As the group continued to walk in silence through the dim hallways, with Excalibur in the point position, some of the Equines decided to get a closer look at their rescuers. Rarity found Oberon's choice of silver, pale gold, and red to be "magnificent!", and was musing quietly about fashions she could draw from the Tenno's Warframes.

Fluttershy had hidden herself away, but she snuck an occasional look at Zephyr. His stance and the feeling around him reminded her of a forested glade.

Pinkie was bouncing along and humming a merry tune, much to the mystified amusement of the Tenno, particularly Volt.

Applejack quietly studied Rhino Prime, wondering how such a creature could be so strong and bulky, and yet so swift. The Corinth Prime shotgun at his back did little to dissuade her from peering closer at him.

"Are you impressed with what you see?"

Applejack flinched and looked up to see Rhino peering at her with a tilted head in a gesture of question and curiosity. She cleared her throat, and responded quietly.

"I guess I am." she admitted. "How're you managing to move so fast if you're so...big?"

Rhino gave a small chuckle as he slowed down to walk next to her.

"It's not exactly my own strength and size that gives me power." he replied. "This Warframe, known as Rhino, may be one of the strongest out of all the others, but I still have much to learn about its abilities."

"You mean there's more than one of those fancy things?" Applejack asked.

"There are many more Tenno who use the Rhino Warframe, however..." he continued. "This Prime variant happens to be my favorite."

"How many of these Warframes are there?" Luna asked, coming forward with a raised eyebrow.

"Around 74, I believe, with many more to be discovered." Volt added. "Many Tenno have multiple Warframes to choose from, each with unique abilities, but most prefer one that they use primarily. I chose the Volt Warframe, and as such, I can bend the powers of Electricity to my will."

"What can the other ones control?" Twilight asked eagerly, then Excalibur turned to her and spoke.

"Our powers range from controlling the various elements like ice and flame, to stopping time, altering the powers of gravity, controlling toxins and acid, among many more exotic capabilities." he said. "If you wish to know more, once we escape these catacombs, I will have our companion Cephalon, Ordis, prepare a data packet for you."

"That would be great, thanks!" Twilight said. Realizing she was getting ahead of herself, she coughed and quieted down, along with everyone else.

A little bit later, they reached another dimly-lit atrium, much like the others they had seen. Mason, drawing his Nikana Prime, used Radial Blind to illuminate his blade, providing light to the area.

"So, what now?" Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you brought us all this way just for us to get lost again."

"If that is what you believe we have done..." Excalibur replied, not looking in her direction. "You are mistaken. Persistence will reveal even the most hidden paths to those who are willing to search for them."

"But there's nothing here!" she protested angrily. Excalibur ignored her, and proceeded to the front of the room, as an inactive Orokin console had caught his eye. As he stepped up to the screen and interfaced with it using his Parazon, he watched the data stream to his field of view for a few moments, then, he turned.

"It seems our exit from these catacombs is not far from here." he said to the equines. "We will lead the way."

"And...how do you know that so suddenly?" Luna asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Because I just obtained a map of this facility in its entirety, and our Cephalon has charted a way out for us." Excalibur replied. "Follow us and stay close."

As the Tenno led the equines to a large door, they proceeded to follow the dimly lit hallway it led to, with the Equines right behind them.

====

It didn't take long for the group to reach another underground hangar, and as the sight of the sun peeking over the mountain trees visibly relieved the equines, Excalibur set a beacon for the Railjack to come to their position.

"Well, we made it out." Twilight said proudly. "But we still need a way back to Fort Sparrow Falls. And going back through that labyrinth is out of the question."

"Then we'll take you back to wherever you come from." Volt replied. "We might be a little cramped, but we should all fit inside."

"Fit inside what?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. Excalibur simply motioned to the open hangar doors. As the Railjack then flew into the hangar, and the landing door opened, the equines made haste to get inside. Once the Tenno were at their stations, Excalibur guided the gunship into the air and towards Fort Sparrow Falls.

====

"Huh…" Rainbow Dash murmured as she looked out a small viewport at the ground rushing by in a blur of green and brown. "This thing is fast."

"It's meant to be." Cephalon Cy replied, making the equines jump at the voice that came from seemingly nowhere. As the equines watched Cy's hologram appear from a nearby pedestal, he cleared his throat.

"Hello, my designation is Cy. I am the support Cephalon unit for this Railjack gunship. I believe you have questions?"

"How fast are we going?" Rainbow turned away from the viewport.

"We are currently flying at a much slower transit speed to properly navigate to your destination." Cy replied. "However, this vessel is capable of faster-than-light travel via Void Jumps or the Solar Rails.

"Void Jump?...Solar Rail? What's all that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked. "Those things sound quite like something I would read about in a comic book or a science fiction novel."

Cy seemed flustered for a few moments, as his hologram flickered, but he soon replied.

"You will find that most forms of literature are incapable of fully describing our technology in such a way a being such as you could understand. I mean no offense, but your kind seems to be quite primitive compared to the standards of the Tenno, and the Orokin before them."

Rarity flinched in surprise at the word "primitive", and Rainbow glared at the Cephalon. Twilight was taken aback as well, but she realized that the word "Orokin" had yet to be spoken by or referenced by the Tenno. Twilight looked to Princess Luna, who nodded and spoke up.

"Who or what are the Orokin?" Luna asked. "And what do you mean by that they came before the Tenno?"

Cy's hologram, which until now was a rusty tan, turned a crimson red.

"No. I will only tell you if and only if the Tenno believe that revealing it is necessary." Cy replied in a harsh voice, like a teacher disciplining an unruly, overly curious student. Luna was taken aback by the sudden change in Cy's voice. "Quite simply, you are not ready to have access to that information."

"What do you mean by that!?" Rainbow Dash snarled, stomping over towards the pedestal. "What's out there that we can't handle here? You'd better tell us or…"

Suddenly, two metallic clacks echoed from behind Rainbow. She turned to see Rhino holding his Corinth Prime, pointed directly at Rainbow. The other Equestrians paled, realizing that Rhino was a lot more stealthy than they had believed.

And Rainbow realized that she had, quite frankly, messed up on a grand scale.

"You need to calm down." he said in a sharp tone of warning. "If you want to know about the Orokin, we will. But not here, not now, and not especially if you continue to act like that towards Cy."

"So keep your temper in check and you'll be fine. Understood?"

Rainbow slowly nodded, moved away from Cy's hologram, and sat down. Rhino holstered his Corinth Prime and headed back up the ramp.

"Rainbow…" Twilight asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she replied morosely. Twilight knew this wasn't a good time for discussing what just happened, so she slowly looked away. Then, the Railjack came to a halt and began to descend. As it came to a resting position on the ground, the boarding ramp lowered. As the Equestrians descended and were greeted with great relief by Commander Birdseye and several Guards.

"How long were we gone?" Luna asked.

"A couple of hours, four at the most." Birdseye replied. "Are you all alright?"

"We're fine, thanks to the Tenno." Twilight added as the five warriors descended as well. "It's a long story, Commander, but they saved our lives inside that labyrinth."

"Rest assured I will fill you in shortly." Luna said, noticing Birdseye's wary expression. "For now, Princess Twilight, you and the Elements may return to Ponyville. I will handle things here, for now."

As the Elements were about to depart, heading for the waiting train, Excalibur called out.

"Wait a moment."

The Elements turned to see Excalibur and the other Tenno come forward.

"If you don't mind...we'd like to go with you to this...Ponyville." he said. "There is much both of us have to learn. And I believe that experience is the best teacher."

"Very well." Twilight said. "I suppose you'll follow us in your...Railjack?"

"If that is what you would prefer, then we shall do so." Rhino nodded. "By the way…"

Rhino moved towards Rainbow, who looked up with trepidation.

"Sorry about putting my gun to your head." he said with a sigh, offering a hand. "No hard feelings?"

Rainbow huffed, gave a weak smile, and shook Rhino's hand.

"No hard feelings." she replied. "I guess I was acting like a jerk. So...thanks for saving us."

"And on that note, we should be off." Excalibur said as the Tenno headed back to the Railjack's boarding ramp. "We'll follow you to Ponyville and meet up with you there."

As the Elements waved whilst boarding the train and then took their seats, the Railjack lifted into the air and began to follow at a steady pace towards the north-west.

Author's Note

Well, this was one of the chapters that after opening it, I realized one thing.

I need to edit this pretty badly.

So I did, and now it's ready. Sorry I took so long.

Next time - The Tenno's arrival in Ponyville, followed by the Equestrians learning of the Old War. In teh meantime, the Sentients' leader begins to wake up from his long sleep...