us could go at once. It’s two days there by airship, and two back. That’s too long if there’s a crisis.”

“I could get there in--”

“I’ve seen you fly and I’ve read your record. You’re not taking passengers.”

“Spoilsport.”

“I’ll do some threat assessments and consult with some people. At the very least maybe we can send Marble for a week. I don’t think she’s combat-ready anyway.”

“Works for me,” Lightning Dust said, tilting her glass back and finishing her cocktail. “You might wanna let somepony else give her the news though. I don’t think she likes you much.”

“My assistant can break the news to her. Maybe he can improve her mood-- where are you going?”

Sunset paused at the door and looked back. “I’ll let you know if I want to go through your papers again.”

Sparkle nodded. “Good. You’re always welcome to ask.”

“Always welcome my ass,” Sunset muttered, working on the arcane lock. The lab was ten times as large underground as it was on the surface, built into the mines under Canterlot and extending in every direction as long as that direction was down.

There were the normal restricted labs, isolated to prevent cross-contamination between enchantments. Those had barely been protected, the doors open and anything valuable in locked cabinets.

The secure labs held remains of Linnorms, held in magical stasis, binding circles, and thick enough chains that they might at least be slowed down enough for ponies to run if they somehow came back to life. Nopony was willing to say they were definitely dead for sure until they’d been disassembled entirely.

Officially, that was the end of it.

Unofficially, Sunset had found more doors, like the one she was working on now. It wasn’t labeled, there was no window, and it was out of the way.

It also had the second-best lock she’d ever seen. The best had been in the castle, and she’d managed to crack that one.

The runes fell apart, and a metal bar moved. Sunset touched the door, stopped herself, took a step back, and cast a scanning spell.

She decided Sparkle was either extremely paranoid or extremely sane. She spent a few more minutes disabling the traps and alarms, some of which were very subtle and some of which were not subtle and included plastic explosive.

Sunset was prepared for almost anything to be beyond the door. Ponies used as living experiments. Ancient evil beings in bondage. Sombra reading the Canterlot Times.

What she could not possibly have been prepared to find was another pony trying to pick the lock to the next door. Sunset closed the door behind her, glaring down the length of the small corridor.

Starlight looked up from what she was doing and glanced back at her. “Did I come at a bad time?”

Sunset threw a bolt of force across the room. Starlight countered with her own attack, the two blasts of magic meeting in the middle of the room and deflecting into the floor.

“You’re pretty good,” Sunset said, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m the best,” Starlight countered. Her eyes started to glow faintly with golden light, sparks leaking from her horn.

Sunset glanced at her chest and saw the scars.

“You’ve got an Engine Heart.”

“Solar Furance,” Starlight corrected. “Or at least that’s what my employer called it.”

“With a name like that I can’t possibly imagine who you could be working for,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes.

“It’s not exactly a secret, but I don’t have time to get caught here today. If you walk away I can put in a good word for you. You need it. She really doesn’t like you.”

“Or I can beat you until you tell me what Celestia is planning,” Sunset noted, her horn blazing with light. “I’ve got a good thing going here. I don’t want her messing it up.”

Starlight matched her, forming her own spell. There was no telling what would happen with so much magic in the room but it was rapidly looking like Equestria’s map would need to be updated with a new lake called something ironic like ‘Starlight’s Folly’.

Then everything went black.

The spells collapsed.

There was silence for a few moments.

“Did you do that?” Starlight ventured.

“No,” Sunset admitted.

She tried to cast a light spell. Nothing happened.

“I think this might be a problem.”

“No, it’s definitely a problem,” Doctor Sparkle said. She looked around the room. “The emergency lights aren’t working.”

“So what does that mean?” Dust asked.

“I believe--” Sparkle opened a drawer and took out a flashlight, trying to turn it on. It didn’t even flicker. “Hm. Can you fly?” She looked at Dust.

Dust snorted and flapped her wings. Then, looking annoyed, flapped harder, barely getting off the ground. Doctor Sparkle was mildly surprised she managed that.

“It’s an antimagic field,” Sparkle said. “I have to admit that I didn’t expect this.”

“I mean it could be a null-magic zone, but those are natural phenomena and I can’t see one appearing right here and now,” Sunset said. The room was windowless and pitch black. She leaned against the wall to give her a sense of space. The door she’d come through was locked. And a steel shutter had dropped down over it. She’d have a better time trying to break through a bank vault.

Which meant she’d be through in a second once she had her magic back.

“Must be a surprise from Doctor Sparkle. She’ll probably be around to collect us soon,” Starlight sighed.

“...Think you can finish picking the lock on your door without magic?” Sunset asked.

“In the dark? With only my hooves?” Sunset could hear Starlight’s smug grin. “Make me stand upside down with my head in a bucket of water and it might be a real challenge.”

“At least the glow-sticks work,” Dust said.

“Technically they’re military-issue chemical lights,” Sparkle said, not really paying attention as they walked down the hallway. “Damn!”

A steel door was in the middle of the hallway. It hadn’t been there last time Dust had walked past.

“I should have known,” Sparkle sighed. “I wanted fail-closed doors for emergencies and here they are.”

Lightning Dust looked around. “Maybe we can get out through the infirmary?”

Sunburst rattled the bars across the window. Only a tiny amount of light managed to make its way through the armored shutters that had slammed down over the glass.

“Well, whatever’s going on, we aren’t getting out that way,” he said. “Even if my magic was working I couldn’t lift that much metal.”

“Mm…” Marble made a noncommital noise from where she was sitting. She seemed subdued - she hadn’t really said anything since things went dark.

Sunburst felt like he’d dodged a bullet there. With the magic cut off, Marble’s restraining yoke wasn’t working either. He’d rather be trapped with the cute, shy Marble than the insane, screaming version.

“Light…” Marble muttered, looking at the door. If it hadn’t been so quiet, Sunburst wouldn’t have been able to make out what she said.

There was a green glow in the hallway outside.

“Stay here,” Sunburst whispered. He padded towards the door and grabbed an IV stand, holding it like a club. He took a deep breath, wondered how one went about girding their loins, then charged out, ready to-

Lightning Dust grabbed the stand, twisted him around, and pushed him to the ground, putting a hoof on his chest to keep him still for a moment.

“Hey there,” she said. “So I guess you haven’t found a way out either?”

Something was thrown into the wall, the sound echoing through the silent corridors. Doctor Sparkle huffed and walked out of the nurse’s station.

“The controls aren’t working here either,” she said. She was wearing a lanyard with a glowstick, explaining the unearthly light.

“What happened?” Sunburst asked, once Dust let him stand up.

“That’s an excellent question,” Sparkle said. “Has anypony seen Sunset Shimmer?”

There was another crash down the corridor, heavier and louder, with the squeal of twisting metal.

“Think that was her?” Dust asked.

There was a terrible, choking roar that shook the ground.

“Ah,” Sparkle said. “We’re under attack.”

“Did you hear something?” Sunset asked.

“Only a mare complaining about me not working fast enough,” Starlight muttered.

“If you let me make some light, you could see what you’re doing.”

“You’d be surprised how little that matters,” Starlight said. “It’s all by feel. It’s delicate. What won’t help is you starting a fire and using up all the air.”

“There are air vents.”

“And with the power out they’re not helping very much. I don’t want to suffocate, thanks.” Starlight felt the lock slip into place, and she forced the door open, the locked bearings squealing.

“You got it open?”

“Yeah, but… I got some bad news.” Starlight’s hoof found nothing past the doorframe. She tossed a bit ahead of her, and it took a long time to hit the bottom.

“It’s going to tear through the security doors,” Sparkle said, marching down the corridor. “If we can get into one of the alchemy labs we might be able to find something.”

“Like what?” Dust asked, flapping her wings. “Damnit I hate this…”

“Having a difficult time without magic?” Sparkle asked.

“It’s terrible!”

“It’s every day for me. Try to keep up.” The unicorn stopped, looking left and making a displeased sound at the steel door across the corridor there. “The emergency chemical lights we’re wearing prove that alchemical reactions aren’t being suppressed by the anti-magic.”

“That’s the only way to the lab,” Sunburst said. “Got a plan B?”

“It’s not the only way…” Sparkle muttered, looking at a vent on the wall. “Help me with this.”

“If there’s a ladder I can’t find it,” Starlight declared. “And I’m not going to try climbing down in the dark with no magic and no idea what’s at the bottom.”

“Wonderful. So we’re stuck here together until somepony comes to rescue us,” Sunset muttered. “I guess I could still push you into the elevator shaft--”

She was rewarded with the sound of Starlight quickly stepping away from the door.

“The boss is gonna be angry that this got screwed up,” Starlight sighed.

“She’s always angry,” Sunset said. “Look, here’s some friendly advice -- nothing is ever good enough for Celestia. I don’t know what she promised you, but she’s just gonna dangle it over your head forever.”

“What did she dangle over your head?”

“The same thing Sparkle did.”

“Just push!” Dust yelled.

“It’s not a matter of effort, it’s geometry!” Sparkle grunted, trying to get her hips past the tight bend in the ventilation duct. “I am never eating Hayburger Princess take-out at midnight ever again if we survive this.”

“Oh for Celestia’s sake--” Dust growled and shoved on Sparkle’s back hooves, the scientist popping through and into the alchemy lab beyond. She groaned and rubbed her bruised, scraped hips.

“Are you okay?” Sunburst asked, helping her up.

“Fine,” Sparkle muttered. “Be careful you don’t hit the manual release on the bulkhead when you’re coming through. It closes off the vents in case of a chemical spill.”

“She needs to spend some time in the gym,” Dust said, wiggling through the vent without issue. When it became clear nopony else was coming, she reached back and pulled Marble through.

“At least we found a way in,” Sparkle muttered. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” She stepped haughtily to the chemical cabinet and started pulling out vials and bottles, squinting in the dim light.

“What are you making?” Dust asked.

“Firebombs,” Sparkle said. “A mild explosive is the best I can do with what I have here.” She held up a glass bottle and the floor shook hard enough that she lost her grip. Dust caught it on the way down, just before it would have smashed.

“Mm…” Marble made a noise, tugging on her own hair. “We should…”

“What is it?” Sunburst asked, sitting next to her and stroking her back.

“W-we should- we shouldn’t fight here,” she spat out. “I-if there’s no magic… we should leave!”

“She’s not wrong,” Dust said. “We might be able to get outside through the vents. Then we can figure out what’s causing the anti-magic stuff.”

“No,” Sparkle growled. “We aren’t running away.”

“It’s sort of a tactical--”

“We aren’t running!” Sparkle snapped. “Try something different and think for a change! It can cause incalculable damage!”

“They’re hard enough to kill even when we have magic,” Dust countered, pushing a hoof into Sparkle’s chest. “We could end up dead.”

“If it destroys the lab… we’ll never be able to rebuild,” Sparkle muttered, looking away. “All the sacrifices I made will have been for nothing. Even dying is better.”

The door to the lab screeched, the metal starting to tear.

“I think it found us!” Dust yelled, “Are those bombs ready?”

“They’ll work,” Sparkle assured her.

“I-I’m--” Marble ducked into the vent.

“Be careful you don’t hit the--” Sparkle started, then a steel shutter slammed down over the vent entrance. “Damnit! She hit the emergency switch!”

The door started to bend inwards.

Marble gasped and panted, fleeing with a speed and strength born from terror. The vent walls pressed down around her, too tight, threatening to pin her here in the dark, alone. Something tiny and furry ran past her hoof and she squeaked out a scream, muffled only by the fear something would hear her.

In the pitch black, she turned a twisting, tight corner on her knees and saw light at the end of the tunnel.

Her pace quickened to a fevered peak, driving her away from the dark. Part of her mane caught in a rivet, and she tore it free, ignoring the pain as she opened a long cut on her fetlock on a rough weld.

A vent cover was between her and freedom. She kicked once, twice, three times, and the cover popped free, Marble following without looking, tumbling out into the light and falling two stories to land in grass and dirt.

She coughed and tried to stand, her limbs shaking.

“You look like you need a hoof,” somepony said, helping her up. She blinked and looked up at a charcoal-grey unicorn with piercing green eyes. “I’m Kevin. I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Can you get it open or not?” Dust asked, wincing as claws tore through the laboratory door. It wasn’t going to last long. And she had a feeling that shortly afterwards, neither would they.

“Of course I can,” Sparkle said. “I just need time.”

“We don’t have much of that,” Dust muttered. “Hey Sunburst, you any good in a fight?”

“I had a doctor’s excuse to get out of gym class every year I was in school,” Sunburst muttered.

“Let’s call that a no,” Lightning Dust sighed.

“What am I doing?” Sparkle groaned. “Acid! Sunburst, get me the sulfuric acid and something to neutralize it!”

Sunburst started rummaging around in the closet. Dust took a deep breath and faced the door as it finally failed, the security door torn from its hinges. The creature outside was hunched over, not able to stand up completely in the tight quarters of the building. The bipedal thing was covered in eyes growing like tumors all over its body, four arms trying to tear the doorframe apart to let it squeeze into the alchemy lab, two ending in crablike pincers and two in talons.

“Here goes nothing,” Dust muttered, throwing the first bottle Sparkle had prepared. The firebomb exploded in a cloud of dirty flame, glass shards flying like shrapnel.

The creature roared, a couple of the eyes closing, crying tears of blood.

“I think it’s working!” Dust yelled. Then the flames spread to one of the benches filled with beakers, and things started to smoke and spark. “Um.”

“Good! Just a few more seconds,” Sparkle said.

Dust shrugged and threw another firebomb at it. She figured it couldn’t get much worse. She was wrong. This time the liquid flames spread to the locked cabinet, and smoke in many exciting, deadly colors started pouring into the air.

“Done yet?” Dust asked, taking a step back.

“A few seconds,” Sparkle repeated.

Something started burning greenish-purple, sparks flying. Even the Linnorm stepped back, trying to shield its eyes from the noxious smoke.

“We really need to go!” Dust said.

“I got it!” Sparkle yelled, the lock popping open as the acid ate through the catch. She splashed the base Sunburst had given her onto it to keep it from burning anypony. “Sunburst, go!”

Dust looked back and waited for Sparkle to start wiggling into the vent, giving her a hard kick to get her through the tight spot before following, slamming the shutter behind them as they escaped the spreading flames.

“I have to admit, you’re not the type that I expected Doctor Sparkle to recruit,” Kevin said, as he tended to the small garden. He seemed entirely calm, despite the disaster going on inside the lab.

“Mm…” Marble looked down.

“Not that that’s a bad thing,” Kevin continued. “I think she’s a little uptight. In the same way that the ocean is a little wet. You’re a good pony, which might be why you don’t quite fit in.”

Marble looked around. “Melons?” She asked, eventually.

“It’s a hobby,” Kevin shrugged. “I heard it’s good to have a hobby. It makes a pony more well-rounded. Where I’m from, most of us just did our jobs and didn’t have time for anything else. Even in the middle of a war, this place is a lot more relaxed.”

“A-are you from--”

“The Empire? No.” Kevin laughed. “Those guys are pretty awful. The way I see it it’s like… well, take this patch of melons. They’re delicious, right? But it takes time and work to make them grow. Sombra and his Empire, they’re like weeds trying to choke the life out of everything.” He grabbed a weed with his lime-green magic and tugged it out of the ground, tossing it aside. “So they need to be taken care of.”

“I’m not… I’m not strong enough…” Marble whispered. Something about Kevin was making her open up.

“You know, I met Doctor Sparkle back when she was just a grad student, before all of this.” Kevin picked up a trowel, working the earth. “Things could have gone a few different ways, but… she impressed my employer. I think in some ways they ended up being each other’s first friends. If her brother hadn’t been so intimidating I might have made a pass at our dear Doctor, but even I know when to leave well enough alone.”

Marble stepped closer, watching Kevin work.

“It’s hard when you can’t protect ponies you care about. But unlike me, you do still have that chance.” He glanced at her, then back at the lab. “All I can do is wait here and hope, but Doctor Sparkle saw something in you.”

“But I can’t… my magic isn’t even working!” That was about the point when Marble stopped panicking and actually looked, and she managed to realize that something was wrong with the way Kevin was using his own magic to hold the watering can.

“My magic is a little different,” Kevin said, apologetic. “But I can’t intervene directly. Believe it or not the Linnorm is even more dangerous to me than it is to you.”

“What should I do?” Marble asked, quietly.

“You have to decide that for yourself. But if you want a suggestion, I think you can get back in that vent if I give you a boost.”

“Where are we?” Dust asked, as she helped Sparkle down to the floor.

“Storage room for failed prototype Unity suits,” Doctor Sparkle said. “I was thinking about something -- the Linnorm shouldn’t be able to survive in a low-magic area like this. They rely on magic to keep themselves going. Most of them don’t even have proper internal organs.”

“Maybe this one is made better?” Dust shrugged.

“Have you ever seen deep-sea divers?” Sparkle asked, as she started pulling sheets aside, looking for something. Under the tarps were suits, most incomplete, some just a wiring harness strapped to a ponyquin, others nearly complete.

“Sure,” Dust shrugged.

“They have to carry their air along with them. The Linnorm is doing the same thing- Sunburst, help me with this.” She moved a white cloth aside to reveal armor Dust was familiar with. It had a hole right through the chest. It matched the scars over her heart.

“Just for reference, the armor's not as tough as it looks,” Dust muttered.

“Your Engine Heart isn’t producing magic because it works on the same principle as a pony’s natural wellspring. The dark magic in a Linnorm ultimately works the same way as well.” Sparkle started checking connections. “From what I’ve read about anti-magic fields, they prevent the free movement of neutral thaumatic particles…”

Dust groaned and waited for Sparkle to finish explaining something that was so far over her head that she felt like she actually understood it less now that Sparkle had tried explaining it.

“...so the batteries should still work,” Sparkle finished. “Sunburst, help me get this hooked up, then set the feed to a minimum so we can check for broken connections.”

“Wait, are you saying these suits will work?” Dust asked.

“I just explained--” Sparkle groaned. “Yes, they’ll work. The thaumatic batteries work on alchemical principles. But the drain is going to be very, very high. Like trying to exercise and hold your breath at the same time.”

“Great!” Dust said. “Help me with the straps and I’ll fly over there and kick its ass.”

“You won’t be able to fly,” Sparkle said. “Your natural magic won’t work.”

“...So what’s the point?”

“You’ll be able to use some earth pony magic. A few seconds of strength and endurance. As long as you act quickly it should be enough.” Sparkle looked over the rows of suits. “Help her get suited up, Sunburst. One of these must be good enough…” She started looking under the sheets, going down the rows.

“What are you looking for?” Sunburst asked, as he helped settle the main weight of the armor on Dust’s back. It was a lot harder without magic to get the straps.

“I think there’s a pegasus suit here somewhere that’s mostly finished,” Sparkle said. “The one where we did the artificial wing tests.”

“It’s, um…” Sunburst pulled a strap tight and pointed. Sparkle nodded and walked over to it, revealing a suit with one metal wing attached, armored on the left side, and with the right just straps and wires over the bodysuit.

“When you’re finished with Dust, we'll check the connections on this suit,” Sparkle said.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“A good scientist stands behind her work.”

“That was a good line,” Dust said. “About a scientist standing behind her work.” She stopped at the end of the corridor and waited. Sparkle struggled, sweating, the armor heavy enough without having to carry battery tanks in a makeshift harness.

“I am… not a soldier…” Sparkle gasped, panting for breath. “I just need a few minutes to get used to the weight. I only did this once before, and it almost killed me!”

“Cool. You’ve got about thirty seconds.”

“Why do you--” The walls shook with an echoing roar. “Ah. I see. Stupid question.”

The Linnorm crashed through a wall, half-blind, though that didn’t mean much when you remembered that half-blind for something covered in eyes still meant it could see a few dozen times better than you.

“Three minutes!” Sparkle warned. “Then we’re out of power!”

“That’s plenty of time to get myself killed.”

Lightning Dust charged, hitting the button to activate the suit. Strength flooded her limbs, and she ducked, skidding on the floor, her momentum carrying her under a wild swing from the draconic monster.

Bleary eyes refocused on her, and it half-turned, stomping. Dust caught the foot, pushing up and knocking the monster off-balance.

“A little help?!” Dust yelled.

“Hold on, I’ve only read about this.” Sparkle muttered. Her one metal wing was extended, foil feathers twitching. Sparks crackled along the edge. The air split with a thunderclap as she launched a bolt at the monster. At the same time, one of the batteries she carried exploded, spraying gem dust and green slime across the floor.

The lightning went between the monster’s flailing arms, missing entirely.

“Damnit!” Sparkle swore, coughing up blood and falling to one knee. “Too much feedback. These prototypes are all rough edges.”

“Nice shooting, Tex!” Dust snarked, rolling away from the monster as it backed away from the flare of light and sound.

“L-Lightning Dust!” Somepony yelled. A long shape skidded across the floor. Dust grabbed it instinctively. A fireaxe.

She looked up to see Marble, near a box mounted on the wall that read ‘break in case of fire’. The earth pony hefted a fire extinguisher and threw it towards the Linnorm.

The monster batted at it, and the pressurized metal exploded into a cloud of foam and dust. It stumbled back, blinded.

On the second step it caught an axe blade to the back of the knee, tendons severing and sending it down to the ground.

A bolt of electric power smashed into the prone creature, blasting a hole through its gut.

“Nice teamwork!” Dust yelled. She jumped on top of the moaning monster and brought the axe down.

“Well that's twice now that I've almost had my heart stop,” Sparkle said, her voice weak. She looked at her side, the fur burned and scorched. “I don't think I can manage that again unless I can find a way to make the forced leyline flow easier on my body. The side effects of using a theoretical technique in an incomplete set of armor are quite a reminder that I need to finish a complete model before risking myself again.”

“And Marble is doing better?” Moondancer asked.

“Miss Pie is doing quite well. We exchanged some heartfelt apologies.” Doctor Sparkle smiled. “Overall, less of a disaster than it could have been. How was the meeting in Canterlot?”

“As you expected,” Moondancer sighed. “They’re completely unprepared. It was a waste of time. I should have been here instead.”

“Poor timing,” Doctor Sparkle said, looking away. “Did you find it?”

“Yes. Exactly where you suspected.” Moondancer led her to a table. “It was in with the daily deliveries. I’ve already had the ponies inspecting the parcels replaced.”

She revealed an open briefcase. Inside, rubber tubes and pumps circulated blue alchemical fluids around a complicated circuit, centered on a large gemstone, now cracked and dull.

“I want this investigated closely for clues to who made it,” Sparkles aid. “Get Kevin to help you.”

“You’re assuming the Seelie Court isn’t behind this in the first place?”

“I have enough enemies already. No need to invent more.” Doctor Sparkle looked at the arrangement for a few more moments. “Mm. I’m impressed with how the design was miniaturized.”

“High praise. Given the Linnorm, shouldn’t we assume this is Sombra?”

“The timing is quite suspicious. So is the fact it got here without anypony raising an alarm. And we were under an anti-magic field for hours -- why didn’t the EUP investigate?”

“You think they were planning something?”

“Together? No. I just want to know who attacked first and who decided to kick while we were down.”

“Is she alive?” Starlight asked.

“She has to be. Can’t you feel it?” Sunset looked up at the chrysalis. “That pressure. The only other time I felt it was when I was with Celestia.”

“Real family resemblance, too,” Starlight agreed. “I think both of us need to have a chat with our employers.”

“Does she even know you’re here?” Sunset asked.

“She ordered me to keep away.”

“That was always the fastest way to make sure I did something.”

Author's Note

Lunar Titanium is an archaic magical material similar to modern Orichalcum. It's light, strong, durable, and almost impossibly expensive. No new Lunar Titanium has been forged for over a thousand years, and any modern items made of the material come at the cost of melting down an older work.

The exact process of creating Lunar Titanium is unknown, though what records survive suggest the ore itself came from the moon. This is of course impossible, as nopony has ever traveled to the moon, but it is suggestive of the truth.

While ponies have never gone to the moon, there are rocks that have fallen from the sky - meteorites. Some are almost entirely composed of metal. It is possible that the original Lunar Titanium source were these meteorites, with ancient ponies comparing their cratered appearance to the moon and assuming that as the source.

These items, made of iron (possibly even primitive steel) would have been far superior to what could be mined from the local and typically iron-poor rocks available to ponies at the time, who largely used bronze. Additionally, meteoric iron is known to have intrinsic magical properties.

Thus, it is my conclusion that so-called Lunar Titanium is simply what we would call Meteoric Iron, refined in some way that was kept secret and has been lost to time.

It is truly a loss, as modern steelmaking would mean we could easily mass-produce the substance if we just knew whatever secret the ancients did. A ritual site? Some certain conflux of leylines? A special kiln? Perhaps it's as simple as all Lunar Titanium coming from the same meteorite, which had some unknown, perfect mixture of metals.

Of course, if it did somehow come from the moon, we might never be able to make more.