Among the Ruins

by SteampunkBrony

Chapters

Among the Ruins
2: Reunion
3: Evaluation
4: Release
5: Rememberance
6: Repercussions
7: Reflection
8: Revelation
10: Ruin
9: Preparations

Among the Ruins

Among the Ruins
By: SteampunkBrony

((Edited by DoomManta, thanks again brony.))

Echoes...

Echoes of the past...

Echoes of my hoofbeats on the melted flagstones...

Echoes of the memories of the dying...

Echoes of my friends...

Echoes of better times... for me at least...

I wish I could be more upbeat about this, but there really is nothing to be happy about as I walk the once pristine streets of Canterlot. The formerly white stores are stained a dark crimson by the blood that was coughed up that day two years ago, the streets still stink of the decay of two million ponies as their flesh is slowly consumed by the few decomposers that can survive the green miasma that chokes what is left of this grave.

It all started with a few small developments, but it became so much more over time. Larger and larger projects, posing more and more risk to the city took over the skyline, great factories fueled the city as it grew, supplying everything from manufactured foods to industrial chemicals like the acid that has replaced my blood.

That was a surreal discovery; watching a glowing green ooze fall from a cut on my fetlock, and then eat through the stone I was standing on.

Gah, I'm getting ahead of myself... My name is Twilight Sparkle. Former student of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Bearer of the Element of Magic, and now, monster of the Canterlot Wastes.

Anyhow, back to the story at hoof. As Canterlot grew, soon encompassing the whole mountain it resided on, old projects were forgotten. Buried by the new, the shiny, the cutting edge, these ecological disasters seeped down into the caves below the mountain, tainting the crystals there. The chemicals formed an acidic compound, I call it 'The Glow' due to its fluorescent nature, which vaporized and built up within the tunnels, pressurizing them.

It wasn't the first strike the old projects hit Canterlot with, merely the killing blow. Before The Glow came the Nanoplauges, swarms of microscopic magical machines that were designed to help everypony...

They didn't.

Some of the swarms simply shut down your brain, those were the ones you hoped you'd fall victim to if you saw a shimmering cloud around you...

The rest... It varied. Some ate the flesh from your bones, some ate the bones from your flesh, some paralyzed, some liquefied... the list went on. Soon enough, ponies developed the solution, an EMP.

The Electro-Magical Pulse was supposed to shut down the Nanoplauges for good, it only put them to sleep.

Then one day, they woke up, rose up from the dust around us and attacked once more. Sometime during the turmoil I walked into one... It was almost the worst pain I have ever felt... Then... the sealed tunnels below the city could no longer hold the pressurized Glow, and it escaped, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of the glowing gas erupted into the sewers, spewing out of manhole covers, out of drains, power boxes whose conduits ran to the underground...

The Princesses were fortunately out of the city with Shining and Cadence when it happened... I'd hate for them to have to endure the pain I did.

Ponies choked on their own blood as the Miasma destroyed their respiratory system. Others simply dissolved.

I... changed. The Glow somehow left me alive, but turned my blood into an acid so strong it can eat through glass. The Nanoplauge I had been caught in went haywire, changing me inside, I no longer need to breathe and my eyes have become green and draconic... I don't know how, but I’m certain that more than just that changed. I haven’t eaten or slept in two years...

And to top it off... I am alone. There was no rescue sent, no attempt to save those dying.

They just magicked up a wall, tall enough to contain the city's toxic cloud as it killed. They sealed off the top with a pane of diamond that allowed light in.

I saw the Princesses looking in one day; I tried to show them I was alive...

But they either didn’t see the flare I fired, or they ignored it. After that, nopony has walked on the diamond roof since. I want to hate them for not looking harder… for not saving me, but I know better than anypony that to come here would be suicidal.

Now, I wander, alone as I record my very thoughts onto the gems I carry. There is no rain to sooth my parched throat, no water at all, just poison. Oily sludge cascades down the gutters, the sewers having long since filled to capacity.

I look at a skeleton as I pass, the dirty, acid bleached bones all that remain of a joyful life.

The pony is clutching a book in his hooves, it is surprisingly well preserved and bears the mark of the Canterlot Archives.

Interesting... I think, picking up the book, my magic still its gentle purple as the skeleton crumbles.

Noticing a bookmark, I open the pages.

April Fourth, third year after the Rebellion of the Moon
The tunnel is progressing well, and the escape route for the palace staff, should they ever need to, is nearing completion. Once we finish, we will seal up both ends with a marking spell and notify Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia of its location, the far end reaching all the way out into the Whitetail Wood. To help preserve our work, and the air quality, Celestia herself is laying down the preservation spells, guaranteed to filter out even the nastiest of toxic gasses that plague tunnels such as these. Our work shall remain for years to come, I hope we never need to use it.
~Tattered Scrolls, recorder, Canterville Castle.

It can't be... Can it? Scribbled onto a sheet of parchment is a rough map detailing the location of the tunnel, beginning directly below the castle archives. A way past the wall... If I can reach it, I can escape...

A simple glance at the castle tells me that will be no easy feat. After the incident, vast explosions rocked the city and fires broke out everywhere, with nopony left to control the factories, the damage was… severe. The castle sat just above a manufacturing plant for the city’s fuel, the explosion had been visible from across the city, blackening the castle and weakening it. Once, shortly after Canterlot was sealed, I went to the castle to look for the library and I barely made it out of that death trap, I was almost crushed six times by collapsing walls or ceilings.

Is it worth the risk? I couldn't help but think. To leave this place? Is it worth the risk?

I thought back to before this happened, to my mentors, to my parents, to my brother... to my...

To my friends...

The rock boiled at my feet as acid green drops fell from my eyes. I fell to the ground crying, the first time I had cried in months, the first time I had felt anything in months.

I decided there and then that this city would no longer hold me in its death, and that I would rise up and live once more.

I decided that even death was better than remaining here.

I decided that, even after two years of no contact, no way out, no hope...

I decided to place my hope of escape with a book.

I was leaving, alive or dead, I was leaving.

My home for the past few years had been a clothing store, which was now filled with the various nick-knacks I had collected in my wanderings. The shelves were full of baubles and trinkets of the city's grander days. A steam valve here, a coffee tin full of shiny bits there, a...

A photo I found of the Princesses and my friends, it was from my last birthday before the city died...

Anything and everything occupied the sturdy false-wood shelving, a collection of junk, yes, but it kept me sane. One has to have a hobby in a place like this; it is all you can do.

I levitated the last two gifts from my friends over to me, one, brass flight goggles from Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity. The other, a small shoulder bag, courtesy of Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I placed the photo in the bag, alongside a few light cells, a former Royal Guard's sword, some rope, and my memory gems.

Trotting over to another wall of the store, I pulled down a bolt of olive drab cloth that was hanging there. I sliced out a square and tied it around my neck after donning the goggles and shoulder bag. I tied the rest around my legs to help cut down on the number of inevitable scrapes I was going to get climbing through rubble. I looked around at my collection of objects and smiled. Someday, somepony would find this place, once the air was clean again, and the city was cleansed, and they would be fascinated at all of the things that were here.

I closed the door behind me as I left, latching the deadbolt out of habit from so long ago. I took one last look at the shop, and began my ascent.

My hoofbeats echoed on the stone of the Canterlot Market, the first major obstacle to my route up the mountain. Hidden among the Market were puddles of acid that had eroded walls and collapsed buildings across the wide street; the tall towers once used for commerce were now tall piles of rubble. Bones lay everywhere, the Glow had escaped at midday, during the middle of business hours.

More than one skeleton was posed clutching a smaller one, or lying on top of one. Nopony was spared by the cloud, why had I survived?

I doubt even the Princesses could give more of an answer than 'luck'.

"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns, we cannot drift apart..." I sang quietly, my voice was mercifully unchanged, it was one of the few things that still felt me. The sound of my voice echoed through the mall as I clamored over the fallen buildings and through crumbling stores.

I was the only thing making sound in the market, aside from the occasional rock falling free from its acid spattered perch.

Wait...

I whirled around to look at the towers behind me, in the direction the rock had fallen from, and then I looked up.

A pane of glass larger than me smashed to the stone as I rolled out of the way, scrambling to escape the shimmering display of falling glass that threatened to slice me in two. Sliding the goggles over my eyes with magic as I ran, I dodged pane after pane of glass falling from one of the towers. I felt a shard embed itself in my back, but the pain slowly disappeared as my acidic blood dissolved the unwanted object and my body stitched itself shut.

As the glass stopped falling, I slowed and turned to look behind me... It was breathtaking.

The whole street glittered as if in the first snow, the luminescent green mist causing the glass to shimmer and dance as the shimmering dust in the air glistened as if it were rain. I never thought I would see anything beautiful in these ruins, for that matter, I didn’t think beauty was possible in these ruins, but this was something truly special. I removed the goggles and took one last look before I started walking again, the Market District fading into the mansions and homes of the rich and noble.

The pristine lawns and massive homes of the nobility fared even worse than the Market District; they were mostly constructed from organic materials, especially wood. Piles of rot were all that remained of many homes, piles of rot surrounded by small ponds of acidic sludge.

A river from the mountain, poisoned by the Glow, ran across my path. At one point, there had been a wooden bridge across it, but it was long gone, consumed like everything else. I focused my magic, and with a bright flash I was across, the glowing water burbling as I continued on to my access to the castle, my brother's house.

My hooves were silent on the rotted carpets of the home, the stone having held from the onslaught of acid.
You know... I've never really taken a look around in here... I decided to explore a little before leaving, and went up the stairs instead of descending into the cellar.

I found three rooms upstairs, two bedrooms and a washroom. Modest for the Captain of the Guard, but that was how Shining liked it, simple, spartan. I'm sure the carpets were Cadence's idea. I hoofed open the door to their bedroom first.

It was well preserved, the bed still looked intact, but I knew not to trust looks. I opted to instead look through the cabinets.

I opened the first cabinet and found various dresses, Cadence's no doubt. There was a jewelry box at the bottom, which I set aside to look at later. The other cabinet had Shining's Dress Uniform, still in pristine condition. Taking the entire uniform was unrealistic, but I did take all of the ribbons and medallions off of it, some of them were one of a kind and Shining should have them back.

Working through the rest of the room I found some other small things to bring, a photo album from the wedding, Shining's old teddy bear, and my grandfather's pocket watch to name a few. In the jewelry box though, I couldn’t believe what was inside.

Sitting atop the other bits of jewelry were two simple gold bands, the same two that were present in every picture of the bride and groom after the ceremony.

In Equestria, wedding bands are irreplaceable treasures, each one is linked with the pony who gave it to their partner. They’re only ever made once, out of metal linked to the pony at birth, and formed into their final shape only days before the wedding.

Losing them would be akin to losing a small part of yourself.

I quickly closed the jewelry box and set it in my bag, the 'bag of holding' enchantment I had placed on it years ago holding strong. I stepped from the room one last time, and crossed the hall.

I pushed the door open to the former guest room, now housing all the necessities for a foal. I had forgotten that Cadence had been nearing the end of her first pregnancy, and for a moment, I wondered what being an aunt would be like. I looked around for anything that I should take, but found nothing.

I closed the door and trotted down the stairs, heading to the cellar.

I emerged from the hidden passageway into the Gatehouse, it was filled with armor-clad skeletons. One was still locked at attention, probably a victim of a Nanoplague swarm if the silver dust around his hooves was any indication. I stepped past him and out into the castle courtyard.

I was instantly reminded of why I hadn't visited the castle in over a year and a half, the windows were gone, shattered from the force of the factory explosion. The once great doors of the castle were now but iron hinges holding air as I passed them, the wood they had held had long burnt away. Piles of rubble were all that remained of entire sections of the castle. I trekked through the castle, heading for Celestia's tower. She usually kept a key to the archives there, to allow easy access, I hoped it was still there and intact.

The windows let in plenty of light from the sun as I walked through the Hall of the Elements, the vault door at the far end was cracked and crumbling. I trotted up to it and gave it a nudge with my magic, and jumped back as the metal turned to dust, the impenetrable star-steel doors had been reduced to nothing by the Glow. The chest of the Elements of Harmony was still there though, strangely enough. I quickly opened the chest and retrieved the necklaces and tiara, adding them to my saddlebags. As I levitated them, I felt a twinge of familiar magic; it felt peaceful, like home, like the princesses.

I left the hall and proceeded up the adjacent tower to Celestia's chambers, the doors that had stood for centuries crumbling at the slightest touch of my magic. Two lone skeletons sat at the top of the stairs, hugging each other in front of the doors they had guarded with their last breaths.

I pushed open the large door, oddly enough, they were still intact, even though the vault for the Elements had disintegrated. Celestia's chambers were just like I remembered them, right down to Philomena’s cage. I trotted over and looked into the cage and saw a pile of ash with a golden feather sticking out of it. I scooped the ash and feather into a teapot that was lying nearby and placed them into my bag.

After a few minutes of searching, I found the key to the archives and began my descent into the depth of the castle.

Even in the windless lower levels of the castle, the Glow was present, providing me with much appreciated light. Light cells were good, but they only lasted twenty minutes minutes each, and I didn't want to waste the precious few I had.

Soon enough, I reached the gate to the archive levels. I pushed the key into the lock, twisted, and with a click and a snap, the door was unlocked. The key broke off in the keyhole, but it’s not like the gate was ever going to be used again, so it didn’t matter.

The gate screeched on rusty hinges as I opened it, my entrance slow, reverent of the knowledge stored around me. Withdrawing the map, I went straight to where the tunnel was supposed to be. A tapestry hung there, depicting an ancient battle. I carefully levitated it down, revealing a spell inscription on the wall.

Built by the families of those who needed a way out and never had one, so that others will not have to share the same fate.

I channeled my magic into the diagram, gasping as the bricks folded back into themselves to reveal the tunnel. I removed a light cell from my bag and activated the small orb, the light flickering into existence as I started down the tunnel.

Twenty minutes earlier...

Celestia sat bolt upright, her wings flaring out as her face took on a look of utter surprise and confusion, startling the members of the guard around her.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" In all his years in the Guard, Shining Armor had never seen the princess startled, and rarely saw her surprised.

"Th... the warning spell... on the chest that held the Elements..." Celestia stammered.

"What about it?" Luna asked, concerned.

"Somepony just opened the chest!" A murmur went up through the room. "Somepony is alive in Canterlot!"

"Sister, that is impossible." Luna said, looking out the window of the recently restored palace in the Everfree.

"You're right... It has to be a coincidence... the... the castle probably collapsed." Celestia said relaxing.

Not five minutes passed before Celestia shot up again. "The spells protecting the keys in my chambers just went off as well." Celestia explained with a sigh. "The tower must have held on longer than the rest of the castle."

Fifteen minutes later Celestia jumped to her hooves and started for the door. "Shining Armor, get a chariot, pegasi to pull it, and have it retrieve the Element Bearers and your parents, and bring them to the palace. Also get a hazmat team with a quarantine chariot to Shimmering Falls in the Whitetail Wood at once!"

"Your Majesty?" Shining asked, confused.

"There was an escape tunnel built into the archives when Canterlot Castle was built. I placed a spell on it to alert me if it was ever opened. Only a unicorn can open that passage, the spell would not trigger otherwise, and it just went off." Celestia said. "That combined with the spell on my keys... only one pony that was in Canterlot that day knew that I kept a key to the archives in my room."

"Who, Sister?" Luna asked.

"Twilight Sparkle."

The response was immediate, Shining Armor spurred the guards in the throne room into action, the large doors slamming open as he galloped out of the throne room, shouting orders.

I can hear a waterfall... I thought as I trotted along the passageway, my horn being my only source of light by this point.

A white brick wall came into view, an identical spell diagram to the one in the archives sat, waiting to be unlocked. A quick pulse of magic was all it took to open the passageway to reveal a torrent of crystal clear water. I had finally made it.

I cast a waterproofing spell on my bag, put my goggles back on, and took my first breath of clean air in years, before stepping out into the flow. I had forgotten what water felt like, forgotten what cold felt like, so many things came rushing back to me as I was swept off my hooves and out to a sandbank.

I pulled myself to my hooves, removed the shoulder bag, and cleared the lenses of my goggles. I froze as I heard breathing near me, followed by the sound of somepony putting a hoof down.

"Twilight? I-is it really you?" That was a voice I would recognize anywhere, even after being alone for so long. It was the voice of my brother. I opened my eyes and saw his face behind a protective shield; finally, another pony.

I fought to hold back acidic tears. "Yeah, BBBFF." I said. "It's me." Behind Shining Armor, I saw four guards in protective gear trotting out of a quarantine Chariot.

"Let's get you home." He said, his voice betraying the fact that he was crying.

2: Reunion

Among the Ruins
By: SteampunkBrony

Chapter 2: Reunion

((A/N: Thank you to everypony who gave this story a chance and blasting it to second in the feature box in under a day! This was originally going to be a one shot, however it seemed that you liked the idea. Shout out to DoomManta in thanks for his editing. Keep it real my bronies,

~Steampunk ))

The decontamination shower's water was cold, but not as cold as the waterfall's. It washed over me as the guards in Hazmat suits scrubbed me down, my first shower in almost two years, and judging by the amount of oily greenish water that was flowing off me, I was in dire need of it.

The flight from the Whitetail Woods to the new castle hadn't taken very long, we only had to fly over Ponyville after all.

Ponyville... will I be able to return now? Will I be kept under quarantine?

I hope I’ll be allowed back, but I would understand if they need to keep me contained, containment is still better than Canterlot.

My saddlebags sat in one corner of the chariot and my brother sat in another. We barely said anything the entire trip, he just kept staring at me until I broke the silence.

“Shining,”

“Yeah Twily?” I could tell he was smiling from the way he asked.

“Would you mind passing me my bag?”

“Why?”

“It's a surprise.” I giggled a little, he was going to love this.

“Okay then.” He chuckled as he levitated the bag over to me. I would have gotten it myself, but my magic was worn out; I’d used more magic in the last few hours than I had in months.

“Thanks, I'm a little burnt out.” I said, or at least tried to say, as I used my teeth to undo the zipper on the bag. Holding it open, I pushed aside some of the items in it to reveal the jewelry box. “Here, open it.” I pulled the box out with my teeth and placed it on the floor.

“Is that?” He trotted over; trying to contain his excitement as he magically picked up the box and undid the clasp. He pulled me into a hug the instant he saw the two golden wedding bands. “I thought they were lost for good.”

I hugged him back, at least until I felt myself tearing up again. “Shining, can you let go?”

After a moment of hesitation, he released me. “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

“No, I just don't want to accidentally cry on you.”

“Why not?”

“I... Canterlot changed me...” I looked down at my hooves and sobbed quietly as a tear fell. I heard Shining gasp as the floor sizzled where the droplet fell, leaving small hole. “I don't know how, why, or how much has changed, but I don't think my tears are good for anypony's health.”

“Alright, so what do you know?” He sounded a little more wary of me now, but I suppose that’s fair, he just discovered that my tears could eat through the floor in seconds.

“Let's wait till we're not flying over someplace with ponies below us.” I said. “Besides, I don't want to repeat myself, it's hard enough talking about it once.”

“What do you mean Twi?” He sounded very hesitant as he asked this; I guess he was having trouble deciding if I was Twilight Sparkle, his sister, or Twilight Sparkle, security risk.

“Somehow, I was... I guess mutated would be the best word for it, after the incident. I think the Nanoplagues did this, but I’m not sure. It's not just my eyes that have changed, my blood is acid as well. Beyond that, I’m not sure. By the time I reached a hospital to try and run a few scans on myself, the entire city was dark. The first explosions took out the power grid.”

“That's... I don't even know what to say...” Shining said. “Um... is there any risk of any more acid coming from you?” I could tell he was trying to put it gently, but there really isn't a way to sugarcoat my predicament.

“Not unless somepony cuts me, or I start crying again, so can we try to keep pointy things away from the walking acid balloon?” It wasn’t really that funny, but I chuckled a little anyway.

“Well, I know I'm glad to have you back. Celestia will be too, she damn near jumped out the window when she realized somepony was alive and on their way out.” He chuckled. “I swear if she blasts another hole in the wall to leave the throne room...”

“She blew a hole in the wall to exit the throne room? Wait, where is the new castle anyhow?”

“Yeah, she did. The castle is on the site of the old one in the Everfree, it was easier to repair it than to build a new one, and thanks to the buffalo it has proper road and rail access. Ponyville is the capital now, and speaking of which, we should be passing overhead soon.” He said, nodding to the window.

I stood and trotted over, looking out as the trees of the Whitetail Woods started to thin, and gave way to a bustling city. A large contingent of Royal and Night guards had joined in formation around the chariot, clearing the air traffic around us.

“Wha... all this in two years?” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, Ponyville was nearly as big as Canterlot used to be.

“Yep, with the old capital uninhabitable, the Princesses moved the government to Ponyville because of its location near the main roads that cross the country. The original town is still intact, but it's now known as Old Ponyville. The mayor wanted it preserved in the name of all those who passed on in the disaster...”

“I'm just glad you, the princesses, mom and dad, and my friends weren’t in the city...” I said. “I think I'd have just given up if you guys had been there.”

“I know... two days either way, and we would have lost the Elements, the Princesses, and almost all of the Royal Guard.” An awkward silence fell for a few moments while Shining sat there frowning. “Industry has been... limited since then, the politicians are still debating what to do.”

“I take it almost all of the noble families were in Canterlot at the time...”

“Yeah, their loss set the financial state of the country back for a while, but Luna used some old loophole to transfer the money from dead families to the country, instead of just leaving it sitting. A quarter of it went to funding the castle, another quarter went to starting New Ponyville, and the rest was used to keep things running while Celestia and Luna overhauled the government. The noble bloodlines are almost all gone, so they’re working on a system of elected officials from the different cities. It's a headache for the guard too, there's a whole sect of anti-technology zealots who gained popularity after the incident, between them and a few groups trying to oust the Princesses, we've had our hooves full.”

“Wow...” I was still looking out the window as I noticed the buildings of New Ponyville abruptly give way to some fields, although the road continued. “You’ve certainly been busy. Has there been...” I trailed off as Old Ponyville came into sight, exactly the same as I remembered it. I couldn’t stop staring as we passed overhead; it looked exactly the same, right down to the ponies in it.

Soon enough, the library came into view, and I caught a glimpse of something purple and green walking towards the front door. I started to quietly sob when I saw my number one assistant.

“Twily?” Shining said, joining me at the window.

“Spike... I... I never thought I'd see him again...” Shining cast a bowl shaped shield below my face as I broke down into tears. He held the spell as he walked over to a gem on the wall of the chariot and tapped it.

“Somepony make sure that Spike is brought to the castle.” I laid a hoof against the thick glass of the window as a Night Guard broke off, landing near Spike as the library passed out of view.

“Who... who else will be there?”

“The Princesses, mom and dad, your friends, Cadence... Most of Ponyville will probably find out from Spike's reaction and be there...” Shining said, trotting back over. “Um... how strong is this stuff?”

“My tears probably won’t eat through glass... but I doubt anypony will be able to get a blood sample from me, that stuff will go through... well I never found anything in Canterlot that could stop it. I'm willing to bet that it's the same stuff that I cry, my tears are just diluted.” My tears stopped as I went into what Pinkie used to call 'Science Twilight Mode.' I saw Shining remove a glass Erlenmare flask from a compartment in the wall, dump the acidic tears in, and cap the flask with a glass stopper, sealing it with magic.

“I'll have the labs analyze this stuff... it's probably the best sample of that toxin we're ever going to get.”

“I just call it 'The Glow'.” I shrugged. “Simple, descriptive, and sounds a bit foreboding.”

“The Glow it is then...” Shining said with a chuckle. “You should hear some of the names the lab rats have come up with... you almost need a recording to say it the same twice.”

“Yeesh...” I said, smiling despite myself as I felt the chariot start to descend. “I take it we're here?”

“Yeah, although we're not leaving this chariot until we get to the quarantine station I had set up. I'm sure you'll want to see everypony right away, but...”

“I understand. Actually, I'd call you an idiot if you just let me go. Two years in a toxic wasteland, I'll be lucky if I'm stuck in decontamination for anywhere under a decade.” I chuckled a little at the thought, although I think the irony would have killed me if that actually happened.

“Oh now you're just exaggerating. Still...”

“Tell them not to rush... I'd hate for somepony to die because of me.”

“I'll make sure they do their job.” Shining said as the treetops passed the window, soon changing to the grey stone of the Everfree Castle. Shining tapped the gem again and spoke. “Hazmat One to Everfree Castle, We have touched down with the package, and are en route to quarantine. Notify our guests of this and make room for Spike, he'll be arriving soon as well.”

“Roger that Hazmat One, tell the package welcome home, from all of us,” came the crackling reply.

It was another ten minutes before we got the go ahead to step out of the chariot after the Hazmat ponies running the quarantine area triple checked the seal on the barriers around us. I sat patiently, my goggles over my eyes so I wouldn’t scare anypony when I saw them, although, eyes or not, my appearance would probably cause Rarity to pass out on the spot.

I giggled at that thought, causing Shining to give me a confused look. “What's so funny?”

“Oh, I just imagined Rarity seeing me right now.” I said, waiting for it as I removed my goggles.

I could see the gears turning in his head before we both burst out laughing. Soon, I was doubled over from stomach cramps, and I could see Shining was barely standing.

“Oh... I haven't had a laugh that good in years.” As I sat up, we saw a few sizzling spots where tears of laughter had fallen. “That... is going to make things difficult in the future.” I sighed, the mood thoroughly killed by the reminder of my current condition.

“Yeah...” Shining said as I pulled the goggles back on as the back ramp slowly lowered.

“Although I must admit, Wastelander is a good style for you.”

“Let me guess, you finally took my advice and read Fallout?”

“Yeah, good recommendation.” He said as the ramp touched down with a small clunk.

“Well... Time to face the music... This reunion is not going to do wonders for the floor, or anything I'm wearing.” I said with a frown.

“I had them set out a large tub of water while you were lost in thought watching the Hazmat team work.” Shining said as we stepped onto the ramp. “And if that fails, I have my shields. Everything will be fine Twily.” We stepped through the doorway to the next chamber where the Hazmat team was waiting for us with hoses and a collection of large basins. We were promptly ushered in after I took off my clothes, goggles, and shoulder bag.

Before they began I said to the pony that had taken my things, “I want those back afterwards, can you decontaminate everything in there, though mind the teapot, I put Philomena's ashes in it.” They nodded and trotted off to another room, where I could hear the bag being unpacked before they started hosing me down.

The water was cold, but refreshing. One of the ponies passed me a bottle of liquid soap which I quickly worked into my mane, coat, and tail with my magic. I was content to enjoy cleaning off until I was reminded of the fact that I hadn't trimmed my mane or fetlocks in well over a year and a half by a comment from the Hazmat worker.

“Lose your trimmer dear?” She said with a small chuckle.

“No,” I said with a small smile, “The power's just been out.”

The rest of Hazmat team started to laugh as I stepped from one basin to the next, repeating the process until, six basins later, all of the oil, dirt, and grime was washed out. My coat had regained its sheen and my mane and tail were no longer matted. One of the Hazmat workers piped up again. “How are you feeling?”

“Clean.” I let out a relieved sigh, it felt phenomenal to finally be free of Canterlot’s remains. “You ponies have no idea how good it feels to do that after two years of not being able to wash up.”

“I can hardly imagine.” Shining said from the other side of the Hazmat barrier. “You look a thousand times better Twily. We took a picture as you were walking towards the chariot back in the woods... do you mind if we send it to the press with the story?”

“Not at all.” I said. “Just keep the damn paparazzi pegasi away from my windows.”

“Will do little sis. I'll go let them know you're coming, the doctors will want to do a few tests before you can leave the quarantine though, do you want to do them first or after?”

“After, and ready a few more of those basins... I'll probably be crying a fair bit.”

“I understand dear.” The mare that had spoken up earlier said. “I can't imagine what it's been like...”

“You don't want to know.” I replied as she led me down a hall from the decontamination room.

“I... had family in Canterlot when it happened... Was it quick?” She asked.

“I... don't know. I ran into a Nanoplague and passed out before the cloud reached me.” It took at least ten minutes for the first ponies to die, and you could hear screams for days. I leant a hoof where I could, but it was usually just a spell to put them into a coma. For the rest, I would either help them over to a loved one, or pass them something so they could end it themselves. If I still slept, I’m sure the first few days would haunt my dreams forever. “I think it was quick though.”

“At least they didn't suffer.” She said, a small sob escaping her lips. “I'm sorry, this must be digging up bad memories.”

“It's alright.” I said, “It doesn’t affect me as much anymore.”

She nodded as we reached a door. “Here's your stop.” She said, pulling out a mouth swab, and a piece of cloth. “I just need a spit sample and a quick wipe of your coat to make sure your tears are all that we have to worry about.” I nodded and let her do what she had to before pushing the door open.

The room was a large one, with a wall of glass separating the half I was in from the waiting ponies.

Everything was silent as I stepped in, they were all staring at me with mixed reactions. I trotted over to where a communication gem was, sitting on steel grate platform over a tub of water. We sat that way for what seemed like hours, nopony talking, until Pinkie, her mane hanging straight, trotted over to the gem on their side of the glass and tapped it, her voice being relayed through the one on my side.

“Twilight? Is it really you?” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

I tapped the gem on my side. “It's me Pinkie.”

“Pinkie Pie Swear?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ey-ow!” I had gone through the motions, but forgot to close my eye first. A few tears falling through the grate into the water. “I'm back.”

The response was immediate, Pinkie's hair poofed up and a smile, bigger than any I had ever seen, grew upon her face. My mother and father broke down into tears of joy, and Celestia and Luna soon followed suit. Rainbow Dash hoofpumped the air and I could see Fluttershy jumping up and down, her shouts of “She's really back!” overpowering the sobs of all those present.

Then, a familiar purple and green form stepped up to the glass, tears streaming down his face as he placed a hand against it.

“Spike!” I cried and ran to the glass, placing a hoof against it where his hand was. The room had gone quiet again as he turned and walked over to the communication gem, letting me get back to mine before he spoke.

“Twilight... I thought...” He started.

“Shh...” I cut him off. “I'm back now.” I said, tears flowing freely as one of the Hazmat team stepped in and said something to Shining. He nodded before turning to Celestia and whispering something to her.

Her horn glowed, and Spike was teleported past the glass. As one of Shining's shields covered him, I ran over and pulled him into a hug. “I'm back and I'm never going to leave you like that again.”

3: Evaluation

Among the Ruins
Chapter 3: Evaluation

((Thanks again to all those who are reading this and to Doom for editing.))

I released Spike after a few minutes and a prompt from Shining.

“Um... Twilly? Hate to break it to you, but... well... the floor.” Shining said through the gem.

“Huh?” I looked down and saw a circle etched in the stone around Spike. “Oops...” I rubbed the back of my head with my hoof as I trotted back onto the grate.

“It's alright Twilight,” Princess Celestia said with a small smile as she teleported Spike back to the other side of the wall. “While I don't mean to cut things short, I think it's best we get you cleared from quarantine.”

“Yes,” Luna said, smiling a bit brighter than Celestia had, “and we have some things to discuss before the press gets their go at you.”

“Oh... okay.” I was a little sad that I had to leave them again so quickly, but this probably wouldn’t take that long, I hoped.

“Do not worry Twilight Sparkle. You'll be back with your friends and family soon enough.”

“You're right... Well... here's hoping I get through this fast...” I replied, stepping off of the grate and through a door that was being held open for me by one of the Hazmat ponies.

“It shouldn't take too long Miss Sparkle.” He said. “Although we're going to have to do a thorough check.”

“I understand. I wouldn't want anything from within the wall getting out...” I said with a shudder.

“I... won't claim to understand. It must have been horrible...”

“That's an understatement.” I stepped into another rinse basin and was hosed down once more. “Geze, I hope I don't have to do this every time I cry a little...”

“Your brother already has us working on something,” the mare from before said as she handed me a towel. “Don't worry, we'll figure something out.”

“Thanks.” I said as I dried off again and followed the pair into the next room. “This is one long string of rooms...”

“It's going to be turned into a gallery of sorts. The carriage was parked in an unfinished room.” The stallion said. “We just commandeered it with a little royal leverage.”

“And the room with the window in the middle?” I asked, wondering what the heck they would need a room like that for.

“Luna whipped that up actually.” The mare said. “Nopony really wanted to wait to see if it was actually you, but we had to clear you first. Her solution, a glass wall and some communication gems. Simple, but effective.”

“Sometimes those are the best solutions.” I said with a chuckle.

“Oh, you'll be glad to know that everything you brought with you was decontaminated without damage. Captain Armor tried to slip the wedding bands through, but we caught him. Good thing too, there was some kind of crystal dust on them that was giving off some of that glowing acid vapor.”

“I... probably shouldn't have shown him those so quickly then.”

“We would have caught it before it did any harm, but now we at least have a sample of the acid's source.” The stallion said as Nurse Redheart trotted in, wearing a Hazmat suit.

“Hello Twilight, I can't begin to say how happy I am to see you again. Tenderheart and Dr. Vow will be in shortly, they are having a little trouble with the suits.” She said as she trotted over.

“I'm glad to be back, Redheart.” I said with a smile as I glanced around at the large assortment of equipment in the room. “I take it this isn't going to be a standard physical?”

“You got that right.” Redheart said with a sigh. “The politicians want a full report on how you survived in there for so long, and the medical community will no doubt freak out over the news. Environmentalists are going to go nuts when they find out about what you've told us so far, and we probably won't want to hand out copies of the results of these tests,” the nurse chuckled dryly as she nodded to an x-ray machine. “Well, first things first, an X-ray. I can run that solo while the other two finish up.”

I nodded and climbed onto the machine. “Hmm... this is a model P7C isn't it?” It was nice to see a piece of my work in use.

“Yep, a little outdated, but still one of the best compact units you can find. You helped with the design of these didn't you?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“The display's a bit fuzzy since we set it up in here, any idea on why that would be?” The P7C was the first model of Xenith Ray scanner to use a holographic display to show the patient's whole body after the scan in three dimensions instead of just two.

“Hmm... that's usually a problem with the data cable not being fully plugged in. Give it a good push into the socket.”

I heard the sound of plastic being pressed between two surfaces and a small click. “Huh, seems Tenderheart owes me ten bits.”

“Oh?” I asked as Redheart started the scan.

“Yeah, I bet her it was something simple, she bet that we'd need to call in a technician. Hold your head still for a moment.”

I complied while chuckling to myself.

“Okay you can talk now.”

“Yeah the cables are almost too tight to fit, however they have to be so all of the pins line up. Only thing I didn't like about designing this thing was that display, you do not want to know how long it took to get the X, Y, and Z gems aligned so the Braemore-Trotson method of holograms would work with a zoom function.”

“Aaaaand done.” Redheart said as the machine beeped. “Shall w- wow... that's new.” Redheart said as the hologram was brought up.

The Xenith Ray scanner was invented to be a non-invasive way to look at bones, and to some extent, tissue. The rays are harmless and they go clean through a pony's body before being picked up on the sensor, or at least that's how it should be.

“I don't think that ever happened during testing...” I said as I gazed at the vaguely pony shaped fuzzy blob that was shown by the projection. “Redheart would you mind being used to test the machine?”

“Not at all.” She stepped onto the platform and I started another scan. It beeped after a moment and the results were brought up. Redheart's scan showed up normally.

“That... can't be right...” I muttered. “Unless I'm somehow interfering with the system...”

“It's possible... you were hit with a Nanoplague after all. This looks like what happened after a Nanoplague went through the X-ray room at Canterlot General.” Redheart said. “However, the environmental sensors we have in here aren’t picking up any known Nanoplague...” She fiddled with the dials on one of the machines for a moment. “Hmm... well that's different.”

“What is?”

“It seems you are carrying some kind of unknown nanomachine swarm. The machine can't tell what the effects are, and this is the same kind that Canterlot Disease Control used to ID all of the others.” Redheart muttered.

“Well that's good news to hear when entering a quarantine zone.” Nurse Tenderheart said as she trotted in, another pony in hazmat gear following behind her.

“Vell ve have to figure eet out before ve let her back into ze public you know... In any case, I am Doctor Solemn Vow; it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Sparkle.” The other pony said with a small bow. “Pardon ze accent, I am still getting used to ze language. I recently move to New Ponyville from Germaneigh.”

“Pleased to meet you too Doctor.” I said with a smile. “I only wish it was under better circumstances. And please, call me Twilight.”

“Vell, ve all have to play ze cards we are dealt Tvilight.” He said. “Alzho, if you don't mind me saying, you have a razzer odd hoof of cards indeed.”

“That is one way to put it.” I said with a sigh. “In any case, before we get into things, I just want to warn you that taking a blood sample is an extremely bad idea.”

“Oh? May I ask why?” Nurse Tenderheart asked.

I was getting a little tired of explaining by now, but it was necessary. “My blood is highly acidic. It can eat through a glass beaker in seconds, I found that out the hard way in Canterlot.”

“Zis vill be interesting zhen...” Dr. Vow said. “Vell vhat do ve know so far?”

“Apart from what she just told us, she seems to have some kind of invisible nanomachine swarm around her.” Nurse Redheart said. “Aside from that, and the fact that her eyes have changed, we're in the dark here.”

“Hmm... vell vhat have you found out yourself Tvilight?”

“Well... I heal faster than I did before, and I think the Nanoplague I was hit with enhanced my reaction time. Aside from that I have better vision, day and night, and I don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe.” I listed off.

Dr. Vow dropped his notepad at that. “Vait, did you just say you vere anaerobic and have no need for rest or food?” All ponies present were staring at me wide eyed.

“Yeah.”

“Zis is... unglaublich... Wie ist das überhaupt möglich? Ich- Verzeihen Sie, I sometimes drop into my native language.”

“It's alright.” I said.

“How is that even possible though?” The hazmat mare asked.

“I... have honestly no idea.” Dr. Vow said. “Unless ze nanomachines did more zan just change her blood... vould you be villing to go through a potentially dangerous recalibration of ze X-ray scanner?”

“What type of recalibration?” I asked.

“I found a vay to get ze scanners to ignore small amounts of metal zat usually vould interfere vith ze scan, however it involves boosting ze power by two hundred percent as vell as altering ze reciever. Zere is a possibility ze rays could do harm to you.”

“Do it, I want to know what has happened to me.” After everything that Canterlot did to me, an enhanced X-ray really doesn’t seem dangerous.

“Very vell. Can von of you Hazmat ponies notify your friends zat the rooms above and adjacent to zis one must be clear of anyvone not helping vith ze test?”

“On it.” The stallion said as he trotted out the door.

“Ve vill be safe so long as ve stay out of the beam's potential path.” Dr. Vow said as he started moving a few wires around. “Although, zis does not mean ve should be careless.”

“Of course not.” Tenderheart said as she trotted over to the control panel. “Just let me know when doc.”

“Tvilight, vould you step into ze scanner?” He asked as he trotted over to the receiver array on the other side of the machine. I nodded and stepped in as he altered the position of a few of the array's panels. “Zhat should do it.” He trotted over to where Redheart and Tenderheart were standing.

The door opened again and the hazmat pony who had left trotted back in and over to where the others were standing. “They have given us the all clear.”

“Danke. Zis vill probably sting a little... Begin ze scan!” Dr. Vow exclaimed, the mid-experiment excitement that I know all too well showing on his face.

Redheart nodded and pushed down the green button with her hoof. The scanner's Xenith Ray emitter hummed and started to glow before I felt my whole body tingle. “This feels very weird...”

“Zat is vhat double ze recommended safe amount of Xenith radiation feels like.” Dr. Vow said as the machine powered down, and started processing the data. “It vill take a little longer to process ze scan, so shall ve do a few more tests? Namely to see vhat zhose nanomachines do?”

“Okay.” I nodded as I stepped off the platform.

“I'll keep an eye on things here, make sure the machine doesn't mess up.” Tenderheart said, glancing to the hologram display where an image was starting to form.

“Very vell. Now... since ve didn't know vether you vould be toxic or not, ve did grab a few lab rats.” Dr. Vow said, levitating over a cage with two large white rats inside. “Er, please do not tell Miss Fluttershy, she seemed to be ze animal rights type.”

“I won't, I know the facts behind lab specimens.” I said as he set the cage down on a table.

“Now, ve vait. Ze rats should show any kind of reaction that vould affect a pony. Ze light on top is a sensor for any kind of toxic material, be it biohazard or nanohazard.” He explained as a little light on top of the cage turned red. “Zey are exposed to it... Now, ve try to get a sample of zat acid you vere talking of earlier. Find out some properties.” He said as he nodded to a metal grate platform over a large basin of water. There seemed to be a number of small beakers of varying materials placed beneath it in a magical field. “Hopefully von beaker survives.”

“So how are you going to get a sample?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“Scalpel, zat is, if you don't have any objections Tvilight.”

“What? That's has to be the dumb-” I cut Redheart off.

“I'll do it, just pass me a few sharp ones.” I said. “It wouldn't be the first time I've had to do something like this...”

I trotted along a rusting catwalk, large vats of a thick, oily sludge sat beneath me as I explored the chemical plant. My hooves made a light clanking as they contacted the metal sheets that made up the floor of the suspended walkway. I had originally just wanted to take a look, but the first section of the catwalk had collapsed, taking out two of the vats and causing the floor below to be swamped with the black sludge.

The liquid took a rainbow sheen in the afternoon light, reminding me of Rainbow Dash as I trotted along.

Being a pegasus would be convenient right about now... I thought as I reached a metal security door that led to a stairwell.

I gave the door a tug with my magic, but it held firm. The lock must have engaged when the power went down, so there was no way to open the electric lock, even if I had access to the passcode.

Great... I don't want to fall into that goop, and the catwalk is totaled on the far end... how am I going to get this open? I thought, raising a hoof to rub my chin.

“Ow!” I yelped as a sharp piece of metal sliced my hoof, my blood eating it away into nothing.

That's just wonderful... wait a second... I rubbed my acid covered hoof along the hinges of the door, and where the electric latch was. The metal sizzled immediately, and quickly dissolved as my acidic blood did it's work. After a few minutes I gave the door another good tug, and the hinges and doorframe crumbled as the frame was relieved of its door.

Not exactly the best solution, but workable. I thought, stepping through the empty doorframe and leaving holes in the floor as my wound healed.

“Macabre as that was, that was rather clever...” Redheart said after a moment as Dr. Vow floated over a tray of gleaming scalpels.

“Still hurts though.” I took the tray and trotted up onto the platform. Steeling myself against the inevitable pain, I picked up a scalpel, and in one swift motion, drew the blade down the length of my lower foreleg, leaving an inch deep cut. The surgical steel sizzled as it dissolved, as did most of the beakers as the acidic blood hit them. Only a few drops made it into each one, but three beakers survived.

“Vondahbar!” Dr. Vow said as I levitated the beakers over to a second tray that was over the basin of slightly acidic water. The cuts were healing quickly, taking on a slight silvery sheen before returning to normal color.

“Don't forget to wash that hoof.” The hazmat mare said, nodding to a nearby bucket of water which I made use of when my cuts healed.

“Thanks.” I said.

“The scan's done rendering.” Tenderheart called to us. “And you ponies are going to be floored by what it shows...”

4: Release

Among the Ruins
Chapter 4: Release

((Thanks again to all those who are reading this and to Doom for editing. Sorry about the wait folks, but the good news is I got another job now.))

“Zat... does not sound good.” Dr. Vow muttered as we trotted over to the holographic display.

The semi-transparent hologram came into view, earning a gasp from Redheart and myself and a muttered “Fascinating...” from the doctor.

The display showed my skeleton, which was now the brightest thing there aside from my blood vessels. Of my internal organs, only my stomach, lungs, heart, brain, and a few other organs remained. Where my intestines should have been there was an oddly shaped organ that was a bit brighter and more angular than the rest.

“Is that... a crystal?” One of the hazmat ponies muttered as they looked at the scan.

“It vould appear so...” Dr. Vow muttered. “But vhy is it zere... vhat does it do?”

“The acid's source was the crystals beneath Canterlot,” I offered. “Perhaps those are the same material?”

“It could be...” Dr. Vow replied, “However zat still does not explain vhere the nanomachines are coming from.”

“Perhaps that... crystal... produces both?” Redheart said, zooming in on it with the controls. There were pockets of less dense crystal near the center.

“Zat... should be impossible... Vhere does it get the material to produce zee nanomachines zhen?”

“I... think I know.” I said after a moment of thought. “Back in Canterlot, I'd occasionally come across small piles of metal or crystal that were surrounded by nanomachine swarms. They were like hives for them and the machines would use whatever materials they could find to construct them.”

“That... is a very interesting bit of news.” The Hazmat stallion said.

“It does make sense though.” Tenderheart said. “If there was a small nanomachine plant there then you wouldn't run out of them, and if it was made out of the acid crystal than you have a source for your blood. My question now is why your bones are so bright on the scan. They would have to be made of something denser than calcium to show up that brightly.”

“Zat is correct Tenderheart...” Dr. Vow said. “I vonder... Twilight, would you be willing to try something that could hurt quite a bit?”

“And what would that be?”

“Vell, ze only vay we could get to your bones is with a quick extraction, however it vould be painful due to the tools needed.”

“I'm fine not knowing what they are made of.” I said after a moment's thought. If I had to choose between having a part of my skeleton rather forcibly removed and not knowing, I could deal with ignorance, some prices are too high. “Still, what do we do about the nanoswarm that's apparently inside me?”

“Vell... ze rats are still alive so I think we're okay. All of the Canterlot nanoswarms killed within minutes, it's been over a fifteen minutes since exposure so I think ve vill be okay... Still only von vay to be sure...” Dr. Vow grabbed the head of his suit with his magic and removed it before any of us could react.

“Doctor!” Redheart yelped as he took a deep breath, although a nervous one.

“Stay back.” He said. “I have to be sure before I can release her from ze quarantine. Zis solves zhat question zee fastest, if she's dangerous to be around, I think I'll be able to tell.” He chucked a little, but the attempt at humor fell rather flat.

We stood there in tense silence for a few minutes before I spoke. “Well? Anything?”

“I do not feel any different...” He said with a shrug.

“So it's safe?” Tenderheart asked.

“Apparently so.” He said. “Although, I vould like to check if the nanomachines have entered my bloodstream.” He said trotting over to a machine that had a few syringes on the side of it. He quickly took a blood sample and put it in the machine, the results showing on a screen beside it. “It can't be...” He muttered, reading the results. “It is... Zis could be... I can't believe it...”

“What is it?” I asked, trotting over.

“I tested positive for EIV two years ago, I got it from a patient of mine who coughed up some blood during an examination. Zhis machine is programed to pick up on it, but it's showing that aside from zee nanomachines, there is nothing else that shouldn't be there...”

“So you're saying it...” Redheart trailed off ask Dr. Vow nodded.

“It somehow... killed off zee virus.” He said as he sat down. “I vill have to run some more tests but zhis... ve may have found a working nanoswarm.”

Everypony just stared at each other for a few moments before I spoke up. “That... would actually explain quite a bit.”

“It vould, if the Nanomachines vere constantly repairing any damage done to you and altering your body to keep you alive and carry zee... let's just call it a hive... Were the first few hours to days after you were hit by the swarm and acid cloud painful?”

“I... was unconscious for a while... I don't know how long. When I awoke there were still ponies dying though.”

“Was the wall complete when you woke up? If we can use a few timeline marks that we know from outside...” The Hazmat mare asked.

“Yes, it was... a week after that I spotted the princesses on top of the roof over the city.”

“I remember that... that would put you waking up some point... about... four to six days after the gas release...” She said.

“Zat vould be enough time for a properly working, albeit overzealous, nanoswarm to do its job correctly.” Dr Vow said, thinking for a moment before his expression hardened. “Zis news does not leave zis room.”

“What?” Tenderheart nearly yelled. “We have a working nanoswarm, one that helps ponies, why would you want to h-”

“Because it vould be Canterlot all over again!” Dr. Vow yelled. “I had a friend on von of the nanomachine research teams,” his voice dropped down to barely a whisper. “He was killed by his research when it founds a microscopic crack in its containment unit, zat vos the start of the Nanoplauges. The nachtmahr zat vas caused by that first swarm led to chaos in ze labs and the release of ze rest of ze incomplete nanoswarms. One mistake killed thousands before the EMP vas discovered. One crack, so small zat it vas invisible to ze naked eye, and it vould be ze nanoplauges all over again... I am not about to let zat happen.”

Tenderheart just stared at the doctor for a few moments. “I still think someone should look into a way to reproduce Twilight's nanomachines.” She muttered.

“I vould agree, if not for the fact that ze swarm within her is the von out of hundreds of nanoswarms developed. Trying to reproduce it vithout ze equipment in ze Canterlot labs, it vould be nearly impossible.”

“I have to agree with the doctor on this one.” I said with a frown. “The lab equipment in the labs where the nanoswarms were created was one of a kind. I've been through them, and they’re mostly rubble. It would be nearly impossible to reproduce the equipment unless you had the engineer and the manufacturing drawings.”

“I... well then would you at least be willing to help every now and then in the hospitals Twilight?” Tenderheart asked. “We have a few cases of acid victims from the release before the wall went up, if you could help them...”

“I would love to, but I think we should run it past the princesses first.”

“Finally, hope to heal him...” She muttered, I almost didn't hear it.

“Heal who?”

“Oh... well my brother had acid burns on a good deal of his body from the gas release.” Her voice was pained, and it looked like she was struggling not to cry. “We managed to heal most of the external damage, but the damage to his lungs... he needs 24 hour care and can't leave the hospital. He was just leaving the city when it happened.”

“I... I'll see what I can do. Are there many cases like him?” I asked.

“Thirty in Ponyville Royal, ten in Cloudsdale General, and a few in Manehattan and Fillydelphia.” Redheart listed. “Most of those are wealthier ponies who could afford the cost to move themselves. It's not easy to transport someone like that.”

“I don't doubt that. Anyhow doctor, am I clear to leave?”

“Ja, you may go, but do not tell anypony aside from ze princesses about ze nanoswarm. You of all ponies should understand why.” Dr. Vow said. “Actually, let me exit first, zat vay they vill know you're safe without all the damn tedious papervork...” He chuckled as he headed for the door. I glanced over to the Hazmat ponies to see if it was okay and, at a shrug from them, followed him out.

As soon as I stepped out I heard someone nearly yelling “Twilight!” only moments before I was tackle-hugged by a flying pink blur.

“Hi Pinkie.” I said chuckling.

“Ohmygosh! I almost can't believe it's actually you Twilight, when we heard that you were in the city, I couldn't stop crying for almost a year and then I was all Saddie-Pie, but now that you're back I don't have to be sad anymore, I-”

A blue hoof came into vision as it was stuffed into Pinkie's mouth. “Geze Pinks, don't talk her ear off, let us have a chance to speak as well.” Rainbow Dash helped me back to my hooves before hugging me as well. “We thought you were dead...” She said, as she hugged me, her head on my shoulder. “I... well I suppose we should take you to the others, when Pinkie ran out of the room I was the only one who followed her, the rest are just down the hall.” I held back a few tears.

“Thanks.” I said and followed my friends as Pinkie attempted to bring me up to date. I say attempted because she was speaking so fast I couldn't understand her. This is actually happening... I'm finally free of that place. A memory from one of the first few days after I awoke surfacing.

I trotted through one of the residential districts of Canterlot, the thick green mist obscuring my vision past about three blocks. Every now and then a droplet of acid would land on me. They never burned me, and just felt cold.

A cough echoed through the streets, slightly louder than my hoofsteps.

“Hello?” I called.

“In here.” I heard a mare's voice say as the porch lights flickered on one of the houses. I quickly trotted over to it.

As I trotted up to the door I found myself staring down the business end of a crossbow. “You better not be after any of my fil- oh... How in Celestia's name are you still alive?” She said as she lowered the crossbow. I could see her face was obscured by a gasmask and the rest of her body was covered in an acid-proof suit from one of the factories. The back of her head was covered with the hood as well.

“I wish I could tell you.” I said after the shock of having a crossbow pointed at my face wore off. “I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

“Morning Dew,” she said smiling. “Come on in, I’ve got a safe room with some supplies in the basement, if you don't mind going through decontamination.”

“Yeah I'm fine with that. Wait, if you have a safe room why are you up here?”

“Simple, I want to scavenge as much food as I can, I have the supplies and equipment to survive for five years in my bunker, but I don't want to use any of that if I can help it. Sealed tin cans are still good, and you can tell which ones are bad the moment you open them.” She said nodding to a bag by the door.

“Good thinking. What was that about filters then?”

“Oh, Well when the gas started shooting out of the sewers I was working in the chemical plant just north of here, those of us who were working the floor had full hazard gear on, and access to the plant's stock of mask filters, we split them up evenly, but somepony got the idea in his head that he could nick a few from the others, I thought you might have been him.” She explained as she led me through the house into the basement. “Sorry about the crossbow by the way.”

“You didn't fire so I'll forgive you.” I replied with a smile. “So you have some kind of bunker then?” I ask as we weaved through her basement.

“Yeah, I had it built when I moved here after hearing about how close I'd be living to the largest chemical plant in Equestria. You have no idea how glad I am that I put a few hundred thousand bits into building that thing right now.”

“I can only imagine.” I said with a shudder. “Take my advice, don't go through the market district anytime soon... I don't think I found all of the survivors, but the streets were full.”

“I... geeze...” She said as we reached a large concrete door. She tapped a code into a keypad beside it and the door slid off to one side into the wall. As we stepped in the door slid shut behind us. Sprinklers in the roof doused us with water for about a minute after she put her saddlebags in a slot on the wall. “I don't even want to imagine how horrible that must have been.”

“Yeah... I helped whoever I could, but all I could do is an anesthetic spell.”

“At least you could do something...” She said as the sprinklers cut out. “Between the Nanoplauges and that acid gas... It just makes you feel helpless at times.”

“I know the feeling.” I said as the other door slid open. She trotted into the next room and began removing her hazmat suit. “Still, it's nice to see another pony that made it.”

“Mom!” I heard a voice from the other side of the room. I looked over to see a grass green earth pony filly run towards Morning Dew.

“Give me a hand with this will you Summer?” She asked and the filly nodded, undoing a zipper on the back of the one piece orange rubber bodysuit. After a moment she was free and had removed her mask. She was a cream colored earth pony with a blue and cream striped mane. Her cutie mark was a set of industrial valves. “Twilight, this is Summer Fields, my daughter.”

“Hi Miss Twilight.” The filly said cheerfully. “You have odd eyes.”

“Summer!”

“It's alright.” I said with a chuckle. “I guess I do, I don't know why they're like that, I woke up a few days ago and they just were.”

“Ah, probably has something to do with that green stuff from the sewers then.” Summer said.

“Probably.”

“I don't want to breathe that stuff, it made those ponies on the street act weird; I just ran down here like mom said to.”

“Anyhow, do you need a place to stay?” Morning Dew asked me.

“I found a small clothing shop near where I woke up and have a place set up there. It's not the best, but I don't want to impose on you two.” I said before dropping my voice so that Summer couldn't hear me. “Besides, I want to see if I can find any other survivors.”

“I won't keep you here then, but at least stay for a while and talk.”

“I'd like that.” I said with a smile.

They gave me a communication gem when I left. We stayed in touch for a few weeks, but I couldn't return to the bunker. The house was weakened by the acid and collapsed. The bunker survived, but they stopped responding on the communication gem.

Pinkie stopped her rambling as we stepped into the room where everyone had been waiting. “Twi'!” I heard from my right as I was tackle-hugged off my hooves again, this time by Applejack.

“H-hi everypony.” I said. “Um, Applejack, kind of hard to breath down here.”

“Oops, sorry sugarcube.” She said sheepishly causing everypony to chuckle. She helped me up after a moment.

“It's alright Applejack.” I said with a smile. “It's great to see all of you again.”

“I don't think anyone here doubts that Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said. “Least of all me...” She added in quietly. I think Celestia was the only other one in the room to hear it though.

My parents had trotted up in the meantime. “We thought we had lost you...” Mom said before hugging me. “Don't ever leave again.”

I hugged her back as Dad joined in the hug.

“Group hug!” I heard Pinkie shout from my right and soon felt everypony joining in.

5: Rememberance

Among The Ruins
Chapter 5: Rememberance

By: SteampunkBrony
Edited By: DoomManta

One by one, everyone let go of the group hug, Pinkie being the last to detach herself from me. “You guys...” I said, doing my best to hold in tears. I felt something hugging my leg and looked down to find Spike there, tears streaking down his face.

“I hate to break up the moment,” one of the castle staff chimed in after a few moments, “But the press are wondering what's going on, and the various environmental groups are asking questions too.”

Celestia sighed and looked over to Luna. “Do you want to, or should I?” She said.

I chimed in before Luna could respond. “Actually, would I be able to come with, whatever the decision is? Nopony is going to believe this without seeing proof.”

“I... don't see why not.” Luna said after a moment. “Besides, they'll want pictures... although, do you want a manecut before then?” She was eyeing my fetlock length mane and tail that were hanging messily from my head and rump.

“Yes darling, I can have your mane and tail back to the way they were before.”

“There's no need for it,” I said, “And I'll admit, I kind of like it.” Rarity nearly fainted at that statement, causing everyone to laugh.

“Well I think it looks pretty badass,” Rainbow said. “Although I can only imagine the bed head you must have.”

“Actually, I haven't really had to worry about that.”

“Darling, you must tell me how!” Rarity nearly yelped. “It could be the next secret in mane styling!”

“Rarity, I don't think you want to know.” I said with a small smirk. Shining was covering his mouth with his hoof to hold back his laughter at the reaction that we both knew was coming.

“Tell me!”

“Shining, do you still have that photo?”

“Here ya go Twilly.” He just barely kept himself from laughing as he passed the photo they took in the Whitetail Woods.

I levitated it over to Rarity. “I can see the headlines now, ‘Two years’ worth of industrial grease, oil, and dirt, mane care breakthrough!” Her eyes quickly grew to the size of dinner plates as her jaw dropped. Rainbow leaned in for a look at the photo.

“I stand corrected Twi. That looks badass.”

“In any case, before I face the music with the press, on my way out of the city, I grabbed a few things of yours and Cadence's, Shining.” I said. “Where's the stuff I brought with me?”

“It's just down the hall, first door on the right.” I headed for the door, Cadence and Shining following me. The moment Cadence saw the wedding bands her eyes lit up and she pulled me into a hug.

“Thank you. Y-you have no idea how much you bringing our wedding bands back means.” She said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Shining, meanwhile, was looking over the various items, disbelief clear on his face. “My medals... the wedding photos... grandpa's pocket watch...” He reached the teddy bear, “Fluffles... Thank you Twilight.” He said quietly as he held the old stuffed animal.

I was only three when it happened, but for some reason the memories of my grandmother's passing have stayed with me. We all were visiting her in the care home when it happened. The nurses had told us she wasn't doing well, and when they had her taken to the hospital we all knew it was bad.

“Is... is grandma gonna be alright mom?” Shining had asked as we waited outside the hospital room.

“The doctors are doing the best they can Shiny.” Mom had replied as I sat there, not grasping the situation.

Shining was silent after that, I think that despite only being eleven, he had figured out what was happening. A nurse came through the doors to the waiting area after a short time.

“Twilight Velvet, Nightlight?” The nurse asked as she came up to my parents.

“How is she?” Dad asked.

“It's not good... I won't go into details unless you want me to, but the doctor says that she probably won't make it through the night. I'm sorry.”

“It's alright.” Dad was smiling weakly, but looked pained. “We've kind of known she wasn't long for this world for a few months now. Can we see her?”

“Of course.” The nurse said smiling as she led the way to Grandma's room.

“Velvet? Nightlight?” I could hear Grandma say weakly from the bed.

“We're here Star.” Mom said, holding back tears. “Shining and Twilight are too.”

Grandma sighed. “You shouldn't have brought the kids...”

“No Grandma, I'd rather be here.” Shining said as he trotted up to her bedside.

“Thank you Shining. You remind me so much of your Grandpa... I'll be going to be with him soon...”

“I know.” Shining said, doing his best not to cry.

“Don't cry now, I may be at the end of my road, but that's no reason to be sad.” She said, sitting up to hug him weakly. “Celebrate my life, don't cry over my passing. I've had a good life, remember the good times. That goes for you two as well.” Grandma said to my parents chuckling. “Now, get yourselves home, just coming to see me was enough. Velvet?”

“Yes Starlight?” Mom said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Can you tell your sister... I'm sorry for what I said back then. I've been trying to tell her myself for a few years now, but she wouldn't take my calls. Nightlight, the will is in my desk at the home. Make sure it's followed.” She said as she laid back into the hospital bed.

“Of course Mom.” He said, trotting over and kissing her.

“Now, you best get going.” She said with a chuckle. “I'll be on my own way soon.”

Tears were falling from Shining's eyes as he held the tattered old plush toy that had been given to him when he was only three. Grandma had stitched it together from one of Grandpa’s old coats, and it was one of the few things that we had managed to keep around to remember her by.

“I think I'll leave you two be for now.” I said with a smile as I picked up the olive cloth, shoulder bag, and goggles. Once I stepped out into the hall, the door closed behind me with a soft thud.

“Hey, you still have the goggles!” Rainbow exclaimed as I used the flight goggles to hold my mane back and out of my face. I soon donned the leg wraps, bandana, and shoulder bag.

“Yep, and they saved me some serious pain over the years, but that's a story for another time.” I said as I looked inside my bag, the memory gems and the sword were still inside. I levitated them out as the Princesses walked up, a small contingent of Day and Night Guards in formation behind them.

“Twilight, are those what I think they are?” Celestia asked as I wrapped the gems in a spare piece of the olive cloth.

“Well that depends, did you think they were memory gems?” I asked.

“Well, yes... but...” Celestia took a moment to recover from my answer before sighing. “It has been too long, I'm going to need to get used to having somepony around aside from my sister who knows me well enough to poke fun at me like that.”

“Still got it,” I said drawing a giggle from Pinkie. “In any case, yes, these are memory gems from my time in there, starting about four weeks after I woke up inside the wall.” I levitated the gems over to Celestia, who took them in her magic. “Although, I wouldn't want to just copy all of those, some of the memories are... disturbing to say the least, mostly the early on ones.”

“I will go through them before releasing them then.” Princess Luna said. “But now to face the press...”

“Yes, I hope you don't mind more guards than the press meetings you remember, however, things have been... tense ever since the wall went up.” Celestia said with a sigh. “Some ponies are willing to do terrible things to try to stop technological progress these days, and they may just try to do something.”

“Is it really that bad?” I asked.

“Unfortunately yes. This isn't going to be a question session, just one to say you have returned and that you were in fact inside the wall. The question session can come later; right now I just want to stop the rumor mill from doing its usual thing.”

“Okay... why do I have that feeling that this isn't going to go quite as well as we hope it will...” I say as we approach the door to the main castle entrance.

“That's what I'm here for Twilly.” Shining said as he nodded to the guards on either side of the door.

“Showtime... smile for the cameras.” At Luna’s command, the guards opened the doors and we stepped out. I pulled my tinted flight goggles over my eyes with my magic, preparing for the wave of camera flashes that was no doubt about to occur.

Sure enough the goggles proved their worth as a good thirty cameras flashed at the same time, blinding Shining. I felt a small flare of magic to either side of me as the princesses used magic to prevent themselves from being blinded by the bright light.

“My little ponies, I ask that you refrain from all taking photos at the same time, the flash is rather bright.” Celestia chuckled lightly and looked over at Shining Armor. “As stated, this is not a question period, but a press release.” She cut of one of the reporters who was about to ask a question. “I am overjoyed to announce the return of my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, whom we thought to have perished in the Canterlot incident. She managed to return to us earlier today through an old escape passage from Canterlot Castle. I already have a team dispatched to re-seal the tunnel and ensure none of the airborne toxin escapes through it. We will be holding a question period later on this week when Twilight feels comfortable playing twenty questions with all of you.” Celestia said, causing Luna to chuckle a little. “In addition, I would like to remind you all about the penalties of playing paparazzi on castle grounds; we don't want a repeat of last year.” A few of the pegasus reporters looked rather embarrassed at that warning.

“Princess,” I said, motioning for Celestia to lean closer.

“Yes Twilight?” She asked quietly.

“I'll answer a few questions now.”

“Hmm... in that case I think we'll give them five or six questions if that's alright with you?”

“Okay.”

“Just don't tell them about the changes that have happened to you, that will have to be carefully handled. Tell them that we're still trying to figure it out.” I nodded as Celestia stood back up. “It appears as if there is a change in plans. Twilight will be taking questions today.” She said as she stepped aside and I stepped forward.

Before the press ponies could start yelling their questions out I spoke up. “I'll only be answering a few questions today, and before you start yelling them out, I won't answer blurted out questions. If I decline to answer a question, do not press the matter, or I will leave.” I said loudly enough for everypony to hear.

One reporter's hoof shot up. “Yes?”

“How did you survive this long inside the quarantine zone?

“I've been asked not to discuss that yet because we don't quite understand it either.” I said. “However, as soon as we have all the facts we will be releasing the information.” Four more hooves shot up into the air.

“You with the black hat next.” I said, pointing to a pegasus wearing a black fedora.

“Are there any other survivors trapped within the wall?” He asked.

“While I was in there, I encountered a few safe houses and a few survivors, but the chances are slim that they are still alive. I lost contact with the last group over a year ago. You next, unicorn with the blue camera.”

“Slim Chance, with the Equestrian Inquirer.” he said. “What are the chances of the incident being some form of organized attack?”

“I can't answer that, mainly because I don't know. All I know is that the gas came from a reaction between the crystals in the crystal cavern and chemicals that had seeped through the rock. Next question, you there, beige pegasus brown mane.”

“I'm Featherweight, here for Equestria Daily.” I nodded, motioning for him to go on. “How does it feel to finally be out of there?”

“I... well it's a relief to tell you the truth. I’m never going to forget what lies on the other side of the wall, or what happened that day.” I shuddered at the memory. “I will say this though, if anypony is even thinking of trying to get to the other side of the wall because I managed to survive this long, don't. Nothing is worth going in there, because you will die, if not from the air, from everything else. On my way out, a whole building nearly fell on me. I saw one survivor who had all the safety gear possible die because he tripped and ripped his protective suit. I am happy to be free, but at the same time I'm worried that somepony will get themselves killed trying to retrieve something from Canterlot.” Featherweight nodded as he finished writing things down.

“Last question I think.” Celestia said to me.

“Okay then... you there, grey earth pony, green hat.” I said.

“Do you think this could have been prevented if regulations had been put in place to control the progress of industry?” the reporter asked eagerly.

“I... don't think so.” I said with a frown. “The regulations at the time of the incident were lacking, yes, however the problem wasn’t so much a matter of lack of regulations, but rather a lack of monitoring. After seeing what I have of the industrial sections of Canterlot after the incident, I can tell you that the regulations at the time, had they been enforced and followed, would have been enough to stall the incident, but with the lack of monitoring of the effects on the surrounding environment, it was only a matter of time.”

“So what you’re saying is, despite what you've seen in Canterlot and what you know happened, you don't think that we should stop the progress of industry?”

I don't like where this is going... “Don't pick and choose the bits of what I say that make me seem like I'm careless.” I said. “What I mean is that I think that industrial progress should continue, but more cautiously and in a way that is better monitored than before.”

“How can you think that even after seeing a city killed by industry?” He blurted out. I could see Shining saying something to another one of the guards out of the corner of my eye.

“I can think that because I realize that what happened was an accident.” I said. “Mistakes are made, and unfortunately the mistakes were made by so many ponies that nopony noticed what was happening until it was far too late. All we can do now is learn from our mistakes and-”

“The only answer is to shut down industry!” I could see the guards moving in on the reporter.

“I was not going to say that!” I replied.

“Well if you can't learn, let this be a lesson to the rest of you!” He yelled out as he pressed the shutter button on his camera, the front lens pointed towards me. Shining's shield flashed into existence around the reporter a moment too late as the lens exploded outwards with a loud bang. I felt a searing pain go through my chest as something struck me. “Shining, shield!” I gasped out. After a moment a purple layer formed around my body as the guards threw the guncolt to the ground. I coughed a few times, the metallic taste of my blood filling my mouth. I struggled to stand as both Celestia and Luna's horns lit up, teleporting us back into the castle.

6: Repercussions

Among The Ruins
Chapter 6: Repercussions

By: SteampunkBrony
Edited By: DoomManta

The pain in my chest was officially the second worst pain I had ever felt. I could feel my blood dissolving the bullet and the nanobots healing the wound, but it was still agonizing. I held back from vocalizing my pain as I carefully lay down after the teleport.

“Twily!” Shining rushed to my side as soon as he recovered from the teleportation.

“I'll... be fine... just need... time.” I gasped through the pain. “Keep... shield...”

“You've been shot you need medical attention!”

“Nanobots... heal,” I said. Soon enough, the marble sized hole in my chest was sealed. I glanced around and saw that the princesses were not with us, no doubt working to contain any panic at the press conference. The pain had spread through my chest, it was almost unbearable, but was fading where the bullet had pierced.

“Bucking eco-terrorists... They just won't stop, they are so hell bent on ending industry that they don't care who they hurt to do it...” Shining said, levitating me over onto a nearby couch and laying my on my back.

“Thanks,” I said, starting to breathe easier as my lungs slowly repaired themselves, although the pain had spread past my chest as the nanobots worked. “Send someone to tell... Celestia that I'm fine. We need to show them... that they didn't succeed.”

“That's... actually a good idea. You there, go tell Celestia that Twilight is stable.” Shining called to a bewildered guard. “We need to stop a panic. If anypony asks how, tell them that the bullet missed anything vital.”

“S-sir!” The pegasus guard responded with a sharp salute and darted out the nearest window.

“Good... that'll help stop a panic. I'm guessing that was televised?” I asked, the wave of pain passing through my head, causing me to shudder.

“Yes, unfortunately they picked a perfect time for a political shooting.” Shining said, his voice low. “Are you sure you're alri-”

Suddenly the windows rattled as Luna's voice echoed across the castle grounds. “SILENCE THY SCREAMING AND CEASE THINE INQUIRES, LEST WE HAVE THE LOT OF YOU LOCKED UP UNTIL WE CAN RESOLVE THIS ISSUE!”

“It appears they have things under control.” I said, with a dry chuckle. “Real smooth...”

“It's the press Twily.” Shining said, releasing the shield. The few drops of acid that weren’t held in the wound landed harmlessly on the floor, burning small pits in the stone. “This was pretty par for the course when it comes for press meetings now.”

“You're joking, right?” I deadpanned, receiving a look from Shining that told me he wasn't. “I suppose if you give the crazies enough to work off of, they'll find some excuse to cause a ruckus.” The pain faded as it reached the tips of my hooves, allowing me to relax. That was strange... although I suppose getting shot in the chest is different than glass impaling me.

“Oh you have no idea...” Shining said with a sigh. “At least I was still around to help with that shield or else we would have a lot more of a problem... I was only in town for the swearing in of the new Captain of the Day Guard, a week either way and this would have been very different.”

“Yeah no kidding,” I said, “I think we ought to go find my friends, show them I'm okay.”

As I stood and started to walk down the hall, Shining continued. “At least they weren’t aiming for Celestia or Luna, nopony has tried that yet... Perhaps now they'll take my advice and wear some kind of protective clothing to these meetings. I've been saying for months that they should.”

“It's kind of sad to see it's come to that though...” I said, rounding the corner only to get bowled over by a fast flying Rainbow Dash.

“Ooh... what did I hit?” Dash asked, dazed.

“You know Dash... I'm pretty sure flying is still not allowed in the castle halls for just this reason...” I said, dragging myself to my hooves.

“Twilight! You're okay!” I heard Pinkie call as she ran up, followed by the rest of my friends and my parents.

“Yeah, it takes more than that to kill me now.” I said with a chuckle.

“What? Did you have to face some kind of toxic mutants in the ruins?” Dash asked sarcastically.

“Yes.” I said with a chuckle at their faces. “Those Nanoplauges weren’t all lethal, but I don't think any were beneficial...”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I had just been scavenging a jewelry shop for various nick-knacks when I first heard it, a low, guttural grunt coming from outside the shop. I froze, not sure what to make of the strange sound after so much silence. I wondered if it was another survivor as I moved to the shadows by the front window.

I'll never forget what I saw. The creature looked like it had been a pony once, but it was bloated and disfigured to the point that it was difficult to tell. Its skin looked like shimmering metal as it shambled down the street, and its eyes looked like they were made of pieces of crystal, their many facets reflecting a pale blue glow. Its muzzle held no lips and its teeth resembled some old gryphon animal trap, rough jagged bits of metal jutted from its jaws, separating and closing with each ragged breath.

I gasped when I saw it, and the creature's head whipped around to stare at the front of the shop. Our eyes locked for a moment, a look of bestial bloodlust distorting its previously calm face.

With a roar that sounded more like something from a synthesizer than anything a pony could vocalize, it charged, smashing through the thin glass of the storefront as I rolled away, narrowly avoiding losing a leg to the creature's teeth. I looked around in a panic, searching for something, anything, but found nothing but glass shards.

Gritting my teeth as I levitated the largest of the shards around me, I took a defensive stance, doing my best to calm my frantically beating heart.

In the time it took to arm myself, the creature had wrenched itself free of the wreckage of the display case it landed in, the gemstones within now scattered throughout the shop. I gave a yell as I attacked, the sound surprising me, it had a hint of the same electronic undertones that the creature's roar had contained.

The razor sharp glass shot forward, aimed for the beast's head. With a sound like breaking china, the shards turned into useless specks as they shattered on the thing’s metal hide. All I’d done was anger it more. With another mechanical roar, it rushed me, muzzle low to the ground as it shot across the shop. I jumped away again, but not unscathed this time; a long gash appeared in my foreleg where the creature's teeth grazed it. I rolled to a stop in front of a display case of diamond jewelry. 'Think, Twilight, think... the glass didn't help...'

My eyes caught the glint of the gemstones in the case, an idea flashing through my mind as my magic shattered the glass cover. Thousands of bits worth of hoof-crafted jewelry took flight in a purple cloud as the creature turned to attack again. 'Just like tossing marshmallows for Pinkie... but with the force of a train...' I thought as I ripped the gems from their gold housing.

The beast charged.

My horn flashed and a sound akin to thunder came from the gemstones as they broke the sound barrier.

The gemstones covered the distance faster than the eye could follow, leaving behind glinting trails where they caught the light streaming in from the shattered storefront.

They sounded like soda cans hitting the ground as they met the creature's hide and kept going.

It crumpled as its skull was torn open by the supersonic gems, noxious blue fumes escaping as it crashed to the ground, limp, cold...

...Dead.

I took a few deep breaths and looked at the creature, my hooves shaking as realization set in; I had just killed it. The body twitched a few times before lying still, the metal skin draped over a disfigured skeleton.

I backed into the corner behind me, my eyes still locked on the corpse as the world faded around me.

I fell to the floor, unconscious, as the last of the blue fumes drifted free of the body.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I shuddered at the memory, earning concerned looks from my friends. “Let's just say the end results weren’t pretty and leave it at that.”

“I'll take your word for it, darling, I don't think I want to know,” Rarity said, placing a foreleg around my shoulders.

“How many were there?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hundreds. Groups shared traits, some were smarter, some stronger, but I survived.”

“I... I want to hear more about those things later, in case they ever find a way out...” Shining said nervously.

“Later,” I said with a sigh. “For now, I'd like to get some rest, it's been some time since I could just relax.”

“Well, very well darling,” Rarity said with a comforting smile. “I'll take her to her room, I know where it is.”

“Thank you Rarity, I'll go see to the situation in the courtyard. I assure you that idiot will be dealt with shortly,” Shining said, anger creeping into his voice.

“Good luck BBBFF.” I followed Rarity, soon arriving in the castle's guest wing. I noticed there were more guards than I remembered wandering the halls.

“Here we are darling.” Rarity stepped into one of the larger guest rooms. It was lavishly furnished, and all of the colors matched mine.

“Let me guess, Celestia dedicated this room to my memory?” That seemed like a thing Celestia would do.

“And let me design it,” Rarity said with a smile. “One of my best works, and your colors are a dream to work with dear.”

“It's wonderful Rarity.”

“Now, I'm going to take my leave now, there's a pair of guards outside your door so just ask them if you need any- bah, what am I saying, you already know this.” She said, shaking her head with a smile.

“I'm going to guess that you've been greeting diplomats.”

“Spot on again, Celestia and Luna asked me to assist them after the incident in Canterlot, and had me design the décor for this wing. Between the castle and filling orders from Canterlot survivors, my days have been very busy.”

“That's good to hear, I was a bit worried about your business after the wall went up, your office was in Canterlot after all...”

“So much rare fabric lost, but I've made do,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I'm slowly building back up though, you should see my workshop.”

“Some of those fabrics helped keep me warm over the years, I hope you don't mind that I picked the place clean...” I said sheepishly, “And I’d love to see your workshop tomorrow.”

“It’s fine dear. Have a good rest.”

“Thanks Rarity.” She stepped out and closed the door behind her. I trotted over to the bed and flopped down on it, sighing as I sank into the plush mattress. “Oooohhh... that's nice.” Then I did something I haven’t done for two years, I slept.

I glanced around, realization dawning that I was sleeping. My dreamscape was a room the size of a gymnasium, its walls made of a grid of green lines spaced a foot apart each. Honestly, I expected nightmares. “Well, it's not the most creative dream, but I suppose I'm out of practice...” I thought aloud.

“Welcome, mistress.” A synthetic voice said. I jumped as a glowing green pony materialized in front of me. Its mane was made of half-inch cables that draped down much like Pinkie's hair when she was feeling down. Two solid green eyes focused on me, their sclera as black as the space between the gridlines that defined the room.

“Wh-who are you?” I asked, worried.

“We are designated as Nanoswarm 0745E8VC, codename Proteus. Nanotek Innovations apologizes for any discomfort caused by integration. We've been present in your nervous and circulatory systems since integration, however We were unable to interact with you as originally programmed due to the damage total integration would cause; protocols deemed this as unacceptable. Collateral damage is no longer a concern, and integration was completed.” Its voice sounded like somepony's voice had been run through a synthesizer. It was mechanical and rather monotone.

“Wait... what do you mean?” I asked.

“Biologically, you no longer exist. Recent injuries resulted in catastrophic damage to your heart, lungs, and part of your spine.” It continued speaking as I sat down, shocked at the revelation. “In order to preserve your life We had to exchange your organic matter with synthetic substitutes, and using the knowledge We exchanged with other nanoswarms, We were able to create substitute materials for your tissues.”

“S... so I'm dead?” I asked.

“Biologically, this is correct. In reality however, you are not. You're still alive in terms of consciousness and... our database suggest that 'soul' would be the correct term for the undefined energies that exist around and inside your body.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Do you remember the encounter with the four headed pony and the one made of metal?” It asked.

“Cerberus and Silver? How could I forget?” Those two were half of only four sane and intelligent victims of the nanoswarms that I encountered before I escaped the ruins. Cerberus consisted of a pony with four heads and eight legs. Its coat had consisted of uneven patches of various different fur colors, each patch matching one of its heads, two male and two female. Silver had been a pony made entirely of some form of living metal, that seemed to act like natural tissues but clearly were not. The two disappeared after a large explosion in the industrial district a week after our first meeting.

“Affirmative, Designation Cerberus' nanoswarm gave us data about the strange energies it had encountered and preserved with its hosts, all four were unicorns and all were able to use magic after they were unified. Designation Silver's nanoswarm told us of how those same energies dissolved after it exchanged its host’s tissues; additionally, this coincided with a loss of magic in the host. The knowledge gained allowed us to replace your tissues, yet keep your body's natural magical abilities.”

“Well... at least that remains the same...” I thought.

“We also redid your tear ducts and saliva glands to only create saline and saliva, based on an apparent personal preference,” It said.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling.

“We are also required to inform you that we are a self-aware, sentient artificial intelligence. During the process of replacing your natural tissues with synthetic ones, it was necessary to copy your brain’s entire database. We now have enough data to begin processing emotions. They are rather confusing to experience.”

“Wait, you were not originally created with sentience and emotions?”

“Affirmative. At the time of our creation, there was insufficient data on emotional processing and creative thought to create sentience or emotions. In any case We require rest ourselves due to the amount of energy used to replace your body. We will be able to communicate more tomorrow.”

“Alright then...” I muttered as the room, and Proteus, faded away.

I awoke slowly, enjoying the warmth of the bed beneath me and the foreign feeling of being well rested. My dreams had been pleasant, consisting of my friends and family enjoying time in Canterlot before the industrial progress scarred the city. Rolling out of bed, I walked over to the window, taking in a remarkable view of the sunset. A thin layer of cirrus clouds hung in the sky allowing the sun to paint a rainbow of colors rising from the horizon as it slowly set. A deep orange prevailed along the treetops, fading through to blue and eventually the deep purple of twilight.

I stood there for a while, thinking about what Proteus had told me. The information was startling, but I was alive and well, sort of. I felt a pang of sadness from the loss of my old body, but I had accepted the fact that I was no longer strictly a pony the first time I saw acid tears falling from my eyes.

I turned away from the window and trotted over to a large mirror set in the wall of the room. I didn't feel any different than before I had been shot, but I did notice a few subtle changes. My coat had a brighter shine to it, and felt softer than it had before.

“Good evening mistress.” A small image of Proteus face appeared in the upper right corner of my vision. Its voice sounded strange, as if it weren’t coming from any source. It sounded as if I was standing in the center of an array of speakers, and the sound was coming from all directions at once. “Please inform us if the heads-up display is undesirable in any way, and We will alter it to your liking.”

“It's fine, thank you.” I said with a smile.

“That is good. From what We can see, We have calculated a high probability of inquires about your fur, mane, and tail. We are able to see what you do unless you disable that.”

“Ah, well yes, I was wondering.” I replied, holding up a foreleg to examine the fur.

“We can hear your thoughts, although we have set up a filter so only ones you direct at us will be received, we calculated a high chance of perceived psychosis otherwise.”

“Good...” I thought with a smile. “Although, you have to admit, after going through what I have, a little psychosis wouldn't be all that surprising.”

“To answer most of your previous questions, We had to replace your fur with a polymer substitute, as hairs would have rapidly fallen out after the alterations. It should look and feel almost the same, however We would advise avoiding open flames. While your body is impervious to temperatures under 3700 Kelvin, the resulting smell has been reported as unpleasant, and you will have to re-grow all of your coat and mane, leaving your outer skin exposed for a few hours. Your skin is silver underneath your coat now, and as a cosmetic measure We ensured that all visible skin was properly colored.” As it spoke an image of myself made completely of a silver metal appeared in my vision.

“That’s going to take some getting used to.” I used my magic to part the fur on my foreleg, and sure enough there was a layer of silver beneath my coat. “How long will it take for any injuries to heal?”

“Lacerations are easily repaired and will take a few minutes to restore. A broken bone would take a few hours, as the alloy that your skeleton is made of is much harder to repair.” Proteus replied, an image of the metal and its molecular structure displaying briefly.

“Good to know.” I thought as there was a knock at my door.

“We well leave you to go about your day now. Proteus said, severing the connection.

“Miss Sparkle, are you awake?” one of the guards asked.

“Yes, what is it?” I replied, trotting over and opening the door.

“Princess Luna has requested that you meet her in the parliament room, it seems not everypony believes that you survived Canterlot, and the rest find it hard to believe you're still with us after getting shot in the chest with an enchanted bullet.”

“Lead the way then.” I said, the guard nodding and motioning for me to follow as he headed off down the hall. “How did things end up with the shooting?” I asked.

“Lord Armor has things well under control, and the culprit has been apprehended. On that note, he requested to speak with you,” the guard said with a sigh, “Whether or not you accept is up to you. Lord Armor thinks it would be a good idea if you're up to it, he is also wondering if you'd be willing to do another press conference tomorrow to show that you are indeed still with us.”

“I can agree to both, although if that bastard thinks I'm going to be civil with him he has another thing coming.” I said, causing the guard to chuckle.

“I'll ask that you try not to make his injuries any worse, he's already bedridden from injuries received during apprehension. I saw them wheeling him off...” The guard let the sentence drop, shuddering.

“Well I doubt he'll be getting sympathy from anypony after what he did,” I said as the doors to Parliament came into view.

“I've heard he’s on half-doses of painkillers, in any case, I will take my leave now, and I will inform Lord Armor of your decision.”

“Thank you, and have a good evening.” I smiled before stepping up to the door, one of the guards opening it and stepping in ahead of me. Showtime...

“Announcing the arrival of Miss Twilight Sparkle.” The guard called out, the argument that had been in progress falling silent as I entered.

“Good evening Twilight.” Luna said with a smile at the dumbstruck looks on some of the representative's faces. “How are you feeling?”

“Well rested,” I said smiling as well. I was struggling to hold back from laughing at the representative from Manehattan, an obese unicorn who was doing a rather impressive goldfish imitation.

“That's good to hear. Now on to business, the representatives have a few questions for you, if you don't mind answering them.”

“I don't mind at all, so long as they are okay with some of them going unanswered. There are some things that happened that I really don't want to repeat.” I replied, causing a murmur to go through the room. “In my defense, I doubt any of you would want to repeat things like that. I'm sure you have all seen reports of what happened, but I'm willing to bet that you didn't actually see the effects everything had on the city.”

“Would you care to give an example Miss Sparkle?” The representative from Stalliongrad asked. “I don't see any reason why you wouldn't want to tell us of anything that happened.”

“Have you ever watched a pony die? Ever watched one writhe in pain and cough up blood as acid eats them away from the inside out? Some of them even begged me to end their lives, more even did so themselves with whatever they could find. Have you witnessed something like that? I have. I’ve seen hundreds suffer tortuous and slow deaths, and that was tame compared to some of the things I’ve seen,” I was looking directly at the stallion who had spoken. A good number of representatives looked disgusted by my answer, and the ones that didn’t looked nauseous or even ran to nearby garbage cans to relieve themselves of their supper.

“H-how can you talk about that so casually?” one of the latter group asked weakly.

“A pony can get used to anything if they’re around it long enough, and that was my life for two years,” I said with a sigh.

“I motion that questions about the effects of acid and nanoplauges not be discussed further unless necessary,” Luna stated, looking a little green around the gills herself, “All in favor?” Everypony in the room raised a hoof. “Motion passed, carry on. Ms. Camilla Mare, Mayor and representative of Old Ponyville has the floor next.”

Mayor Mare stood next, “First off, welcome back Twilight, it's good to see you again.”

“Thank you Mayor.” I replied with a smile.

“You're welcome. Is what I hear about the acidic nature of your blood true?”

“Yes, it is, however it can be contained in a simple shield or bowl spell, and it is only a danger if I am bleeding.”

“We calculate this question period as a lengthy and uninteresting process... are we correct?” Proteus asked, the image re-appearing, the nanoswarm's voice had sounded slightly curious when it asked me if it was correct.

“You have no idea...” I replied as Luna introduced the next representative.

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay on this one, I've just not been inspired to write, however you can expect the next chapter of vampony in the near future.

~Steampunk

7: Reflection

Among The Ruins
Chapter 7: Reflections

By: SteampunkBrony
Edited By: BrackMadar

The door to the parliament hall thudded shut behind Luna and I as we left the hall, the various representatives having all their questions answered.

“Twilight, I have to ask... after all that how are you not completely insane? Er, no offense I hope...” Luna asked as we trotted through the halls.

“To be honest Luna... I doubt I'm alright... do you mind if we talk in private? I don't think it would be good for the castle staff to talk about what happened in there within earshot.” I asked.

“Of course, I was actually going to invite you to my chambers for tea.” She said with a smile.

“Tea with the princess... geez this sounds like something out of a foal's story...”

“Well, that kind of story wouldn't have someone who is probably suffering from P.T.S.D. as the guest.” Luna replied.

I smiled at that, “Yeah, no kidding.”

Luna relaxed a little as I said that. “Pardon the off color joke, but I wanted to gauge how comfortable you were with the idea that you'll probably need to see a psychiatrist...”

“Luna, I came to terms with that before I even left Canterlot, hell I came to terms with it when I tried to figure out how Pinkie's 'Pinkie Sense' worked. Well, that and the whole Smarty Pants incident kind of clued me in that I may just be a bit insane.”

“I... don't really know how to reply to that without sounding like I learned my manners from Blueblood.” Luna said, looking a little stumped.

I giggled at that. “I'll take that as you agreeing with me.” I looked out one of the many windows and spotted a certain draconequis sneaking up on one of the castle staff who had decided to take a nap in the castle gardens. In his grip were a pair of cymbals and he had a mischievous smirk on his face. “I see Discord is faring well.”

“He has been a boon when it comes to nopony taking naps while on the job that's for sure...” Luna replied giggling as Discord slammed the cymbals together causing the unlucky pegasus to shoot a good twenty feet into the air. I smiled as the two quickly began a game of cat and mouse with the pegasus seemingly out for blood.

“I can see that.” I could see the doors to Luna's tower at the end of the hallway, as well as the eight Night Guard standing on either side of the hall. “How have the Night Guard been? I know Commander Blitz was close with them all...”

“You found him then... His loss was difficult, but they forged on, even dedicated a wing of the Lunar Air Batallion to him, the Sixteenth wing I believe.”

“It's good to know he will be remembered, as will everypony who was trapped in there.” I said as the guards saluted and we passed through the doors. “He was one of the few guards who didn't try to just run.”

“That sounds like him, were you there when he passed on?” There was a teapot and two cups set out already on a small table that was flanked by two large cushions.

“Yes, I was.” I replied, the teapot lifting off its saucer wrapped in a dark blue glow before filling the two cups.

“Would you mind telling me of it?” Luna asked. “I can understand if you don't want to...”

“It's alright, he asked me to pass on his last words anyhow if I survived and made it out...”

I had to stop myself from going into another bout of dry heaves as I trotted down one of the market streets of Canterlot. There were hundreds of ponies lying in the street, having fallen as they ran from the cloud of toxic gas.

“How could this have happened...” I muttered as I saw the scene around me. Ponies were groaning in agony as they writhed in pain from the acidic gas, most of them coughing up blood. I jumped as a grey pegasus thudded to the ground beside me, having rolled off the overhang above me. Turning to see what had fallen, I froze recognizing Shadow Blitz, one of Luna's Guards. “C-comander Blitz!” I quickly rushed to his side.

“L... Luna dammit...” He muttered, wincing in pain. “T... Twilight?”

“Yeah, it's me...”

“It's good to see you, although I wish it was under better circumstances...” He began to cough violently, droplets of blood spraying from his lips. “And here I thought I'd die protecting Luna... oh well, I've had a good run...” I opened my mouth to say something to give him hope but he held up a hoof. “No, I'm finished, so are the rest of us... I'm just glad the Princesses are out of the city.” He said as he pushed himself into a sitting position against the storefront beside us.

“I... yeah.”

“You seem fine though... hey, if you survive this can you give Luna a message for me?” He asked.

“Of course.” I said, sitting beside him.

“Tell her... tell her to take care of Night Strike, my son... he's living in Ponyville with his aunt, but she's old and probably not long for this world, the doctors have given her four years tops and,” He began coughing again, more blood staining his coat, “And after that he'll probably end up in an orphanage. She has offered to take care of him while I was on deployment before, and he's always enjoyed it.”

“I... I can do that.” I said, feeling tears come to my eyes. He was crying too, the drops falling onto his armor.

He pushed his helmet off with a hoof, before leaning back against the wall. “Thank you... It means a lot to me, at least he'll be set to start up his own life when he's old enough... Damn this hurts...”

“I... I know a spell that can help with that, although it will put you in a deep sleep...” I said.

“That... would be great.” He said smiling. “Look, Twilight, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you see what you can do for them?” He said, nodding to the mass of ponies in the street around us. “Anything is better than dying from this gas...”

“I've been doing that since I woke up.” I said, as I prepared the spell for him.

“That's good...” He said. “I guess this is goodbye, for the last time... If you happen to see Night, tell him I love him will ya...”

“I will Shadow...” I said as I cast the spell.

“Thank you.” He said, closing his eyes as sleep overcame him.

Luna was silent, a few silver tears falling to the cushion beneath her. “A true soldier until the end...”

“He was...”

“Thank you, for helping him... I can't thank you enough...” She said. “I'll have to find Night Strike, he'll be around ten now I think... In any case, is there anything you need to get off of your chest about your time trapped?”

“There's a lot, none of it nice.” I said with a sigh, taking a sip of my tea. “A good deal of it will require quite a bit of alcohol before I'll be willing to talk about it. I gave Celestia a set of memory gems, a sort of journal, I left some things out for her sake though.”

“Such as?”

I sighed, “I did what I had to in there to survive, I wasn't the only thing walking the ruins after the wall went up, some ponies who were hit by the nanoswarms mutated, a few were still sentient, the rest were no better than feral beasts that would attack anything that moved... Including me.”

“I take it you did what you had to?” Luna said after a moment.

I nodded, feeling tears well up in my eyes at the memories. “Not only that but... well... some of the ponies who were dying from the gas... they didn't want to die sleeping...”

“Did you...”

“No, I couldn't bring myself to it...” I said. “When I said I couldn't most of them just asked for something sharp... I helped them in that aspect... Some of them didn't wait for me to be out of sight.”

“That... I...” Luna was silent, in shock from what I had told her. The tears were flowing freely now. After a moment she came over and hugged me. “Nopony should have to go through that...”

“I wish I could forget it...” I muttered between sobs.

“I know the feeling,” She said, moving beside me and draping a wing over my back, pulling me close to her side. I laid my head on her foreleg as she spoke. “Back when, well before my banishment, in the days before I became the Nightmare... I was out on a walk and I came across a stallion who was dying from sickness, he asked me for something to help ease his pain but all I had was my blade... He was too weak to do it himself, and he asked me to do it...”

“Did you?”

“I... I did, I didn't know enough healing magic to help him. 'Tia was furious with me that I had taken a life, she didn't understand how it felt to have someone that desperate that they ask for help in ending their life.”

After a few minutes I looked up at her, “Luna, do you remember telling me a few weeks before the wall went up that I wouldn't understand how you felt on the moon?”

“I... yes I do actually. It stung thinking that those were my last words to you...”

“Well, I think I can understand now...” I said. “Aside from a few run ins with others who managed to keep their sanity, I was alone. Before I escaped, it had been over eight months since I had talked to anypony... How did you do it?”

“I... well... do you promise not to tell Celestia any of this?”

“I... I promise.” I was taken off guard by the question.

“While I was up there, The Nightmare, she was the only one I could speak with. She kept me company throughout my banishment, and if it weren’t for her I would have ended my life. I'm not angry at you or any of the elements for destroying her, but sometimes I wish I could still talk with her, insane as she was she kept me company those long years.” Luna said, with a small smile. “It was still lonely though, and I still hated her for getting us trapped on the moon. It's better now that she's gone.”

“For what it's worth, she was a bit of a bitch.” I said with a smile.

Luna snorted, “That's an understatement, I swear all she would go on about is revenge against Celestia and how she was going to bring about eternal night. I was worried her rants would drive me mad!” She smiled as she said this, causing me to giggle. “Still, it was a long time up there... It pains me to admit it but I would do it again instead of having to be trapped in the wall for two years...”

“I can understand, don't worry.” I said, nuzzling her side.

“There are still remnants from our battle, the Ghastly Gorge is one of them, as well as the San Palamino Desert... It wasn't just Celestia and I who fought, we both had armies at that point...”

“I... The history books don't say anything about that... do you want to talk about it?” I said, she nodded before beginning.

“Celestia had the information kept from them to help preserve my image when I returned, and her own. Both sides fought bravely but I had trained my troops in dark magic, and...” she sighed.

“Go on.” I said. “I won't think any differently of you, not after what I've had to do...”

“Times were different back then, I was different.” She looked out the window at the stars hanging in the sky. “I taught my troops everything they could learn before the battle, black magics that have long since been erased from memory. Transformation, demon summoning, necromancy... It was all brought to bear in that battle. Solar troops were turned into dark beasts and set on their comrades... Great beasts of war were summoned from the blood of the fallen... dead soldiers were brought back and forced to fight against the very nation they died protecting. The Solar troops ended up fleeing the battle into the Everfree, some getting cut down as they ran. Celestia... she did what she had to. She called down the power of the sun onto the battlefield. Fire rained from the sky and decimated my army, I fought on, eventually reaching the place where she stood. We fought for hours, spells tearing up the fields where we battled... until she managed to charge up a spell powerful enough to get past my wards. It nearly killed me but I managed to deflect it enough to miss, the scar in the ground from it is now Ghastly Gorge.”

“Wow...” I muttered, having seen the massive gouge in the earth for myself.

“After that I didn't have enough strength left to keep fighting. The rest you know. The battlefield eventually became a desert, the damage wrought upon it by the spells cast preventing the land from healing. The sand covered the craters and mile wide pools of glass. They say time heals all, but all it really does is dull the pain until it can be forgotten about. The badlands are another example of this, it's where we fought Discord, although there the damage was even greater.”

I felt a few tears hit the top of my head and I leaned into her side. “If it helps, I forgive you.”

“I... thank you.” She said quietly, a small sob escaping her lips.

“I'm sure Celestia does too. She told me, a few years after you came back, how much she had missed you.”

“It can't have been easy on her either... It would have been hard to be one of the few immortals left, there used to be more of us but many fell in the battle against Discord, including our parents.”

“I can't say I know how that feels, but I think I will eventually...”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked, looking down at me.

“That bullet... well... it did more damage than I thought. Has Dr. Vow told you about what we found out?”

“He has.”

“Well, it seems that my nanoswarm... the bullet did kill me in a sense.”

“I... don't understand...”

“Before I still was mostly alive, but when I was shot the bullet did too much damage for me to be able to survive it even with the changes. The nanoswarm changed me further in order to keep me alive... in doing so it had to get rid of what was left of me.”

“But you don't look any different...”

“I... well, when it changed me again, it gave itself a way to talk to me. It told me what it did. My heart and spine were too damaged for it to repair so it decided it would be easier to replace my body with... well I think it would probably easier to show you. You remember that memory sharing spell you taught me?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you mind if I use it to show you what it told me?”

“Not at all.” Luna said. I nodded and cast the spell, a thin tendril of purple magic extended from the aura around my horn to hers, transferring a copy of the memories of what Proteus told me. Luna was silent for a few minutes after it was done as she came to terms with the new information.

“This is incredible...” She finally said. “Do you mind if I take a look myself?”

“Go ahead.” I said, standing as she cast an analysis spell.

“Proteus... it wasn't lying... yet you appear to be the same as you were before the changes... I'll admit I'm not sure what to make of this... although it does answer the question of why your tears weren't eating through my furniture.”

“Well, it's not like it really changes anything. I'm still me, just a little less... squishy.”

“I... er... again, I don't really know what to say to that...” Luna said, shaking her head. “But you're right, it doesn't change anything. Do you mind going through a few more tests?”

“That's fine, although I'd rather if my friends not find out any more, they're happy enough knowing I'm back and alive. I'll just tell them we found a way to make it so that my tears no longer have the acid in them.”

“That's probably for the best, for now at least.” Luna said. “Now, let's get off of these unpleasant topics. Celestia asked me to fill you in on what's happened since the wall went up.” The teapot was once again wrapped in a blue aura as it refilled our cups.

“Good idea.” I replied, listening as Luna began her lecture.

8: Revelation

Among the Ruins
Chapter 8: Revelation
By: SteampunkBrony
Edited by: Vibrant Lies, Alcatraz

“Where should I start… Well for the first few weeks after the wall went up there was nothing much to note. Everyone was worried that what happened in Canterlot could happen elsewhere, and despite our as-“ Luna looked past me as she was cut off by the door opening. “Yes Private?” she asked.

“Princess, Miss Sparkle, pardon the interruption but Princess Celestia has asked that you make haste to the communications centre. I don’t know what’s going on but about ten minutes ago they barred everyone but staff from entering and only opened the doors a few moments ago to send myself up to get you,” the guard said, slightly out of breath.

“Thank you Private, you are dismissed. Take the evening off after letting your C.O. know,” Luna said with a nod. “Come now Twilight, ‘Tia would not have called us in if it was not important.” She rose to her hooves and started for the door. I followed suit and soon we were navigating the halls of the castle to the communications centre.

“Luna do you have any idea what’s going on?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t another attack.

“Unfortunately I have about as much of an idea as you do Twilight,” Luna answered as we entered an elevator. “The communications center is one of our defense projects. We started it as a way to intercept communications of other nations who may wish us harm after the incident in Canterlot, but it’s evolved into a method of keeping an eye on Equestria at large, as well as Canterlot. We’ve dropped some sensors into the dome, but they mostly only relay atmospheric data.”

“That’s not a bad idea actually,” I said as the elevator dinged, opening up to a long hallway that had quite a few blast doors along its length.

As we passed through the many sets of blast doors I was trying to figure out exactly why there were so many. “Both Celestia and myself decided to equip most government building with a large emergency shelter. This happens to be the castle’s. Should something arise there are stairs leading down here that can be used to get the public to safety, but they are carefully secured otherwise. There is a whole bunker on the other side of the main room,” Luna said as the guards at the door we were approaching saluted, the doors sliding apart to let us pass.

“Ah there you two are,” Celestia called out, waving us over to a raised dais in the centre of the room. “Tell me what you make of this Twilight, we picked it up from Canterlot about fifteen minutes ago.” She said, nodding to one of the technicians.

There was a fair bit of static and interference but you could make out a bit of what was being said. “… -nyone who can he… this, we are trapped in our bunker at four t-“ There was a loud burst of static before the recording continued. “… -ow on supplies and fuel. -enerators will only last - *bzzzzz* -ew more days. Please, if no- “ more static as I got the sinking feeling that I recognized the voice on the radio. “ -et my filly out of this place.” There was a bit more static, then nothing.

I stood, shocked at what I had heard. The entire room had gone quiet for the playing of the recording, and was apparently waiting for my answer.

“I… I know who that was,” I started, trying to steady my nerves. “Morning Dew, she used to work at one of the chemical plants. I thought she was dead, I ran into her one day while out scavenging and a few other times after that. She has a bunker under where her house used to stand, but the house collapsed. They probably thought they could wait out the acid…” I was visibly trembling now. “I… I have to go back.”

It seemed everyone in the room either gasped or started muttering to each other at that. “Twilight… you don’t have to do that. I’m sure we can assemble a team and-“ Celestia started but I cut her off.

“Princess, with all due respect, you have no idea what you’re getting into here,” I said firmly before taking a deep breath before continuing. “Acidic gas that will make the team go through at least twice the filters they usually would on the breathing gear, pools of the acid that will eat through most hazmat suits, nanoswarms that will find the smallest gap in said suits and enter regardless of if the suit is pressurized or not, and lastly, some of the victims of the nanoplagues were mutated into horrific monsters that put the Everfree beasts to shame.”

Luna was about to cut in when I held up a hoof. “Let me finish,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not fond of the idea of going in alone either. I’d need a small team of some of your best guards and hazmat ponies, as well as a way in and out that isn’t that tunnel. The castle looked as if it was about to crumble, but the archives should be fine. Most of the preservation charms shielded what was being held there. Also, I want Discord on the team.”

“If you don’t mind me butting in,” The aforementioned spirit of chaos said as he materialized, posterior first. “Why?”

“It’s simple,” I said with a smirk. “You are an immortal who can heal basically any injury in an instant and has more tricks up his sleeve than anyone else. We’ll need at least one more member of the team who can fight without having to worry about ripping a hazmat suit.”

“I’d like to test your theory first if you don’t mind…” Discord said with a frown. “Even I don’t know what that acid is, and that’s saying something.”

“Go to Dr. Vow and ask where the samples of my blood that he took are being kept. Tell him that you need to check if it can hurt you, and tell him why. Keep this quiet though.” Discord nodded and disappeared. “Have you picked up anything else?”

“The message does repeat, but with the same errors. We think it’s on repeat with a slightly corrupt recording.” One of the techs said. “We’ve been trying to get into contact with them since we picked this up.”

“Try responding on the same frequency, I don’t remember them having a long range receiver and they are underground, so make it loud. If you’ve only been trying with normal signal levels, you may be too quiet,” I replied, and the techs got to work immediately.

“Normally I’d say that was against protocol, but I’ll let it slide this time,” Celestia said with a smile. “I’ll see what I can do about getting a team together. Meanwhile, you really should see your parents. They no doubt miss you.”

“I will,” I said with a nod, before getting the attention of one of the ponies at the broadcast station. “If you do get her on the radio, tell her that I’ll be bringing help, and be sure to find out how much longer they can last, we need to know that.”

“Yes Ma’am.” the tech replied and got back to transmitting.

“Now, Princesses, let’s go gather up a team,” I stated, my tone of voice indicating that ‘No’ wasn’t an answer I’d accept.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

An hour later I was standing in the courtyard, watching the various ponies who volunteered for the job of rescuing Morning Dew and Sunny. The Hazmat team that had helped me clean up were there, as well as around twenty guards. As I surveyed them, I spotted my parents making their way across the grass to me.

”My data on facial expressions indicates that your mother is displeased…” Proteus’ voice stated in my mind. ”Should we be worried?”

”No, mom’s probably just here to try to talk me out of going back into Canterlot. The key word being try… Dad long ago gave up on trying to stop me from doing crazy things.” I thought back at him.

“Hi mom, hi dad,” I said, mentally preparing myself for the incoming guilt trip.

“Twilight you are not going back in there.” My mother stated angrily.

“Mom, I have to. Two friends of mine are trapped in Canterlot,” I replied, noticing my Dad’s expression change from one of worry to one of acceptance. At least he gets it…

“That doesn’t mean you have to go!” My mom nearly yelled. “Twilight think about this, you just got out of that Tartarus pit and now you want to go back? What if you don’t get back out this time? The Princesses are getting a team together to go in, why not let them handle it?”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead with a hoof. “Mom, I apologize for how blunt my next few sentences are going to be, but I’ve had a stressful day. First off, Celestia and Luna aren’t assembling a team, I am. Secondly, I’m the only one who knows a safe route to where Morning Dew and her filly, Summer Dew, are. If they go in there without me they will all die.” My father was nodding as I listed my reasons off, while my mother was paling gradually. “Lastly, since it seems to need to be stated again since you glossed over it earlier: They. Are. My. Friends. You should know as well as anypony who has been close to me for as long as you have that I will do anything to help my friends.”

“But what if you get hurt, or worse, killed?” My mother was almost panicking now.

“I won’t. I will tell you about it later, but think about it mom,” I said, my tone of voice softening. “I was shot this morning; in the heart may I add. If that didn’t kill me then there isn’t much that will.” I indicated the spot where the bullet hit with my hoof. “There’s still a lot I haven’t told you, but it will have to wait until I get back. And I am coming back with as many of the team and my friends as possible.”

“I can’t help but notice you didn’t say everyone else would be back as well…” My father said, concern creeping into his voice.

“Dad…” I sighed, “Look there’s a reason I asked Shining to stay back. I’ve explained the risks to them, and those who are here are the ones who decided that the risk was worth it,” I said thinking back to my little chat with the guard and Hazmat teams.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

There was a low din of conversation in the throne room as I walked up the dais, a few hundred ponies from the guard and local hazmat detachments had gathered and were waiting for me to start with my announcement. As I reached the top step, the chatter stopped and there was an expectant silence permeating the room.

“Alright listen up.” I started, looking over the assembled ponies. “Half an hour ago, we picked up a transmission from inside the wall.” The murmuring started back up, but died back down as I continued. “There are two ponies trapped in a bunker near the Flim Flam Industries chemical plant, and they are running low on supplies, and time. I’m going to be leading a team of volunteers into Canterlot to rescue them.”

I let the chatter that ensued die down once more before continuing. “I’m not going to sugar coat this, aside from myself and Discord, this is probably going to be a suicide mission. There is no guarantee that anyone who enters the quarantine zone will return. It will take half a day to reach the bunker, and may take longer to get out. The environment inside the wall is lethal to anyone not prepared, or in my case resistant to it, and there are more hazards in there than I can list in the time we have.” I looked around again, seeing a few ponies slipping out the doors. “Now I won’t blame any of you for not volunteering, nor will I try to convince you to tag along. I will be leading this expedition, as I mentioned, and we will have Discord with us to assist. I am worried that even he won’t be able to help very much in there. Anyone who wishes to join us, meet us in the courtyard in half an hour. Dismissed.” I turned and started walking away from the dais, as half of me was hoping to get some help while the other half was hoping no one would volunteer.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-
“Well, I won’t stop you. Probably couldn’t by now anyhow…” Dad said with a sigh, shaking his head. “Just, be careful. There may still be something in there that could… hurt you,” he said, clearly avoiding the word ‘Kill’.

”According to my database, there are not any environmental hazards that can cause you harm. Non-environmental hazards such as other nanoswarm victims would require more data to give an accurate estimate.”

“I would tell them that, but saying the robotic voice in my head told me so is not something that would go over well with my parents.” I replied.

“I do suppose that after what you’ve been through that may not be a good thing to tell others…

“Young lady, I will not-“ I raised a hoof, cutting my mother off.

“Mom, I get it.” I said gently. “You just found out I’m still alive and now I’m going back to the place that nearly killed me. I understand why you’re worried and I understand why you don’t want me to go back. I’d rather not go back either to be honest.”

“Then why in Celestia’s name would you?”

“Honey… she explained this to us.” My Dad cut in.

“It’s because no one out here knows the dangers of Canterlot as well as I do. No one else can do this,” I said, hoping that my mother would accept the facts.

“That’s too bad.” My mother sighed, her horn lighting up. “Because you are not going back in there.”

My dad took a step forward, about to say something until I looked at him and shook my head. “Mom, don’t do anything you’ll regret. I can tell you right now that your stun spell won’t affect me, and even if it could do you really think I can’t cast a shield at a moment’s notice? Shining may cast stronger shield spells than me, but I cast them much faster.” I said, looking my mother dead in the eye, “That, at least, hasn't changed.”

My mother held my gaze for a minute longer before the glow around her horn flickered out, as she turned her gaze to the ground. “What should I do then?” She asked quietly, her voice trembling.

I stepped over to her and embraced her. “Trust me,” I said, “Trust that I know what I’m doing, and trust that I am stronger than I was before. I won’t say everything will go smoothly, because it won’t. I won’t lie and say that everyone is going to come out of there unscathed. I won’t even hide the fact that Discord and I may be the only ones coming back.” I let go and took a step back, lifting my mother’s chin with a hoof so she was looking at me again. “But I will swear upon the Sisters that I will come back. Not because I don’t think there’s anything in there that can kill me, but because everything that has tried so far has failed, and I spent two full years in that Tartarus pit and seen the best and worst of it. Now that I know I can get out, I will. Even if it seems impossible, I will.” I hugged my mom once more, and this time she returned it.

“That’s my girl.” I heard my dad mutter, and a glance his way showed me he was smiling.

After a moment we broke apart again. “I can’t say I like it…” My mother started, her voice no longer trembling, “but… like you said, you’re the only one who can lead them.” She then smiled, chuckling to herself. “Besides, someone has to keep them in line without Shiny around.” She nodded to the rest of the assembled team.

“I’ll do my best,” I said. Noticing that a lot of the guards were chatting among themselves while the hazmat ponies were waiting patiently for orders I decided to start on that task. “Quit your yammering and listen up, because if you don’t you may not make it back!” I yelled at them, marching towards the group. “You thirty are the only ones who stuck around. Congratulations, you win an all expenses paid trip to the single deadliest area on the planet, and I will personally vouch for the size of your metaphorical balls.” A few snickers went through the group at that. “However, I would rather you return alive to speak for yourself as I would rather not have to do so at your funeral. There are a few rules that you’ll have to follow while in there. If you don’t, you will die. Not get hurt, but die.” I paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing.

“Rule number one: No one is to wander off. You wander off, you’re dead. Yeah you’re going to be carrying more filters and be wearing some of the best hazmat gear out there, but if you get lost you will not find your way back. There aren’t many street signs left, and don’t count on landmarks still being there either. I watched the city fall apart, I know what’s changed. Rule Two: If it glows, don’t touch it. Same goes for liquids. That acid won’t eat through your suit if it’s airborne, but concentrated… well you would do about as well just wearing your fur. Those of you on the hazmat team can attest to this if you saw the holes in the floor of the carriage I was flown here in. Lastly: You do what I tell you to, and use some damn common sense. If it looks like it’s going to kill you if you touch it, don’t touch it. If you see something moving, tell me. If your suit rips, start praying that there are no nanoswarms around and speak up, we’re bringing patch kits for just that reason. If you notice something that you think looks off, speak up, and if I tell you to do something you do it without asking why. I probably won’t have the time to tell you why. Any questions?”

There was a pause, before one of the Hazmat team spoke up. “Yeah, just one, why is he here?” She asked, pointing at Discord.

“Oh that’s easy.” I said, locking eyes with the mare and smiling, “He’s there to help in case any of the victims of the nanoswarms decide you lot look tasty. Trust me, you don’t want to be fighting them. I’ve only lived this long because I heal quickly. The acid doesn’t hurt him, and he can heal wounds faster than I can. Any more questions?” No one spoke up so I continued. “Good, you’re dismissed, head down to the armory to suit up and grab your supplies. Double check everything, because if you are missing anything, you’re probably not going to make it.”

Author's Note

Well, here it is, the next chapter. As for my not doing much writing and silence on this site, take a look in my blog for some answers, and pm me any other questions.

Special thanks to Vibrant Lies and Alcatraz who let me know of the errors I made while writing this.

In case you're wondering what I mean by that, I am going to be tossing a preview version of the chapters of this story in my blog (AKA, the rough draft of the chapters) and anyone who wants to read these a little early may do so, all I ask is that you let me know of any spelling or grammar errors that you come across. Those who do will get a mention in the 'edited by' section of the chapter they helped out on. I'll be testing out this 'group editing' thing out for the next few chapters to see how well it works, and the more folks that help out, the better.

Until next time,

~Steampunk

10: Ruin

Author's Note

Hello again folks. It seems occasionally I can keep my promises to be creative. :derpytongue2: (walks around the neighborhood help with that.)

Either way, here's chapter 10. It hasn't been edited, and should anyone of you fine folks feel up to the task, PM me with a list of corrections, and you'll receive credit at the start of the chapter for your assistance. Take a look at the last chapter for an example of this.

Special thanks to all of you who PM'd me a list of corrections for chapter 9, they will be implemented shortly. If your name isn't in the header of chapter 9 and you did send me corrections, that simply means I haven't gotten to your message yet.

Until next time folks!

10: Ruin

Among the Ruins
Chapter 10: Ruin
By: SteampunkBrony

It was nearly pitch black inside the airlock, the light streaming through the observation windows being the only source of illumination. Although the runes covering the inside of the chamber glowed softly, this really did little more than light up the runes themselves in a multicoloured array that at least showed us where the walls were.

“You know, if it weren't for the fact that on the other side of this resides the very definition of wasteland, this would make quite the tourist trap... or maybe we should do that anyway...” Discord mused as we waited for the outer doors to close.

“Unless you have something against tourists, I would advise against that.” I replied, the two massive doors behind us booming as they finished closing.

“My dear Twilight, until you've spent a few millennia stuck as a lawn ornament at a very important castle, you would have no idea the absolute loathing I feel towards those shutterbugs. Them and pigeons...” The hate in his voice was almost palpable.

There was a buzz from some concealed communication gems. “Alright everyone, we're opening the doors. Best of luck in there and be careful.”

The voice cut out as a siren rang out. The runes that moved the doors that separated us from the miasma flared red, casting the room into harsh focus as a razor thin plane of pale green light knifed through the room. The doors slowly ground their way apart as the sickly green mist started to waft into the airlock, along with an unholy screeching that set my teeth on edge.

“For some reason I doubt that's the doors...” I heard from my left as the assembled team took a wary step back.

”Mistress, from our analysis of that sound there are a large number of hostiles rapidly approaching.” Proteus informed me as sighed.

”At least we won't be surrounded...” I mused, turning towards the team.

“You'd be right. I call them Screechers for what should be obvious reasons. Everyone to the back of the chamber. Discord, would you mind taking care of them? I'll handle keeping them off of us.” I ordered as my horn lit up, a violet barrier flaring to life just behind the doors.

“Finally, a chance to cut loose and not have Sunbut crawling up my ass about it.” Discord's grin as he exited the airlock would have been disturbing, had I not been sure he was on my side.

The screeching cut out as the doors finished opening, the green fog only allowing us to see the outlines of the nearest buildings.

Discord glanced around, “Aww... I think I scared them off.”

I held up a hoof to the team, giving the universal 'wait for it' gesture.

Moments later, the faint sound of galloping hooves could be heard. The rapid staccato reverberating off of the walls as it grew in volume. A wry grin crossed my face as I looked over at the team, their faces a mix of curiosity and fear.

“Welcome to Canterlot ponies, you're about to be introduced to the most basic of hostiles that we are going to find. The Screecher.” Another round of wailing erupted from the buildings as I looked back out through the barrier. “Aggressive, fast, tenacious, and they like to move in packs. Fortunately, easy to kill. Damage the brain and they drop. I see many of you brought firearms, I'd advise against using them unless it's a last resort or we are already have a swarm of these coming after us. They are attracted to loud sounds. Here they come now, save your ammo, you'll need it later.”

I could make out faintly glowing dots in the fog that soon gave way to rotting ponies, their eyes lit up like light bulbs and their necrotic forms leaking a silvery blood as the mass of around twenty screechers rushed at us.

“Discord, if you will.” I called out to the draconequis.

“With pleasure” He called back, snapping his talons.

The fog in the area condensed into spheres around him, each about the size of a hoofball. They remained floating there for a moment before flashing as they were transmutated into foot long metal spikes, about an inch thick each.

“My my, you're all looking rather pale... I think you need a little more iron in your diet.” He cackled as the rods shot forward, each making a small sonic boom as they broke the sound barrier. In an instant the group of screechers were splattered across the walls of the buildings behind them, the spikes continuing on into the stonework, collapsing a few of the structures.

I dropped the barrier, walking out of the airlock and breathing deep. I could hear someone behind me gagging, fighting to not vomit. “I'd keep your lunch down if I was you, that's a good way to drown in those suits. Let's go, that may have attracted more attention than is healthy.”

I stopped walking as we were about to round the corner to the road that would take us out of the ruins of lower Canterlot into the city proper. “Everyone stop a moment.” The team halted as I turned towards them. “This is Hurricane Avenue, as many of you know, a main road. Once we round this corner we're going to be walking through one of the largest kill zones from when this all happened. There's not much left aside from bones, but brace yourselves. Stay alert and focused, and if you see anything move, call out. There are piles of bones and carriages littered along the way and they can hide all sorts of nasty surprises. Keep your voices down, the quieter we are the more we can hear, understood?”

“Yes mam.” Came the subdued reply as we rounded the corner.

“By the gods...” Muttered a pony behind me as the remains came into view. As far as we could see the street was carpeted with acid bleached bones Piles of ghostly white remains rose taller than Celestia in places where ponies had succumbed to the acid, and those behind them had attempted to climb over the fallen only to die themselves. Those behind them made similar attempts, only to meet an identical fate. In places puddles of acid glowed menacingly, an occasional bone falling into the volatile pools only to dissolve in moments. Carriages dotted the street, only a few had collapsed but many were still intact thanks to the spells placed upon them to repel mud and water.

Silently we stepped into the street, the mood tense as the occasional bone snapped underhoof. Each snap was accompanied by startled motions from various members of the group. My gaze swept across the bleached landscape, looking for any signs of enemies lurking among the bones. A beep from Proteus almost caused me to jump.

”We are detecting at least one nanoswarm in the area ahead. Should I highlight it for you?”

”Please do, I'll lead them around it if I can.”

A blue mist flickered into my vision, highlighting the almost invisible silver cloud hanging around a pile of bones not a block ahead of us. I held up my hoof, “Can anyone point out what's wrong with that pile of bones?” I asked as I pointed at the highlighted pile.

After a moment one of the team members gasped, “It's got some kind of shimmer in the air around it.”

“Got it in one. That's what a nanoswarm looks like when it is lying dormant. If you walk into it, it will wake up and try to get through your suit. If you haven't ripped your suit you'll be fine, but even a hole the same width as a pencil will allow the whole swarm into your suit. Once we've passed it I'll wake it up so you lot can see what an active one looks like.” I once again took the lead as we started walking again.

“I was wondering why I was getting a foreboding feeling about that pile...” Discord had floated over to me, “Well spotted.”

“I've had plenty of practice. I may be immune to them now, but I didn't always know that.”

It was only a few hours after Commander Blitz's death that I encountered the second nanoswarm. Unless you've been chased by them before you have no idea how terrifying it is to suddenly realize that yes, the air is shimmering down the block and yes, it is coming towards you.

My reaction was to, as any sane person would do, run like hell.

I took off down the nearby alleys vaulting over quietly sizzling corpses, piles of garbage, and the occasional dumpster in a desperate attempt to get away from the approaching silver cloud. I cursed to myself as I ran, looking for an open door that I could duck into to try and loose the microscopic machines.

Three blocks later, I had a stroke of good luck. Darting through the doorway, I slammed it behind me with my magic and barred through the large storeroom of what looked to be a grocers. Spotting the large door of a walk in freezer, I quickly took shelter inside of it.

Lighting my horn so I could see, I pulled a pressurized can of silicone sealant out of the pair of bloodstained saddlebags I had taken off of a pony who wouldn't be needing them anymore. I applied a generous amount to the crack around the door, hoping the rest of the room was airtight enough to keep the nanoswarm outside the fridge.

Needless to say, I may have vacated my bowels when I saw the swarm sliding in through the broken seal on the door's latch release...

On the plus side, I found out that I was no longer susceptible to the nanoswarms.

I frowned at that particular memory, not one of my proudest moments to say the least. Seeing we were outside of the average range of detection for nanoswarms, I motioned for the group to stop.

“Alright folks, pay close attention, I'm going to wake up that nanoswarm. Pay attention to how it looks because that could mean the difference between life and death if you find yourself with a punctured suit.” I lifted up a nearby femur and lobbed it at the shimmering pile of bones.

The street was silent as a tomb until the bone landed with a loud crack, causing a few others in the pile to cascade off. The team watched anxiously for any change in the pile, but after a few moments nothing had changed. “Well... that's odd... swarms usually respond to...”

I was cut off by the blue highlighting the swarm suddenly turning red, accompanied by Proteus' voice. “Mistress that swarm is far bigger than it should be. Scanning.”

”Understood, keep me posted.” I replied, turning to the group. “I don't like this, we're moving.”

“Maybe it ran out of energy?” One of the hazmat ponies said as we started to walk again, “I think we got lucky.”

”Scan finished... I... would advise running. Every bone in that pile is saturated with nanobots from industrial project 782.” Proteus' voice gave away his feelings about the situation.

“What does that mean?” I asked, looking back at the pile of bones. “I doubt we're that lucky, and some of the nastiest things here take a few moments to-”

I was cut off by a cacophony of clacking behind us. My head whipped around as the bone pile started to re-arrange itself, two legs the size of tree trunks forming. “...Wake up. Everyone follow me!” I yelled bolting for a nearby alleyway, the team reacting a moment or two slower before bolting after me, as a torso started to form, more bones flying into place from the pile. Discord hung back a moment longer, before he too began to rapidly de-ass the area.

“The fuck is that thing?” One of the soldiers asked as we ran onto another road. It led away from Hurricane Avenue at an angle and as we turned down it a low, synthetic roar rattled rattled the remaining windows along the road. I glanced back and my blood ran cold.

There, staring at us over the nearby buildings was the head and shoulders of the massive construct. It must have stood at least four stories tall, it's head a twisted and demonic version of a goats skull. Blue light filled its eye sockets and teeth that would look more at home in the mouth of a large dragon parted as its roar echoed out over the streets once more. “The result of Murphy's law. Discord can you do anything about that thing?” I yelled, facing forward once again as the construct started to give chase, the ground trembling slightly as it started smashing through building to get to us.

“Unfortunately no. As much as I would like to turn it into a macabre vending machine, it has some kind of harmonic magic around it. My magic can't touch it.” The chaos spirit frowned as he zipped up beside me. “Please tell me that's an uncommon thing, otherwise I have a feeling we are in far deeper piles of pigeon leavings than I imagined.”

“First I've seen it.” I called back. ”Proteus, any ideas about that?”

”Scans show the presence of a calcium-magicite compound in the marrow of the bones. Also, according to your memories, there is a subway station ahead that was free of the acid. By my estimates, we'll be safe in there.” A green marker and a minimap appeared in my vision, highlighting the shortest route. Behind the marker that showed the team, a red marker showed the location of the construct.

”That's a better plan than I had.” I looked back as the final building between the construct and us crumbled. “There's a subway station near here, we can hide there. Follow me!” I was almost drowned out by another roar, as the construct picked up speed now that its path was unobstructed.

We had a good lead on it, but it was now starting to catch up. I could hear its footfalls getting louder behind us, the red dot on the map steadily getting closer as we ran.

We tore around the final corner, the station coming into sight as our lead dwindled, the construct was now less than a block behind us. It's roar was deafening, the remaining windows shattering above us as the first of us to the station dove down the stairs. I looked back from where I landed the rest of the team scrambling ahead...

I wish I hadn't.

Time seemed to slow as I watched the massive hand of the construct grab two of the hazmat team and one of the soldiers, their dive for the stairs being milliseconds too late. They screamed as they were brought up to the thing's face, and I could still hear them screaming as it's other hand tore their masks off, the nanoswarm immediately taking effect. Their flesh began to melt as their skeletons were ripped free of everything else, the now crimson bones joining with the rest of the construct.

It tried a few times to reach down the stairway to where we were, but it's hands were too big to fit.

I turned towards the turnstiles, the rest of the team had already collapsed on every surface that wasn't already occupied. I could hear them panting, none of them had realized we were now down three team members.

9: Preparations

Author's Note

Hokay, this has been sitting on the blog page where I admittedly forgot about it. I was just sitting down to do some more writing (Thanks to those who kept pestering me about this, without you this unintended hiatus probably would have continued for quite some time) and realized it never got posted properly. Anyhowitzer I'm going to start writing. If you notice any mistakes, please PM me about them (the comments section usually gets rather hectic) and I will try to remember to update this with the fixes.

And yes, it lives. We get it :derpytongue2:

9: Preparations

Among the Ruins
Chapter 9: Preparations
By: SteampunkBrony

Special thanks to Cursed Quill for help with editing.

Shortly after my little ‘pep talk’ concluded, I had made my way back to the communications center to check if they had any new news. As I stepped through the door, I could see that quite a few of the technicians had congregated around one of the consoles. One of them was carefully making adjustments to the panel of knobs and switches in front of him, while he focused intently on the screen. Celestia was still standing on the dais, watching what was going on.

I walked over to the group, and tapped one of the assembled ponies on the shoulder. "Have they found anything yet?” I asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the technician’s concentration.

“There was no change until we turned up the power going to the transmitters. The original transmission then stopped and he picked up another transmission, but the signal is on a very narrow band, and was quite weak. Yagi was the only one who picked it up. Whoever is running their transmitter probably has the settings wrong, but unless there is too much interference we should have a lock on the frequency soon.” The tech replied, watching the readouts from the instrument panel above the currently sweating Yagi.

There were a few tense moments of silence, as he closed his eyes, listening to the transmission through the headphones that sat over his ears. After a final small adjustment to one of the knobs he smiled and nodded, flicking a switch labeled ‘speakers’, and above us the room’s speakers crackled to life.

“-Ello? Does anyone read me? Over,” came Morning Dew’s voice.

“Can we transmit back?” I asked Yagi, who nodded, and slid a microphone over to me.

“Just hit button, hopefully she remembers to let go of transmit button on her end.” He said in a thick Stalingrad accent.

“This is Ponyville, we read you Morning Dew,” I said into the microphone, “We got your earlier message, over.”

“By Discord’s horns you have no idea how glad I am to hear another voice. I haven’t spoken to anyone aside from my filly since… Wait a minute, Twilight? Is that you?” There was a short pause, before a hasty “Over.” Was added.

“It’s me Morning. I found a way out, and we’re already getting a team together to pull you out of there.” I replied, smiling. “How long can you two hold out? Over.”

“We have another day and a half of fuel for our generator, but I think I can shut down some non-essential things here and buy us another day or two. Once the generator dies, we’ll have about two hours before the oxygen runs out if I did my math right. We’ve got enough rations to last that long, but we’re out of mask filters. I burned through them trying to dig back up through the collapsed house.” There was a pause as Morning sighed, “If anything it’s the lack of filters that’s going to be the worst, once you get here, we probably won’t have enough fuel to shut the hatch again. We still have suits, but you’re going to have to be fast to get to us before we can’t hold our breaths any longer. Over.”

“We’ll keep that in mind. We’re bringing a hazmat team along as well as a good number of the guard and Discord, so we should be able to come up with a solution. In the meantime, save as much power as you can, and only radio us if something comes up. We’ll keep our receivers locked on this frequency, and we’ll be carrying radio gear with us. Help is on the way. Over.”

“You got it Twilight. Morning Dew out.”

“Canterlot out.” I replied, setting down the microphone and turning to Yagi. “What’s your full name?”

“Yagi Antenna Ma’am.” He said, in between sips of water from a glass someone had brought him.

“Great work on zeroing in on that signal. Can I trust you to help get this place focused on picking up anything from inside the wall?”

“With pleasure. We will be listening with sharpest ears for anything from Miss Dew. We will also keep ear out for anything from you and team.” He said, saluting.

“Glad to hear it. We will leave as soon as we can.” I said as I turned and headed for the door.

“Good luck Ma’am.” Yagi called, causing me to pause.

“We’re going to need more than luck.” I said, “In there is a place that makes Tartarus look like a playground. It’s the kind of place even Tirek would avoid for fear of his own death.” I paused, as I turned and looked him in the eye. “But even so I think that we do have more than just luck on our side. After all,” I smiled, “I survived in there for two years, and those who are going in with me know what they are getting into. None of us are willing to let those two die because we sat around doing nothing, and all of us have skillsets that should help more than fortune alone. Besides, we have you and the rest of the team manning the radios, never underestimate the value of passing on intel.” I turned and stepped out the door, as the ponies in the room behind me were still for a moment before Yagi called out.

“You heard девушка (devushka), get to work!” He yelled, and I could hear the grin in his voice as the communications center became a hive of activity.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As I was walking towards the staging area for the rescue, Proteus interrupted my thoughts.

Mistress, from what I can tell from the audio feed I am getting, there is someone approaching quickly from behind you. I am picking up faint echoes of hoof beats.

Thank you for the heads up. I replied, ducking into an alcove that held a suit of armor. Now that I was not lost in thought, I could hear somepony running after me.

Sure enough, moments later I saw them pass by the alcove, a look of determination on their face. “Excuse me,” I paused as his head whirled around, which led to him tumbling ass over teakettle as he tripped, “but why are you following me?” I stepped out from the alcove, a neutral expression on my face.

“Ow… Oh, Miss Sparkle.” He said, perking up as untangled himself from the rug he had gotten wrapped up in, “I was just trying to catch up to you to ask a few questions, if you don’t mind that is.” He said, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry for the scare, but with you leaving again so soon I wanted to at least get a chance to talk to you first.”

“Well, as you seem to know I’m on a bit of a schedule here, so I hope you can walk and talk.” I smiled as I helped him to his hooves. “Besides, I should be the one apologising, but I’ve learned it’s a little better to be safe than sorry.”

“It sounds like there is quite the tale behind that. I’m Clear Horizons, pleased to meet you.” He said, as we started walking.

“Oh you have no idea.” I said, shuddering slightly at the memories of how I learned that lesson.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

”Come on you stupid door, move!” I muttered, throwing my shoulder against the door of one of the guard stations in the shopping district of Canterlot. After a few more tries the door gave way with a loud crunch, the acid and my body checking breaking the wood of the door.

I proceeded into the jewellery shop, looking around for what I came here for. I was trying to find gems large enough that I could enchant them with a recording spell so I could leave behind my story, if I couldn’t find a way out of the wall.

Soon I had found my way into the back of the shop. Sure enough there were a few display cabinets full of large gemstones against the wall, as well as a few on a table, still waiting to be set into amulets or jewellery. “Jackpot,” I whispered, as I started to levitate them into my saddlebags.

As I cleared the shelves, I caught a glint out of the corner of my eye, near the door I had just passed through. I paused what I was doing and stood stock still, looking carefully around that side of the room. I had learned already that it was a good idea to not ignore anything that may have moved.

For a few moments, nothing happened, then I caught another glint under one of the workbenches. There was a puddle of silvery liquid slowly moving along beneath the workbench. It was making a soft hissing noise, as if sand was pouring slowly onto the ground. I stayed frozen in place as the puddle slid out into the middle of the other side of the room, hoping that it was just another nanoswarm as they were easy to fool now.

As it turned out, I was wrong.

Slowly, as if to put on a show, a griffon’s skeleton rose out of the puddle. It was the same silver color as the puddle, and was staring right at me. When the skeleton was fully formed, the rest of the puddle rushed up the frame, filling in the areas between the ‘bones’ as it took a slow step towards me. I took a defensive stance, smashing the display cases with my magic and creating a glittering whirlwind of sharp glass fragments and gems around me.

With an blood chilling screech, the silver griffon launched forward, only to be thrown away by the whirlwind around me. The shards had torn its head to taters from their speed, and many more had embedded themselves in its body. It crashed through a workbench nearby, the hoses of the jeweler’s torch upon the bench getting ripped from their gas tanks by the sheer force of the impact. The shards and gems that had made up my shield flew off, their momentum carrying them away from me as a deadly cloud of shimmering shrapnel.

I stood there panting from the exertion of keeping that many small objects orbiting me at near supersonic velocity. The store was deathly quiet, the only sound being that of my breath as I backed towards the door to the front of the shop. I prayed that I had killed whatever that griffon had become, but the sound of rubble shifting told me that it was still alive.

Thinking fast I drew out a small fire ruby, charged until it was glowing with magic. Activating the spell inside, I launched it into the back of the shop as I dove out the front windows and ran.

Moments later the shop erupted in a four story fireball as the fire ruby detonated in a burst of flame, igniting the gas and turning the inside of the shop into a searing facsimile of the flaming pits of Tartarus.

As I slowed a few blocks away to catch my breath, the griffon’s unearthly screech echoed through the streets as it screamed its anger at loosing me to the sky. It was a sound I grew to dread throughout the remainder of my stay inside the wall, and each encounter with the griffon had led to a fierce and violent fight to survive.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Regardless,” Clear Horizons said, snapping me out of my memories, “It’s one I would like to be privileged to hear one day.”

“I highly doubt you have the stomach for what happened to me in there.” I replied, “Now, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well, first off, I’d like to say it’s good to see you survived that idiot’s attempt on your life.” He said as we rounded a corner into the hall of the elements. “Secondly I’d like to apologize for not turning that degenerate in sooner. I knew he was unstable but I never thought he would go that far. We were friends at one point, but differing viewpoints drove us apart. He thought that we should take a more… active role in changing this country, while myself and most of our movement are simply content with protests and non-violent activism.”

“It’s good to hear that there are others trying to make a change without using violence,” I replied, relaxing slightly. “He requested to see me you know. Once I’m back from this rescue mission I’ll be having a chat with him.”

“Do try to beat some sense into his thick skull, figuratively of course. I can handle doing so literally when that idiot brother of mine gets out of prison for attempted murder. Ever since our sister died in Canterlot… well I’m sure you get the picture.” He frowned, sighing, “What’s done is done though, and it appears I’m almost out of time.” He said as we stepped through the cliffside doors of the castle into the castle’s small aerodrome. It was a flurry of activity as a few military airships were being loaded with various equiptment for our trip into Canterlot, courtesy of the princesses. “I’d like to invite you to one of my movement’s events, as an honored guest. Consider it an apology from me for my brother’s actions, and as a chance to hear our side of the story over dinner. We’re having a small gala in three weeks to raise funds to keep the lights on at our headquarters, and we would be honored to have you join us.” We both stopped at the top of the stairs.

I am not detecting any signs of him lying mistress. Proteus’ voice nearly made me jump, but I managed to keep it under control.

Thank you, but next time please give me some kind of warning before piping up like that. I replied. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer. If you could send a letter addressed to me with the details to the castle, I’m sure it will find its way into my hooves.”

“You can expect it upon your return then. Good luck Miss Sparkle, I hope everything goes well.” He said, nodding to the bustle of activity in the courtyard.

“Thank you, and have yourself a good day.” I said and we parted ways.

I heard a small double beep in my head, ”Well he certainly was interesting… Proteus chuckled as we headed towards the gathered ponies in the courtyard.

"He means well, and seems to not be crazy… Good idea with that sound by the way,” I replied, looking over the supplies gathered.

"Thank you Mistress, and I think it would be worth it to hear what he has to say. After all, you can’t really hear the whole story without knowing both sides.” I paused, thinking on what Proteus had just said.

”That’s… rather philosophical of you Proteus.” I was surprised at the AI’s statement to say the least.

”Well, we do have a lot of time on our hooves to think about things. That is a philosopher’s job after all is it not?”

”I guess it is… huh, never really thought of it that way.” I replied as my brother came up to me.

“It looks like everything for the mission is together Twiley…” Shining trailed off as he looked over the assembled team, “try to bring them home safe will you?”

“Shining…” I wanted to say that I would, but I didn’t want to lie to him, “I’ll be honest, I will do my best, but it’s dangerous in there.”

“I know.” He said, giving me a hug, “All I ask is that you try. I am still a captain after all, and I know better than anyone around here that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” He broke the hug and saluted me. "They are yours to command, LSBFF, may Celestia’s Sun watch over you and Luna’s Moon guide your path.”

I returned the salute, smiling at his use of one of the traditional Royal Guard farewells. “And may Faust help those who stand in our way.” I replied, completing the phrase, much to his surprise.

“Who taught you that?” He asked, a little shocked.

“Luna did, actually. I know most of them.” I smirked at the look of realization on his face.

“Even the Stallion’s farewell?” He quirked an eyebrow.

I simply smiled before replying, “Wherever you may roam may the mares be plenty, and the fields ready to be sown.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his face, now resembling something akin to a beached fish than a pony. Hugging him once more, I turned and walked over to the team, some of whom had obviously heard our conversation.

“Alright, everyone double-check your gear, we leave in five minutes. Dismissed!” I called out, the ponies saluting sharply before rushing off to do one final check.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Two minutes until we reach the LZ.” The captain of the airship called out over the intercom. I was sitting by one of the viewports, gazing out at the wall of the containment zone.

“Hey, Sparks,” Discord said as he floated over to beside me, “Cheer up. I doubt there is anything in there that would give the two of us trouble. After all, the two of us make up quite the dynamic duo. I can see the headlines now.” There was a pop as a newspaper appeared in front of him. “See, right here.”

I took the paper in my magic and read the title out loud. “Lord of Chaos and sidekick Purple Smart save the day… Really, that’s the best you could come up with?” I deadpanned as the other ponies in the room chuckled politely to themselves.

“I’m the Lord of Chaos, not good jokes. That’s Thalia’s job.” He said as the paper disappeared. “Seriously though, lighten up a little. No point worrying while there’s a job to do and all that.”

“I know; I’m just worried about how this will go. I’d rather go in there with just you to help, but magic isn’t as easy to use in there. I can’t teleport, and telekinesis is far more difficult. Even with your help, I’m sure we’ll still need the extra hooves to move the house and keep an eye out for threats. You and I will be the ones handling said threats after all.”

“Hmm… fair point. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wondering about that.” He said, nodding towards the wall, as if there was someone there.

“Uh… there’s no one there Discord.” I said, after glancing over at the empty wall.

“No one but the fourth wall my dear.” He replied cryptically before vanishing.

I stood there for a moment, trying to figure out just what the meaning of that phrase was, before heading for the cargo bay. “It’s like Pinkie… don’t question it…”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The landing was uneventful, and within fifteen minutes we were kitted up and ready to go. The hazmat team had returned my outfit, freshly cleaned, and I had just finished pulling the goggles over my head as the sound of two sky chariots landing came from behind me.

Turning around I saw that Luna and Celestia had arrived, along with four other unicorns whom I did not recognize. “Squad, Attention!” I called out, remembering how Shining had done that every time the Princesses had arrived on the parade square or in a camp he was commanding.

“At ease,” Celestia called out, smiling at the assembled ponies. “It seems you were paying more attention than I thought at all of the military events we went to.” She said, nuzzling me.

"What can I say, Princess? I’ve been to enough of them.”

"That you have, Twilight, that you have.” She smiled once more, then turned to Luna. “Shall we?”

“Let’s,” Luna replied, charging her horn as Celestia did the same. Feeling the immense amount of magic they were building up, I stepped back and let them do what they had to.

Twin beams, one golden and the other silver with a slight blue aura surrounding it, flew towards the wall. Upon impact, lines of pure magic spread across its featureless surface as runes flared to life here and there. Slowly the shape of a massive spell matrix, larger than I had ever seen, took shape upon the wall.

“Luna, you’re forgetting to tie the Uruz and Ehwaz runes to the third lateral again,” Celestia said, her voice as calm as if she were discussing the events during afternoon tea.

“I really do have to stop forgetting that,” Luna muttered, and two of the runes shifted position in the matrix. Soon the outer circle had formed and the spell matrix flared a blinding white. With a deep rumble, as if there was a weak earthquake, the spell’s results took shape.

Inset into the unbroken obsidian wall there was now a massive set of doors. Ringed in silver and gold, they slowly and silently slid open. Upon both of the doors, and a set at the other end of the cavernous tunnel through the wall, numerous runes were etched. I could see many for containment, cleansing, and strengthening, and the roof had water runes at regular intervals. There were large, crystal clear windows along one side, and I could see the four unicorns that had arrived with the Princesses heading for a much smaller set of doors off to one side.

“There, that should do it,” Princess Celestia said, looking over the results of their spell work.

“We have enchanted the doors so both sets will not open at the same time. Those four will handle decontaminating all of you when you come back through, as well as watch over the gates so that nothing unwanted gets in, or out,” Luna said, preempting my question. “We wish thee luck, and hope that you all come back safely.”

“We will do our best.” I replied before turning to the assembled teams. “Alright, let’s move out,” I yelled to them, and with those words we marched into the maw of Tartarus before us.