Land of Lightby ISKVChaptersWhite GoldFiery DreamsMechanical MareStar Bright, Too BrightWhite GoldFor the first time in a week, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were seen outside their chambers after catching a bug that has affected a countless number of ponies all over Equestria. Both princesses were barely able to carry out their duties concerning their celestial objects. The Royal Astronomers Guild confirmed that while only a microscopic change in position was calculated, the sun and stars had been noticeably dimmer for the first time in a millennium. Just a few hours ago, Princess Celestia made a public statement that it was no more than an illness that cycled every few centuries or so. Day and Night courts are scheduled to resume tomorrow. The Canterlot Daily Staff wishes to remind their readers that while winter was scheduled to end one week from now, the extra snow heightens the chance of delay. We wish all a happy spring day! And may your hooves stay dry! *** Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up... The pegasi kicked and pushed the clouds, sending them to oblivion with a poof. A cold gust of wind blew across their noses, and a fresh batch of dark precipitation-heavy clouds rolled in. Let's finish our hol-i-day cheer... The ice slowly floated away in neat little squares as the ice skating ponies skillfully slid off of the frozen pond. Migrating birds landed on the chunks of ice, confused at the darkness and the lack of a bright sun warming the land. Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up... The snow had frozen the town shut. Shovels were tossed aside in favor of pickaxes. Only reluctantly did it slide off of the many roofs of Ponyville. Ponies below loaded the hard crystals into carts to be taken away. Cuz tomorrow spring is here... A few young squirrels scrambles out of their hole in a rush to get out and stretch their legs. Their parents slowly followed them while a yellow pegasus sighed at the rigid and inflexible schedule that forced animals to end hibernation while winter still had a firm grip. The younglings were soon chin-deep in the snow. Cuz tomorrow spring is here! Applejack hummed a familiar tune as she pushed her plow along a quiet area of Ponyville. The winter had been extremely cold, enough that it tamed the energetic spirits of the foals who were usually outside the second the first snowflake touched the ground. Blizzards piled layers of snow onto the little town, forcing all of the ponies inside for weeks on end causing countless cases of cabin fever. The apple farmer had enough time to play through an entire game of Monopony with her family. And that was with Granny taking hour long naps between turns. Usually she and her friends would've gone to see the traditional Hearth's Warming Eve plays, but they were canceled all over Equestria. But that was months ago. While the sun was still covered by thick layers of rolling clouds, the birds and the other animals had already begun their transition into spring. This area still had a few weeks worth of snow that had created a solid obstacle few would prevail against. Applejack was one of the few ponies strong enough, but it still tired her like an orchard full of apples still on their trees. Her head quickly rose when a few of her pegasus friends, including a particularly colorful one, called and waved from above a low floating cloud. While their words were lost to the wind, they got their point across and Applejack waved in return. Rainbow Dash jumped from her cloud and flew closer. "Hey Applejack!" the pegasus said as she hovered inches above the snow. "Howdy Dash!" she called. "Snow givin' ya trouble?" Rainbow playfully teased. "Well..." Applejack tapped her chin pretending to think, "If Ah remember correctly... YOU put it here!" "Ooh, something the mighty Applejack can't handle?" she snickered as she crossed her forelegs. "Naw, Ah'm just wonderin' how you got this much snow in yer sleep!" "Hey! I work just as hard as you!" Dash yelled. "Just not as long... Or as regularly." "Aw, Ah'm just playin' ya RD!" the pony laughed. The pegasus joined her and the ring of laughter echoed. "Say, could ya help me with the plow?" The sky blue pony's eyes bugged out, "So there is something the mighty Applejack can't handle." "After tryin' to buck the entire orchard by mahself, Ah learned." They both shared another quiet chuckle at the memory. Rainbow hovered behind the contraption and assisted. The snow proved no match against the two ponies. "...Why is there so much snow anyways?" "Yer the weatherpony! Ah though you knew!" "That's just it! We've tried controlling the weather, but it just kept getting worse! It's like one big Everfree! Didn't help that we all kinda got sick..." Applejack stopped the plow, "So... yer tellin' me that you didn't bring this snow." The pegasus shook her head, "Nope. The blizzard came out of nowhere." "I tell ya Dash-" Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Oh joy, here she goes..." "It just aint natural! We get a record breakin' summer and winter? The princesses-Sick? The sun and stars dimmer? Ah told ya Dash, and Ah'm gonna tell you again, somethin' ain't right..." The pegasus sighed, "Horseapples AJ. You're thinking too hard! Besides, Twilight trusts the princesses, why shouldn't we?" Applejack nodded, "Yer right. Not gonna think bout' it... Not gonna think bout' it..." As the pair resumed their crusade against the snow, the apple farmer resumed her humming and the pegasus joined in. As the Applejack hummed the fastest part of her song, Rainbow's wings quickened to match the tempo. "Woah Dash! Goin' a bit fast don'cha think?" Applejack worryingly said. The snow piled higher and higher in front of the plow, groaning as it reached its limit. "I didn't even eat breakfast yet! Can't wait to go faster?" she yelled impatiently. "And relax. It's not like we're going to-WOAH!" the pegasus yelled in surprise as the plow suddenly crashed to a stop. A shrill squealing could be heard as various metal parts buckled and bent under the force of two mares. Applejack face planted into the snow while Rainbow Dash tumbled hooves over head until she smacked into a tree quite a distance away. The apple farmer spat out a bit of snow while the pegasus rubbed her head from the impact. "Agh..." Rainbow Dash groaned, "What happened?" "Ah think we ran into a rock... Er... Somethin'." Applejack worryingly said as she escaped the contraption. "What'd we hit?" Rainbow Dash brushed away the snow on top of their mysterious object, then groaned in frustration. "Gr... Applejack! Help me move the plow." "Yep." The pair hooked teeth and forelegs on to wherever they could. The fastest flyer and the strongest mare were no match for some snow, and the plow soon reluctantly slid back. It was completely totalled and a few hooflengths shorter than it had originally been. "Oh, Big Macintosh's gonna hav'ta take a few days off fer this one..." The pegasus whistled, impressed with their effort, "You have to admit, that was pretty awesome! If I don't say for myself..." Applejack rolled her eyes, "Very nice RD. Now, let's see what we hit." A few taps told the two that a solid chunk of ice had been sitting in their way. This time, both mares whistled at the sight. "Well Ah'll be." She turned to her friend. "And Ah suppose this is natural too huh?" Rainbow Dash only shook her head. "I've never seen a storm make a chunk of ice this big..." An idea snapped into her head. She rose above the treetops. "Time for my patented Rain-Blow... Away?" The pegasus paused for a moment, then threw out the thought. Sucking in air and holding in a breath, the cyan pegasus violently dived down and pulled up right above the surface of the soft snow. Spiraling around, the small flakes began to rise until a miniature snow tornado formed. All of the snow around the mysterious object blew away in another small snowstorm, and Rainbow Dash hovered down. It was exactly what they thought it was. A solid chunk of ice sitting smack in the middle of nowhere. The pegasus yawned, "Oh look. A block of ice." Applejack sighed. "Ah can see that sugarcube." "Don't you mean ice cube?" This sent Rainbow Dash tumbling through the air in laughter. The apple farmer rolled her eyes yet again, but soon joined the pegasus. What the two mares didn't know, was that the pegasus' mini-tornado had blown a small hole in the perpetual layer of clouds above them. In a million-to-one chance, a ray of light struck the ice chunk, making it glitter bright enough that even Rarity would feel jealous. There was one thing odd about the reflected light though... "Hey Dash." The pegasus turned around. "Yeah Applejack?" "Bring your head here and tilt it to the left will ya?" "Why?" "Just do it!" She did. Immediately, she noticed that among the pure-white sparkles, there was a golden aura glowing around something... inside... Her eyes opened wide. "Is that... gold?" "Looks like it." "BUCK IT! BUCK IT! BUCK IT!" she screamed in excitement. The apple farmer turned and raised her legs. Years of intuition and a good amount of instinct went into her muscles as they got ready to hit once more. A dull thud and a sharp crack echoed through the sleepy town. A cloud of dust and ice shards was thrown into the air as the two covered their eyes. The chunk of ice had completely disintegrated with the largest piece no larger than a grapefruit. Always incapable of waiting, Rainbow Dash rushed to the ex-ice boulder and stuck a hoof in. She pointed to what looked like a golden hoof from a statue. It was dull, but still glowed yellow. "LOOK! APPLEJACK! WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh is this what Daring Do feels like every time she finds some lost artifacts or-" she rambled on and on while examining the found riches. "Listen closely' Dash," The orange mare's face turned serious, "that there's probly' somepony else's. Now if they come lookin' for it-" Rainbow Dash let loose a piercing scream and jumped back in horror. Never in her entire life had Applejack predicted that she would be the one to hear a scream from her. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she raced to the "statue." It wasn't a statue. It was a pure-white pegasus that almost blended in with the snow around her. Her mechanical right foreleg was what Rainbow had found. It resembled the Royal Guard's armor, thick golden plates interrupted by where her natural joints would've been. And visible between the armor plates were gears, hydraulics, and other technology that only Twilight could've understood. Engraved onto them were many variations of the sun, the most curious being a perfect copy of Princess Celestia's cutie mark. But what really made her stand out were her wings. Unfolded, they were twice the size of a regular pegasi's. They were mounted on two brass objects that were elongated and smooth, resembled the underside of a thin boat. On the "boats" were two ovals with grilles cut out off-center. Odd hexagonal markings ran from the tips of her wings to the mysterious objects. There were no straps that held them onto her sides, and our local rainbow-maned pegasus expert concluded that her mechanical wings were connected to her very bones. They turned around and raced back to town screaming the entire way. *** Twilight moaned as she slowly sunk into her comfortably hot bath. Her hooves were freezing and while her coat had somewhat insulated her from the elements, her skin underneath still needed to be warmed up. She held her breath and sunk beneath the thick layer of pink bubbles. "Twilight! Twilight!" Spike yelled. She was deaf to his call. Not exactly knowing why she was needed, he wasted no time and banged the bathtub. A gong that could be heard by her neighbors rang out as a purple unicorn shot up in panic, spraying soapy water everywhere around her bathroom. "Pft-SPIKE!" Twilight sputtered as she tried to clear her mouth of the taste of bubble bath. "Why did you-" "Rainbow Dash and Applejack are downstairs! They said it was an emergency!" The dragon interrupted. Twilight teleported downstairs without a single thought, suds and all. When Twilight's signature purple light flashed, the two panicked mares started speaking over each other. "TWILIGHT! Come see! There's a-" "Twi! Somthin' horrible's happened!" "-but then I poked around and found out that it wasn't a statue-" "-white like the snow! Golden wings!" "GIRLS!" Twilight yelled, sending drops of soapy water flying everywhere. The unicorn sighed, "I'm sorry for yelling, but what's going on?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. They both agreed. "It might be better if you come and see." Twilight nodded, "Show me." Then she noticed the wetness underneath her. "After I dry out of course." *** Dear Princess Celestia, A long pause followed. Spike impatiently tapped his claws onto the clipboard. After she emptied her stomach once more into the half-filled bucket, she lost the will to write her letter as meticulously as she would've normally done. Rainbow Dash and Applejack found a dead mare frozen in the snow. The strange thing about her is that her wings and right foreleg are mechanical. They're nothing like I've ever seen. What I'd give to speak with the pony who made it... I've looked through Ponyville's records, but haven't been able to find anything about her. Can you please have somepony look through the Royal Archives? She is a white pegasus with a golden mane. Her cutie mark is a star inside of a sun. Thank you in advance, -Twilight Sparkle With a burst of a green flame, her letter was sent to her longtime mentor. The unicorn leaned against the back of the seat, still green with nausea as she tried to expel the images from her mind. She had been so sick that she didn't even look at the letter to do a spelling check. Around her, the nurses on duty milled around, calling names from clipboards and passing out lollipops to crying foals. It was barely half an hour after the pair discovered the mare. They were both talking, jumping from one topic to another. Rarity was flipping through a month old magazine that featured the Wonderbolts on their latest tour, even though it had ended a week ago. Pinkie and Fluttershy were sitting back-to-back on the floor. One was silent, trying to comprehend what she had seen while the other was absentmindedly stroking her little rabbit friend for comfort. All of them tried hard to keep their minds off of the pony. For some odd reason, they all stayed and waited in the hospital as if she would eventually come out of unconsciousness. She would tell her story, Pinkie would throw a party, and they would all make a new friend. But they all knew that that was already a false story. There were no doctors, only coroners. The mare's corpse was currently being examined for the cause of death, just in case being frozen wasn't it. *** Hours passed, and it was agreed to stay at the library for an unexpected sleepover. It wasn't like any of them had anything to do. And they all needed the comfort. The clouds still clogged the air above. With the rise of the moon, the skies had grown even darker. The seven friends all cuddled up together in the main room, all sharing a toasty blanket. A faint grumble came from the dragon assistant. Spike got up and groaned as he wondered what he ate. But before he could run to the bathroom, he burped up a scroll followed by flames. "Hey Twilight..." he sleepily said while shaking her shoulder, "You've got mail..." The unicorn lazily the scroll above her head. After a few seconds she sighed. "Not even the Royal Archives have anything on her..." "So all this time and we don't even know who she is?" She shook her head. "Not a clue." Twilight got up and started pacing. "But it's sort of odd. Even far-out town like Appleoosa would send a letter that a foal was born. But how would she get that sort of technology outside of Equestria? AGRH. It doesn't make any sense!" "Somepony sleepin' here." said a quiet, half-asleep voice. "Oh," her voiced dropped to a whisper, "sorry." An image popped back into her mind. Celestia's sun... This mare must've been a Royal Messenger! But that made even less sense. How well somepony's existence was documented directly correlated with how close they were to Canterlot. If the mare had been frozen in solid ice, she must've been there for months! A missing messenger would've been investigated weeks ago! So the unicorn threw that idea out of her mind as well. Still, it was worth writing to the princess about. She got out parchment and a quill. Dear Princess Celestia, I'm sorry for forgetting, but the mare had a sun that looked exactly like your cutie mark engraved onto her mechanical limb. She might be working under you as a messenger. -Twilight Sparkle. "Spike..." she whispered. The dragon was fast asleep, unconsciously hugging Pinkie's curly hair. Twilight rolled her eyes and pulled his tail, sending green flames out of his mouth, and incinerating the letter. It was a trick she had learned when her brother had played a bit rough with him. Spike got his revenge up to and including a singed mane and charred face. Immediately her eyelids began to droop and she let out the longest yawn imaginable. It had been a long and tiring day not helped by the midnight letter. She curled up with her friends and returned to sleep. There were no nightmares that night. *** An alicorn sneaked through a hallway where a security guard stood at his watch with sleepy eyes. Technically if she wanted to, she could waltz right in and nopony would be able to do anything about it. But after the search for the mare's name brought up nothing, and Twilight's letter telling her that her own mark was present on the pony, she alone went out in secret. Indeed, she had a team of pegasi messengers who had her cutie mark engraved somewhere on their armor that delivered top-secret documents to other countries, across the world if need be. Their names were known only to her and technically they didn't exist. Celestia had a bad feeling if one of her messengers had been brought down by unknown means. A few sparkles danced in front of the guard. A very mild sleeping spell caused him to close his eyes and succumb to his dreams. Listening for any other ponies on watch, she hovered to the door. A quick poke unlocked the one thing holding the door closed. The princess shivered as she entered the morgue. She never liked being around the dead, having been present when close friends had passed on. A few rows of metal drawers lined the wall. Some labeled empty, others holding ponies who were not yet at their final resting place. She walked towards the end where "UNKNOWN" was written on a paper card in a holder. She slid the drawer open. The mare lied unmoving on the cold metal. Familiarity. That was the first thought in her mind. Celestia closed her eyes as she remembered her many friends over the centuries. Some came close. One general had a prosthetic leg. Another secretary had gold-colored feathers. But none looked exactly like this mare. The mare's mane was a golden yellow tied into a ponytail with ribbon that matched her folded-up wings. She was lying on her left side so that her mechanical limb was on top. Of course her student would've wanted a talk with whoever built the cybernetics, but even she was impressed. Celestia closely examined her shoulder plate. Suns were engraved in all different styles from simple doodles that could be done by no other than a foal to the most intricate and detailed sun she had ever seen on any kind of art. She swore that she could even make out the corona. In the center was her own cutie mark of a full sun. The princess silently wondered if the mare was one of her hardcore worshipers. She was immortal yes, but a god? Nonetheless, the princess sighed in relief. It wasn't one of her messengers. No secrets had been compromised and her nation was safe. She pushed the drawer back in, but stopped halfway. Since this pony was unidentifiable, standard procedure was to create an "Unknown pony" file, then the body would be sent for cremation. She couldn't stay here forever. Celestia bent down and lightly touched her forehead with her lips, then whispered a few words of comfort both to her and to any family and friends she might have. The drawer closed with a click. The door closed with a squeak. The guard woke with a start. And Celestia disappeared into the night. Fiery DreamsMove it! I have to get to Her! Hey! At least you could- No! ... How is She? Not good. Her body's been under too much stress. That last surge almost blew out our capacitors. You mean the big ones? All of the big ones. Oh Sweet Creator... How much longer til everything goes bust? Not long. Not long?! NOT LONG!? The creator of EVERYTHING is dying and you say NOT. LONG?! Well I'm sorry that I don't have a degree in... whatever you call it. What are you doing here then- I'm here! Good. We need to send a message... ... HURRY UP! NEXT SURGE IS COMIN' IN TWENTY! MY WINGS CAN'T TAKE IT! YES THEY CAN! WE BUILT THEM! CAN YOU FEEL THIS POWER? Don't get used to it! It'll destroy your body if- Hey hey hey get away from that! ... It's over. Whoo... That one set a record. Yeah. Damn! She's too far away. How much longer is it going to take? With luck, she'll be back in three months. Three months. Unless she dies on the way. *** Celestia woke with a start. Her bed was soft and comfortable, the same feathers supporting her as it has been for the last few decades. The moonlight still shone through the cracks between the curtains, and the fireplace flickered with an eternal flame. She stretched and yawned, tired from the abrupt awakening. It was the same dream that had woken her many times in the past. But after a thousand years, the only solution was to simply deal with it. It started like it had always had... She lands in the center of a burning city... "Good morning Your Majesty!" one of her maid said cheerfully while pulling the extravagant curtains that reveal Luna's moon. More servants attended to her hair and coat, wielding brushes that strapped onto their hooves. Already she feels fresher. Around her, ponies run from an unknown threat... She walked out her door, nodding to the guards who respond wordlessly. The breakfast table was stocked with fruits, toast, oatmeal, and various other pastries. Her sister waves and sleepily yawns before lowering the moon and then retreating to her own bed. The air flashes around as a darkly-colored mare is struck down by a ray of intensely concentrated light... The sweet jam fills her taste buds as another sip of milk goes down her throat. It's one of life's small pleasures, but she wonders what she did before it... The mare shrinks as a glowing being walks closer. Whatever it is, it's too bright to clearly see. She screams... Slowly, the source of all life on this planet rose above the horizon. Another day has arrived in the peaceful land of Equestria. Celestia dropped to her knees and panted in exhaustion as a few caretakers help her up. Her sun is bright, but if one looks closely, many spots plague the surface. She begs. For her life and for her filly that stands bravely between them... She sighed as another wave of weakness passes through her body. The rich, uptight ponies of Canterlot continue as if nothing happened, but one of her more observant advisers notices and whispers to her to rest. She refuses, and vows to continue. The rich ponies back up and tax ponies enter. The filly screams as tears run down her eyes. Her mother starts disintegrating into little particles from tail to head. She softly speaks words of wisdom as the last glowing bit floats off and disappears... The castle garden is calm as she slowly trots over the soft grass between two massive trees. A bird flutters above and squirrels chitter around, forever gnawing at tree nuts. A snake coils on a tree branch while a stream trickles crystal-clear water to a small pond. Outside, snow still covers the land like a thick blanket. The being seems amused as the dark purple, almost black filly glares with fire unlike anything ever seen. Grinding her teeth, she stares for another second, then lets out a war cry as she charges... Celestia closed her eyes as the wind blows across her body. It always ended the same with the filly running towards the bright being. The earliest time she could remember having that dream was when she and her sister were sleeping in the same bed during a thunderstorm. Luna had run from her own bed when the first lightning bolt struck. They were both scared, but as the "older sister" she took it upon herself to comfort her sibling. Those were the old days, before Equestria or even Discord. Many small kingdoms dotted the land without a single ruler to guide them. Many times she had visited shamans, "witches," and even the voodoo pony who lives at the end of the street who was coincidentally related to Zecora. All of them said the same thing. It was probably resurfacing dreams from the Chaos War. Of course she insisted that she remembers what happened during the war with Discord, but all they did was change their answer to "Your dreams reflect your inner conflict." It was then she walked out. Another cold gust of wind chills her face. This had been the most interesting year in some time. The heatwaves had rolled in early March and had persisted til late September. During that time she had never felt so... alive! Cheerful and happy, she was full to the brim with energy and the sun reflected that with its bright radiant light. Never had the guards seen the princesses play around in a lake as if they were foals. The entirety of Equestria seemed more alive, ponies seemed to find more and more free time as their work was done in a heartbeat and older ponies somehow found the energy to keep up with their grandchildren. It was nicknamed "The Summer of Life" by many. But as with all good things, it ended much too early. It didn't just end though, it took a big dive down, and Celestia found herself only just able to carry out her duty of raising the sun. Her head felt woozy, her legs felt weak, and she found herself sleeping a straight eighteen hours with the other six spent on paperwork to "take it easy" in bed as her sister had put it. Speaking of her sister, she too had been stricken with the disease but not to the same extent. She could still walk and speak in front of a crowd for short amounts of time. For a few months, the two sister's roles had been switched, and Luna benefited greatly. It gave her a chance to interact with the population and practice modern politics. In all, the years of distrust after Nightmare Moon had finally come to a close. For the most part, the solar princess had recovered, but found her power fluctuating and generally weaker than before. Nonetheless, she resumed carrying out her regular duties and months of paperwork. Her sister wasn't one to slack and continued at the level she was at during the worst months of winter, lightening the load on Celestia even further. But after all that, one thing still stuck in her mind. Fear. Fear that something out there was enough to weaken an alicorn. Had the mysterious disease been stronger, there was no doubt that she would've been crippled, ending life as we know it on the planet. Actually... She didn't even know that it was a disease. As said by Discord, and as much as Celestia didn't want to admit, sometimes a lie really is easier to take. That lie stuck around, and she was tearing herself up because of that one line uttered in front of the reporters. The princess was an immortal being true, but still a pony. She needed to talk to somepony she could trust. Luna already knew so that left... Celestia turned to the ponies flanking her, "Guards! Prepare my chariot. We leave for Ponyville!" "Yes Your Majesty." They bowed and one of them galloped back to inform the servants. She needed a vacation anyways. *** The six ponies and dragon were still asleep in the library. The sunrise had come and gone hours ago, and even the early bird that was Applejack had slept in for one night. Stomach gurgling, Spike slowly got up and peeks at the clock. With only an hour to noon, he sleepily walked towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As the food came together, he stared outside through the window. Pancakes... A grey pegasus stuffs a mailbox full of mail... Eggs... Three fillies talk about their night without their older sisters... Orange juice... Princess Celestia knocking on the door... The last one sends the dragon into a panic. Immediately, he ran to the entrance as fast as his stubby legs can carry him. "P-Princess... Celestia..." he stutters out of nervousness. "Hello Spike. Is Twilight here?" she calmly asks him. The dragon nods, "Yup. Oh! I just made brunch. Want some?" He held out a pan carrying the fresh pancakes. "No thank you Spike, I already ate. I just need to talk to Twilight." Celestia nodded to her guards who take off with her chariot. The dragon sprinted back upstairs to wake the girls who are still snoozing. "Twilight! Twilight!" The mare in question groaned as she turned to face the ceiling, "Spike... What time is it?" "It's almost noon! And princes-" "Ah! Noon? Oh no!" She shot up to look at her schedule. "I was supposed to be at... Applejack's..." The apple farmer is still peacefully sleeping while using Rainbow Dash as a pillow. The events that occurred yesterday crawl back into her mind. Twilight rubbed her head, "Spike, why did you wake me?" "I was trying to tell you that Princess Celestia is here!" The resulting squeal wakes the remaining ponies who shoot up as if their friend is being attacked. Downstairs, the princess rolls her eyes at her student's panic. More than once she had wondered about the unicorn's priorities. That fiasco with the Smarty Pants doll did not help. "Spike," she whispers, "why?" "She said that she wanted to speak to you." "Just me?" The dragon only shrugged, and she walks down with her friends all listening in. "Hello princess!" she loudly said. "Good morning Twilight!" "Are you feeling any better? Or did you come here to find a cure?" "Well, I've been feeling much better-" "Is it about that one test that one time about that one thing? Did the results come back? Did-" "Twilight." Celestia said firmly. The unicorn went silent. After much deliberation, the princess opened her mouth... *** "What." "Ah was right...?" Applejack said breathlessly. Pinkie would've let out the biggest gasp as if one of the biggest mysteries of the world had been solved had not Rarity held her mouth closed. That being said, her own mouth was wide open. "So there was-!" "Sh..." Downstairs, Twilight did her best to contain her emotions. "So the disease...?" Celestia shook her head. "I don't even know that it's a disease. Could it be connected with the events that happened over the summer? Maybe. But for right now, I... felt that it was necessary to tell somepony the truth." The unicorn hugged her mentor's neck. "Well I'll always be here for you Princess." Celestia smiled and closed her eyes. This was probably the first time in a few centuries that she had gotten this close to another that wasn't her sister. "Thank you Twilight." They hugged for a bit longer until they were satisfied. "Well..." the princess started, "I'm on vacation. Why not spend it here with my student?" "Yes!" Twilight yelled, "How long has it been since we last talked?" "Too long my student. Much too long." Her gaze turned towards the stairs as Rarity tried to stay hidden. Keeping secrets was one thing she was never good at. She grinned awkwardly at being discovered, and made herself, and her friends, known of their presence. The smell of brunch wafted into the room and Spike walked in with a few platefuls of food. The six mares all circled around the table. Even Celestia couldn't resist a few bites. *** Nurse Redheart sighed as she closed the file. It was rare that a pony was unidentified. The mysterious mare actually would've been very easy to ID. Prosthetics made anypony noticeable, and a cybernetic limb and a pair of wings were probably the most unique in all of Equestria. She closed the almost empty file cabinet and drained the rest of her coffee. The last thing to do before her shift ended was to write a Cremation Order. Just another sheet of paperwork. It shouldn't take too long. *** His name was Ember. He was a unicorn with a flame as his cutie mark. He was a pyromaniac that shot off fireworks in his spare time and he worked at the hospital. When asked, that's what he told the others. He actually does shoot off fireworks occasionally and work part-time at the hospital. But being the sole operator of a crematory is not something other ponies were comfortable with. Every time a body comes in for cremation, he sighs at his job. It pays well and comes with many benefits, but sometimes he felt like there was something better for him out there... Ember slid the metal rack carrying yet another diseased body. Her wings and leg are a dull bronze, but still give off a shine. His gaze moves from her limbs and lingers on her face. It's cold and unmoving, but she would've actually been quite attractive had she still lived. He shook his head. Being attracted to the dead was not something he wanted to get used to. After a few moments, he slid her in. Starting the fire was the one thing he absolutely hated. A few sparks shoot out from his horn, igniting the hay under the thick logs and branches. After a few minutes, the fire roared into an inferno and the doors closed with a loud *Clang.* Later in his office, Ember loudly snored with his head in his forelegs. His desk was cluttered with paperwork, most of which had been there for years. A few quills and empty inkwells sat on a tower of medical manuals and random books, all out of date by no less than six months. A few yellowed papers fluttered to the ground as he shifted a little to the side. A long mechanical whine that rose in pitch sounded and pierced into his ears. He would've compared it to a jet engine had he heard one, but to the sleepy pony, it was either part of his dream or the emergency generators being tested. The unicorn waved his hoof to shoo off the noise which only grew louder. He growled and reluctantly raised his head, blinking the sleep from his eyes. A deafening bang echoed through the hospital as the heavy blackened door to the crematory flies off and leaves a deep imprint on the opposite wall. The metal halves clatter as they drop to the floor, cracking a few of the tiles that lined the floor. Ember slowly pulls the door open and peeks outside. The steel door is on the other side of the room, twisted and mangled from some unknown force. He silently wonders if her cybernetics reacted to the fire somehow, and if he should've removed them before sliding her in. He throws that last thought out of his head. Taking things off of a dead mare was... well... morally wrong. Especially something that was physically connected to her, however fascinating they might've been. He slowly nudged the door wider. Laying there was the cybernetic mare, sweating from every pore and breathing deeply. Her wings moved up and down with every breath as her lungs took in fresh air. Servos whirred as her mechanical limb finds a grip on the surface of the floor and pushed the mare on all four of her legs. Ember could only stare as she stands for another minute and slowly extends her wings. They opened with a sound similar to a knife being sharpened and as they extended to their maximum wingspan, she rolled her neck resulting in a few cracks. Still a bit woozy, but much better off than before, she trotted out the door, leaving the unicorn to faint in peace. Mechanical Mare- WARNING - Power level critical - 00.01% - WARNING - Reserve power level critical - 00.50% ... ... ... - New energy source detected - Type - Thermal - Strength - Fair - Charging - Estimated time - 00:31:05 ... ... ... - 00:12:51 ... ... ... - 00:00:00 - Minimum power level reached - 01.00% - Attempting reactivation of neurological systems - Neurological system reactivation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting activation of automatic control systems - Automatic control systems activated - Scanning... - Scanning... - Scanning... - Abnormally low pressure in number 8 tube detected - Left wing main servo inoperative - WARNING - Hydraulic failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant - ERA activation failure - Below minimum power levels - WARNING - Wing servo failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant - ERA activation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting reactivation of motor systems - Motor systems reactivated - Attempting reactivation of optical systems - Optical system reactivation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting activation of secondary radar systems - Radar systems activated - Attempting activation of secondary sonar systems - Sonar systems activated - Minimum speed recommended ... ... ... - Escape protocol activated *** It was a quiet spring day in Ponyville. Most of the snow had been cleared away, leaving only traces behind houses. Some clouds still lingered, but there were many holes where the orange sky of the sunset could be seen. The mysterious cyborg was still the main topic of discussion around the town. Some said that it was a sign. Other claimed that she was older than the princesses. Pinkie still said that she was a messenger. Whatever that meant. All in all, Ponyville was back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it can be... Yells and screams sounded from the hospital as doctors and nurses escorted patients from their rooms, and in less than a minute, the entirety of the small country town was in an uproar. Random ponies banged on doors to tell their friends that zombies, robots, or whatnot was running loose. Planks and nails disappeared from the shelves of the hardware store and were rapidly hammered onto windows or other points of entry. The resident mailmare had stockpiled carrot muffins so she and her housemate would survive, Berry Punch turned all of her empty bottles into Mareotovs, and Flim and Flam were back, this time selling colas that gave special abilities. They even had cute little jingles for each of them. Of course the six plus one dragon plus one princess were completely oblivious. Twilight had soundproofed the library after one too many interferences from outside had interrupted many study sessions. Though she was one of the most powerful unicorns and being extremely irritated at the time, perhaps it would've been better if the spell hadn't been too effective. She also tried multiple times to Pinkie-proof it, but that was a laughable goal. It had all started when an intruder was reported in the lower level. Security had been dispatched immediately, only to run back in panic and barricade the doors with whatever was nearby. The remaining medical staff had been ordered to evacuate after the intruder was deemed "Incredibly Dangerous." One door was no trouble to her, and she backed up and rammed the wooden rectangle that separated her from the other side. *** A nurse checked all of the rooms one last time to make sure that all of the patients had been evacuated. Another loud bang echoed as the bookcase placed in front of the door jumped. She quickly pushed it back and held it in place with her shoulder, ensuring that her colleagues would have ample time to escape. Finally, the cybernetic mare ceased the pointless banging. Lifting her mechanical leg, a few quick mental commands caused her hoof to split into two. A burst of sparks shot from the many joints as the halves disassembled into a countless number of parts, then reassembled until her leg resembled the end of a large cylinder with copper tubes and wires coming out of the sides. Charged and humming quietly, she took aim at the blocked door. *** For a few microseconds, Nurse Tenderheart felt like a pegasus. During that time, everything seemed to move as if the entire world was dunked in molasses. She could feel the air rushing through her mane as she counted the tiles that whooshed under her. A splintered section of the door floated past her. Then in another second, her head connected with the floor with a loud crack and she was sent tumbling across the floor. To compare the door to toothpicks was not enough. The entire frame and a good two hoof lengths around were completely blown apart, leaving a hole large enough that a buffalo could comfortably walk through. Debris from the ceiling joined the others on the floor, broken glass from covers and lights caused the floor to glitter like a minefield of diamonds. The lights that didn't break flickered and swung from the ceiling. The hallway was covered in dark spots, and the nurse was reminded of a scary slasher movie that her sister liked to watch. For a good minute, she lied on the ground, covering her bloody head and waiting for the end. The only sound came from the sparks that flew from the ends of broken wires. Tenderheart opened her eyes. The dust made everything blurry, and the only thing she could see were the lights and a silhouette of a pony. Only one of them was moving. *** Finally, somepony had remembered the Princess bucking Celestia was in town. Within a few moments, she and the six had arrived outside the hospital. It was both orderly and chaotic at the same time. Sandbags and barricades were set up, while security kept the curious onlookers away. That didn't stop them though. One of the doctors praised the sun as she touched down, "Oh princess! Thank Celes... goodness that you came! "What's going on?" Behind her, Twilight and her friends also gathered around to hear his story. "Security found an intruder in the lower levels. And..." He looked around. Just a few bushes away, Ember rubbed the bandage around his head. He insisted that he was fine, but Redheart insisted harder. "Actually, it might be better if he starts off. Hey Ember!" he called to him. The unicorn's head shot up. But at the sight of the princess, he quickly lowered it. "Please," she softly said, "tell us what happened." "Well... I got the cyborg mare's body and I slid her in. I must've been sleeping cuz' I don't know how long she'd been in there for. But anyways, I hear this loud BANG and I go and check. Then..." Everypony was leaning towards him, eager to hear the tale. "Hey! Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "Give him space!" The crowd backed up, and Ember gave a nod of thanks towards the pegasus. "Uh... I see the door that flew off and... well... she was still alive." Silence. Even the crickets ceased their chirping. Then the dam broke when Rarity fainted. "WHAT?" "Oh! She was still alive?!" "I told you she was a robot!" "Zombie!" "Hide the foals!" "QUIET!" Twilight yelled as her horn glowed a bright purple. *** - Kinetic charge fired - Cancelling escape protocol - WARNING - Power level critical - 00.20% - Power usage at minimum - All non-essential systems will cease operation - New energy source detected - Type - Visible light - Strength - Weak - Charging - Estimated time - 01:33:52 ... ... ... - New energy source detected - Type - Magic - Strength - Fair - Estimated charging time modified- 00:00:17 - 00:00:11 - 00:00:05 - 00:00:03 - 00:00:02 - 00:00:01 - 00:00:00 - Minimum power level reached - 01.00% ... ... ... - Low power level reached - 05.00% - Motor systems reactivated - Radar systems reactivated - Sonar systems reactivated - Minimum system requirements met - New priority - Reestablish communications with Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift - Moon Base 239 (DECOM) detected - Attempting connection ... ... ... - Error - Minimal signal strength detected - New priority - Move to clear area for laser link *** With her ear on the floor, she could hear the individual heavy hoofsteps of the cyborg slowly advanced towards the nurse like a massive titan. "Hey! Psst!" She turned her head where one of the remaining security guards peeked his head around a corner. He motioned for her to get up and start running. Taking one last look at the cyborg, Tenderheart ran past the last few doors and skidded to a halt next to the unicorn. "You alright? No injuries?" She shook her head and breathlessly replied, "Yes, I-I'm fine." She noticed an open medical security kit lying next to him. It was stuffed with syringes, belts, and blindfolds. But what really got her attention was the few small vials that glittered in the low light. Sedatives. Perfect. "Look, I broke out the emergency sedatives, but you're the one who knows what and how much to use. I'll go up and hold her down, and you pump her full of that stuff. Got it?" Tenderheart nodded. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she prepared the syringe. It was something she did almost every day. It was one of the few basic things in medical school that she excelled at. But never had she thought that she would use her skills in this situation. "NOW!" The two ponies sprinted as fast as they could to the cyborg. He knocked and held her down with little resistance. The nurse stared at the mare's eyes. Or at least, if she would've if they were opened. She immediately felt scared and wondered whether this was her body being taken over by some restless spirit or- "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the security pony screamed as he held down another wave of struggling. Tenderheart realized that a few precious seconds had gone by with her doing nothing. Medical training coming into effect, she took aim with the needle and plunged it into the mare's neck. She quickly pulled out the syringe once it was completely empty. The guard winced as a metal hoof smacked his head but kept holding down the struggling mare until finally, the cyborg laid still. *** - Hostiles detected - Physical escape protocol activated ... ... ... - Physical struggling ineffective - Cancelled - Power level - 12.52% - Charging ERA unit... *** The two ponies sighed and looked at each other. "Nice job" the guard said breathlessly. "You too." Tenderheart agreed. He groaned as he got off of the unconscious mare. He whistled in amazement. "You know, I got a brother that would go hunt dragons for a chance to look at these." He pointed to the mechanical leg and wings. "I'm just glad that it's all over." the nurse muttered. The lights slowly rocked back and forth, still hanging on by a wire. Tenderheart walked over to a nurses station and spat out the syringe into the bin labeled for sharp objects. She returned and sat back down next to the guard. The two sat in awkward silence as they wondered what to do next. "Name's Dark Woods." he said as he held out a hoof. "Tenderheart." she replied, hitting his outstretched hoof with her own. *** There was silence once again as Twilight amplified her voice loud enough that it could've been comparable to the Royal Canterlot Voice. Her friends stood a good distance away, their ears still ringing from the loud voice. "Now," she began, "I don't know what's going on. But please!" she raised her voice, "Don't come to conclusions!" The ponies all began to mutter, still suspicious. "I know that you're all scared, but everything's going to be just fine..." *** - ERA unit charged to 04.00% - Setting - Defense - Distract/Stun/Kill - ERA unit deployed *** Suddenly, a few motors whirred to life as the shoulder plate of the cybernetic leg lifted up, and a small object walked out. It was insectoid, its matte body a long and thin shape. It had six legs, each as thin as an electrical wire that ended with a point. Faint clicks could be heard each time a point came into contact with the mare's cybernetics. A single eye was above a pair of jaws too small to cause any real damage. Although it looked like something that came out of Fluttershy's cabin, it was clearly mechanical like the leg it had come out of. The two stopped walking and slowly turned their heads towards the small drone. "What is that thing?" Tenderheart whispered. "I have no idea..." he replied. The ERA unit scanned the two ponies and came to a conclusion a second later. Running on not even a tenth of its normal charge, it only had enough power for one shot, and the stallion was the bigger threat. Tenderheart's trained eyes immediately noticed something was not right. The small insect-like object seemed to be bending its rear legs. Was it scared? Or did it- It jumped. For something so small, it went surprisingly far and flew with accuracy. It landed squarely on the stallion's face, making him freeze in fear, sweat dripping as he visibly started to quiver. The thin wire-like legs dug into his coat as it slowly made its way down. "Nurse... Nurse... C-Can you get it off me?" he said though clenched teeth. The nurse reached out to swat the insect away, but pulled her hoof back when sparks began to shoot out of its mandibles. Her eyes opened wide as she realized the mission of the robotic insect. It dug its jaws into the guard's neck and let its charge loose. Dark screamed as he fell to the floor. Tenderheart could only watch in horror as the stallion writhed in agony as electricity poured from the ERA unit. In reality it was only a few seconds, but to the two ponies it was eons. The robot fell to the floor, out of power. His body twitched as he lay on his side. Tenderheart could not get herself to move, shocked at the scene. But at the sound of the mare slowly getting up, the nurse slowly backed from the scene. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" she screamed. She didn't answer, her eyes still closed as she slowly walked forwards. Tenderheart backed up even further. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Still no answer, and the nurse realized that it was pointless. Looking around, she searched for an escape route. Behind herself were four doors, one storage cabinet, one bathroom, one leading to the rooms for operations, and one... leading into the attic. Sprinting to the door separating the surgery rooms, she started to push but stopped when she remembered that there were no windows due to "sanitation concerns." Trying to barricading herself would only turn out like earlier, so there was only one answer that would make sense. Tenderheart turned and ran. *** All of the unnecessary civilians were being herded away from the hospital. Royal guards clad in gleaming armor shooed away the ponies who were still trying to take a peek. The pegasus guards patrolled around, keeping the airspace clear of any errant intruders. Due to the unknown nature of the weaponry used by the mare, the captain himself arrived with a full company of armed guards. "Shining!" Twilight happily yelled. It had been too long since the last time she had seen him, and she showed it to all who would see. "Hey Twili!" He gave her one quick hug then his face turned serious. "Twilight, I need you to take your friends away. Let us do our job-" A few yells of objections came from the six. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash raised her voice, "We're not pushovers! We saved the world, oh..." She put her hoof up to her mouth in mock thought, then actually started to think. "How many time did we save the world?" His face just got more serious. "Look, you may have averted an apocalypse or two, but you are still a civilian. If there are any spirits or gods we need exterminating, we'll call you, but now..." He walked up and met her in the eye. "Stand down Rainbow Dash. You are obstructing an operation that is being carried out by the Royal Guards and your slate won't look good if it said that you spent a night in a cell." She froze. Pretty much everypony in their close circle of friends knew her dream to join the Wonderbolts, but if the captain had pulled that card, she realized that he meant business and now wasn't the best time to defy orders. She slowly hovered towards the back while her friends followed. Twilight was scared. She saw a side of her brother that she hadn't seen before. But there was training for a reason. And he was not going to lose. Not after his wedding. "Alright! I want three teams, two unicorns and four earth ponies entering from the front, rear, and side entrances! Scanners! Find out where our mare is. See if you can find where she is, and if possible find out if anypony else is still in. Pegasi, patrol the air, report if you see anything. May Celestia shine her eternal light. Move out!" Eight unicorns moved to the corners of the building and let loose waves of magic that rippled through the air. The scanners set them to bounce off of biological materials like an above ground sonar. Office plants numbered the highest with at least one in every room. A few fishes in a tank located in the children's room lit up a bright magical beacon. But the most interesting was the three ponies in the second floor hallway. "Sir! She's in the west wing, second floor! Two others and- One of them is down!" Shining spoke into his glowing horn, sending his voice into the heads of the guards, "All teams move in, second floor, west wing. Exercise caution, suspect is hostile, I say again, suspect is hostile!" Various yells of acknowledgement returned as smaller waves of magic rippled through the doors to double-check that the other side was clear. Once the unicorns nodded to their partners, the earth ponies bucked the doors open with their rear legs, and the guard teams rushed inside. In less than a minute, the three teams surrounded the doors leading to the west wing, one of them completely blasted off. A unicorn's horn glowed as he thought words to his superior. "We're in the west wing. Negative on the suspect." Shining Armor turned to the pony next to him, "Scanner?" The unicorn was silent for a second as he searched. The target was back in his crosshairs, "They're moving up! Stairwell, fourth door to the left!" The teams moved in, armored hooves crunching the broken glass into a finer dust. Suddenly, a scream sounded from the open door that led upstairs. Fearing the worse, they moved in... *** Tenderheart screamed in panic as she called up her natural earth pony strength and kicked the ancient window frame once more. It shot up a cloud of dust, but like the other times, did not budge. The latch had rusted in, and the years gone by had effectively sealed the wooden frame shut. She banged on the glass, hoping for somepony to notice that she was there. The cyborg's hoofsteps grew closer and closer, and her shadow danced on the underside of the roof. But to her luck, one of the pegasus patrols saw her face lit bright orange by the setting sun. He too, attempted to ram and break the small window, but also failed. Yelling promises of return that went unheard by the nurse, he soared down to the captain. The sound of a hoof muffled by dust reached her ears. Tenderheart sighed as she rested her head on the windowsill, accepting her defeat. She closed her eyes as the sound of metal coming apart and reassembling into a cannon. The mare took aim. And fired. *** "CAPTAIN!" the pegasus yelled. Shining Armor's head shot towards his voice. "What is it?" The guard touched down, slightly out of breath, "There's a mare stuck in the attic! I tried to get her out but the window's stuck!" The captain motioned a team of mixed ponies forward. "Breakers! You heard the-" A massive explosion interrupted the rescue. They could only stare in shock as an entire section of the roof went flying, planks and shingles separating as it soared through the air. It landed upside-down in some unlucky pony's backyard, sending up a cloud of dust that could've been seen from the other end of town. Just another Ponyville day. *** An earth pony silently wished for a pair of goggles that would've blocked the splinters and dust from getting into his eyes. He and his team coughed, trying to expel the small particles. Once they cleared their eyes and lungs, they continued on, having accepted that stealth was irrelevant. The mare was sitting in the middle of the attic, eyes closed with a small cylinder deployed from her cybernetic leg. They decided to wait for reinforcements and further orders. Outside, the same pegasus guard looked up as he noticed a very familiar shape flying above him. Pumping unheard of power into his wings, he rocketed towards the sky and caught the nurse who clung onto him harder than a limpet would grip onto a rock. He landed, another nurse rushed towards her with a first aid kit as he patted Tenderheart's back to comfort the quivering nurse. She sobbed as Redheart wrapped her sister's head in gauze. *** - Power level - 19.04% - Kinetic charge standing by - Kinetic charge fired ... ... ... - Sky detected - Attempting connection via laser link with Moon Base 239 (DECOM) ... ... ... *** Miles above the land, Luna's moon silently floated on the path as it had always done for ages. But deep inside was a totally different story. Ancient technology whirred back to life as a beam of light flashed on and off, too fast for the eye to see. The supercomputer instantly translated the signal as a request for a connection to Moon Base 1, a place not contacted for millennia. A set of motors pushed a large, thick plate through the surface, sending up a plume of moon dust. From the hole came a sphere with a single lens held in place by a glass protector. The ancient computer sent signals to the control systems, making the sphere turn and rise towards an unseen target. Charging a different kind of laser on a much larger scale, it repeated the message from the pony and into the stars. *** ... ... ... - Connection successful - Activating neurological systems with a direct connection to communication systems --- "Redshift? Doc? Helloooo? Anypony read me?" ... ... ... "This is Radiance calling Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift of Moon Base 1..." ... ... ... "I say again, this is Radiance calling Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift of Moon Base 1, does-" "Six. Months. Where the hell did you disappear, for SIX. MONTHS!?" "Hey Red... To answer your question, I don't know. My wings haven't found any energy, and I'm running low as it is." "Radiance, the good news is that you have in fact reached your destination. The bad news is that our computer tells us that your auto-control systems are activated and ERA is missing." "Really? I thought I was still sleeping... Oh, Mornin' Blue, and what was that about ERA?" "Good day to you too. Bah, this causes more problems... First off, can you see if you can take control?" "...Nothing, the computer's running the show." "Well let's hope it hasn't done anything stupid... Doctor Redshift, did you enable the manual override before she left?" "Nope, remember? I didn't have enough time before she was blasted away." "Right... Radiance, you should have control after your system has more than a 30% charge. If I am reading this correctly, it should take no more than another eight hours, maximum. After that, find out how utterly moronic Redshift's control systems acted." "Hey!" "Anyways... There we go. I have disabled your auto-control system. That should keep you from doing anything stupid. When a sufficient charge is detected, your mind will reconnect with your body and you should have full control. Think of it as, 'waking up' from a long nap." "Got it. Now, ERA?" "She's gone." "What do you mean gone?!" "I mean that she is not in her socket. I'll download her last." "...Red, she better not be dead. That thing's been with me ever since Mezzner VIII." "Hey, hey! I built her! She'll be fine." "Here we go." --- - Video file received - Play - Y/N ... ... ... --- "What the hell? When did you put a self-defense mode on ERA? She's a repair drone! Not a sentry!" "Okay, okay, okay. I may have added a few lines of code so her welder turns into a stun gun. Big deal. It worked didn't it?" "You do know that there was a very large chance of ERA simply exploding, correct?" "...You're kiddin'." "No Redshift, I am not "kidding," I am in fact, very serious and angered that you decided to sacrifice Radiance's only repair drone against a target that was more likely to start running at the sight of her getting back up after being pumped full of sedatives." "Doctor. Redshift." "Okay, we'll continue this discussion later. I promise... I have to go, Blueshift, can you watch for me?" "Very well..." "Great. See ya Radiance. "Laters." "As much as I despise that idiot, I must agree, now is not the time for this sort of discussion, so I will also take my leave. And remember, make sure the message gets to Celestia." "Understood." "Good luck." Star Bright, Too BrightPrincess Celestia sighed as she slid another sheet of paperwork into a bin. She had been at this for a few hours but the pile of paperwork looked no smaller. 40,000 bits for materials... Another 25,000 for labor... 12,000 bits for moving the cyborg while keeping her out of sight to the Canterlot Maximum Security Prison... She couldn't believe it, neither could her top medical staff. Even her student couldn't figure it out. The mare was, according to Equestrian standards, dead. She and a few others knew of a slew of spells that could make the user seem dead, but all of them left magical traces that she could detect, however faint. No spells, no illusions. Another sheet went into the bin. She rolled her eyes at the eighteenth sheet concerning taxes and took another bite of a half-eaten chocolate bar. To the left of her ornate desk was a large pile of get-well-soon gifts that had accumulated over the course of a few months. There was more downstairs, but she had gone through quite a few already. Celestia perked her head up at the soft crunch of a wrapper being thrown into the bin. She suspiciously narrowed her eyes as a few curly pink hairs peeked out from behind the pile. Smiling in amusement, she ate the rest of the chocolate and balled up the paper and foil cover. With a well-practiced toss, the wrapper bounced off of the head of a very surprised Pinkie. "Hiya princess!" she said loudly as she shot up into the air high enough to touch the ceiling, "Hope you don't mind me eating your candy, but I was looking for you so I was walking around the castle- Well, bouncing. Like a bouncy ball! Ooh! Do you have any bouncy balls? How about a ball pit? Aaaah! Do you have a Royal Canterlot Palace Ball Pit!? Cuz' that would be... BALLIN'!" Pinkie rolled around laughing her pink lungs out at her own joke. The princess laughed along, mentally reinvigorated after hearing the pink pony talk. The pun was mediocre at best. If anypony else had said it, it would've been answered with groans and nervous laughter, but something about Pinkie made even the hardest stallion giggle like a little filly. It took them a whole ten minutes to stop laughing. It came close to stopping more than once, but a few stray giggles restarted everything. "No Ms. Pie, I don't mind. Please, eat more. I have plenty." "Just Pinkie's fine. Ms. Pie is my mother. And her mother. Or my great-grandmother. Actually my great-grandmother's name was just Surprise, but I guess..." Celestia zoned out, trying hard to remember her own mother. If she even had one. "-Rarity wanted to go out to the market and so everypony else went with her but then I realized that you were still down here pushing papers so I came to cheer you up!" Indeed, after the incident at the hospital, she had invited the six with her to Canterlot for some tea and maybe for some sightseeing. "It looks like your mission was a success." Pinkie happily nodded. "Well..." She looked at the half-completed form, then used her magic to fold it into a paper airplane. "I guess I can take a little break." "Cool!" The sleepy guard jumped as a folded piece of paper collided with a soft *ping* against his helmet. Giggling came from the crack between the doors. "Ha! Gotcha!" *** A red unicorn sighed sadly as a bottle of hard liquor lay half empty next to him, having drained the other half long ago. He took another swig in depression, the alcohol dripping down his lab coat onto the pile of notes and large glossy photos of galaxies that he sat on. The florescent lights buzzed as a window-sized screen showed nothing. It had been a full week since they last heard from Radiance, way past Dr. Blueshift's original estimate of a mere eight hours. At this rate... He shook his head. He could worry later. Still... "Doctor Redshift!" a blue unicorn called from outside the lab entrance. He didn't answer, only taking another mouthful of liquor. "It has passed noon! I believe that it is my turn... Doctor?" He pushed open the door, only to back up and gag in disgust at the warm, humid air that reeked of bad hygiene and alcohol. Blueshift coughed, trying to expel the air from his lungs as his eyes watered at the smell. To a pony who took a bath every day, walking into the room was the equivalent of wading through a pool filled with month old partially liquefied food. Holding his breath, he ran towards the unicorn. Redshift was a mess, his mane was disheveled from days of neglect and dark bags hung under his eyes, a few of the many signs of stress he was going through. "That's it. Redshift, you are taking a break, you will be not be drinking any more alcohol, and you will not return until you have gotten a proper bath." The red pony only answered with another swig. "I am aware that you are worried about Radiance, but she is a resilient one, and there is nothing to be gained by chugging all of your problems away." "I'm... I'm just...." Redshift muttered. "I know. Do not think that you are the only one going through this. I am just as worried, but drinking to the end of the universe is just too much." Blueshift said softly. "Now, get up! We have to get you to a bathtub! And if you do not move, I will drag you out and scrub you myself like mother used to do. Or does she still do that?." Redshift sputtered as his brother rolled him onto his back and started to trot out the door. "W-Wait! What if she calls us while I'm-" "That is why we have assistants." Blueshift walked out, leaving the lab empty save for a gigantic pile of yellowed notes and an empty liquor bottle. A minute or two passed before a younger unicorn pony entered. Like her bosses, she too was wearing a lab coat, but was also wielding a can of air freshener. She could smell the stench down the hall, and refused to go near it without some kind of defense. It was empty in less than a minute. She wrinkled her nose at the mass of written materials. She lifted up an old magazine only to discover that the papers were cemented together into one heavy block with the imprint of a certain astronomer. Her jaw was barely above the floor, both in awe of the accomplishment and in the sheer absurdity of the creation. As she pushed the most disgusting paper mache couch away from the monitor, a small red light flashed. She stopped and shot back in front of the screen. More beeps and red signs came up, all the same message. --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- - Possible solar surge detected - 2% chance of error - ERROR - Sol Orbiter sensors overloaded - Send repair teams? - Y/N "DOCTOR! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" *** The guards stood at attention as a bouncing ball of pink fluff and their princess passed by, but even they couldn't avert their eyes when they noticed that she was wearing none of her usual apparel. Celestia walked the halls, off-duty and grinning widely. Nopony really blamed her for taking longer breaks than usual. Her vacation had been cut short by the attack on the hospital, not to mention that she was still weak from the mysterious disease. The two had been having the most fun that they, or at least one of them, had in a long time. After playing pranks on Luna, they started launching salvos of paper airplanes from the castle balcony and onto the city of Canterlot. On them, Pinkie had written small jokes and Celestia had enchanted the planes so that they glowed a golden aura that could be seen for quite the distance. Even the most uptight high-class lords shared a laugh as more jokes landed around them. Twilight looked up at the castle from the marketplace. From down in the actual city, it looked like a beautiful swarm of fireflies had escaped. Tiny glowing pinpricks floated above their heads as Rainbow Dash caught another one. "Why did the pony go the doctor...?" she said loudly to her friends. The other five thought deeply. As they stood in place, a group of stallions sitting nearby read another joke, this one a bit cruder but still funny all the same. One of them started coughing and lost his voice after laughing too hard. His rough talking irritated Rarity's ears, but in turn a light bulb appeared above her head. Rough... Grating... Ooh, what was that word... Where's Sweetie when I need her... "...because he was..." She thought for another moment when the answer became clear. They were ponies, and informally, ponies could be described as little horses. And the stallion's voice was... "...a little hoarse!" They all stared, but burst out laughing a moment later. Tears dripped as even Rarity joined in with a volume she had never used before. Pinkie smiled. To make an entire city laugh was a new accomplishment even to her. She closed her blue eyes and held her head high as she took a deep breath through her nose in a rare instance where she wasn't ecstatically happy, but simply satisfied. The pink mare peeked her eyes open. Her mane got marginally bouncier as she spotted the first star of the night shining through a hole in the clouds. "Hey princess, look!" It was bright, much brighter than the stars that surrounded it. Pinkie quickly whispered a wish. Celestia also closed her eyes and muttered one of her own. Who says great beings ever run out of things to wish for? *** Air raid sirens rang out as a countdown clock showed a mere four minutes to evacuate half a planet into underground shelters. Crowds gathered near the entrances of the massive underground bunkers that stretched for miles. Built during the Solaris War thousands of years ago, most of the shelters had been transformed into storage warehouses and factories. But as the intensity of solar surges increased, they were finally used for their original purpose. On the day half of Origo, a planet far away from Equestria, entire cities halted to a standstill as their residents disappeared underground. The blazing sun above them pulsed once, blinding any who were stupid enough to look directly at the sun while a solar surge was nearing. For every minute that passed, the sun got brighter and brighter until it let loose a wave of what looked to be blinding white light. Luckily, the last few months had hammered the evacuation procedures into their heads. The last pony entered the bunkers with a minute to spare. A calm, almost bored sounding female voice sounded from the intercom. "Attention. Sol Prime is experiencing another solar surge. Please stay calm and stay with family members. The surge and the aftereffects should last for approximately three hours. Have a nice day." Millions of ponies huddled together, tense, but not panicking. Each second seemed like a millennia as the countdown clock ticked down the seconds. The wave of light closed the distance between the sun and Origo in less than a minute. Each individual breath could be clearly heard as the clocks beeped the end of the countdown. Suddenly, screams echoed as the concrete bunkers shook violently, sending anything not bolted or welded to the ground flying through the air and bits of rocks to fall from the ceiling. The pony on the intercom came back on, but her words were lost among the yells of surprise and pain. *** Pinkie looked up. The star was still there, shining just as brightly as before. More stars appeared around it as Celestia lowered the sun under the horizon with one final flourish of magic. A sliver of the moon appeared on the other horizon as Luna took over the sky. She let loose a big gasp as her tail twitched of its own accord. Celestia looked at Pinkie, confused. "Is something wrong?" she asked worryingly. "My tail's a-twichin'! Something's gonna fall!" the pink mare yelled in fright. They looked up, half-expecting to see a meteor or maybe an alien ship. Save for the pegasus guards, the blanket of clouds, and a few paper airplanes that had the luck of staying airborne, the sky was clear. Celestia narrowed her eyes at the bright star. Pouring magic into her horn, she called the wind to clear the sky, if only for a moment or two. For the first time in months, the sky was completely clear. The princess scrutinized the light and the minute heat that she could detect. It felt hot, even to her touch. But regardless, it was still just another star, albeit brighter and larger than normal. She ceased her prodding. "AH! Pinchy knee! Something scary!" The princess looked around. After receiving multiple letters from her student, there were many reason to take Pinkie's premonitions seriously. As a small golden glow steadily got brighter, Celestia let loose a trickle of magic to stop the enchanted paper airplane. But to her surprise, she realized that it wasn't one of her creations. "Is that... the star...?" "EVERYPONY PANIC!" The sky grew brighter, outshining the dimmer stars until it was indistinguishable from day. It created panic all over Equestria. But with the moon still high in the sky, all hell broke loose as the country dissolved into a frenzy. The star grew even more luminous, matching Celestia's own sun. But it only grew brighter, until a wave of light crashed into the planet in a blinding flash. *** - New energy sour- - Charg- - Charging complete - Reactivating neurological systems Deep underground, Radiance's eyes popped open. She tried to spread her wings, but noticed that they were already extended. It was then the cyborg realized that her wings had been open the entire time and slowly brought them closer to her body. She looked around her immediate surroundings. The dark room was cut into a perfect cube, the stone walls thick enough that a dragon could only hope to escape. On the ceiling, an orb made the room glow a dim green. A small metal door was the only connection to the outside world but it was sealed tighter than one of Derpy's muffin safes during a famine. Radiance stared at the ground as she focused her attention onto her hooves. She could just barely feel it, but the ground was rumbling like an extended lightning strike. The cyborg groaned as she slowly stood up. Moving after months of being an ice cube beat a waking up from a week of sitting. At least she was frozen in a comfortable position. Her legs were pricked with invisible needles as the blood flowed back into them. With no other place to go, she slowly made her way towards the door. Great. I'm in a cell. Looks like a top-security one. Bit dusty too. I wonder what I did... A quick look at the small clock embedded in her cybernetic hoof made her stop in shock. Six days, one hour, and eighteen minutes had gone past after her last call home. Radiance took another look around. Save for the dim orb, there were no other sources of energy that her systems could feed off of. All she knew, and all that mattered to her, was the fact that she was up and running. "Hello!?" she said loudly as she knocked on the heavy door. Booms echoed as the mare hit the door again. Realizing that she could waste no time trying to convince the guards, if any, Radiance mentally sent a few commands to her cybernetic hoof. Again, her metal hoof split into two and begun the transformation. Radiance winced as number 8 tube burst open and released a short spray of hydraulic fluids before the safety system shut off the flow. The door opened inwards, and a flange covered the edge so the locations of the hinges and the bolt couldn't be determined. Usually Radiance would break as little as possible, but without knowing if the door even had a physical lock, she decided to go with the simplest solution. When the final piece reassembled, it had many similarities with her cannon, but it was much thinner with the head bent at an angle and a few air vents high on her foreleg. Electric blue plasma glowed from the tip as she powered on her cutter and started slicing through the thick metal. *** Pinkie's screams of terror were lost to the thundering of the wave as the golden shield put up by the princess was hammered by raw energy. For a few minutes, nothing was clear. The light was bright enough to temporarily blind any who even peeked their eyes open and the sound was deafening. Celestia sighed in regret. She had no time to create a bigger barrier that would've encompassed the entire city of Canterlot. She shook the tears out of her eyes. While there was a chance that her entire country, if not the entire planet, was completely cleared of life, her sense of duty did not leave her. Gritting her teeth, she poured more and more power into her shield. From the balcony, it spread to the doorway, then it reached the front gates. The mansions of the high-class built near the castle were soon under the protective blanket. The market soon followed, and Celestia let out a sigh of relief that none of her ponies had died. Soon, the entire city was shielded from the bombardment. The princess would've continued, but against the brunt of the wave, she could expel no more effort in expanding the barrier, only to enforce it. Her head spun as she desperately fought off unconsciousness. The wave slowly grew weaker, then abruptly disappeared without a trace. With a final gasp and her duty complete, Princess Celestia fell over with a thud. The night sky was back. But like the moment after a camera flash, everything that could be seen in the dark took on a green tinge. A pair of blue eyes blinked. Pinkie stood on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. All of the lamps had been extinguished, leaving only the stars and the moon to illuminate Equestria. It was only then she realized how quiet it was. Many ponies lay in the street, eyes closed and unmoving. Her tail twitched again as an unconscious pegasus guard landed in the garden below with a loud thud. She stood in shock as the world ground to a halt. *** "And here... we... go!" A loud crash echoed in the small confines of the room as a square piece of thick metal with jagged edges fell outside. Usually her cuts would be clean and straight, but the lack of a tube hampered her control. The pony ducked into cover and switched her plasma cutter for her energy cannon. She listened closely and kept her breaths steady and long. Nothing. No guards, no commands to halt, and no guard dogs barking up a storm. Radiance briefly wondered if she had gone deaf. After peeking out the hole she had cut, the cybernetic pony shot out from her cover with her cannon raised. Four unconscious guards lay outside her cell. Each wielded a long spear with smaller daggers strapped to their right hoofs while wearing the standard golden armor. A quick check confirmed that they were merely sleeping, but as to the reason of their current condition, Radiance was out of ideas. Another door separated the small chamber to true freedom, acting similar to an airlock in spacecraft. This one was thinner and had a barred window cut out near the top. Luckily, the bolt was visible between the door and the frame. Radiance powered on her plasma cutter for one final cut. *** Deep underground in a bunker on Moon Base 1, the astronomers were rushing from one console to another, trying to figure out a million problems at once. With his brother neck-deep in soap water, Dr. Blueshift was in charge of a team of astronomers, physicists, and mathematicians four hundred strong. Calculations were done and simulations run, but almost nothing gave the answer to anything, other than the fact that they were all boned. "Doctor?" one of his assistants said as he came up to the stressed astronomer. Blueshift took a deep breath, "Yes?" The pony nervously shuffled around, "You're being called to the comm room. She, I don't know who but they said you'd know, is calling for you or Dr. Redshift." The doctor's eyes widened in realization. Without another word to the assistant, he galloped out of the door and passed interns and secretaries carrying large piles of papers which ended up everywhere after he had shoved them out of his way. Around the last corner, a pair of double doors separated their link to anypony who wanted to call home. He rammed the doors open and stumbled inside. The comm room still reeked of unwashed brother and alcohol. He knew that there was a chance the smell would never come out. On the console, a small red light flashed, but the screen only showed static. "Your majesty! I must-" Blueshift stopped when a voice belonging to a technician interrupted him. "Apologies doctor, I'm not the Creator. We've been trying to get communications up for a few hours now. Hope you're doing well." "Well enough. I heard that I was called?" "Of course. I couldn't get video up, so you'll just be talking. Sorry 'bout that." "No, no. As long as we can communicate, you are doing your job." "Thanks. Alrighty then. Patching you through to Her Royal Majesty... Good luck." The signal went silent. In the quiet room, Blueshift softly whistled a random tune as he waited. He could hear the ponies still running around, doing their duties. At last, a burst of static sounded through the speakers, indicating that they were connected. Crying. In his entire life, the astronomer never heard her cry. The Creator's voice shook as she spoke to the doctor hundreds of miles away in space. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." Blueshift found the will to speak. "It wasn't your fault ma'am. You were unable to control-" "But I'm supposed to! I've never failed you all, but I... I did... Some great being I am..." "I assure you, you were not at fault. In any case, we are doing our utmost to resolve this situation. I urge you to rest." The Creator sniffed, and he could almost feel her smile. "Thank you doctor... Blueshift nodded, although he was alone in the room. "Of course." "Now, any word from Radiance?" "None. The solar surge may have knocked out Moon Base 239's communication systems. We may not reestablish communications until she arrives at Gemini space port." She sighed. "I hate waiting." "Nopony does." *** Radiance angrily yelled as she cut the fifth lock that stopped her. As she discovered on the third door, kinetic charges were useless against the reinforced barriers. She walked down another hallway. It was straight and colorless, obviously not for show. On the floor were more guards, and according to the half-eaten sandwich next to a pony, whatever knocked them out happened instantly. Around the corner, yet another door separated her, but unlike the others, this one was much darker and had rust around the edges. The cyborg growled in frustration as she began cutting through. As the lock tumbled onto the floor, a ray of moonlight peeked out of the crack. Radiance silently cheered as she pushed open the door. The cool night air blew through her mane as she walked out of the old, probably never used or cleaned prison. She emerged from a mountainside overlooking Canterlot. Radiance half-expected a city as populous as this one to be still awake even at this hour. She decided that the castle on the other side of the capital was as good as any place to start. Spreading her wings, the cyborg jumped. It was only after she cleared the edge that an error message resurfaced in her head. - Left wing main servo inoperative - WARNING - Wing servo failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant "Ah crap." Radiance started tumbling, her left wing flopping in the wind and completely useless. Technically she had full control of her wing, but under the force of the wind it buckled like a broken oar. Head over hooves, she fell closer and closer to the city. The fall lasted only a few seconds, but she couldn't see the direction she was plummeting towards. She stayed calm, this wasn't exactly the first time she had fallen without the use of her wings. The wind rushed through her mane and tail, blowing them into her face and other areas where she didn't want it to go. But fortunately the fall didn't last long. Radiance coughed as she spat out a mouthful of leaves. Even with a useless wing, she somehow managed to land in a heavily wooded area. Unfortunately, more tubes in her leg had failed from the fall. It wasn't surprising though. She couldn't remember the last time they had been replaced, but she had been forced to leave without a maintenance check by ERA. She hooked her good leg onto a branch and slowly stepped onto a lower foothold. The cyborg slipped a few times, almost falling to more pain, but saved herself just in time. Finally, her hooves reunited with the hard ground. Radiance limped through the dark city, stepping over ponies and random debris. She wondered if she was the reason that all of these ponies were unconscious, and thus she was imprisoned, but threw that idea out of her head when she remembered that Blueshift had disabled the auto-control system. The cyborg sighed as she dragged her useless leg behind her. *** "Tw... Twilight?" Pinkie sadly cried out as she slowly walked down the main street of the marketplace. "Applejack? Rarity?" She stopped and lowered her head in sadness." ...Fluttershy?" Her quiet voice echoed through the empty city. Stalls with their merchandise still unsold lay abandoned on the sides, the ponies who sold them lay around, unmoving. A few remains of the paper airplanes fluttered past. The clouds slowly reclaimed the sky above, and eventually Pinkie was stuck in total darkness. She shivered. Not from the cold, but from loneliness. Her mane slightly deflated. Without any sense of direction, Pinkie walked aimlessly. She stumbled many times when ponies that lay on the ground tripped her. Her mood fell further. It was then that the goddess of luck decided to help. A metallic clang sounded as her hoof hit something. As her eyes gradually got used to the dark, she could make out a glass bulb with a metal base. Next to it was a small cardboard box. Pinkie gasped. She picked up the object with her hoof the object and gently shook it. A liquid sloshed around inside the base, roughly half-full if the party pony could guess. She removed the bulb, releasing a slightly charred smell. With her mane marginally bouncier, she pushed a drawer-like cardboard insert and took a thin stick of wood from inside. Aiming for the dark red strip on the side of the box, Pinkie struck the match and a small orange flame flickered to life. Large shadows danced on the walls of houses and stores. She touched the match to the lamp wick and a steady, brighter light illuminated the store she was standing in front of. Pyro's Pyros! Everything for Your Fireplace! With the lamp lit, Pinkie replaced the glass bulb and looked around. She had reached the main square. Unconscious ponies and random debris filled the street, including the one she had tripped on. And in front of a restaurant was... "Rainbow Dash!" The cyan pony lied peacefully, as if she was merely sleeping. Under her was the form of Fluttershy who was hugging herself. Pinkie put down the lamp and pulled the pegasus off. She slumped onto the ground, totally limp. "Rain-bow-Dash!" she cried out as she shook the pegasus' shoulder. The party-loving pony laughed somewhat crazily. "HA. HA. HA. You got me real good Dashie! You can wake up now... Really..." Pinkie's lower lip started quivering and she dropped to the ground in defeat. "...Please wake up..." For the first time in a long time, tears genuinely fell from her eyes.
White GoldFor the first time in a week, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were seen outside their chambers after catching a bug that has affected a countless number of ponies all over Equestria. Both princesses were barely able to carry out their duties concerning their celestial objects. The Royal Astronomers Guild confirmed that while only a microscopic change in position was calculated, the sun and stars had been noticeably dimmer for the first time in a millennium. Just a few hours ago, Princess Celestia made a public statement that it was no more than an illness that cycled every few centuries or so. Day and Night courts are scheduled to resume tomorrow. The Canterlot Daily Staff wishes to remind their readers that while winter was scheduled to end one week from now, the extra snow heightens the chance of delay. We wish all a happy spring day! And may your hooves stay dry! *** Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up... The pegasi kicked and pushed the clouds, sending them to oblivion with a poof. A cold gust of wind blew across their noses, and a fresh batch of dark precipitation-heavy clouds rolled in. Let's finish our hol-i-day cheer... The ice slowly floated away in neat little squares as the ice skating ponies skillfully slid off of the frozen pond. Migrating birds landed on the chunks of ice, confused at the darkness and the lack of a bright sun warming the land. Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up... The snow had frozen the town shut. Shovels were tossed aside in favor of pickaxes. Only reluctantly did it slide off of the many roofs of Ponyville. Ponies below loaded the hard crystals into carts to be taken away. Cuz tomorrow spring is here... A few young squirrels scrambles out of their hole in a rush to get out and stretch their legs. Their parents slowly followed them while a yellow pegasus sighed at the rigid and inflexible schedule that forced animals to end hibernation while winter still had a firm grip. The younglings were soon chin-deep in the snow. Cuz tomorrow spring is here! Applejack hummed a familiar tune as she pushed her plow along a quiet area of Ponyville. The winter had been extremely cold, enough that it tamed the energetic spirits of the foals who were usually outside the second the first snowflake touched the ground. Blizzards piled layers of snow onto the little town, forcing all of the ponies inside for weeks on end causing countless cases of cabin fever. The apple farmer had enough time to play through an entire game of Monopony with her family. And that was with Granny taking hour long naps between turns. Usually she and her friends would've gone to see the traditional Hearth's Warming Eve plays, but they were canceled all over Equestria. But that was months ago. While the sun was still covered by thick layers of rolling clouds, the birds and the other animals had already begun their transition into spring. This area still had a few weeks worth of snow that had created a solid obstacle few would prevail against. Applejack was one of the few ponies strong enough, but it still tired her like an orchard full of apples still on their trees. Her head quickly rose when a few of her pegasus friends, including a particularly colorful one, called and waved from above a low floating cloud. While their words were lost to the wind, they got their point across and Applejack waved in return. Rainbow Dash jumped from her cloud and flew closer. "Hey Applejack!" the pegasus said as she hovered inches above the snow. "Howdy Dash!" she called. "Snow givin' ya trouble?" Rainbow playfully teased. "Well..." Applejack tapped her chin pretending to think, "If Ah remember correctly... YOU put it here!" "Ooh, something the mighty Applejack can't handle?" she snickered as she crossed her forelegs. "Naw, Ah'm just wonderin' how you got this much snow in yer sleep!" "Hey! I work just as hard as you!" Dash yelled. "Just not as long... Or as regularly." "Aw, Ah'm just playin' ya RD!" the pony laughed. The pegasus joined her and the ring of laughter echoed. "Say, could ya help me with the plow?" The sky blue pony's eyes bugged out, "So there is something the mighty Applejack can't handle." "After tryin' to buck the entire orchard by mahself, Ah learned." They both shared another quiet chuckle at the memory. Rainbow hovered behind the contraption and assisted. The snow proved no match against the two ponies. "...Why is there so much snow anyways?" "Yer the weatherpony! Ah though you knew!" "That's just it! We've tried controlling the weather, but it just kept getting worse! It's like one big Everfree! Didn't help that we all kinda got sick..." Applejack stopped the plow, "So... yer tellin' me that you didn't bring this snow." The pegasus shook her head, "Nope. The blizzard came out of nowhere." "I tell ya Dash-" Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Oh joy, here she goes..." "It just aint natural! We get a record breakin' summer and winter? The princesses-Sick? The sun and stars dimmer? Ah told ya Dash, and Ah'm gonna tell you again, somethin' ain't right..." The pegasus sighed, "Horseapples AJ. You're thinking too hard! Besides, Twilight trusts the princesses, why shouldn't we?" Applejack nodded, "Yer right. Not gonna think bout' it... Not gonna think bout' it..." As the pair resumed their crusade against the snow, the apple farmer resumed her humming and the pegasus joined in. As the Applejack hummed the fastest part of her song, Rainbow's wings quickened to match the tempo. "Woah Dash! Goin' a bit fast don'cha think?" Applejack worryingly said. The snow piled higher and higher in front of the plow, groaning as it reached its limit. "I didn't even eat breakfast yet! Can't wait to go faster?" she yelled impatiently. "And relax. It's not like we're going to-WOAH!" the pegasus yelled in surprise as the plow suddenly crashed to a stop. A shrill squealing could be heard as various metal parts buckled and bent under the force of two mares. Applejack face planted into the snow while Rainbow Dash tumbled hooves over head until she smacked into a tree quite a distance away. The apple farmer spat out a bit of snow while the pegasus rubbed her head from the impact. "Agh..." Rainbow Dash groaned, "What happened?" "Ah think we ran into a rock... Er... Somethin'." Applejack worryingly said as she escaped the contraption. "What'd we hit?" Rainbow Dash brushed away the snow on top of their mysterious object, then groaned in frustration. "Gr... Applejack! Help me move the plow." "Yep." The pair hooked teeth and forelegs on to wherever they could. The fastest flyer and the strongest mare were no match for some snow, and the plow soon reluctantly slid back. It was completely totalled and a few hooflengths shorter than it had originally been. "Oh, Big Macintosh's gonna hav'ta take a few days off fer this one..." The pegasus whistled, impressed with their effort, "You have to admit, that was pretty awesome! If I don't say for myself..." Applejack rolled her eyes, "Very nice RD. Now, let's see what we hit." A few taps told the two that a solid chunk of ice had been sitting in their way. This time, both mares whistled at the sight. "Well Ah'll be." She turned to her friend. "And Ah suppose this is natural too huh?" Rainbow Dash only shook her head. "I've never seen a storm make a chunk of ice this big..." An idea snapped into her head. She rose above the treetops. "Time for my patented Rain-Blow... Away?" The pegasus paused for a moment, then threw out the thought. Sucking in air and holding in a breath, the cyan pegasus violently dived down and pulled up right above the surface of the soft snow. Spiraling around, the small flakes began to rise until a miniature snow tornado formed. All of the snow around the mysterious object blew away in another small snowstorm, and Rainbow Dash hovered down. It was exactly what they thought it was. A solid chunk of ice sitting smack in the middle of nowhere. The pegasus yawned, "Oh look. A block of ice." Applejack sighed. "Ah can see that sugarcube." "Don't you mean ice cube?" This sent Rainbow Dash tumbling through the air in laughter. The apple farmer rolled her eyes yet again, but soon joined the pegasus. What the two mares didn't know, was that the pegasus' mini-tornado had blown a small hole in the perpetual layer of clouds above them. In a million-to-one chance, a ray of light struck the ice chunk, making it glitter bright enough that even Rarity would feel jealous. There was one thing odd about the reflected light though... "Hey Dash." The pegasus turned around. "Yeah Applejack?" "Bring your head here and tilt it to the left will ya?" "Why?" "Just do it!" She did. Immediately, she noticed that among the pure-white sparkles, there was a golden aura glowing around something... inside... Her eyes opened wide. "Is that... gold?" "Looks like it." "BUCK IT! BUCK IT! BUCK IT!" she screamed in excitement. The apple farmer turned and raised her legs. Years of intuition and a good amount of instinct went into her muscles as they got ready to hit once more. A dull thud and a sharp crack echoed through the sleepy town. A cloud of dust and ice shards was thrown into the air as the two covered their eyes. The chunk of ice had completely disintegrated with the largest piece no larger than a grapefruit. Always incapable of waiting, Rainbow Dash rushed to the ex-ice boulder and stuck a hoof in. She pointed to what looked like a golden hoof from a statue. It was dull, but still glowed yellow. "LOOK! APPLEJACK! WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh is this what Daring Do feels like every time she finds some lost artifacts or-" she rambled on and on while examining the found riches. "Listen closely' Dash," The orange mare's face turned serious, "that there's probly' somepony else's. Now if they come lookin' for it-" Rainbow Dash let loose a piercing scream and jumped back in horror. Never in her entire life had Applejack predicted that she would be the one to hear a scream from her. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she raced to the "statue." It wasn't a statue. It was a pure-white pegasus that almost blended in with the snow around her. Her mechanical right foreleg was what Rainbow had found. It resembled the Royal Guard's armor, thick golden plates interrupted by where her natural joints would've been. And visible between the armor plates were gears, hydraulics, and other technology that only Twilight could've understood. Engraved onto them were many variations of the sun, the most curious being a perfect copy of Princess Celestia's cutie mark. But what really made her stand out were her wings. Unfolded, they were twice the size of a regular pegasi's. They were mounted on two brass objects that were elongated and smooth, resembled the underside of a thin boat. On the "boats" were two ovals with grilles cut out off-center. Odd hexagonal markings ran from the tips of her wings to the mysterious objects. There were no straps that held them onto her sides, and our local rainbow-maned pegasus expert concluded that her mechanical wings were connected to her very bones. They turned around and raced back to town screaming the entire way. *** Twilight moaned as she slowly sunk into her comfortably hot bath. Her hooves were freezing and while her coat had somewhat insulated her from the elements, her skin underneath still needed to be warmed up. She held her breath and sunk beneath the thick layer of pink bubbles. "Twilight! Twilight!" Spike yelled. She was deaf to his call. Not exactly knowing why she was needed, he wasted no time and banged the bathtub. A gong that could be heard by her neighbors rang out as a purple unicorn shot up in panic, spraying soapy water everywhere around her bathroom. "Pft-SPIKE!" Twilight sputtered as she tried to clear her mouth of the taste of bubble bath. "Why did you-" "Rainbow Dash and Applejack are downstairs! They said it was an emergency!" The dragon interrupted. Twilight teleported downstairs without a single thought, suds and all. When Twilight's signature purple light flashed, the two panicked mares started speaking over each other. "TWILIGHT! Come see! There's a-" "Twi! Somthin' horrible's happened!" "-but then I poked around and found out that it wasn't a statue-" "-white like the snow! Golden wings!" "GIRLS!" Twilight yelled, sending drops of soapy water flying everywhere. The unicorn sighed, "I'm sorry for yelling, but what's going on?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other. They both agreed. "It might be better if you come and see." Twilight nodded, "Show me." Then she noticed the wetness underneath her. "After I dry out of course." *** Dear Princess Celestia, A long pause followed. Spike impatiently tapped his claws onto the clipboard. After she emptied her stomach once more into the half-filled bucket, she lost the will to write her letter as meticulously as she would've normally done. Rainbow Dash and Applejack found a dead mare frozen in the snow. The strange thing about her is that her wings and right foreleg are mechanical. They're nothing like I've ever seen. What I'd give to speak with the pony who made it... I've looked through Ponyville's records, but haven't been able to find anything about her. Can you please have somepony look through the Royal Archives? She is a white pegasus with a golden mane. Her cutie mark is a star inside of a sun. Thank you in advance, -Twilight Sparkle With a burst of a green flame, her letter was sent to her longtime mentor. The unicorn leaned against the back of the seat, still green with nausea as she tried to expel the images from her mind. She had been so sick that she didn't even look at the letter to do a spelling check. Around her, the nurses on duty milled around, calling names from clipboards and passing out lollipops to crying foals. It was barely half an hour after the pair discovered the mare. They were both talking, jumping from one topic to another. Rarity was flipping through a month old magazine that featured the Wonderbolts on their latest tour, even though it had ended a week ago. Pinkie and Fluttershy were sitting back-to-back on the floor. One was silent, trying to comprehend what she had seen while the other was absentmindedly stroking her little rabbit friend for comfort. All of them tried hard to keep their minds off of the pony. For some odd reason, they all stayed and waited in the hospital as if she would eventually come out of unconsciousness. She would tell her story, Pinkie would throw a party, and they would all make a new friend. But they all knew that that was already a false story. There were no doctors, only coroners. The mare's corpse was currently being examined for the cause of death, just in case being frozen wasn't it. *** Hours passed, and it was agreed to stay at the library for an unexpected sleepover. It wasn't like any of them had anything to do. And they all needed the comfort. The clouds still clogged the air above. With the rise of the moon, the skies had grown even darker. The seven friends all cuddled up together in the main room, all sharing a toasty blanket. A faint grumble came from the dragon assistant. Spike got up and groaned as he wondered what he ate. But before he could run to the bathroom, he burped up a scroll followed by flames. "Hey Twilight..." he sleepily said while shaking her shoulder, "You've got mail..." The unicorn lazily the scroll above her head. After a few seconds she sighed. "Not even the Royal Archives have anything on her..." "So all this time and we don't even know who she is?" She shook her head. "Not a clue." Twilight got up and started pacing. "But it's sort of odd. Even far-out town like Appleoosa would send a letter that a foal was born. But how would she get that sort of technology outside of Equestria? AGRH. It doesn't make any sense!" "Somepony sleepin' here." said a quiet, half-asleep voice. "Oh," her voiced dropped to a whisper, "sorry." An image popped back into her mind. Celestia's sun... This mare must've been a Royal Messenger! But that made even less sense. How well somepony's existence was documented directly correlated with how close they were to Canterlot. If the mare had been frozen in solid ice, she must've been there for months! A missing messenger would've been investigated weeks ago! So the unicorn threw that idea out of her mind as well. Still, it was worth writing to the princess about. She got out parchment and a quill. Dear Princess Celestia, I'm sorry for forgetting, but the mare had a sun that looked exactly like your cutie mark engraved onto her mechanical limb. She might be working under you as a messenger. -Twilight Sparkle. "Spike..." she whispered. The dragon was fast asleep, unconsciously hugging Pinkie's curly hair. Twilight rolled her eyes and pulled his tail, sending green flames out of his mouth, and incinerating the letter. It was a trick she had learned when her brother had played a bit rough with him. Spike got his revenge up to and including a singed mane and charred face. Immediately her eyelids began to droop and she let out the longest yawn imaginable. It had been a long and tiring day not helped by the midnight letter. She curled up with her friends and returned to sleep. There were no nightmares that night. *** An alicorn sneaked through a hallway where a security guard stood at his watch with sleepy eyes. Technically if she wanted to, she could waltz right in and nopony would be able to do anything about it. But after the search for the mare's name brought up nothing, and Twilight's letter telling her that her own mark was present on the pony, she alone went out in secret. Indeed, she had a team of pegasi messengers who had her cutie mark engraved somewhere on their armor that delivered top-secret documents to other countries, across the world if need be. Their names were known only to her and technically they didn't exist. Celestia had a bad feeling if one of her messengers had been brought down by unknown means. A few sparkles danced in front of the guard. A very mild sleeping spell caused him to close his eyes and succumb to his dreams. Listening for any other ponies on watch, she hovered to the door. A quick poke unlocked the one thing holding the door closed. The princess shivered as she entered the morgue. She never liked being around the dead, having been present when close friends had passed on. A few rows of metal drawers lined the wall. Some labeled empty, others holding ponies who were not yet at their final resting place. She walked towards the end where "UNKNOWN" was written on a paper card in a holder. She slid the drawer open. The mare lied unmoving on the cold metal. Familiarity. That was the first thought in her mind. Celestia closed her eyes as she remembered her many friends over the centuries. Some came close. One general had a prosthetic leg. Another secretary had gold-colored feathers. But none looked exactly like this mare. The mare's mane was a golden yellow tied into a ponytail with ribbon that matched her folded-up wings. She was lying on her left side so that her mechanical limb was on top. Of course her student would've wanted a talk with whoever built the cybernetics, but even she was impressed. Celestia closely examined her shoulder plate. Suns were engraved in all different styles from simple doodles that could be done by no other than a foal to the most intricate and detailed sun she had ever seen on any kind of art. She swore that she could even make out the corona. In the center was her own cutie mark of a full sun. The princess silently wondered if the mare was one of her hardcore worshipers. She was immortal yes, but a god? Nonetheless, the princess sighed in relief. It wasn't one of her messengers. No secrets had been compromised and her nation was safe. She pushed the drawer back in, but stopped halfway. Since this pony was unidentifiable, standard procedure was to create an "Unknown pony" file, then the body would be sent for cremation. She couldn't stay here forever. Celestia bent down and lightly touched her forehead with her lips, then whispered a few words of comfort both to her and to any family and friends she might have. The drawer closed with a click. The door closed with a squeak. The guard woke with a start. And Celestia disappeared into the night.
Fiery DreamsMove it! I have to get to Her! Hey! At least you could- No! ... How is She? Not good. Her body's been under too much stress. That last surge almost blew out our capacitors. You mean the big ones? All of the big ones. Oh Sweet Creator... How much longer til everything goes bust? Not long. Not long?! NOT LONG!? The creator of EVERYTHING is dying and you say NOT. LONG?! Well I'm sorry that I don't have a degree in... whatever you call it. What are you doing here then- I'm here! Good. We need to send a message... ... HURRY UP! NEXT SURGE IS COMIN' IN TWENTY! MY WINGS CAN'T TAKE IT! YES THEY CAN! WE BUILT THEM! CAN YOU FEEL THIS POWER? Don't get used to it! It'll destroy your body if- Hey hey hey get away from that! ... It's over. Whoo... That one set a record. Yeah. Damn! She's too far away. How much longer is it going to take? With luck, she'll be back in three months. Three months. Unless she dies on the way. *** Celestia woke with a start. Her bed was soft and comfortable, the same feathers supporting her as it has been for the last few decades. The moonlight still shone through the cracks between the curtains, and the fireplace flickered with an eternal flame. She stretched and yawned, tired from the abrupt awakening. It was the same dream that had woken her many times in the past. But after a thousand years, the only solution was to simply deal with it. It started like it had always had... She lands in the center of a burning city... "Good morning Your Majesty!" one of her maid said cheerfully while pulling the extravagant curtains that reveal Luna's moon. More servants attended to her hair and coat, wielding brushes that strapped onto their hooves. Already she feels fresher. Around her, ponies run from an unknown threat... She walked out her door, nodding to the guards who respond wordlessly. The breakfast table was stocked with fruits, toast, oatmeal, and various other pastries. Her sister waves and sleepily yawns before lowering the moon and then retreating to her own bed. The air flashes around as a darkly-colored mare is struck down by a ray of intensely concentrated light... The sweet jam fills her taste buds as another sip of milk goes down her throat. It's one of life's small pleasures, but she wonders what she did before it... The mare shrinks as a glowing being walks closer. Whatever it is, it's too bright to clearly see. She screams... Slowly, the source of all life on this planet rose above the horizon. Another day has arrived in the peaceful land of Equestria. Celestia dropped to her knees and panted in exhaustion as a few caretakers help her up. Her sun is bright, but if one looks closely, many spots plague the surface. She begs. For her life and for her filly that stands bravely between them... She sighed as another wave of weakness passes through her body. The rich, uptight ponies of Canterlot continue as if nothing happened, but one of her more observant advisers notices and whispers to her to rest. She refuses, and vows to continue. The rich ponies back up and tax ponies enter. The filly screams as tears run down her eyes. Her mother starts disintegrating into little particles from tail to head. She softly speaks words of wisdom as the last glowing bit floats off and disappears... The castle garden is calm as she slowly trots over the soft grass between two massive trees. A bird flutters above and squirrels chitter around, forever gnawing at tree nuts. A snake coils on a tree branch while a stream trickles crystal-clear water to a small pond. Outside, snow still covers the land like a thick blanket. The being seems amused as the dark purple, almost black filly glares with fire unlike anything ever seen. Grinding her teeth, she stares for another second, then lets out a war cry as she charges... Celestia closed her eyes as the wind blows across her body. It always ended the same with the filly running towards the bright being. The earliest time she could remember having that dream was when she and her sister were sleeping in the same bed during a thunderstorm. Luna had run from her own bed when the first lightning bolt struck. They were both scared, but as the "older sister" she took it upon herself to comfort her sibling. Those were the old days, before Equestria or even Discord. Many small kingdoms dotted the land without a single ruler to guide them. Many times she had visited shamans, "witches," and even the voodoo pony who lives at the end of the street who was coincidentally related to Zecora. All of them said the same thing. It was probably resurfacing dreams from the Chaos War. Of course she insisted that she remembers what happened during the war with Discord, but all they did was change their answer to "Your dreams reflect your inner conflict." It was then she walked out. Another cold gust of wind chills her face. This had been the most interesting year in some time. The heatwaves had rolled in early March and had persisted til late September. During that time she had never felt so... alive! Cheerful and happy, she was full to the brim with energy and the sun reflected that with its bright radiant light. Never had the guards seen the princesses play around in a lake as if they were foals. The entirety of Equestria seemed more alive, ponies seemed to find more and more free time as their work was done in a heartbeat and older ponies somehow found the energy to keep up with their grandchildren. It was nicknamed "The Summer of Life" by many. But as with all good things, it ended much too early. It didn't just end though, it took a big dive down, and Celestia found herself only just able to carry out her duty of raising the sun. Her head felt woozy, her legs felt weak, and she found herself sleeping a straight eighteen hours with the other six spent on paperwork to "take it easy" in bed as her sister had put it. Speaking of her sister, she too had been stricken with the disease but not to the same extent. She could still walk and speak in front of a crowd for short amounts of time. For a few months, the two sister's roles had been switched, and Luna benefited greatly. It gave her a chance to interact with the population and practice modern politics. In all, the years of distrust after Nightmare Moon had finally come to a close. For the most part, the solar princess had recovered, but found her power fluctuating and generally weaker than before. Nonetheless, she resumed carrying out her regular duties and months of paperwork. Her sister wasn't one to slack and continued at the level she was at during the worst months of winter, lightening the load on Celestia even further. But after all that, one thing still stuck in her mind. Fear. Fear that something out there was enough to weaken an alicorn. Had the mysterious disease been stronger, there was no doubt that she would've been crippled, ending life as we know it on the planet. Actually... She didn't even know that it was a disease. As said by Discord, and as much as Celestia didn't want to admit, sometimes a lie really is easier to take. That lie stuck around, and she was tearing herself up because of that one line uttered in front of the reporters. The princess was an immortal being true, but still a pony. She needed to talk to somepony she could trust. Luna already knew so that left... Celestia turned to the ponies flanking her, "Guards! Prepare my chariot. We leave for Ponyville!" "Yes Your Majesty." They bowed and one of them galloped back to inform the servants. She needed a vacation anyways. *** The six ponies and dragon were still asleep in the library. The sunrise had come and gone hours ago, and even the early bird that was Applejack had slept in for one night. Stomach gurgling, Spike slowly got up and peeks at the clock. With only an hour to noon, he sleepily walked towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As the food came together, he stared outside through the window. Pancakes... A grey pegasus stuffs a mailbox full of mail... Eggs... Three fillies talk about their night without their older sisters... Orange juice... Princess Celestia knocking on the door... The last one sends the dragon into a panic. Immediately, he ran to the entrance as fast as his stubby legs can carry him. "P-Princess... Celestia..." he stutters out of nervousness. "Hello Spike. Is Twilight here?" she calmly asks him. The dragon nods, "Yup. Oh! I just made brunch. Want some?" He held out a pan carrying the fresh pancakes. "No thank you Spike, I already ate. I just need to talk to Twilight." Celestia nodded to her guards who take off with her chariot. The dragon sprinted back upstairs to wake the girls who are still snoozing. "Twilight! Twilight!" The mare in question groaned as she turned to face the ceiling, "Spike... What time is it?" "It's almost noon! And princes-" "Ah! Noon? Oh no!" She shot up to look at her schedule. "I was supposed to be at... Applejack's..." The apple farmer is still peacefully sleeping while using Rainbow Dash as a pillow. The events that occurred yesterday crawl back into her mind. Twilight rubbed her head, "Spike, why did you wake me?" "I was trying to tell you that Princess Celestia is here!" The resulting squeal wakes the remaining ponies who shoot up as if their friend is being attacked. Downstairs, the princess rolls her eyes at her student's panic. More than once she had wondered about the unicorn's priorities. That fiasco with the Smarty Pants doll did not help. "Spike," she whispers, "why?" "She said that she wanted to speak to you." "Just me?" The dragon only shrugged, and she walks down with her friends all listening in. "Hello princess!" she loudly said. "Good morning Twilight!" "Are you feeling any better? Or did you come here to find a cure?" "Well, I've been feeling much better-" "Is it about that one test that one time about that one thing? Did the results come back? Did-" "Twilight." Celestia said firmly. The unicorn went silent. After much deliberation, the princess opened her mouth... *** "What." "Ah was right...?" Applejack said breathlessly. Pinkie would've let out the biggest gasp as if one of the biggest mysteries of the world had been solved had not Rarity held her mouth closed. That being said, her own mouth was wide open. "So there was-!" "Sh..." Downstairs, Twilight did her best to contain her emotions. "So the disease...?" Celestia shook her head. "I don't even know that it's a disease. Could it be connected with the events that happened over the summer? Maybe. But for right now, I... felt that it was necessary to tell somepony the truth." The unicorn hugged her mentor's neck. "Well I'll always be here for you Princess." Celestia smiled and closed her eyes. This was probably the first time in a few centuries that she had gotten this close to another that wasn't her sister. "Thank you Twilight." They hugged for a bit longer until they were satisfied. "Well..." the princess started, "I'm on vacation. Why not spend it here with my student?" "Yes!" Twilight yelled, "How long has it been since we last talked?" "Too long my student. Much too long." Her gaze turned towards the stairs as Rarity tried to stay hidden. Keeping secrets was one thing she was never good at. She grinned awkwardly at being discovered, and made herself, and her friends, known of their presence. The smell of brunch wafted into the room and Spike walked in with a few platefuls of food. The six mares all circled around the table. Even Celestia couldn't resist a few bites. *** Nurse Redheart sighed as she closed the file. It was rare that a pony was unidentified. The mysterious mare actually would've been very easy to ID. Prosthetics made anypony noticeable, and a cybernetic limb and a pair of wings were probably the most unique in all of Equestria. She closed the almost empty file cabinet and drained the rest of her coffee. The last thing to do before her shift ended was to write a Cremation Order. Just another sheet of paperwork. It shouldn't take too long. *** His name was Ember. He was a unicorn with a flame as his cutie mark. He was a pyromaniac that shot off fireworks in his spare time and he worked at the hospital. When asked, that's what he told the others. He actually does shoot off fireworks occasionally and work part-time at the hospital. But being the sole operator of a crematory is not something other ponies were comfortable with. Every time a body comes in for cremation, he sighs at his job. It pays well and comes with many benefits, but sometimes he felt like there was something better for him out there... Ember slid the metal rack carrying yet another diseased body. Her wings and leg are a dull bronze, but still give off a shine. His gaze moves from her limbs and lingers on her face. It's cold and unmoving, but she would've actually been quite attractive had she still lived. He shook his head. Being attracted to the dead was not something he wanted to get used to. After a few moments, he slid her in. Starting the fire was the one thing he absolutely hated. A few sparks shoot out from his horn, igniting the hay under the thick logs and branches. After a few minutes, the fire roared into an inferno and the doors closed with a loud *Clang.* Later in his office, Ember loudly snored with his head in his forelegs. His desk was cluttered with paperwork, most of which had been there for years. A few quills and empty inkwells sat on a tower of medical manuals and random books, all out of date by no less than six months. A few yellowed papers fluttered to the ground as he shifted a little to the side. A long mechanical whine that rose in pitch sounded and pierced into his ears. He would've compared it to a jet engine had he heard one, but to the sleepy pony, it was either part of his dream or the emergency generators being tested. The unicorn waved his hoof to shoo off the noise which only grew louder. He growled and reluctantly raised his head, blinking the sleep from his eyes. A deafening bang echoed through the hospital as the heavy blackened door to the crematory flies off and leaves a deep imprint on the opposite wall. The metal halves clatter as they drop to the floor, cracking a few of the tiles that lined the floor. Ember slowly pulls the door open and peeks outside. The steel door is on the other side of the room, twisted and mangled from some unknown force. He silently wonders if her cybernetics reacted to the fire somehow, and if he should've removed them before sliding her in. He throws that last thought out of his head. Taking things off of a dead mare was... well... morally wrong. Especially something that was physically connected to her, however fascinating they might've been. He slowly nudged the door wider. Laying there was the cybernetic mare, sweating from every pore and breathing deeply. Her wings moved up and down with every breath as her lungs took in fresh air. Servos whirred as her mechanical limb finds a grip on the surface of the floor and pushed the mare on all four of her legs. Ember could only stare as she stands for another minute and slowly extends her wings. They opened with a sound similar to a knife being sharpened and as they extended to their maximum wingspan, she rolled her neck resulting in a few cracks. Still a bit woozy, but much better off than before, she trotted out the door, leaving the unicorn to faint in peace.
Mechanical Mare- WARNING - Power level critical - 00.01% - WARNING - Reserve power level critical - 00.50% ... ... ... - New energy source detected - Type - Thermal - Strength - Fair - Charging - Estimated time - 00:31:05 ... ... ... - 00:12:51 ... ... ... - 00:00:00 - Minimum power level reached - 01.00% - Attempting reactivation of neurological systems - Neurological system reactivation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting activation of automatic control systems - Automatic control systems activated - Scanning... - Scanning... - Scanning... - Abnormally low pressure in number 8 tube detected - Left wing main servo inoperative - WARNING - Hydraulic failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant - ERA activation failure - Below minimum power levels - WARNING - Wing servo failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant - ERA activation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting reactivation of motor systems - Motor systems reactivated - Attempting reactivation of optical systems - Optical system reactivation failure - Below minimum power levels - Attempting activation of secondary radar systems - Radar systems activated - Attempting activation of secondary sonar systems - Sonar systems activated - Minimum speed recommended ... ... ... - Escape protocol activated *** It was a quiet spring day in Ponyville. Most of the snow had been cleared away, leaving only traces behind houses. Some clouds still lingered, but there were many holes where the orange sky of the sunset could be seen. The mysterious cyborg was still the main topic of discussion around the town. Some said that it was a sign. Other claimed that she was older than the princesses. Pinkie still said that she was a messenger. Whatever that meant. All in all, Ponyville was back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it can be... Yells and screams sounded from the hospital as doctors and nurses escorted patients from their rooms, and in less than a minute, the entirety of the small country town was in an uproar. Random ponies banged on doors to tell their friends that zombies, robots, or whatnot was running loose. Planks and nails disappeared from the shelves of the hardware store and were rapidly hammered onto windows or other points of entry. The resident mailmare had stockpiled carrot muffins so she and her housemate would survive, Berry Punch turned all of her empty bottles into Mareotovs, and Flim and Flam were back, this time selling colas that gave special abilities. They even had cute little jingles for each of them. Of course the six plus one dragon plus one princess were completely oblivious. Twilight had soundproofed the library after one too many interferences from outside had interrupted many study sessions. Though she was one of the most powerful unicorns and being extremely irritated at the time, perhaps it would've been better if the spell hadn't been too effective. She also tried multiple times to Pinkie-proof it, but that was a laughable goal. It had all started when an intruder was reported in the lower level. Security had been dispatched immediately, only to run back in panic and barricade the doors with whatever was nearby. The remaining medical staff had been ordered to evacuate after the intruder was deemed "Incredibly Dangerous." One door was no trouble to her, and she backed up and rammed the wooden rectangle that separated her from the other side. *** A nurse checked all of the rooms one last time to make sure that all of the patients had been evacuated. Another loud bang echoed as the bookcase placed in front of the door jumped. She quickly pushed it back and held it in place with her shoulder, ensuring that her colleagues would have ample time to escape. Finally, the cybernetic mare ceased the pointless banging. Lifting her mechanical leg, a few quick mental commands caused her hoof to split into two. A burst of sparks shot from the many joints as the halves disassembled into a countless number of parts, then reassembled until her leg resembled the end of a large cylinder with copper tubes and wires coming out of the sides. Charged and humming quietly, she took aim at the blocked door. *** For a few microseconds, Nurse Tenderheart felt like a pegasus. During that time, everything seemed to move as if the entire world was dunked in molasses. She could feel the air rushing through her mane as she counted the tiles that whooshed under her. A splintered section of the door floated past her. Then in another second, her head connected with the floor with a loud crack and she was sent tumbling across the floor. To compare the door to toothpicks was not enough. The entire frame and a good two hoof lengths around were completely blown apart, leaving a hole large enough that a buffalo could comfortably walk through. Debris from the ceiling joined the others on the floor, broken glass from covers and lights caused the floor to glitter like a minefield of diamonds. The lights that didn't break flickered and swung from the ceiling. The hallway was covered in dark spots, and the nurse was reminded of a scary slasher movie that her sister liked to watch. For a good minute, she lied on the ground, covering her bloody head and waiting for the end. The only sound came from the sparks that flew from the ends of broken wires. Tenderheart opened her eyes. The dust made everything blurry, and the only thing she could see were the lights and a silhouette of a pony. Only one of them was moving. *** Finally, somepony had remembered the Princess bucking Celestia was in town. Within a few moments, she and the six had arrived outside the hospital. It was both orderly and chaotic at the same time. Sandbags and barricades were set up, while security kept the curious onlookers away. That didn't stop them though. One of the doctors praised the sun as she touched down, "Oh princess! Thank Celes... goodness that you came! "What's going on?" Behind her, Twilight and her friends also gathered around to hear his story. "Security found an intruder in the lower levels. And..." He looked around. Just a few bushes away, Ember rubbed the bandage around his head. He insisted that he was fine, but Redheart insisted harder. "Actually, it might be better if he starts off. Hey Ember!" he called to him. The unicorn's head shot up. But at the sight of the princess, he quickly lowered it. "Please," she softly said, "tell us what happened." "Well... I got the cyborg mare's body and I slid her in. I must've been sleeping cuz' I don't know how long she'd been in there for. But anyways, I hear this loud BANG and I go and check. Then..." Everypony was leaning towards him, eager to hear the tale. "Hey! Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "Give him space!" The crowd backed up, and Ember gave a nod of thanks towards the pegasus. "Uh... I see the door that flew off and... well... she was still alive." Silence. Even the crickets ceased their chirping. Then the dam broke when Rarity fainted. "WHAT?" "Oh! She was still alive?!" "I told you she was a robot!" "Zombie!" "Hide the foals!" "QUIET!" Twilight yelled as her horn glowed a bright purple. *** - Kinetic charge fired - Cancelling escape protocol - WARNING - Power level critical - 00.20% - Power usage at minimum - All non-essential systems will cease operation - New energy source detected - Type - Visible light - Strength - Weak - Charging - Estimated time - 01:33:52 ... ... ... - New energy source detected - Type - Magic - Strength - Fair - Estimated charging time modified- 00:00:17 - 00:00:11 - 00:00:05 - 00:00:03 - 00:00:02 - 00:00:01 - 00:00:00 - Minimum power level reached - 01.00% ... ... ... - Low power level reached - 05.00% - Motor systems reactivated - Radar systems reactivated - Sonar systems reactivated - Minimum system requirements met - New priority - Reestablish communications with Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift - Moon Base 239 (DECOM) detected - Attempting connection ... ... ... - Error - Minimal signal strength detected - New priority - Move to clear area for laser link *** With her ear on the floor, she could hear the individual heavy hoofsteps of the cyborg slowly advanced towards the nurse like a massive titan. "Hey! Psst!" She turned her head where one of the remaining security guards peeked his head around a corner. He motioned for her to get up and start running. Taking one last look at the cyborg, Tenderheart ran past the last few doors and skidded to a halt next to the unicorn. "You alright? No injuries?" She shook her head and breathlessly replied, "Yes, I-I'm fine." She noticed an open medical security kit lying next to him. It was stuffed with syringes, belts, and blindfolds. But what really got her attention was the few small vials that glittered in the low light. Sedatives. Perfect. "Look, I broke out the emergency sedatives, but you're the one who knows what and how much to use. I'll go up and hold her down, and you pump her full of that stuff. Got it?" Tenderheart nodded. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she prepared the syringe. It was something she did almost every day. It was one of the few basic things in medical school that she excelled at. But never had she thought that she would use her skills in this situation. "NOW!" The two ponies sprinted as fast as they could to the cyborg. He knocked and held her down with little resistance. The nurse stared at the mare's eyes. Or at least, if she would've if they were opened. She immediately felt scared and wondered whether this was her body being taken over by some restless spirit or- "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the security pony screamed as he held down another wave of struggling. Tenderheart realized that a few precious seconds had gone by with her doing nothing. Medical training coming into effect, she took aim with the needle and plunged it into the mare's neck. She quickly pulled out the syringe once it was completely empty. The guard winced as a metal hoof smacked his head but kept holding down the struggling mare until finally, the cyborg laid still. *** - Hostiles detected - Physical escape protocol activated ... ... ... - Physical struggling ineffective - Cancelled - Power level - 12.52% - Charging ERA unit... *** The two ponies sighed and looked at each other. "Nice job" the guard said breathlessly. "You too." Tenderheart agreed. He groaned as he got off of the unconscious mare. He whistled in amazement. "You know, I got a brother that would go hunt dragons for a chance to look at these." He pointed to the mechanical leg and wings. "I'm just glad that it's all over." the nurse muttered. The lights slowly rocked back and forth, still hanging on by a wire. Tenderheart walked over to a nurses station and spat out the syringe into the bin labeled for sharp objects. She returned and sat back down next to the guard. The two sat in awkward silence as they wondered what to do next. "Name's Dark Woods." he said as he held out a hoof. "Tenderheart." she replied, hitting his outstretched hoof with her own. *** There was silence once again as Twilight amplified her voice loud enough that it could've been comparable to the Royal Canterlot Voice. Her friends stood a good distance away, their ears still ringing from the loud voice. "Now," she began, "I don't know what's going on. But please!" she raised her voice, "Don't come to conclusions!" The ponies all began to mutter, still suspicious. "I know that you're all scared, but everything's going to be just fine..." *** - ERA unit charged to 04.00% - Setting - Defense - Distract/Stun/Kill - ERA unit deployed *** Suddenly, a few motors whirred to life as the shoulder plate of the cybernetic leg lifted up, and a small object walked out. It was insectoid, its matte body a long and thin shape. It had six legs, each as thin as an electrical wire that ended with a point. Faint clicks could be heard each time a point came into contact with the mare's cybernetics. A single eye was above a pair of jaws too small to cause any real damage. Although it looked like something that came out of Fluttershy's cabin, it was clearly mechanical like the leg it had come out of. The two stopped walking and slowly turned their heads towards the small drone. "What is that thing?" Tenderheart whispered. "I have no idea..." he replied. The ERA unit scanned the two ponies and came to a conclusion a second later. Running on not even a tenth of its normal charge, it only had enough power for one shot, and the stallion was the bigger threat. Tenderheart's trained eyes immediately noticed something was not right. The small insect-like object seemed to be bending its rear legs. Was it scared? Or did it- It jumped. For something so small, it went surprisingly far and flew with accuracy. It landed squarely on the stallion's face, making him freeze in fear, sweat dripping as he visibly started to quiver. The thin wire-like legs dug into his coat as it slowly made its way down. "Nurse... Nurse... C-Can you get it off me?" he said though clenched teeth. The nurse reached out to swat the insect away, but pulled her hoof back when sparks began to shoot out of its mandibles. Her eyes opened wide as she realized the mission of the robotic insect. It dug its jaws into the guard's neck and let its charge loose. Dark screamed as he fell to the floor. Tenderheart could only watch in horror as the stallion writhed in agony as electricity poured from the ERA unit. In reality it was only a few seconds, but to the two ponies it was eons. The robot fell to the floor, out of power. His body twitched as he lay on his side. Tenderheart could not get herself to move, shocked at the scene. But at the sound of the mare slowly getting up, the nurse slowly backed from the scene. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" she screamed. She didn't answer, her eyes still closed as she slowly walked forwards. Tenderheart backed up even further. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Still no answer, and the nurse realized that it was pointless. Looking around, she searched for an escape route. Behind herself were four doors, one storage cabinet, one bathroom, one leading to the rooms for operations, and one... leading into the attic. Sprinting to the door separating the surgery rooms, she started to push but stopped when she remembered that there were no windows due to "sanitation concerns." Trying to barricading herself would only turn out like earlier, so there was only one answer that would make sense. Tenderheart turned and ran. *** All of the unnecessary civilians were being herded away from the hospital. Royal guards clad in gleaming armor shooed away the ponies who were still trying to take a peek. The pegasus guards patrolled around, keeping the airspace clear of any errant intruders. Due to the unknown nature of the weaponry used by the mare, the captain himself arrived with a full company of armed guards. "Shining!" Twilight happily yelled. It had been too long since the last time she had seen him, and she showed it to all who would see. "Hey Twili!" He gave her one quick hug then his face turned serious. "Twilight, I need you to take your friends away. Let us do our job-" A few yells of objections came from the six. "Hey!" Rainbow Dash raised her voice, "We're not pushovers! We saved the world, oh..." She put her hoof up to her mouth in mock thought, then actually started to think. "How many time did we save the world?" His face just got more serious. "Look, you may have averted an apocalypse or two, but you are still a civilian. If there are any spirits or gods we need exterminating, we'll call you, but now..." He walked up and met her in the eye. "Stand down Rainbow Dash. You are obstructing an operation that is being carried out by the Royal Guards and your slate won't look good if it said that you spent a night in a cell." She froze. Pretty much everypony in their close circle of friends knew her dream to join the Wonderbolts, but if the captain had pulled that card, she realized that he meant business and now wasn't the best time to defy orders. She slowly hovered towards the back while her friends followed. Twilight was scared. She saw a side of her brother that she hadn't seen before. But there was training for a reason. And he was not going to lose. Not after his wedding. "Alright! I want three teams, two unicorns and four earth ponies entering from the front, rear, and side entrances! Scanners! Find out where our mare is. See if you can find where she is, and if possible find out if anypony else is still in. Pegasi, patrol the air, report if you see anything. May Celestia shine her eternal light. Move out!" Eight unicorns moved to the corners of the building and let loose waves of magic that rippled through the air. The scanners set them to bounce off of biological materials like an above ground sonar. Office plants numbered the highest with at least one in every room. A few fishes in a tank located in the children's room lit up a bright magical beacon. But the most interesting was the three ponies in the second floor hallway. "Sir! She's in the west wing, second floor! Two others and- One of them is down!" Shining spoke into his glowing horn, sending his voice into the heads of the guards, "All teams move in, second floor, west wing. Exercise caution, suspect is hostile, I say again, suspect is hostile!" Various yells of acknowledgement returned as smaller waves of magic rippled through the doors to double-check that the other side was clear. Once the unicorns nodded to their partners, the earth ponies bucked the doors open with their rear legs, and the guard teams rushed inside. In less than a minute, the three teams surrounded the doors leading to the west wing, one of them completely blasted off. A unicorn's horn glowed as he thought words to his superior. "We're in the west wing. Negative on the suspect." Shining Armor turned to the pony next to him, "Scanner?" The unicorn was silent for a second as he searched. The target was back in his crosshairs, "They're moving up! Stairwell, fourth door to the left!" The teams moved in, armored hooves crunching the broken glass into a finer dust. Suddenly, a scream sounded from the open door that led upstairs. Fearing the worse, they moved in... *** Tenderheart screamed in panic as she called up her natural earth pony strength and kicked the ancient window frame once more. It shot up a cloud of dust, but like the other times, did not budge. The latch had rusted in, and the years gone by had effectively sealed the wooden frame shut. She banged on the glass, hoping for somepony to notice that she was there. The cyborg's hoofsteps grew closer and closer, and her shadow danced on the underside of the roof. But to her luck, one of the pegasus patrols saw her face lit bright orange by the setting sun. He too, attempted to ram and break the small window, but also failed. Yelling promises of return that went unheard by the nurse, he soared down to the captain. The sound of a hoof muffled by dust reached her ears. Tenderheart sighed as she rested her head on the windowsill, accepting her defeat. She closed her eyes as the sound of metal coming apart and reassembling into a cannon. The mare took aim. And fired. *** "CAPTAIN!" the pegasus yelled. Shining Armor's head shot towards his voice. "What is it?" The guard touched down, slightly out of breath, "There's a mare stuck in the attic! I tried to get her out but the window's stuck!" The captain motioned a team of mixed ponies forward. "Breakers! You heard the-" A massive explosion interrupted the rescue. They could only stare in shock as an entire section of the roof went flying, planks and shingles separating as it soared through the air. It landed upside-down in some unlucky pony's backyard, sending up a cloud of dust that could've been seen from the other end of town. Just another Ponyville day. *** An earth pony silently wished for a pair of goggles that would've blocked the splinters and dust from getting into his eyes. He and his team coughed, trying to expel the small particles. Once they cleared their eyes and lungs, they continued on, having accepted that stealth was irrelevant. The mare was sitting in the middle of the attic, eyes closed with a small cylinder deployed from her cybernetic leg. They decided to wait for reinforcements and further orders. Outside, the same pegasus guard looked up as he noticed a very familiar shape flying above him. Pumping unheard of power into his wings, he rocketed towards the sky and caught the nurse who clung onto him harder than a limpet would grip onto a rock. He landed, another nurse rushed towards her with a first aid kit as he patted Tenderheart's back to comfort the quivering nurse. She sobbed as Redheart wrapped her sister's head in gauze. *** - Power level - 19.04% - Kinetic charge standing by - Kinetic charge fired ... ... ... - Sky detected - Attempting connection via laser link with Moon Base 239 (DECOM) ... ... ... *** Miles above the land, Luna's moon silently floated on the path as it had always done for ages. But deep inside was a totally different story. Ancient technology whirred back to life as a beam of light flashed on and off, too fast for the eye to see. The supercomputer instantly translated the signal as a request for a connection to Moon Base 1, a place not contacted for millennia. A set of motors pushed a large, thick plate through the surface, sending up a plume of moon dust. From the hole came a sphere with a single lens held in place by a glass protector. The ancient computer sent signals to the control systems, making the sphere turn and rise towards an unseen target. Charging a different kind of laser on a much larger scale, it repeated the message from the pony and into the stars. *** ... ... ... - Connection successful - Activating neurological systems with a direct connection to communication systems --- "Redshift? Doc? Helloooo? Anypony read me?" ... ... ... "This is Radiance calling Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift of Moon Base 1..." ... ... ... "I say again, this is Radiance calling Dr. Redshift and Dr. Blueshift of Moon Base 1, does-" "Six. Months. Where the hell did you disappear, for SIX. MONTHS!?" "Hey Red... To answer your question, I don't know. My wings haven't found any energy, and I'm running low as it is." "Radiance, the good news is that you have in fact reached your destination. The bad news is that our computer tells us that your auto-control systems are activated and ERA is missing." "Really? I thought I was still sleeping... Oh, Mornin' Blue, and what was that about ERA?" "Good day to you too. Bah, this causes more problems... First off, can you see if you can take control?" "...Nothing, the computer's running the show." "Well let's hope it hasn't done anything stupid... Doctor Redshift, did you enable the manual override before she left?" "Nope, remember? I didn't have enough time before she was blasted away." "Right... Radiance, you should have control after your system has more than a 30% charge. If I am reading this correctly, it should take no more than another eight hours, maximum. After that, find out how utterly moronic Redshift's control systems acted." "Hey!" "Anyways... There we go. I have disabled your auto-control system. That should keep you from doing anything stupid. When a sufficient charge is detected, your mind will reconnect with your body and you should have full control. Think of it as, 'waking up' from a long nap." "Got it. Now, ERA?" "She's gone." "What do you mean gone?!" "I mean that she is not in her socket. I'll download her last." "...Red, she better not be dead. That thing's been with me ever since Mezzner VIII." "Hey, hey! I built her! She'll be fine." "Here we go." --- - Video file received - Play - Y/N ... ... ... --- "What the hell? When did you put a self-defense mode on ERA? She's a repair drone! Not a sentry!" "Okay, okay, okay. I may have added a few lines of code so her welder turns into a stun gun. Big deal. It worked didn't it?" "You do know that there was a very large chance of ERA simply exploding, correct?" "...You're kiddin'." "No Redshift, I am not "kidding," I am in fact, very serious and angered that you decided to sacrifice Radiance's only repair drone against a target that was more likely to start running at the sight of her getting back up after being pumped full of sedatives." "Doctor. Redshift." "Okay, we'll continue this discussion later. I promise... I have to go, Blueshift, can you watch for me?" "Very well..." "Great. See ya Radiance. "Laters." "As much as I despise that idiot, I must agree, now is not the time for this sort of discussion, so I will also take my leave. And remember, make sure the message gets to Celestia." "Understood." "Good luck."
Star Bright, Too BrightPrincess Celestia sighed as she slid another sheet of paperwork into a bin. She had been at this for a few hours but the pile of paperwork looked no smaller. 40,000 bits for materials... Another 25,000 for labor... 12,000 bits for moving the cyborg while keeping her out of sight to the Canterlot Maximum Security Prison... She couldn't believe it, neither could her top medical staff. Even her student couldn't figure it out. The mare was, according to Equestrian standards, dead. She and a few others knew of a slew of spells that could make the user seem dead, but all of them left magical traces that she could detect, however faint. No spells, no illusions. Another sheet went into the bin. She rolled her eyes at the eighteenth sheet concerning taxes and took another bite of a half-eaten chocolate bar. To the left of her ornate desk was a large pile of get-well-soon gifts that had accumulated over the course of a few months. There was more downstairs, but she had gone through quite a few already. Celestia perked her head up at the soft crunch of a wrapper being thrown into the bin. She suspiciously narrowed her eyes as a few curly pink hairs peeked out from behind the pile. Smiling in amusement, she ate the rest of the chocolate and balled up the paper and foil cover. With a well-practiced toss, the wrapper bounced off of the head of a very surprised Pinkie. "Hiya princess!" she said loudly as she shot up into the air high enough to touch the ceiling, "Hope you don't mind me eating your candy, but I was looking for you so I was walking around the castle- Well, bouncing. Like a bouncy ball! Ooh! Do you have any bouncy balls? How about a ball pit? Aaaah! Do you have a Royal Canterlot Palace Ball Pit!? Cuz' that would be... BALLIN'!" Pinkie rolled around laughing her pink lungs out at her own joke. The princess laughed along, mentally reinvigorated after hearing the pink pony talk. The pun was mediocre at best. If anypony else had said it, it would've been answered with groans and nervous laughter, but something about Pinkie made even the hardest stallion giggle like a little filly. It took them a whole ten minutes to stop laughing. It came close to stopping more than once, but a few stray giggles restarted everything. "No Ms. Pie, I don't mind. Please, eat more. I have plenty." "Just Pinkie's fine. Ms. Pie is my mother. And her mother. Or my great-grandmother. Actually my great-grandmother's name was just Surprise, but I guess..." Celestia zoned out, trying hard to remember her own mother. If she even had one. "-Rarity wanted to go out to the market and so everypony else went with her but then I realized that you were still down here pushing papers so I came to cheer you up!" Indeed, after the incident at the hospital, she had invited the six with her to Canterlot for some tea and maybe for some sightseeing. "It looks like your mission was a success." Pinkie happily nodded. "Well..." She looked at the half-completed form, then used her magic to fold it into a paper airplane. "I guess I can take a little break." "Cool!" The sleepy guard jumped as a folded piece of paper collided with a soft *ping* against his helmet. Giggling came from the crack between the doors. "Ha! Gotcha!" *** A red unicorn sighed sadly as a bottle of hard liquor lay half empty next to him, having drained the other half long ago. He took another swig in depression, the alcohol dripping down his lab coat onto the pile of notes and large glossy photos of galaxies that he sat on. The florescent lights buzzed as a window-sized screen showed nothing. It had been a full week since they last heard from Radiance, way past Dr. Blueshift's original estimate of a mere eight hours. At this rate... He shook his head. He could worry later. Still... "Doctor Redshift!" a blue unicorn called from outside the lab entrance. He didn't answer, only taking another mouthful of liquor. "It has passed noon! I believe that it is my turn... Doctor?" He pushed open the door, only to back up and gag in disgust at the warm, humid air that reeked of bad hygiene and alcohol. Blueshift coughed, trying to expel the air from his lungs as his eyes watered at the smell. To a pony who took a bath every day, walking into the room was the equivalent of wading through a pool filled with month old partially liquefied food. Holding his breath, he ran towards the unicorn. Redshift was a mess, his mane was disheveled from days of neglect and dark bags hung under his eyes, a few of the many signs of stress he was going through. "That's it. Redshift, you are taking a break, you will be not be drinking any more alcohol, and you will not return until you have gotten a proper bath." The red pony only answered with another swig. "I am aware that you are worried about Radiance, but she is a resilient one, and there is nothing to be gained by chugging all of your problems away." "I'm... I'm just...." Redshift muttered. "I know. Do not think that you are the only one going through this. I am just as worried, but drinking to the end of the universe is just too much." Blueshift said softly. "Now, get up! We have to get you to a bathtub! And if you do not move, I will drag you out and scrub you myself like mother used to do. Or does she still do that?." Redshift sputtered as his brother rolled him onto his back and started to trot out the door. "W-Wait! What if she calls us while I'm-" "That is why we have assistants." Blueshift walked out, leaving the lab empty save for a gigantic pile of yellowed notes and an empty liquor bottle. A minute or two passed before a younger unicorn pony entered. Like her bosses, she too was wearing a lab coat, but was also wielding a can of air freshener. She could smell the stench down the hall, and refused to go near it without some kind of defense. It was empty in less than a minute. She wrinkled her nose at the mass of written materials. She lifted up an old magazine only to discover that the papers were cemented together into one heavy block with the imprint of a certain astronomer. Her jaw was barely above the floor, both in awe of the accomplishment and in the sheer absurdity of the creation. As she pushed the most disgusting paper mache couch away from the monitor, a small red light flashed. She stopped and shot back in front of the screen. More beeps and red signs came up, all the same message. --- WARNING --- WARNING --- WARNING --- - Possible solar surge detected - 2% chance of error - ERROR - Sol Orbiter sensors overloaded - Send repair teams? - Y/N "DOCTOR! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" *** The guards stood at attention as a bouncing ball of pink fluff and their princess passed by, but even they couldn't avert their eyes when they noticed that she was wearing none of her usual apparel. Celestia walked the halls, off-duty and grinning widely. Nopony really blamed her for taking longer breaks than usual. Her vacation had been cut short by the attack on the hospital, not to mention that she was still weak from the mysterious disease. The two had been having the most fun that they, or at least one of them, had in a long time. After playing pranks on Luna, they started launching salvos of paper airplanes from the castle balcony and onto the city of Canterlot. On them, Pinkie had written small jokes and Celestia had enchanted the planes so that they glowed a golden aura that could be seen for quite the distance. Even the most uptight high-class lords shared a laugh as more jokes landed around them. Twilight looked up at the castle from the marketplace. From down in the actual city, it looked like a beautiful swarm of fireflies had escaped. Tiny glowing pinpricks floated above their heads as Rainbow Dash caught another one. "Why did the pony go the doctor...?" she said loudly to her friends. The other five thought deeply. As they stood in place, a group of stallions sitting nearby read another joke, this one a bit cruder but still funny all the same. One of them started coughing and lost his voice after laughing too hard. His rough talking irritated Rarity's ears, but in turn a light bulb appeared above her head. Rough... Grating... Ooh, what was that word... Where's Sweetie when I need her... "...because he was..." She thought for another moment when the answer became clear. They were ponies, and informally, ponies could be described as little horses. And the stallion's voice was... "...a little hoarse!" They all stared, but burst out laughing a moment later. Tears dripped as even Rarity joined in with a volume she had never used before. Pinkie smiled. To make an entire city laugh was a new accomplishment even to her. She closed her blue eyes and held her head high as she took a deep breath through her nose in a rare instance where she wasn't ecstatically happy, but simply satisfied. The pink mare peeked her eyes open. Her mane got marginally bouncier as she spotted the first star of the night shining through a hole in the clouds. "Hey princess, look!" It was bright, much brighter than the stars that surrounded it. Pinkie quickly whispered a wish. Celestia also closed her eyes and muttered one of her own. Who says great beings ever run out of things to wish for? *** Air raid sirens rang out as a countdown clock showed a mere four minutes to evacuate half a planet into underground shelters. Crowds gathered near the entrances of the massive underground bunkers that stretched for miles. Built during the Solaris War thousands of years ago, most of the shelters had been transformed into storage warehouses and factories. But as the intensity of solar surges increased, they were finally used for their original purpose. On the day half of Origo, a planet far away from Equestria, entire cities halted to a standstill as their residents disappeared underground. The blazing sun above them pulsed once, blinding any who were stupid enough to look directly at the sun while a solar surge was nearing. For every minute that passed, the sun got brighter and brighter until it let loose a wave of what looked to be blinding white light. Luckily, the last few months had hammered the evacuation procedures into their heads. The last pony entered the bunkers with a minute to spare. A calm, almost bored sounding female voice sounded from the intercom. "Attention. Sol Prime is experiencing another solar surge. Please stay calm and stay with family members. The surge and the aftereffects should last for approximately three hours. Have a nice day." Millions of ponies huddled together, tense, but not panicking. Each second seemed like a millennia as the countdown clock ticked down the seconds. The wave of light closed the distance between the sun and Origo in less than a minute. Each individual breath could be clearly heard as the clocks beeped the end of the countdown. Suddenly, screams echoed as the concrete bunkers shook violently, sending anything not bolted or welded to the ground flying through the air and bits of rocks to fall from the ceiling. The pony on the intercom came back on, but her words were lost among the yells of surprise and pain. *** Pinkie looked up. The star was still there, shining just as brightly as before. More stars appeared around it as Celestia lowered the sun under the horizon with one final flourish of magic. A sliver of the moon appeared on the other horizon as Luna took over the sky. She let loose a big gasp as her tail twitched of its own accord. Celestia looked at Pinkie, confused. "Is something wrong?" she asked worryingly. "My tail's a-twichin'! Something's gonna fall!" the pink mare yelled in fright. They looked up, half-expecting to see a meteor or maybe an alien ship. Save for the pegasus guards, the blanket of clouds, and a few paper airplanes that had the luck of staying airborne, the sky was clear. Celestia narrowed her eyes at the bright star. Pouring magic into her horn, she called the wind to clear the sky, if only for a moment or two. For the first time in months, the sky was completely clear. The princess scrutinized the light and the minute heat that she could detect. It felt hot, even to her touch. But regardless, it was still just another star, albeit brighter and larger than normal. She ceased her prodding. "AH! Pinchy knee! Something scary!" The princess looked around. After receiving multiple letters from her student, there were many reason to take Pinkie's premonitions seriously. As a small golden glow steadily got brighter, Celestia let loose a trickle of magic to stop the enchanted paper airplane. But to her surprise, she realized that it wasn't one of her creations. "Is that... the star...?" "EVERYPONY PANIC!" The sky grew brighter, outshining the dimmer stars until it was indistinguishable from day. It created panic all over Equestria. But with the moon still high in the sky, all hell broke loose as the country dissolved into a frenzy. The star grew even more luminous, matching Celestia's own sun. But it only grew brighter, until a wave of light crashed into the planet in a blinding flash. *** - New energy sour- - Charg- - Charging complete - Reactivating neurological systems Deep underground, Radiance's eyes popped open. She tried to spread her wings, but noticed that they were already extended. It was then the cyborg realized that her wings had been open the entire time and slowly brought them closer to her body. She looked around her immediate surroundings. The dark room was cut into a perfect cube, the stone walls thick enough that a dragon could only hope to escape. On the ceiling, an orb made the room glow a dim green. A small metal door was the only connection to the outside world but it was sealed tighter than one of Derpy's muffin safes during a famine. Radiance stared at the ground as she focused her attention onto her hooves. She could just barely feel it, but the ground was rumbling like an extended lightning strike. The cyborg groaned as she slowly stood up. Moving after months of being an ice cube beat a waking up from a week of sitting. At least she was frozen in a comfortable position. Her legs were pricked with invisible needles as the blood flowed back into them. With no other place to go, she slowly made her way towards the door. Great. I'm in a cell. Looks like a top-security one. Bit dusty too. I wonder what I did... A quick look at the small clock embedded in her cybernetic hoof made her stop in shock. Six days, one hour, and eighteen minutes had gone past after her last call home. Radiance took another look around. Save for the dim orb, there were no other sources of energy that her systems could feed off of. All she knew, and all that mattered to her, was the fact that she was up and running. "Hello!?" she said loudly as she knocked on the heavy door. Booms echoed as the mare hit the door again. Realizing that she could waste no time trying to convince the guards, if any, Radiance mentally sent a few commands to her cybernetic hoof. Again, her metal hoof split into two and begun the transformation. Radiance winced as number 8 tube burst open and released a short spray of hydraulic fluids before the safety system shut off the flow. The door opened inwards, and a flange covered the edge so the locations of the hinges and the bolt couldn't be determined. Usually Radiance would break as little as possible, but without knowing if the door even had a physical lock, she decided to go with the simplest solution. When the final piece reassembled, it had many similarities with her cannon, but it was much thinner with the head bent at an angle and a few air vents high on her foreleg. Electric blue plasma glowed from the tip as she powered on her cutter and started slicing through the thick metal. *** Pinkie's screams of terror were lost to the thundering of the wave as the golden shield put up by the princess was hammered by raw energy. For a few minutes, nothing was clear. The light was bright enough to temporarily blind any who even peeked their eyes open and the sound was deafening. Celestia sighed in regret. She had no time to create a bigger barrier that would've encompassed the entire city of Canterlot. She shook the tears out of her eyes. While there was a chance that her entire country, if not the entire planet, was completely cleared of life, her sense of duty did not leave her. Gritting her teeth, she poured more and more power into her shield. From the balcony, it spread to the doorway, then it reached the front gates. The mansions of the high-class built near the castle were soon under the protective blanket. The market soon followed, and Celestia let out a sigh of relief that none of her ponies had died. Soon, the entire city was shielded from the bombardment. The princess would've continued, but against the brunt of the wave, she could expel no more effort in expanding the barrier, only to enforce it. Her head spun as she desperately fought off unconsciousness. The wave slowly grew weaker, then abruptly disappeared without a trace. With a final gasp and her duty complete, Princess Celestia fell over with a thud. The night sky was back. But like the moment after a camera flash, everything that could be seen in the dark took on a green tinge. A pair of blue eyes blinked. Pinkie stood on the balcony overlooking Canterlot. All of the lamps had been extinguished, leaving only the stars and the moon to illuminate Equestria. It was only then she realized how quiet it was. Many ponies lay in the street, eyes closed and unmoving. Her tail twitched again as an unconscious pegasus guard landed in the garden below with a loud thud. She stood in shock as the world ground to a halt. *** "And here... we... go!" A loud crash echoed in the small confines of the room as a square piece of thick metal with jagged edges fell outside. Usually her cuts would be clean and straight, but the lack of a tube hampered her control. The pony ducked into cover and switched her plasma cutter for her energy cannon. She listened closely and kept her breaths steady and long. Nothing. No guards, no commands to halt, and no guard dogs barking up a storm. Radiance briefly wondered if she had gone deaf. After peeking out the hole she had cut, the cybernetic pony shot out from her cover with her cannon raised. Four unconscious guards lay outside her cell. Each wielded a long spear with smaller daggers strapped to their right hoofs while wearing the standard golden armor. A quick check confirmed that they were merely sleeping, but as to the reason of their current condition, Radiance was out of ideas. Another door separated the small chamber to true freedom, acting similar to an airlock in spacecraft. This one was thinner and had a barred window cut out near the top. Luckily, the bolt was visible between the door and the frame. Radiance powered on her plasma cutter for one final cut. *** Deep underground in a bunker on Moon Base 1, the astronomers were rushing from one console to another, trying to figure out a million problems at once. With his brother neck-deep in soap water, Dr. Blueshift was in charge of a team of astronomers, physicists, and mathematicians four hundred strong. Calculations were done and simulations run, but almost nothing gave the answer to anything, other than the fact that they were all boned. "Doctor?" one of his assistants said as he came up to the stressed astronomer. Blueshift took a deep breath, "Yes?" The pony nervously shuffled around, "You're being called to the comm room. She, I don't know who but they said you'd know, is calling for you or Dr. Redshift." The doctor's eyes widened in realization. Without another word to the assistant, he galloped out of the door and passed interns and secretaries carrying large piles of papers which ended up everywhere after he had shoved them out of his way. Around the last corner, a pair of double doors separated their link to anypony who wanted to call home. He rammed the doors open and stumbled inside. The comm room still reeked of unwashed brother and alcohol. He knew that there was a chance the smell would never come out. On the console, a small red light flashed, but the screen only showed static. "Your majesty! I must-" Blueshift stopped when a voice belonging to a technician interrupted him. "Apologies doctor, I'm not the Creator. We've been trying to get communications up for a few hours now. Hope you're doing well." "Well enough. I heard that I was called?" "Of course. I couldn't get video up, so you'll just be talking. Sorry 'bout that." "No, no. As long as we can communicate, you are doing your job." "Thanks. Alrighty then. Patching you through to Her Royal Majesty... Good luck." The signal went silent. In the quiet room, Blueshift softly whistled a random tune as he waited. He could hear the ponies still running around, doing their duties. At last, a burst of static sounded through the speakers, indicating that they were connected. Crying. In his entire life, the astronomer never heard her cry. The Creator's voice shook as she spoke to the doctor hundreds of miles away in space. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." Blueshift found the will to speak. "It wasn't your fault ma'am. You were unable to control-" "But I'm supposed to! I've never failed you all, but I... I did... Some great being I am..." "I assure you, you were not at fault. In any case, we are doing our utmost to resolve this situation. I urge you to rest." The Creator sniffed, and he could almost feel her smile. "Thank you doctor... Blueshift nodded, although he was alone in the room. "Of course." "Now, any word from Radiance?" "None. The solar surge may have knocked out Moon Base 239's communication systems. We may not reestablish communications until she arrives at Gemini space port." She sighed. "I hate waiting." "Nopony does." *** Radiance angrily yelled as she cut the fifth lock that stopped her. As she discovered on the third door, kinetic charges were useless against the reinforced barriers. She walked down another hallway. It was straight and colorless, obviously not for show. On the floor were more guards, and according to the half-eaten sandwich next to a pony, whatever knocked them out happened instantly. Around the corner, yet another door separated her, but unlike the others, this one was much darker and had rust around the edges. The cyborg growled in frustration as she began cutting through. As the lock tumbled onto the floor, a ray of moonlight peeked out of the crack. Radiance silently cheered as she pushed open the door. The cool night air blew through her mane as she walked out of the old, probably never used or cleaned prison. She emerged from a mountainside overlooking Canterlot. Radiance half-expected a city as populous as this one to be still awake even at this hour. She decided that the castle on the other side of the capital was as good as any place to start. Spreading her wings, the cyborg jumped. It was only after she cleared the edge that an error message resurfaced in her head. - Left wing main servo inoperative - WARNING - Wing servo failure detected - Activate Electronic Repair Assistant "Ah crap." Radiance started tumbling, her left wing flopping in the wind and completely useless. Technically she had full control of her wing, but under the force of the wind it buckled like a broken oar. Head over hooves, she fell closer and closer to the city. The fall lasted only a few seconds, but she couldn't see the direction she was plummeting towards. She stayed calm, this wasn't exactly the first time she had fallen without the use of her wings. The wind rushed through her mane and tail, blowing them into her face and other areas where she didn't want it to go. But fortunately the fall didn't last long. Radiance coughed as she spat out a mouthful of leaves. Even with a useless wing, she somehow managed to land in a heavily wooded area. Unfortunately, more tubes in her leg had failed from the fall. It wasn't surprising though. She couldn't remember the last time they had been replaced, but she had been forced to leave without a maintenance check by ERA. She hooked her good leg onto a branch and slowly stepped onto a lower foothold. The cyborg slipped a few times, almost falling to more pain, but saved herself just in time. Finally, her hooves reunited with the hard ground. Radiance limped through the dark city, stepping over ponies and random debris. She wondered if she was the reason that all of these ponies were unconscious, and thus she was imprisoned, but threw that idea out of her head when she remembered that Blueshift had disabled the auto-control system. The cyborg sighed as she dragged her useless leg behind her. *** "Tw... Twilight?" Pinkie sadly cried out as she slowly walked down the main street of the marketplace. "Applejack? Rarity?" She stopped and lowered her head in sadness." ...Fluttershy?" Her quiet voice echoed through the empty city. Stalls with their merchandise still unsold lay abandoned on the sides, the ponies who sold them lay around, unmoving. A few remains of the paper airplanes fluttered past. The clouds slowly reclaimed the sky above, and eventually Pinkie was stuck in total darkness. She shivered. Not from the cold, but from loneliness. Her mane slightly deflated. Without any sense of direction, Pinkie walked aimlessly. She stumbled many times when ponies that lay on the ground tripped her. Her mood fell further. It was then that the goddess of luck decided to help. A metallic clang sounded as her hoof hit something. As her eyes gradually got used to the dark, she could make out a glass bulb with a metal base. Next to it was a small cardboard box. Pinkie gasped. She picked up the object with her hoof the object and gently shook it. A liquid sloshed around inside the base, roughly half-full if the party pony could guess. She removed the bulb, releasing a slightly charred smell. With her mane marginally bouncier, she pushed a drawer-like cardboard insert and took a thin stick of wood from inside. Aiming for the dark red strip on the side of the box, Pinkie struck the match and a small orange flame flickered to life. Large shadows danced on the walls of houses and stores. She touched the match to the lamp wick and a steady, brighter light illuminated the store she was standing in front of. Pyro's Pyros! Everything for Your Fireplace! With the lamp lit, Pinkie replaced the glass bulb and looked around. She had reached the main square. Unconscious ponies and random debris filled the street, including the one she had tripped on. And in front of a restaurant was... "Rainbow Dash!" The cyan pony lied peacefully, as if she was merely sleeping. Under her was the form of Fluttershy who was hugging herself. Pinkie put down the lamp and pulled the pegasus off. She slumped onto the ground, totally limp. "Rain-bow-Dash!" she cried out as she shook the pegasus' shoulder. The party-loving pony laughed somewhat crazily. "HA. HA. HA. You got me real good Dashie! You can wake up now... Really..." Pinkie's lower lip started quivering and she dropped to the ground in defeat. "...Please wake up..." For the first time in a long time, tears genuinely fell from her eyes.
